UUCGT Flash  
   April 30, 2021   
           

Aaannd . . . it's May! "Candidate Week" is almost upon us.
Announcements
SUNDAY 5/2/21
Ministerial Search Team
CANDIDATE WEEK SCHEDULE
Music
Original Voices Vol. 5!
Community Needs
END NOTE: "You come too."
____________________

Congregational
Mission
Statement

UU Logo

We are a Congregation creating a better world by nurturing the heart and expanding the mind.

We provide a safe, caring community where all can freely explore diverse religious thought. 

We work for justice and equality with the power of compassion and compassionate power.

____________________

UUCGT Quicklinks


   
Find us on Facebook
_______________________

 
____________________

UUCGT
Beacon

If you would like to receive our monthly newsletter
the Beacon
please contact
____________________


Hello, all - 

There will be no Vespers tonight, Friday April 30.

This Flash is a day late; I was home nursing what I think was a good old-fashioned cold (almost a relief these days).

Below you'll find not only information about this Sunday's Service, but very important info regarding Candidate Week and the Congregational vote whether to accept Alex Jensen as the new Settled Minister.  Instructions for multi-member households and non-Zooming folks are included. Alex's schedule is also included below; there will be a brief Flash each morning with the necessary Zoom links.

It's time for a periodic reminder: the deadline for the Beacon is the 24th of the month prior to the issue, and the deadline for any Thursday Flash is noon on Wednesday, the day before.  There are reasons for these deadlines; it is not necessarily an easy thing to make changes (especially to the Beacon). Thank you!
                                            
 

 
__________________

.
THIS SUNDAY: 
For the Service, the Zoom link is here.

The Service begins at 10:30 AM; you can sign in at 10:00 AM to visit!




 

       Sunday's Service                  
                                            5.2.2021
REAL STORIES TAKE TIME:
Reflections following
the trial of Derek Chauvin

Sunday's Service is coordinated by Andi Kramer and led by Reverend Cathy Harrington.

And don't miss Alex Jensen's Services May 9 and 16!  Alex will deliver two consecutive sermons on these Sundays.  After the May 16th service, we will vote to approve Alex as our new Settled Minister.  Be sure to attend and participate in the voting, and we can all welcome Alex in our warmest UUCGT manner!


_____________
 
Again, the Zoom link for SUNDAY SERVICE is

You may read and/or download the from our website later in the week.
uucgt.org


You can view the Service of  Sunday April 25 here
You will need the passcode GWAs6%3N

 
__________________



MINISTERIAL SEARCH TEAM REPORT
The Vote to Call Alex Jensen as Our Settled Minister
 
The Ministerial Search Team and the Board of Trustees are pleased to be working together to get the news out on how to vote for our new minister.  Meeting by Zoom for the special congregational meeting to call our new minister has some complexities!  Here is how to vote:
 
1. If you, alone, are zooming into the service and special meeting to vote, your life is easy.  You will simply be asked to participate in a poll on zoom, voting yes, no, or abstain. That vote will be taken immediately after the service on May 16th.  This vote will be taken on the honor system, with only members voting.  This works for two, as long as you are each on a different device.  One device, one vote.

2. If you attend the meeting Zoom with a spouse or partner on one computer, one of you will call the UUCGT office at 947-3117 and give your vote to Guy, our office administrator.  The Zoom poll will only allow one vote per computer, so one of you will need to plan ahead and call Guy by Friday, May 14th.

3. If you cannot attend on May 16th and you are a member, you may call Guy at 947-3117 before May 14th, and cast your vote by phone.

4. If email and zoom are not in your comfort zone, we will contact you and you will be mailed a ballot with a stamped envelope to return by Friday, May 14th.
 
An important thing for Unitarian Universalists is we run our congregations democratically, so please exercise your right to vote, and engage in the future of UUCGT!  The future looks bright!








The week we've all been waiting for is just days away!  The schedule has been painstakingly crafted to give everyone a chance to meet with our candidate, Alex Jensen.  It is vitally important for every voter to be well informed and ready for the vote to call on May 16
 
Let's UU THE VOTE!
Schedule for Candidate Week
May 9-16
 
Green: Open to all.      Blue:  For specific committees.
 
Zoom links will come out daily.
 
Sunday, May 9th
10:30-11:30 AM Service 
11:30 AM-12:00 PM Zoom Break out Rooms with Alex
 
Monday. May 10th
10-11:00 AM Zoom with Facilities Committee
11-12:00 PM Mid-day tea with Alex. 
2-3:00 PM Zoom with Staff Resources and Staff.
4-5:00 PM Zoom with Healthy Congregation Team
6-7:00 PM Zoom Dinner with Board.
 
Tuesday. May 11th         
10-11:00 AM Zoom with Endowment Committee
11:00 AM-11:45 PM Zoom with Betsy Hammerberg.
12:45-1:30 PM Meet and Greet Alex at Cordia
2-3:00 PM Zoom with Sunday Services Committee
3:30-4:30 PM Zoom with Finance Committee
5-6:00 PM  Zoom Social Justice Discussion with Alex
6-7 PM Zoom Dinner with RE Staff.
 
Wednesday, May 12th
9-10:00 AM Zoom Hour: Tell Alex your favorite places in
     region to hike.
11:00 AM-12:00 PM Zoom: Community Needs Team
2-3:00 PM Zoom Staff Meet and Greet.
3:00-3:30 PM LDC meet and greet zoom with Alex
4:30-5:30 PM Zoom with Membership Committee 
5:30-6:30 PM Zoom Dinner and Wed. Night Cocktails
     with Alex
     
7-8:00 PM Zoom Board Meeting with Alex 

Thursday, May 13th
9:30 - 10:30AM Dharma Study group. (Shantideva Fan
     Club)
10:30-11:00 AM Zoom with Piecemaker's Quilt Group
1-2:00 PM Zoom with Congregational Care Team
2:30 -3:30 PM  Meet Alex:  socially distanced, at the
     Pavilion at Botanic Gardens
5:30-7:00 PM Zoom Pizza Party for RE Families with Alex
7-8:00 PM Zoom meet and greet with Vocal Ensemble
 
Friday. May 14th
1-2:00 PM Zoom Service Practice w Sunday Services
     Committee and Coordinators
2-3:00 PM Meet with Renée Russell.
3-4:00 PM Zoom with Program Council 
5-7:00 PM Zoom"Friday Night Live at UU": Dinner,
     entertainment
 
Sunday, May 16th
10:30-11:30 AM Service.
11:30 AM-12:00 PM The Call Vote, and     
     Announcement       
        
1-1:30 PM Debrief with MST and Alex
2:30- 3:00 PM DRIVE BY CELEBRATION AT UU
     PARKING LOT
3:00 PM MST takes Alex to Airport




     
                                           
MUSIC 
from Renée Russell
"A Few Notes"

Last Friday my husband alerted me to an unbelievable email that had been sent out to parents of TCAPS. By now the whole community knows the content of that deeply upsetting email; disturbing levels of dangerous racism circulating amongst our students. I cried, I raged, unable to fathom the harm it had done to innocent children and their families. I am deeply grateful for the leadership of Northern Michigan E3 and their work to guide our community in actionable steps in tackling racism. It is hard for me, sometimes, to see where music plays a role in this work, especially as a white musician and music director. How and where should the white voice be heard in this cause? 

Last week the General Assembly Virtual Choir came into a moment of pause and "holy interruption" during a zoom rehearsal to attend to harm inadvertently done to BIPOC vocalists in the song Rise Up. As expressed in the letter by UUA-GA, the "interruption allowed everyone time to name the choir's shared values, prioritize relationships over productivity, and notice the ways that white supremacy culture sneaks into our daily lives." While I am certainly happy it was handled in such a way, I can imagine how upsetting that was for the choir director who had tried her best to find music that spoke to UU values. It can feel difficult to move or act in these times when you are unsure how your choices might impact someone else. Some things, like the terrible snapchat group discovered by the school, are obviously racist and wrong, but other choices can feel like minefields when you are working from a space of allyship yet cannot comprehend the lived experience of BIPOC. 

It is important to note, however, that this is not a call for sympathy or excuse. It is an acknowledgment that part of the role of a music director who wishes to be an ally is the acceptance that even when we try our best, we will make mistakes. I spent hours looking for the "right" music to accompany Dr. Murillo's service last Sunday, looking for music that was respectful and celebratory of Latino Americans, mindful of appropriation, not centering the white voice while still feeding the soul of our congregants. Yet I remained aware that there were likely factors I was not thinking of in terms of appropriateness. So I did my best, open to whatever feedback may come that would teach me to do better next time. As Andra Day, the singer/songwriter of the song Rise Up has said, " true allyship requires a willingness to be uncomfortable." 







UUCGT's ORIGINAL VOICES, VOL 5:
Click within the image to enjoy the latest chapters in the creative journey of these talented friends...


  



 

Please continue to give to  For Those in Need
in our virtual "collection baskets".

 



  
End Note:
  
I'm going out to clean the pasture spring;
I'll only stop to rake the leaves away
(And wait to watch the water clear, I may):
I sha'n't be gone long. - You come too.

I'm going out to fetch the little calf
That's standing by the mother. It's so young,
It totters when she licks it with her tongue.
I sha'n't be gone long. - You come too.

                    - "The Pasture" by Robert Frost.   
   



  
The UUCGT building is closed until further notice;
however the office is again staffed (at least) Tuesday-Friday, 9am-3pm.