On Martin Luther King Jr. weekend, we will remember the life of Unitarian Universalist Civil Rights martyr James Reeb. Reeb, a white Unitarian Universalist minister serving in Boston who went to Selma, Alabama in 1965 to support voting rights. While there, he was attacked by white supremacists and died. We will learn (or re-learn) his … Continue reading Remembering James Reeb
Rev. Rachel has been reading disability history and theory recently. She was struck by an idea from Jennifer Natalya Fink that our cultural ableism and fear of disability is, at its core, a fear of needing care. In our community, we know that we are interconnected and we try to care for each other. Can … Continue reading Help, Care, Fear & Disability
Is it possible to separate the art from the artist? How do we navigate the ethical thicket that arises when we learn that art that is meaningful to us is made by people who have acted abhorrently? There are no simple answers, but Rev. Rachel will explore some guidelines that might help us live with … Continue reading When Bad People Make Good Art
In this service, we will mark the end of 2025 with rituals to let go of what we do not want to take with us into the coming year (by dramatically burning it up using magicians’ flash paper!) and to set our intentions for the year ahead. You can access the order of service HERE. … Continue reading Burning the Old Year: An All Ages Service
Join us to remember and retell the story of the Nativity as we hope for the rebirth of love and peace in the present day. This service will feature music, poetry, storytelling and candlelight. You can access the order of service HERE. Please join us on Zoom or in person! Services are normally held in the … Continue reading Christmas Eve Service
Join us to celebrate the darkest day of the year and the return of the sun with music, story and crafts. We will also celebrate the purchase of the solar panels on the church roof. You can access the order of service HERE. Please join us on Zoom or in person! Services are normally held in … Continue reading Solstice Celebration! A Service for All Ages
Rev. Rachel’s children recently observed, ‘the days you are sad are the days we dance in the living room.’ What does it mean to practice joy, now, given everything unfolding in the world? Inspired by the line from poet Wendell Berry that gives this service its title, Rev. Rachel will explore how simple, joyfulpractices might … Continue reading Be Joyful (though you have considered all the facts)
The creations of Jim Henson—including Sesame Street, The Muppets, and more—hold so many lessons about how to create community across difference. This service will feature some iconic music from The Muppets and Sesame Street. This service will be most meaningful if you have a basic knowledge of The Muppets and Sesame Street characters. There are … Continue reading (Almost) Everything I Need to Know about Beloved Community I Learned from The Muppets
Theodore Parker was a Unitarian minister and a leading theologian and abolitionist in the middle of the 19th century. In this moment when our values are calling us to act in new and different ways, Rev. Rachel invites us to take a moment to learn (or re-learn) some of the stories of this good ancestor … Continue reading Remembering Theodore Parker
This service will feature a (probably) brief congregational meeting about the proposal to purchase the solar panels on the roof of the church building (for more information on this proposal, CLICK HERE), as well as music, meditation, reflection and (most) everything else you expect from a Sunday service at People’s Church. You can access the … Continue reading A Question of Solar Power
On the Sunday before Halloween, we continue our occasional series on the meaning of monsters. In Bram Stoker’s Dracula, a small team is trying to make sense of mysterious deaths. A vampire doesn’t initially seem like a reasonable explanation to our heroes, as they are steeped in science. Can they trust their experience over their … Continue reading Dracula, Epistemology, and the Search for Truth
The story goes that when physicist Albert Einstein was asked if he believed in God, he responded, “First tell me what you mean by God, and then I’ll tell you if I believe in him.” This Sunday, Rev. Rachel will echothis approach, exploring ideas of God that aren’t in alignment with Unitarian Universalist theologies, in … Continue reading The Gods I Don’t Believe In
The Unitarian Universalist Association statement of values states ‘We declare that every person is inherently worthy and has the right to flourish with dignity, love, and compassion.’ Yet, this world is brimming with examples of dehumanization and disregard. How can we live our values in this moment of genocide, political polarization, and rising fascism? You … Continue reading Who Gets to Be a Person?
One of Rev. Rachel’s minister mentors often repeated ‘there are no other people’s children’ as a reminder that we all have obligations and connections to the youngest generations. On this kick-off Sunday for religious education, we will commission our religious education leaders who are taking on the sacred task of leading our children in religious … Continue reading There are No Other People’s Children
It’s our annual animal blessing service. We will celebrate the gifts animals bring to our lives, honor beloved animals who have died and recognize our place in the interconnected web of all existence. All are invited to bring their (well-behaved, comfortable in groups) pets and companion animals with them to church for a blessing. Pictures … Continue reading Animal Blessing Service
This summer, the People’s Church board identified justice as a special focus for our community this year. In this service for all ages, we will explore all of the ways we can do the work of justice – as warriors, as wonderers, worriers, wanderers, and more through multisensory worship stations. (With full credit to the … Continue reading Social Justice Warriors, Social Justice Wonderers, Social Justice Worriers, Social Justice Wanderers
We will celebrate the beginning of our church year with our water ritual, a symbolic re-forming of our church community. For this all ages service, everyone will gather in The Commons. If you are attending the service in-person, please bring water from somewhere important to you (home is fine!) and a dish to share for … Continue reading Joining of Waters
The work of building Beloved Community is much like a relay race. We all take turns in various roles – running the baton forward, resting, cheering for our team, training for our turn. On this final Sunday before her sabbatical, Rev. Rachel will pass a symbolic baton forward to everyone who will be doing the … Continue reading Beloved Community is a Relay Race
In recent years, Rev. Rachel has been struggling with the idea of hope. Given everything unfolding in our world and in our lives, what does it mean to be hopeful? Is hope necessary? How might we act in support of our values whether or not we feel hopeful? This service will conclude with our annual … Continue reading With or Without Hope
This weekend marks five years since People’s Church (and so much else) shut down and moved online in response to the COVID-19 pandemic. In this service, we will remember those confusing days, grieve, and reflect on how the pandemic continues to shape our lives. You can access the order of service HERE. Please join us … Continue reading Pandemic, Five Years in
