The All Souls Experience
Welcome to All Souls Church Unitarian! Here’s where you can learn more about our dynamic worship, our diverse community, and our work in the world.
We meet on Sunday mornings at 10:30, both in person and on Zoom (link is on our homepage). You can also check out previous services here.
Here are some things you should know.
What time should I arrive?
We begin the worship service at 10:30 AM.
People start gathering in the sanctuary 10 – 15 minutes before the service. If you’d like to ask questions about the church, show up a bit earlier to speak with one of our greeters, stationed by the main entrance.
The Zoom room for the online service also opens approximately 15 minutes before the service. When you log in, you’ll arrive in a waiting room and the host will let you into the main room.
What happens during a worship service?
Every Sunday is different, but there are some basic elements. We start with and enjoy live music throughout the service. After a call to worship, the congregation sings an opening hymn and is then welcomed to church by one of our worship associates. We have a brief greeting period, when you can say hi to your neighbors in the pews. After more music, we sometimes hear a Story for All Ages or witness the dedication of children; we always listen to morning announcements and a prayer. After a hymn and some silence, the minister or a guest preacher delivers a sermon. We then pass the offering plate, accompanied by more music. After a final hymn, we receive a benediction before heading to Pierce Hall for coffee or out into the world to start another week.
What should I wear?
Come as you are! Some of our congregants wear their Sunday best (and church hats appear on the Sunday of the spring tea), while others show up in jeans and T-shirt. Most choose something in between. Children should wear comfortable play clothes as activities can sometimes get messy.
Will I have to introduce myself?
Early in the service, we invite visitors to stand or raise their hand. You may identify yourself or not; whatever you’re comfortable doing.
Will I be required to donate money?
We see giving as an expression of generosity and an act of faith. If you are a visitor or guest at All Souls, we hope you won’t feel compelled to give when the plate is passed. But, if you feel inspired to give in support of All Souls mission and ministries, we are grateful! We do pass a collection plate at one point in the service to maintain the well-being of the church and support community organizations, and we appreciate whatever you can give, but it is not obligatory.
What do children and youth do during the service?
Nursery care and classes for children and teens run during the services. On the first Sunday of each month, children start in the sanctuary with their parents for a Story for All Ages; otherwise, they start in their classrooms. Ask an usher or greeter for directions to the classrooms. You’re always welcome to keep your child with you, and you can also participate in your child’s class. The nursery has listening devices to hear the service. For more information, see our Children and Youth Religigous Education (CYRE) page.
Is the congregation diverse?
Though we necessarily fall short, we strive for Beloved Community. We welcome all who enter, regardless of race, color, religious background, gender, affectional or sexual orientation, age, abilities or limitations, national origin, or marital status. We are interracial and interreligious couples, mixed-race children and adults, LGBTQ people, and folks of all ages. We are humanists, atheists, agnostics, pagans, Christians, Jews, Muslims, and Hindus. Whoever you are, you can find a place here.
Are people with special needs welcome?
Of course! We welcome all. The ramp to the main floor starts from the corner of 16th and Harvard, and an elevator can take you to the balcony level. Large print and Braille hymnals are available; please ask an usher. We have ASL interpretation at our service. If you or your child have a unique special need, you may want to let us know in advance how best to accommodate you. Please call the church (202.332.5266) or email Office Manager Joanne Blanco (jblanco@allsouls.ws).
How can I learn more about the church?
Peruse this website, but if you still have questions or want more detail, don’t hesitate to contact Member Engagement and Communications Manager Lori Stone.
Unitarian Universalism
Unitarian Universalists have no set creed. [We uphold shared values of interdependence, equity, transformation, pluralism, generosity, and justice. Love is the power that holds us together and is at the center of our shared values. We are accountable to one another for doing the work of living our shared values through the spiritual discipline of Love.]
If you join in fellowship with Unitarian Universalism, you can hold any opinion you want about the existence of a god and what to call that god. You can change your opinion over time. You can follow your conscience, your readings, your thoughts, and your desires on issues like the existence of an afterlife, the idea of sin, the value of prayer, or the authority of religious texts. Among our congregations, you will find many different worship styles: raucous and religious, contemplative and nature-based, intellectual and secular. You can pray or not, sing in the choir or mumble the hymns, rush out after service or help brew the coffee, collect the canned goods or organize the field trip, pass out a petition or let the petition pass you by, dress casually for services or don your finest attire. Having set aside divisive doctrinal battles, we seek a straightforward commitment to the fluid, open, collective work of seeking our truths together without assuming that we will all share the same truth.
Sound easy? It is not. But it is deeply rewarding. Building a truly expansive intellectual, ethical, and cultural community is not for the faint of heart. In this way, the dogma of Unitarian Universalism is procedural rather than theological. We are committed to being together and to being together in ways that honor [our values and covenant]. Our worship and our work exist in finding practical and nurturing ways to govern ourselves and our congregations by living out our commitment to openness, democratic process, human equality, social justice, and personal exploration without harsh judgment.
… [W]e keep going even when the work is hard and the outcomes are uncertain. … Our faith as Unitarian Universalists is not a specific claim about a particular god. It is not found in a single book. It does not rely on claims of our inherent specialness as individuals or as a people. Our faith is messier. Our faith is a belief that we can embrace the common good through how we interact with one another by holding fast to our precepts of inclusion, participation, and nonjudgmental disagreement. Our faith is a practice of intellectual humility, reminding us of our own limitations. Our faith assures us that we are not alone and that we can be part of something greater than ourselves. …
The journey is the joy. The companions are the comfort.
The work is the faith.
Adapted from Melissa Harris-Perry’s foreword to Unitarian Universalist Pocket Guide, Rev. Susan Frederick-Gray, editor; 6th edition. Also includes excerpts from UUA Bylaws, Article II. Purposes and Covenant, adopted June 2024.
Shared Values, Inspirations, Inclusion, and Freedom of Belief
Values and Covenant
As Unitarian Universalists, we covenant, congregation-to-congregation and through our Association, to support and assist one another in our ministries. We draw from our heritages of freedom, reason, hope, and courage, building on the foundation of love.
Love is the power that holds us together and is at the center of our shared values. We are accountable to one another for doing the work of living our shared values through the spiritual discipline of Love.
Inseparable from one another, these shared values are:
Shared Unitarian Universalist Values
Image Description: This image is of a chalice with the word Love laid over the flame, with six outstretched arms that create a circle around each of the core values and form a six-petal flower shape. Each arm is a different color, and clockwise they are: Interdependence (Orange), Equity (Red), Transformation (Purple), Pluralism (Blue), Generosity (Green), and Justice (Yellow).
Interdependence. We honor the interdependent web of all existence. With reverence for the great web of life and with humility, we acknowledge our place in it.
We covenant to protect Earth and all beings from exploitation. We will create and nurture sustainable relationships of care and respect, mutuality and justice. We will work to repair harm and damaged relationships.
Pluralism. We celebrate that we are all sacred beings, diverse in culture, experience, and theology.
We covenant to learn from one another in our free and responsible search for truth and meaning. We embrace our differences and commonalities with Love, curiosity, and respect.
Justice. We work to be diverse multicultural Beloved Communities where all thrive.
We covenant to dismantle racism and all forms of systemic oppression. We support the use of inclusive democratic processes to make decisions within our congregations, our Association, and society at large.
Transformation. We adapt to the changing world.
We covenant to collectively transform and grow spiritually and ethically. Openness to change is fundamental to our Unitarian and Universalist heritages, never complete and never perfect.
Generosity. We cultivate a spirit of gratitude and hope.
We covenant to freely and compassionately share our faith, presence, and resources. Our generosity connects us to one another in relationships of interdependence and mutuality.
Equity. We declare that every person is inherently worthy and has the right to flourish with dignity, love, and compassion.
We covenant to use our time, wisdom, attention, and money to build and sustain fully accessible and inclusive communities
Inspirations
Direct experiences of transcending mystery and wonder are primary sources of Unitarian Universalist inspiration. These experiences open our hearts, renew our spirits, and transform our lives. We draw upon, and are inspired by, sacred, secular, and scientific understandings that help us make meaning and live into our values. These sources ground us and sustain us in ordinary, difficult, and joyous times. We respect the histories, contexts, and cultures in which these sources were created and are currently practiced. Grateful for the experiences that move
us, aware of the religious ancestries we inherit, and enlivened by the diversity which enriches our faith, we are called to ever deepen and expand our wisdom.
Inclusion
Systems of power, privilege, and oppression have traditionally created barriers for persons and groups with particular identities, ages, abilities, and histories. We pledge to replace such barriers with ever-widening circles of solidarity and mutual respect. We strive to be an Association of congregations that truly welcome all persons who share our values. We commit to being an Association of congregations that empowers and enhances everyone’s
participation, especially those with historically marginalized identities.
Freedom of belief
Congregational freedom and the individual’s right of conscience are central to our Unitarian Universalist heritage.
Congregations may establish statements of purpose, covenants, and bonds of union so long as they do not require that members adhere to a particular creed.
The Eight Principles
We, the member congregations of the Unitarian Universalist Association, covenant to affirm and promote:
- The inherent worth and dignity of every person.
- Justice, equity, and compassion in human relations.
- Acceptance of one another and encouragement to spiritual growth in our congregations.
- A free and responsible search for truth and meaning.
- The right of conscience and the use of the democratic process within our congregations and in society at large.
- The goal of world community with peace, liberty, and justice for all.
- Respect for the interdependent web of all existence of which we are a part.
- Journeying toward spiritual wholeness by working to build a diverse multicultural Beloved Community by our actions that accountably dismantle racism and other forms of oppression in ourselves and our institutions.
The Six Sources
- Direct experience of that transcending mystery and wonder, affirmed in all cultures, which moves us to a renewal of the spirit and an openness to the forces which create and uphold life;
- Words and deeds of prophetic people which challenge us to confront powers and structures of evil with justice, compassion, and the transforming power of love;
- Wisdom from the world’s religions which inspires us in our ethical and spiritual life;
- Jewish and Christian teachings which call us to respond to God’s love by loving our neighbors as ourselves;
- Humanist teachings which counsel us to heed the guidance of reason and the results of science, and warn us against idolatries of the mind and spirit;
- Spiritual teachings of Earth-centered traditions which celebrate the sacred circle of life and instruct us to live in harmony with the rhythms of nature.
Membership
We hold joining classes three or four times each year. Joining classes explore our spiritual journeys, the history of the church, our commitment to social justice, and the workings of our ministries and governance structure. At the end of the class, you’re invited to sign our membership book, making it official.
Please check our weekly eNewsletter for a schedule of upcoming joining classes.
Steven Stichter, a member of All Souls, hand-printed these beautiful versions of the principles, a set of which is on display at the church.
