The Practice of Democracy

The Practice of Democracy

Join the 10:30am Service Zoom Sunday, Nov 3, 2024 @ 10:30 am Speaker(s): Reverend Jennifer Innis Overview: On this Sunday before the November election, we return to our highest ideals. How shall wemeet this moment with care and commitment? Coffee Hour Afterwards &...
Orientation

Orientation

Join the 10:30am Service Zoom Sunday, Nov 10, 2024 @ 10:30 am Speaker(s): Reverend Jennifer Innis Overview: On this Sunday after the election, we get our bearings for the work of our time.Soup Lunch to benefit Pleasant Valley Middle School after service. Coffee Hour...
Repair in Human Religion

Repair in Human Religion

Join the 10:30am Service Zoom Sunday, Nov 17, 2024 @ 10:30 am Speaker(s): Reverend Jennifer Innis Overview: What do a few of our world religions say about our monthly theme of Repair?Fall Congregational Meeting is after the service. Coffee Hour Afterwards &...
Brave New Worlds

Brave New Worlds

Join the 10:30am Service Zoom Sunday, Nov 24, 2024 @ 10:30 am Speaker(s): Reverend Jennifer Innis Overview: Join us for a deeper exploration of how our stories shape our lives. This service follows on the theme of speculative fiction from the “What If…?” service of...
What If…?

What If…?

Join the 10:30am Service Zoom Sunday, Oct 20, 2024 @ 10:30 am Speaker(s): Reverend Jennifer Innis Overview:One of our human superpowers is wondering. We wonder and then craft stories, draft machines, and make meaning. What stories do we need today? Bonus: All are...
We Are Built for Joy

We Are Built for Joy

Join the 10:30am Service Zoom Sunday, October 13th @ 10:30 am Speaker: Babs Allen Climate change, systemic oppression, war, genocide, contentious politics…it can feel never ending and overwhelming. Would it feel different if we approached things from a place of love...
Returning

Returning

Join the 10:30am Service Zoom Sunday, Oct  6, 2024 @ 10:30 am Speaker(s): Reverend Jennifer Innis Overview: As part of our exploration of spiritual practices, we honor Rosh Hashanah, the Jewish New Year. With this service, we will begin to work with our monthly theme...
Loved and Lost: A Service of Remembrance

Loved and Lost: A Service of Remembrance

Join the 10:30am Service Zoom Sunday, Oct 27, 2024 @ 10:30 am Speaker(s): Reverend Jennifer Innis, Jesi Laughlin, and the Congregation Overview: At this time of year, many cultures and faiths set aside time for when the veil between the living and the dead grows thin....
For the Love of This Earth

For the Love of This Earth

Join the 10:30am Service Zoom Sunday, Sep 29, 2024 @ 10:30 am Speaker(s): Reverend Jennifer Innis Overview: Addressing climate crisis and climate justice are massive, daunting tasks. What if we returned to love? See how congregations across the country respond at...
Toward a Theology of Pastoral Care

Toward a Theology of Pastoral Care

Sunday, Sep 22, 2024 @ 10:30 am Speaker(s): Reverend Jennifer Innis Overview: In recent years, we have rediscovered the value of compassion. We also recognize the many forms of our “love languages.” What does pastoral care mean to you? How do we serve one another?...
Feeding the Soul

Feeding the Soul

Join the 10:30am Service Zoom Sunday, Sep 15, 2024 @ 10:30 am Speaker(s): Reverend Jennifer Innis Overview: All human beings carry a hunger. This may be a literal hunger, or it might be for something challenging to name and impossible to satisfy. What do you hunger...
Our Work and Our Liberation

Our Work and Our Liberation

Join the 10:30am Service Zoom Sunday, Sep 1, 2024 @ 10:30 am Speaker(s): Reverend Jennifer Innis Overview: On Labor Day Sunday, Reverend Jennifer returns to her occasional series on democracy. Given the ever-shifting dynamics of our politics, how do we speak for...
The Question Is the Answer 2024

The Question Is the Answer 2024

Join the 10:30am Service Zoom Sunday, Aug 25, 2024 @ 10:30 am Speaker(s): Reverend Jennifer Innis Overview: For our end of summer Question Box Sermon, we are part of creating the message along with Reverend Jennifer. Send her your questions ahead of time or in person...
Blessing of the Animals 2024

Blessing of the Animals 2024

Join the 10:30am Service Zoom Sunday, Aug 18, 2024 @ 10:30 am Speaker(s): Reverend Jennifer Innis Overview: Join us for our Blessing of the Animals! Beloved animals are welcome to join us on site or in a photo. In person pets must be leashed or in a kennel or carrier....
Regenerative Agriculture

Regenerative Agriculture

Join the 10:30am Service Zoom Sunday, Aug 11, 2024 @ 10:30 am Speaker(s): Sarah Allen Overview: Regenerative agriculture focuses on improving the health of soil, which has been degraded by the use of heavy machinery, fertilizers, and pesticides in...
The Time (Travels) of our Lives

The Time (Travels) of our Lives

Join the 10:30am Service Zoom Sunday, Aug 4, 2024 @ 10:30 am Speaker(s): Brad Keefauver Overview:For those of us born in the nineteen hundreds, the future world of 2024 might not have turned out exactly like we thought it would. Time travel at the pace of a well-lived...
Gender and Its Intersections

Gender and Its Intersections

Join the 10:30am Service Zoom Sunday, Jul 28, 2024 @ 10:30 am Speaker(s): Kai Wiest Overview: Kai Wiest, a transgender man from Central Illinois and a U of I graduate, has been able to find a welcoming community in the UU church. He will present his perspective on...
T-Shirt Theology

T-Shirt Theology

Join the 10:30am Service Zoom Sunday, Jul 21, 2024 @ 10:30 am Speaker(s): Jill Thomas & the Congregation Overview: It has been said, “You are what you wear.” A message on a t-shirt can tell us a lot about the person wearing it. During this service, members of the...
Dementia

Dementia

Join the 10:30am Service Zoom Sunday, Jul 14, 2024 @ 10:30 am Speaker(s): Mike Jongerius Overview: Dr. Mike Jongerius is a family physician who recently retired after 30+ years of practice in the Peoria area. As he ‘aged’ with his patients, he developed a special...
The Little Prince

The Little Prince

Join the 10:30am Service Zoom Sunday, Jul 7, 2024 @ 10:30 am Speaker(s): Bill Ordaz Overview: Mystical and enchanting, this small book has fascinated both children and adults for decades. Join us as we explore the many messages still pertinent to our lives today....
Our History: The Sunday Evening Lectures  

Our History: The Sunday Evening Lectures  

Join the 10:30am Service Zoom Sunday, Jun 30, 2024 @ 10:30 am Speaker(s): Kathy Carter Overview:In the 1920s and early 1930s, the First Universalist Church brought nationally and internationally known speakers to Peoria. Learn how these Sunday Evening Lectures began...
Litha: A Ritual to Mark the Summer Solstice

Litha: A Ritual to Mark the Summer Solstice

Join the 10:30am Service Zoom Sunday, Jun 23, 2024 @ 10:30 am Speaker(s): Keepers of the Great Grove: CUUPs Overview: This longest day of the year is the perfect time to reflect on where we’ve been and where we are going. This service will be for all ages and include...
Let There Be Brightness: The Flower Communion

Let There Be Brightness: The Flower Communion

Join the 10:30am Service Zoom Sunday, Jun 2, 2024 @ 10:30 am Speaker(s): Reverend Jennifer Innis & Jesi Laughlin, DLRE Overview: Join us for a celebration of story and the abundance of life as we honor our ritual of the Flower Communion. All are invited to bring...
Stories of Witness and Action

Stories of Witness and Action

Join the 10:30am Service Zoom Sunday, May 26, 2024 @ 10:30 am Speaker(s): Reverend Jennifer Innis Overview:On Memorial Day weekend, we return to the ongoing theme of democracy and being a citizen. How do we show up and act in this time? Note: due to a technical error,...
Many Sources of Song: Music Sunday

Many Sources of Song: Music Sunday

Join the 10:30am Service Zoom Sunday, May 19, 2024 @ 10:30 am Speaker(s): UU Church of Peoria Choir Overview: Join us as we enjoy our annual Music Sunday with our excellent choir, led by Lynn Randolph. Everyone starts in worship. Children may remain in service or...
Encountering the Universes Within

Encountering the Universes Within

Join the 10:30am Service Zoom Sunday, May 12, 2024 @ 10:30 am Speaker(s): Reverend Jennifer Innis Overview:For our monthly theme of Pluralism, I wonder: What are your sources of spiritual inspiration? Our Special Music comes from the Peoria Recorder Consort. Coffee...
Going Fast or Going Far: The Power of Community

Going Fast or Going Far: The Power of Community

Join the 10:30am Service Zoom Sunday, Apr 28, 2024 @ 10:30 am Speaker(s): Reverend Beth Monhollen Overview:American culture’s focus on individualism often leaves us disconnected and alone. Community building as spiritual practice is part of our work as UUs. And we can...
Love’s Transformative Power

Love’s Transformative Power

Join the 10:30am Service Zoom Sunday, Apr 21, 2024 @ 10:30 am Speaker(s): Regina Stanley, Membership Coordinator Overview:Regina is part of a sermon-writing course called, “The Shared Pulpit.” Join us as she offers one of the most remarkable and revealing shifts in...
All Things Work Together?

All Things Work Together?

Join the 10:30am Service Zoom Sunday, Apr 14, 2024 @ 10:30 am Speaker(s): Reverend Jennifer Innis Overview: What is our purpose and relationship to the Holy amid the heartbreak and terrible acts in the world? We explore Romans 8:28, “We know that all things work...
The Mystery of Mushrooms

The Mystery of Mushrooms

Join the 10:30am Service Zoom Sunday, Apr 7, 2024 @ 10:30 am Speaker(s): Reverend Jennifer Innis Overview: Calling all mycelium fans! As we begin the theme of Interdependence, we enter the world of mushrooms. For our special music, Natasha Greene and friends will lead...
Easter: What We Know and What May Rise

Easter: What We Know and What May Rise

Join the 10:30am Service Zoom Sunday, Mar 31, 2024 @ 10:30 am Speaker(s): Reverend Jennifer Innis Overview: Jesus’ followers placed his body in a tomb. When they returned, the tomb was empty. The world did not end. What keeps rising from that moment? The choir will...
The Promise of Yes

The Promise of Yes

Join the 10:30am Service Zoom Sunday, Mar 24, 2024 @ 10:30 am Speaker(s): Reverend Jennifer Innis Overview: When folks marry, I caution them against expecting to make each other happy. Rather, such a commitment is for amplifying the experience of life. What are our...
The Question of Truth and Democracy

The Question of Truth and Democracy

Join the 10:30am Service Zoom Sunday, Mar 10, 2024 @ 10:30 am Speaker(s): Reverend Jennifer Innis Overview: How do we know what we know as citizens who want to participate in our society? How are the shifts in information impacting our  spiritual lives? This service...
Listening to the Earth: Winter to Spring

Listening to the Earth: Winter to Spring

Join the 10:30am Service Zoom Sunday, Mar 3, 2024 @ 10:30 am Speaker(s): Reverend Jennifer Innis Overview: The sunny, warmer weather has folks anticipating an early spring. Let us pause for a moment and let the Earth teach us about seasons and cycles. The choir will...
Thoughts on Spirituality Today

Thoughts on Spirituality Today

Join the 10:30am Service Zoom Sunday, Feb 25, 2024 @ 10:30 am Speaker(s): Dr. Robert Fuller, Guest Speaker Overview: Dr. Fuller, Professor Emeritus of Religious Studies at Bradley University, was the Caterpillar Professor of Religious Studies at Bradley before his...
A Letter to My Grandmother about Gaza

A Letter to My Grandmother about Gaza

Join the 10:30am Service Zoom Sunday, Feb 18, 2024 @ 10:30 am Speaker(s): Reverend Jennifer Innis Overview: My grandmother was on staff with the Jewish Distribution Center in Geneva, Switzerland. She loved Israel and being part of the Jewish Community. How would we...
The Question of Collective Liberation

The Question of Collective Liberation

Join the 10:30am Service Zoom Sunday, Feb 11, 2024 @ 10:30 am Speaker(s): Reverend Jennifer Innis Overview: Dr. King tells us that “injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere.” Where are we in the current work of liberation? Coffee Hour...
Calling All Holy Troublemakers

Calling All Holy Troublemakers

Join the 10:30am Service Zoom Sunday, Feb 4, 2024 @ 10:30 am Speaker(s): Heather Vickery, Guest Speaker Overview: As many of you know, our trans and gender expansive beloveds are under attack and being criminalized in many US states right now. This is so serious that...
Stories Celebrate Our Connections

Stories Celebrate Our Connections

Join the 10:30am Service Zoom Sunday, Jan 28, 2024 @ 10:30 am Speaker(s): Brian “Fox” Ellis Overview: We welcome Fox back to our church with stories from the wild world. See https://foxtalesint.com/ to learn more about our guest. Coffee Hour Afterwards & Offering...
The Church That Says Yes!

The Church That Says Yes!

Join the 10:30am Service Zoom Sunday, Jan 21, 2024 @ 10:30 am Speaker(s): Reverend Jennifer Innis Overview: In a time of so much “no,” how do we bear witness to our lives and find a way to say “Yes!”? The choir will sing. Coffee Hour Afterwards & Offering...
On Repentance and Repair

On Repentance and Repair

Join the 10:30am Service Zoom Sunday, Jan 14, 2024 @ 10:30 am Speaker(s): Reverend Jennifer Innis Overview: Inspired by the book from Rabbi DaynaRuttenberg, we explore how addressing harm and pain in our lives can be an act of liberation. On Repentance and Repair:...
Article 2 and YoUU

Article 2 and YoUU

Join the 10:30am Service Zoom Sunday, Jan 7, 2024 @ 10:30 am Speaker(s): Jesi Laughlin, DLRE Overview: Centered on Love, the values of Justice, Equity, Transformation, Pluralism, Interdependence, and Generosity are already at the heart of our faith. Let’s look a...
Seeds for the New Year

Seeds for the New Year

Join the 10:30am Service Zoom Sunday, Dec 31, 2023 @ 10:30 am Speaker(s): Regina Stanley and the Congregation Overview: What seeds are you planting for the New Year? How are you weaving your magic into your relationships with others? How can we center beauty and...
Lessons and Carols for Christmas Eve

Lessons and Carols for Christmas Eve

Join the 7pm Service Zoom Sunday, Dec 24, 2023 @ 7pm Speaker(s): Reverend Jennifer and the Congregation Overview: For Christmas Eve, we share the message of the birth of Jesus through ancient and modern texts and beautiful music. This service will feature music from...
A Participatory Nativity Story

A Participatory Nativity Story

Join the 10:30am Service Zoom Sunday, Dec 24, 2023 @ 10:30 am Overview:This story of compassion, care, love, and wisdom will have opportunities for young and old and everyone in between to participate either from their seats or by joining the tableau. Coffee Hour...