Congregational UCC of Iowa City

09/05/2026

THE LIBERAL CHURCH YOU'VE BEEN LOOKING FOR

WORSHIP WITH US on Sunday, September 6, at 10:15 a.m.
WE LIVE STREAM OUR WORSHIP SERVICES AT 10:15 ON SUNDAY MORNING. You can join us online in real time at https://vimeo.com/event/1424751. This streaming address is the same each week.
The video of Sunday’s worship service will be posted after worship at
https://vimeo.com/channels/1547852.

A recent article in Forbes said that “Labor Day 2026 might be termed the ‘Labor Day of AI.’”

It seems appropriate, then, that my final sermon in this series on the real and the artificial falls on Labor Day weekend and that it should offer some thoughts on artificial intelligence. After all, that is the “artificial” that we are most concerned about in these days—how artificial intelligence is affecting our real lives and our real work.

I am, of course, in way over my head—and maybe that’s when sermons become worth listening to.

SCRIPTURE LESSONS: Jeremiah 12:1-5; II Thessalonians 3:6-13
SERMON: “The Real and the Artificial—Part IV: Artificial Intelligence and Real Life”
The Rev. Bill Lovin preaching

ANTHEM “Mon Seul” Nicolas Gombert (c. 1495-1560)
Prairie Piffari
THE PRAIRIE PIFFARI is a Renaissance Wind Band with Aaron Burmeister, Dennis Pedde, and John Reitz, cornetti; Russ Lenth, tenor cornetto; Charles Koster, curtal (dulcian), Nathan Platte and Mark Rheaume, sackbuts. Their music for this Sunday features five- to seven-part wind band music from the fifteenth and sixteenth centuries. They offer the music in this worship service as thanks for being able to practice regularly in the Sanctuary.

No matter who you are or where you are on life’s journey, you are welcome here.

09/03/2026

08/29/2026

THE LIBERAL CHURCH YOU'VE BEEN LOOKING FOR

WORSHIP WITH US on Sunday, August 30, at 10:15 a.m.

WE LIVE STREAM OUR WORSHIP SERVICES AT 10:15 ON SUNDAY MORNING. You can join us online in real time at https://vimeo.com/event/1424751. This streaming address is the same each week.
The video of Sunday’s worship service will be posted after worship at https://vimeo.com/channels/1547852.

I’m exploring the real and the artificial in my sermons on these late summer Sundays—as in various ways we encounter and think about the real and the artificial in our lives and in the world.

Now, on the first two Sundays, I emphasized the real, encouraging you, as scripture does, to “let love be genuine,” to “take hold of the life that is really life. As I thought about this in the past week, I’m worried that you might think, “He says ‘artificial’ like it’s a bad thing.”

But it isn’t—at least not always.

Yes, sometimes “artificial” can mean “fake,” “imitation,” “sham.”

Artificial also means simply “made by human beings instead of naturally occurring. And that’s not necessarily bad. Sometimes the artificial can help us to see something deeper, something more real.

Dolly Parton helps us with this, as she helped us with so much.

SCRIPTURE LESSONS: Exodus 31:1-11; Isaiah 40:18-20
SERMON: “The Real and the Artificial, Part II: The Work of Our Hands”
The Rev. Bill Lovin preaching

ANTHEM “Down in My Soul” Moses Hogan
Women’s Ensemble: Marie Von Behren, Linda Svalstad, Sarah Fairfield, Nadia Spragg, Betsy Henson, Kelly Brown, Erin Brown, Barb Sisley, Cheryl Weatherford, Rebecca Weatherford

No matter who you are or where you are on life’s journey, you are welcome here.

08/24/2026

Happy first day of school students, families, teachers & staff!
Pre-K through post-doc students had a beautiful day to begin their fall semester!

We met many a smiling students with popcorn, popsicles and a welcome. Wherever you are on your journey, you are welcome here.

08/22/2026

THE LIBERAL CHURCH YOU'VE BEEN LOOKING FOR

WORSHIP WITH US on Sunday, August 23, at 10:15 a.m.
WE LIVE STREAM OUR WORSHIP SERVICES AT 10:15 ON SUNDAY MORNING. You can join us online in real time at https://vimeo.com/event/1424751. This streaming address is the same each week.
The video of Sunday’s worship service will be posted after worship at https://vimeo.com/channels/1547852.

Last Sunday I began this series of sermons looking at the real and the artificial. How do we know the difference? What are the perils and possibilities that they present?

Replicas of the real thing abound. So we would do well to take the advice of First Timothy as it encourages us: “Take hold of the life that is really life.”

What is this “real life?” How do we make sure that the life we are living is the real thing rather than an “authentic replica?” And how are we to grasp onto it?

These are good questions at any time, but they seem especially appropriate today as we stand on the brink of a new school year and a new program year here at Congregational UCC. As the summer winds down, it seems fitting to make sure that the life we are living is really life.

SCRIPTURE LESSONS: Deuteronomy 30:19-20: I Timothy 6:17-19
SERMON: “The Real and the Artificial, Part II: Take Hold of Real Life”
The Rev. Bill Lovin preaching

ANTHEM “Sonntag” Andrew Knapp

No matter who you are or where you are on life’s journey, you are welcome here.

08/20/2026

VBS 2026 in the books: All God’s Creatures Have a Place In the Choir! Cardboard pets inspired by No Elephants Allowed by Lisa Mantchev. Rainbow bread making, repurposing medicine bottles for clinics throughout Africa with and pigs in a blanket provided by the Daytons, we left with full hearts & bellies.

We had a fabulous time together!
All are welcome at

Church school year begins September 13! Sunday school for ages pre-k-8th grade @9:15 (breakfast included!) followed by worship & children’s worship at 10:15. Youth group for grades 6th-12th Sundays 5:00-6:30. (supper included!)

Join us for food, fellowship and fun!

A HUGE thank you:
“All in” support to Bea Hicks and Sally Hills Strang
Dessert EVERY night to Betsy H.
Bread making extraordinaire Rebecca W.
Art making maestro Margo G.
Chefs Tom Mittman Chuck and Sue Addis Dayton
Circle time & thoughtful discussion Patricia Henderson and Bill Lovin Service project brought to us by Donna H. and 100 Grannies
Musical magic by our Youth choir director Rachel B. and other general awesomeness Darcie Hutzell and Virginia S.
Our wonderful & busy families who found time to join us and our diligent custodial staff (always) for such good stewardship of our space that we live in well!
*surely I have forgotten someone who is deserving of our heartfelt gratitude.💕🙏

08/19/2026

Leaping Lizards! We had a great second night of . Delicious Spaghetti dinner and cookies, thank you to Tom M.and Betsy H. followed by music and discussion of the Good Samaritan and our call to not only welcome our neighbors but care for them, too!

We added color to our bread dough, eyes, bows and fabulous texture to our cardboard pets, levitated in potato sacks 😜and ended with yoga and prayer.

What a blessed night!

08/18/2026

An amazing first night of ! A few of our favorite things: service, bread making, art, music & pudding cups. We also helped with project to prepare used medicine bottles for use in clinics throughout Africa.
We were so happy to welcome a couple of friends from Gloria Dei!

We look forward to two more nights of food, fellowship & fun with a focus on belonging. Come visit in where the foundation of our practice is loving and living in service to our neighbors.

08/15/2026

THE LIBERAL CHURCH YOU'VE BEEN LOOKING FOR

WORSHIP WITH US on Sunday, August 16, at 10:15 a.m.

WE LIVE STREAM OUR WORSHIP SERVICES AT 10:15 ON SUNDAY MORNING. You can join us online in real time at https://vimeo.com/event/1424751. This streaming address is the same each week.
The video of Sunday’s worship service will be posted after worship at https://vimeo.com/channels/1547852.

Like many people, I’ve been hearing and reading and thinking about artificial intelligence. It’s hard not to. Much of what I’ve learned is disconcerting. Then came the op-ed piece whose title warned: “If You Weren’t Worried About A.I., You Should Be After the Past Few Weeks.”

So, in the coming weeks, I want to explore the real and the artificial—and I’ll come back to that warning about AI on an upcoming Sunday. But it seems to me that if we are going to understand the artificial, we first need to consider the real.

And that’s not always easy.

SCRIPTURE LESSONS: Romans 12:9-13; John 15:12-16a
SERMON: “The Real and the Artificial, Part I: Let Love Be Genuine”
The Rev. Bill Lovin preaching

ANTHEM “Serenity” Ola Gejeilo
We are happy to welcome our guest instrumentalists this morning: Mark Anderson and Addie Schindler, trumpet, Jessica Wiskus, horn, Nathan Currie and Andy Owens, trombone, Nick Todd, tuba, Cecily Colins, violin.

No matter who you are or where you are on life’s journey, you are welcome here.