eNews January 8 2026

Keep up with what's happening at UUFCM!

View this email in your browser eNews for Thursday, January 8, 2026 Worship Matters We will gather online via Zoom and in person this Sunday, January 11, to worship with Norma Bailey and Rev. Drew on “Hope, JOY and Resistance." The Zoom call starts at 10:00am for social time, and the service starts at 10:30am.   "Given everything that is unfolding in the United States and in the world, how do we find and hold on to hope and joy in our lives? We explored this question in our January 4 service, and this Sunday, January 11, through words and music, we will explore how we can use hope and joy to help us resist the negative impact in our lives?” Zoom Invitation for Sunday Service: Join Zoom Meeting Meeting ID: 402489218 One tap mobile +16468769923,,402489218# Phone - audio only +1 646 876 9923 Upcoming Services   January 11: Hope, JOY and Resistance January 18: Martin Luther King   In Case You Missed It... Many past sermons are available on our website under Sermon Videos and Archives.  In order to access any services 2024 on, go to the website and click on Worship, then Sunday Services.  Minister’s Column: "Venezuela" With the rest of the world, I woke up Saturday to the news about the US military invading Venezuela to capture their president. Our national leadership at the UUA soon released a statement which reads (in part):   The Unitarian Universalist Association (UUA) condemns the Trump Administration’s military strikes overnight against the country of Venezuela, done with the express purpose of capturing its president, Nicolás Maduro, and seizing control of the country in violation of international laws…Unitarian Universalists (UUs) believe that these actions violate our shared religious values – particularly of interdependence and pluralism – and principles, which UUs affirm for themselves and for society. In a Statement of Conscience passed in 2010, “Creating Peace,” UUs proclaimed that “all people share a moral responsibility to create peace.” More...   Upcoming Events Most meetings and events are hybrid (in-person/Zoom). Please contact the event or meeting leader if you are not sure. Event and meeting details and links can be found on the UUFCM Calendar. A Joyful Noise Choir Rehearsal - Wednesdays at 7:00pm Central Michigan Sangha - Tuesdays at 6:45pm Crafty U - 3rd Tuesdays at 10:30am First Friday Potluck - First Fridays at 6:30pm Sleepy Time Yoga - 3rd Mondays at 6pm - THIS MONTH SUNDAY JANUARY 18 at 6:30pm Game Night - 3rd Mondays at 7pm Movie Night - 4th Saturdays at 7pm Readers Theater - 2nd Tuesdays at 7pm  Soul Matters Discussion Group - next meeting to be announced UU Discussion Group - Wednesdays at 10am UUFCM Men’s Group - 1st Mondays at 7pm on Zoom Welcome to UU Orientation - last Sunday of the month at 12:00pm unless otherwise indicated  All members and friends are welcome to attend our UUFCM Board meeting as well as the various team meetings that occur monthly. If you are interested in attending any specific team meeting, please contact the team leader for information. Team Meetings Board Meeting: January 11 at 1:00 SJCT Meeting: January 12 at 6:30    Fellowship News Egan Daugherty Janis Shinn Mel Bailey Zachary Morgan Monica Jean Jim Moreno Stacey Pattison Doris Hall Jennifer Davis For the year to come, we wish them much joy, good health for body and mind, and new (ad)ventures. May it be so. Dawn Daniel’s Address   For those of you wishing to send a card of condolence about the passing of her mother to Dawn Daniels, our minister prior to Rev. Drew, her address is 313 N. State St., Alma, MI  48801. A Path to Membership   A Path to Membership class is being planned for a Saturday afternoon in January. If you want to learn about the benefits of membership, ways to become involved through interest groups and teams, understand how to locate information on the website, and meet other newer friends to UUFCM, this is a great opportunity! The session will be held either January 17th or 31st at 1:00 pm for a couple of hours hosted by Rev. Drew and Laura McBride. Please contact Laura by 1/11/2026 with your date preference. Her info is: 989.772.5512 or [email protected].  Give to CMU Public Media, Help the UUFCM! We are once again collecting for CMU Public Media. In the late fall, we pool our resources together in order to purchase airtime on CMU Public Radio. Depending on the amount gathered, we get 1-2 ads per week for a good part of the year. Please make your check to “UUFCM,” include in the memo line “for CMU Public Media” and give it to Mary Alsager at church by January 11. If you have any questions, contact Mary Alsager at 989-330-2226. A single check for the total collected will be sent to CMU Public Media. Thank you in advance for contributing to this worthy effort – you are appreciated! Sleepy Time Yoga + Sound Bath by Victoria - Sunday, January 18 Join Kelly Lawson and Victoria Sladek for an evening of Yoga Nidra and Sound Bath 6:30-7:30 pm in the UU sanctuary. Bring a yoga mat, blankets, pillows, or anything to get cozy. The evening is donation-based, and all donations will go to the homeless shelter (ICRH).   The evening will begin with gentle movement before finding rest in Savasana (final resting pose) for a guided meditation. During the meditation, relax deeper with Victoria’s singing bowls!   Annual All-Congregation Retreat:  “Feeling Connected in the Struggle”  Saturday, January 24, 2026  8:45 coffee 9:00 – 12:00 retreat 12:00 – 1:00 luncheon  Please join us for the annual UUFCM retreat, a chance for the whole congregation to reflect and connect. Our intention this year is to balance social connection and bonding with reflection on what is happening in the world and how it affects us. Care Request Form for UUFCM Community The UUFCM Caring Team supports members and friends of the congregation in practical ways such as offering rides to medical appointments, meals for those temporarily unable to cook for themselves, and help with moving. Our ability to help, of course, is limited to the capacity of our volunteers. To facilitate delivery of these helping services, you are invited to fill out this online form on behalf of yourself or others if you want to request such assistance. Cynthia Damer coordinates this effort; others members of the Caring Team are Phoenix Thompson, Lou Ann Ashley, Laura McBride, Victoria Sladek, and Rev. Drew Frantz. Click Here Stay Informed for UUFCM Cancellations   When we decide to cancel or postpone a UUFCM event due to weather--as we did due to last Sunday's snowstorm--we use a cell phone app called Remind to make these announcements. In the case of Sunday morning worship, we make our decision by 8:30 am.  Downloading the Remind app to your phone and signing up just takes a few minutes. Stay informed and prepared this winter! View our full cancellation policy along with instructions for signing up on the Remind app here. Although the Remind app is the best way to stay informed, we also try to send an email and post an announcement on the website and social media. Save the Date for our Community Justice Party on February 21     You are all invited to our fifth bi-annual Community Justice Party on Saturday, February 21, 7-9 pm.  There will be a program in the sanctuary of music, skits, poetry, and a “Guess the Activist” contest highlighting several social justice issues, and then we will meet in the Fellowship Hall for light refreshments and a rousing cake walk! If you have a song or reading or anything else that you would like to contribute to the program, contact any member of the Social Justice Coordinating Team – Norma Bailey, Joyce Henricks, Kelly Lawson, Gisela Moffit, Lou Ann Ashley, Jim Moreno, or Katie Zapoluch.  This was a highlight event in 2024, so be sure to have it on your calendar!  Community News Save the Date! - January 19 The annual Martin Luther King, Jr. Peace March will be held on Monday, January 19 at 3:00pm. Let’s get a large number of us to march together behind our UUFCM banner!  Put the date on your calendar if you can!  Let Voters Vote! LWVMI is hosting a panel discussion on January 21 at 7pm via Zoom to advocate for and educate the public about LET VOTERS VOTE! Why Proposed Documentary Proof of Citizenship is Needless Voter Suppression. Hear experts address: Security and Integrity of Voting Unnecessary Red Tape of documentary proof of citizenship Impact on Voters in Michigan and across the US Our panelists include: Christopher Thomas, former Michigan Director of Elections, who will focus on the Michigan perspective on citizen voting. Melanie Macey, Policy and Government Affairs Director at Promote the Vote, who will focus on ballot proposals in Michigan that would require documentary proof of citizenship. Valencia Richardson, Voting Rights attorney at the Campaign Legal Center, who will focus on the federal SAVE Act and the federal perspective. All are welcome. Register Here: https://us02web.zoom.us/meeting/register/ZfQFdcF4R32HB7MpzfaA5w Indivisible Protests Continue! Indivisible Central Michigan plans on continuing their weekly Saturday protests at the usual location (corner of Mission and Broadway). The time is 11:00-1:00.  In case of extreme weather, a cancellation email will be sent out by 10:00.  Email [email protected] to get on the email list. Facts on Petitions Donate Now! The Unitarian Universalist Fellowship of Central Michigan is funded solely by its members and friends. ​ For your convenience, you can make a donation electronically with the button below. Please consider the option of offsetting the cost to the Fellowship for providing the convenience of making an online donation. If you prefer not to donate electronically, you may also write a check payable to UUFCM and send it to: UUFCM, P.O. Box 41, Mt. Pleasant, MI 48804-0041 Got News? The deadline for submissions to the Order of Service Insert and the UUFCM weekly eNews is Tuesday at 5:00 p.m. Please send all submissions to [email protected]. Drew’s Contact Information Please contact Drew via email, phone, or text. [email protected]  Phone/text: 440-935-0129​ Office Hours    Tuesdays 10am-noon   Wednesdays 1-3pm and 8-9pm   UUFCM Board of Trustees for 2025-2026 President: Norma Bailey (989.560.3952; [email protected]) President-Elect: Guy Newland (989.944.0534; newla1g[email protected]) Treasurer: David Allan (989.941.7349; [email protected]) Secretary: Jennifer Davis (989.280.7010; [email protected]) Trustee: Annette Pratt (989.400.0173; [email protected]) Trustee: Jennifer Prout (989.400.3130; [email protected]) Trustee:  Matt Collins (616-617-2274; colli2mr@gmail.com) Team and Committee Leaders Adult Religious Education Team - Joyce Henricks Building, Grounds & Safety Team - Norma Bailey Caring Team - Laura McBride Communications Coordinating Team Annie Peters  Fellowship Life Coordinating Team - Laura McBride   Membership - Laura McBride   Welcome & Hospitality - Gisela Moffit   Social Fun - Jen Prout Social Justice Coordinating Team - Norma Bailey Worship Team - Drew Frantz Youth Religious Education (RE) Team - Norma Bailey We are a religious community guided by love, transforming our lives and our world. 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