People's Church of Kalamazoo

Bring your ears and your voice to our spring music service! Join us and take part in an exciting interactive program exploring the utility of music, featuring performances by People’s Church members as well as special guests.

The troubles of the world—the destruction of the environment, gun violence, white supremacy—crack our hearts open. This service will explore how the heartbreak calls us into community and into action.

On this Easter Sunday, we will celebrate new life and resurrection through readings and song.

Our annual Poetry Service will explore the bond of human experience through spoken and written word.

This Sunday is the beginning of our stewardship season. In the annual ‘Sermon on the Amount,’ Rev. Rachel and People’s people will reflect on the great things happening at People’s Church–and invite us all to continue to be the generous, loving, justice-seeking community that we are.

‘Love is the way messengers/from the mystery tell us things’ writes the 13th century Muslim mystic Jalāl ad-Dīn Muhammad Rūmī , who is often known simply as Rumi. Nearly every religious tradition has a mystical tradition, made up of people who seek heightened states where they feel the presence of The Holy. In this service, we will explore Persian Muslim mystic poets Hafez, Rumi, and Rabi’a, and the mystic approach to religious knowing more generally.

Islam is the religion we are focusing on in March at People’s Church. The word ‘Islam’ literally means ‘submission’ or ‘surrender.’ How do Muslims understand these ideas at the heart of their faith? What might we Unitarian Universalists learn from engaging with these ideas?

If you are working to stay present in the world—interacting with others with care, compassion, and kindness; advocating and acting on issues of justice locally and in our world—feelings of heartbreak and overwhelm often come. How do we acknowledge these feelings, respect our needs, yet stay engaged in the works of love and justice? In this service, organized by Rev. Rachel and the Social Justice Coordinating Committee, a few People’s people will share about the spiritual, emotional, physical and intellectual work they do to stay woke, stay present, and stay engaged.

The #MeToo movement is giving contemporary society an opportunity to have a long-overdue conversation about rape culture, toxic masculinity, and male privilege. How can men join this conversation as allies to “affirm and promote justice, equity, and compassion in human relations”?

The Zhuangzi (sometimes written in English as Chuang-tzu) is one of the core texts of Taoism, based on the teachings of a sage that lived in the 3rd century BCE. The text contains stories and anecdotes that one scholar describes as ‘a ramble into the unexpected, the unpredictable, and the unknown—a piñata of paradox and parody and parable and wit, just waiting to be cracked open by childlike joy.’ This Sunday, Rev. Rachel will share some of these stories and lift up what they might have to teach us.

This month, we will be exploring Taoism in worship. Wu wei, which is translated as “non-action,” “spontaneity” or “acting from the core of one’s being” is one of the highest virtues in Taoism. Water metaphors are often used to describe it. “There is nothing in the world more soft and weak than water,” yet for attacking things that are hard and strong there is nothing that surpasses it.” writes Lao-Tse, the founder of philosophical Taoism. Rev. Rachel will explore how we might incorporate the wisdom of water, spontaneity, and flow into our lives.

Bring you questions and Rev. Rachel will do her best to answer them on-the-spot during the time she usually preaches a prepared sermon. Even if your question is not addressed during the service, know that it will be read and thought about and possibly inform future worship services and programs at the church.

When Rachel invited Fred to deliver a sermon during the month of January and mentioned that Judaism is the theme for the month, he was reminded of the sermon he delivered some 20 years ago to the congregation of People’s Church based on the story of Isaac’s trip to the sacred mountain. He wonders if any one present remembers the point of that sermon? He will raise a very different questions about the meaning of the story now.

The Edict of Torda, an unprecedented act of religious tolerance was issued 450 years ago this month by King John Sigismund of Hungary, the only Unitarian King in history. This Sunday, we will celebrate this edict, which granted religious freedom to Catholics, Lutherans, Calvinists and Unitarians. We will also be visited by King John himself, as portrayed by Matthew Morris McCormick.

In January, we are exploring Judaism in worship and adult religious education. In the Jewish tradition, the word for repentance, teshuvah, literally means “turning.” At this turning of the year, we will explore the practices of repentance, the amends we might need to make, and how we might move forward into a brighter year.

On this New Year’s Eve, we will gather together to reflect on 2017 and participate in a burning bowl ritual to rid ourselves of what we do not wish to carry with us into 2018. We will also reflect on our growth and learning from 2017 and what values and learnings we intend to carry with us into the new year. This is an intergenerational service and all are invited to be with us in The Commons for the whole service.

In this service, we will mark the winter solstice, the longest night of the year, with song, story, ritual, and reflection.

At this service we will discuss Jesus’s parable about The Good Samaritan.

Join People’s Singers, People’s Ringers, and other People’s Church musicians for this music-filled service. Music selections will include holiday favorites and other pieces that capture the aspirations of the season.

Join us as we retell "The Trees of the Dancing Goats" by Patricia Polacco. There will be parts for everyone who wants to participate. The service will also include a child dedication ritual and a celebration of our newest members. For this service, all are invited to be in The Commons for the whole service, though the nursery and the preschool classrooms will be opened and staffed for our youngest children.

The most Confucian culture in the world, Korea, has a long history of tragedy and triumph that has manifested in their current approach to world affairs. Over the last century, the United States has also played an important part in Korea's history, both for good and for ill. To understand this complex land's past is to begin to understand current events in both North and South Korea.

Confucianism values relationships. It is through relationships with our families, friends and others that we learn virtues and practice them. It is through relationships that we can practice empathy and ‘human-heartedness’ and become exemplary people. What truth might these teachings hold for us today?

Our ‘religion of the month’ for November is Confucianism. As one might expect of a wisdom tradition founded by a tutor, Confucianism values education and learning. Rev. Rachel will explore how we might be able to incorporate this emphasis on learning as a tool for moral development into our practices as Unitarian Universalist.

This Sunday, Rev. Rachel will begin the conversation about adding a second worship service to our weekly calendar here at People’s Church. There are so many possibilities to consider: why might we want to do this? Would a second service be the same as our current service or different in a significant way? When would it happen? What might it mean for People’s Church if a second service led to significant membership growth? If you could design a worship service from scratch, what might it look like? This service will be an invitation to begin imagining the possibilities. As the conversation continues in the new year, there will be chances to share ideas and begin making plans.

In the spring, People’s Church, along with hundreds of other Unitarian Universalist congregations participated in the UU White Supremacy Teach-In. Rev. Rachel and members of People’s Anti-Racism, Anti-Oppression, and Multiculturalism Committee will continue the conversation about how we might better live into our values of love, justice, and respect for the inherent worth of all people.

There is a Buddhist teaching, attributed to many, that urges those pursuing truth not to confuse fingers pointing at the moon with the moon itself. How do we distinguish between what is true and the experiences, language, teachers, and texts that help us learn what is true? Rev. Rachel will explore Buddhist and Unitarian Universalist ways of distinguishing the moon from the fingers.

Rev. Nathan is a seventh-generation Michigander, a graduate of Western Michigan University, and a fierce advocate of social justice and benevolent localism. Prior to ministry he worked as a community organizer with the Gamaliel Network in Kalamazoo and Chicago. He attended graduate studies at the Chicago Theological Seminary and Vanderbilt Divinity School. He currently serves as the 29th Senior Minister of the First Congregational Church of Kalamazoo. He is an ordained pastor in the United Church of Christ and the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ).

Diane Melvin’s sabbatical time contained many gifts; the most valued was the gift of space and time to transform herself and her life. The richest part of this time away was the deep spiritual transformation that occurred as a result of her daily religious practice of meditation and Lojong. All are invited to join Diane as she shares her intimate journey through deep grief and despair of the Dark Night of the Soul all the way back into the light.

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 dead animals. Please bring your beloved stuffed animals, well-behaved pets, or pictures of the animals in your life. If you have animal allergies, this might be a Sunday to miss. This is an intergenerational service. People of all ages are invited to be in The Commons for the whole service, though the nursery and preschool classrooms will be open for the youngest children.

Arjuna, a soldier, is about to go into battle. He serves a righteous cause and knows he is embarking on a just war—and yet he knows people, including his family, will suffer and die in the conflict. A God, Krishna, appears and the two of them discuss the best course of action. This is the setting of The Bhagavad Gita, a Hindu sacred text that is at least 4,000 years old, which Mahatma Gandhi called his ‘spiritual dictionary.’ This service will include a retelling of this ancient conversation.

Hinduism holds wisdom about spiritual challenges that shift as we age and the religious tasks of each age group – children, youth and young adults, the middle aged, and older adults. In the first Sunday of our religious education program for children and youth, we will commission our teachers and Rev. Rachel will explore how this ancient wisdom—and other wisdom about the stages of life—might challenge us all to live lives of greater meaning, greater service, and greater joy across our lifespan.

We will begin the church program year with our homecoming service and joining of waters ritual. This summer has brought some of us peace, while others have experienced joy, love, pain, tears, and strength. Whatever the summer season brought to your life, you are welcome at People’s Church. Please bring a small container of water to join together is our collective bowl for our water ritual. This is an intergenerational service. All ages will be in the service together. The nursery and the preschool room will be open for the youngest children.

We end our program year with service that includes a flower ritual. In this ritual created by a Czech Unitarian minister in 1923, everyone brings a flower to church. Once we appreciate the beautiful bouquets we create together, everyone leaves with a different flower, signifying the gifts we receive from this congregation. This service will also include a child dedication ritual and a celebration of our religious education teachers. This service is an intergenerational service. All children and youth are encouraged to stay in The Commons for the entire service, though preschool and nursery classes will be happening. Please bring a flower to share.

People’s Church youth will lead this service in which the bridging seniors reflect on their spiritual journeys and what People’s Church has meant to them as they transition into young adulthood. Our talented youth will lead all aspects of this service and welcome eighth graders into the youth group. This service is one of the highlights of the church year and is not to be missed.

In our annual Memorial Day observance, we remember those who have died in war, as well as our beloved dead in ritual, music, poetry and preaching.

On the Sunday of our annual meeting, Rev. Rachel will explore ‘the right of conscience and the use of the democratic process in our congregations and in society at large,’ one of our Unitarian Universalist principles. In a world where religion is so often hierarchical, how did we come to do religion in this unusual way? What might the practice of democracy in our congregation have to teach us about democratic process in our wider society?

How do you know you when you are part of something? What does belonging to a congregation ask of us? Rabbi Matt of Kalamazoo’s Reform Jewish community, Temple B’Nai Israel, will explore what it means to belong to a religious community in an era when ‘none’ is the fastest growing religious affiliation.

The Black Lives of Unitarian Universalism (BLUU), in response to the racial inequity in hiring practices at the Unitarian Universalist Association called on UU congregations to spend one Sunday this spring focusing worship on white supremacy. In their invitation, BLUU leaders wrote “’White Supremacy’ is a provocative phrase, as it conjures up images of hoods and mobs. Yet in 2017, actual ‘white supremacists’ are not required in order to uphold white supremacist culture. Building a faith full of people who understand that key distinction is essential as we work toward a more just society in difficult political times.” We join with 500 UU congregations in answering this invitation and building a faith full of people with this understanding.

Join us for Music Sunday! People’s Singers, People’s Ringers, other People’s musicians, and the gathered congregation will create beautiful music together. We will experience music in new ways and reflect on how making music together helps us create community.

Oscar Wilde once quipped, ‘Everything in moderation, including moderation.’ How might practicing the virtue of moderation lead to better alignment of our lives with our values and better stewardship of the earth? As we celebrate Earth Day, we will explore what it might mean to live with ‘just enough.’

In this intergenerational service, we will celebrate the rhythms of the agricultural year, from tilling the soil to planting to harvest. We will also joyfully and gratefully celebrate the end of our stewardship campaign.

Michael Servetus was a physician, lawyer, and Unitarian theologian in 17th century Spain. He devoted his life to promoting the truth that God is one. It ultimately led to his martyrdom. On this Palm Sunday, Rev. Rachel will tell Servetus’s story—and the story of the prophet Jesus who also gave his life for the truth as he understood it.

In February, People’s people submitted questions for Rev. Rachel to answer during a service. One of the questions submitted was ‘I have noticed that when groups meet for particular purposes they often begin by creating a covenant. Are there more comprehensive, enduring covenants? Covenants specific to this congregation?… Who creates them and how are they enforced?’ In this service, Rev. Rachel will attempt to answer this question and sketch a brief historical overview of religious communities creating covenants.

We find ourselves at so many crossroads and turning points, politically, environmentally, and socially. What does this mean for us spiritually, or as persons committed to religious and ethical values? At the very least, we must find ways to build and sustain courage and commitment. Jill McAllister is the minister emerita of People’s Church. She currently serves as the senior minister at the Unitarian Universalist Fellowship of Corvallis, OR.

At this time in our nation, when we are witnessing an alarming resurgence of white supremacy, it is imperative that white people do the deep work required to claim an anti-racist identity, understanding the privilege they carry, and interrupt racism where they live, study, work, and worship. Sadly, too many white people stop short of that deep work, assuming that good intentions are enough. Dr. Morrison’s sermon will address how white people can and must move through places where they often get stuck, so they can step up with courage, humility, and compassion to participate in movements led by people of color and help move other white people to greater anti-racist awareness and action.

We’ll kick off our stewardship season by reflecting on how our church has ‘advanced the cause of pure and practical religion in the community’ and cast visions of what we might do together in the years ahead. Members and friends of People’s Church will be invited to consider their gifts to our annual operating budget and our last (at least for a long time) capital campaign.

The Book of Esther in the Hebrew Scriptures is a strange book. It features a beauty contest and never mentions God. It also tells the story of a courageous queen who defeats a plot to destroy her people. How might ancient story inspire us to act with courage today?

Pride is a rallying cry and call to action in LGBTQ communities. This Sunday, Rev. Rachel will share the story of how the modern Gay Pride movement began and how it transformed the idea of pride from “the queen of all sins” to a rallying cry and the name for parades and festivals that happen every June.

You are welcome to bring your questions to church every Sunday—but you are especially welcome to bring them this Sunday. Instead of preaching a prepared sermon, Rev. Rachel will answer questions you submit. If you’d like to submit your answers before the service, call or email Rev. Rachel. You will also have a chance to submit questions during the service.

Many religious traditions include practices that mark certain times as special and set apart, requiring different behaviors and different ways of paying reverence. One of these is keeping Sabbath in many Jewish and Christian traditions. Rev. Rachel will reflect on Sabbath practices, how holy rest is different than sloth, and what she has learned from her own Sabbath practice.

Radio host Krista Tippett calls virtues ‘tools for the art of living’ and ‘spiritual technologies.’ Prudence is one of the seven heavenly virtues, praised by the ancient Greeks and incorporated into the Christian tradition by early church leaders. What wisdom does this virtue, defined as ‘the ability to govern and discipline oneself by the use of reason’ hold for us today? How might we make use of this ‘spiritual technology’ in our lives?