“But let justice roll down like waters, and righteousness like an ever-flowing stream.” Amos 5:24
Amistad Community United Church of Christ is a spirit-filled congregation formed in 1991. We are committed to the praise and worship of God. We believe in a God who sent Jesus, our African brother, to bring good news to the poor and to set the captives free. In response to Jesus' ministry and drawing on the wisdom of black liberation theology, we seek to be active witnesses for Christ, building a multi-racial, multi-cultural, open and affirming community, and working for liberation and justice in our community and world.
© 2011 Amistad Community Church
721 E. Huron Street, Ann Arbor, MI 48104
accinfo@amistadannarbor.org 734-677-2473 [734-6-PRAISE]
Worship at Amistad
Amistad’s core values come from our vision and mission. As a United Church of Christ congregation, we stand in the tradition of progressive churches around the world, a tradition shared by Sojourner Truth, Martin Luther King, Oscar Romero, and our beloved founding pastor and friend, the late Rev. Herbert Lowe.Sunday services at Amistad are inspired by several church traditions – if you are visiting Amistad from another church, you are likely to find some small piece of “home” in your church experience here. Our effort is to weave together a worship experience that speaks to individuals at multiple levels and allows God’s presence to be experienced in a variety of ways. God is still speaking, so most important to us is that you hear from God, not just hear about God!
Many of the elements of worship at Amistad may be familiar, and some are likely to be different. The structure & order of our service may not be familiar to all – largely because we seek to especially reach those who have returned after an absence from church or who never had a church home!
Here are some elements of service that may be less familiar to you:
Praise Processional — Drawing on several West African traditions, we open our service with a processional to gather all to worship. We invite all who desire to join in a processional around the sanctuary. As we form the processional, we sing the Kiswahili words, “Siya hamba kuka yen kwen kos” which means “we are marching in the light of God.”
Welcome —We have a time of welcome for Amistad guests and regular attendees. At this time we welcome everyone to stand to greet each other and pass the peace.
Praise & Singing — Singing is an integral part of the Amistad worship experience. We do lots of singing at each worship service, believing it to be a powerful way to welcome the spirit of God into the worship space. Our opening “season of praise” typically follows the “call and response” tradition of the African American church, with praise leaders providing the words to simple songs & refrains. Some elements of the service are conducted through the singing songs – we find it an engaging way to impart essential faith stories to children & adults alike.
Communion — Many small churches use the communion time as a time to literally “come around a common table.” Our current size has the advantage of creating an intimate communion space, so we invite everyone to gather in a circle to share in the communion experience. As the story of the first communion is recounted, the communion bread is broken by the presiding minister or designated lay person and the cup is poured and raised in remembrance of Jesus. In this, we affirm that:
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•Jesus lived
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•Jesus died
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•Jesus was raised from death
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•Jesus will come again
We hold no special requirements or prerequisites to join the communion table – the communion table is not Amistad’s table, it is God’s table. We invite those not wishing to take communion individually to join the circle in the spirit of community; the deacons will stop briefly to offer a prayer of peace with you.