Past Services

Rev. Bill Sinkford

We’ve prayed and protested and seen so many 2nd chances squandered. Today we are even losing gains we thought were secure. How long before the bad check is made good? Is it new strategies we need to sustain us in a time when those who resist change no long feel even the need to pretend goodwill? Dr. King looked to a day when the power of love would prove greater than the love of power. What dream are we called to follow to help love win?

Join us for this virtual only Martin Luther King Jr. Sunday for an ASL Interpreted worship service with music, community, and spiritual sustenance.

Please join us online for our virtual only Vespers service this month! The link is below.

Our Vespers worship service is modeled after the traditional Taizé worship service, which uses silence, scripture, prayer, and repetitive singing of short chants and rounds to quiet the mind and promote deep meditation. The Taizé Community promotes peace and justice through prayer and meditation. Our Vespers service mirrors Taizé-style attention to silence, holy words, prayer, and singing, but has also evolved to include other meditative traditions such as yogic singing and Buddhist chanting. Followed by a time for community gathering. Every second Wednesday of the month.

Click here to log in to Zoom.
Dial in: 301.715.8592; meeting ID: 997 7201 2495; passcode: 927624

Tis the time of year when many of us will begin the new year, promising ourselves to do or be better in the year ahead.  Similarly, covenants are a type of promise we make with one another – about the ways we will commit to, as our New England ancestors invited us “to walk (or roll) together in love.” This is a good time to reflect on those promises we make – what happens when we break them – and how to begin again, in love.

Join us for our virtual only, ASL interpreted worship with music from Lenard Starks and the Jubilee Singers. Coffee hour will immediately follow on the same Zoom link with Rev. Kathleen Rolenz, our Interim Senior Minister!

This Service is virtual only! The building will be closed this day. Please join us on Zoom!

Our January worship theme is: Promises made, promises frayed. The very nature of New Year’s resolutions!

As we design living over and over again, in multiple emerging challenges, we have to continually recalibrate. How intentionally we make daily and weekly life choices makes a huge difference in our quality of living. Our service will investigate that careful and fluid design.

Join an all-Zoom service, enjoy wonderful All Souls music, and be in beloved community from home or in your travel zone. Wear those holiday pajamas, bring your hot beverage, and keep it tranquil on the second day of 2022.

Please note this worship will be entirely virtual!

Past to Present: Kwanza 55 Years Later  

Observed from December 26^th to January 1, Kwanza is an annual cultural holiday observed by many African Americans that affirm family and traditional values. Since it’s inception 55 years ago, Black Unitarian Universalist were among the first to observe Kwanza in the United States. In what ways might Kwanza principles be applied to the circumstances of black lives today? In this all-Zoom service, we will explore the ways in which the principles of Kwanza are deeply felt in the lives of some of our All Souls community members.  

It is with a heavy heart that we feel, after consultation and deep reflection, that we must cancel our in-person Christmas Eve pageant and service. We did not come to this decision lightly or unadvisedly. It is because we love you and care for you that we believe it unwise to continue with gatherings that might spread the Covid virus. 

So, with all this said, All Souls Christmas Eve events will be held online only. You are invited to gather with other All Souls friends to chat and check in from 6:30 to 7:00 PM; the service will begin at 7:00 PM and feature music, stories, carols and, of course, Silent Night. Have a candle and a bell ready at home to celebrate this special holiday. 

Log in to Zoom with this link: https://us06web.zoom.us/j/91875814433

With so much change and uncertainty in the almost two years, feeling grounded has been a significant challenge for many of us. The Winter Solstice, observed in the Northern Hemisphere on December 21, offers a strong communal reference point. And yet it’s a reference point that is about change itself! How can we find grounding in change?

Sermon by Rev. Rob Keithan, music by the All Souls Choir, and virtual coffee hour with Rev. Kathleen Rolenz, Interim Senior Minister.

The belief in our power to shape our lives and shape our world is deep in our religious DNA, sometimes crowding out our capacity for awe at the majesty and mystery of creation. We are called as religious people to hold space for both. What are we waiting for?

Join us for worship with music from Lenard Starks and the Jubilee Singers, and virtual coffee hour with Membership Manager Gary Penn. This service will be ASL interpreted. Please see the homepage for the Zoom information.

Please join us online for our virtual only Vespers service this month! The link is below.

Our Vespers worship service is modeled after the traditional Taizé worship service, which uses silence, scripture, prayer, and repetitive singing of short chants and rounds to quiet the mind and promote deep meditation. The Taizé Community promotes peace and justice through prayer and meditation. Our Vespers service mirrors Taizé-style attention to silence, holy words, prayer, and singing, but has also evolved to include other meditative traditions such as yogic singing and Buddhist chanting. Followed by a time for community gathering. Every second Wednesday of the month.

Click here to log in to Zoom.
Dial in: 301.715.8592; meeting ID: 997 7201 2495; passcode: 927624

The evenings grow darker. The cold more intense. This is a time when our ancestors would draw closer to the fire, listen to the wind and, of course, tell stories to one another. This new season brings with it a sense of awe and wonder as the night sky reveals the brightest stars. This time of year also brings the challenge of expectations and memories of holidays past. Whether you celebrate the holidays or try to ignore them, this service will provide inspiration and hope for the weeks ahead.

Join us for worship with music led by Jen Hayman and the All Souls Choir, a Story for All Ages from Dolores Miller, and for a virtual coffee hour after service! See the Homepage for the Zoom link.

ONLINE ONLY

On Thanksgiving weekend we celebrate the strengths of three generations in a virtual Zoom service. Gather from home, just as you are, to hear reflections and music from many ages. This service will be led by Rev. Louise Green, Ebony Peace, Youth Leaders, Jen Hayman, and All Souls Choir. It will be ASL interpreted.

The All Souls building will be closed for the holiday to support staff and congregant renewal.  

The presence of our ancestors, of blood and of spirit, asks us to take the long view. From the mountaintop, we see not only where we’ve come from, but also where we are going. It is a vantage point that can hold both memory and hope.