Geneva Unitarian Church is celebrating 40 years of cookie walks
One of Geneva's oldest and sweetest holiday traditions celebrates its 40th anniversary, as the Unitarian Universalist Society of Geneva hosts its annual Cookie Walk on Friday, Dec. 1.
Held in conjunction with Geneva's popular Christmas Walk at the church's historic building on the corner of Second and James St., the Cookie Walk from 4:30 to 6:30 p.m. will offer thousands of festive and delicious holiday cookies for sale, all homemade by church members. Guests will purchase a cookie box and then choose their cookies from a wide range of shapes, sizes and flavors.
A helpful "elf" will be paired with each guest, walking them through Cookie Lane and filling their box as they go.
The price for each box is $20. A box can hold two to three dozen cookies depending on the cookie sizes selected.
Money raised at the event helps fund the work of the church and the social justice programs it supports, including Habitat for Humanity, Lazarus House homeless shelter, Northern Illinois Food Bank, and other community organizations.
A raffle fundraiser also will be held, featuring handmade, one-of-a-kind Christmas crafts, including two quilts, stained glass art pieces, and other holiday-themed prizes.
"Baking for the Cookie Walk is a holiday tradition for many of our church members, and each has his or her favorite recipes, some of which have been passed down over generations in their families," said Jenny Montgomery, who is co-chairing the event along with Molly MacKay Zacker. "As we bake and decorate this year's batches, we also honor the memory of our longtime church member Betty Bristol, founder of the Cookie Walk back in 1983, who passed away earlier this year."
During the Geneva Christmas Walk, the church also will be selling hot cocoa and coffee on its Third Street property, directly west of the church and across from the historic Kane County courthouse, with proceeds helping to fund the church youth's 2024 Habitat for Humanity homebuilding project.
Founded in 1842, the Unitarian Universalist Society of Geneva is the oldest church in town, part of a centuries-old liberal religious tradition that values reason and free thought over dogma and creed. Led by the Rev. Scot Hull, it is a unique religious voice in the community, offering worship services and religious education programs that draw on diverse spiritual traditions, as well as outreach initiatives that advance social justice causes locally and around the world. Learn more at www.uusg.org.