We are the Unitarian Universalist Society of Geneva

When our Society gathered in 1842, we were "The Church of the Pioneers."  Geneva, thirty-some miles west of Chicago, was the frontier - a wild and barely-civilized place of uncertainty, isolation, adventure and risk.  Today our frontiers are no longer geographic; they are moral, spiritual, and cultural, and they cover our entire world.  We at UUSG still seek to be a community of pioneers, supporting each other as we work to strengthen our own moral and ethical foundations, to deepen our spiritual lives and to create with our neighbors a world community of justice, compassion and peace. We welcome all who would join us.

Rev. Dr. Lindsay Bates

What UUSG Members say about their religious home

"I love this Church and I love the people. It’s fun and it’s enriching. We know we have a common bond."

"Our beloved community is a place where all can grow spiritually, socially, emotionally, and intellectually."

"At UUSG I am intellectually challenged, spiritually replenished, and socially appreciative of the gifts we each bring and share."

"I have come to depend on the circle of friends I am fortunate indeed to have found."

"UUSG represents a little bit of welcome ‘sanctuary’ in this chaotic world."

What We Believe

The Unitarian Universalist Society of Geneva (UUSG) is a diverse, welcoming community which endeavors to make our Covenant a living reality. We provide religious education and opportunities for spiritual growth. We encourage individual and mutual responsibility as together we work to be a liberal religious voice in the community and a force for compassionate social justice.

Our Covenant, from our 1842
Declaration of Purpose

Being desirous of promoting practical goodness in the world, and of aiding each other in our moral and religious improvement, we have associated ourselves together – not as agreeing in opinion, not as having attained universal truth in belief or perfection in character, but as seekers after truth and goodness.

 

Our Heritage: The Church of the Pioneers

On June 12, 1842 The First Church Congregation of Geneva was founded by Scotto Clark’s group of New Englanders who came to Geneva when the Depression of 1837 struck their businesses back east. Even before this, Samuel Buckingham, Harvard theology student, had started a Sunday School here in 1839 "to teach the children religion and morals."

The Church was erected in 1843 and the dedication took place on January 24, 1844. When built, it extended only to the middle of the fourth window. In 1855 the sanctuary was enlarged to its present size. The joining of the addition to the original building is still evident outside in the miter joint above the windows in the eaves at the junction of the old and the new. In 1874, a small balcony or choir loft was removed, the front door centered, and the front vestibule added.

The tower was part of the original building. It houses the bell which bears the inscription:
CAST BY G. H. HOLBROOK, EAST MEDWAY, MASS. 1846.

The pews were purchased by W. D. Turner in 1879 from a Chicago church which was burned in the Great Fire of 1871. The colored glass windows, an outstanding example of the painted glass technique, were installed in 1879.

The parsonage, directly to the south of the Church, was built in 1893. It is now used as the Religious Education building and is called Pioneer House.

The Church received extensive repairs in 1927-28 when Dr. Charles Lyttle became the minister. He was devoted to preserving our historical building.

Additions to the west end of the building were made in 1950 and 1956. This gave us the Conant Room, the furnace room, kitchen, and the Common Room, which is used for social and other large group activities. Before the present heating system was installed, the Church was warmed by three coal stoves, stoked by stalwart church members.

The latest addition is the connecting structure between the Common Room and Pioneer House. This added the Heritage Room, offices, and religious education rooms. Dedication was on January 24, 1988.

You will want to study the commemorative wooden wall plaques in the sanctuary that honor those people who were influential in the founding and the perpetuation of the Church. Also, notice the portraits and pictures in the Conant Room: our first minister, Augustus Conant; Dr. Charles Lyttle; and past minister, Donald B. King.

Services and Religious Education
9:00AM and 11:00AM Sundays-September through the first
                   Sunday in June
5pm Saturday (Click here or more information about our R.E. programs)
                             No church school on Saturdays

Children’s Church School during our Sunday services September through May.

Our Sunday Coffee and Social Time are held between the two services in our Common Room, from 10:15 to about 10:50. All are invited to come for socializing and getting to know others better in our church family. If you are a newcomer and would like to chat with longer-tenured members of our church family, please use one of the special plain blue coffee mugs. (In fact, take a blue mug even if you don‘t want coffee or tea!) If you are not yet on our mailing list, you are invited to print your name and address in the Newcomers Book at the back of the church. You’ll then receive our monthly newsletter and invitations to special events. You are always welcome in this house!

Please wear a nametag so we can greet one another by name. If you don’t have a permanent nametag and would like to have one, please sign on the list attached to the Newcomers Book. Stick-on tags are available at the back of the church. If you need a replacement nametag, sign the list located on the table near the east entrance to the chapel.

INFORMATION CORNER:
You can find more information on Unitarian Universalism in our pamphlet/book display at the north end of the Common Room.

 

 

Programs , Events, and Activities

Circle Suppers:
Monthly Circle Suppers have traditionally been held during four late winter and early spring months, but we are experimenting with adding two suppers during the fall months. Watch for announcements in The Pioneer, or check for sign-up forms in the Common Room. Circle Suppers have always been one of the very best ways of getting to know other UUs.

What’s involved? Just a willingness to attend monthly dinner parties during each Circle Supper ‘season.’ In the winter/spring session, you will be expected to host one of the dinner parties and to take a part of the meal to each of the others. One time you will take dessert, another time salad, the remaining time the entrée. All guests bring their own wine, if any is desired. The host is expected to provide hors d’oeuvres, table settings, water, coffee and a warm welcome, and hosts might also consider providing a vegetable and bread -- especially if you coordinate matters with the guests who will be bringing the entrée. For the experimental fall session, you will be expected to perform only two of the four jobs noted above.

You may sign up as a couple or as a single and as a regular or as a substitute. The coordinator will arrange all pairings and let you know where to go, what course to bring, and when you will be the host.

 

Monthly Social Events:
The Social Activities Committee plans monthly activities. Usually these are all-church-family events, though there may be one or two exceptions during the year. Help is needed for planning and carrying them out but the opportunity to meet and socialize with other UUs makes the entire matter worth the time.

Special Interest Groups

WomanSpirit:
On the first and third Thursday evenings of each month during the church year, women gather to share their journeys and to explore women’s spirituality. Earth-based traditions are honored.

Covenant Groups:
Monthly meetings are scheduled for the discussion of specific topics of special interest. Details are available in the Common Room.

Women’s Guild:
Monthly meetings of mostly retired (but hardly retiring) women who gather in the Common Room for fellowship, discussions, and dessert. There is no age restriction or requirement.

Social Justice

Lazarus House:
Along with a number of other churches, our congregation supports Lazarus House, which is the only homeless shelter in the tri-cities area, located in St. Charles. One Saturday a month, UUSG members are responsible for providing meals, overnight supervision, and laundry services. (click here for more info)

Habitat for Humanity:
The UUSG is a member of the Pottawatomie Habitat for Humanity Chapter, which has built several houses and is almost always working on a house, somewhere in the Fox Valley. If you have any skills to offer, it’s a good way to earn service points and meet people. In this case, you’ll also meet people from the other churches in the Chapter. Our youth group (YRUU) has also made a trek to Tennessee every year for the last five years to help build a home. (Click here for more details)

Forums:
The Social Justice committee, in coordination with the Lifespan Religious Education committee, sponsors forums on topics of current importance. Forum topics have included the September 11 tragedy, the ethical dimensions of capitalism, legalization of drugs, and the possibility of war with Iraq. The format for the forums includes a panel representing diverse viewpoints on the issue and a discussion among all attending. The forums are open to the community.

Illinois Youth Center:
Every Christmas we collect gifts and money to buy gifts for the boys incarcerated at IYC in the hopes of perking up the holidays for this largely forgotten group of kids. We also collect and donate magazines and books throughout the year.

Crop Walk:
Each autumn, UUSG participates in the annual Tri Cities CROP Walk to raise money for local and international hunger relief efforts. Walkers collect pledges during the month prior to the walk. On the day of the walk, they join people from approximately 20 area churches to follow a scenic 6-mile route along the Fox River.

Heifer Project
UUSG is committed to "Raise an Ark" for the Heifer Project. This effort is coordinated jointly by Social Justice and the Lifespan Religious Education committees. Heifer will use our donation to raise and transport life-sustaining animals and plants to people in need, while training them on their care. Every Heifer recipient family pledges to pass along the gift of Heifer Project animals and plants to other families, creating a lifelink to end hunger and poverty with dignity.

Other Social Justice Related Opportunities
Click here for links to other organizations that need volunteers.

Church Life

Swedish Days Booth:
During Geneva’s Swedish Days Celebration ("The Granddaddy of Illinois Festivals"), we set up a booth near the intersection of James and Third Streets, selling pizza-by-the-slice, lemonade, Italian Ice, etc.
This is our most important fund-raiser, and requires the most help. Each UUSG member and friend is requested to sign up for one of many available jobs, ranging from day-managers to booth workers who sign up to help in two-hour stints with a small number of fellow workers.
Lots and lots of people are required to make it work. It’s a lot of fun and, again, most of the money comes from outside the congregation. The event always occurs near Midsummer Night (June), and runs from Tuesday through Sunday of that week.

Christmas Cookie Walk:
Another fund-raiser that brings in money from outside our congregation is the Cookie Walk, which is held in conjunction with Geneva’s Annual Christmas Walk on the first Friday in December.
Members and friends are asked to bake colorful seasonal cookies (not brownies or chocolate-chip cookies, no matter how good they are), at least 12 dozen per family—but more if possible. During Cookie Walk they are displayed for people to choose, filling boxes which we sell them for this purpose. Much help is needed in setting up and staffing this popular community event.

Sunday Morning Helper:
You may have noticed various people performing functions each Sunday: greeters, providers of decorations, and musicians (special music and the choirs). All of these people have volunteered or have been recruited to do this work. It is work that helps involve your way into a feeling of belonging. Anyone with a musical gift is welcome to offer it during a worship service. Simply coordinate with the Worship Committee and the UUSG office. The choirs (both adult and junior choirs) are totally open—no auditions are necessary. Men’s voices (most especially tenors) are always in demand. Currently the adult choir performs once a month, during both services. The Junior Choir, open to children in grades 2 through 8, sings at Family and Intergenerational services.

Standing Committees:
As a viable, active organization, the institutional work of UUSG gets accomplished through the efforts of its numerous Standing Committees. In addition to the Board of Directors, which comprises all officers and directors (who are elected at each Annual Meeting), the governing bodies include the Program and Administrative Councils, the Standing Committees, and a few special committees which are formed to serve specific needs so long as those needs remain. A few years ago, a special Sanctuary Renovation Committee was established to guide us through the important task of repairing and updating our historic sanctuary.

There is not enough room here to list or describe the functions of the various Standing Committees. That information can be found elsewhere. It is important to note, however, that the continued existence of UUSG is dependent on the willingness of its members and friends to join the committees and to assist in performing the many important tasks assigned to the various committees.

Annual Pledge:
None of what we have here at the UUSG would be possible without the financial contributions of our members and friends. Every year; our Board, through the efforts of the Annual Canvass Committee, prepares a budget and solicits pledges of gifts for the next fiscal year from the congregation. This way the Board is able to anticipate whether money will be available to fund the budgeted programs and services.
    (Click here to learn more about finances at UUSG)

Since people move, or are subject to changed circumstances, it is impossible to count on receiving all of the funds pledged. Accordingly, it is important for new people to indicate their willingness to commit to a plan of giving that will help to take the place of these lapsed pledges. The fiscal year runs from July 1 through June 30 of the next calendar year, so it is never too late to pledge. If you plan to remain with us, either as a friend or by becoming a new member, please give very serious consideration to this critical need. We guarantee that it will help you feel connected, and we are grateful for whatever it is that you are able to contribute.

There are no rules about how much a person or family is expected to pledge; but there is information available for you to use in determining your own level of participation.

And a pledge is not a contract, so events that change your ability to honor the pledge are understood. We ask only that you advise the treasurer of your need to change the pledge. Again, we need to be able to anticipate how much money will be available at all times of the year; so a lost job, or a winning lottery ticket, is certainly a legitimate reason for changing your level of pledging.

Life-Span Religious Education

This is the big one. Staffing a religious education program requires full-time leadership and lots of part-time help. If you have a child in Sunday School, we very much need (and, quite frankly, expect) you to do your share. If you can’t co-teach a class for a term, there are other things that need to be done. All of them involve working closely with other UUs, adults as well as kids. And, getting to know our children is a good way to get to know us. You will be provided with a complete curriculum, training, and all the assistance you need.

Since we provide two sessions of Sunday School each Sunday, some sort of participation is required. So, signing up early will give you a better choice of what to do. Being a part of the RE team is a big help in belonging to the congregation and a vital part of our church’s ministry.

Adult education programs are also scheduled on the basis of perceived interest and the availability of instructors or facilitators. Past classes include The Haunting Church, Questing, and Cakes for the Queen of Heaven. In addition, Bible study groups, world-religions, parenting, UU history, and other classes are offered.

We Unite
UUSG is a full member of the
Unitarian Universalist Association.

All materials are Copyright © 2006
The Unitarian-Universalist Society of Geneva