eNews: November 28, 2025

Keep up with what's happening at UUFCM!

View this email in your browser eNews for Thursday, November 27, 2025 Worship Matters We will gather online via Zoom and in person this Sunday, November 30, to worship with Laura McBride who will present  "Embodying Abundance" by Rev. Dr. Sandra Fees. The Zoom call starts at 10:00am for social time, and the service starts at 10:30am.   "We need ways to reopen ourselves to beauty and gratitude—and to see not only the proverbial glass being half full but also the whole glass… This is not a Pollyannaish optimism. Seeing the beautiful glass does not ignore life’s harsh realities… This outlook insists on seeking and finding the best in our lives and the lives of those around us… It invites us to embody abundance even in those mud-puddle times. As the French-Swiss poet Jean Petit-Senn wrote, ‘it’s not what we have that constitutes our abundance, but what we appreciate.’..."   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   November 30: Embodying Abundance  December 7: Choosing Hope December 13: Saturday - Blue Holidays 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: "Faith and Gender" With pride for our Unitarian Universalist faith and for our national leader, Rev. Dr. Sofia Betancourt, I share an excerpt from a statement on which she was lead author. This statement was signed by many other national faith leaders (Jewish, Quaker, Disciples of Christ, Presbyterian, United Church of Christ, Episcopal, and more):   To The American Public, Its Political Leaders, and Moral Teachers, As heads of diverse religious traditions in the United States, our faiths call on us to proclaim that transgender, intersex, and nonbinary people deserve respect, love, and equal rights. During a time when our country is placing their lives under increasingly serious threat, there is a disgraceful misconception that all people of faith do not affirm the full spectrum of gender – a great many of us do. Let it be known instead that our beloveds are created in the image of God – Holy and whole. 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 - December 5th Sleepy Time Yoga - 3rd Mondays at 6pm  Game Night - 3rd Mondays at 7pm  Movie Night - 4th Saturdays at 7pm - resuming in January 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 - This Sunday! 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 Building Team Meeting: Monday, December 1 at 5:30pm Fellowship News Thanksgiving Dinner Feast Today! Potluck meal is planned for 4-6 pm in the Fellowship Hall on Thanksgiving Day. We still have some available seats, if you are interested. There are a few food items and prep and clean up opportunities available to make the celebration enjoyable for all!  Laura McBride 989.772.5512 [email protected] Welcome to UU: November 30 There will be a Welcome to UU class offered on Sunday, November 30th at noon in the sanctuary. Any interested persons may attend! This is one of two parts to considering becoming a member of UUFCM or at the very least learning more about our fellowship's history and Unitarian Universalism! Please let Laura McBride know if you plan to stay for the 70 minute class. Her contact information is: 989.772.5512 or [email protected]  All are welcome! Path to Membership - Coming in December A Path to Membership opportunity is being planned for Saturday, December 6th or 13th 2-4:30 pm in the Social Hall. If you are interested in learning more about how UUFCM is organized, volunteer opportunities, benefits and responsibilities of membership, and more, please contact Laura McBride or Rev. Drew Frantz. If December doesn't work for you, there will be a second chance in January. Contacts: Laura McBride 989.772.5512 [email protected] Rev. Drew 440.935.0129  [email protected] Voter Education Event   The Mt. Pleasant Area League of Women Voters and the Unitarian Universalist Fellowship of Central Michigan (UUFCM) are co-sponsoring a voter education event on Thursday, December 4, at 6:30 pm in our UUFCM building.  The program will be presented in the sanctuary, and there will be refreshments and conversation in the Fellowship Hall afterwards. Inviting you to come and bring friends!    December 13, 2025 (Saturday at 4:00) Special Worship Service: "Blue Holidays" The winter holiday season is supposed to be fun–but what if you’re not feeling that way? The expectation to be joyful can be stressful in itself, while family gatherings can also bring up challenges and traumas large and small. Please join us for a special service that allows time to acknowledge the difficult feelings that are present in the holiday season. You may find serenity and acceptance here; you may find comfort in the companionship of others. All are welcome. Matt Collins elected   Matt Collins was elected to serve as a UUFCM Board of Trustees member to complete a one-year term through June 30, 2026.  Congratulations, Matt! Drop Off Free Calendars   Do you have extra 2026 calendars? Your Social Justice Coordinating Team (SJCT) will collect them to distribute to the residents of local nursing homes for the new year! You can drop them off in the box located by the nursery. Policy Regarding Safer Inclusion of Potential Sex Offenders   On November 9, the UUFCM Board of Trustees approved a revised Policy Regarding Sexual Misconduct that had been approved at the May 10 Board meeting.  After the old policy was shared with the congregation, there were concerns raised by a number of congregants that the original policy was more concerned with the welcome to a sex offender than with the safety of the members of the congregation.  The concerns were shared at a Listening Circle on September 30 and in communication with members of the Safer Congregation Committee.   Based on that feedback, the Safer Congregation Committee revised the original policy and recommended it to the Board, which subsequently approved the revised policy.  The Policy Regarding Safer Inclusion of Potential Sex Offenders is linked HERE.  Should you have any questions or concerns, please contact any member of the Safer Congregation Committee: Rev. Drew Frantz, Mel Bailey, Norma Bailey, Sierra Burke, Kirsten King, Guy Newland, and Katie Zapoluch. 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 Community News Volunteers and Items Needed for Christmas Outreach    Christmas Outreach, an effort to coordinate the community for Christmas giving, is in need of financial support and gently used items to serve the 2787 individuals, 828 households, and 1220 children registered this year, about a 43% increase in numbers this year. There are multiple ways to help:   Financial:  Mail checks to Christmas Outreach of Isabella County, PO Box 1227, Mt. Pleasant, MI 48804.   Donations:  Any gently used coats, snow pants, boots, linens, hats, gloves, scarves, children’s books in good shape, large deodorant, and full-size toothpaste.  Drop off donation at Morey Courts, December 10 and 11 between 9:00 am and 5:00 pm   Volunteer:  Need to escort and to help people take the items they have received to their cars.  Volunteers are especially needed Friday, December 12 in the afternoon and Saturday, December 13 between 12:00pm and 4:00pm.   To sign up HERE!           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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