To connect with the great river we all need a path,
but when you get down there, there's only one river.
~ Matthew Fox
We hope you will join us in worship this Sunday, March 5 - our minister will share a message titled
“How the Light Gets In” - hint: Leonard Cohen understood.
“You cannot go on indefinitely being just an ordinary, decent egg. We must be hatched or go bad.”
~ C.S. Lewis
And…if you happened to miss some of our worship services this past month, the readings and sermon messages from February have been added to the sermon archive on our website.
Upcoming Services
March 12: “On Being Long Haul People”
Attendance at Services
Those of you present in service this past month will have likely noticed the increase in worship attendance – a very good thing! Due to this welcome increase, we will be adding more chairs to the sanctuary…which will necessitate some adjustments in where we locate the choir presentations and how we do our joys and sorrows ritual, etc. We ask your patience as we make these adjustments…and that we all be mindful of making space for newcomers. One way to achieve this is for those who arrive earliest for service to select seats on the north (library side) of the room. And when we see the place filling up – skootch (yes, that’s a word) over to fill the single empty seats that exist between us to make room for others. Thank you!
First Friday Potluck - March 3
Join us for our March First Friday communal nosh! Our minister, Dawn Daniels, will be our host for the evening. Bring a favorite dish to share. We will also be celebrating the March birthdays of Don Rust, Leslie Hildebrandt, Maya Dora-Laskey, Beth Macleod, Mary McDowell, Victoria Sladek, and Morghan Brassard. The potluck begins at 6:30 p.m. - helping hands are welcome at 6:15 p.m. to assist with set-up preparations..
Infant Pantry Collection - March 5
Donations for the Infant Pantry are collected on the first Sunday of each month. Most needed items are things for baby care - diapers (especially sizes 5 and 6), creams, shampoos,and lotions. Baby food and formula are not needed a this time. If you want to donate money, then the check should be made out to CCN (Community Compassionate Network) with memo “Infant Pantry.” Please contact Tom Moffit (moffi1tc@cmich.edu or 772-1602) with any questions.
Isabella County Restoration House (ICRH) News
Dinners for the Restoration House shelter program at St. John’s church are being provided for Sunday, March 5; Monday, March 6; Wednesday, March 8; and Friday, March 10. We already have volunteers to prepare the main dishes, but could use some help with side dishes. If you are able, and willing, to help out, please contact Joyce for details. (Joyce.henricks@cmich.edu or 989-400-9743.)
UUA 2017 Common Read Discussion Group
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. You can read more about the book here.
Discussion Group Schedule:
Sunday, March 12 at 12:00 p.m. – Chapters 4-6
Sunday, March 19 at 12:00 p.m. – Chapters 7-9
Yard Signs for Sale Beloveds – I have taken it upon myself to purchase some yards signs of the graphic many of us have seen on the internet, “In This House We Believe.” The original price from Café Press was $16.99 – I am selling them for $20 apiece to cover shipping costs plus a little leftover to go to our UUFCM leadership training fundraising effort. The original twenty signs have all been sold but the second shipment has already arrived and will be available for purchase at the First Friday Potluck or after service on Sundays. See me or Annette Pratt to purchase or place an order (if we sell out again!). Thank you! ~ Dawn |
We have moved 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 followed by general hangout/board game time…plus refreshments, of course. Roze Bentley is our lead facilitator. Hope to see you there!
Cash Donations
Here is a quick reminder to those who wish to make cash donations to our fellowship. If you want to get tax credit, you need to put your money in an envelope with your name on it. This way our treasurer can keep track and send you a statement for your taxes at the end of the year. Envelopes are located in the back pocket of the chairs and at the entrance to the sanctuary. You can also use your own if you prefer.
Nominating Committee
A nominating committee has been formed, which will be looking for candidates for Board positions for next year. If you are interested in serving in a leadership role, or want to nominate someone else, please contact Annette Pratt, Janis Shinn or Gisela Moffit. Being on the Board is a highly rewarding experience as you are dealing with very knowledgeable people, learning more about church issues and are able to take part in shaping our fellowship’s future path.
Conference on Human Trafficking
There will be a free, 1-day conference on Human Trafficking held on Friday, March 3 at the University Center on CMU’s campus. The conference is open to the public.
Want To See a Great Show?
The Mt. Pleasant High School musical this year is “The Little Mermaid” and will be shown again on Friday, March 3 and Saturday, March 4 at 7:30 p.m. Those of us who saw it this past weekend were amazed at the excellent performances. There were 80 kids on stage, singing and dancing their hearts out. Excellent, original costumes, super choreography and wonderful acting pleased everyone. Another reason for going is to see and applaud our UU kids Sela Damer-Daigle (Jetsom) and the Busch brothers, Topher and Tolbey (in various roles). You will have fun - guaranteed.
Save the date!
Rev. Dr. William Barber II will speak on Monday, March 13, from 6-8 pm at Grace Emmanuel Baptist Church in Flint. His topic: How to Advance Your Moral Agenda. Dr. Barber is the author of the book we are reading as a congregationThe Third Reconstruction. Registration information will be provided as soon as it is available.
Religion at its best is no friend of the status quo. Religion transforms people; no one
touches holy ground and stays the same. Religious leaders stir the pot by pointing to
the contrast between life as it is and life as it should be, and urging us to close the gap.
Religious insights provide the handhold that people need to criticize injustice,
rise above self-interest, and take risks to provide healing to a wounded world.
~ Dan Hotchkiss
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 admin@uufcm.org.
UUFCM Board of Trustees for 2016-2017
President: Laura McBride (989.772.5512; lmcbride010@gmail.com)
Past-President: Annette Pratt (989.400.0173; ampratt@cybersingerscafe.com)
President Elect: Norma Bailey (989.560.3952; baile1nj@cmich.edu )
Treasurer: Chris Bailey (989.775.8257; baile1c@cmich.edu)
Co-Treasurer: Ricky Courlander (989.772.4457; magicwalnut@charter.net)
Secretary: Vicki Chessin (989.560.4614; vechessin@gmail.com)
Trustee: Scott Daigle (989.506.5750; sndaigle@gmail.com)
Trustee: Janis Shinn (989.400.3724; janis_shinn@yahoo.com)
Trustee: Brigitte Bechtold (989.954.1123; becht1bh@cmich.edu)