They come to church to share God, not find God.
~ Alice Walker
Once per quarter we have the pleasure of welcoming new members into our fellowship during a Sunday worship service. It is a very special event in the life of our church. Our New Member “Ingathering” will take place this Sunday, February 12, as we happily welcome Elaine Bundy and Matthew Emerick into membership. The message for the morning is titled “On Reclaiming Church.” We hope you will join us!
“For our very humanity is illuminated for us by our fellow beings, each of whom offers the authentic presence of the divine. Over time, the church becomes a vessel which holds us, in moments of tragedy and transformation, in moments of need and vulnerability, in our most urgent questions of meaning. It is the chalice which carries the heritage of our tradition as it is handed from one generation to the next.”
~ Kendyl Gibbons
Upcoming Services
February 19: “Waiting in the Garden” with Tom Moffit.
February 26: “Ruby Bridges and the Moral Imagination”
UU Cabaret Performers Needed!
As the Stewardship Team prepares for the 2017 Stewardship Campaign, the kick off event is being planned…drum roll please…the UU Cabaret! This highly anticipated event will be Saturday, February 18, 2017 at 7 pm in our sanctuary. Sign up sheets are available in the Social Hall. If you play an instrument, sing, dance, act, perform UU tricks, recite poetry/stories, etc., then we need you.
Thank you for your consideration!
Annette Pratt, 2017 UUFCM Stewardship Chairperson
UUA 2017 Common Read – Discussion Groups Scheduled
As has been announced at Sunday morning announcements prior to worship, our first adult RE (religious exploration) offering for this year is to read The Third Reconstruction by the Rev. Dr. William J. Barber II and gather together for in-depth discussions. If you haven’t obtained a copy yet, we will have some available for purchase after service this Sunday – cost is $16 per copy. You can read more about the book here.
Discussion Group Schedule:
Sunday, February 19 at 12:00 p.m. – Chapters 1-3
Sunday, March 12 at 12:00 p.m. – Chapters 4-6
Sunday, March 19 at 12:00 p.m. – Chapters 7-9
RE News
If you signed up for a candy gram this past Sunday, please remember to bring your three dollars in! If you did not sign up this past Sunday but would like to order one for this upcoming Sunday, please message Anna at [email protected] with your name, who it's for, and what message you'd like written. All proceeds go to St. Jude's Children's Research Hospital.
And we hope this is good news for our middle and high school youth – we are moving our RE for teens to 1:00 p.m. on Sunday afternoons! We understand the challenge of Sunday mornings, so we have decided to try this new format – a combination of discussion time (currently working with a Harry Potter curriculum) followed by general hangout/board game time…plus refreshments, of course. Roze Bentley will be our lead facilitator. Hope to see you there!
Friend in Need
Our former RE director…and current RE volunteer teacher, Roze Bentley, has been diagnosed with TMJ (temporomandibular joint) disorder that has her in constant pain…and her insurance offers no coverage for the treatment she needs. Roze has started a Go Fund Me campaign to raise the necessary funds – she is halfway to her goal! Please chip in if you’re able.
New Directories Have Arrived
We want to thank all of you who checked or updated your entries so that we were able to get the new directory out by February 5. A special thanks goes to our Administrative Assistant, Kirsten Keeton, who with much patience and diligence produced another great looking document. The directories are available on the ledge in the foyer leading to the sanctuary. If you notice mistakes, please contact Gisela Moffit or Kirsten Keeton so they can be fixed. Again many thanks for your cooperation and support.
Isabella County Restoration House (ICRH) News
The remaining dates for our partnering with St. John's for the Restoration House are the weeks of March 5 and April 2. The shelter program has begun and we are again hosting the Welcome/Intake center. If you are interested in volunteering for the Intake Center, or for helping out with other churches, please contact Joyce Henricks (989-400-9743 or [email protected]).
Support for Our Neighbors
If anyone would like to send cards or letters telling the members of the Islamic Center of Mount Pleasant that they are welcome in our community, they would gratefully receive them. The address is:
Islamic Center of Mount Pleasant
907 McVey St.
Mount Pleasant, MI 48858
Church is a place where you get to practice what it means to be human.
~ James Luther Adams
Let us be mindful to leave the parking spaces directly across from our Wisconsin entrance open for our friends who have mobility issues. Thank you for your consideration.
Service Cancellation Policy
In case of inclement weather, a decision to cancel the service will be made by 9 a.m. An announcement will be posted on Facebook as well as sent directly via email. Those who are not online will be phoned. If you have questions, call Laura McBride (989-772-5512). We hope we won't have to resort to this very often, but we live in Michigan after all, so we need to be prepared!
Got News?
The deadline for submissions to the Order of Service Insert and the UUFCM weekly e-News is
Tuesday at 5:00 p.m. Please send all submissions to [email protected].
UUFCM Board of Trustees for 2016-2017
President: Laura McBride (989.772.5512; [email protected])
Past-President: Annette Pratt (989.400.0173; [email protected])
President Elect: Norma Bailey (989.560.3952; [email protected] )
Treasurer: Chris Bailey (989.775.8257; [email protected])
Co-Treasurer: Ricky Courlander (989.772.4457; [email protected])
Secretary: Vicki Chessin (989.560.4614; [email protected])
Trustee: Scott Daigle (989.506.5750; [email protected])
Trustee: Janis Shinn (989.400.3724; [email protected])
Trustee: Brigitte Bechtold (989.954.1123; [email protected])