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
INTERIM’S INSIGHTS
“The eunuch said to Philip, ‘Tell me, if you will, about whom the prophet is talking – himself or someone else?’ So Philip proceeded to explain the Good News about Jesus to him. Further along the road they came to some water, and the eunuch said, ‘Look, there is some water right there. Is there anything to keep me from being baptized?’ He ordered the carriage to stop; then Philip and the eunuch both went down into the water, and Philip baptized him.”
(Acts 8:34-38, The Inclusive Bible)
Recently, while watching a documentary on Renaissance Art, I learned of a bridge in Renaissance Venice named after, how shall I put this….the most prominent feature of a woman’s chest. It was so named because the city fathers (undoubtedly all men) were faced with a dilemma: Too many of their young men were falling in love with other men. (Yes, they saw a problem where we would say there was none, but that is what they thought.) So they enlisted the help of the local female sex workers to use a particular bridge to expose the men of the city to what they had to offer. As advertising campaigns go, this was destined for failure. But the bridge was named for its most notorious aspect and has the name still. It is a monument to the futility of conversion therapy.
We are sometimes so poorly educated in the history of civilization, that we begin to think that what we are experiencing in our time is new and outrageous. It’s closer to the truth to say that we keep the antics of our ancestors in the closet because they challenge the paradigms and mores by which we live and to which we have given a veil of normalcy. There have always been “non-conformists” among us, whether it be sexual orientation, gender identity or just outward appearance.
When Philip encounters a eunuch on the road (a situation brought about by God’s intel on where the eunuch would be at what time) he is confronted with a situation that tested his ability to be “open and affirming.” For Philip, there were some religious rules (all the rules came from God and so were “religious”) that kept the “gender non-conforming” in the background. Those who were serving in the households of the elite were often eunuchs so that there would be no possibility of hanky-panky, which is not to say that hanky-panky was prevented (but that is another topic!). The real concern of the religious leaders was that God was a God of purity and order, who brought the world into being by separating things (Light and darkness, Day and Night, Land and water, etc.). Thus, the way to remain in God’s good graces was to maintain that separation with rules keeping the “purity” of what God has separated (What God has separated, let no human put together…oh wait, maybe it’s the other way around!)
At any rate, when it came to what went on at the Temple, nothing defective or diluted or mixed together was allowed, including those with damaged or missing or extra body parts. The Ethiopian (i.e., black) Eunuch (i.e. non-gender conforming) knew this full well. He had just been to Jerusalem for the Feast of Pentecost. If he had tried to participate in the festival worship, he would have been turned away. What he could do was shop. (Even when they don’t let you in, you can always spend money in the gift shop!) So while he was there, he picked up a copy of the scroll of the Prophet Isaiah. Scrolls were incredibly expensive. They were hand copied and normally came in expensive boxes or pouches. So desperate is the Eunuch to find and experience God, that he unrolls the scroll before he gets home. He reads his precious scroll bouncing along in a chariot on a dusty road.
When Philip offers to expound on it, there is no question as to what the Eunuch will say. The question, persistent and nagging, is the result of scores of past exclusions and derision, jokes and insults. Because when it comes to the things that really matter, the marginalized are seldom accommodated.
They come to the water. “So okay, Philip. You say that God’s Realm is here. You say that Jesus loves me enough to die for me. We’re here. Water is here. Put your baptism where your mouth is. Go ahead. I dare you.”
And then, the one who has known more cruelty than community, more insult than inclusion, more rejection than resurrection, is made one of the family. No wonder he goes on his way rejoicing.
Happy Pride. Amen.
Pastor Davis Sickelka, Interim Pastor
Pastor Dave’s Schedule for june & july
Except for Tuesday, July 4th, Pastor Dave will be in Flint on Tuesdays and Wednesdays. Please do call the church office to make sure, because a pastor’s schedule is always in flux.
If you would like to make an appointment to speak to Pastor Dave in person, please call the church office at (810)767-4911 between 10:00 and 2:00 M-F, or email him at david.sickelka@peopleschurchofflint.org. If you have an urgent need for pastoral care outside of office hours, text or phone (515)720-6389.
Carbon Capture and Storage, A Solution or a Con and a Scam??
What is CCS? It involves the capture of carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions from industrial processes, such as steal and cement production, or from the burning of fossil fuels in power generation. This carbon is then transported from where it was produced, via ship or in a pipeline, and stored deep underground in geological formations.
I have been hearing about carbon capture and storage lately. Fossil fuel industries are claiming CCS is the solution to reducing carbon. They say it is a way of resolving global warming.
However, according to my spring issue of “Livable Future Now” from Food and Water Action, this is a scheme the fossil fuel industry has come up with as a way to grow their industry. It will keep fossil fuel power plants running, furthering the climate crisis. In the process, it will impact our water, destroy productive agricultural land and pose a great public health and safety threat.
Food and Water Action Lists 5 Reasons Carbon Capture is Bogus
Carbon Transport and Storage are Unsafe
Carbon Capture is an Expensive Failure
Carbon Capture is Energy Intensive
Carbon Capture Has Increased Emissions
Carbon Capture Diverts Investments Away From Renewable Energy
There are three corporations that have proposed 3,650 miles of hazardous pipeline to cross Iowa, Illinois, Minnesota, Nebraska, South Dakota and North Dakota. People in these states are being mobilized to urge utilities boards to deny permits for these projects.
So far Michigan is not one of these states involved in pipeline proposals. So this is a “heads up”. We don’t want to keep the US addicted to fossil fuels, degrade our agricultural land, threaten our water and put our communities and climate at risk. We need to say “No Thank You” to carbon capture storage!
Leslie Cummings, for the Creation Justice Team
Stone, Dogma, Pride by Tom Travis
Stones shaped long ago
set in mortar, firm and sure
eternal-like as the dogma that rises from within.
The bright colors of the new
a reflection of an evolving
deep and calm understanding
that are the complexities of us all
The liturgist reads, "God is the same, yesterday, today and...."
But are they?
A spirit that breathes and flows into all shapes, angles and spaces
is not a rigid and unchanging god.
The dogma that convicts and condemns rises from the unchangeable printed words
from eons ago that do not reflect the ethos of the growing human and spiritual understanding.
Please - be who you are...there's nothing wrong with you...the Creator made you.
Good Things Happening in and around us
The Pastoral Search Committee… has been busy interviewing candidates, pondering, praying and then continuing with 2nd interviews. WE are very encouraged by the quality of the candidates and look forward to sharing a final candidate with you in the next few months. Please keep the Search Committee and the candidates in your prayers so the best match happens.
Carla Pierik, Search Committee- Chair
Membership Classes Available… New Member Classes will be held Sundays, from June 18 through July 9. If you are interested in participating, please contact the church office at (810)767-4911 or email info@peopleschurchofflint.org
Plaza Event Planner…The Patio & Grounds Committee is looking for a volunteer to act as an Event Planner. This person along with the P&G Committee will conceptualize, schedule and organize events to be held on the Plaza. If you’re interested in volunteering please see Dale Emery.
June Activities:
Community Cooperative Relief Event, Saturday, June 24, at Peoples Church in Flint from. Karla Holliday is helping us with this activity.
Flint Pride Festival, Saturday, June 24 from 2 p.m. to 8 p.m. at the Riverbank Park/UM-Flint Pavilion and Rink. Peoples Church will have a booth at Pride Fest. If you'd like to take a shift of sitting at the table see Tom Travis to sign up (or text him at 810.348.5615 to let him know).
An Annual Community Pride Service will be held at St. Paul's Episcopal Church (711 S. Saginaw Street, Flint) at 11 a.m. Saturday, June 24. We're invited to share a time of prayer and reflection for love and inclusion.
“In these difficult times, we need mutual aid for our shared well-being. The multiple challenges of the pandemic, economic uncertainty, and continuing white supremacist and state violence have catalyzed community members to come together and help each other when the government can’t or won’t.
“In recent years, we have seen many examples of people working together to keep their communities safe and healthy through mutual aid.” from American Friends Society Network
DATE CHANGE... St. Paul’s Episcopal Church, 711 South Saginaw St. is hosting an American Red Cross Blood Drive on Friday, July 07, 2023 11:00 AM - 4:45 PM. To participate, schedule an appointment, by visiting RedCrossBlood.org (sponsor code flintstpaul) or call 1-800-733-2767 Streamline your donation experience and save up to 15 minutes by visiting RedCrossBlood.org/RapidPass to complete your pre-donation reading and health history questions. If you register early, you may be eligible to receive a special gift from the Red Cross.
This event is being organized by our own Dr. Susumu Inoue, whose areas of expertise are Pediatric Hematology/ Oncology, Pediatric Hemophilia, and Pediatric Sickle Cell.
Upcoming Affiliate & Community Activities
IN THE CONGREGATION
Links are on the church calendar. Need more info? Just ask!
Links are on the church calendar: t.ly/ALHB. Need more info? Just ask!
Adult Forum, meets at 9:30 am on Sunday’s. Starting Sunday, March 19th we will be reading The 1619 Project by Nikole Hannah-Jones. Join us either in person at church or via Zoom .
Vigil for Racial Justice is still gathering 1-2 pm Thursdays on the Genesee Courthouse lawn.
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 here to sign up!