Dear People’s people,
A few reminders and invitations to keep our congregational life running smoothly as the new year begins, or if you prefer a pun, some news UUs can use:
The Parking Lot: To save money, resources, and energy, the portion of the church parking lot closest to 10th street is not being plowed this winter. (Given the seasonal shift to Zoom attendance during the winter, this portion of the parking lot has been unused over the last few years in the coldest months of the year.) Be aware that this area of the parking lot might be extra icy and snowy – and park closer to the building. We’re trying this out this year – let me know what you think.
Joys and sorrows etiquette: you all are generally great at our spoken joys and sorrows ritual. (Guests in our pulpit comment on it.) Here are a few reminders to keep things going smoothly:
Remember that joys and sorrows is not confidential. While we do not share this portion of our services on YouTube, your sharing is heard by a lot of people in The Commons and on Zoom. There is no expectation that people won’t talk to you (or others) about what you shared. If you want to participate in our ritual but don’t want something to be widely known, dropping a stone without speaking is a great option.
Share about your life. Our ritual is best at holding personal joys and sorrows, not world-historical events – even when those are what is breaking our heart or filling us with joy.
Be careful about sharing about someone else’s life. I always ask permission before sharing someone else’s joy, sorrow, or milestone – I invite you to do the same. If you are sharing someone else’s story, please do not share identifying details without their permission. Identifying details could be their full name, role in our community, or anything else that would ensure that listeners could identify them. Our community is interconnected. Several times, People’s people have learned about illnesses of coworkers and acquaintances from someone else sharing about it at joys and sorrows – well before the coworker or acquaintance had planned to share it widely. Saying ‘my friend’ or ‘my neighbor’ or a first name (if it’s a common name) is a better option than sharing news that someone else might not want shared yet with everyone they know.
Membership: Signing a Bond of Union is the act that makes a person a member of People’s Church – signing onto the promise that People’s people have made since the 1890s. In most areas of our congregational life, we don’t make a distinction between members and non-members – everyone’s People’s people!— but there are a few privileges and responsibilities that are only for members. These include voting in congregational meetings and serving in a few leadership positions. Most People’s people become members sometime between a few months or a few years after beginning to attend the church, usually around the time that the church feels like ‘theirs.’ A few folks never become members for a variety of reasons. We trust everyone to make the decision that is right for them. If you are interested in signing a Bond of Union and becoming a member of the church, please talk to me. We typically have member recognition rituals during Sunday services to celebrate our newest members. We haven’t had any in a while because our newest members haven’t wanted public recognition. People are becoming church members steadily, even when we don’t publicly celebrate them. (And what a gift it is that people don’t have to receive public attention if they don’t want to!)
Church funds: In mid-December when I write this note, People’s people have contributed $23,304 toward the purchase of the solar panels. Thank you all for your generosity! There’s $14,104 remaining toward the purchase price. The amount not donated by the end of the calendar year will come from the church’s savings. By the beginning of 2026, we will be the owners of the solar panels on the roof of our church building.
As of mid-December, the People’s Church resistance and resilience fund is currently out of money. Over the past ten months, we have used this fund to meet the basic needs of folks most impacted by the policies of our federal government – including undocumented immigrants, asylees, and trans folks. We have helped many people navigate an impossible season and shown up as allies and accomplices with partner organizations in our community. I hope you feel proud of this good and important work.
If you have extra funds to share, we welcome your contributions to either of these projects.
History of the People’s Church buildings: In early 2026, I plan to preach a history of our church buildings. In addition to consulting our archives, I would love to talk to you. Do you have a story to share about the construction of our church buildings (or any of the major renovations?). I would love to hear your stories about our current building on 10th street or previous buildings at Park and Lovell or on South Park Street. (The latter was torn down in 1902, but perhaps you had a story handed down to you?) If you have a story to tell, please send it my way or set up a time for us to meet.
Reimaging Communion: A church member with a Christian background asked me about the possibility of reimaging the Christian communion ritual. I would love to gather a small group of folks for whom communion is or has been a meaningful ritual for conversation about this. I think we could create something meaningful together. If you’d like to be part of this, please let me know. I’m excited for the possibilities that might emerge.
Building Rentals: Did you know that rooms in our church building are available to rent for events and meeting? We regularly host groups and organizations from our wider community in our church space for modest rental fees. Please spread the word! We can accommodate groups from a few to a few hundred at nearly any time except Sunday mornings. It is good for our church building to be used – the rental income supports our ministries and programs and people sometimes first learn about our congregation when they attend an event or meeting here hosted by a renter. Word-of-mouth is our best way to let people know that our building is available to them. If you (or someone you know) wants to host a gathering at People’s Church, please contact Eli, our church administrator.
Wishing you the very best as you welcome the new year,
Rachel
Rev. Rachel away January 26 to February 2
Rev. Rachel will be away January 26 to February 2. She will be attending the Unitarian Universalist Ministers’ Association Institute for the Learning Ministry in Albuquerque, New Mexico (and adding a few days of vacation to the end of the trip). This is a continuing education event that happens every three years – and this is the first time Rev. Rachel’s schedule has allowed her to attend in person. You can learn more about this program here: https://uuma.org/programs/uuma-institute/
While she’s away, Rev. Rachel will be away from email, but can be reachable by phone or text if you need her.