Past Sermons

In our April question box service, a People’s person submitted this note: ‘This isn’t exactly a question, but something I’ve grappled with. I always thought of myself as a tolerant, open-minded person, but as so much extreme thought/actions have occurred (infringing what I consider basic rights), I will not be tolerant of those. So I’ve […]

May first is Beltane, the pagan wheel of the year festival that falls between the spring equinox and summer solstice. Rev. Rachel will preach on this festival of spring, fertility, and fire. Recognizing the destructive potential of fire, we will hold a fire drill following the service for people in the church building (weather permitting). […]

Come celebrate our connection and commitment to our precious planet with this all-ages service led by People’s Church youth (the team that brought you the wonderful Encanto-themed service last December), and Rev. Rachel. The order of service can be found HERE.

Every week, the preschool class at People’s Church lights a chalice with the words ‘We light this chalice as a symbol of Unitarian Universalism. This is the church of the open mind. This is the church of the helping hands. This is the church of the loving heart. Welcome, everyone!’ How can we best help […]

Introducing a People’s Church Sermon Podcast We have a new way you can listen to any sermons you’ve missed or want to hear again. Check out the People’s Church Kalamazoo podcast on Spotify, Google or Apple below! Spotify: Click Here! Apple Podcasts: Click Here! Google:

On this Easter Sunday, Rev. Rachel will explore stories of resurrection (including Jesus and Zombies) as well as the scientific reality that our atoms continue to cycle through ecosystems and other living beings long after we die. Please join us on Zoom or in person! The Sunday Service can be accessed by following this link: […]

It is a day for questions at People’s Church (but isn’t every day a day for questions?) Bring your questions about meaning, ethics, integrity, People’s Church, Unitarian Universalism and more (but please no math problems). Rev. Rachel will do her best to answer as many of them as she can during the service – and […]

In this service guest preacher, Amy G. S. A. Brooks, will reflect on the question of “why we do what we do” in our congregations and communities. Amy G. S. A. Brooks is a cisgender, queer, Australian-born immigrant to the United States who loves a good cup of hot tea and hates mornings. Amy’s pronouns […]

Rebecca Solnit writes, “Think of the Carboniferous as a sixty-million-year inhale by plants, sucking carbon dioxide from the sky, and the last two hundred years as a monstrous human-engineered exhale, undoing what the plants did so long ago.” How might we, residents of this time of exhale, during a month that local activists have called […]

“When we use poetry, music, art of any sort, we attempt to elevate particular points of the human experience. We recognize our spiritual nature… our need for creative expression.  The poetry service is one way to access this rich expression – to gather voices among us and say something that perhaps has not been said […]

We will kick off stewardship season (our annual pledge campaign to raise money for the church the coming year) with Rev. Rachel’s annual ‘sermon on the amount’ and the debut of a new story – ‘If you give a People’s Church Mouse a Cookie’ by Laura Bultman. Come to celebrate the generosity – with time, […]

  We all make mistakes. We all hurt others, wittingly and unwittingly. When we hurt someone, how can we make it right? In this service Rev. Rachel will explore what makes for a good apology, drawing especially from the wisdom of Maimonides, a 12th century Sephardic Jewish philosopher and physician.  

Over the last several years, the Unitarian Universalist Association Article II Study Commission has worked to create a new version of Article II of the UUA bylaws (which includes the principles and sources) their work is complete and has been presented to the UUA board. The UUA General Assembly will now amend and vote on […]

People’s Church members Gerren Young and Josh Holcomb will lead a poetic journey through the mythic cycles of life and death, love and loss, creation and destruction through the unifying presence of music. You can access a PDF of the poem read HERE. Gerren Young is a native Kalamazooian who has been creating rhythm […]

‘What level of brutality and exploitation will we accept as a society in order to get the things we want but do not need?’ asked journalist Ramtim Arablouei on a recent episode of NPR’s Throughline podcast. Rev. Rachel has not been able to stop thinking about this question. It so clearly describes the challenges of […]

Ministry on the frontier and in our denomination was challenging enough in the 1800s. The resilience and perseverance of women ministers like Rev. Caroline Bartlett Crane, despite being shunned by the Boston patriarchy, makes their ministry even more remarkable! What can we learn from Crane’s imaginative, resilient, inspiring ministry that re-energizes and deepens ministry in […]

Buried deep in the Book of Judges in the Hebrew scriptures is Rev. Rachel’s favorite bible story. It’s about a high maintenance hero named Gideon and a very patient God. It’s an obscure story featuring underwhelming miracles, which is part of what Rev. Rachel loves about it. Join us to hear her retell this story […]

Viola Liuzzo was a white Unitarian Universalist from Michigan who answered the call of Martin Luther King Jr. and other civil rights leaders to participate in the Selma voting rights campaign in 1965. While providing transportation to marchers, she was killed by members of the Klu Klux Klan. On Martin Luther King Jr. weekend, we […]

Join us for this make-up service to celebrate the Christmas story and hope for the rebirth of love and peace in our world with music, poetry, and candlelight.  

In this intergenerational service, we will mark the end of 2022 with rituals to let go of what we do not want to take with us into the coming year (by burning it up!). We will also set our intentions for the year ahead. The order of service can be found HERE.

Join us to celebrate the Christmas story and hope for the rebirth of love and peace in our world with music, poetry, and candlelight. The order of service can be found HERE.

As the longest night of the year approaches, we will praise the darkness and the invitation to quiet, stillness, coziness, and contemplation that this season brings. The order of service can be found HERE.

This service, led by Rev. Rachel and People’s Church youth, will feature themes and music from the movie Encanto (prepare to sing about a certain someone we don’t talk about). While this service is designed for people of all ages, we imagine it will be more meaningful for people who have seen the […]

Join People’s musicians for our winter music service celebrating jazz. Please join us on Zoom or in person! The Sunday Service can be accessed by following this link: https://uuma.zoom.us/j/5527667326 Or by calling 1-646-876-9923 and entering the code 552 766 7326 at the listed time. In Person Services have resumed! Please come early to sign […]

Unitarian Universalism’s history is directly connected to the creation of the mythos supporting the US Thanksgiving holiday and the historically inaccurate and harmful colonial narrative of “Pilgrims and the Indians.” In recent years, many UUs have made a commitment to reconsider the cultural and colonial foundations of this tradition, in counsel and relationship with First […]

The Article II Study Commission of the Unitarian Universalist Association has a new draft of Article II of the UUA bylaws, which includes the principles and sources. You can read it here: https://www.uua.org/files/2022-10/article2_draft_language_102022.pdf In this service, we will engage with this new draft and reflect on it in small groups. The order […]

Have you ever been told (perhaps by yourself) that you are not a good enough singer, drawer, dancer, tennis player, or anything else?  In this service, we are going to silence that critical voice (at least for a minute) and find joy in creating together. If you are joining us on Zoom, please have a […]

Did you know that when the Unitarians and Universalists joined together to become the Unitarian Universalists, one of the names they considered adopting was ‘The United Liberal Church of America?’ ‘Liberal religion’ is a phrase we sometimes use to describe ourselves at People’s Church. In this service Rev. Rachel will explore what religious liberalism is, […]

Death is inevitable, and often unpredictable, but there are things you can do now (paperwork and conversations, mostly) that will make it more likely that you will get the death you want and ease the logistical burden on those you leave behind. We will explore those tasks and conversations – and play ‘end of life […]

The word ‘accountability’ is in the newly adopted bylaws of People’s Church. This Sunday, Rev. Rachel and the Dismantling Racism Team will offer wisdom about what accountability can look like in the context of the right relationship we seek to practice at People’s Church. This service will be followed by cider, donuts, and Congregational Conversation […]

From “Don’t Say Gay” bills to the swath of laws criminalizing gender affirming and abortion-related care, attacks on bodily autonomy in the US are escalating at an alarming pace. And, this nation has always targeted certain kinds of bodies as less worthy of protection and freedom than others. What does our UU tradition offer us […]

Join us to celebrate the newest members of People’s Church. Rev. Rachel will reflect on the meaning of membership. This service will end with a fire drill, weather permitting. The order of service can be found HERE.

UUA Staff Member Connie Goodbread has said, ‘Everything we do is faith formation. Everything we teach is Unitarian Universalism. The congregation is the curriculum.’ On the first Sunday of religious education for children and youth in this program year, we will commission our religious education teachers and advisors, and debut a new recessional (the song […]

  In this intergenerational service, we will celebrate the joy that animals bring to our lives. We will bless animals and have a moment to remember our beloved pets who have died and repent the ways our actions hurt animals and the natural world. Please bring your beloved stuffed animals, well-behaved pets, or pictures of […]

We begin our church program year with our annual water service. Water was brought to add to a common bowl as a symbol of our connections with one another and the wider world. The order of service can be found HERE.

Bring your voices and your water bottles for this Sunday’s particularly musical service. It’s all there in the title. This year, as we emerge from two years of pandemic, our broad theme for summer services is “Reclaiming, Reweaving, Redefining, Recovering, Rebuilding.” People’s People will speak on this theme in a variety of ways. Each service […]

This year, as we emerge from two years of pandemic, our broad theme for summer services is “Reclaiming, Reweaving, Redefining, Recovering, Rebuilding.” People’s People will speak on this theme in a variety of ways. Each service will include a ten-minute reflection from a speaker followed by group discussion. This summer, our services will be multi-platform, […]

Over the past few months Rev. Rachel’s seven year old child has become fascinated by Greek myths. Rev. Rachel had a similar phase as a child. In this service, Rev. Rachel will share her experience of returning to these stories for the first time in decades – and reflect on the value of returning to […]

This year, as we emerge from two years of pandemic, our broad theme for summer services is “Reclaiming, Reweaving, Redefining, Recovering, Rebuilding.” People’s People will speak on this theme in a variety of ways. Each service will include a ten-minute reflection from a speaker followed by group discussion. This summer, our services will be multi-platform, […]

This year, as we emerge from two years of pandemic, our broad theme for summer services is “Reclaiming, Reweaving, Redefining, Recovering, Rebuilding.” People’s People will speak on this theme in a variety of ways. Each service will include a ten-minute reflection from a speaker followed by group discussion. This summer, our services will be multi-platform, […]

This year, as we emerge from two years of pandemic, our broad theme for summer services is “Reclaiming, Reweaving, Redefining, Recovering, Rebuilding.” People’s People will speak on this theme in a variety of ways. Each service will include a ten-minute reflection from a speaker followed by group discussion. This summer, our services will be multi-platform, […]

This year, as we emerge from two years of pandemic, our broad theme for summer services is “Reclaiming, Reweaving, Redefining, Recovering, Rebuilding.” People’s People will speak on this theme in a variety of ways. Each service will include a ten-minute reflection from a speaker followed by group discussion. This summer, our services will be multi-platform, […]

This year, as we emerge from two years of pandemic, our broad theme for summer services is “Reclaiming, Reweaving, Redefining, Recovering, Rebuilding.” People’s People will speak on this theme in a variety of ways. Each service will include a ten-minute reflection from a speaker followed by group discussion. This summer, our services will be multi-platform, […]

This year, as we emerge from two years of pandemic, our broad theme for summer services is “Reclaiming, Reweaving, Redefining, Recovering, Rebuilding.” People’s People will speak on this theme in a variety of ways. Each service will include a ten-minute reflection from a speaker followed by group discussion. This summer, our services will be multi-platform, […]

The order of service can be found HERE.

This year, as we emerge from two years of pandemic, our broad theme for summer services is “Reclaiming, Reweaving, Redefining, Recovering, Rebuilding.” People’s People will speak on this theme in a variety of ways. Each service will include a ten-minute reflection from a speaker followed by group discussion. This summer, our services will be multi-platform, […]

The first of our Summer Services for 2022! This year, as we emerge from two years of pandemic, our broad theme for summer services is “Reclaiming, Reweaving, Redefining, Recovering, Rebuilding.” People’s People will speak on this theme in a variety of ways. Don Miller is the speaker for this weeks service. Each service will include […]

We end the program year with our flower service. Everyone attending the service (in-person and on Zoom) should bring a flower with them to exchange. This Sunday, we will also be celebrating the successful payoff of People’s Church’s building debt, celebrating our generous capital donors, opening the time capsule from when this building on Tenth […]

This Sunday, we will mark the milestones, transitions, and learnings in our community this year. We will dedicate ourselves to babies and young children in our community. We will welcome eighth graders as they transition into our youth program. We will celebrate our youth who are bridging to young adulthood. We also will reflect on […]

On our annual memorial day weekend service of remembrance, we remembered those who have died in war and military service. We also honored church members and others who have died in the past year and the griefs that so many of us carry these days. The order of service can be found HERE.  

  In lieu of our normal Sunday Service, on May 22, 2022, we held our Annual Congregational Meeting. The agenda included passing a church budget for the fiscal year that begins July 1 and electing new leaders to the board of trustees and the nominating committee.

It is a day for questions at People’s Church (but isn’t every day a day for questions?) Bring your questions about meaning, ethics, integrity, and Unitarian Universalism.

Come, sing a song with us! Join People’s musicians at our Spring music service!

Unitarian Universalism is a non-creedal faith. We are bound together by our promises to each other – our covenants – rather than our beliefs. Yet, some pieces of our covenants, like the UU principles, come very close to statements of belief. In this service, Rev. Rachel explores history and current practices of covenants and creeds.

Doing challenging work that matters, whether that is dismantling racism or something else, often leads to conflict and moments of ‘creative friction.’ How do we live with integrity in these moments? In this service, Rev. Rachel, the Dismantling Racism Steering Team, and other People’s people shared some of what they have learned about navigating conflict.

We celebrated Earth Day with an intergenerational service inspired by Love Letters to the Earth by Buddhist monk Thich Nhat Hanh. This service included letters of love and advocacy, meditation, and activities on the church grounds.

In this service we’ll consider “radical belonging”, in which radical means getting to the root or the foundation, and belonging means an emotional experience of being connected and accepted, at the very least.

Rev. Rachel Lonberg will preach on the interdependent web of all existence.

Rev. Susan Frederick-Gray preaches on the reality of interdependence.

Rev. Rachel preaches on the history and current status of housing in Kalamazoo.

Rev. Rachel will preach on how church is like weaving, and on the beauty and goodness we have created this year.

We conclude our series on ‘The Four Faiths’ with a service devoted to the faith of theists.

During the service time, we hold a special congregational meeting to affirm the votes of the last three congregational meetings, and adopt new bylaws.

We will devote this service to the Faith of religious naturalists.

What does it mean to be a church community now, nearly two years into the COVID-19 pandemic?

In this service, Rabbi Simone takes us on a deep dive into both the tradition of remembering, honoring, and observing the Sabbath day.

During this service, E will facilitate an accessible somatic (body-based) practice to help resource our bodies, minds, and spirits.

In this service we celebrate mysticism and the gifts—and challenges—that it provides us all as we seek to live with integrity.

On this Martin Luther King, Jr. weekend, we remember the life and legacy of Bayard Rustin.

In this service, we celebrate humanism and the gifts—and challenges—it provides us all as we seek to live with integrity.

In this intergenerational service, we mark the end of 2021.

What if you opened a Christmas present and what you found inside was a hymn, a story, or a joys and sorrows ritual?

Rev. Colleen Squires leads this service.

Our winter music service.

How do we coexist with people with whom we share differences that can’t be reconciled?

We will explore what it means to live out our commitment to ‘the inherent worth and dignity of every person’.

This worship will be devoted to all things cozy and comforting.

We reflect on how to cultivate a practice of attention.

How do we hide our true selves from each other?

We will join BUC over Zoom at an earlier time for this Sunday service.

What are some of the challenges People’s Church has faced?

How did the flaming chalice become the symbol of Unitarian Universalism?

Today’s in-person service is cancelled due to weather. Please join us tonight over Zoom.

In this service, we explore ways to connect and reconnect with each other.

In this service, we will see the gifts of hard emotions and explore ways to move through them.

We will gather our waters and selves together—physically and virtually—for the beginning of our program year.

People’s people share their reflections on how COVID has impacted them, and what brings them hope.

Children’s librarian, Laura Bultman shares stories that have given her joy in this anxious time.

Donna McClurkan helps us explore the spaces in between hope and despair.

Megan Reynolds speaks about equanimity and about the choices we make when we speak.

Gwen Abney-Cunningham speaks about loving kindness and leads the congregation in a loving kindness practice.

In this service, Rev. Rachel will share some truths she has learned from some unlikely sources.

Michael Nassaney shares how People’s Church helped him to find more balance in his life.

OB-GYN Rebekah Sharp addresses COVID from the perspective of relationships and the biology of connection.

Julia Kirkwood speaks about what it means to lead a life that matters.

Outgoing Board President, Steve Ferguson gives a recap on the past church year, and asks about the future.

David Isaacson shares thoughts on the difficulty of loving one’s enemies.

What would decolonization look like in your life?

In this service, Chris Measzros encourages us to find our inner artist.