eNews Thursday, September 25 2025

Keep up with what's happening at UUFCM!

View this email in your browser eNews for Thursday, September 25, 2025 Youth RE Children Have Been Busy   Guided by our Youth RE Program Coordinator Elowen Kourteva and Youth RE Assistant Charlotte Ford, our children have created sun catchers to decorate our flower garden and collages about belonging. Worship Matters We will gather online via Zoom and in person this Sunday, September 28th, to worship with Guy Newland who will present  "Wise Hope Never Dies." The Zoom call starts at 10:00am for social time, and the service starts at 10:30am.   "The news is so relentlessly discouraging; when it seems things could get no worse, they get worse. How can we find hope and inspiration?  UUFCM has––in its history, values, and community––the resources for wise hope, a hope reaching beyond the horizons of our imagination." 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   September 28 - Hope in the Face of Devastation with Guy Newland 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: "If You Realise That All Things Change…"  These are the words of the Tao Te Ching, Lao Tzu’s words from ancient China translated into modern English by Stephen Mitchell:             If you realise that all things change, there is nothing you will try to hold on to. If you aren’t afraid of dying, there is nothing you can’t achieve.   Trying to control the future is like trying to take the master carpenter’s place. When you handle the master carpenter’s tools, chances are that you’ll cut your hand.   -Tao Te Ching, verse 74 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 October 3rd 6:30pm Sleepy Time Yoga - 3rd Mondays at 6pm Game Night - 3rd Mondays at 7pm  Movie Night - 4th Saturdays at 7pm - This Saturday! 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 Safe Congregation Team Listening Session: September 30th, 5:00pm Fellowship News Celebration of Life Janet Olson Sunday, October 5th 12:00 luncheon / 1:00 service UUFCM Santuary Janet Olson, beloved member of our Fellowship, died unexpectedly on September 9. You can read her obituary here. Please join us to celebrate and remember her life on Sunday October 5th. All are welcome for a luncheon at noon, followed by a service at 1:00. October Birthdays! For the year to come, we wish them much joy, good health for body and mind, and new (ad)ventures. May it be so. 2025-2026 UUFCM Board Goals Each year, the UUFCM Board of Trustees establishes goals for itself in addition to the regular business of the Board.  This year its goals are: Support the production of a new UUFCM Website    Explore and make a recommendation regarding a church management system to handle directory, pledges, and master data base    Identify and act on the resistance to the Trump administration's actions and policies    Refine the Policy on the Evaluation of Fellowship Ministry   Update the Finance Team responsibilities Feel free to contact any member of the Board if you have questions or suggestions. Board members’ contact information is listed at the bottom of the eNews.  Movie Night Letter Writing Party TOMORROW! The Social Justice Coordinating Team (SJCT) invites you to a letter-writing event on Friday, September 26, 5:30-7:00pm to support a Pennsylvania Supreme Court election coming up on November 5.  We will provide instructions, materials and snacks.  Join us in making a difference with our action!    Welcome to UU Orientation - THIS Sunday, September 28th Contact: Laura McBride We meet both in person in the fellowship hall and via Zoom. 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 12:00 pm. Sessions run approximately an hour and a half. If you are interested in watching an introductory video regarding our faith, please view this YouTube video by Peter Bowden called Unitarian Universalism: You're Uni-What?. For more info or to register for Welcome to UU, contact: Laura McBride at 989.772.5512; [email protected]. Please let Laura know whether you will be attending via Zoom or in-person by the Friday prior to the orientation.   Sex Offender Policy Listening Circle September 30 at 5:00 In an effort to ensure that we are keeping the congregation as safe as possible, we are asking concerned parties to attend a listening circle regarding the sex offender policy.   The Safe Congregation Team has re-convened for the new year with three new members. Our task is to consider the possible inclusion of any people on the sex offender registry in the activities of the Fellowship.  -  last year the board adopted a policy that allows for the possibility of including a sex offender  -  so far, we have NOT gone forward with including anyone on the sex offender registry in our congregation. If we were to do so, every case would be treated individually. We want to make sure we hear from everyone—especially those with concerns—before implementing the policy. Please reach out to anyone on this team, or join us for a listening circle on Tuesday, September 30 at 5:00. The listening circle will be facilitated by Sierra Burke, Drew Frantz, and Katie Zapoluch.   First Friday Potluck Vigil for Humanity October 10     All are invited to a Community Interfaith Vigil for Humanity - To Recognize and Rekindle the Sacred Light in One Another Amidst the Chaos and Darkness.  The Vigil will be held Friday, October 10, 2025 @ 7 pm at the Town Center in downtown Mt. Pleasant, MI, the corner of Main and Broadway.  All are Welcome; come join us and bring your family.   UUFCM Annual Harvest Feast - October 12 Please save the date for the annual harvest feast on Sunday October 12th. Sign up sheets will be in the in fellowship hall starting this Sunday. Children Invited to Papas Pumpkin Patch on October 19     The Youth RE Team is inviting all children to join them at Papas Pumpkin Patch on Sunday, October 19, at 1:30 pm.  There will be a hayride, a chance to pick out a pumpkin, a corn maze, a Gator train ride, animals to pet, and cider and donuts.  There is no cost for the children, and adults who join us are asked to donate $6.00 if possible.  Please let Elowen know by Sunday, September 28, if you are going to attend so that we can make the reservation. Save the Date for October Cleanup   Save the date for our outdoor cleanup on Saturday, October 25, 9:30-12:30.  More information later! Scam Alert Several congregants have recently received emails and texts purportedly from UUFCM leadership. If you receive a message that seems suspicious, please remember that we would never solicit money or ask for help in this way, and do not respond to the message. Read more here. Community News Niimi'idiwin "A Dance" Mt. Pleasant Indian Industrial Boarding School (1400 W. Pickard, Mt. Pleasant, MI) Friday, September 26, 2025 1 pm - 4 pm For more information please contact Marcella at [email protected] or 989-775-4751. Hispanic Heritage Month   Central Michigan University invites community members to attend the various events on campus celebrating Hispanic Heritage Month, September 15 – October 15.  All are welcome!  See the calendar for events. Ballot Proposal Forum       On Tuesday, October 7, from 7:00-8:30 on Zoom, MUUSJN (Michigan UU Social Justice Network) will present a ballot proposal forum to learn about the key points of the multiple petitions being circulated in Michigan for the 2026 midterm election. Please plan to attend in order to make an informed decision on whether to sign a petition.  Register at bit.ly/BallotPropForum.   No Kings 2 October 18       Indivisible Central Michigan will be joining the national NO KINGS 2 protests on Saturday, October 18 from11:00 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!   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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