Ministry Teams

Welcome to our Ministries page, where you can discover the wide range of areas in which we actively live out our faith and values. Our ministries are organized into several key areas, including Spiritual & Community Life, Social Justice, and Stewardship, each reflecting our commitment to fostering community, advocating for justice, and managing our resources wisely. These ministries form the backbone of our congregational life, providing diverse opportunities for service, worship, and social action.

Feel inspired to get involved? Reach out to learn more about how you can contribute to or participate in these fulfilling ministries. A downloadable summary of functions of many of the groups with names of leaders is available by clicking here; more information can be obtained by sending an email to membership@uulansing.org. Together, we can make a meaningful difference in our community and beyond.

Social Justice Ministries

  • Our Blessing Boxes are used to distribute items that anyone is free to take any time. The large box along the driveway is frequently stocked with pantry foods, clothing, and personal care items. Congregants, partner organizations such as the South Side Community Kitchen, and neighbors all place items in the box and clean out unusable items as needed.

  • The Committee to End the New Jim Crow (CENJC) is a group that was initiated after study of the book The New Jim Crow: Mass Incarceration in the Age of Colorblindness, by Michele Alexander, to focus on anti-racism issues. The group is not currently active.

  • The Community Garden consists of 24 plots mostly cultivated by New Americans who first arrived as refugees and found us through the RDC English classes. (A few UU's also garden there.) Gardeners raise food for their families and neighbors.

    Our goals are to support the gardeners with needed resources and maintain the garden's infrastructure and appearance.

  • The Green Team was formed to consider energy-efficient, sustainable energy sources for our church building. We are initially focusing on solar panels and have investigated several possible locations. Information indicates that the south-facing roof of the east wing (RE wing) is the best location after roof replacement occurs for that aging roof.

  • We have committed ourselves to the concept and actions needed to repair the breach of inequity brought about by our country's history of slavery and the subsequent systemic racism that is inherent in our society.

    For more information, please go to our Reparations Team page

  • The team meets approximately every 3 months to discuss and select organizations for the monthly collections. Members take turns organizing information and making preparations to facilitate monthly collections.

    Please see our Special Plate page for our current and past recipients.

    Our selections are aimed to:

    support local organizations that have a small enough budget that our gift makes an impact

    Support denominational organizations once or twice a year

    Support local organizations that are meeting essential needs

    Support organizations identified by current social justice teams that may extend outside of the local community and even internationally

  • Sharing Sunday – Opportunity for community to donate and receive items at no cost, and for local charities to benefit from donations. A new coordinator is needed.

  • The Widening the Circle of Concern (WTCC) Implementation Team [https://www.uua.org/widening] is a study/action group formed in March 2023. Two reports are now available: Click here to see June 2024 summary report; click here to see the team remarks in summer 2024 worship services. Drawing on the report of the UUA Commission on Institutional Change , the team’s work began with an exploration of the current state of the prevalence of white supremacy culture within Unitarian Universalism. The WTCC’s overall goal is to discern promising practices and changes for reducing barriers and providing support for marginalized groups while also engaging congregants in the process of creating long-term cultural change that can help us draw our circle wider.

Spiritual & Community

Life Ministries

  • Provide care and comfort to members in need. Visit those with illness, coordinate meals as needed, and monitor Touchstone ritual on Sunday mornings.

  • Worship Associates are UU Lansing congregants who are moved and inspired by worship and want to contribute to the congregation’s depth of experience in the worship service. WA’s are lay leaders, guided by the Minister and Director of Music and Worship Arts, who assist in leading our Sunday worship throughout the year.  Worship Associates enjoy engaging in theological reflection about meaning and purpose of the spiritual practice of communal worship. They are also deeply committed to the church and its mission. Additionally, they have public speaking ability or experience.

    The Worship Associates attend meetings with the Ministers and Director of Music and Worship Arts . At these meetings, they delve deeply into personal and communal understandings of worship and how to apply those to our worship services. The program includes periodic training for Worship Associates on pulpit presence, storytelling, logistics, and creating the container for the shared experience of the worship service.

  • Chestnut Grove Covenant of Unitarian Universalist Pagans (CUUPs) group meets monthly on the third Sunday at noon. 

  • You are invited to join the member-led Wednesday Spiritual Oasis (formerly known as Soulful Stanzas) on Wednesdays at 5 PM on Zoom. We gather for a quiet hour to witness to one another’s lives. We begin with a chalice lighting and then welcome in verse and music. This is also an opportunity to connect with one another.

    Click this link to receive connection instructions. If you have general questions about Wednesday Spiritual Oasis, contact Cindy Lehmkuhle at lucindalehmkuhle15@gmail.com or Linda Covey at triplelllfarm@gmail.com.their soul, spirit and life when we gather.  Your sharing is lovingly heard by the gathered community. This mid-week moment is a wonderful way to pause in community mid-week.

  • The purpose of the lay-staffed “Living Our Values” Team (LOV) is to serve as partners to the congregation and congregants in building, maintaining, and repairing congregational relationships and ensuring we are living in alignment with the UU Lansing Covenant and covenantal relationships in general. See our LOV team page. Contact lovteam@uulansing.org.

  • The Internship Committee is a group that the UUA requires Unitarian Universalist congregations that have a ministerial intern to have to support the intern. The committee members are selected by the senior minister. We attend church services and other activities in which the intern participates, and meet monthly with the intern. The committee provides a caring, resourceful liaison with the congregation, gives feedback , and helps answer questions that may arise.

    The primary goal of the Internship Committee, in providing support to the intern, is to develop and hone the intern's personal and professional skills of ministry. (There is no ministerial intern for 2024-2025 year.)

  • Volunteers have several functions occurring on Sunday morning::

    —greet people before the service and provide information to newcomers.

    —collect the morning offering

    —set up coffee/beverages and snacks for coffee hour

    —clean up after coffee hour

  • The primary responsibility of the Denominational Affairs Team is to promote understanding of and connection to both the Unitarian Universalist Association and the Mid-America Region. Both the Region and UUA hold gatherings called Regional Assembly and General Assembly (GA), respectively. Elected delegates vote on issues during Assembly business meetings. An orientation is offered to prepare first-time attendees for participation in Regional and General Assemblies, and facilitate connections among delegates.

  • The bike group plans bicycle (and tricycle) rides during May to September for exercise and social interactions. The rides are usually between 10 and 25 miles in length, intended for moderate riders.

  • Meets Sunday morning at 9am in person and on zoom. Click here to get on the email list. This is a discussion group for a variety of topics, and often explores Humanist and ethical responses to current events and historical events, with a special focus and reason and science.

  • The Pretty Good Book Group is open to all and meets the first Sunday of each month, unless otherwise arranged, from 12:00-1:30 in the Chapin room (a Zoom option is available whenever possible).  Eleven books are selected for discussion during the year at a potluck held each January. Each person attending the potluck may recommend two books for selection consideration. The eleven books with the most votes are selected, and in the case of ties, a vote is taken to break the tie. Once the selections are finalized, the group determines what month the book will be presented and who will facilitate the discussion.. Click here (Pretty Good Book Club) to be added to the email list.

  • We are a group of people 60-80+ who want to age intentionally. We meet monthly with different members taking turns facilitating the group. We meet the second Wednesday of each month at church from 10:00-11:30. There are usually 8-12 of us exploring various topics, all with the intent of exploring our past, present and future. Our goal is to age well, with intention, while forming and enjoying the strong connections we have with group members.

Stewardship Ministries

  • The Finance Team functions to support the Senior Minister in budgeting, developing financial policies, and financial decision-making. As a key advisory body, the team is dedicated to the principles of transparency, accountability, and prudent financial management, fundamental to the effective stewardship of our congregation’s resources. Each individual on the team has a specific role in management or oversight of finances and the Finance Team meets monthly to review the financial status of the church.  Minutes of monthly meetings and monthly financial reports are available in a notebook in the Commons.

  • Stewardship and fundraising undergirds everything that a faith community does and calls us into deeper connection with each other. In a larger context, stewardship is an ethical value that embodies the responsible planning and management of resources. In our church the Stewardship Team oversees the annual Pledge Drive and other fundraising events, but has a major goal to provide guidance for stewardship for all church resources. We seek to deepen the engagement of our members with the pledge drive process. This includes increasing awareness about the importance of pledging, fostering a sense of ownership and commitment to our shared goals, and creating opportunities for members to connect and collaborate.

  • Volunteers take over numerous functions around the building and grounds, including fixing things, helping arrange for contractors, special cleaning activities, and many others. More volunteers are needed.

  • We partnered with the Michigan Audubon Society to plant beautiful gardens around our church building that support native birds, butterflies, and other pollinators.

  • The south side of our church grounds is being transformed into a natural play space where children of all abilities engage in noncompetitive, cooperative, and imaginary play; where youth relax and visit outside with their friends; and where parents can visit or get to know each other while their kids play.  Accessible pathways will connect play elements such as a  water element, hoop tunnel, or log walk in a beautiful grassland.

  • The Archives Committee is made up of individuals with an interest in the history of the church. Having good organizational skills is a plus. Members will learn about the history of our church, as well as the core archival practices of appraisal, acquisition, accession, arrangement, preservation, description, and access. There are also opportunities to help with oral histories, church history, displays & posters, and other activities related to the sharing of our rich church history.

    The UUCGL Archives has four major objectives:

    1. To identify, preserve, and make available the Church records of the past so that they may be used to enlighten and enrich the future life of the church.

    2. To document, in so far as possible, the important events and decisions affecting the Church and its members.

    3. To preserve those (archival) documents of the Church of enduring value.

    4. To assist in the use of archival records for genealogical research, educational programs, commemorative events, decision-making, and other activities deemed appropriate by the UUCGL.

  • This group provides food, beverages, setup and cleanup services, and other support as needed, when a memorial service is conducted at UU Lansing.

  • An overview of recent activities by the Art & Exhibitions Team can be viewed by clicking here.

  • Members update the content and design of the UU Lansing website. Policies and procedures for consistency and accessibility are determined. Meetings usually occur once or twice a month.

  • UU Lansing Meal Volunteers are folks willing to occasionally provide a meal for a congregant during a challenging life event - ex. recovering from surgery, new baby etc. When a request comes in, volunteers are sent an email and they respond if they are able to provide a meal.  The time commitment is low, most volunteers provide 2 or 3 meals a year. In addition to the food, folks really appreciate the support and fellowship.

  • UU Lansing Volunteer Drivers help out fellow congregants by providing occasional rides as needed. This might be to church or an appointment. When a ride request is sent out, volunteer drivers can respond if they are able to help out with that particular ride. The time commitment is low, there are typically just a few ride requests per year. Please join us, we would love to have more volunteer drivers on our email list!

  • The Tech Team consists of volunteers who provide technical services for the Sunday morning worship and other church events.  These services include operating cameras for streaming, showing PowerPoint slides, and running the audio and lighting mixing boards.  This team is under the supervision of Director of Music and Worship Arts, L.H. Brown (lbrown@uulansing.org).

  • Welcome new members to the church and maintain welcome table. Facilitate opportunities for socialization and spiritual growth among new and existing members. Meets selected Thursdays over Zoom. Contact email is membership@uulansing.org.

Living Our Faith