From the Archives …

Before the local merger in 1957, both the Unitarian Church and the Universalist Church had women’s groups. The Association of Universalist Women in Urbana supported a number of local and national causes, including the Jordan Neighborhood House (a daycare center) in Suffolk, Virginia for the children of peanut farm laborers; the Clara Barton Camp for diabetic girls and the Eliot P. Joslin Camp for diabetic boys; a Daycare Center for cannery workers in Hoopeston, Illinois; and the Tot Lot in Champaign (supported jointly with Quaker women). Funds for these projects came in part from a monthly supper club where food was served to the public and a county fair booth where the Universalist women baked and served waffles.

In the late 1950s and early 1960s, as the national churches considered merging and the local Unitarian church dealt with problems of assimilation and policy changes, the joint Women’s Alliance focused on social events, lectures, and book reviews.

When the addition to our building was nearing completion in 1964, the women donated $700 to furnish the minister’s office, as well as four chairs and three benches for the new lounge. Most of the money was raised through the sale of gift items that were always available during coffee hour. In the early 2000s, the Alliance (by then a co-ed group) provided the funds for coffee cups, lace tablecloths, lapel and portable microphones, kitchen equipment, items for the Crisis Nursery and Women’s Shelter, and cushions for the sanctuary pews.