Wild Church is a place where you are invited to dissolve the separation between the human and the more-than-human world. We will live into the understanding that all beings are made of the “same stuff” and that we are all formed of this holy matter. We are all interconnected.
What should I expect at our Wild Church gathering?
This Wild Church experience will begin as the pan drum calls you into this beautiful space of both the land and your presence on it. Gathering begins with a sharing and acknowledgement of the beings that live in this space, the flora and fauna, and the previous and current human inhabitants that have called and continue to call this place home.
There will be readings that can help center you into a practice of deep listening. You will be given about 30 minutes to go off and wander, staying ever attentive to what grabs your attention. As time passes, the drum will call you back to the circle.
Once again in a gathered space, we can share what “came to us” during our wander. We will close with another poem and a blessing. You are welcome to stay after for as long as you like.
Wild Church is open to all spiritual paths and is not tied to any specific denomination or faith practice. The focus is on connecting with nature and our place in it. This is about belonging, not excluding or preferring. Folks can connect to whatever spiritual path brings them back “home”.
Where:
Anita B. Gorman Discovery Center 4750 Troost, KCMO
When
Saturday, April 4th, 2026 4-5:30 pm
Come Wander and Wonder with us!
Meet at the gathering spot behind the children’s playground on the west side of the building.
Open to all ages!
This is a FREE event! No registration is required; however, DONATIONS are most welcome!
What else do I need to know?
- The grounds are very level with easy access and many paved trails.
- Bring your own beverage.
- The Discovery Center building will be closed, but restroom facilities are available till dusk at the Ewing and Muriel Kauffman Memorial Garden, one block to the west.
- Dress for the weather – sun protection, insect repellent, etc.
Your guide, Kriss Miller, Lover of the Land
With drumming by Gary Miller
Kriss has preferred being in outside spaces connecting to the natural world from her very first memories. She finds a sacred connection between the wild around us and the wild within us. During the summer, Kriss and her husband, Gary, serve as the hosts and managers of the Quaker House at Chautauqua Institution in Western New York state. As a Wild Church Leader during summers at Chautauqua, Kriss helps visiting wanderers to re-member themselves as connected to the deepest places within our yearning for belonging.
Kriss is ordained by the Center for Wild Spirituality, an Eco Spiritual Director and a member of the Wild Church Network.
Your guides, Kriss & Gary Miller
