CONGREGATION + COMMUNITY NEWS
PEOPLES PRESS
Joyfully Defiant for the Sake of a Just World
a congregation of the United Church of Christ, the Alliance of Baptists & the American Baptist Churches
PEOPLES POETRY
Poetry has always been in my life. My favorite as a child was “A Child’s Garden of Verses” written by Robert Louis Stevenson. My grandmother read these poems to me and I remember them still.
Our children heard poetry early in their lives. I read to them the childhood poems and rhymes I loved. My husband Bill did not read children’s books to our children. He read poetry from T. S. Eliot and Robert Burns and others. Our four-year-old son could recite lines from “The Love Song of J. Alfred Prufrock” by T. S. Eliot!
We had a poetry group at Peoples Church before we moved to our present location. This group included poet Lois Beebe Hayna, who had moved to Michigan from Colorado where she had been poet laureate of Colorado Springs, CO. We had several other members of the group who also wrote and shared their own poetry. The poetry group has met only once since our move to Garland Street.
Peoples Church recently hosted a Zoom poetry event featuring Semaj Brown, the Flint Poet Laureate and are planning another event with Semaj for this May.
In the Sunday book group when we have finished a book and are waiting for the next book to come in, we have one or more poetry Sundays. Clif Turner and I have brought in poems and read them and the group talks about them. In a recent session we wrote and shared our own Haiku. We like poetry at Peoples Church.
At some point after Pastor Deb joined us, we began to read a poem every Sunday in the service of worship. The poem usually follows the Call to Worship and precedes the scripture lesson. Why poetry?
You might ask. Consider that prophets are poets and poets through their insights into the human condition are prophets. Whoever the reader is, they are called on to read poetry. Pastor Deb, Tom Travis and I (Eileen Button and Karen Eaton have also been involved) meet about once a month to select a poem for each week’s service.
The poem is chosen keeping in mind the scripture lesson, the theme, and the sermon title for a particular Sunday. Our meetings involve finding the perfect poem for each Sunday. We come to the meeting with suggestions and then we read the poems aloud and decide what works best. We must get permission from the publisher or author to use every poem that is read on Sunday. We are precluded from reading some poets because permission is not granted. You will not hear some of our favorite poets because of this restriction. Our meetings are on Zoom so we have our poetry books handy and can search through them right then if we are still looking for the perfect poem.
My knowledge of poetry, my love of poetry, and my collection of poetry books have grown through the process of choosing a poem for each Sunday. I am constantly looking for new poets and finding them! At least once a week and sometimes more, I encounter a new poet and then through
this new poet, poets they like and read. An endless wonderful search!
Maybe you have taken note of the poem that is read each Sunday and maybe you have not but might now keep an open ear and heart. If you have suggestions for a poem we might include or you want to comment on a poem we have read, please get in touch with me. I would love to talk poetry
with you! I wish you good reading!
Linda Angus
TRANSITION UPDATES
It feels like we are in mid-transition, although really it is just starting. As we near our last two weeks with Pastor Deb, there are many things going on behind the scenes to keep us organized, focused, and engaged with the community. Here are a few of our updates.
Karla will be in the office every day, Monday through Friday, from 10-2. She is working diligently to learn how to create Peoples Press (as you are reading this you can see her success!), she is working with the Board to gather all of the information needed for the Annual Meeting (check the date/info in this edition), and she is doing all of this while learning how our systems work! Thank you, Karla!
Kendall Brown has agreed to work with Jay Cummings on the discretionary fund. He will be a great support for Peoples Church and Jay. Thank you, Kendall!
Deb has reached out to many pastors who have preached to us before. We have a scheduled sermon for each Sunday through July. Thank you, Deb!
The Executive Board is working to secure an Interim Pastor and will hopefully have news on that front soon.
As always, reach out to anyone on the board, or me, with questions, concerns, or prayer needs. We are all in this together, and what a great group to share this transition with!
Blessings,
Jamie Schmidt, Moderator
natesmamajamie@gmail.com; 810-287-8308
SEARCH COMMITTEE UPDATES
Work continues behind the scenes, as we are compiling our church profile.
Potential candidates will be able to access the profile to attain an idea of who we are. Conversations are being held with individual members to address specific areas such as church demographics and finances. The committee is also discussing “Church Reflections” as it relates to what our
worship and faith foundation is like. It's a deep dive into who we are as Peoples Church. It's invigorating and affirming.
Thanks for your prayerful support.
Carla Pierik, Chair
A Good Good-Bye
For Pastor Deborah DeMars Conrad
Sunday, May 1, 2022
11 am Worship Service
“Farewell and Godspeed”
12:15 pm Reception and Presentations
Please RSVP to the church office and let us know if you will attend in person or via Zoom
Zoom link is on the website calendar.
(For in person attendance masks and vaccination are required.)
If you would like to contribute to Deb’s Good Goodbye, you can give in all the regular ways; just write “honoring Deb” on the memo line.
ANNUAL MEETING
This year’s Annual Meeting is scheduled for Sunday, May 22nd at 12:30 pm. Voting members can attend this event either in person or via Zoom. Please do all of what you can to arrive on time.
IN THE CONGREGATION
Links are on the church calendar. Need more info? Just ask!
Adult Forum, 9:30 am Sundays, is reading Mariame Kaba's We Do This 'Til We Free Us: Abolitionist Organizing and Transforming Justice. Join in by zoom or in person at church. And let us know if you need a book.
Thursday Evening Study Group begins again April 28, reading Diana Butler Bass’ A Peoples History of Chris tianity: the other side of the story. Books will shortly be on the welcome table at church. Need one shipped? Call the office!
Vigil for Racial Justice is still gathering 1-2 pm Thursdays on the Genesee Courthouse lawn. But only if the temp is above 20º.
New Text Alert System. We have shifted to a new text messaging service. If you're in our church directory, you're all set. If you're not, go to t.ly/LQC71 to sign up!