On a wooded stretch of West Northmoor Road in Peoria, Illinois, United Presbyterian Church of Peoria has shaped its ministry around an unusually broad welcome. The congregation's stated mission is "to build nurturing relationships through mission and inclusive worship by extending grace and compassion in a diverse world," and that mission shows up in everything from how Sunday worship is led to how the church feeds children on the weekends. UPC is a member congregation of the Presbyterian Church (USA), and it partners with local schools, neighborhood centers, and denominational ministries to do the work of faith in public.
A Blended, Intentionally Inclusive Sunday Morning
UPC gathers for one service each Sunday at 10:00 AM in the sanctuary, followed by a fellowship hour with coffee, tea, and cookies prepared by a group known as the Dough Boys. The service lasts about an hour and is offered both in person and on livestream through YouTube and Facebook.
The style is best described as blended. Worship music at UPC ranges from classical and jazz to traditional hymns, songs from the global church, chants, and contemporary Christian music, with a dedicated team of musicians building each Sunday's offerings around the day's scripture. Services include prayers, song, and Scripture reading, and the congregation understands that God's word can come through art and shared stories as well as through the sermon.
The welcome is wide and specific. UPC affirms that every person is created in God's image and offers love and acceptance regardless of social, economic, or marital status, race or ethnicity, ability or age, sexual orientation or gender identity, or previous religious affiliation. On first Sundays, the congregation celebrates Communion; children help set the table and serve as worship leaders that morning as a visible sign of that welcome. On second, third, and fourth Sundays, children age 3 through 8th grade are dismissed for their own classes after a Time with Young Disciples.
Children and Worship at the Center of Everything
Children are not an afterthought at UPC. The church's intentionally intergenerational identity is built into the worship bulletin: worship bags with coordinated materials and rainbow streamers are available as worshippers enter, and a Quiet Room at the back of the sanctuary overlooks the sanctuary for babies and toddlers who need to stretch. Families are encouraged to sit near the front so that children can stay connected to the action.
That same intergenerational instinct shapes the staff search currently underway. UPC is calling an Associate Pastor with energy for engaging middle schoolers, high schoolers, and young adults, and with the drive to develop new missional outreach programs. The position description emphasizes flexibility, collaboration, and the ability to think creatively beyond traditional programming in a multi-generational congregation. Candidates from the PCUSA can apply through the Church Leadership Connection system, and UPC is also open to candidates from its full communion partners.
Reaching Out: Snack Packs, Blankets, and a Christmas Shop
UPC's missional work is organized around sustained partnerships with Peoria schools, neighborhood organizations, and denominational ministries.
- Snack Packs. Because weekend hunger is a reality for many local families, UPC partners with Northmoor Elementary and the Elise Ford Allen Academy. Teachers identify students in need and, with parental permission, send a Snack Pack home each Friday. The congregation now provides more than 600 Snack Packs every month, assembling them on the first and third Sundays immediately after worship with everyone in the congregation taking part.
- Share the Warmth. Coordinated by the Anna Circle, this project produces fleece blankets for those in need of warmth and is shared with The Dream Center, Family House, the Peoria Rescue Mission, and the United Way. Blankets have also gone to individuals within the congregation who are in need. The group gathers on the second Saturday of the month at 9:30 AM to cut, tie, and sew, and donations of fleece, fabric store coupons, and money keep the project supplied.
- Family Christmas Shop. In partnership with Southside Community Center, UPC gathers gifts requested by families and prepares a holiday celebration. Families enjoy holiday-themed activities, a professional family portrait, and refreshments; children participate in activities while parents and caregivers use a Wrapping Center staffed by volunteer "elves." A Christmas Tree in the lobby lists the gifts needed each November, though financial contributions are accepted year-round.
- Faith in Action Sundays. Twice a year, worship in the sanctuary is followed by service projects on campus and across the community. Partners include LULA, Peoria Porch Pantry, Phoenix Community Development Services, and Southside Community Center. UPC also contributes to Presbyterian Disaster Assistance when needs arise farther from home.
Through the Presbyterian Church (USA), UPC participates in four church-wide Special Offerings each year: One Great Hour of Sharing (supporting Presbyterian Disaster Assistance, Self-Development of People, and the Presbyterian Hunger Program), the Pentecost Offering (with a portion retained for local youth ministry), Peace and Global Witness (shared among the congregation, presbytery, synod, and national ministries), and the Christmas Joy Offering (assisting church workers in need and supporting leadership development at Presbyterian-related schools and colleges serving communities of color).
UPC Discovery: A Preschool on the Same Campus
Sharing the UPC campus is UPC Discovery Early Learning Center, a ministry of the church that serves children from toddlers through pre-kindergarten. UPC Discovery is recognized as a Gold Circle of Quality Center by the Illinois Department of Human Services, the only program of its kind in the Peoria area to hold that designation, and is the only early care and education program within 50 miles of Peoria to be fully accredited by the National Association for the Education of Young Children (NAEYC).
The school offers a half-day preschool program for ages 3 to 5 (four mornings a week, 8:30 to 11:30 AM), a full-day preschool program (8:15 AM to 3:15 PM, Monday through Friday), and a two-day toddler program for ages 24 to 36 months (Mondays and Tuesdays, 9:00 to 11:30 AM). Optional before-care (7:00 to 8:15 AM) and after-care (3:15 to 5:30 PM) extend the day for working families.
The curriculum is Reggio-based and project-driven, focusing on engaging the heart, body, and imagination. Children investigate topics they choose themselves, supported by teachers who document their learning and by visiting experts from the wider community. Faith formation comes through Godly Play, and the school places an unusually strong emphasis on nature, art, music, and drama. The outdoor learning area is a Certified Nature Explore Classroom, and the broader campus is an official National Wildlife Habitat and Monarch Way Station. Lora Taylor directs the program.
A Campus Built Around Nature
Nature is not simply a backdrop at UPC; it is part of the ministry. The Nature Connections Team helps weave together the work of the congregation, the preschool, and UPC's children and youth around the church's outdoor spaces, which include gardens, a playground, the Nature Explore Classroom, and trails down to a creek.
Programs include Feather Friends, a biweekly winter gathering on Zoom focused on backyard birds; Spring and Fall Work Days that maintain the campus; a Little Nature Library and other hands-on experiences for children; an annual God's Natural World Photo Contest; and Christmas Tree for the Birds, where preschool children assemble ornament kits for the trees.
The land itself carries a personal history. Rev. Dr. Randall Saxon, co-founder and pastor emeritus of United Presbyterian Church, was a certified Master Gardener who drew up the original site plan when the property was purchased, shaping what had been a school building, parking lot, and woods into the walking campus members and visitors enjoy today. Shortly before his death in 2019, the Nature Connections Committee walked the property with him and recorded the experience in a video now shared on the church's site.
Pastoral Leadership, Elders, and Deacons
Pastor Debra Avery leads the congregation. The Rev. Anna Saxon serves as Pastoral Care Specialist, and Sue Hulin is the church's Worship Accompanist. UPC is governed by an elder-led session, with elders organized into teams covering Worship, Missional Engagement, Christian Education, Church Life, Stewardship and Finance, Properties, UPC Discovery Preschool, and Nature Connections. Deacons are organized into parish groups that shepherd smaller circles of congregants, a ministry the church traces back to the New Testament church's care for those in need.
Visiting United Presbyterian Church
The church office is open Monday through Thursday, 9 AM to 3 PM, and visitors are welcome to stop by any time. On Sunday mornings, the Welcome Team is ready to greet new faces, and a Welcome Card in the pew makes it easy to leave a note for the pastor to follow up. Coffee Talk meets on Tuesdays at 10 AM on Zoom, a Mah Jongg Group gathers Tuesdays at 1 PM, and Pastor Debra leads Bible Study on Thursdays at 10 AM (in person and on Zoom) and again at 7:30 PM on Zoom. The church is mask-optional and offers a large sanctuary that can accommodate social distancing for those who prefer it.
There is no dress code at UPC. On any given Sunday, worshippers may wear suits and ties, dresses and skirts, or jeans and t-shirts. After the service, members and visitors are invited to linger over coffee and cookies, walk the campus trails, wade in the creek, sit on a park bench, or let the children explore the playground.