A Word from Our Elders
Sunday, Jan 22, 2023 @ 10:30 am Speaker(s): Members of the Congregation Overview: Finding our center includes listening to the lives of those who have seen and known so much of this world. Children and youth ask questions of our older members. All are welcome for this...
To Savor, To Serve: Choosing Justice
Sunday, Jan 15, 2023 @ 10:30 am Speaker(s): Reverend Jennifer Innis Overview: As we remember the life and legacy of the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., what is the place of justice in our lives and in our beliefs? Coffee Hour Afterwards & Offering...
The Promise and the Practice
Sunday, Jan 8, 2023 @ 10:30 am Speaker(s): Reverend Jennifer Innis Overview:Our efforts at a liberal approach to religion is based on deep mutual commitments. Speaking our covenant out loud lifts the heart. How do our promises work with real, live human beings? The...
Touchstones for the New Year
Sunday, Jan 1, 2023 @ 10:30 am Speaker(s): Jesi Laughlin, Director of Lifespan Religious Education Overview: What is at your center? Let’s look inside ourselves set an intention, and create a touchstone to recall all year long. Coffee Hour Afterwards & Offering...
Gifts of the Season
Sunday, Dec 25, 2022 @ 10:30 am Speaker(s): Reverend Jennifer Innis and the Congregation Overview: On Christmas Morning, join us for carols, stories, and brunch in Fellowship Hall. We will take turns unwrapping the parts of the service and sharing them as they emerge....
Lessons and Carols for the Wonder of Christmas
Saturday, Dec 24, 2022 @ 7:00 pm Speaker(s): Reverend Jennifer Innis 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 Dave Breeden and...
Winter Solstice Service 2022
Wednesday, Dec 21 2022 @ 7:00 pm Join us for a winter solstice service in Fellowship Hall. This event will be in-person...
Cherish the Dark
Sunday, Dec 18, 2022 @ 10:30 am Speaker(s): Reverend Jennifer Innis Overview: So often in our language we use “black” or “dark” to refer to what is fearful and evil. Let us explore the richness of the Dark in our lives. The choir will sing. Coffee Hour Afterwards...
Owl and Robin, A Winter Solstice Fable
Join the 10:30am Service Zoom Sunday, Dec 11, 2022 @ 10:30 am No Facebook Stream or Posted Recording on 12/11 To honor the privacy of our youngest members and friends, worship on December 11th will be available on the church’s public Zoom feed but will not be streamed...
Encounter with Wonder
Sunday, Dec 4, 2022 @ 10:30 am Speaker(s): Reverend Jennifer Innis Overview:What is the place of wonder in our lives? What has wonder done for us lately? The choir sings today. Coffee Hour Afterwards & Offering...Deck the Halls 2022
Saturday December 3rd, 3:00 – 5:00 PM Join us for our annual ornament crafting and decorating party. All ages are welcome to lend a hand to make this year’s tree the most festive yet! You will be guided through stations to work on new ornaments and old favorites...
The Body of Change
Sunday, Nov 27, 2022 @ 10:30 am Speaker(s): Reverend Jennifer Innis Overview: How do you feel in your body as well as your heart? Before we enter into December’s theme of Wonder, let’s spend a moment on locating ourselves and our ever-shifting physical forms. Coffee...
Brave New Words: Under Construction
Join the 10:30am Service Zoom Sunday, Nov 20, 2022 @ 10:30 am Speaker(s): Reverend Jennifer Innis Overview: For over 40 years, Unitarian Universalists have worked from a core expression of our values as named in seven Principles and six Sources. Now we are asked to...
Transgender Day of Remembrance 2022
Sunday, Nov 20 at 6:00 PM Join Peoria Proud at our Universalist Unitarian Church of Peoria for our annual observance of the Transgender Day of Remembrance. Transgender Day of Remembrance is an internationally-honored event that honors the lives of transgender...
Democracy with Dignity?
Sunday, Nov 13, 2022 @ 10:30 am Speaker(s): Reverend Jennifer Innis Overview: On this Sunday after the elections, we explore what it means to live in a divided time and hold true to a democratic process. The Fall Congregational Meeting is after the service. Coffee...Book Sale 2022
November 19th & 20th, 2022 Saturday 8:00 AM – 5:00 PM Sunday 12:00 PM – 3:00 PM Join us for our book sale! Members shop before the 10:30 AM service on Sunday, November 20th. Bags are just $5.00 each on...
The Way of Change
Sunday, Nov 6, 2022 @ 10:30 am Speaker(s): Reverend Jennifer Innis Overview:We begin this month’s theme of the Path of Change by addressing it directly. William Bridges offers a guide on how to make sense of change, even when everything is in flux. The choir...
Thinning the Veil: A Service of Remembrance
Sunday, Oct 30, 2022 @ 10:30 am Speaker(s): Reverend Jennifer Innis, Jesi Laughlin DLRE & 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. This year we will...
UU Haunted Forest 2022
Saturday October 29 7:00-8:30 pm Dare to enter the trail through the haunted forest where ghouls and goblins eagerly await your visit! Our haunted forest is specifically designed to be just the right amount of fright. Scary enough for brave kids and adults of all...
The Courage to Learn
Sunday, Oct 23, 2022 @ 10:30 am Speaker(s): Reverend Jennifer Innis & Jesi Laughlin, DLRE Overview:The mission of this congregation includes the call to grow spiritually. What does spiritual growth mean to you? What do we offer and what would you like to explore?...UU History 101
Tuesdays October 11th thru November 15th 7-9pm Virtually from anywhere or a watch party at UUCP UU History 101 is a 6-session introduction to concepts and people from our history. In this series, we approach history from the starting point of compelling stories and...
Defending Democracy
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...
Encounter with a World of Faiths
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...
The Heart of Courage
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...
Margaret Fuller: First Woman of the Transcendentalist Club
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...
Homeward Bound
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...
Meeting and Merging
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...
NOW Is a Moment
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...
Clean and Equitable Jobs Act (CEJA)
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...
ZOOM LINK – Larksgrove Concert
STREAM THE CONCERT ON ZOOM Sunday, September 11, 2022 at 7:00 pm Universalist Unitarian Church of Peoria Through their innovative blending of classical and traditional forms, Larksgrove brings a fresh voice to the musical scene. Peter Zay, cello and guitar, and...
The Question is the Answer
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...
Blessing of the Animals
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...
The Circle of Love
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...
Learning to be Seen in a World That Would Rather Hide You Away: My Journey in Body Positivity
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...
Stories of Gratitude
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...
Building Our Church
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 &...
Stories Behind Stories: Real History and Sherlock Holmes
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...
We Hold These Truths To Be Self-Evident…
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!...
Believing Us
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...
The Paths We Do Not Choose
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...
Celebrating Blessings
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...
Flower Communion: Emerging Beauty
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...
The Beauty of Music
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...
Riding the Winds of Change
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...
The Beauty That Makes Us
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...
Invisible Work
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...
THE BEAUTY OF US
BE A PART OF THE BEAUTY OF US! MAKE A DONATION TODAY Silver linings can be found in the darkest of storm clouds. One of the most beautiful silverlinings of the past few years has been that more and more people have turned to the arts.We are finding renewed joy...
The Wonder of Co-Creation
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...