Rev. Olympia Brown was the first modern woman ordained through a full denominational process in 1863. She grew up in Kalamazoo County and she was a Universalist. Rev. Rachel will share part of her story and reflect on how her persistence, passion, and stubbornness might inspire us now. From June 21 through September 6, we … Continue reading Summer Service
Poet and Essayist Ross Gay writes about our current reality, ‘[The wreckage] commands our attention, and for good reason. We have to survive it. But even if we understand the wreckage to survive it, it needn’t be the primary object of our study. The survival need be.’ The world is an often heartbreaking place. In … Continue reading Summer Service
We will close our church year with our annual flower service. This ritual at the core of this service was created by Rev. Norbert Čapek, a Czech Unitarian, in the 1920s as a celebration of community and diversity. In the years since, especially after Čapek was killed by the Nazis, it has become our anti-fascist … Continue reading Flower Service
On the weekend of the Kalamazoo Pride festival, we will bring the party celebrating LGBTQIA+ folks to church, with joy, music, and blessings. If you are a LGBTQIA+ People’s person and would like to participate in ritual leadership (there are both speaking and non-speaking ways to lead), please reach out to Rev. Rachel. We would … Continue reading Pride Service
Several months ago, Rev. Rachel led the People’s Church board through a process of asset mapping – recognizing all of the resources (human, physical, spiritual, programmatic, and more) that we have here at the church. The process was inspiring and the board suggested that everyone at the church have achance to take part. This service … Continue reading We Have Everything We Need
In this service we will honor those who have died in war in military service to our country, remember the people we love who have died in the last year, and recognize all of the grief we are holding in our hearts. If you have a photo of someone you love who has died in … Continue reading Memorial Day Service
As the program year draws to a close, we will celebrate all of the wonderful People’s people who gave their time this year to keep the religious education program thriving. We will also reflect on the importance of religious community for children – and people of all ages. For this service, Rev. Rachel wants to … Continue reading Religious Education Service
It is a hard moment to feel hopeful. This service will include small stories about ways people are caring for the planet in Southwest Michigan as well as group art projects that might just bring us hope ‘when hope is hard to find.’ Please join us on Zoom or in person! Services are normally held in … Continue reading Seeds of Hope: An Earth Day All Ages Service
At a recent gathering of interfaith clergy in Kalamazoo, an idea emerged. What if the message that can inspire the work of love and justice in this moment is as simple as ‘We are good neighbors?’ Thissimple commitment to care for those nearby is a vital way to live our values in this moment.In honor … Continue reading We Are Good Neighbors
On Easter, we celebrate that stories don’t always end when we think they do. Sometimes, the tomb is empty. Sometimes, resurrections happen. In this service we will explore how we might practice resurrection and we will celebrate the unlikely resurrections as we tell and re-tell stories of Jesus, spring, and a woman named Gussie who … Continue reading To Be Continued: An Easter Service
Inspired by the words submitted by auction winners, this service will focus on wonder and curiosity. How might the practice of paying attention and being curious — about the natural world and other humans — help us to live with more joy, more meaning, and a greater sense of connection? You can access the order … Continue reading Turn to Wonder
In the Buddhist tradition, there is a teaching that truth is the moon and teachings are the fingers pointing at the moon. One must not mistake the fingers for the moon, the teachings for the truth they are gesturing toward. Rev. Rachel originally preached on this concept in the fall 2017. You can access the … Continue reading Fingers Pointing at the Moon
In trauma theory, there is the concept of ‘the assumptive world’ – the things we assume can count on without having to think about them. When we experience a significant loss, change, or trauma, our assumptive world disintegrates and we need to rebuild something in its place. Rev. Rachel will explore these ideas further in … Continue reading When the Ground Beneath Us Falters
People’s people are generous people and have a long tradition of caring for one another and the wider community. As we kick off our stewardship season and ask People’s people to make their financial commitments for the coming year, we will celebrate how we have done the work of love within our building and beyond … Continue reading The Works of Love: A Stewardship Service
One of the most important ministries of People’s Church is providing the Our Whole Lives Comprehensive Sexuality Education program for our children and youth. In this service, Rev. Rachel and People’s Church youth who have participated in the Our Whole Lives program will reflect on the importance of comprehensive sexuality education rooted in the values … Continue reading Our Whole Lives
As we prepare for an upcoming capital campaign to pay for maintenance and improvement of our current church home (see other parts of the newsletter for more details on that), this Sunday, we will look back at the various homes this church has had over the years, from the Fireman’s Hall in 1855 to two … Continue reading Mortar and Stone, Windows and Walls: A History of the Buildings of People’s Church
It’s time for our annual question service – bring your questions about life, religion, and meaning to the service (or send them to Rev. Rachel in advance) and she will respond to as many of them as she can during the service. This Sunday service will also contain a recognition of our partnership with Scouting … Continue reading Living the Questions
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
