|
|
|
|
Sunday Morning Online Service at 10:30am
November 8
“Healing Indra’s Net” – According to Buddhist and Hindu philosophy, a jeweled web stretches infinitely in all directions, and in each jewel is reflected every other jewel. This metaphor for our interconnections is strong. But what if there is a tear in the net, in our social systems, for example? Join us for a post-election discussion exploring what it might take to rebuild relationships, repair our communities, and heal social ills. Led by our minister, Rev. Eric Severson
NEW ZOOM LINK
https://us02web.zoom.us/j/943984845?pwd=YTZUQ01RYzBXZ0hsREVNQjNZcFp2Zz09
Meeting ID: 943 984 845
NEW Password: 62201162
Dial In Phone Number: (312) 626-6799
For upcoming Sunday Services, click here.
|
|
|
UUFoM YouTube Channel
Did you miss our previous services? You can see a replay (minus Joys and Sorrows) below and on our YouTube Channel. We invite you to subscribe to our channel to stay up-to-date with all videos.
|
|
|
|
|
11/01/2020 - You Can't Pour From an Empty Cup
|
|
This Week at the Fellowship
All teams and groups have decided to meet via Zoom instead of face to face during this time. Please contact your team/group leader if you need further guidance. If you have any questions about upcoming events, please email the office or call 989-631-1162.
All meetings listed below are via Zoom unless noted otherwise.
|
|
NEW: Virtual Annual Meeting Guidelines
Entrance
- Everyone will be muted.
- People will be let in one by one and admitted into a breakout room to check-in
- You may be re-named in Zoom. You will be unable to change it.
- Cameras on, please.
- Please use chat ONLY for official business. Chat may be turned off from time to time for announcements. Please activate the “raise your hand” feature icon if you need to speak with a host.
Meeting
- Everyone will be muted during the meeting.
- Please use chat ONLY for official business. Chat may be turned off from time to time for announcements. Please activate the “raise your hand” feature icon if you need to speak with a host.
- If you are speaking, you will receive a message asking you to unmute right before you are about to speak.
Voting
- Voting will be done through Zoom’s poll feature.
- We will have a sample vote first for everyone.
- Everyone will be muted.
- You will need to answer 4 questions per vote. The Voting question will ask if you agree to the business at hand.
- Question #1 (Person 1) is used for the first or only person on the zoom account.
- You can choose "Yes," "No," or "Abstain."
- Question #2 (Person 2) will be used if there are 2 voting members in the same household on the same Zoom connection.
- It is to be used for the 2nd person.
- If there is no 2nd person, please choose "Not applicable" as your answer.
- You can choose "Yes," "No," "Abstain," or "Not applicable."
- Question #3 (Person 1, Proxy 1) is used for the 1st person’s proxy vote.
- If you are not a proxy, please choose "Not applicable" as your answer.
- You can choose "Yes," "No," "Abstain," or "Not applicable."
- Question #4 (Person 2, Proxy 2) is used for the 2nd person’s proxy vote (if applicable).
- If you do not have a 2nd person, or there isn’t a 2nd proxy, please choose "Not applicable" as your answer.
- You can choose "Yes," "No," "Abstain," or "Not applicable."
- You must answer ALL 4 questions before the submit button is active.
- You may need to scroll down to answer all of the questions.
- There are no by-law amendments to vote on.
- The questions will be left up until everyone has answered. We will not have access to who answered and who didn’t. Once you submit, you cannot change your answers.
- If you have any technical issues, please activate the “raise your hand” icon.
- Once each poll closes, the Meeting Host will tally the votes and then share the polling results on screen. This takes a bit of time. The results will be read for an official record.
If you have any questions, please contact [email protected].
|
|
|
NEW: 2020 Annual Meeting Proxy
All proxies are due Saturday, November, 7 at 11:59pm. No more proxies will be accepted after that time.
|
|
|
NEW: 2020 Annual Meeting Documents
All documents pertaining to the virtual 2020 Annual Meeting are located on our website.
|
|
|
2021 Candidates
Below are brief bios of nominees to our 2021 Board of Directors and Nominating Committee, so you have a better idea of who you will be voting for.
 Sasha King - President-Elect
Sasha first came to UUFoM in early 2008, and became an official member later that same year. She had been curious about UU ever since a friend/neighbor told her about it, over a decade prior. As soon as she finally attended, she knew she was a UU. No other spiritual path had ever felt like a good fit. UUFoM is where her spiritual journey truly began, and will always be her "faith home," even if she someday leaves the area. UUFoM offers more than just a place of worship and spiritual exploration; it offers an oasis in a community that can sometimes feel very narrow and cold.
Sasha was born and raised in Midland. Her family members were not terribly involved in religion, and most are still not, today. When Sasha first came out as a lesbian, she never thought she would meet her eventual partner in such a traditional way. But she met her wife, Jessie Parham, here at UUFoM, in 2010. Sasha is also the proud mother of Liam, her son from her first marriage. Liam is a recent Dow High graduate. He was an honor student, despite some significant challenges. Their home is also shared by an elderly and cantankerous cat, Bubby; a bright-eyed and intelligent dog, Willow; and a sweet-natured doofus of a dog, Cedar.
When asked what her vision for UUFoM is, Sasha said, “That's a tough question. We've been through a lot, as a congregation -- lofty high times and deep valley lows. And, of course, we're in the midst of a situation I never would have ever anticipated when I walked through the doors 12 years ago. But, if I allow my mind to wander, I most dream of a time when UUFoM may become a true community beacon/harbor. The sort of place that people feel drawn to spend their time, even beyond Sundays, even more so than it already is (when we're able to return in person).”
 Shannon Sonoras - Secretary
Shannon Sonoras first attended UUFOM in 2001. It was the people and the Seven Principles that kept her coming back and convinced her to become a member the same year. Since then she's served in a number of leadership roles including Worship Team, Engagement Team, Covenant Groups and Board President.
Shannon attended Midwest Leadership School, a number of General Assemblies and is currently enrolled in the district's Extended Learning Experience - the virtual replacement for MWLS during social distancing.
Shannon lives in Midland with her husband, Simon, and her daughter, Megan, and enjoys exploring ideas with other inquiring minds.
 Marsha McDonald - Member-at-Large
Marsha McDonald first attended and joined UUFoM in 1990. She has served as religious education team chair, treasurer, librarian, co-leader of the Buddhist sangha, and Board secretary. Marsha chose to become a UU because she appreciates the joys (and sorrows) of a religious community but could no longer tolerate the dogma of even liberal Christian churches, and she admired the social
justice positions of the UU faith.
Marsha grew up in Beulah, Marshall, and Grand Ledge, Michigan. She and her husband, Scott, live in Midland with a pack of backyard squirrels. They also have two daughters (neither of whom chose to remain Unitarian Universalist), and five grandchildren.
Marsha hopes that UUFoM will have a more active role in the wider community,
continue the rich worship services we have now, and maintain a strong
involvement in social justice advocacy.
 Tim Wagner - Treasurer
Tim Wagner first attended UUFoM in 2002, then regularly in 2008, and he became a member in 2012. He has been in the choir since 2009, chair of the Building and Grounds Committee from 2012 to 2018, and led the parking lot project. In 2018 and 2019, he was “treasurer” of the Ministerial Search Committee. He now participates on the Health and Safety Team, which formed this summer.
Tim says it took a while for him and his wife, Janelle, to leave their heritage faith tradition and join a group that had been invisible to them until friends mentioned the fellowship in 2002. Tim learned that the problems he had with the Catholic Church -- such as having to accept faith over science and dogma to rule his life -- simply didn’t exist in the UU tradition. Instead, he said, they are actually allowed to decide what they believe, and to act on it. Tim had considered leaving church tradition altogether, but really found a home here among other searchers for truth and meaning.
Tim grew up in Vandalia, a suburb of Dayton, Ohio. Most people know it as “where the airport is.” His high school yearbook actually listed the best things to do in Vandalia as “go to the airport” or “go to Dayton”—basically, go somewhere else. A lot of kids needed more excitement, but Tim had good friends and was satisfied with studying and swimming (his passion sport).
Tim and Janelle have two sons. Shawn, 27, is a computer programmer for a software company in Broomfield, CO. He’s a thoughtful and logical computer wiz, and Tim really enjoys discussing science, politics, and just about anything with him. Kyle, 25, lives in Minneapolis with his girlfriend and their new cat. He’s a materials research engineer for a company that makes high tech thermal systems for manufacturing and aerospace applications. Janelle and Tim both retired from long careers at Dow Chemical and plan to stay in Midland for the foreseeable future.
Through his 33 years as a chemical engineer at Dow Chemical, Tim learned skills and internalized many values. It’s important, for instance, to be prepared for meetings and to follow through on expectations. If a commitment is overwhelming or bewildering, it’s important to manage the expected outcome and ask for help early. Among the most important values are safety, honesty, and communication. Tim has experience using standard office computer tools and software packages for modeling and design. Much of his career involved spending money responsibly, and he is familiar and comfortable with tracking budgets and UUFoM invoicing practices, from his building and grounds experience. Tim will require some training, but he feels qualified to take on the Board treasurer role. He also has experience auditing the process safety practices of Dow’s plants, which will help in reviewing UUFoM financial practices.
 Jon VanRegenmorter - Nominating Committee
Jon grew up in Holland, Michigan. When he was young, his Dad was a truck driver and then switched to a chemical operator until he retired. He's VERY quiet, earnest and is happiest when working or helping. He's silly with kids and Jon gets so much of his personality from his father. Jon's Mom has degrees in voice, teaching, nursing (she loves babies) and ESL (English as a second language). She's bounced around doing all of those things at different points in his life. She is where he gets his love of music and hugs. They're both devout evangelicals. Jon also has an older brother and sister.
Jon loves data, challenging everything until he's dug through the data. He is optimistic about the future of this world and humanity. He is an engineer by trade, but in his free time he plays lots of tennis and jazz. Jon is primarily a saxophone player, but has been working piano lately.
Jon first attended UUFoM in January of 2018 and became a member about six months later. He chose to become a UU because Unitarian Universalism is a safe place to grow/learn and have a community to support and be supported. It's the closest thing he's found to his value system and it's largely non-conflicting with itself or with logic. Jon became a member of UUFoM because the people are kind, genuine and intelligent. Deep and open conversations are always nearby. Also to help expose their kids to a community and raise them a bit more consciously. When he looks to the future of UUFOM, he dreams of a growing, vibrant parent ,circle supporting one another.
Jon lives with his spouse, Amanda, and their children, Lincoln and Lilah, and three cats.
Doug Barth - Nominating Committee
|
|
|
|
November 2020 Theme - "Healing"
November 8
"Healing Indra's Net" - According to Buddhist and Hindu philosophy, a jeweled web stretches infinitely in all directions, and in each jewel is reflected every other jewel. This metaphor for our interconnections is strong. But what if there is a tear in the net, in our social systems, for example? Join us for a post-election discussion exploring what it might take to rebuild relationships, repair our communities, and heal social ills. Led by our minister, Rev. Eric Severson
|
|
|
LIVING OUR VALUES EVERYDAY
|
|
|
Sharing Tree 2020
 It’s Sharing Tree time! Once again, the Fellowship will show its sharing spirit by participating in the Sharing Tree. It will just look a little different this year!
Tags are available on our website to purchase gifts for those in need. Tags will be identified by number. Claim a number (or numbers) by emailing Wendy at [email protected]. Wendy will confirm by emailing back the picture of the tag and removing the tag from the website. Print your copy of the tag or if you do not have access to a printer, let Wendy know when you email her to claim the tag and she will mail a copy of your tag.
All gifts should be either unwrapped or placed in a gift bag, with the gift tag taped to the outside. (all boxes must be unwrapped so they can be checked before the gift is delivered) You can return the gifts to the large bin on Maxine’s front porch, 2614 St. Mary’s Drive.
If you are unable to deliver it to Maxine, please call her at 989-492-4413, and she will arrange to pick it up. You can also deliver it to another Sharing Tree location, or directly to the Salvation Army. Please return all gifts by December 2. Thank you again for your generosity, it makes such a difference to so many people! |
|
|
Donations for Food Pantry Network
Thanksgiving Baskets
The Midland County Emergency Food Pantry Network and Aldersgate United Methodist Church will be coordinating the Community Thanksgiving Food Basket program again this year. The Thanksgiving Basket program supplies approximately 350 families with turkey and other fresh food items.
This year a semi-truck full of fresh food will be ordered from the Eastern Food Bank instead of collecting food items locally. This will allow the preparation of the items to be cut from multiple days to one day and drastically reduce the number of volunteers, reducing the danger of COVID transmission. The purchasing of the food truck / gift certificates will require over $15,000 in monetary donations. Please help the UUFoM continue support of this Midland County Emergency Food Pantry yearly project.
Monetary donations for the Thanksgiving Baskets may be made directly with checks payable to Midland County EFPN and mailed to: Midland County EFPN, PO Box 2521, Midland, MI 48641-2521 or online by credit card to https://midlandcountyefpn.org/ . Please note on check or online that you are giving to Thanksgiving Baskets on behalf of UUFoM. The Food Pantry is a non-profit 501c(3) organization with all monetary gifts being tax deductible to the extent allowed by law.
There are a couple of options for making food item donations to the normal operations of the Food Pantry.
• Drop off donations in the box outside of EFPN SAMS Pantry, 503 S Saginaw Rd (enter off Cambridge). The box is on the side of the building facing Cambridge.
• We can pick up food donations from your house. Email your pickup address and date of pick up to Vicki Reidelberger.
Thank you for helping those in need in Midland County (including Midland, Bullock Creek, North Midland County, West Midland County, Sanford, Coleman food pantry locations).
The Fellowship LOVE Team.
|
|
|
Our Mission
We are a multigenerational, liberal religious community in the Tri-City region. We offer a beacon to the religious seeker, supporting and nurturing the individual and collective pursuit of spiritual fulfillment.To achieve this mission, we:
- Empower members, friends, and the surrounding community to think freely, live ethically, and grow spiritually through lifelong learning, as we explore our values, live the principles of Unitarian Universalism, and search for truth and meaning.
- Assemble in supportive and beloved community, sharing life’s joys and sorrows, and embracing all of our wondrous diversity.
- Gather for stimulating worship experiences and rites of passage that inspire and provide opportunities to examine, clarify, and strengthen our personal value systems.
- Create a more just, peaceful and sustainable world through our words of influence, constructive deeds, and engaging love.
We focus on these four social issues in order to improve the community and demonstrate our commitment to the inherent worth and dignity of all people.
- Global Climate Change
- Racial Justice
- Homelessness
- LGBT Rights
|
|
|
|
|
copyright Unitarian Universalist Association
|
|
UPDATED: The Weekly Candle Flame Fall/Winter Editions
During the fall and winter months, the weekly Candle Flame will be circulated on Fridays. If you wish to submit an article, please email it to Wendy Altmeier by Wednesday at 5:00pm to have it included in the upcoming issue.
Thanksgiving - If you wish to submit an article for the November 27 Thanksgiving issue, please email it to Wendy Altmeier by SUNDAY, November 22 at 5:00pm to have it included in that issue.
Holiday Season - The last newsletter for 2020 will be distributed on Friday, December 18. If you wish to submit an article for the FINAL 2020 issue, please email it to Wendy Altmeier by Wednesday, December 16 at 5:00pm.
|
|
|
Previous Newsletter Articles
|
|
|
Fellowship Building
For everyone's safety, the Fellowship Building is closed to everyone except: staff, Sunday musicians, Vicki Rothhhaar, and Pete Carlson.
To ensure that the most vulnerable are not put at risk, new locks were placed on the entrance door. Sandy will communicate to those who will need a key when one will be available. Please contact Sandy Hay if you have any questions.
Thank you!
|
|
|
|
|
Shannon Sonoras, President
Beth Sperry, President-Elect
Marsha McDonald, Secretary
Vicki Rothhaar, Treasurer
Chris Nakamura, Member-At-Large
|
|
Pastoral Care Ministry Team
|
|
November Contact
Donna King 989-488-2886
Our Pastoral Care Ministry Team is here for you. We can provide a meal, a ride, some respite or a supportive ear and a cup of coffee.
|
|
|
|
Fellowship Office Hours
Fellowship Office is currently closed due to Governor's Whitmer executive order.
Rev. Eric Severson - Minister
[email protected]
(608) 738-2694
Heather Cleland-Host - Director of Lifespan Religious Education
Office Hours by appointment only
[email protected]
Wendy Altmeier - Office Assistant
[email protected]
(989) 631-1162
Sandy Hay - Sexton
[email protected]
(918) 698-0311
In case of building emergency, call anytime
Melanie Willison - Accompanist
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
November 6, 2020 
