“I wish it need not have happened in my time,” said Frodo. “So do I,” said Gandalf,
“and so do all who live to see such times. But that is not for them to decide.
All we have to decide is what to do with the time that is given us.”
~ J.R.R. Tolkien, The Fellowship of the Ring
Due to a slight shift in ministerial focus last Sunday, the three-part sermon series publicized in our eNews last week based on the book Turning Point: Essays on a New Unitarian Universalism has now been condensed into a two-part reflection (this will make more sense if you were present on Sunday, and if you weren’t, you can read what was presented in our online sermon archive).
Our worship service for this Sunday, June 11, will feature a message titled “The iChurch Revealed.” You can read more about Turning Point here, as well as purchase a copy. There will also be copies available to borrow in the church office. We hope you will join us for worship and participate in the discussions these reflections and this book will undoubtedly provoke.
“These essays collected by Frederic Muir place Unitarian Universalism in the context of any good story: a beginning, a middle, and an end or a telos. If the splendid individualism of Emerson is the beginning, and the end is the Beloved Community, what needs to happen in order to achieve that end? Muir and his fellow essayists call for a renewed and renewing story about how people know Unitarian Universalism. He says the language of covenant – which claims, “As free congregations we promise to one another our mutual trust and support” – represents the re-storied way forward.”
~ from the foreword, by Rev. Dr. Jacqueline J. Lewis
Upcoming Services
June 18: “On the Trinity of Promise: Where Are We Going?”
If you missed worship the past couple of weeks, you can find the texts of the sermon messages for May 28 and June 4 in our website sermon archive.
This workshop is designed for those who are ready to make the membership commitment to UUFCM. In this interactive session we explore the deeper meanings and expectations of membership and shared ministry; it is a three-hour* session (*depending on the size of the group – may be a shorter timeframe if a small group). To sign up for a Path to Membership workshop or participate in the New Member Celebration, please contact Gisela Moffit (989-772-1602 or [email protected]) or speak with UUFCM Minister Dawn Daniels.
Oscar Castaneda: “Sanctuary and Welcoming: City and Church”
Oscar Castaneda (Action of Greater Lansing) will be visiting Mount Pleasant next week to give a presentation about providing sanctuary. If you would like to discuss the difference, what is involved, and what is happening in Michigan, come to the Thursday, June 15 meeting of the Mount Pleasant Area Diversity Group at 7:00 pm in the parish hall of St. John’s Episcopal Church (enter through the red door on Washington St. between Maple and Locust). For more information: call (989) 772-8927.
UUFCM Garage Sale Update
Please deliver all items for the UUFCM garage sale (June 15, 16, and 17) to Norma Bailey’s house at 222 E. Andre Ave. by Sunday, June 11. Contact her (989-560-3952 or at [email protected]) if you have any questions. Watch for a special e-mail this week with further information, including a sign-up for sorting, pricing, and selling.
Scrap Metal Drive - Postponed!
The scrap metal drive for the UUFCM leadership training fundraiser is postponed!
It will be rescheduled in July.
Litha Ritual - Saturday, June 24th at Deerfield Park
Covenant of UU Pagans (CUUPS) will gather in the UU parking lot between 6:00 and 6:30 p.m., carpooling to Deerfield Park, with ritual beginning at 7 p.m. in the park. Our potluck will follow the ritual. Please bring a dish to pass and/or a dessert to share. If the weather does not cooperate, we will meet at the UU Center instead.
Isabella County Restoration House Fundraiser
Isabella County Restoration House (ICRH - the rotating homeless shelter) has a fundraiser at Buffalo Wild Wings on Wednesday, June 28. See the flyer for the coupon to participate.
RE News
- We need summer volunteers! During the summer months, the RE curriculum does not run like it does during the school year. Instead, our youth tend to a vegetable garden and help provide fresh food for the Isabella Soup kitchen. Volunteers will not be expected to create activities/provide stories (although they are more than welcome to!), they will be prepared ahead of time. If you wish to sign up email Anna at [email protected] or sign up during coffee hour after service.
- As you are planning your own summer gardens, please consider donating any spare vegetable plants to our youth for our garden. If you have any plants you'd like to donate please contact Anna at
[email protected] or at 517-930-6927 to let her know what you have and/or schedule a time for her to pick them up. - We are revamping our nursery! Please contact Anna if you have any new or gently used items you would like to donate.
MPHS Senior Project – Syrian Refugee Crisis
Sela Damer-Daigle has submitted the following message for our consideration and support:
At MPHS every senior participates in a senior project they create that benefits a community. For Isra Hamdi's and my senior project we wanted to spread awareness about the Syrian Refugee Crisis and the Syrian Civil war. To do this, we made a video and started a CrowdRise fundraiser. All the money we raise will go directly to the International Rescue Committee. Their mission is to help people whose lives are shattered by conflict and disaster and gain control of their future. Please help the refugees by donating & share our video to spread awareness about this situation!
CrowdRise
YouTube Video
Workshop on the Challenging Racism Toolkit
On Sunday, June 11, from 3-5 pm in Lansing, the Michigan UU Social Justice Network (MUUSJN) will provide a workshop explaining the Challenging Racism Toolkit which MUUSJN developed. The workshop will include an orientation to what's in the toolkit and small group discussions about opportunities for applying the toolkit as individuals, as congregations and in the broader community (see flyer). Norma Bailey, Dawn Daniels and Jen Prout are planning on attending and would love to have more of you join us. Please contact Norma (989-560-3952 or [email protected]) so that she can arrange carpooling.
Updates on Vicki Chessin Vicki's family has created a website that they’ve asked be shared with you all: https://posthope.org/vicki with the password Alma. |
Our times ask us to exercise our capacity for prophetic witness. By prophetic witness
I mean our capacity to see what is happening, to say what is happening and to act
in accordance with what we know. Prophetic witness is the ability to name those places
where we resist knowing what needs to be known.
~ Rebecca Parker
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.
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])