Worship Services
- Worship Schedule
- Description of Worship Services
- Lay-Led Worship Services
- 2026-2027 Thematic Arc for Worship
Worship Schedule
Each month’s plans for our 10:30 a.m. Sunday worship services appear here. Details about the worship service for the upcoming Sunday also appear on our Home Page. Childcare is always provided without reservations for Worship, Mindfulness Meditation and Forum.
Sunday, Oct. 4, 2026 – “Fearless and Fearful Movement” – Eden Johnson, Guest Preacher
My definition of courage is the act of taking what is true and giving it voice despite our fear. We will explore ‘what is true’ and how that truth is in tension with fear. Join us as we explore the contours of this edge between courageous action and fear in ourselves, our beloveds and our greater communities.
Eden Johnson (he/they) is the Ministerial Fellow at Metro East UU Congregation in Glen Carbon, Ill. and is on the path to be a credentialed minister with the UUMA. Eden holds a B.A. in Religious Studies, a Masters in Divinity from Boston University School of Theology and a certificate of Spiritual Direction in Politicized Healing from Still Harbor.
Sunday, Oct. 11, 2026 – “Life Cycle of A Sunflower” – Heidi Shearer, Lay Leader
Join us to reflect on the lessons of sunflowers and the wisdom of the earth’s cycles with Worship Associate Heidi Shearer.
Sunday, Oct. 18, 2026 – All-Ages Halloween Service – Jamila Batchelder, DRE
Join us for a lively all-ages service to celebrate the spooky season and its wisdom for our lives!
Sunday, Oct. 25, 2026 – “Still, The Leaves Fall” – Rev. Dr. Molly Housh Gordon
October’s sacred place of the month is the MKT trail at the MLK trailhead, which this time of year is a space of rustling, falling leaves. Join us to ground ourselves in place and the cycles of the earth even as we face a tense election season.
The Zoom address for our 10:30 a.m. Sunday worship is
https://zoom.us/j/380411489
You can also join by phone: 312-626 6799
Webinar ID: 380 411 489
Services are also streamed live to Facebook
Description of Worship Services
We offer a worship service every Sunday at 10:30 a.m.. The current month’s schedule appears above. Services last about one hour.
Children are present for about the first 15 minutes, which includes a stones of joy and sorrow ritual. The children then leave for their religious education classes. Nursery care and our full religious education program for preschool through junior high school are offered at this time.
Although each of our services is unique, services usually begin with a welcome from a member of our Board of Trustees and occasional special announcements.
Interspersed with a variety of music and hymn singing, the typical service also includes the lighting of the chalice, one or more inspirational readings, a sermon or homily, an offertory, an opportunity to express joys and sorrows, and a closing benediction.
After the service we gather for fellowship, conversation and coffee.
Members of the Worship Associates assist in planning worship services and also participate in conducting services.
Lay-Led Worship Services
Our lay-led services honor our commitment to lay involvement in church leadership and our church’s history. We began in 1951 as a lay-led fellowship, and thus all services were lay led until we called our first minister in 1980.
From September through May, we have occasional lay-led services, and many of the services are lay led during the summer. The Worship Associates organize the lay-led services. These services are often non-traditional and unique and allow individuals to speak to a topic of interest or lead the congregation in exploring a variety of activities related to the many facets of worship and spirituality.
2026-2027 Thematic Arc for Worship
“You are here. We are here.”
Purpose:
- Re-locating ourselves, in a time of disorientation.
- Re-rooting ourselves in earth and place.
Theological touchstones:
- The sacredness of every place and person.
- The interconnection of all things.
- Deeper time and clearer attention.
Monthly Themes:
- September – toes in the water @ Grindstone Creek
- October – moving under a rustling canopy of leaves @ MKT trail (MLK trailhead)
- November – golden hour in your own backyard @ church prairie
- December – curled up with a book/audiobook @ the library
- January – surrounded by art @ Columbia Art League
- February – delving into history @ the Blind Boone Center
- March – witnessing life return @ Garth nature area
- April – in a riot of blossoms @ the redbud grove in Stephen’s Lake Park
- May – On a blanket under new leaves @ the Big Burr Oak