Committee and Group Directory

The Gastronomical Society, affectionately referred to as “Gastro,” enjoys monthly dinners in community.

Members are encouraged to host at their home, a restaurant, a park, or at the church. The host chooses a dinner theme, with members contributing potluck style.

In the last several years, Chinese New Year is celebrated in January, featuring take-out tastings from favorite Chinese restaurants. Our abbreviated 2019-2020 themes also included dinner at the Wheelhouse Restaurant in St. Joseph, a gathering at Riggs Beer in recognition of our inaugural chair, Emily Sanders, and her husband, Bill, prior to their departure to Pittsburgh, and a walk-up birthday party. Owing to the pandemic, the society was inactive in 2021-2022. In keeping with mission and vision of the church, the group strives for diversity and for new church member inclusion.

For more information, please contact Terry England. 

Interested in learning about Folk Dancing? Join us in Fellowship Hall every Tuesday at 7:30 to learn and dance!

For more information, contact Scott Rohde.

Join Fellow UUs to walk in Meadowbrook Park in Urbana on Thursday mornings at 9:15 am, rain or shine. Come when you can, walk as far as you want. The group meets at the east end of the Windsor Road parking lot by the bike rack.

Contact Chuck Trumble for more information! 

Meets every other Thursday at noon in the Big Bluestem Room. Bring a sack lunch and spend time chatting with your fellow female UUs! This group is open to anyone who identifies as female.

Contact Jenny Hunt if you have any questions!

NatUUre Connect is all about connecting UU's with the natural world. From bat conservation, to monarch conservation, to planting food to help feed our congregation and those we serve through our food pantry, there is a little something for everyone. (Through the NUUrture Program via NatUUre Connect)

Saturdays in May-July NatUUre Connect hosts Daylily Saturday's where you are able to go down to Member's Aaron Slayton and Jim Wuersh's farm and learn how to hybradize Daylily's. The hybradized Daylilies that grow you will be able to name and all proceeds from those Daylilies will come back to the church. 

Contact Aaron Slayton if you want to get invovled! 

The Older Men’s Group (60+) was founded in July, 2021, as an offering in the Adult RE program.  The Group is led by Dave Sharpe. As a discussion group, we have an informal agenda, and are guided by the interests or concerns of our members. Our meetings begin with a check-in, and our discussion frequently arises from the comments during check-in. 

We asked the members for a word or phrase about how they feel about the Group. The responses included: “Develop friendships”; “Be welcoming”; “Share our personal experiences”; Be more human, lighten up: Affirm each other”; “Learn to be more open”; “Safe space to ‘take risks’; Building connections”; “Support each other”; and importantly, “Steer clear of ‘you should do’ type statements.” With such comments as guides, we have built an open, yet diverse, Older Men’s Group.

We have about 15 active members, and attendance varies from 5-6 to a dozen. We don’t take attendance, and members fit the Group into their busy lives. Our meeting style makes our Group a good way for men who are new to UUCUC to build a relationship with an interesting group of men.

For more information contact Dave Sharpe.

Are you an Older Single? Would you like to do things with others who are older and single? If so, join Older Single's Living Well! This is a new group from Congregational Life to connect Older Singles who are looking for a group to hang out and be together in community with. Group activities will vary, so there will be a little something for everyone!

Join the group on Realm or email Alyssa Knights to get put on the mailing list.

Wise Older Women (WOW) is a monthly discussion group for those who identify as women and are over 50 years of age. The topics focus on issues related to aging and being older women. The groups honor confidentiality and hold space for each woman to share as much as is wished. This group meets on the 3rd Thursday of each month (occasionally the 4th) from 10:00 AM-12:00 PM.

For additional information, feel free to contact Priscilla Kron. We'd love to have you join us!

Sunday Morning Meditation Group meets weekly via Googlemeet, at 9 am for a short, guided meditation. The group is open to anyone, whether “experienced” or new to meditation. Weekly meditations are led by a volunteer leader each week. Meditations range from Mindfulness, Buddhist-centered (often Metta or Loving Kindness), Body Scans, to Chinese Qigong. The last Sunday of the month is often a 20-minute silent meditation with bells at intervals.

Participation varies, with most weeks having around 4-6 attending. A typical virtual gathering includes lighting a chalice, a 15-20 minute meditation (either silently, led by a member of the group, or listening to a guided audio), brief reflection among the group, ending about 9:30 so members can attend the 10:15 church service if they wish. Although we don’t have a large attendance, the group plays an important role in one facet of UUCUC’s mission: Find Peace. The “goal” of mindfulness practice is not to attain an eternally blissful state or clear the mind of thought. Mindfulness is paying attention to the present moment, exactly as it is. When ruminating on the past (which can’t be changed) or trying to plan the future (which can’t be controlled), we miss what is happening right now at this exact moment: in the mind, in the body, and in the external surroundings. This group began in 2015 after a Mindful Meditation workshop as part of adult religious education.

Contact Karen Folk if you have any questions or for more details. 

This chalice circle provides a space that allows and encourages personal and spiritual growth through sharing our stories by way of the written word. The Reflective Writing Chalice Circle continues to meet the third Thursday of every month, currently via Zoom. Each member is encouraged to bring an original piece of writing to share for each meeting. We also do timed Quick Writes in our meetings. One need not be a “writer” with a Capital W! Some of the works are fiction or poetry, and some are based on our individual experiences and observations. Our discussion following each reading focuses on our shared humanity rather than literary critique (unless requested!). Our Circle has been consistent with about seven members. Monthly attendance usually ranges from five to seven persons. We are a friendly group and welcome folks to come by to see if you’re interested in staying.

For more information please contact Pat Nolan.

This group meets at the U of I Arboretum on Saturday at 2 pm to connect with their hearts, the natural world, and each other in a safe and supported way. Participants show up at 2 at the U of I Arboretum and then are guided in a group mediation.

For more details, please contact the church office for more details.

UU Magick is our pagan group and explores many aspects of paganism. UU Magick is a group that focuses on putting positive vibes into our life at the church. We will dive into candle magick, brewing potions, poppet work, knot work, and many other things.

What is UU Magick?

Social Justice/Action: In UU "magick" is often discussed in the context of social justice and action where people can collectively work to create positive change in the world.

No Tricks: This concept of "magick" is not about supernatural tricks but rather is about the power of human intention and collective effort. It is a spiritual or religious practice across many different cultures and many different systems.

Personal Power/Transformation: It can refer to people, as individuals or a collective and their power or ability to evoke change within themselves and their community through spell craft and the power of intent.

Key Aspects of UU Magick

Focused Attention: The concept of magick in a UU context often centers on bringing focused attention and energy toward a positive intention, whether for personal growth or social change.

Diverse Practices: Unitarian Universalism is a faith without a fixed creed, allowing for a wide range of spiritual expressions, including those that incorporate magickal elements or those focused on social justice.

Pagan Influences: Some UU congregations, often associated with the Covenant of Unitarian Universalist Pagans (CUUPS), engage more directly with various magickal traditions, including those from witchcraft and Wicca.

Social Justice as "Magick": For other UU's, "magick" takes the form of social action and community work, aimed at "conjuring a better world" and making positive tangible changes.

UU Magick meets three times a month for multiple different activities. Pick what you want to do, and come to what you want!

2nd Thursday Craft Night

Join UU Magick on the 2nd Thursday of each month form 6 pm to 8 pm for a Craft Night. This Craft as in "witchcraft" so there will be art to it, but typically the creations are living embodiments of a spell itself aka they are magick.

3rd Wednesday Spells & Rituals

Join us every 3rd Wednesday of each month from 6 pm to 8 pm for group spells work, group ritual, guided visualizations, grounding, etc. There will be spells cast and group "crafts" of raising energy and filling it into objects or things that we will create as a group to provide blessings and bestow energies upon one another, the congregation, a social cause, etc. There will be more than one thing going on during this time as not all spells/workings take very long. Find kinship in what we do and explore getting involved in a few familiar ways in addition to ways that perhaps you haven't.

4th Wednesday A Wheel of Fellowship

Join us every 4th Wednesday of each month from 6 pm until 8pm for A Wheel of Fellowship. A Wheel of Fellowship has emphasis on both the Wheel of the Year and on Fellowship. We will have a small potluck; food is not required to be brought but something small would be appreciated. We will have some education on the Wheel of the Year and on where we currently are in nature's cycles and there will be small crafts (mostly in the realm of arts and crafts), but sometimes in the realm of spell crafts and it will tie into the overall "Wheel" and where we are in our transition. A recognition of the present, a peek into the past and a glimpse into the future awaits you.

If you have any questions, please email Aaron Slayton (they/them).

We are one of the affinity groups aligned under the Congregational Life Council. We sometimes coordinate with the Care Core Team. This monthly group meeting serves those who find themselves called to be a caregiver for someone else- whether from a physical or mental/emotional illness. Each caregiving circumstance is different. Our concern is for at least one person who can no longer care for themselves without assistance. They may be local or in a distant state and might reside in their own home or apartment; others may be in a care facility.

This support group provides a safe and trusted place to share about our caregiving experiences and often includes private information, complaints or fears, humor, inspiration, and empathy. We offer each other our personal experience, emotional support, rides, meals, and care assistance when needed. 

Most of our members are actively involved in other groups and committees. The Chalice Circle serves to add to the health and strength of UUCUC as another important aspect of ‘building community’ and hopefully finding whatever peace is possible among trying circumstances. 

We are most proud of the number of years we’ve been meeting to provide support and consistency when a health care situation arises within their own circle of family or friends. People rotate in and attend as long as they feel the group is meeting their needs. People can continue meeting with the group whether their person(s) have passed on or recovered from their illness. 

Contact Tim Temple for more information.

An extension of the Care Core Committee, Repair Core assists members of the congregation with household, computer, and mechanical repairs or advice.

Contact Joanne Vician for more details.

A subgroup within QUUAC, join fellow trans and nonbinary congregants in a support group that is structured to help deepen our connection to ourselves and each other. The structure of this group is similiar to soul matters and each meeting has a theme that allows us to better understand ourselves and each other. 

This group meets every first Thursday at 6 pm in the Willow Room. 

Please contact Jordan James for more information.

The Building and Grounds Advisory Team (BAGAT) oversees the continuous and ongoing preservation, matenance, and improvements the church property as UUCUC works to fullfill its mission. The committee acts as a clearning house for the needs and concerns of the memebrs and staff in regards to property matters. 

BAGAT meets every 3rd Tuesday of the Month at 12:00 pm, in person and online. 

If you are interested in joining, please email Andy Robinson. 

The Finance Committee is involved in monitoring our church financial resources and advising the Board of Trustees on matters of financial policy and management. In terms of skills, we do not need accountants or investment advisers, just people interested in helping the church manage what comes in and what goes out. The Committee meets once a month on the 3rd Tuesday of the month, with its most significant activities happening during the Spring when they develop the budget for the following church year. 

If you are interested in joining, reach out to Chris Hannauer. 

This committee works to create enticing generostiy campaigns to raise money for our annual pledge drives to help continue the important work and programs at the church. 

The main work of this committee happens every February/March. 

If you are interested in getting invovled, please contact Mona Shannon.

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The Service Auction is an event where members and friends of the church offer services for sale to each other, and these services are sold to the highest bidder. All the proceeds of the sales go to the church.

The Service Auction happens in April every year. If you are interested in joining, please email auction@uucuc.org.

Faith Development is programming for all ages that is focused in allowing congregants and their children to explore and experience their spirituality and Faith in a non-judgemental and progressive environment. 

Faith Development for All Ages includes Sunday morning Faith Development Classes, Our Whole Lives, Coming of Age, YRUU, and the nursery. 

Food Justice coordinates our participation in the CROP Hunger Walk that funds sustainable responses to hunger, poverty, displaceement, and disaster around the world. Food Justice is also in charge of maintaining and filling our Little Free Food Pantry that sits outside the front of the church. 

If you are interested in getting invovled, email Katriena Knights or Pat Nolan.

Immigration Justice Team supports immigrant justice initiatives and creates opportunities to support and build relationships with immigrants in our community.  

Contact Pam Richart for more details!

Previously known as LGBTQ+ Welcoming Congregation Committee, QUUAC has changed it's mission to meet the times we are in. QUUAC meets monthly on the second Friday of the month for a variety of activities to get be together in community with our allies and fellow LGBTQ+ members. We also host programming to continue our mission of being a Welcoming Congregation.

For more information and to get on the mailing list, please email Alyssa Knights.

The Purpose of the UUCUC Racial Justice Team is: To educate ourselves about racial injustice, white privilege, and implicit racial bias, and to work to dismantle white supremacy in our schools, our church, our workplaces, and our communities.

Racial Justice Team's activities support these UU principles:

1. The worth and dignity of all people

2. Justice, equity and compassion for all

6. World community with peace, liberty, and justice for all.

8. Spiritual wholeness by working toward diverse multicultural Beloved Community. 

Contact Cait Calac for more details.

Reproductive justice encompasses racial equality, economic security for families, contraception access, sex education, gender equality, and abortion rights and access. Huge changes are moving through the nation right now – abortion rights are being squelched in half of the country, while the other half girds to ensure access to reproductive healthcare for all who need it.

For more information contact Mike Sabacinski.

Shared Offering is a vital part of the church's financial gifts and touches almost every aspect of our mission. Shared offering is part of the operations council and is led by Pat McClard.

Working with the various organizations that we donate to through shared offering provides many opportunities for inspiration right here in our community from people who are doing the work of building a beloved community. All of the organizations that we support are voted on by the congregation and chosen because they support the church's mission. For more information, please check out the shared offering page. 

For more information contact Pat McClard.

Lay Leaders who help the lead minister to plan and lead weekly Sunday Worship services. 

Contact Rev. Beth Monhollen for more information.

Smaller offshoot of the choir. Pieces tend to be more pop-culture-y and have a bit of a more relaxed vibe. CrUUners practices every Wednesday at 6:00 pm. They go on hiatus for the summer.

If you are interested in joining, email Tanja Hodges.

Want to be a part of decision making for music in the church? Help with the coffee houses and other musical needs? Join the Music Committee!!

Email Tanja Hodges to get invovled. 

The Pop-Up Children's Choir pop's up throught the year and practices for a few weeks before they perform at a Sunday morning service. The Chidlren's Choir is open to everyone under 18 to join and sing. They practice on Sundays during their pre-performance. Keep an eye out in EnUUs for the next Pop-Up Children's Choir!

Do you play an instrument or sing and want to get together with a band and play? Join the UU Band! They play typically throughout the year and during the Coffee Houses. 

If you are interested in joining, please email Jim Hannum. 

Do you play a woodwind or brass instrument? Do you want to get together and play with others who play? Join the UU Horn Band! They meet periodically throughout the year. 

If you are interested in joining, email Jerry Carden or Johnny Beckett.