Peoria UU History

Weathering the Storms in Our Church’s History

2010-06-16T07:35:00.000-05:00

Since we are located in the Midwest, it should not surprising that over a span of 167 years and counting, events at the Universalist Unitarian Church of Peoria have occasionally coincided with outbreaks of severe weather, including tornadoes.

Saturday, June 5, 2010
The most recent example was a potluck on June 5 to honor and bid farewell to our intern minister for the past year, Jim Parrish. As we watched a video tribute prepared for the occasion, it gradually became apparent that the whine heard in the background wasn’t a glitch in the sound system, but a tornado warning siren. The group did a great job of moving quickly but calmly into the children’s area, away from the windows, and the program continued there.

Although several tornadoes touched down in Central Illinois that night—including one that caused extensive property damage in Elmwood—thankfully, no one was hurt.

Saturday, May 10, 2003
For many members and friends in our congregation, the events of June 5 were a reminder of another memorable night: the congregational meeting on Saturday, May 10, 2003, when we voted on whether to sell our property on Hamilton Boulevard and build a new church.

The decision process included a series of ballots through which the congregation narrowed down six possible courses of action to one. Sometime around 10 p.m., after the third ballot had been collected, a tornado warning siren caused the meeting to be relocated from the sanctuary to the basement. Voting continued with only a slight delay, resulting in the final decision to build a new church on Richwoods Boulevard.

The tornadoes that struck the area that night caused injuries and property damage, most notably in South Pekin and Morton, but no deaths.

Although you may remember the stormy night when we voted to leave our home on Hamilton Boulevard, did you know that a tornado had also struck the area 92 years before, on the very day that building was dedicated?

Sunday, May 28, 1911
After months of construction, the new, larger Universalist church on Hamilton Boulevard—with its distinctive dome and beautiful arched stained-glass windows—was finally complete, or nearly so. The curved pews were crowded for the dedication service at 10:30 that Sunday morning. The Peoria Star reported that “in spite of the great heat, the ventilation could not be surpassed and every one was perfectly comfortable.”

But a cold front was on its way, bringing a dangerous storm. At 1:40 p.m., a tornado struck Pekin, killing two boys, ages fourteen and fifteen. They had been part of a group of fifteen boys who were swimming in Pekin Lake when the storm hit. Most of the boys were able to take shelter in the ice houses. The two who were killed didn’t get inside and were crushed when one of the ice houses collapsed.

In spite of the storm, the 7:30 evening service at the Universalist church was well attended. The weather by then was much more comfortable than it had been in the morning. According to the next day’s newspaper, the temperature in Peoria had dropped from 91 degrees to 71 degrees between 2:00 and 3:00 in the afternoon.

These events remind us that we should always be prepared for weather emergencies, at church and everywhere else, especially during tornado season. Be safe!

A Blogging Hiatus ... For Now

2009-05-22T11:39:00.004-05:00

So why there haven't been any posts on this blog for awhile? Well, mainly it's because I need to spend as much time as possible working on the new, updated church history book. It's coming along well, and I look forward to announcing its publication sometime later this year.

After the history book is published, the blog will start up again. It will serve as a way to share not only personal stories, but also tidbits that we didn't have room for in the history book, plus all the new discoveries that will inevitably follow. Until then, please enjoy the previous posts, and feel free to add comments.

Kathy

The “Bradley Memorial” Name

2008-05-14T07:33:00.001-05:00

History is a tricky thing. There are so many things we’d like to know, but don’t have information about. And sometimes historical “facts” turn out to be things we thought we knew, but now aren’t so sure about.

Case in point: We know that for a time, our church went by the name “Bradley Memorial.” This name was adopted in memory of Tobias S. Bradley, a prominent member of the church who died in 1867. His widow, Lydia Moss Bradley—also a member of our church—went on to become a businesswoman, philanthropist, and founder of Bradley University.

We thought we knew that the name change to “Bradley Memorial” took place in 1886. After all, it says so in the first published history of our church, written in 1926. And it says so in a handwritten church history found in one of our oldest surviving record books: “On the 19th of May 1886 at a regular Parish meeting it was decided to change the name of the Church to ‘Bradley Memorial’ First Universalist Church.” That history was apparently written around 1900.

A history of Peoria county published in 1902 seems to agree. It mentions the United States General Convention of Universalists held in Peoria in October, 1885, and says that the name of the church was changed to Bradley Memorial “soon after.” So we all agree it was in 1886, right?

However, on the day of our 165th anniversary dinner, an astute observer pointed out that the cover of the program featured a church document dated 1875, which plainly says “Bradley Memorial - First Universalist Church.”

Further investigation has revealed several other instances of the “Bradley Memorial” name being used prior to 1886. These include an 1885 entry in a church record book, the “Thanksgiving Newspaper” published by the ladies of the church in 1882, and a history of Peoria County published in 1880.

So just when was the name changed? And why do so many sources say it was in 1886? I don’t have definitive answers, but I’ll share some thoughts in a future post. In the meantime, feel free to share your comments.

165 Years Ago

2008-05-05T16:29:00.003-05:00

Today, May 5, is the actual 165th anniversary of the founding of our church. On that evening in 1843, a group of people gathered in the meeting room at the courthouse to hear a traveling Universalist preacher named Aaron Kinney. We don't know for sure how many people attended the meeting, but we do know that thirty-seven of them decided to form a Universalist Society. That small society survived, thrived (with some bumps along the way), and ultimately became the Universalist Unitarian Church of Peoria.

What better reminder could we have that the members and friends of our church are the church. The Universalist Society didn't have a building of its own, much less an organ, pews, or even (probably) a coffeepot. All its members had was each other and a shared vision. May we, as a church community, continue to build on their legacy. Happy anniversary!

The UU Cubs

2008-04-30T15:43:00.002-05:00

Spring is here, which for many of us means thoughts of baseball and our favorite teams. For a number of years our church had a softball team called the UU Cubs. (Or was it the Cuubs?) Now the team lives on only in legend, so I'm depending on some of you sports fans to step up to the plate and tell us all about it. Play ball!

More 1950s Memories: Interfaith Interaction

2008-04-28T15:18:00.003-05:00

In an earlier post, Dick Macdonald shared memories of the Peoria UU church youth group in the 1950s. Here are some additional stories from Dick about those days, this time focusing on the interaction between youth of different faiths.

The late 1940s and up to the middle of the 1950s, when I left Peoria for college, were interesting times for a UU living in Peoria. Separation of church and state was overlooked, with religious education classes being given in public grade schools. If one was in high school, a “religious” day off from school was offered to attend the downtown churches, where forums were given on religious topics. Students could choose which subjects to attend in the different churches. Even our minister, Rev. Richard Knost, led one of the discussion groups.

I remember Rev. Knost leading a discussion at the United Methodist Church on Hamilton. He started the discussion by asking the question, “As God took Adam’s rib to make Eve, do men still have one less rib than women?” I sat in the front row and immediately raised my hand and was given a hidden swift kick by Rev. Knost, forcing me to shut up. This simple question led to a deep discussion by the rest of the group as to whether the boys in the church’s forum really did have one less rib than the high school girls who were present.

Religious education was considered common in Peoria public schools, similar to my experiences in Boston, where verses of the Bible were read at the opening of each school day in the public school system. During these Peoria religious education classes, being the only Unitarian in my grade, I joined all my Jewish classmates out in the hall. We sat on the cold marble floor having to act like we were in a study hall. The advantage of these “study halls” is that I was invited to several Bar Mitzvahs.

As a UU, it was a challenge to explain one’s religion to fellow students. Fortunately, being born into the faith and having religion discussed openly many times in the Macdonald household, it was easy to quote sources outside of the Bible. I consider these discussions among fellow students at school more open than in these modern times. As Rev. Knost would say at the start of each Sunday service’s readings, a UU could always quote from “humanity’s ever growing Bible.”

Dating was very interesting, especially if one’s “steady” was Catholic. The first problem was one’s parents, who frowned very much on their son’s relationship with a Catholic girl. All Catholics were prevented from going to a Protestant church, but Catholics worked hard to have me attend Midnight Mass and other important services given, especially at St Mary’s Cathedral.

The funniest separation of the faiths was at Agatucci’s, which was the first pizza place in town. Everyone went there, especially after ball games in high school during winter. Since Catholics couldn’t eat meat on Friday, everyone would order their first pizza with only cheese. Next we would order a sausage pizza, which would fly out of Agi’s kitchen at the stroke of midnight, as all Catholics could then eat meat again.

Dr. Richard G. Macdonald (Dick)

How does this description of interfaith activities compare to your own experiences as a youth or adult? Post a comment to let us know.

Memorable Sunday Services

2008-04-06T07:48:00.007-05:00

I'm willing to bet that for a lot of people reading this, the very first service you attended at the UU Church of Peoria will always stand out in your mind—maybe because it touched you deeply, or maybe because you thought "These people must be crazy," or both! And if you've been coming awhile, there are probably other services that you remember because they were especially moving, creative, funny, or unusual in some other way.

I invite you to tell us about your first service or other services that were especially memorable to you, and what you thought of them. I'll start us out with the first story—just look for the comment link below and add your own.

1950s Youth Group

2008-03-25T21:24:00.006-05:00

I have it on good authority that our church had a very active youth group in the 1950s. In theory, many of its members could be out there reading this, wherever they are today. I know of at least one who’s still in our congregation. So...how about telling us a few stories?

A Wish List from 2001—Part II

2008-03-22T21:48:00.000-05:00

As explained in the last post, The Builder of September 28, 2001, included a two-page list of suggestions for adding to the quality of our church and its programs (part of the planning process for the 2002 budget). In Part I we looked at the physical items, which amounted to more than half the list.

So besides fixing up the building and grounds and purchasing some tangible items, what else did members and friends suggest? Check out the list below. Keep in mind that these ideas were proposed by individuals, so they don’t necessarily reflect the wishes of the majority. But it’s interesting to see which of these items have gone from being ideas in 2001 to a reality in 2008—and which are still just possibilities.

Personnel
Part-time, paid youth/young adult coordinator
Full-time assistant minister
Intern minister—become a teaching church
Church coordinator (paid position)

Programming/Worship/Meetings
Afternoon service on Sunday
Exercise/fitness program
ZPG/NPG meetings [Zero Population Growth, Negative Population Growth]
Quality speakers on science and social issues
Daytime, weekday group for seniors at the church
Book discussion group
Resume bookstore [Does that mean we had a bookstore before then?]
Longer meditation during the service
Do away with yellow mugs [for newcomers/visitors]
Hire out coffee hour

Other
A plan for recruiting young adults
Option to pay pledges by direct deposit or credit card
Group of volunteers available on short notice to bring a “shut-in” to church
Publish and sell a “decade in review” memory book

So there you have it—a time capsule of ideas from 2001. Do any of them resonate with you? What programs—these or others—would you put on your wish list for our church’s future?

A Wish List from 2001—Part I

2008-03-14T14:06:00.000-05:00

Not quite seven years ago, in September 2001, our congregation was getting ready to hold a town hall meeting to begin planning the 2002 church budget. Before the meeting, members and friends were asked to suggest possible ways to add to the quality of our church and its programs.

The suggestions that were offered filled two pages in The Builder (9/28/01). Looking at the list now, in retrospect, tells us something about where we were—literally and figuratively—and what our hopes and dreams were in 2001.

At least half of the suggestions related to the maintenance and improvement of our beloved but aging home on Hamilton Street. Now that we’re in a new home, some of those items, such as an elevator, are moot. Pretty much all of the rest (e.g. air conditioning, sprinkler system, roof that doesn’t leak, fresh paint) have been accomplished—although not, of course, in the same way as if we had stayed in the old building.

Refurbishing the organ was also on the list, and that’s been accomplished as well. We can also check off the automated external defibrillator, TV/VCR (we’ve moved on to a DVD player), new tables, and better playground equipment.

That’s not to say that we’ve acquired all of the tangible items from the list. We don’t have a bike rack or a Coke machine, for example. We did get a photo directory (in 2003), but it’s now out of date. And instead of a new, larger sign for displaying sermon titles, we currently don’t have one at all.

What do you think—would any of those items make it onto your own wish list? What other physical items would you add?

In Part II, we’ll look at non-tangible items from the 2001 wish list: personnel, programming, and more.

An Education Effort

2008-03-06T21:00:00.002-06:00

Continuing our discussion of the pastorship of Rev. David Maynard (1976-1981)...

The Sesquicentennial History mentions that the Maynards urged the Peoria school district "to take a realistic look at providing a contemporary sex education curriculum for young people to help them understand human relationships and population control."

I'd bet other church members were involved in that effort as well. Can anyone tell us more about it?

Seventies Support Group

2008-03-06T20:39:00.001-06:00

Earlier I promised we'd share stories about the years when Rev. David Maynard was our church's minister (1976-1981). We'll start by focusing on the church's involvement in social concerns of the day.

Our church's Sesquicentennial History notes that Rev. Maynard and his wife, Jane, "broadened the social consciousness of members." One of the activities it mentions is "a support group on social problems." I'd love to know more about that support group. What was the format? What kinds of social problems did it address? If you remember that group, and especially if you participated in it, please add a comment to let us know.

Rev. Maynard's Visit

2008-03-06T19:36:00.003-06:00

As announced in The Builder, one of our former ministers will be a special guest during our 165th anniversary celebration. Rev. David More Maynard and his wife, Jane, will attend the anniversary dinner on Saturday, May 3, and Rev. Maynard will preach the sermon on Sunday, May 4.

Rev. Maynard is currently serving Eastrose Fellowship Unitarian Universalist in Gresham, Oregon. He was minister of our Peoria church from September 1976 until sometime in 1981.

In future blog posts, we'll be sharing stories about what was going on in the church during those years. For now, we'd just like to thank David and Jane for accepting our invitation to come all the way from Oregon to visit us. If you remember the Maynards, or even if you don't, feel free to post a comment to say "hi" and make them feel welcome!

165th Anniversary: Mark Your Calendar

2008-03-06T19:32:00.001-06:00

Our church was founded on May 5, 1843. That means we've been around for almost 165 years and are still going strong! To celebrate, current and former members and friends are invited to join us on Saturday evening, May 3, for a special dinner at the church. Details are still being worked out, but it's safe to say there will be food, fellowship, and fun. Watch the Builder or our website for further announcements.