June 30, 2023

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

“For freedom Christ has set us free. Stand firm, therefore, and do not submit again to a yoke of slavery.”

(Galatians 5:1  ,The New Revised Standard Bible)

With the celebration of Independence Day upon us, I want to start by wishing all of you a happy and thought-provoking holiday. Like most of the holy days of our civil religion, the Powers would prefer that we take the day off, grill a few hot dogs, shoot off some bottle rockets and call it a day. We are expected to pat one another on the back and celebrate the wisdom and courage and “right thinking” that prompted our rebellious predecessors to declare their independence. But don’t bother actually reading the document that enshrines that independence in our nation’s history and don’t think too hard about the revolutionary ideas upon which it is founded. If you do either of these things, you will discover how little we value our freedom and how easily we submit to the control of the Powers. After a brief introduction (one sentence) The Declaration begins with these words:

We hold these Truths to be self-evident, that all Men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty, and the Pursuit of Happiness—-That to secure these Rights, Governments are instituted among Men, deriving their just Powers from the Consent of the Governed, that whenever any Form of Government  becomes destructive of these Ends, it is the Right of the People to alter or to abolish it, and to institute new Government, laying its Foundation on such Principles, and organizing its Powers in such Form, as to them shall seem most likely to affect their Safety and Happiness.  Prudence, indeed, will dictate that Governments long established should not be changed for light and transient Causes; and accordingly all Experience hath shewn, that Mankind are more disposed to suffer, while Evils are sufferable, than to right themselves by abolishing the Forms to which they are accustomed. 

We are, indeed, “More disposed to suffer, while Evils are sufferable.” We are also prone to second guess our own freedom or the freedom of others. The Hebrews in the wilderness began to long for the security of food and shelter that slavery had provided. Many in Jesus’ day were content to let the Romans have their day, having acclimated themselves to life under an occupation. How quickly did Reconstruction in the American South back-slide into Jim Crow and racist poverty to provide cover for those who wanted to deny freedom to those formerly enslaved. Freedom always looks good on paper, but the sin of enslavement is fiendishly resilient.

The writer of Galatians (Paul’s authorship of which is hotly contested) laments the fact that many in the church would return to a faith based on laws and punishment. Paul could well have expressed this thought, even if not in this letter. He had been a Pharisee before his conversion experience on the road to Damascus. The Pharisees typically thought that observing the law in the minutest detail would get God’s attention and restore Israel to its former glory (and kick out the Romans in the process). Paul (who was then called Saul) was so convinced of this, that he happily traveled from city to city, rooting out the Christians and convicting them of blasphemy, committing them to prison and even stoning them to death in the process (see Acts 8 & 9). Paul expresses tremendous guilt over this after his conversion. He saw his error as a mistaken belief that being a “slave” to the law was what God wanted when, in fact, it was what kept us from the joy of God’s Realm. We were freed from all that by Christ, why would we submit to that again?

Good question. But we find comfort in predictability and security in rules. And being free is a heavy responsibility. And the more I learn about history, the more amazed I am how often humans will voluntarily give up freedom in exchange for safety and security. (which, by the way, are highly over-rated!).

And if we think about it just a little, the truth becomes obvious (self-evident). All of the human family are equal, that is, of equal worth. There is no aristocracy that has superior intellect, wisdom, or physical prowess. That our Creator (not the Magna Carta or the monarch) has endowed us with the right to “life, liberty, and the Pursuit of Happiness” (altered from Descartes, who had written “the Pursuit of Property”). The justification and authority of government is the consent of the governed.

Whatever you think of our current government, the laws or court decisions that restrict or liberate us, or the current administration’s priorities and pitfalls, remember that your freedoms exist independent of all that. They are God-given. So don’t be afraid to embrace them. The alternative is live as a captive to earthly powers. 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.

   Where There is Love There is Hope

Recently, the Edgewood UCC in East Lansing made a contribution of $100,000.00 as a faith-based reparation grant  to the   Justice League of Greater Lansing to support education scholarships, home ownership  and business startup ministries.   The gift was supported with a substantial slice from the church’s endowment and after seven years of study and discussion in the congregation.  Edgewood partnered with All Saints Episcopal Church to share responsibility for a $200,000.00 pledge to the   Justice League’s reparation project.

The idea of reparation has been around a long time.  In the early 1970’s the UCC Synod met in Boston. To commemorate that event, the Massachusetts Conference, UCC committed a large amount of its endowment to the work of Civil Rights in establishing justice for minorities.  To be sure, that action caused considerable commotion among Massachusetts UCC   churches!

People still find reparation a tough pill to swallow.  (We just can’t stand giving money to someone who didn’t earn it. “Un-American,” say some.  And worst of all, we know what it means to earn what we have and we know who the people are who didn’t earn it.)  You know the racist script of privilege.  

The Lansing area churches learned a few things in their study.  Both congregations are predominantly white and don’t deny their privileged status. They studied the value of their members’ homes and compared that value to what the homes of minorities in those areas were valued.  In that study they received a picture of the significant discrepancy in the buildup of home equity over the years between whites and their non-white neighbors. That factor alone offers a reason to swallow the pill.

I offer this article to celebrate a happening in one of our sister churches that will probably and sadly not receive wide coverage. This story for me is also another source of a hope-beam which is hard to find in today’s news reports.  In our church there are shooting stars of hope in the work we do and support.  Praise be.  

 Kendall Brown, for the Creation Justice Team

Good Things Happening in and around us

The Pastoral Search Committee … continues our work.  We have concluded second interviews with some candidates and have more second interviews on our schedule.  We are busy conferring so that we can find the very best candidate for Peoples Church.  We hope to share our choice for our next pastor in the next few months.  We are grateful for your continued patience.  Please include the Search Committee in your prayers.

  Linda Angus, Search Committee Member

 Membership Classes have Started…

New Member Classes have started but you can still participate. Don’t worry if you missed the first class, we’ll gladly get you all caught up. Classes are scheduled for three Sundays in July, the 02nd, 09th, & 16th at 12:15 pm. 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.

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!

June 16, 2023

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!

June 02, 2023

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

“A voice said, ‘Stand up, Peter. Make your sacrifice and eat.’ But Peter said, ‘I can’t, my God. I have never eaten anything profane or unclean.’ The voice spoke a second time and said, ‘Don’t call anything profane that God has made clean.”

 (Acts 10:13-15, The Inclusive Bible)

This passage is part of the story of the conversion of a Roman centurion, Cornelius, along with many others. It describes the prep work God has to do so that Peter can be open to what God is about to do. Peter sees a vision of “unclean” animals which were forbidden as food by the Hebrew Scriptures. When Peter is instructed to eat, he balks. He has never done this before and is not about to start now. But God has more to say than what Peter can imagine, and tells him that what God has called clean, he must not call profane.

How many times have we limited what we do based on our notions of what is acceptable and what is not? How many times have we said, “We have never done this before,” as if that were a good reason not to do it now? How many times have we doggedly held on to programs and traditions that have long ago lost their meaning or relevance? If we never evaluate what we are doing, then we risk finding ourselves saying, “No, God, we don’t do it that way.”

This passage is also one of those that gives hope and validation to people in the LGBTQIA+ community. It makes clear that labels like “unclean,” “abomination,” “Profane,” and “Unnatural” are only human constructs that God can (and does) override for the sake of the abundant life that God offers. In fact, I would go so far as to say that what is given by “the Voice” in Peter’s dream has the weight of a commandment. It is given in the imperative tense, which in an earlier time might have just have easily been translated, “Thou shalt not!” In the time of the early church, the validity of the Hebrew Commandments and ancillary laws for Christians was hotly debated. It boiled down to whether or not it was necessary for a person to become a Jew and abide by all the rules of Judaism in order to become Christian. After much debate, it was decided that salvation did not require a conversion to Judaism. And yet, 2,000 years later, we still try to impose the rules of purity on people to whom they do not apply. We make the Scriptures, which are supposed to give and renew life, into something that justifies oppression and counters the promises of God.

For the month of June, you will see the various colors representing the LGBTQIA+ community on display in our worship space. This is not an aesthetic choice that is trending in this moment. It is not a fad that is based on the whims of public opinion. It is a statement of a bold theological truth – one that many do not want to hear and one that will arouse intense anger and hate among those who see the world in terms of “clean” and “unclean.” It is the truth that God has the power to change the rules by which we live and correct those in authority when they get it wrong.

I did not start regularly attending Pride parades until 2010. Partly because there were none in my communities, and partly because my churches had not taken stands or even talked much about sexuality or gender. When I did begin attending, there were always people along the route with signs proclaiming who God hates and (mis-)quoting the Bible to prove their point. Like Peter, they were sure they were correct. Those of us in the parade usually ignored them, but once in a while we would engage them in conversation. After a few years, we no longer saw them. I would like to think our conversations made some impact, but I think what finally made the difference was the size of the parade. It kept getting bigger and bigger and bigger! And the number of churches in the parade also grew – from just one or two to a dozen or more.

As Flint celebrates Pride this year, I hope you will show up for it. Your presence matters. The presence of our church matters. Our perspective on the Bible and legal protections matters. It is our answer to those who those who can’t let go of the way we have always done it. Amen.

Pastor Davis Sickelka, Interim Pastor 

 Pastor Dave’s Schedule for May

Update… 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.

Good Things Happening in and around us

Notes from Outreach and Social Action

The O.S.A. Ministry  met on May 22, jointly with the Creation Justice Team, Grounds and Building folk and the Neighborhood Welcome workers. Seven persons attended, with everyone also actively involved in  one or more other Peoples Church mission efforts.

Jay Cummings turned over the O.S.A. Directorship to Kendall Brown.  Jay is now the Director of Church and Ministry at Peoples Church. Kendall (O.S.A./Creation Justice) and Leslie Cummings (Creation Justice) will continue writing for the Peoples Press.

The Neighborhood Welcome on Tuesdays and Thursdays has been busy enough to prove its value as a mission project for our church. The project has been an experiment for 2 months.  Decided: To continue.  Kendall will be writing a what-to-do guideline for volunteers. If you have volunteered and have noted things that need to be noticed, PLEASE let Kendall know.

The Plaza Design Group is continuing to use Funds from a grant to repurpose our front plaza. The group is giving some attention to future use of the Plaza. This activity planning could greatly use some help.  If you are interested, please speak to Kendall or Dale.

The weekly demonstration supporting Black Lives Matter continues on the Court House Lawn on Thursdays. Thanks to Karen Eaton and Mary Ellen and Tom Fox for keeping this work going, rain or shine, hot or cold. They have been engaging in some important missional conversations with persons passing by.

Activities in June: 

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

Kendall Brown,  for the O.S.A. Ministry

 Interviews Ongoing

This spring the Search Committee for Peoples Church has been receiving a steady number of applicants enthusiastic about what we are doing here. Based on input we received from PC members and friends early in this process many of them are being invited by us for a first 'getting to know you' zoom interview. And from that number we are now scheduling 2nd interviews (even as we continue to invite others for a 1st interview). It's both an exciting and complex process of discernment, vision-seeking, active listening and imagining our future. Please continue to pray for each of the SC team members, our work together, the applicants, and clarity in the process.

Carla Pierik, Search Committee -Chair

 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.

 Membership Classes Available

We are considering making New Member Classes available for those who may want to formally join Peoples Church. If you are interested 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.

      Join us by clicking the adjacent link: Book Group Zoom Link:

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!

May 19, 2023

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

And how is it that we hear, each of us, in our own native language?

(Acts 2:8, The New Revised Standard Version)

We are coming to the end of the Easter Season in the life of the church. We celebrate Pentecost on May 28 by remembering the gift of the Holy Spirit that came to the disciples as they were gathered to celebrate what was already an important holiday on the Jewish Calendar. As you might remember, the Spirit came upon them with power and they were suddenly able to speak in languages from all over the Roman Empire, communicating the Gospel to them in a miraculous way. The words above were spoken by those who heard their own language in a foreign land. They knew that those speaking were from Galilee, much as we would know if someone were a native of Maine or Louisiana by their speech and mannerisms. But here these Galileans speaking fluently in a dozen (maybe more) different languages. The Word of God was being proclaimed, not by human design or initiative, but by the insistent agency of the Holy Spirit.

Over the centuries, preachers have discovered that people respond best to the Gospel when it is in the vernacular, when there is no need for translation, or for a cross-cultural shift. Missionaries spent years studying native languages in order to translate the scriptures and preach the Word. Evangelists wracked their brains, trying to come up with the right analogy, illustration, or core value that would hook their listeners in to the message they had to share. All because hearing the witness of God’s love moves us the most when we hear it in our own language, reflects our own culture, and speaks to our own experience.

As much as we might want to be granted the spiritual gift of speaking in tongues, Paul reminds us that there are a variety of gifts, but it is the same Spirit that grants them. There is a language that is spoken as we open our doors and give our neighbors a safe and welcoming space. There is a language that is spoken as we include people that have more often than not been rejected by religious folk. There is a language that is spoken when we hand out bus passes or help with someone’s rent or groceries. But as important as it is to express our love in these ways, reflecting the love that God has shown us, it is also important to listen to the languages that are spoken by the ones we encounter.

 Perhaps the manifestation of the Holy Spirit that God will grant us is the capacity to be still – to set aside our agenda and preconceptions and assumptions and to just listen. How else will we know what is needed? How else will we be in a mutual relationship? How else will we receive the gifts of those who come to journey with us?

Pentecost is often thought of as the Birthday of the Christian Church, the point at which the unity and mission of the disciples crystalizes into a powerful movement in the midst of a powerful   empire. Paradoxically, we are not in control of the Holy Spirit, so as much as we might want to be “Pentecostal,” and utilize gifts that will make us “on fire” for what we want to accomplish, it is not up to us. Oh, there are things we can do to be ready – pray, study, meditate and serve      joyfully – It is God who must grant the gift. Like the first disciples of Jesus, we gather and we wait. We worship and we pray. We create community and respond to the needs we see. And then, when the time is right, God sends the Spirit. And the whole world will know it.

 Amen.

Pastor Davis Sickelka, Interim Pastor 

 Pastor Dave’s Schedule for May

The dust seems to have settled on most of Pastor Dave’s meetings and gatherings, so for the rest of May and June, he will be in Flint on Tuesdays and Wednesdays for the most part.

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.

 The Black Maternal Health Momnibus Act

– no that is not a typo!

Recently there has been more and more talk on the radio and TV about the disparities between different racial and ethnic groups regarding maternal health. A few months ago the Adult Forum members read Under the Skin by Linda Villarosa which also addressed this issue. A recent article in Sojourners magazine was titled, “If Christians Want to ‘Choose Life’, Let’s Talk about Black Maternal Mortality.” The author first became concerned about this issue during the most intense fighting of the Syrian Civil War when she learned that the maternal mortality rate in Washington, D.C. was worse than in Syria.

Overall, black women and American Indian/Alaska native women are 2 or 3 times more likely to die from a pregnancy related cause than white women. That disparity can’t be blamed on racial disparities related to poverty or family life; a Black woman with a college education is still at 60% greater risk for a maternal death than a white or Hispanic woman with less than a high school education.

A recent study found that the maternal mortality rate in the US was greater than any other high-wealth nation including France, Germany, the UK, Canada, and Australia. What is going on?

The Sojourners article explains how black women and babies are dying because of historical and systemic racism. The cumulative experience of racism has physical consequences. What can we do about it?

We can let our elected representatives know we support the Black Maternal Health Momnibus Act.  It is a package of bipartisan bills that would correct the current flaws in our maternal, newborn, and child health care system. Addressing the health care issues will create a baseline system of care that benefits all women and children. The Sojourners article is at ___________________. It explains what the Momnibus Act contains. Also there is a link at the bottom of the article to a letter already written. You need to fill in your address information, so they can figure out who your Representative and Senators are. I did it, and it is very easy.

https://sojo.net/articles/if-christians-want-choose-life-let-s-talk-about-black-maternal-mortality

 Leslie Cummings, for the O.S.A. Ministry

Good Things Happening in and around us

Be part of something big...

St. Paul’s Episcopal Church, 711 South Saginaw St.  is hosting an American Red Cross Blood Drive on Friday, May 26, 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.

The Neighborhood Welcome Program…Has been open for about  a month and is quickly gathering steam. From five visitors the first week we now have a dozen plus regulars and expect to grow as weather gets better and word continues to spread. We are open from 11am to 1pm, Tues & Thurs.   A few of our guests are showing up for worship and making themselves at home on Sundays by helping with after-worship pickup.  There is a two pronged plan for the program:

• First, to minister to people in our neighborhood by offering warm shelter space (winter) and a cool place all year for companionship, conversation and finding Christ’s love.

• Second, to give our members place to be present, visible and interactive with our neighbors - all essential if our mission is to grow and for us to be Intentionality Incarnational.

Join in anytime just to have coffee  and good conversation with new friends. Also, we already could use more volunteers. If you’re interested in volunteering please see Kendall Brown. 

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.

      Join us by clicking the adjacent link: Book Group Zoom Link:

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!

May 05, 2023

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

If I speak in the tongues of mortals and of angels, but do not have love, I am a noisy gong or a clanging symbol.   

(I Corinthians 13:1, The New Revised Standard Version) 

As the weather is (slowly) warming up, we see more and more brave or perhaps, foolhardy souls taking to the streets on their motorcycles. And while I have nothing against those who do so, one thing I find mildly annoying is that newer motorcycles have the capacity to blast music at decibel levels that drown out any other normal sounds. It is somewhat understandable, given that motorcycles themselves are generally loud (although there is really no reason for them to be). But, I mutter to myself, why should I have to listen to music someone else likes? In my mind, it is noise with no redeeming value as art or as expression. And aren’t there laws that limit the amount of noise a vehicle can make?

 The Apostle Paul, in writing to the Corinthians, was trying to reign in some of the excesses which were brought to his attention. The church was divided, with some claiming to follow Apollos, a former leader, and some following Paul, and others claiming other allegiances. Some were claiming a higher status because they could speak in tongues, others because they were educated or had important jobs in the church. Paul’s exasperation is evident as he gives them advice, but in Chapter 13, which we sometimes call “The Love Chapter,” Paul distills his argument to something that seems obvious to us, and yet, is also the thing I think we most often forget – loving others is at the heart of everything we do. That is incredibly hard to do, especially as we are faced with difficult choices and people who disagree with us, who experience faith in ways that are foreign to us, who have different solutions to our common problems, or who play the wrong music as they ride their motorcycles.

 This summer, two of the denominations that we belong to, the American Baptist Church (ABC) and the United Church of Christ (UCC) will have their official meetings, the UCC in Indianapolis the first week of July and the ABC in Puerto Rico June 23-25. There are always lots of inspiring speakers and events at these gatherings, as well as important decisions to be made about finances, theology and social issues. What we might also discover is that there are people who disagree with us. Outside of the cocoon of our own congregation, we are exposed to the breadth and diversity of a national and international assembly of folks. This is not a bad thing. It helps us practice being the Church.

 At Peoples Church, we pride ourselves on being “joyfully defiant.” I celebrate with you the freedom that gives us to be actively opposed to the systems and powers that oppress and dehumanize and dispense pain and death. But our joy cannot be based on the conviction that we are right and others are wrong, nor can it derive from legislative or policy victories. It must be rooted in the love we have for those we defy, even those who work for “the other side.”

 We cannot ignore the command of Jesus to love one another. We cannot forget that loving those who love us is the easy bit. The challenge we face is loving our enemies. Without that component, we are just another point of view in a chaotic cacophony of loud voices – a noisy gong, a clanging symbol, a motorcycle with loud pipes and a louder stereo. So perhaps a good exercise for us would be to start in the laboratory of our own congregation. To speak and listen for understanding and consensus, and be lovingly and joyfully defiant for the sake of a just world.

 Amen.

Pastor Davis Sickelka, Interim Pastor 

 Pastor Dave’s Schedule for May

 Due to various meetings and family obligations, Pastor Dave will be in Flint on the following days:

Week of May 8th :                Tuesday and Wednesday

Week of May 15th :              Out of Town

Week of May 22nd:              Tuesday and Wednesday

Week of May 29th :              Tuesday and Wednesday

  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.

less is best

The roads around where I live are full of potholes and in rotten shape.  A few years ago some of my neighbors managed to get 51% of other neighbors who have curb cuts onto the main street connecting us to sign a petition to the township to repair our section of the decrepit street.  Door to door we went meeting many baby-boomers and a number of others much younger.  This was the only way to get the road rebuilt.  The number of times we heard, “It isn’t my problem. Let the next owner worry about it,” is disheartening. Many did not what to hear about how we created the problem. Maybe we should be responsible and take care of it, not passing it on to another generation. 

This memory comes to my mind as I write these articles and think about the monstrous damage we have done to the environment.  The environment needs a human response of caring, responsibility and sacrifice, not a constant whine of lo que será, será accompanied by a callous shoulder shrug. The enormity of the environmental challenge is enough to overwhelm the boldest and most courageous earth stewards.  We need to remember that each of us can’t do it all alone. Neither can the whole body of human effort do it all without us. 

Constantly keeping in mind that less is best is a good place to start and stay awhile for each individual.  Efforts are being made on the UCC Synod, Conference, Association and even local church levels to encourage us to reduce our meat eating.  This effort needs some muscle and guess what each and every one of us are pieces of the muscle that is required.  Do what you can.  Do something.  But don’t pass the responsibility for what you should do off to the next generation.  Start with a little (have at least two meatless day a week) and work up.  You can do it if you are not already.

For some practical reason to do less consider this article, “Let’s Talk About the Biggest Cause of the West’s Water Crisis” (https://www.vox.com/the-highlight/23655640/colorado-river-water-alfalfa-dairy-beef-meat). The decreasing water levels in the Colorado River are but a drop in the bucket (so to speak) in the global experience of melting ice sheets at both poles, Midwestern and European flooding along major rivers (https://watchers.news /2023/01/23/widespread-floods-across-europe/) and rising sea levels. Yet the Colorado River Story is devastating.  Take a peek yourself by clicking on the link.

“A number of short-term solutions should be enough to help Colorado River states get through the next few years…But it won’t be enough to simply change farming practices in the Western US, as Ruddell, a    co-author of the Nature Sustainability paper, noted to me.

That means altering the demand side of the water supply-demand equation and shifting diets globally to foods that use less H2O, which ultimately means less meat and dairy, as well as fewer water-intensive tree nuts like almonds, pistachios, and  cashews (nut milks, however, require much less water to produce than cow’s milk).

Agriculture isn’t just the largest user of water in the Southwestern US, it’s the largest globally, consuming 70 percent of freshwater withdrawals. And what we need in the Southwest and beyond isn’t just climate adaptation, but dietary adaptation.” (quote from the Colorado River link above)

Here is a link to How to Eat Less Meat.   Start small (with less) if that is where you are.  In any case, be a part of the solution that our generation of humanity offers, not a part of the problem the world faces. 

 Kendall Brown, for the Creation Justice Team

Good Things Happening in and around us

The Neighborhood Welcome Program…Has been open for about  a month and is quickly gathering steam. From five visitors the first week we now have a dozen plus regulars and expect to grow as weather gets better and word continues to spread. We are open from 11am to 1pm, Tues & Thurs.   A few of our guests are showing up for worship and making themselves at home on Sundays by helping with after-worship pickup.  There is a two pronged plan for the program:

• First, to minister to people in our neighborhood by offering warm shelter space (winter) and a cool place all year for companionship, conversation and finding Christ’s love.

• Second, to give our members place to be present, visible and interactive with our neighbors - all essential if our mission is to grow and for us to be Intentionality Incarnational.

Join in anytime just to have coffee  and good conversation with new friends. Also, we already could use more volunteers. Kendall Brown, Jay Cummings and Rett McAllister will be delighted to hear from you.”

It was good to see you all yesterday. Thanks Kendall.                                                                                                           

The Search Committee Update... A couple weeks ago Peoples Church acted as a neutral pulpit for another congregation. This may have caused some concern. Let me assure you that when we get to the point where we are ready to introduce a candidate to our congregation, we will announce it clearly.

The process of finding a new Pastor is a long, careful. and deliberate journey. We are just beginning the process of getting to know a few candidates who have expressed interest in People’s Church. This will entail a zoom meeting to get to know them and help us determine whether to move forward with a more formal interview.

At the point that we feel we have found one or two candidates that really seem to fit, we will ask them to preach in a neutral pulpit. This will include the search committee members only, giving us a good idea of how the person interacts with a congregation. This would give both the candidate and our team the opportunity to talk freely about Peoples Church, the Flint area, and how we might find our path forward together.

 Dee Johnson, Member of the Search Committee

 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.

      Join us by clicking the adjacent link: Book Group Zoom Link:

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!

April 21 , 2023

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

Do not remember the former things, or consider the things of old. I am about to do a new thing; now it springs forth, do you not perceive it?   

(Isaiah 43:18-19, The New Revised Standard Version ) 

I made a passing reference in my sermon a couple of weeks ago to something from Systems Theory called homeostasis. It’s a term borrowed from biology to describe what, for most living organisms is an important sign of life – the ability to self-regulate in order to maintain processes necessary for survival when the environment around them changes. We, for example, sweat when it is hot (like it is as I write this) and shiver when it is cold, (like it is forecast to be very soon!). Homeostasis describes the condition of being the same with regard to the life-functions that are essential for life. (homeo- as in the same and -stasis as in condition or state.)

In my work as an Interim Minister, I rely heavily on the principles of Systems Theory, one of which is that a community of people functions like an organism, seeking to maintain what is   necessary for its continued existence. Congregations, being systems, try to maintain what is, even though it might not fit the environment in which it now exists. (We tend to be slow adopters as churches.) In biology, we understand that even the most primitive organisms respond to what happens around them, moving reflexively away from pain and discomfort and toward places of abundant food and a pain-free existence. Congregations also move away from pain and anxiety and seek something that looks like comfort. The problem is, our world changes and we sometimes experience that as pain. We expend an extraordinary amount of energy avoiding the pain with the result that we no longer know how to adapt. We only know how to avoid.

Homeostasis, you might remember, is very similar to another big Greek word – anastasis – meaning resurrection. It literally means, “returning to a former state or standing.” Oddly enough, in the study of systems made up of people, we have learned that the only way to adapt to a changing environment is to have the strength of self or identity to risk the discomfort of adaptation, or change, if you prefer.

Peoples Church has been through a lot of change, and there is more to come. I would understand completely if many of you were tired of it. You have given up a lot of what you thought was permanent. But what you are gaining from this is worth far more than what you had.

Isaiah reminded the people who rode out the exile in Babylon that what was new, what was coming, what was God’s plan for them, was infinitely more valuable than anything from their past that they had lost. For us in our time, the same holds true. We just have to have the faith and vision to see what God is doing. Amen.

Pastor Davis Sickelka, Interim Pastor 

Thank You

My family and I would like to thank Peoples Church of Flint for the many expressions of sympathy and support upon the death of my mother, Darlene. More than that, I am very grateful for the freedom you gave me to be absent during Holy Week and Easter. While I did not think that I would need that much time to mourn, it turned out to be the very thing I did need. I thank the leadership of the church for their insight and experience in making it abundantly clear that I needed to be with family. It did occur to me that Mom died on the Monday of Holy Week to make sure I wasn’t too big for my britches, as she would have put it. I am fortunate to have landed in a faith community that makes compassion a priority.  Pastor Dave

 Pastor Dave’s Schedule for April Into May

 Due to various meetings and family obligations, Pastor Dave will be in Flint on the following days:

 Week of April 23:                  Tuesday and Wednesday

Week of April 30:                   Thursday and Friday

 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.

EARTH DAY – This Saturday April 22nd

 There are several events planned to focus our attention on Earth Day

 National Setting of the United Church of Christ, the United Church of Christ’s

Council for Climate Justice...

 “What’s Possible? Earth Day Stories of Hope”…

Saturday April 22nd from 11am to 12pm online. With this program, the United Church of Christ will inaugurate an annual Earth Day summit to lift up, celebrate, and further ministries dedicated to caring for God’s creation. To see the agenda and to register, go to this site: https://www.ucc.org/event/whats-possible-earth-day-stories-of-hope/. If you are unable to join at the scheduled time, still register and a link to the recording will be sent to you following the event.

The Covenant Association of the Michigan Conference of the United Church of Christ Spring Meeting...

9:30 – 11:30a.m. via zoom. The Focus of the meeting will be: Environmental Action as Christian Service. Our own Rev. Kendal Brown will be preaching. His title is “Hope Will Never be Silent”. Sign up as Covenant   Association and a lay  delegate from Peoples Church of Flint. Welcome! You are invited to join a meeting: Spring Meeting. After registering, you will receive a confirmation email about joining the meeting.

 St. Paul’s Episcopal Church is having a 2.5 mile prayer hike at...

1:00 at Stepping Stone Falls, 5161 Branch Rd., Flint.  There will be praying stations along the way around the theme of Earth Day and valuing water. Fellowship and snacks will be shared. Leashed dogs are welcome!

Leslie Cummings, for the Creation Justice Team

Good Things Happening in and around us

Kindred Spirit…

We are saddened to learn of the death of Sue Sugden, former member of Woodside Church. Arrangements are pending. Please keep the family in your prayers.

 The Greeter’s Ministry…

Is asking for volunteers to greet before and during Sunday service and also online. Please add your name and contact information to the sign-up sheet located on the Greeter’s desk. If you have any questions, please see Karen Eaton. Thank you 

 The Search Committee is continuing its work... 

We have received and read applications and discussed candidates and are making good progress.  We are currently moving toward interviews probably in May.  We are working on questions that we will ask the candidates, always keeping in mind what the congregation has told us is of importance to you.  This search process as anticipated is long and we ask for your continued patience.  Please keep the Search Committee in your prayers. 

Linda Angus, Member of the Search Committee

Thursday night book group

      Join us by clicking the adjacent link: Book Group Zoom Link:

Upcoming Affiliate & Community Activities

Wants to thank the generous funders and the diligent community partners that have come alongside MADE’s vision and goal of revitalizing Flint. MADE’s housing redevelopment project focuses on several properties in North Flint community to rebuild and expand housing availability for community members. One of the properties MADE is renovating will be used as a cultural hub and business innovator, but also provide additional office space to improve MADE’s services and programs for the Flint community. This redevelopment project is a $2 million project, and several funders are already invested to see a revitalized city and housing redevelopment for our Flint community. Additional support from volunteers, organizations, and community members is always greatly appreciated. 

The Google Career Certificate Program is another segment of the community revitalization MADE Institute is striving for by    improving opportunities for the justice impacted individuals and families, and other community members facing barriers to their economic, social, and educational goals. The Google Career Certificate Program is a self-paced, online program that trains learners in digital and business-related certificates such as IT Support, IT Support Automation, Data Analytics, Program Management, Digital Marketing & E-Commerce, and User (UX) Design.

 MADE has access to up to 500 scholarships for participants interested and eager to develop their computer literacy and business skills. Each of the 6 certificates will take about 6 months to complete. For those interested in the Google Career Certificate    Program, please refer to the link to get involved: Interest Form for Google Career Certificate Program - Google Forms

 For more information or questions, please refer to the MADE Institute website at madeinstitute.org or call us at 810-835-8304.

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!

April 07 , 2023

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

Mary of Magdala went to the disciples. “I have seen the Teacher!” she announced. Then she reported what the savior had said to her.  

(John 20:18 The Inclusive Bible)

Even though you may get and read this before Easter Sunday that is not too early to remind ourselves of what this is all leading up to. As we enter the season of Easter, we must decide what we are going to do with the things we say we believe. We can navigate Easter Sunday easily enough, but then comes the really challenging part. “What difference does it make in how we live?” “Is resurrection about a physical, bodily resuscitation, or is there more to it than that?” Oddly enough, the Gospel accounts don’t help us as much as we would like. Mark (depending on which ending we follow) leaves us with either an empty tomb or visions of the risen Christ, but no physical contact. Matthew has Mary of Magdala and “the other Mary” running from the   empty tomb and meeting Jesus, whose feet they take hold of. Luke and John have Jesus being touched, eating meals, and speaking of his physical body, but also walking through walls, vanishing, and being hard to recognize (by Mary in the garden and by disciples on the road to Emmaus). There is no definitive answer to the nature of Jesus’ risen form.

But maybe we need to take a closer look at what the witness of the resurrection are actually  saying. Mary’s testimony that she has seen Jesus is not an attempt to describe what she has seen, it is simply the affirmation that an encounter has occurred. Do you think it mattered to her whether it was a body or a spirit, a physical presence or energy, a vision or some type of ectoplasm a la Ghostbusters? I don’t think so. What mattered to her, I think, is that the one in whom she had placed all her hopes and expectations, who had brought her from death to life, who had given her back her God, was no longer dead, but alive. Perhaps what we can learn from her is that it is not an essential of our faith that we have all the details ironed out, but that we live with a Presence in our midst that is Christ. Is it a physical presence? Not in my experience (so far!). Is it a powerful force for transformation, justice and hope? Yes! In this world of greed and self-centeredness, it is important that we give our own witness, whatever that is. Once life was meaningless and cheap, now it is a wonderful gift from God. Once I was sinking and suffocating in my own sin, now I am alive to God. Once there was nothing to look forward to but death, now I know that my life will be forever in the presence of God. This is our Easter witness and our daily challenge – remembering that Christ is among us and that our lives are different because of it.

As we continue to struggle with the challenges of faithful living, may we remember to be charitable not only in our giving, but in our welcome of those who wrestle with the meaning of God in their lives. Together, our witness of what Christ has done for us will be a powerful force in the world. And the resurrection will bring new life to all who hear our testimony.  Amen

  Pastor Davis Sickelka, Interim Pastor 

Pastor Dave’s Schedule for March into April

 Due to various meetings and family obligations, Pastor Dave will be in Flint on the following days:

Day of April 07: Out of Town

Week of April 16:                   Out of Town

Week of April 23:                  Tuesday and Wednesday

 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.

REDUCING PURCHASING & CONSUMPTION - Mindful Climate Action

The University of Wisconsin – Madison has been on the front line in employing Mindfulness as a partner in Environmental work.  http://cimss.ssec.wisc.edu/education/MCA/  The Below article is from the UW’s website.

"From the time we were children, we were taught to desire toys, clothes, and a host of consumer goods. And yet, while the initial purchase of a desired object can bring a burst of satisfaction, these pleasures are short-lived. Most of us end up with a mountain of stuff that we don’t need, and many of us fill closets, attics, basements, and even expensive storage facilities with things we don’t need, paying first for the stuff, and then for its storage. Done right, an Eco-friendly life should be cheaper than the alternative, primarily because considering the environment before you shop means you’ll invariably end up buying less.

“Before buying anything, ask yourself: Do I need this? Can I make it? Can I buy it secondhand? Is this the best quality I can afford? The last question refers to product durability and buying things that will last if you have to buy something new. Making a new product requires a lot of materials and energy - raw materials must be extracted from the earth, and the product must be built then transported to wherever it will be sold. These steps create carbon pollution. Mindful Climate Action suggests mindful consideration around all new purchases for personal and planetary health.

We’re all familiar with the 3 R’s: Reduce Reuse Recycle

They’re listed in order of priority for reducing waste. Reducing purchasing and consumption takes the lead. The most effective way to reduce waste is to not create it in the first place.

Here are some ideas on how to reduce and reuse from the EPA1

1. Buy used. You can find everything from clothes to building materials at specialized reuse centers and consignment shops. Often, used items are less expensive and just as good as new.

2. Look for products that use less packaging. When manufacturers make their products with less packaging, they use less raw material. This reduces waste and costs. These extra savings can be passed along to the consumer. Buying in bulk, for example, can reduce packaging and save money.

3. Buy reusable over disposable items. Look for items that can be reused; the little things can add up. For example, you can bring your own silverware and cup to work, rather than using disposable items.  How is Peoples Church doing in this area??!!

4. Maintain and repair products, like clothing, tires and appliances, so that they won't have to be thrown out and replaced as frequently.

5. Borrow, rent or share items that are used infrequently, like party decorations, tools or furniture.

“Story of Solutions2 paints the bigger picture by pointing out that economic growth – as measured by GDP – is increasing while overall human and environmental wellbeing is decreasing. We’re told that a bigger GDP means we’re winning! But in-actuality, we’re losing because we’re polluting our atmosphere and oceans and exhausting our natural resources. By reducing purchasing and consumption we effectively sidestep the economy and lighten our carbon footprint, prioritizing sustainability and people over GDP.

Kendall Brown, for the Creation Justice Team

Good Things Happening in and around us

The Greeter’s Ministry…

Is asking for volunteers to greet before and during Sunday service and also online. Please add your name and contact information to the sign-up sheet located on the Greeter’s desk. If you have any questions, please see Karen Eaton. Thank you 

 The Search Committee is continuing its work... 

We have received and read applications and discussed candidates and are making good progress.  We are currently moving toward interviews probably in May.  We are working on questions that we will ask the candidates, always keeping in mind what the congregation has told us is of importance to you.  This search process as anticipated is long and we ask for your continued patience.  Please keep the Search Committee in your prayers. 

Linda Angus, Member of the Search Committee

Thursday night book group…new book

      Join us by clicking the adjacent link: Book Group Zoom Link:

Upcoming Affiliate & Community Activities

The Covenant Association of the Michigan Conference of the United Church of Christ Spring Meeting

Saturday, April 22, 2023

9:30 -11:30 a.m.  at St. John’s UCC, Jackson, MI

Or via Zoom

https://us02web.zoom.us/meeting/register/tZMud-ChrzMrHtJT2O6deV_0RF5xThzJg5yi

The Focus of the Meeting will be:

Environmental Action as Christian Service

The ABHMS 2023-2024 school year Scholarship Application Request form is available here. Applications must be submitted by April 25, 2023, at 5 p.m. EST to be considered. 

• Scholarship amounts vary and are paid directly to the school for credit toward the recipient’s tuition.

• As an inaugural year, ABHMS will award scholarships in the range of $500-$1,000 for part-time students and students attending community college, as resources are available for the 2023-2024 academic year.

More information at ABHMS Scholarships for Students

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!

March 24 , 2023

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

As he was now approaching the path down from the Mount of Olives, the whole multitude of the disciples began to praise God joyfully with a loud voice for all the deeds of power that they had seen, saying, “Blessed is the king who comes in the name of the Lord! Peace in   heaven and glory in the highest heaven!” Some of the Pharisees in the crowd said to him, “Teacher, order your disciples to stop.” He answered, “I tell you, if these were silent, the stones would shout out.”                               (Luke 19:37-40 NRSV)

 The season of Lent winds down, or maybe we say builds up, to Easter with a review of the events of the last week of Jesus’ earthly ministry. We start with the Palm Sunday procession into Jerusalem. It has all the marks of a celebration that is about to get out of control. No one is in charge. No one has the permit. It may have been spontaneous or it may have been “encouraged” by those who wanted Jesus to succeed at liberating the Jews. And as we can attest, if no one calms things down, chaos ensues and people get hurt. Just ask the D.C. Capitol Police or the Mayor of South Beach, Florida.

John Dominic Crossan and Marcus Borg, in their book, The Last Week, point out that Jesus’ little procession coming in the back gate of Jerusalem mirrored the other, more organized and much larger procession coming in the main gate. It was sanctioned and organized by the Romans and included all the military might and pomp that the Romans could bring. They did not want any Zealots trying to foment insurrection during the Passover, so a show of who was in charge was orchestrated. The National Guard was mobilized and if things got out of hand, they would not be using rubber spears or swords. It is in this context that Jesus’ followers become joyfully defiant. They get carried away and become a little too enthusiastic and more than a little loud. The Pharisees who want Jesus to tone it down cannot be blamed for being nervous. A riot would  result in a bloodbath.

While we like the idea of being “Joyfully Defiant,” there is more to it than that. College students on  Spring break are joyful. And they can certainly be defiant. Revelers on St. Patrick’s Day or party-goers at Mardi-gras are typically joyful and in many ways defiant. The essential qualifier is, for what cause or end?

Jesus’ response to the Pharisees’ fears is instructive. There is something bigger going on than just another party. This is the coming of the Reign of God. If the people were not part of the          celebration, the stones would be. There is a difference between fighting for your “right to party,” and refusing to back down in the struggle for justice, between being defiant out of hubris (pride) and being defiant in the face of oppression, between fighting fire with fire and fighting violence with peace.

As we celebrate the Procession of Palms, let us bring our defiance to bear on the injustices of our time.  Amen.

  Pastor Davis Sickelka, Interim Pastor 

Pastor Dave’s Schedule for March into April

 Due to various meetings and family obligations, Pastor Dave will be in Flint on the following days:

• Week of March 26:               Tuesday and Wednesday

• Week of April 02:                   Maundy Thursday and Good Friday

• Week of April 09:                   Tuesday and Wednesday

• Week of April 16: Out of Town

• Week of April 23:  Tuesday and Wednesday

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.

 Christian Ethics and Animal Agriculture 

 Our Alliance of Baptists has published a statement I think is worth our attention. This is a summary, but the full statement is available at the sign-in stand in the sanctuary.

Christians have had (book of Acts) and continue to have various ideas relating to using animals for food. Despite the differences, all Christians should recognize that the operation of industrialized animal agriculture is at odds with a Christian understanding of the need for justice, environmental responsibility, and respect for the welfare of animals in food production systems due to:

• Living and dying conditions for industrially farmed animals that are at odds with our role as caretakers of creation.

•  Dangerous and unjust working conditions for the laborers who are disproportionately BIPOC, migrant, undocumented, female, and economically marginalized.

• Unsustainable levels of carbon emissions incompatible with a global trajectory to avoid catastrophic climate change.

• Land use changes that take land and knowledge from indigenous peoples in the Amazon and elsewhere, exacerbate human conflict, disrupt natural habitats and wildlife, and threaten biodiversity for the sake of creating grazing pastures or clearing land to grow crops to feed livestock.

• Land, water, and air pollution from industrial farms and slaughter facilities endanger the health of surrounding communities and limit the ability of waterways to sustain humans everywhere and animals living in the wild.

• The subsidized production of unhealthy highly processed animal products contribute to a lack of access to healthy foods for many local populations.

• Human health threats from the growth of antibiotic resistance, zoonotic pandemics, and nutritionally inadequate diets.

• Threats to global food and water security from the gross inefficiencies of using land to grow fodder for industrially farmed animals rather than for human and wildlife flourishing.

• An economic framework that makes ethical family farms unviable in comparison with larger producers, pressures farmers into large debts and highly restrictive contracts, and takes jobs from rural economies.

How can we respond to the issues of industrialized animal agriculture? (Another term used in connection with this is CAFOs – Concentrated Animal Feeding Operations which can feed as many as 1,000 beef cattle, 700 dairy cows, 2,500 large pigs or 82,000 egg laying hens.) The statement from the Alliance of Baptists gives some suggestions relating to things to support and invest in. This issue of industrialized animal agriculture is the main reason I have moved toward eating less meat. I will probably never become a vegetarian or vegan; however, I can lessen my participation in this unjust system our country has developed. Also using farmers markets, local dairy farms, and local chicken farmers helps me support non-industrialized agriculture.

Leslie Cummings, for the Creation Justice Team

Good Things Happening in and around us

Holy Week Schedule:

• April 2, Palm Sunday – Worship will begin on the Plaza, weather permitting

•  April 6, Maundy Thursday service, 7:00 p.m.

•  April 7, Ecumenical Service, noon at St. Paul’s Episcopal, 711 Saginaw St. Flint, MI 48502              Peoples Church Evening Service, 7:00 p.m.

•  April 9, Easter Sunday Service, 11:00 a.m.

The United Church of Christ Says Thank You

To the members of Peoples Church of Flint

For your 2022 contribution of $2,000

For Basic Support of

OUR CHURCH’S WIDER MISSION (OCWM)

  John C. Dorhauer General Minister and President United Church of Christ             

 Lillian Daniel, Michigan Conf. United Church of Christ

OSA is asking for your assistance… This coming spring, hopefully as soon as the month of April. OSA will be opening the café area for Coffee & Tea Time. On Tuesday’s and Thursday’s from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. the café area will be open in the effort to promote community hospitality. We plan to offer light refreshments and conversation. To actively take part in our role as members of the community around us. But we need you Peoples People. Located on the Greeter’s Desk you’ll find a sign-up sheet and calendar. Please consider on which day and at what time you’ll be available to engage with our neighbors.  For more details please see Jay Cummings or Kendall Brown.

Thursday night book group…new book

      Join us by clicking the adjacent link: Book Group Zoom Link:

Upcoming Affiliate & Community Activities

The ABHMS 2023-2024 school year Scholarship Application Request form is available here. Applications must be submitted by April 25, 2023, at 5 p.m. EST to be considered. 

• Scholarship amounts vary and are paid directly to the school for credit toward the recipient’s tuition.

• As an inaugural year, ABHMS will award scholarships in the range of $500-$1,000 for part-time students and students attending community college, as resources are available for the 2023-2024 academic year.

More information at ABHMS Scholarships for Students

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!

March 10 , 2023

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

“So let’s not allow ourselves to get fatigued doing good. At the right time we will harvest a good crop if we don’t give up, or quit. Right now, therefore, every time we get the chance, let us work for the benefit of all… ” (Gal. 6:9-10 The Message Bible)

 The apostle Paul wrote these words to the church in Galatia to assure them of the power of God’s Spirit to strengthen them to persist in the work of being generous in caring for others. Because you didn’t give up or quit, the United Church of Christ and the American Baptist Church have been able to provide support that offered hope when situations seemed hopeless. We’ve offered food, water, medicines, education, and opportunities for sustainable development. The gifts you give to One Great Hour of Sharing (OGHS) are leveraged with those of others across denominational lines, bringing a greater impact to the work being done with local and global partners. Your support enables responses to a variety of global and local concerns by addressing advocacy, sustainable development, refugee and asylum issues, migration, disasters, and assisting those most in need and vulnerable among us. Wildfires, earthquakes, hurricanes, and flooding have ravaged communities in the United States and worldwide, leaving families and communities in desperate need of assistance. Some of these disasters have occurred in your neighborhood, or in nearby communities or to friends and neighbors in countries thousands of miles away, across the globe. Strengthened by the power of God’s Spirit and your collective generosity, the United Church of Christ and the American Baptist Church continue to work with partners to care for others, and not give up… as together we build a just world for all. Amen.

(Peoples Church of Flint will receive the OGHS Special Mission Giving offering on Sunday, March 19, but contributions can be made before and after that date. Please note on the memo line of your check, or attach a message to your online gift that it is for One Great Hour of Sharing or OGHS.)

 Pastor Davis Sickelka, Interim Pastor 

 Pastor Dave’s Schedule for March

 Due to various meetings and family obligations, Pastor Dave will be in Flint on the following days:

 Week of March 12: Wednesday and Thursday

Week of March 19: Thursday and Friday

Week of March 26: Tuesday and Wednesday

Week of April 2: Thursday and Friday

Week of April 9: Tuesday and Wednesday

 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.

PVC Plastic Needs to be Phased Out 

Depictions of the Norfolk Southern, Ohio train derailment.

“The vinyl-chloride train derailment in Ohio is a modern environmental disaster playing out in real time. Sadly, this is yet another painful reminder of the dangers of making, transporting, using, and disposing of    chemicals in plastics, especially polyvinyl chloride (PVC) plastic. PVC is widely considered to be the most toxic-plastic from production to use to disposal. It’s most commonly used in  building materials like PVC plastic piping and vinyl siding.

“This is not the first time an accident involving hazardous vinyl chloride has occurred. The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) should be applying the lessons learned, particularly with comprehensive testing and monitoring of air, water, soil, farms and livestock, and homes. 

“After this last week, the EPA has repeatedly suggested that the disaster area is safe for residents to return home, but to date, the EPA has not publicly released any data on dioxins, persistent chemicals that build up in the food chain and can cause cancer and other serious health problems. It appears that EPA has not yet conducted any sampling for dioxins.

“Dioxins are a family of chemicals that are formed from the manufacture and burning of chlorinated chemicals, like those used to make PVC plastic. They are extremely persistent, bio-accumulative, and toxic. As they are endocrine disruptors, they can be hazardous at incredibly low levels of exposure. And because they are persistent and bio-accumulative, they don’t go away for a very long time. The half-life of dioxins is estimated to be 7-11 years which means, if someone has one part of dioxin in their body, it will take 7-11 years for half of it to degrade.”

The above paragraphs are from toxicfreefuture.org  where you can find much more information. And always a good place to upgrade your mental resources in the area of environmental stewardship is

https://www.beyondplastics.org/.

 Kendall Brown, for the Creation Justice Team

Good Things Happening in and around us

A Work in Progress… Your Search Committee continues to meet regularly although with a shifting focus. We have laid out who we are and what we are looking at Peoples Church and have gone through a period of waiting for applications from those who share our vision. We have, and continue to, review applications and listen to many sermons from all around the country. It's an exciting, informative, humbling, and anticipatory process. We have a ways to go, but doubt not that we are making progress. Thank you for your continued patience and prayers.

Carla Pierik, Search Committee Chair

OSA is asking for your assistance… This coming spring, hopefully as soon as the month of April. OSA will be opening the café area for Coffee & Tea Time. On Tuesday’s and Thursday’s from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. the café area will be open in the effort to promote community hospitality. We plan to offer light refreshments and conversation. To actively take part in our role as members of the community around us. But we need you Peoples People. Located on the Greeter’s Desk you’ll find a sign-up sheet and calendar. Please consider on which day and at what time you’ll be available to engage with our neighbors.  For more details please see Jay Cummings or Kendall Brown.

Make Sure that You Are in the Loop… If you are missing some of the alerts and notifications that go out from the Peoples Church office, it may be that they are being diverted into your spam file. One thing you can do to ensure that this doesn’t happen is to add peopleschurchofflint.org to your list of approved senders. That way, anything that comes to you from our “domain” will be more likely to get through.

Thursday night book group

Every Thursday from 7 – 8:30pm.                   

the Thursday Night Book Group is currently reading Native American Myths & Legends. If you need to purchase the book please click HERE  to be taken to the Amazon site.  

 Join us by clicking the adjacent link: Book Group Zoom Link:

Upcoming Affiliate & Community Activities

Regional Executive Minister, David Gregg

The ABHMS 2023-2024 school year Scholarship Application Request form is available here. Applications must be submitted by April 25, 2023, at 5 p.m. EST to be considered. 

• Scholarship amounts vary and are paid directly to the school for credit toward the recipient’s tuition.

• As an inaugural year, ABHMS will award scholarships in the range of $500-$1,000 for part-time students and students attending community college, as resources are available for the 2023-2024 academic year.

More information at ABHMS Scholarships for Students

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!

February 24 , 2023

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

“Then the Samaritan put the wounded person on a donkey, went straight to an inn and there took care of the injured one. The next day, the Samaritan took out two silver pieces and gave them to the innkeeper with the request, ‘Look after this person, and if there is any further expense, I’ll repay you on the way back.’” (Luke 10:34-35, The Inclusive Bible)

People of faith have always had a sense of compassion for those who fall on hard times, or who suffer injury or loss. We understand the principle of being generous with what we have, whether it be material aid or financial contributions toward relief and recovery from disasters. I have been around long enough to remember collecting blankets (through Church World Service) to send to refugees; coats and boots for kids at the local children’s home; and Trick or Treating for UNICEF (United Nations). There were stories that were told of farmers who went from door to door collecting grain from other farmers to ship to war-torn Europe (CROP) and even putting hogs and cattle on airplanes to send to Japan and SE Asia after a devastating natural disaster. When our hearts ache for victims of war and natural disasters, we do what we can with whatever we have available.

You might notice that some of these efforts have been abandoned. We no longer ship blankets to refugees or collect grain for people who are starving. It’s not that we no longer care, it’s that shipping material aid is expensive and impractical. Not only that, but we have learned from experience that providing these things from a great distance actually impedes the recovery process. The recent earthquakes in Syria and Turkey provide a good example. All disasters, like an earthquake, have an epicenter. In the center of the disaster, there may be little or nothing left – no food, no fuel, no shelter, no sanitation. Everything has to be brought in. As you move away from the center, you will begin to find resources. Those resources can easily be brought in for the rescue and relief efforts. Of course there are exceptions, like search and rescue teams with trained dogs that often have to be flown in from other countries. Not only is it more efficient to tap local resources, it also provides an infusion of “sales” that boosts the local economy, helping victims to find work and begin to provide for themselves. We have learned that the economy has to recover alongside the community itself.

This is why you often find relief and recovery agencies asking for donations of cash instead of     material aid. You may also hear messages discouraging people from getting into their cars and   driving to the area to “help.” Unless you are completely self-sufficient, you will be a burden to relief operations that are already overtaxed. We also hear this from hunger agencies and food pantries. They have the connections to accomplish more with our cash than we can by going to the store to buy food to donate.

All this is to say that the face of disaster response has changed. It may seem cold and uncaring to send cash, but if we are concerned to do as much good as we can, cash is the better option. It can be used to acquire whatever is needed instead of us trying to figure out what we should send. As aid agencies evaluated the response to hurricane Andrew in Florida, they discovered that one of their greatest expenses was the cost of disposing of donate items that were not needed – a whole truckload of coats from churches in New England, a semi load of rotten potatoes from Idaho – which all had to be discarded. Our giving should not be the stuff we have to spare, it should be what the people at ground zero need.

The ending of the story of the Good Samaritan is instructive: the Samaritan is able to render immediate aid from his own possessions and abilities: the donkey and his knowledge of “first aid”. Then he pulls out some cash. He knows that others are going to have to take over, and that there will be needs he cannot anticipate. We will be collecting soon for One Great Hour of Sharing. The annual offering which both the United Church of Christ and the American Baptist Church support. Because we sustain this offering, funds were immediately available to send to Syria and Turkey for rescue, relief and recovery. (one of the benefits of having denominational connections!) We should always be ready to render aid when it is needed, out of our material possessions, AND out of our funds. May we make a practice of being compassionate and generous. Amen.

 Pastor Davis Sickelka, Interim Pastor 

Amazon is one of the most trusted corporations in America, but it stands against everything the green economy should be! *

I have to admit it is very easy for me to quit Amazon. I remember when I first began to hate Amazon when we were living in Jackson, Michigan. All the bookstores – 4 or 5 – closed thanks to Amazon. Since then, I ordered black carafes for coffee hour for Woodside Church before we left Court Street and a pair of brown mule shoes. That is about it.

I know Amazon is extremely convenient. You can accomplish in a few clicks what it might take hours or weeks to find elsewhere. But its convenience comes at a high cost. Amazon workers continue to struggle, as does the planet, while the company continues to enrich CEO Jeff Bezos, already the richest man in the world. It is estimated that about $1 out of every $2 spent on the internet is spent on Amazon.

Since I am writing this representing our Creation Justice Team, I won’t talk about the fact that Amazon seemingly undermines workers’ safety and well-being at every opportunity. This is true in the U.S, China, and Bangladesh that I have read about. Also I won’t talk about Amazon being a monopoly because of the way it eliminates competitors and dictates prices.

I will talk about Amazon Web Services which makes up a large portion of the energy Amazon uses, and it uses a lot throughout its supply chain. The amount of greenhouse gas emissions is also much higher than the other top cloud computing companies – Microsoft and Google. Amazon announced after much prodding that it would reach 100% renewable energy by 2030. Apple and Google already reached 100% renewable energy as of 2014 and 2017 respectively.

In addition to all the packaging (boxes within boxes, air pillows, bubble wrap, and excessive paper padding), and all the gas to do all the deliveries there is the issue of returns. Sometimes processing returns is too costly – so retailers may opt to trash those returns instead. Return logistics company, Optoro, reported that five billion pounds of returned items end up in landfills every year. Amazon makes a practice of incinerating its unsold merchandise as well, according to an undercover reporter in the UK.

Amazon needs us more than we need it, and that gives us great power. There is a movement pushing back against Amazon. You can take action to rein in Amazon’s greed at AthenaForAll.com. We can make progress pushing corporations, but only when we act together. Other helpful websites are GreenAmerica.org and CancelPrime.com.

*taken from an article by Eleanor Greene in Green America magazine Spring 2020 Issue 117 p.17.

 Leslie Cummings, for the Creation Justice Team

Good Things Happening in and around us

Kindred in Christ –

We have been notified of the death of Diane Thompson’s sister-in-law. Arrangements are pending. Please keep Diane’s family in your prayers. The support of a community of faith is one of the strongest antidotes to the pain of grief.                                                                            Pastor Dave

OSA is asking for your assistance… This coming spring, hopefully as soon as the month of April. OSA will be opening the café area for Coffee & Tea Time. On Tuesday’s and Thursday’s from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. the café area will be open in the effort to promote community hospitality. We plan to offer light refreshments and conversation. To actively take part in our role as members of the community around us. But we need you Peoples People. Located on the Greeter’s Desk you’ll find a sign-up sheet and calendar. Please consider on which day and at what time you’ll be available to engage with our neighbors.  For more details please see Jay Cummings or Kendall Brown.

Make Sure that You Are in the Loop!!!

If you are missing some of the alerts and notifications that go out from the Peoples Church office, it may be that they are being diverted into your spam file. One thing you can do to ensure that this doesn’t happen is to add peopleschurchofflint.org to your list of approved senders. That way, anything that comes to you from our “domain” will be more likely to get through.

Thursday night book group

Every Thursday from 7 – 8:30pm.                   

the Thursday Night Book Group is currently reading Native American Myths & Legends. If you need to purchase the book please click HERE  to be taken to the Amazon site.  

 Join us by clicking the adjacent link: Book Group Zoom Link:

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 Sundays, We’re currently reading, Finding Me: A Memoir by Viola Davis. 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!