The Unitarian Universalist Church of Bloomington-Normal was organized in 1859. A “Declaration of Views” was adopted in 1861, which stated, among other things, the church would recognize “the right and duty of private judgment in all matters whatsoever, without control of or dictation by any human or ecclesiastical authority.”

The Church’s Building and its People

The history of the church reveals members who have left their mark on regional and national affairs. Two state governors, Joseph Fifer and Adlai Stevenson, and the state’s first woman senator, Florence Fifer Bohrer, were church members. Seven buildings on the Illinois State University campus have been named for people from this congregation: Jesse Fell, Thomas Metcalf, John W. Cook, David Felmley, Adlai Stevenson II, H.H. Schroeder, and Jennie Whitten. Jesse Fell was largely responsible for the establishment of the University in Normal.

The Bloomington congregation began construction of its first building in the summer of 1866 and the edifice was completed in 1868. In 1903, the building underwent restoration and a new tracker pipe organ was purchased. Eventually, as the years took their toll, the building at the corner of East and Jefferson Street could no longer be used for services. The property was sold and a new building was constructed on Emerson Street in 1960, 101 years after the church had first been established. A Religious Education addition was completed in 1968. Several mementos, including the tracker organ and two of the stained glass windows, were brought from the old building to the new. Some stained glass windows from the original church have been recently acquired from the McLean County Historical Museum.

Tradition of Religious Freedom

The Unitarian tradition, now over 400 years old, is based on the firm belief that people should develop their ideas and convictions about religion in an atmosphere of free inquiry. Hence Unitarian Universalists have no creed, for we believe that religion is the way we think of life and the way we use what we think in our daily lives. Religion guides us to decide which things are of real worth to us as individuals and to society as a whole. Our beliefs help us live in such a way as to demonstrate that caring about others, yet leaving them free to differ with us, is essential in our relationships with one another. Most people associated with the Unitarian Universalist Church know it primarily as a stimulating community of friendship, where people, young and old, are cherished for their uniqueness as well as for what they hold in common.

Over the years the church has served Bloomington Normal in many ways. We were part of the original Bloomington Aid Association in 1860 and continue our community mission through assistance to Western Avenue Community Center, Lawrence Irvin Center, Clare House, Fellowship Christmas Fund, UNICEF, Boys and Girls Clubs, UUSC, Churches Community Care Fund, and more.

Organization

The Unitarian Universalist Church in Bloomington is affiliated with the Unitarian Universalist Association, which has headquarters in Boston, but each church is autonomous. We are financed and governed entirely by our members.

There is within the church a Church Board of Directors and a variety of committees. Church members elect the Church Board and it is the policy making group of the Congregation. A variety of standing committees are integral to the church’s operation. Their volunteer members work on teaching religious education, building and grounds, membership, helping one another, worship services, social events, and finance. Lay Ministers for weddings provide marriage ceremonies for non-church members. In addition, we have a number of groups, including the Women’s Federation, Baroque’n Consort, Monday Lunch Bunch, Youth Group, and Adult and Children Choirs.

Worship

Our congregation encompasses a wide variety of religious views: humanist, Christian, agnostic, theist, atheist, mystic, naturalist, and more. Worship is the center of our community life and we find that our theological differences enhance our worshipping together.

Services vary in form as well as content. For the most part they include a sermon, songs, readings, and music. Some services take the form of a community celebration with words, music, and visual displays. Other services are primarily discussions between a speaker or panel and the congregation. Worship is the way we recommit ourselves to our personal religious values and beliefs in a shared experience.

Religious Exploration

Religious Exploration in a Unitarian Universalist church community is a unique experience. We are committed to providing experiences that will nurture and challenge members.

Our children’s program is designed to provide a safe, friendly space in which young people can explore their potential abilities, develop personal moral values and ethics, become part of a religious community, discover their world, and construct a religious life.

Children and youth meet during the church service. Elementary age children usually sit with their parents for the opening portion of the worship service, before their age groups meet.

Adult education programs range from theological exploration to social action awareness to literature discussions.

The Unitarian Universalist Church welcomes and celebrates the diversity of human experience including religious background, cultural and racial identities and differences in ability, sexual orientation, and gender identity that make up the human family.