Welcome
Welcome to the First Presbyterian Church of Urbana! We believe that everyone who enters these doors is God’s guest. This is a safe place, to search for and find God, to ask questions along with others who know that the life of faith is not about having all the answers, and to open doors to paths that might be familiar and some that might be entirely new. Read more …
PCUSA News
- NEXT Church director will leave her post later this monthMay 11, 2021 The Rev. Jessica Tate, who helped lead NEXT Church into what she called “a space for sparking imagination, telling the truth, working for justice and pouring into church leaders in this time when the church as an institution is precarious,” has announced she will leave her position at the end of the […]
- God made the church to be an instrument of peace and justiceMay 11, 2021 Even in today’s climate, the church still stands as God’s instrument in the world to seek peace, love and justice for all people.
- Visionary leader helps young DREAAMers live the dreamMay 11, 2021 Having grown up as a Black Baptist in Mississippi, Tracy Dace freely admits that when he first walked into First Presbyterian Church of Champaign, Ill., he did so cautiously.
- CREDO Sabbath: A virtual retreatMay 10, 2021 For more than a decade, pastors gathered for CREDO conferences. During the weeklong retreats, they focused on personal renewal and shared their experiences and compassion with each other. When they parted, it was with a renewed sense of call.
Regular morning worship featuring Director of Music, Sinhaeng Lee, Organist, Ted Turner, the FPCU Choir, Section Leaders, Reagan Stohler & Abby Gast, Harpsichordist, Han Cheol Kang, and a sermon based on Acts 10:44-48 & John 15:9-17 entitled, "Disciples and Friends."
www.youtube.com/watch?v=USY24kde7dA
Sixth Sunday of Easter - May 9, 2021
Worship – Streaming at 9:30 a.m. on Sunday morning.
Fellowship and Seminar -- Streaming after Worship.
“Spirit of the Community,” a sculpture at the Belmont Civic Center, Belmont, New South Wales, Australia.
The popular understanding of spirituality is that anyone can be spiritual all on their own. For some spiritualities, that may be true, though I doubt it. For Christianity, there is no such thing as being spiritual alone. Though there are hermits within our tradition, even they maintain connections with the larger community. Thomas Merton lived in a hermitage for the last years of his life, but the hermitage was on the grounds of the monastery and he maintained regular contact with the brothers and with guests. For the rest of us, community is essential. Join us on Sunday as we hear passages from the Book of Acts and the Gospel of John which make clear that God has given us an amazing gift in the community we know as church.
Pastor David
May Seminar Series on Racial Justice: Following worship on May 9 and 16, we’ll have fellowship, then the seminar will begin at 11:00 a.m. The Zoom link is the same as for worship (as listed on page 11).
Session created our Racial Justice Task Force last June following the murder of Breanna Taylor, Ahmaud Arbery, and George Floyd. Marty Lampman, Barbara Mann, Jancie Harris, David Chato, and Pastor David have been working to understand in a deeper way the ways racism and white supremacy has infected our nation as well as ways Presbyterians are responding. We will present two more Adult Seminars that will help bring our congregation to understand what we have learned. Background Readings will be emailed each week before the seminar.
May 9: White Privilege. The term “white privilege” is used to refer to the un-earned advantages that are enjoyed by those who are white in the United States. Whether we know it or not, whether we feel privileged or feel hard-pressed, white persons benefit as individuals and as a group in the present social order of our society. Many white people would prefer to ignore or deny this reality; this is one of the reasons that racism is often defined in terms of personal prejudice. However, it is an accurate portrayal of our cultural reality: some are advantaged and others are disadvantaged simply because of their race. The sense that whites are somehow without a race is obvious in the way we speak. The default description of race is white; i.e. "A new guy finally moved into the house next door. African American guy. Seems nice." Yet you'd rarely if ever say "A new guy finally moved in next door. White guy. Seems nice." White is the default; black or Asian or Hispanic is "Other." And no matter how fair- minded we as individuals may be, we as a society have a long way to go. In this study we'll define white privilege, unmask the manifestations of white privilege in our everyday life, and discuss the impact this un-earned advantage has on people of color. Activities and discussion questions that enable us to recognize elements of white privilege in our own environment are included.
May 16: The Complicity of White Churches with White Supremacy and Ways to End It. In this study, we will review the research findings of Robert P. Jones presented in his book, White Too Long: The Legacy of White Supremacy in American Christianity, and historian, Anthea Butler, presented in her book, White Evangelical Racism: The Politics of Morality in America. We will complete the seminar with the hopeful recommendations of Jemar Tisby from his latest book, How to Fight Racism, and Professor Brenda Salter McNeil’s book, Becoming Brave: Finding the Courage to Pursue Racial Justice Now, as well as remind us of the invitation of our own denomination to become a Matthew 25 congregation.
Join Us for Sunday 9:30 a.m. Worship, Fellowship and Seminar!
1. YouTube Channel:
www.youtube.com/channel/UC0Eiz3KggoReHXIW6ns5HWg
2. Facebook link to YouTube at:
www.facebook.com/FirstPresChurchUrbana/
Scroll down to the post from that morning
3. Zoom click on: zoom.us/j/8144246357
Meeting ID: 814 424 6357 (if necessary)
Password 475210
4. Landline or phone that is not a smart phone:
1 (312) 626-6799.
Meeting ID: 814 424 6357 (if necessary)
Password 475210
Regular morning worship featuring the Chamber Singers of UIUC, Director of Music, Sinhaeng Lee, Organist, Ted Turner, the FPCU Choir, Section Leaders, Reagan Stohler and Abby Gast, and a sermon based on John 15:1-8 entitled, "Abiding Sometimes Means Pruning."
www.youtube.com/watch?v=l0BKrgK0hgk
May Seminar Series on Racial Justice: Following worship on May 2, 9 and 16, we’ll have fellowship, then the seminar will begin at 11:00 a.m.
Session created our Racial Justice Task Force last June following the murder of Breanna Taylor, Ahmaud Arbery, and George Floyd. Marty Lampman, Barbara Mann, Jancie Harris, David Chato, and Pastor David have been working to understand in a deeper way the ways racism and white supremacy has infected our nation as well as ways Presbyterians are responding. In May, we will present three Adult Seminars that will help bring our congregation to understand what we have learned. Background Readings will be emailed each week before the seminar.
May 2: Racism 101. In this study, participants will expand upon their understanding of racism and its corrosive effects by defining the various terms associated with it, identifying some of the core concepts involved in addressing it in a substantive way, and developing an acceptable common language for talking about it. Participants will also come to understand how racism--whether covert or overt--flies in the face of our Christian faith. By the end of this session, members of your group will have a deeper understanding about racism not just as a personal failing but as a societal challenge, as well. In addition, as the terms involved in the discussion of racism are explored and defined, your group will be able to work toward a common language in order to allow your discussions of race and racism more productive. Beyond defining terms such as privilege, power, race, culture, ethnicity, and racism this study also challenges participants to make a personal commitment to challenge racism in their lives.