About UUFCM

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In the late summer and early fall of 2000, Robert Franke – who later became the first minister of our congregation – passed the word around the Mt. Pleasant area that he was interested in starting a UU fellowship in Mt. Pleasant, Michigan.

Bob was a Unitarian Universalist since 1960 and served as president of three congregations. He retired from Central Michigan University to attend Meadville Lombard Theological School in Chicago, where he received a Master of Divinity degree in 2000. He then returned to Mount Pleasant to start a UU congregation.

Bob was born in Michigan; during WW II, he moved to Chicago, where he finished high school and attended community college. Subsequently, he was awarded degrees from Northern Illinois University (BS), Northwestern (MS), and the University of Texas at Austin (PhD). He taught biology at five universities, the last being Central Michigan University, where he also served as Provost.

Responding to Bob’s call, twenty-six people showed up at a picnic pavilion in Deerfield Park, Isabella County, on October 26, 2000. We agreed to begin meeting monthly.

The Wesley Foundation allowed us to use their facilities for free, and we had a few meetings and informal services there beginning in early 2001. Later that year, we rented space for our Sunday services at Art Reach, the community art center, which was located at 319 S. University Avenue.

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In May of 2001, Laura McBride (who later became the first president of the UUFCM, 2002-2003) and Nancy White (second president, 2003-2004) attended a workshop sponsored by the Unitarian Universalist Association (UUA) for congregations intending to join the UUA.

Bob was ordained as a minister on September 30, 2001. In October 2004, Bob Franke collapsed during a service. He had been experiencing health problems and, unfortunately, had to resign as minister. The board voted to give him the title of “Founding Minister Emeritus.”

UUA recognized the Unitarian Universalist Fellowship of Central Michigan in early 2003. At that time, we had thirty-three charter members.

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For the next two years, we were a lay-led fellowship. We were fortunate to have many talented members in our congregation, and we could invite excellent professors from Central Michigan University to provide meaningful Sunday services. However, we wanted to have a UU-trained minister to lead us.

In 2006, we hired a retired UU minister, Rev. Fred Campbell, from Lansing as a consulting minister. He helped us identify the faith demographics of our fellowship and offered Adult Education classes for spiritual exploration.

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In the summer of 2007, we hired the Reverend Dr. Nana Kratochvil as our one-quarter-time minister. The following year, we added professional storyteller Dawn Daniels as a part-time Worship Director. Dawn was in charge of all worship services and the choir. She selected sermons from the Church of the Larger Fellowship (to which we belonged) and grew the choir, tripling its size. In the fall of 2009, the Fellowship voted unanimously to hire Dawn as a full-time role, adding the newsletter and para-pastoral care to her job description.

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Two months later, in January 2010, we faced a dilemma: Art Reach was going to sell the building where we had been meeting for nine years, and there was no adequate space in the entire Mt. Pleasant area to serve our needs. We took a leap of faith, and on March 21, 2010, the congregation voted unanimously to buy the building. An anonymous donor and the members of the Board pledged a generous sum before the Capital Campaign got underway, which allowed us to pursue our dream of having our own space.

On July 15, 2010, we closed on the building and Kathy Hill, Executive Director of Art Reach, handed over the keys to Mary Alsager, the new President of the Board. The Art Reach Center officially became the Unitarian Universalist Fellowship of Central Michigan with no mortgage.

As a result, we were able to offer and house new programs for adults and children, with space for our Readers’ Theatre, choir rehearsals, team meetings, discussion groups, potlucks, and special events (Silent Auction, Coffee House, Cabaret). We were also able to make the space available for rent to local groups and individuals who value the beautiful space and acoustics of our sanctuary for concerts, recitals, weddings, and other special events.

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In the fall of 2010, one of the first social justice initiatives we undertook was a congregation-wide study of discrimination based on gender, gender expression, and sexual orientation. Our aim was to become an official Welcoming Congregation accredited by the Unitarian Universalist Association. We achieved our goal by completing the required educational training, community outreach, and policy initiatives, and were certified in 2011.

One of our major achievements was campaigning for and adopting a Human Rights Ordinance for Mt. Pleasant and Union Township, which made it illegal to discriminate against anyone in employment, housing, and service in hotels and restaurants based on gender, gender expression, or sexual orientation. These were passed in the spring of 2012.​

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Our next challenge came in the fall of 2012, when Rev. Nana’ Kratochvil decided to retire, and in March of 2013, when our worship and choir director, Dawn Daniels, shared her dream of going to seminary full-time. While we were saddened to lose our beloved leaders, we were grateful that they helped us grow in numbers, deepen our spiritual quests, and expand our commitments to social justice locally, nationally, and internationally. We were pleased that in working with us, Dawn felt called to the ministry.

With the help of a dedicated Task Force, we applied to the UUA for an interim minister. The search was successful, and in August 2013, we welcomed our new full-time Interim minister, Rev. Joseph Cleveland, to our congregation. He came to us from Bedford, Mass., where he had been the ministerial intern for two years at the First Parish of Bedford. He was ordained to the Unitarian Universalist ministry on May 26, 2013, by his home church.

Rev. Joe was hired for two years to guide us through the transition to our next phase. A newly created Transition Team was formed to assist Rev. Joe in his ministry with us. With his guidance, they organized cottage meetings and four workshops to help us consider our history, who we were then, and where we wanted to go in the future. The congregational workshops helped define our priorities, and the Board of Trustees crafted a new mission statement to be trialed over the next year.

Rev. Joe was a great asset to us as he challenged us to think outside the box, anticipate future needs, update our governance structure, and focus on the larger picture. Unfortunately (for us), he was offered a full-time position as a called minister to the Unitarian Church in Saratoga Springs, NY, which meant that he had to leave after only one year. Again, we faced the loss of an excellent preacher, but we felt confident in our ability to respond to this new challenge with positive anticipation.

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Knowing that we are a congregation of strength, creativity, and a deep commitment to one another, we embarked on yet another search for a minister. Good fortune shone upon us once again: our former worship director, Dawn Daniels, was moving back to our area and was open to a part-time ministry while continuing her seminary studies at Earlham School of Religion. After careful consideration of the growth we as a congregation had made and that Dawn had experienced in seminary in the past year, we believed her further development in her seminary training and our further work as a congregation serving our Mission would be highly compatible. We offered her a three-quarter-time, one-year renewable contract as minister, commencing on August 1, 2014, and she accepted.

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Under Dawn’s leadership, we grew in number and in spiritual depth. We added several new programs, such as regular classes on Unitarianism and Universalism, a men’s group and a women’s group, a garden for the children to grow vegetables for the soup kitchen, and a potluck night for college students.

We also expanded our commitment to the outside world. We served our community by offering our building as the intake center for the rotating homeless shelter for six months every year for three years, as well as serving as a partner church for meals with St. John's Episcopal Church. We continued to be actively involved in social justice issues, educating ourselves on racial justice and LGBTQ issues, as well as participating in Black Lives Matter and Standing on the Side of Love activities. The Tree of Life was installed in 2018, honoring the members and friends who have passed away since our congregation's formation.

In January of 2019, Dawn Daniels resigned as our minister. The congregation held a winter retreat and voted to hire a full-time minister! In September, Drew Frantz was hired as our full-time minister and, with his role, began new traditions such as Day of the Dead remembrance, vigils for the Transgender Day of Remembrance, small-group theme meetings, adult book groups, and a Blue Holidays service.

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When the COVID-19 pandemic hit our country and schools and businesses were operating virtually, Rev. Drew began holding our Sunday services on Zoom, too! We held congregational retreats, membership classes, and New Member Ceremonies this way as well.

In July of 2020, Drew Frantz was ordained by UUFCM and his former Oberlin UU congregation. We called Rev. Drew to be our minister in January of 2021, and he accepted. Rev. Drew came to ministry after a career in education, and this is his first full-time position.

In August of 2021, we resumed small-group, in-church services along with Zoom, and over time, slowly expanded the number of participants permitted in the sanctuary. During the Day of the Dead Service each November, members and friends who have died are honored with a leaf being added to the Tree of Life.

The highlight of 2023 was the celebration of UUFCM’s 20th Anniversary of our Charter Sunday. Many current and former members, ministers, and friends attended the two-day celebration on March 18 and 19. Saturday was an evening of stories, trivia, Two Truths and a Lie, a historical PowerPoint, and community. On Sunday, a special service was offered by Rev. Lisa Presley. The UUFCM celebration anthem, which we had commissioned, was performed by our choir, and David Wolfson, the composer and pianist, was present. Framed photos of our ministers were placed above the Tree of Life (now located in the foyer of the sanctuary). A joyful reception followed the special service.

Since that time, UUFCM has continued to be actively involved in social justice outreach activities. We provide meals and support to the Isabella County Restoration House (homeless shelter), participate in letter-writing campaigns, local demonstrations, and protest marches, and attend various public meetings to offer support for initiatives vital to our children and community.

In July of 2020, Drew Frantz was ordained by UUFCM and his former Oberlin UU congregation. We called Rev. Drew to be our minister in January of 2021, and he accepted. Rev. Drew came to ministry after a career in education, and this is his first full-time position.

Our story still continues...