Listen to Past Sermons

Join Rev. Norman Allen as we explore the “Direct experience of that transcending mystery and wonder, affirmed in all cultures,” which serves as the First Source of our Unitarian Universalist faith. We’ll remember the spiritual  foundations of our movement, consider the miracle of our very existence, and dare to ask the unanswerable questions.

Rev. Norman Allen is a longtime member and was ordained by All Souls last March. He serves as minister to Davies Memorial Unitarian Universalist Church in Camp Springs, MD, and is a graduate of Wesley Theological Seminary in Washington, DC. An award-winning playwright, Rev. Norm has used drama and comedy to explore theological concepts in such works as “In the Garden” and “Nijinsky’s Last Dance,” both winners of the Helen Hayes Award. His work for the stage has been produced around the world, from Prague to Tokyo. His essays and commentary have appeared in the Washington Post, Smithsonian, and Yes! and published online at OnBeing, Tikkun, and Tin House.

Reflecting on a watershed U.S. Supreme Court decision, this Sunday we will consider reasons why we might confront difficult histories, whether they be national or intimately personal. Join us to explore how encountering our pain might be a means of discerning our purpose.

In the spirit of both July 4th and Juneteenth, Rev. Anthony Jenkins will lead a service centered in the trustworthy life of Harriet Tubman. Together we’ll consider her lifelong spirit of interdependence, and the many lives entrusted to her over the years as an abolitionist, activist, faith leader, freedom-fighter, and U.S. Army Special Forces (“Black Ops”).

Rev. Jenkins currently serves as assistant minister at the Unitarian Universalist Congregation of Columbia, MD. A native of Washington DC, he has also called PA, VA, upstate NY, and southern MD home. He holds a B.A. in Music (Performance) from Morgan State University and has made his living as a freelance bassist in the DC/MD/VA metropolitan area for the last 19 years. He holds a Masters of Divinity from Meadville Lombard Theological School in Chicago, IL. Rev. Jenkins served for five years as a bassist in the 257th Army Band (DC), before commissioning into the U.S. Army Chaplain Corps in 2014; he will transition to active-duty Air Force chaplaincy this coming fall. He has also served as a chaplain at Johns Hopkins Bayview Hospital in Baltimore. He, his wife Sarah, and their son Tobias live in the Forest Glen neighborhood of Silver Spring, MD.

Many of us have anxiety surrounding a lack of productivity. Self-care or a necessary nap can be mistaken as selfish or wasted hours: Don’t I have something more important to do? Retirement can result in depression: Who am I if I’m not my job? This line of thinking signals a dangerous attachment and addiction to productivity. Join guest preacher, Christin Green, to explore how to recognize this and how we might shift our perspective.

Christin Green is a recent graduate Wesley Theological Seminary in Washington, DC (May 2019). She is the adopted daughter of two women who raised her in a suburb of Kansas City, MO. Christin transplanted to Washington, DC, in 2008 to earn a Master of Arts in Women’s Studies from The George Washington University. After completing her Masters, she decided to stay in the area and pursue nonprofit work. The continuing search for purpose led her to attend seminary. Upon graduation, Christin accepted a chaplain resident position in Newark, DE, at Christiana Care Hospital from August 2019-2020. She looks forward to sharing her time and talent as a musician, a poet, a lifelong learner, and a UU minister information.