Chris Nakamura
Secretary

Year we first attended: 2016 (began attending regularly and intentionally)

Year we became members: 2017

Leadership and team/committee involvement at UUFoM: In 2017, when I became a member I began serving the fellowship by helping out with sound on Sundays.  I later served a short stint on the Worship Team before being elected to serve on the Search Committee.  After serving on the Search Committee, I began a 2 year term on the Board of Directors as a member-at-large.  During my first year of Board service I was asked by the executive board members to serve on the Committee on Ministry, which I have done for a little over a year.  I have served in my first year on the board as the liaison to the Stewardship Committee, and this year I am a member of that committee.  Since I began attending UUFoM in 2016 I have delivered the Sunday Message on 3 occasions, and have served as Worship Associate a few times per year.  Since we have moved to our online format, I more regularly perform the task of Slides Moderator and less frequently serve as Worship Associate.  At times I have been active in the choir, though I am not presently active.

Why I chose to be a UU: As a young child I was exposed to a fairly traditional Christian worldview by several means.  My parents, my mother in particular, were both responsible for that exposure, but also cultivated in me a profound sense that religious worldviews were to be questioned.  The precise reasons for how this happened are a little complicated, but suffice it to say, I was raised to develop a healthy skepticism for religion in general, and as a result, I developed a keen skepticism for Christian hegemony (which I found interesting, but oppressive) in particular.  I would describe myself as a hard agnostic (belief: “I don’t know whether there is/are god(s) and neither does anyone else.”) with a bend towards optimistic atheism (belief: I am optimistic that there isn’t any god(s), and if we work hard together we can make our heaven here.”).  The first part of my beliefs really formed as an undergraduate studying physics at U of M in Ann Arbor.  I was not aware of UU at that time, but I kind of wish I had been, as there is a large UU church there, and I think undergraduate me could have benefited from it.  I came to know of UU later in grad school when Sarah Nuss-Warren, my girlfriend at the time, suggested we attend the UU fellowship there in Manhattan, KS.  I found many kindred spirits there and found it to be an amazing community of support while I worked on my graduate studies.  We were members for about 6 years, and were married in that fellowship.  I came to understand that I have a strong interest in religious ritual, and practice, but do not feel the need to associate it with anything supernatural.  I love singing hymns, and lighting candles and joining with others in readings and prayers.  I think those rituals have profound power – psychological and sociological power –  to change the world.  I choose to be a UU because I feel tremendous benefits from being involved in a faith community that supports people in their search for meaning and their efforts to live sustainable lives that reflect emergent shared values.  When I go to the UU church I feel a profound connection to generations of people around the world who would go to their holy places and participate in religious practices to provide structure and meaning for their lives.  I am a part of that ancient tradition.  I am like them, regardless of whether I believe in a supernatural god, and I feel it so important in our American culture now for there to be a place that makes it explicitly clear that your acceptance in the community is not at all contingent upon certain religious beliefs.  
 
Why I became a member of UUFoM: When my partner, Sarah Nuss-Warren, and I first moved to the area in 2012 we came to UUFoM and after a few weeks of attendance, frankly, we didn’t feel a great fit.  So we stopped attending.  We wanted to be a part of a community like we had known in Manhattan, but it didn’t seem to be happening the same way, and we were quite busy establishing our careers here, so we did not give it too much thought.  Later in 2016, however, we felt a stronger need to be part of a community that shared our values, where we could be part of a larger effort to live lives that reflected those values and to build a society that reflects those values.  I would be lying if I said the developing political climate of the US at that time did not contribute to those feelings.  We felt like our society was drifting (careening?) in the wrong direction, and it filled us with great concern.  We had a conversation that I remember very well in which we asked each other “If we don’t fit with the UU fellowship here, maybe we just need to put in more work and the fit will come?” Over time we came to find that many of the things that made the fit feel wrong were actually changing for the better, and that our reasoning, that putting in more effort ourselves might make a big difference, turned out to be correct.  We’ve come to find a community here full of people we love, and that we are proud to be a part of.  So, I choose to remain a member, to reaffirm my commitment to this congregation, because the fit feels so right.  I feel like this is the community I belong in, and that fills me with joy.

Thoughts About the Future: When I think of the future of UUFoM I think that it seems to me that there are many people who are weary of (or just feel like they don’t need) traditional Christian religion (statistics show this, as nationally churches shrink), but deep down, know they would benefit from a religious community (statistics show this too, as UU demonstrates small growth against a trend of shrinkage) and that we can be the place where they can go to talk about what they don’t believe, or what they’re not sure about, or the questions they struggle with, and we can sing songs together, light chalices, and then support each other as we make and execute our plans to live sustainable lives of meaning and value along the arc of human existence.  

Lisa Janetski
Member-At-Large

Year I first attended: 2009
 
Year I became a member: 2018, I think. It may have been before that.
 
Leadership and team/committee involvement at UUFoM: Religious Education Team (also a frequent volunteer for the RE program for many years). UU Softball Team (as a player and as a manager).
 
Why I chose to be a UU: I chose to attend the Fellowship after playing for two summers with the UU softball team and at the urgings of Rod Martin, who was our manager at the time.
 
Where I grew up: Midland and Clare, MI

Thoughts About the Future: I dream of having a variety of choices for socialization outside of Sundays. I always enjoyed game nights, for example.
 
Bio
I am raising my two kids mostly on my own; Karmon is 13 and a 7^th grader at Bullock Creek Middle School, and Nolen is ten and a 4^th grader at Pine River Elementary. Kurt Sonoras is my partner, and Alex is my bonus kiddo. I am also attending SVSU as a full-time college student and running my solo cleaning business, All Cleaned Up. I started my business 4 years ago and I’ve went from cleaning apartments in preparation for new tenants to mostly residential cleaning. 
 
I am studying for my bachelor’s degree with a double major of General Business and Management. I have five brothers and sisters, ten nieces and nephews, and six great nieces and nephews with another on the way. I grew up on a farm when I was with my dad and in a more “city” location when I was with my mom. My dad owns a mechanic shop in Mt. Pleasant that my two brothers run for him. I have a sister who works for the postal service, one who is a nurse, and one who is a nun.
 
I don’t really have a lot of spare time. My daughter plays clarinet in band so I plan to go to her concerts and I am active in the band booster for BCMS. My son is active in sports (cross country, wrestling, and basketball) so I will be attending those events as well. 
 
When I have a chance, I love to read, take landscape/sunset/sunrise/flora/fauna photographs, swim, kayak, travel, and spend time with loved ones (kids, partner, friends, and family).

Janelle Dombek
Nominating Committee

Year we first attended: Visited in 2002 a few times, started regularly in 2009
 
Year we became members: 2012
 
Leadership and team/committee involvement at UUFoM: I’ve served as UUFOM Treasurer, Stewardship Co-Chair, and member of the Finance Team, Building & Grounds, Aesthetics and Membership Committees. I’ve been active in fundraising, having led the Auction Team for a number of years and organized Euchre/Game Nights. During the pandemic, I’ve been helping the Worship Committee by acting as Slides Moderator. I’m also a member of the choir.
 
Where I grew up: I was raised in a large Catholic family on a farm in southwestern Minnesota. I went to South Dakota State University to obtain a BS in Math, then attended Iowa State University for a Master’s in Statistics. I moved to Midland in 1987 to do statistical consulting for Dow Chemical, then managed their employee survey program, and finally joined employee benefits where I managed various insurance plans. I retired from Dow in 2017.
 
Why I chose to be a UU: In spite of my Catholic upbringing, I often felt an outsider in that religion, disliking the obligatory Sunday services and somehow lacking the “God connection” that they assumed everyone had.
 
Why I became a member of UUFoM: grown up in a large family, I missed that support network when I moved to Michigan. UUFOM has supplied the feeling of belonging, purpose, and commitment that I was searching for. In this congregation, I’ve found both an extended family and a means to find my own spiritual direction.
 
Bio
I’ve been married to Tim Wagner for 31 years. We share our household with Pounce, a sweet-natured, 16.5 year-old gray tabby.
 
Tim and I have two sons, who are both exploring life out west. Shawn is 28, lives in Broomfield, CO and works out of his home as a computer programmer for a UK advertising solutions company. Kyle is 26, and recently moved to Salt Lake City, where his girlfriend is working toward a graduate degree at Utah State. While he looks for a job in the area, Kyle works remotely for the Minnesota company he was employed with before his move.