Sunday, Oct 16, 2022 @ 10:30 am Speaker(s): Dawn Dannenbring Overview:Illinois People’s Action organize everyday people and the faith community across downstate Illinois to be a powerful voice on justice issues. As a faith that understands the need for people to have...
Sunday, Oct 9, 2022 @ 10:30 am Speaker(s): Reverend Jennifer Innis Overview:The first global dialogue of faiths was with the World’s Parliament of Religions in Chicago in 1893. The Parliament returns to Chicago in August 2023. How are we called to be with our siblings...
Sunday, Oct 2, 2022 @ 10:30 am Speaker(s): Reverend Jennifer Innis Overview:Join us for the first Sunday with our monthly theme of “Courage.” What does it mean to take a chance with each other? Coffee Hour Afterwards & Offering...
Sunday, Sep 25, 2022 @ 10:30 am Speaker(s): Reverend Jennifer Innis Overview:The Transcendentalists of the 19th century laid the foundation for the liberal religion we know today. The big names were Ralph Waldo Emerson and Henry David Thoreau. But Margaret Fuller’s...
Sunday, Sep 18, 2022 @ 10:30 am Speaker(s): Reverend Jennifer Innis Overview:We offered a powerful, positive message when we added, “Welcome Home” to our shirts and banner for Pride Fest. “Home” also is complicated for many of us. What does “home” mean? How does our...
Sunday, Sep 11, 2022 @ 10:30 am Speaker(s): Reverend Jennifer Innis, Jesi Laughlin, and the Congregation Overview:Ingathering Water Communion, Potluck to follow, and Splish Splash Games at NoonThis Ingathering marks the beginning of the church year. We offer our...
Sunday, Sep 2, 2022 @ 10:30 am Speaker(s): Reverend Jennifer Innis Overview:Join Reverend Jennifer as she offers highlights from her summer travels in our larger Unitarian Universalist world, including notes from when Ibram X. Kendi (How to Be an Antiracist) addressed...
Sunday, Aug 28, 2022 @ 10:30 am Speaker(s): Kiersten Sheets Overview:As part of fulfilling our commitment to being good stewards of the earth, this service features a general overview of CEJA as passed in the Illinois legislature last fall. CEJA is the mostprogressive...
Sunday, Aug 21, 2022 @ 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 during the service. She will...
Sunday, Aug 14, 2022 @ 10:30 am Speaker(s): Reverend Jennifer Innis and a Cast of Thousands Overview:Join us for our first ever Blessing of the Animals! Beloved animals are welcome to join us onsite or in a photo. In person pets must be leashed or in a kennel or...
Sunday, Aug 7, 2022 @ 10:30 am Speaker(s): Reverend Allison Farnum Overview:We gather in the Universalist spirit and are reminded that no one is outside the circle of love. Joining with guest speaker, Reverend Allison Farnum, we are invited to feel the power of our...
Sunday, July 31, 2022 @ 10:30 am Speaker(s): Mary Warren Kuester Overview:Growing up I never saw myself represented in the books I read or the other media I consumed, and if I did it was never in a positive light. It wasn’t until I happened upon a romance novel...
Sunday, Jul 24, 2022 @ 10:30 am Speaker(s): Carol Manny and Bob Woolsey Overview:Join us this Sunday as Peoria businessman and philanthropist Bob Woolsey talks about how our stories can lead us to embrace gratitude and mentor others to do the same. Coffee Hour...
Sunday, Jul 17, 2022 @ 10:30 am Speaker(s): Amy Kordonowy and Carol Manny Overview: What is the foundation of this congregation? Love? Compassion? Justice? How might it all fit together? All ages are welcome to share in the service. Coffee Hour Afterwards &...
Sunday, Jul 10, 2022 @ 10:30 am Speaker(s): Brad Keefauver Overview:In the late 1800s, a new legend was born from the pen of a doctor named Arthur Conan Doyle that literally inspired both real and fictional detectives for the century that followed. What do those...
Sunday, Jul 3, 2022 @ 10:30 am Speaker(s): Reverend Rica Kaufel Overview:What does the best friend of this German UU minister grandfather have to do with the 4th of July, and how can this help us to love this country even better? Come find out at church on Sunday!...
Sunday, Jun 26, 2022 @ 10:30 am Speaker(s): Reverend Leela Sinha (ze/zim/zir) Overview: Ours is a living faith. What does it mean to be the UUs we say we are? If we were to follow our deepest passions, what might we become? Reverend Leela Sinha joins us via Zoom from...
Sunday, Jun 19, 2022 @ 10:30 am Speaker(s): Tom Byrom Overview:I am going to talk about my spiritual journey, in particular some unwelcome events that have, I hope, led to a more meaningful life. This journey will always be a work in progress, but there are some...
Sunday, Jun 12, 2022 @ 10:30 am Speaker(s): Reverend Jennifer and a Cast of Thousands Overview:Join us at the Herm Farm for our annual picnic and celebration of the past year. The picnic begins at 9:30am. The service at the farm begins around 10:45am. A recorded...
Sunday, Jun 5, 2022 @ 10:30 am Speaker(s): Reverend Jennifer Innis and Amy Popp, CRE Overview: Join us for a celebration of story and the abundance of life as we honor our ritual of the Flower Communion. For this multi-age service, all are invited to bring flowers as...
Sunday, May 29, 2020 @ 10:30 am Speaker(s): Reverend Jennifer Innis and Graduating Senior High Youth Overview: Join us as we enjoy the return of Music Sunday with our excellent choir led by Dave Breeden. We will also honor the senior high youth who are moving from...
Sunday, May 22, 2022 @ 10:30 am Speaker(s): Reverend Jennifer Innis and Amy Popp Overview: Join us for Religious Education Teacher Appreciation and marking the transitions in our lives. Amy Popp will offer the message in her next-to-last in person Sunday before she...
Sunday, May 15, 2022 @ 10:30 am Speaker(s): Reverend Jennifer Innis Overview: How has beauty transformed your life? Reverend Jennifer shares reflections from many sources, including the words and images of members of the congregation. Note: This service is in lieu of...
Sunday, May 8, 2022 @ 10:30 am Speaker(s): Reverend Jennifer Innis Overview: The past few years have revealed major shifts in how and where we work. What is our religious response to how we value labor? Our special music comes from the Peoria Recorder Consort. Coffee...
Sunday, May 1, 2022 @ 10:30 am Speaker(s): Reverend Jennifer Innis Overview: As we begin the monthly theme of Nurturing Beauty, what do we create together? Join us as we celebrate the official end of our Annual Campaign. Share memories during Social Hour as we honor...
Sunday, Apr 24, 2022 @ 10:30 am Speaker(s): UU Ministry for the Earth with Reverend Jennifer Innis Overview: When you imagine pathways to embodying the inherent worth and dignity of all people, particularly climate migrants, what do you see? Who is with you on in this...
Sunday, Apr 17, 2022 @ 10:30 am Speaker(s): Reverend Jennifer Innis Overview: The accounts of Easter tell of Jesus’ ministry, death, and the mystery of what happens after he dies. But his followers have to answer the question of, “What now?” This Easter Sunday also...
Sunday, Apr 10, 2022 @ 10:30 am Speaker(s): Reverend Jennifer Innis Overview:John O’Donohue tells us, “We live between the act of awakening and the act of surrender… they frame each day and each life; between them the journey where anything can happen, the beauty and...
Sunday, Apr 3, 2022 @ 10:30 am Speaker(s): Reverend Jennifer Innis Overview: In honor of International Transgender Day of Visibility on March 31, join us for a time of witness and voice. Our guest voices include UUCP member Reverend Marcus Fogliano....
Sunday, Mar 27, 2022 @ 10:30 am Speaker(s): Reverend Jennifer Innis Overview: We close the month with a focus on who we are and what we might become as a faith and as a beloved collection of people. Coffee Hour Afterwards & Offering...
Sunday, Mar 20, 2022 @ 10:30 am Speaker(s): Reverend Jennifer Innis Overview: In the effort to renew faith, we must consider the nature of faith. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. offers, “Faith is taking the first step even when you can’t see the whole staircase.”...
Sunday, Mar 13, 2022 @ 10:30 am Speaker(s): Reverend Jennifer Innis Overview: On the second anniversary of pandemic lockdowns, we set aside this moment and recognize the major events and our highly varied experience of life and loss. See Reverend Jennifer if you would...
Sunday, Mar 6, 2022 @ 10:30 am Speaker(s): Reverend Jennifer Innis Overview: We begin the theme of Renewing Faith with an essential element: Rest. Groups such as The Nap Ministry call us to the sacred work of taking care of ourselves. Rest is Resistance. Get ready...
Sunday, Jan 30, 2022 @ 10:30 am Speaker(s): Reverend Jennifer Innis Overview:We close the month of living with intention by exploring the Buddhist practice of mindfulness. If we follow our breath, where will it lead us? Stay on Zoom after the service and join the...
Sunday, Jan 23, 2022 @ 10:30 am Speaker(s): Reverend Jennifer Innis Overview:The 50th anniversary of Roe v. Wade is next year, but the conversation is now. Given the range of theologies and personal choices, how do we talk about abortion as a people of faith? Stay on...
Sunday, Jan 16, 2022 @ 10:30 am Speaker(s): Reverend Jennifer Innis Overview:Have you heard of bell hooks? bell hooks was the pen name of Gloria Jean Watkins. She was a writer, teacher, and activist who called us to put love into action. On this MLK Sunday, hear about...
Sunday, Jan 9, 2022 @ 10:30 am – ONLINE ONLY Online Only – Service Zoom Link Speaker(s): Reverend Jennifer Innis Overview: For our theme of “Living with Intention”, we begin with how we are called onward. What if we were willing to “Shoot the Moon?” Coffee Hour...
Sunday, Jan 2, 2022 10:30 AM – ONLINE ONLY Online Only – Service Zoom Link Speaker(s): Reverend Susan Frederick-Gray & Reverend Jennifer Innis Overview:For the first Sunday of 2022, we gather only online for service. Reverend Jennifer will offer a path...
Sunday, Dec 26, 2021 @ 10:30 am – Online Only, Not In-Person Speaker(s): Garry Moore Service Zoom Link Overview: For the day after Christmas, we gather only online for service. Wear comfy pajamas and enjoy your coffee as Garry Moore shares a celebration of...
Tuesday, Dec 21, 2021 @ 7 PM Overview: We will chant, dance, and offer up our own gifts to add to the coming light on the eve before the longest, darkest night of the year. Coffee Hour Afterwards & Offering...
Sunday, Dec 19, 2021 @ 10:30 am Speaker(s): Guest Presenter, Brian Fox-Ellis Overview: Join us, people of all ages and stages, as we have a unique and wondrous visit from a very special guest who, through stories and music, will help us gain a deeper appreciation...
Sunday, Dec 12, 2021 @ 10:30 am Speaker(s): Reverend Jennifer Innis Overview: There are so many forms for joy – ordinary, personal, shared, divine, radical, musical, and more. What is joy for our time? Join us for our New Member Recognition, too! Coffee Hour...
Sunday, Dec 5, 2021 @ 10:30 am Speaker(s): Reverend Jennifer Innis Overview: The premise of Stephen Prothero in his book, “God is Not One”, is that each religion answers a different question. If each faith, or each of us, is answering a different question,...
Friday, Dec 24, 2021 ~ Christmas Eve @ 6 & 8 PM 6 PM Service8 PM Service Speaker(s): Reverend Jennifer Innis Overview: Join us for beautiful music and ancient and modern lessons as we celebrate Christmas. To have enough room for everyone and allow for space...
Sunday, Nov 28, 2021 @ 10:30 am Speaker(s): Reverend Jennifer Innis & Friends Overview: A long line of dedicated people made it possible for this congregation to exist and thrive today. What are the great stories? What are the small stories? Join Reverend Jennifer...
Sunday, Nov 21, 2021 @ 10:30 am Speaker(s): Reverend Tet Gallardo Overview: Culture is lived religion. Cultural differences also cause religious differences. Folks who are Black, Indigenous, and People of Color have long complained that the lack of culture in white...
Sunday, Nov 14, 2021 @ 10:30 am Speaker(s): Reverend Jennifer Innis Overview: Many of us cite the seven principles of Unitarian Universalism as a core expression of our shared values. From we covenant to promote the inherent worth and dignity of every person to the...
Sunday, Nov 7, 2021 @ 10:30 am Speaker(s): Reverend Jennifer Innis Overview:The pandemic upended everything about church life, especially how we congregate on Sunday mornings. As we keep learning about multi-platform worship, we can ask “why?” along with the “how?”...
Due to a technical error, audio was not recorded in the sanctuary and the service has been taken down Sunday, Oct 31, 2021 @ 10:30 am Speaker(s): Reverend Jennifer Innis Overview: At this time of year, many cultures and faiths set aside time for when the veil...
Sunday, Oct 17, 2021 @ 10:30 am Speaker(s): Reverend Darrick Jackson Overview: We are a people of story. The stories we tell shape how we see ourselves and the world. What happens if we change our stories? Coffee Hour Afterwards & Offering...
September 2, 20256:00 pm - 7:30 pm Conference Room
Spiritual Practices: A Time for Self-Reflection 1st Tuesdays, In-Person Only
This series helps participants develop regular disciplines of the spirit—practices that help us connect with the sacred. Spiritual practice affirms religious diversity while seeking unity in our communal quest for meaning and wholeness. Each session offers a forum for learning, sharing, and growth that can enrich our personal faith journeys. RSVP at https://uuchurch.flocknote.com/signup/221451 or just drop in!
September 2 ~ Defining & Finding Your Spiritual Practice
Virtual only: ARE Humanist Discussion Group via Zoom #2
Virtual only: ARE Humanist Discussion Group via Zoom #2
September 2, 20257:00 pm - 9:00 pm Zoom at https://bit.ly/3rthCHr
Join us on Zoom at https://bit.ly/3rthCHras we invite guest presenters and talk about videos of current events, religion, and politics. We aspire to use empathy, humility, curiosity, critical thinking, and compassionate communications to discuss new insights, controversy, disinformation, irrationality, and magical thinking.
September 3, 20256:00 pm - 7:00 pm Conference Room
Keepers of the Great Grove ~ CUUPs
1st Wednesday of the month, 6-7:30pm
Conference Room or Zoom
at https://tinyurl.com/2nyj5zet Join us for our monthly member-led meetings. We will go over general business, discuss and plan for upcoming Sabat celebrations, and a member will lead a different enrichment topic each month. CUUPs stands for Covenant of Unitarian Universalist Pagans. All are welcome.
September 4, 202510:00 am - 12:00 pm El Mirador En El Rio, 110 Northeast Water Street, Peoria, IL 61602, USA
Drop in and join Membership Coordinator Regina Stanley to discuss whatever is on your mind. Questions? Contact Regina at 309-648-2767 or membership@peoriauuchurch.org.
September 6, 20253:00 pm - 6:30 pm Peoria Riverfront Museum, 222 SW Washington St, Peoria, IL 61602, USA
Movie Night with Rev. Jennifer
Superman 2025 (PG-13)
Saturday, September 6, 3pm
Peoria Riverfront Museum ~
222 SW Washington St, Peoria
This year’s Superman is one of the standout films of the year for its storytelling and for its focus on kindness, immigration, and using our power. Join Reverend Jennifer to watch the movie on the big screen. Please arrive early to buy tickets and concessions. Reverend Jennifer will host a discussion following the movie.
September 7, 20258:45 am - 10:00 am Conference Room
You are welcome to join ongoing weekly sessions of A Course in Miracles, a self-study spiritual program based on universal spiritual themes, primarily including forgiveness as the path to love in order to focus on living more peacefully in this world. To RSVP, contact Suzette Boulais at zetter3@comcast.net.
Life Force Tai Chi
First & Third Sundays
Tai Chi is an ancient discipline from China. Join Dave Grebner for this class, where we will learn how to stand and move to enhance the flow of chi life energy through our bodies.
September 7, 202512:00 pm - 1:30 pm Fellowship Hall
Join Us for Ingathering & Water Communion!
Sunday, September 7, 10:30am ~ Potluck and T-Shirt Tie Dyeing to Follow
At Ingathering, we return to the regular rhythms of our church year. Join us for our annual Water Communion service, followed by a community potluck and tie-dye fun on the lawn for all who would like to participate.
Ingathering Community Potluck
You can help make our community potluck a success! We need people to promote the event, gather volunteers, set up and/or clean up, help with serving, and bring a dish to pass. Sign up using the link below, and contact Regina Stanley at membership@peoriauuchurch.org with any questions.
Ingathering Tie Dye
After our Ingathering & Water Communion service, we invite all members—young and wise, longtime and new—to join us in tie dyeing UUCP shirts. Shirts are available to all, and an optional $15 donation for each shirt would help offset the cost. Sign up to help using the link below.
Join us for this monthly virtual event designed to offer: spiritual grounding, political analysis, and collective action. We will have live music from Parker Woodland and a conversation about solidarity with Nicole Pressley and Deepa Iyer, author of this year’s Common Read, Social Change Now: A Guide for Reflection andConnection. As Nicole said after a conversation at General Assembly, “Deepa's work at the intersections of solidarity, social change eco-systems, and movement building has been an important roadmap for so many of us navigating the complexity and urgency of this moment. Her reflections on grief, solidarity, and sustainable activism are brilliant and grounding.”
September 9, 20256:00 pm - 7:30 pm Conference Room
Inquirers for Newcomers & Visitors 2nd Tuesdays, In-Person Only
This is a series of conversations about the Universalist Unitarian Church of Peoria and our Unitarian Universalist faith. Designed for visitors and newcomers, these conversations could be a first step to membership at UUCP. RSVP at https://uuchurch.flocknote.com/signup/221451 or just drop in!
September 9 ~ UU History & Values and Campus Tour
October 14 ~ Faith Development for Children & Adults and Worship & the Liturgical Year
November 11 ~ Pastoral Care and Small Group Connections
December 9 ~ Social Action, Community Service & Racial Justice and Membership 101
Virtual only: ARE Humanist Discussion Group via Zoom #2
Virtual only: ARE Humanist Discussion Group via Zoom #2
September 9, 20257:00 pm - 9:00 pm Zoom at https://bit.ly/3rthCHr
Join us on Zoom at https://bit.ly/3rthCHras we invite guest presenters and talk about videos of current events, religion, and politics. We aspire to use empathy, humility, curiosity, critical thinking, and compassionate communications to discuss new insights, controversy, disinformation, irrationality, and magical thinking.
September 11, 202510:00 am - 12:00 pm El Mirador En El Rio, 110 Northeast Water Street, Peoria, IL 61602, USA
Drop in and join Membership Coordinator Regina Stanley to discuss whatever is on your mind. Questions? Contact Regina at 309-648-2767 or membership@peoriauuchurch.org.
Come learn about the nutritional and medicinal uses of herbs in community. We will explore the history of Peoria through its cuisine: the Native, French, German, Lebanese, and more. We will occasionally prepare a dish to share after service on Sunday. For more information, contact Kevin Cashmer at kevincashmer44@gmail.com.
September 13, 20259:00 am - 11:00 am The Great Grove at UUCP
Forest Trail Work Day
Saturday, September 13, 9-11am
We’ll be widening the path in the Great Grove from the playground down to the bridge. Come out and spend some time in nature! Be sure to dress appropriately. Questions? Email Evan Stubbs at sirstubby@hotmail.com.
September 14, 20258:45 am - 10:00 am Conference Room
You are welcome to join ongoing weekly sessions of A Course in Miracles, a self-study spiritual program based on universal spiritual themes, primarily including forgiveness as the path to love in order to focus on living more peacefully in this world. To RSVP, contact Suzette Boulais at zetter3@comcast.net.
This ten-workshop curriculum is designed to help children in 5th or 6th grade to gain the knowledge, life principles, and skills they need to understand and express their sexuality in holistic, life-enhancing ways. Like the other Our Whole Lives programs for different age groups, this comprehensive, developmentally appropriate program introduces key topics like values, body image, social media/internet, consent, gender and sexual identity, puberty, peer pressure, and healthy relationships with sensitivity and inclusiveness. The underlying values of the program reflect the justice-oriented traditions of the Unitarian Universalist Association. Participants will read It's Perfectly Normal by Robie H. Harris. At this mandatory parent meeting we will...
• Introduce the OWL instructors
• Provide an overview of the program and its underlying values
• Identify a broad definition of human sexuality
• Identify ways that parents/guardians can support their children’s participation in the program
• Support parents/guardians in their role as the primary sexuality educators of their children
September 14, 20251:00 pm - 3:00 pm Fellowship Hall
Do you play Mah Jongg or do you want to learn? Join the fun on 2nd and 4th Sundays! Bring your own drink and snack, and if you have a Mah Jongg set or mat, bring it, too. Contact Char Rickey at spinwool7@aol.com or 309-472-7085 or Evan Stubbs at sirstubby@hotmail.com or 575-621-5519 with questions.
September 15, 20252:00 pm - 3:00 pm Conference Room
Do you identify as LGBTQIA2S+? Do you attend, visit, or belong to UUCP? Join us on the 3rd Monday each month. Questions? Email Tim Herold at herold1961@gmail.com for details.
Crossing Paths: An Exploration of World Religions 3rd Tuesdays, In-Person or on Zoom at https://bit.ly/3sxzsci
Each month, we will learn about a different faith tradition and the central struggle that faith wrestles with, taking inspiration from author Stephen Prothero. We will notice how this faith crosses our own UU faith’s path. Participants will have an opportunity at a later date to visit a local faith community. RSVP at https://uuchurch.flocknote.com/signup/221451 or just drop in!
September 16: Christianity ~ October 21: Hinduism ~ November 18: Judaism ~ December 16: Islam
Virtual only: ARE Humanist Discussion Group via Zoom #2
Virtual only: ARE Humanist Discussion Group via Zoom #2
September 16, 20257:00 pm - 9:00 pm Zoom at https://bit.ly/3rthCHr
Join us on Zoom at https://bit.ly/3rthCHras we invite guest presenters and talk about videos of current events, religion, and politics. We aspire to use empathy, humility, curiosity, critical thinking, and compassionate communications to discuss new insights, controversy, disinformation, irrationality, and magical thinking.
September 18, 202510:00 am - 12:00 pm El Mirador En El Rio, 110 Northeast Water Street, Peoria, IL 61602, USA
Drop in and join Membership Coordinator Regina Stanley to discuss whatever is on your mind. Questions? Contact Regina at 309-648-2767 or membership@peoriauuchurch.org.
September 19, 20256:30 pm - 8:30 pm Fellowship Hall
Mabon
Friday, September 19, Fellowship Hall; Doors open at 6:30pm; Potluck & Ritual at 7pm
The autumn equinox is approaching and, with it, the feast of Mabon. This second harvest celebration of the pagan calendar is a time of abundance, of sharing with kin and community. Join us for a potluck dinner featuring soups of the harvest to give thanks for what we have and reflect on the balance of darkness and light. Hosted by the Keepers of the Great Grove, UUCP’s CUUPS chapter.
Peoria Park District invites individuals, groups, clubs, and businesses to sign up to be a part of this annual river cleanup! UUCP has pre-registered as a group, and we will be assigned to a nearby site along the river to clean up trash and make an impact in our community. The minimum age for participation is 5 years old, and volunteers ages 5 to 13 will need to be accompanied by an adult. The Illinois River Sweep is supported by the American Water Charitable Foundation's 2025 Water and Environment Grant. RSVP today at https://uuchurch.flocknote.com/signup/223738 or email Jesi Laughlin at DLRE@PeoriaUUChurch.org.
September 21, 20258:45 am - 10:00 am Conference Room
You are welcome to join ongoing weekly sessions of A Course in Miracles, a self-study spiritual program based on universal spiritual themes, primarily including forgiveness as the path to love in order to focus on living more peacefully in this world. To RSVP, contact Suzette Boulais at zetter3@comcast.net.
September 21, 20259:30 am - 10:00 am Meet in Foyer
Life Force Tai Chi
First & Third Sundays through December 2024
Tai Chi is an ancient discipline from China. Join Dave Grebner for this class, where we will learn how to stand and move to enhance the flow of chi life energy through our bodies.
September 21, 202512:00 pm - 2:00 pm Fellowship Hall
Check Out the Connections Fair!
Sun., Sept. 21, after service, Fellowship Hall
Our volunteers are the heart of our community. It takes many hands to keep our beloved church going. Come and browse the tables and find the volunteer opportunities that are the right fit for you! Committee chairs and members will be at their tables and ready to give you information.
September 23, 20256:30 pm - 7:30 pm Zoom (link in description)
Tuesday, September 23, 6:30pm on Zoom at https://bit.ly/3sxzsciGender Queer by Maia Kobabe
Join us on fourth Tuesdays to read and discuss young adult books that have been banned or challenged in parts of the U.S.—books that spark meaningful conversations around social justice, identity, and UU values. Come ready to read courageously, reflect deeply, and stand up for the stories that matter. Books are available locally at Lit on Fire, online at bookshop.org/shop/UUCP, for free at your local library, and at many more locations.
This month’s selection is Gender Queer by Maia Kobabe. Maia’s intensely cathartic autobiography charts eir journey of self-identity, which includes the mortification and confusion of adolescent crushes, grappling with how to come out to family and society, bonding with friends over erotic gay fanfiction, and facing the trauma and fundamental violation of pap smears. Started as a way to explain to eir family what it means to be nonbinary and asexual, Gender Queer is more than a personal story: it is a useful and touching guide on gender identity—what it means and how to think about it—for advocates, friends, and humans everywhere.
Join us this month or in the future: October 28: Crank by Ellen Hopkins; November 25: The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian by Sherman Alexie.
Virtual only: ARE Humanist Discussion Group via Zoom #2
Virtual only: ARE Humanist Discussion Group via Zoom #2
September 23, 20257:00 pm - 9:00 pm Zoom at https://bit.ly/3rthCHr
Join us on Zoom at https://bit.ly/3rthCHras we invite guest presenters and talk about videos of current events, religion, and politics. We aspire to use empathy, humility, curiosity, critical thinking, and compassionate communications to discuss new insights, controversy, disinformation, irrationality, and magical thinking.
September 25, 202510:00 am - 12:00 pm El Mirador En El Rio, 110 Northeast Water Street, Peoria, IL 61602, USA
Drop in and join Membership Coordinator Regina Stanley to discuss whatever is on your mind. Questions? Contact Regina at 309-648-2767 or membership@peoriauuchurch.org.
September 25, 202511:30 am - 1:30 pm Conference Room
Bring your own lunch and join in conversation with others. This lunchtime community is open to anyone who wants to come! Questions? Contact the church office at office@peoriauuchurch.org.
Come learn about the nutritional and medicinal uses of herbs in community. We will explore the history of Peoria through its cuisine: the Native, French, German, Lebanese, and more. We will occasionally prepare a dish to share after service on Sunday. For more information, contact Kevin Cashmer at kevincashmer44@gmail.com.
September 28, 20258:45 am - 10:00 am Conference Room
You are welcome to join ongoing weekly sessions of A Course in Miracles, a self-study spiritual program based on universal spiritual themes, primarily including forgiveness as the path to love in order to focus on living more peacefully in this world. To RSVP, contact Suzette Boulais at zetter3@comcast.net.
September 28, 202512:00 pm - 1:00 pm Conference Room
Building Dedication Anniversary Conversation Sunday, September 28, Noon, Conference Room If you were part of bringing this church building into being or would like to assist with marking the 20th anniversary of the building dedication in October, please join Rev. Jennifer for this meeting. Email her at revjennifer@peoriauuchurch.org with questions, stories, and if you would like to help but cannot attend the meeting.
September 28, 20251:00 pm - 3:00 pm Fellowship Hall
Do you play Mah Jongg or do you want to learn? Join the fun on 2nd and 4th Sundays! Bring your own drink and snack, and if you have a Mah Jongg set or mat, bring it, too. Contact Char Rickey at spinwool7@aol.com or 309-472-7085 or Evan Stubbs at sirstubby@hotmail.com or 575-621-5519 with questions.
September 30, 20256:00 pm - 7:30 pm Conference Room
Introducing Tuesday Night Adult Religious Ed!
This fall, we are offering an adult RE experience every Tuesday night. You are encouraged to attend one, some, or all classes or just the sessions that interest you. The schedule is as follows:
Spiritual Practices ~ 1st Tuesdays, In-Person Only
Inquirers ~ 2nd Tuesdays, In-Person Only
Crossing Paths for Adults ~ 3rd Tuesdays, In-Person or On Zoom
Banned Book Club ~ 4th Tuesdays, In-Person or On Zoom
Virtual only: ARE Humanist Discussion Group via Zoom #2
Virtual only: ARE Humanist Discussion Group via Zoom #2
September 30, 20257:00 pm - 9:00 pm Zoom at https://bit.ly/3rthCHr
Join us on Zoom at https://bit.ly/3rthCHras we invite guest presenters and talk about videos of current events, religion, and politics. We aspire to use empathy, humility, curiosity, critical thinking, and compassionate communications to discuss new insights, controversy, disinformation, irrationality, and magical thinking.
