Anniversary Celebration Remarks & Song
- Genesis of Ann Arbor
- Jul 14
- 9 min read
For our June 8th celebrations, our honored guests prepared moving remarks and our cantor, inspired to compose a song for the occasion, debuted her song. Below, we print the remarks of Bishop Perry and Rabbi Jacobs as they each later provided to Genesis, with minor edits, followed by the lyrics to Cantor Maier's “Heal Our Broken World.”
St. Clare’s and Genesis 50th Anniversary
The Rt. Rev. Dr. Bonnie A. Perry
June 8, 2025
Good Afternoon! I’m delighted to be with all of you today. Rabbi Rick Jacobs and Rabbi Josh Whinston, The Rev. Anne Clark and The Rev. Toby Darrah, the Genesis Board, the good people of Temple Beth Emeth and St. Clare’s: thank you for your invitation to be with you to celebrate this remarkable ministry.
We need a few things to celebrate these days. The world is hard. Really hard, getting harder and not likely to get better soon. So we need things for which we can rejoice and we need some hope.
Two pieces of scripture are resonating with me this afternoon. One from the Hebrew Bible and the other from the New Testament.
The first comes from the apostle Paul. I have to say, Paul isn’t always a fan favorite of mine, but more and more I have found myself drawn to these words:
“Suffering produces endurance and endurance produces character and character produces hope, and hope does not disappoint us, because God’s love has been poured into our hearts…” (Romans 5:2b-5a)
This partnership is stunning. It was astonishing, groundbreaking when it was conceived by Rabbi Bruce Warshal and the Rev. Doug Evett, from the Episcopal side of things I’m so proud that Bishop Coleman Megee understood the power of this partnership. Because it was unusual then and let’s face it not something you see today either.
This is amazing and spirit filled and like any long-term intimate relationship, has not come easy and not without its pitfalls. And yet, suffering produces, endurance…you all know, you have in the Genesis Board DNA, encoded in you, what it is to work and wrestle and knock a problem to the ground. You have endured and you now have that character and that character, your character of being able to be together, that produces hope.
And as we hear in the Book of Esther, friends I am convinced that it is for such a time as this, like Esther, for such a time as this have you all been called to be a witness of cooperation, planning, little bit of plotting to outwit and outsmart, the oppressors, the haters, the naysayers of the world and instead to give life.
We need hope, we need a reminder of the power of working together, the promise of compromise and the blessing of a long-term relationship, when you wake up in the morning and look at your beloved and say, “Oh my goodness after all these years, here we are,” and look at you, and you see in each other the wrinkles of time and the creases of care and you smile. Because you know, with the Grace of God, you would not be you, without that partner next to you.
We need in our world, people of Genesis, a hope and a promise that we do not have to be polarized, we do not have to be separate and tribal, we can be together, flourishing, changing, growing, and loving.
That, even though it is a ton of work, that witness, your witness, in this fraught world gives me hope. It is Holy. Easy—no. Sacred—yes.
Friends, it is for such a time as this that you have been called.
Thanks be to God.
“You Shall Consecrate the 50th Year”
Rabbi Rick Jacobs
50th Anniversary Celebration of Genesis
Ann Arbor, Michigan
June 8, 2025 – 12 Sivan 5785
What a great joy and honor it is to be with you today as we consecrate this milestone in the life of two remarkable congregations: one Jewish, one Christian, that came together 50 years ago to model a new kind of interfaith partnership. Fifty years ago, it was hardly an obvious thing for two congregations to do and sadly, today it is still rare.
The Book of Leviticus teaches us that there’s something very important about the 50th year:
וְקִדַּשְתם אֵת שְנַּת הַּחֲמִשִים֙ שָׁנָׁ֔ה
“You shall hallow the fiftieth year. You shall proclaim release throughout the land for all its inhabitants.” (Leviticus 25:10)
In biblical times, the 50th year wasn’t just a time to have a big party; rather, it was an opportunity for our ancestors to renew their commitment to act boldly in shaping a more just and equitable society and to express deep commitment to the environmental integrity of the land.
And so too today, as we consecrate 50 years of this Genesis partnership, we are also making sure that we are faithful to the biblical call to shape a more just and responsible world for all of God’s children, which has been and remains a core commitment of this Genesis partnership. Whether it’s the responsible water use you practice or reducing your collective carbon footprint, this partnership has had a profound impact on the way your faith powers more social responsibility.
I first encountered the idea of a synagogue and a church sharing their sacred space when I was a
second-year rabbinic student with a student pulpit in Phoenix, Arizona. When I arrived for my first weekend, the president took me to see the space where we held our Shabbat services. It was in a beautiful Lutheran church. As I entered the sanctuary, I was not prepared for the enormous cross that dominated the space. I couldn’t imagine how our small Reform congregation was supposed to feel Jewishly authentic as we offered our prayers in that setting. The president could see my distress and reassured me: “by the time you get back here tonight for services, you will feel more comfortable. Trust me!”
That night, I walked into the sanctuary that was now completely dominated by a very large menorah. The pastor was there to welcome me and asked how I liked their praying place. I asked, “what happened since I first saw the space a few hours ago?” The pastor explained that, with his own hands, he had crafted wooden pillars that fit on the crossbeam of the cross – making it into a menorah. Each week, he placed these pillars on the cross so that we could feel completely at home in his church.
That was an inspired gesture of sacred hospitality for sure, but our two Phoenix congregations were not partners. We were enormously grateful for their act of generosity, but we were guests in their space.
Today, there are plenty of churches and synagogues that share their space with another faith community, but that is not the same as this remarkable Genesis partnership. You built a gorgeous, multi-faith sanctuary and share all parts of the building and some administrative functions. To be honest, I’m not sure there’s another partnership quite like yours, but I’m hoping that your example will be a beacon of light and possibility to many in the future.
When I preached from this bima a few years back, I was moved by the seamless way the space transforms from church to synagogue with hinged panels that allow the room to be a synagogue worship space on Friday night and Saturday morning, then quickly and easily morph into a church sanctuary on Sunday.
As we all know too well, we’re living in one of the most polarized moments in human history. Differences are daily demonized. So, the model of a church and synagogue building a shared home and a deep partnership is counter-cultural.
And you don’t have to visit Washington, D.C. to experience our divided country. I remember a few years back, when Rabbi Whinston graciously invited me to come visit Temple Beth Emeth. In advance of my trip, the amazing Bette Cotzin, then a member of our North American URJ board, sent me some Michigan socks that I should wear during my visit. So, I proudly wore my blue and maize Michigan socks. I didn’t consider that my first stop was at our Reform congregation in East Lansing. As I sat on their bima, waiting for my turn to speak, I saw a lot of very unhappy people in the congregation staring at me as if something was terribly wrong.
Well, as I sat on the bima, my “Go Blue” Michigan socks were visible. I had quite naïvely thought that everyone would be happy to see the Michigan colors. Oops. You see, a person need not enter the realm of politics to experience profoundly divided loyalties. But for much of the past two millennia, the history of Christians and Jews was marked by mutual suspicion and antipathy. Thankfully, we now follow the biblical injunction to, “love your neighbor.”
But this partnership is more specific than simply a synagogue and a church. The Reform Movement and the Episcopal Church share deep foundations of a common liberal religious faith.
Earlier this year, I met the new Presiding Bishop of the Episcopal Church, Sean Rowe, as the
Reform Jewish Movement and the Episcopal church led an interfaith coalition of denominations to become plaintiffs in a lawsuit to challenge the current U.S. administration’s new policy that violated our religious freedom to gather, worship, and act in accordance with our religious teachings.
Many of our congregations, like St. Clare’s and Beth Emeth, host on-site food banks, meal programs, homeless shelters, clothing donation, ESL classes, and other support services for undocumented individuals. Undocumented immigrants enter our congregations daily to worship, seek pastoral counsel, learn, socialize, and obtain needed services and support. When they do, we do not ask, “What is your immigration status?” The ties that bind your two congregations together are deep and broad.
Our theology and our liturgy are not identical. In your Genesis partnership, you are not trying to blend your faith traditions together. But over these 50 years, you have, no doubt, become much more knowledgeable and understanding of each other.
Given the high number of interfaith families in our respective denominations, I’m sure that many
families find Genesis’ Jewish-Christian partnership very affirming of interfaith families.
In their brilliant book “American Grace,” professors Robert Putnam and David Campbell suggest reasons why there is more interfaith tolerance baked into American society in recent years. They describe their “Aunt Susie theory,” which captures a fundamental shift in our society as most Americans are “intimately acquainted” with people from other religions, have more positive feelings towards other religions, and are less likely to engage in acts of religious intolerance.
The theory is that we all have an “Aunt Susie” in our extended families. If we’re Jewish, we’re likely to have an Aunt Susie who is Christian. If we’re Christian, we’re likely to have an Aunt Susie who is Jewish. This makes us feel both comfortable and familiar with Americans of other faiths.
There is so much meaning in the choice of your name: Genesis. It is, of course, based on the first
book of the Jewish and Christian Bibles. It’s the perfect name for many reasons. The opening words remind us that “In the beginning, God didn't create synagogues or churches or clergy or denominations. No! God created a wondrous universe, teeming with beauty, complexity, and possibility. Within this incomplete world, God created human beings to be partners in shaping a world overflowing with wholeness, compassion, joy, justice, and love.
But God discovered that finding the right partners in this holy work was easier said than done. Cain was selfish and violent. The people of Babel were reckless with delusions of grandeur.
Noah was content as long as his own family was safe, but he didn't have the spiritual reach to include strangers in his circle of responsibility.
And then, God found Abraham and Sarah to set out on a radical new spiritual journey to bring blessings to the whole world. God’s promise in Genesis to Abraham and Sarah articulates the sacred purpose of this Genesis partnership:
וְנִבְרְכ֣וּ בְךָ֔ כל מִשְפְחת הָאֲדָמָה
“Through you, all of the families of the earth will be blessed.” (Genesis 12:3)
In the Hebrew Bible, we are commanded to be stewards of God’s creation, to care for the earth,
the land, and the water. The Yovel, the Jubilee 50th year, comes after seven sets of seven years when the earth is allowed to rest and the people have a chance to rest as well, so that they can establish more just and equitable societies by sharing God’s bounty with all of God’s family.
Let’s remember that Genesis is the first book of the Bible, not the last. These 50 years have been a wonderful beginning for St. Clare’s and Beth Emeth, but there’s still much holy work to do.
Our entire Reform Movement, with 2 million people here in North America, celebrates you and the remarkable leaders, lay and professional, who have brought you to this moment and will make sure you continue this sacred journey together. Mazel tov! Congratulations!
Heal Our Broken World
music & lyrics by Cantor Emma Maier
composed in honor of the 50th Anniversary of Genesis in Ann Arbor, MI
Stone and light, sky and ground
every voice a sacred sound
we are many, we are One
work not completed, never done
bitter winds, holy fire
shared in hope, and in desire
sacred rain, our hands in earth
wounds we cary, love we learn
Heal our broken world again (x3)
We lift each other
stone by stone
love has built a lasting home
we are many, we are One
work not completed, never done
Heal our broken world again (x3)
Vasu li mikdash, veshachanti b’tocham
va’anachnu nevarech Yah
m’atah v’ad olam
Halleluyah, halleluyah, halleluyah
halleluyah, halleluyah, halleluyah
Heal our broken world again (x3)
Halleluyah, halleluyah, halleluyah
halleluyah, halleluyah, halleluyah
cited verses:
Vasu li mikdash, veshachanti b’tocham.
וְעָשׂוּ לִי מִקְדָּשׁ וְשָׁכַנְתִּי בְּתוֹכָם
Eternal (Lord) Prepare me to be a sanctuary, that I may dwell within You. (Exodus 25:8)
va’anachnu nevarech Yah
m’atah v’ad olam.
וַאֲנַחְנוּ נְבָרֵךְ יָהּ מֵעַתָּה וְעַד עוֹלָם הַלְלוּ יָהּ
And we shall praise the Eternal (Lord) from now until forever, Halleluyah. (Psalms 115:18)
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