Grace and peace.
I am Chantilly Mers (she/hers). Grateful you stopped by!
For almost twenty years, I have served and loved the Church as a pastor, music and song leader, faith and justice educator, teacher and local activist. As much as I love the Church, the truth is I no longer lead or attend one.
I was trained for Sunday Worship, but grew disillusioned by the “efficacy” of this main event. What does it matter if I sing these songs and “get a Word” if my day to day looks nothing like the “kin-dom” that this Palestinian prophet named Jesus kept talking about bringing to Earth?!
Sadly, the Church that raised me has made it clear they’ve aligned with the Imperial core, mirroring the very Empire that crucified Jesus, and continues to crucify those at the margins of society. (Maybe that’s why you’ve left too?)
So The Kin-dom Collective (TKC) is my dream of a soulful community that values shared practices over shared doctrines—small, life-giving rhythms that, like fractals, grow into a liberating and life-sustaining future for all of us.
Through TKC, I’m hosting small, circle-based gatherings to help us remember—in our bodies and bones—what it feels like to belong to each other and to the Earth. By practicing radical witness and togetherness, even within systems that harm, we can awaken what’s always been in us: our unshakable kinship. To me, that’s the hope of the “kin-dom of God.”
I hope you might join me.
FAQ’s
What can I expect at a TKC gathering?
TKC operates like intimate pop-up events around Montclair-Bloomfield, NJ. The location will change, but expect live music, grounding exercises to settle our systems, the reading of sacred poetry and texts, and the chance to reflect with others in the shape and way of Circle. Oh! Let’s not forget locally-sourced delicious bites that showcase Montclair and Bloomfield’s wonderful array of small businesses.
Why “kin-dom” and not kingdom?
Mujerista theologian and teacher, Ada María Isasi-Díaz popularized this term. “Kingdom” is associated to the dominant and oppressive reign of kings and Empires. (No more of that please!) The reign of God that Jesus proclaimed, however, looks more like justice; the last in society are made first and the least have everything they need, not because they are charity, but because they are family (Matthew 25). This new world order is better described as “kin-dom.” It is a way of life built on the bonds that make us kin. I may not yet know you, but I know we are mysteriously connected. I hope to cultivate within myself and all who gather at The Kin-dom Collective a deep sense of belonging. We belong to one another and to this beautiful planet. Full stop. And when we nurture and strengthen our bonds, our relationships and imaginations, we practice radical togetherness that is, the kin-dom of God.
Do I have to identify as Christian to participate?
Not at all! As a Community Steward, I want to be upfront that I am ordained in the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ) tradition and I have support through an ecumenical partnership with 1001 New Worshipping Communities, a movement and network within and beyond the PCUSA, growing new expressions of church and community life. While the stories and teachings of Jesus beat in my heart and soul, I intend to weave in Scripture with other Wisdom traditions and texts.