eNews: October 16, 2025

Keep up with what's happening at UUFCM!

View this email in your browser eNews for Thursday, October 16, 2025 Worship Matters We will gather online via Zoom and in person this Sunday, October 12, to worship with Rev. Drew who will present  "Prophetic Witness: Imara Jones." The Zoom call starts at 10:00am for social time, and the service starts at 10:30am.   "Imara Jones presented the Ware Lecture at General Assembly this past June – the keynote address of our national gathering which boasts past speakers including Mary Oliver and Martin Luther King. Imara Jones is a trans woman and an award-winning journalist. Her talk on how trans people are perceived in America, socially and politically, is both inspiring and sobering. This Sunday we reflect on her message and its meaning for us." 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   October 19: Prophetic Witness: Imara Jones October 26: Cultivating Compassion November 2: Day of the Dead 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: "HUUMA Retreat" As I write this I am the annual retreat for the Heartland chapter of the UU Minister’s Association (HUUMA), serving Michigan, Indiana and Kentucky. A small group of us is gathered here at a retreat center in northern Indiana: ministers serving congregations in Detroit, Petoskey, Louisville, Bloomington and more; as well as retired ministers, student ministers, and UUA staff. 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 This Tuesday First Friday Potluck - First Fridays at 6:30pm  Sleepy Time Yoga - 3rd Mondays at 6pm This Monday Game Night - 3rd Mondays at 7pm This Monday 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 Youth RE Team Meeting: Sunday, October 19 at 6:00pm Fellowship News Annual Harvest Feast   Our annual Harvest Feast on Sunday, October 12, was a great success!  While fewer of us were able to attend, those of us who did shared a delicious meal and great conversation!  Thanks so much to Jen Prout for setting everything up for us! Special Plate Collection - THIS Sunday, October 19  This Sunday, a collection will be taken for the CMU Student Food Pantry which works to alleviate the challenges and hardships of food insecurity that many CMU students encounter during their academic career. You can put a donation into the passed plate on Sunday, donate online to the Social Justice Special Plate Collections Fund at our website, or checks can be sent to our treasurer made out to UUFCM with CMU Student Food Pantry in the memo. If you prefer to donate care items, hygiene products, cleaning products, and always toilet paper, paper towels, and laundry detergent are always needed. Adult RE:  Book Discussion The very moving memorial for Janet Olson reminds us, once again, of the fragility and preciousness of our lives. The reality and inevitability of death remains a challenge for many people. During the four Sundays of November, at 12:00 after services, Jim Dealing and Nancy Roeder will offer a facilitated discussion of Love and Death:  My Journey Through the Valley of the Shadow  by Forrest Church, pastor at All Souls UU in New York City for thirty years. The book is a series of reflections on death as his fatal cancer returns.  I found it moving and profoundly helpful. We shouldn't wait to come to terms with this reality but, as Church offers, "to live in such a way that our lives prove worth dying for."  This is a perspective that all of us need to learn.  It is not only for elders but for all ages. The book (140 pages in 20 chapters) is available new from the UUA bookstore, or used from Amazon or Thrift Books.  Contact Jim Dealing to indicate interest or if you have any questions. Sleepy Time Yoga - Monday, October 20 Kelly Lawson is offering an evening of Yoga Nidra on Monday, October 20th, 6:00-7:00 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).   Join Kelly for this gentle and restful practice of Yoga Nidra! The evening will begin with gentle movement before finding rest in Savasana (final resting pose) for a guided meditation. Game Night - Monday, October 20 at 7:00pm We meet on 3rd Mondays from 7-9pm in the UUFCM social hall and have fun with a variety of games decided by consensus. It is a great opportunity to learn new games and meet people with similar interests!  The Crafty U’s - Tuesday, October 21 at 10:30am Group meets in our fellowship hall on the third Tuesday of the month at 10:30am. It is an informal, drop-in group for anyone working on craft projects, especially fabric arts.  October Cleanup   Saturday, October 25 – 9:30am-12:30pm We’re planning to trim the evergreen bushes, clip off the dead lilac flowers, bring in the hose, pick up sticks, rake, weed, etc. Please come and help out as many hands make the work much lighter! Bring your yard tools if possible. Or if you want to tackle one of these tasks on a different day, contact Norma Bailey ([email protected]) and she will get you situated! Movie Night "Big" October 25 at 7:00pm Josh is a 12 year old who like many kids is tired of being told what to do and wants to be big. At a carnival, he sees a Zoltar machine promising to make wishes come true. As soon as Josh puts his coin in,  Zoltan spits out a card, "Your Wish has been granted." Who would believe a wish would be granted. Certainly not Josh who goes to bed and wakes up the next day a 30 year old. Join us at the Fellowship Hall at 7:00 on the 25th to see how the mind of a 12 year old handles the body of a 30 year old.  Welcome to UU Sunday October 26 This orientation is geared to newcomers, visitors, and those seeking to learn more about Unitarian Universalism and this UU fellowship. It is offered every month both in person in the fellowship hall and via Zoom, typically on the last Sunday at 12:00pm. Sessions run approximately an hour and a half. For more info or to register for Welcome to UU, contact: Rev. Drew: 440-935-0129 [email protected]  Please let Drew know whether you will be attending via Zoom or in person by the Friday prior to the orientation. CUUPs Samhain Ritual - October 26 - 6:00pm Samhain (pronounced SAH-win) is a holiday known by another name - Halloween. The ancients believed this was the time of year when the veil between the living and those passed was the thinnest. It is a time to remember those who have passed before us and listen to their stories that still live on inside us. It is also the Pagan “new year” with death and birth being two sides of the same coin. We will hold the ritual promptly at 6:00pm. Stay Informed for UUFCM  Cancellations – use REMIND When we decide to cancel or postpone a UUFCM event due to weather, 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. Community News No Kings 2 October 18       Indivisible Central Michigan will be joining the national NO KINGS 2 protests on Saturday, October 18 from 11:00 am -1:00 pm. The event will be on Mission Street, between Bluegrass and Broomfield. This is a national coalition protest, with over 140 partners, including 50501, ACLU, College Democrats of America, Common Cause, Fair Share America, Friends of the Earth, Greenpeace, Human Rights Campaign, Interfaith Alliance, Labor Today International and Women’s March!  Please join to be part of a massive turnout to protest!   League of Women Voters Movie and Conversation The League of Women Voters of the Mt. Pleasant Area invites community  members to attend a showing of the video Suffragette on Wednesday, October 29, 5:30-8:00 at Veterans Memorial Library.  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: Marco Muñoz-Fortino (989-600-6738; [email protected]) Team and Committee Leaders Adult Religious Education Team - Jodi Fisher 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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