Wesley United Methodist Church at the University of Illinois

Wesley United Methodist Church at the University of Illinois Wesley United Methodist Church at the University of Illinois is where campus and community meet. Wesley is where campus and community meet.

We are committed to welcoming all, growing in faith, and serving in love. Located in the heart of the University of Illinois campus, we are committed to welcoming all, growing in faith, and serving in love. We are a diverse congregation where people of all ages, from all over the world, gather to worship, study, and serve together. WORSHIP
Wesley has three primary worship services: a traditional service at 9:30 on Sundays; a contemporary/coffeehouse service at 11:20 on Sundays; and a student-led worship at 8 pm on Wednesdays during the academic year. Whether you attend one or all three, Wesley is a place to gather together, with beautiful music, in a vibrant and inclusive community. STUDY
At Wesley, we don’t have all the answers. Instead, we’re constantly asking questions and offer a safe, comfortable, and diverse environment in which to ask questions as you explore your faith in fellowship with friends, old and new. SERVE
At the heart of Wesley’s mission is a commitment to service and social action. From our Wesley Food Pantry that serves thousands each year to mission trips, from the annual CROP Walk to the sustainability-focused Green Team, Wesley offers a ton of ways to get involved and make a difference in our community. Learn more at wesleyui.org

09/16/2026

Before human beings appear in Genesis, God has already filled the world with life, called it good, and blessed its creatures.

Their goodness does not begin when we discover a use for them. Human authority enters a world that God already loves.

09/15/2026

Forests, rivers, soil, plants, and animals sustain human life. But what happens when our benefit becomes the only measure of their worth?

We may call it stewardship, but when we treat the earth as expendable, it looks much more like ownership—as if creation belongs to us rather than to God.

09/14/2026

What if the world is not simply a gift placed in human hands for our benefit? What if we are held within a community of gifts, receiving life from others before we have anything to give in return?

Robin Wall Kimmerer’s telling of Skywoman invites us to return to Genesis with new questions about our place in creation.

09/13/2026

This Sacred Ground | Week 2: Our Place in Creation
Genesis 1:20-31
Sermon by the Rev. David Fuquay

What does it mean to bear God’s image in a world that God already loves?

In “Our Place in Creation,” we bring Genesis into conversation with the story of Skywoman, as told by Robin Wall Kimmerer in Braiding Sweetgrass. Her account of belonging and reciprocity invites us to reconsider what “dominion” means—and what we might learn from the creatures entrusted to our care.

Part two of This Sacred Ground explores how our own scriptures call us to reflect God’s love through humble, responsible care for creation.

09/12/2026

*Eucharist* means thanksgiving.

At the Communion table, bread and cup—gifts of soil and rain, sunlight and seed, grain and vine—are revealed as signs and means of God’s grace.

We come with empty hands, ready to receive and to live gratefully.

09/11/2026

Reciprocity means allowing what has been given to us to become a gift through us.

We protect what gives life. We enjoy without exhausting. We use without using up. We share rather than hoard.

Gratitude takes material form.

Part 2 of 2.

09/10/2026

A gift is not a transaction.

We cannot settle the account for sunlight, breath, water, food, beauty, or life itself. Robin Wall Kimmerer calls the relationship created by a gift reciprocity—and Psalm 104 teaches us that it begins with gratitude.

Part 1 of 2.

09/09/2026

Psalm 104 is not simply a poem about something God made long ago.

Water flows. Plants grow. Creatures are fed. Breath is given. New life appears. The face of the ground is renewed.

Creation is something God is continually doing.

09/08/2026

Robin Wall Kimmerer’s “The Gift of Strawberries” asks a question that can change how we see the world:

What if the world is first of all a gift?

In this first message of *This Sacred Ground*, we bring that question into conversation with Psalm 104 and the God whose generosity sustains all life.

Looking for a Christian faith rooted in love of God and love of neighbor—and spacious enough for honest questions?Join u...
09/08/2026

Looking for a Christian faith rooted in love of God and love of neighbor—and spacious enough for honest questions?

Join us tonight at 6:00 p.m. at the University YMCA for Progressive Christianity 101.

Pastors and campus ministers from several local churches and ministries will offer brief introductions to topics including questions and doubt, LGBTQIA+ inclusion, Scripture, Christian nationalism and racism, creation care, peace and justice, and more—followed by time for conversation and Q&A.

Pastor David will be speaking about environment and creation care.

All are welcome.

Address

1203 W Green Street
Urbana, IL
61801

Opening Hours

Monday 8am - 5pm
Tuesday 8am - 5pm
Wednesday 8am - 5pm
Thursday 8am - 5pm
Friday 8am - 5pm
Sunday 8am - 5pm

Telephone

+12173441120

Website

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