βA Hope Worth Fighting Forβ
Sunday, October 2, 10:50 am, Worship Service Livestream
Exploring hope and despair in the context of the work the Dallas UU community has done for reproductive dignity and what you might ponder as you consider your callings to make a difference.
Rev. Dr. Daniel Kanter, Guest Minister; Rev. John Buehrens; Susan Anthony, Worship Associate; Reiko Oda Lane, Organist; UUSF Choir; Mark Sumner, Music Director; Jon Silk, Drummer; Wm. Garcia Ganz, Pianist; Adam Luftman, Shofar
Jackson Munn, Camera; Eric Shackelford, Camera; Jonathan Silk, Communications Director; Sam King, Live Chat Moderator; Thomas Brown, Sexton; Kelvin Jones, Sexton; Amy Kelly, Flowers; Linda Messner, Head Usher; Ralph Fenn, Les James, Tom Brookshire, Zoom Coffee Hour
βOrdinary Daysβ
Sunday, August 14, 10:50 am, Worship Service Livestream
Life is made up of ordinary days. And they are often some of the best days we have. A sermon musing on the ordinariness of a sweet life.
Rev. Vanessa Rush Southern, Senior Minister; Mari Magaloni Ramos, Worship Associate; Reiko Oda Lane, Organist; Laurel Sprigg, Soprano; Mark Sumner, Pianist; Richard Fey, Songleader
Shulee Ong, Camera; Eric Shackelford, Camera; Donald Shearer, Camera; Jackson Munn, Camera; Max Benbow, Camera; Joe Chapot, Live Chat Moderator; Remigio Flood, Sexton; Kelvin Jones, Sexton; Carrie Steere-Salazar, Flowers; Linda Messner, Head Usher; Ralph Fenn, Les James, Tom Brookshire, Zoom Coffee Hour
βRetraining the Dragonβ
Sunday, August 7, 10:50 am, Worship Service Livestream
When threatened some of us fight - even "breathing fire" if provoked, others freeze or retreat. We all know life is better when we are not stressed all the time, but some seem more resilient and able to shake off strife and difficulty than others. Recent brain science points to the limbic system as the place filtering our experience and deciding whether to act on a threat or choose to go with the flow of life. Rev. Sonya Sukalski has found that resetting the switch that sends the mind, body and spirit into rest and digest chemistry rather than fight or flight to be a satisfying spiritual practice. Her practice includes elements of prayer, meditation, movement, and employs theology UUs might find useful and life-affirming.
Rev. Sonya Sukalski, Guest Minister; Kat Liu, Worship Associate; Reiko Oda Lane, Organist; Maria Roodnitsky, Mezzo Soprano; Mark Sumner, Pianist; Richard Fey, Songleader
Shulee Ong, Camera; Eric Shackelford, Camera; Donald Shearer, Camera; Jackson Munn, Camera; Max Benbow, Camera; Joe Chapot, Live Chat Moderator; Remigio Flood, Sexton; Kelvin Jones, Sexton; Carrie Steere-Salazar, Flowers; Linda Messner, Head Usher; Ralph Fenn, Les James, Tom Brookshire, Zoom Coffee Hour
βAre We Normal?β
Sunday, September 25, 10:50 am, Worship Service Livestream
What is it about the human condition that is normal? And what is normal anyway? By taking lessons from our time in the pandemic, from my time as a hospital chaplain, and from our collective experiences as humans, we can explore how normal is not a concept to compare ourselves to others, but rather a way to build a shared understanding of what it means to be human. This shared understanding can then be the cornerstone to create a lifespan religious education program.
Rev. Laura Shennum, Minister of Congregational Life; Rev. Vanessa Rush Southern, Senior Minister; Mari Magaloni Ramos, Worship Associate; Mark Sumner, Pianist; Ben Rudiak-Gould, Songleader; Eric Hamilton, Guitarist
Eric Shackelford, Camera; Jonathan Silk, Communications Director; Joe Chapot, Live Chat Moderator; Remigio Flood, Sexton; Thomas Brown, Sexton; Linda Messner, Head Usher; Ralph Fenn, Les James, Tom Brookshire, Zoom Coffee Hour
βGood Troubleβ
Sunday, July 31, 10:50 am, Worship Service Livestream
In March of 2020, the late John Lewis called on everyone to "get into good trouble, necessary trouble and redeem the soul of America" as he spoke from the Edmund Pettis bridge in Selma Alabama commemorating the tragedy of Bloody Sunday, March 7, 1965. Join us on Sunday July 31st for a special service led by worship associate Mari Magaloni Ramos: βGood Troubleβ
Our collective values of democracy, privacy and bodily autonomy are under active attack and we have suffered setbacks. And as is always the case, it is our BIPOC and LGBTQ folx that will be most negatively impacted in the coming years if we do not act. One of the most powerful things that we can do to stem this tide is to support and motivate our fellow Americans to vote. We can do that by meeting hate and grievance with love and beloved community.
Mari Magaloni Ramos, Guest Preacher; Dennis Adams, Worship Associate Cal Ball, Worship Associate; Reiko Oda Lane, Organist; Tommy Kesecker, Percussionist; Ben Rudiak-Gould, Songleader
Shulee Ong, Camera; Eric Shackelford, Camera; Donald Shearer, Camera; Jackson Munn, Camera; Max Benbow, Camera; Joe Chapot, Live Chat Moderator; Remigio Flood, Sexton; Kelvin Jones, Sexton; Athena Papadakos, Flowers; Linda Messner, Head Usher; Ralph Fenn, Les James, Tom Brookshire, Zoom Coffee Hour
βWhat am I going to do?β
Sunday, July 24, 10:50 am, Worship Service Livestream
This is the question we ask ourselves at major pivotal points in our lives: graduation, career choice, retirement. βWhat am I going to do?β is also the question we ask ourselves when there are decisions to be made about: relationships, medical options, questions of moving and choosing where we will live. I find it useful to distinguish between what I can do, and how I can be in the world. I will try to explain what that distinction means to me, and how I have found it helpful in making my choices in life.
Rev. Margot Campbell Gross, Minister Emerita; Sam King, Worship Associate; Reiko Oda Lane, Organist; Giacomo Fiore, Guitarist; Richard Fey, Songleader
Shulee Ong, Camera; Eric Shackelford, Camera; Donald Shearer, Camera; Jackson Munn, Camera; Joe Chapot, Live Chat Moderator; Remigio Flood, Sexton; Kelvin Jones, Sexton; Athena Papadakos, Flowers; Linda Messner, Head Usher; Ralph Fenn, Les James, Tom Brookshire, Zoom Coffee Hour
βThe Tasks of Lifeβ
Sunday, September 18, 10:50 am, Worship Service Livestream
What is the purpose of a life, of life. It's always been the question religion was tasked to answer. Part of the work of answering that question involves the tasks of life, of each life and even its stages of tasks. As we step into a new church year perhaps we can ask where we think we are in this work so each of us can step intentionally, and more deeply, into that work.
Rev. Vanessa Rush Southern, Senior Minister; Carmen Barsody, Worship Associate; Reiko Oda Lane, Organist; UUSF Choir; Mark Sumner, Music Director; Claudine Jones, Mezzo; Jon Silk, Drummer; Wm GarcΓa Ganz, Pianist
Shulee Ong, Camera; Jackson Munn, Camera; Jonathan Silk, Communications Director; Joe Chapot, Live Chat Moderator; Thomas Brown, Sexton; Kelvin Jones, Sexton; Athena Papadakos, Flowers; Linda Messner, Head Usher; Ralph Fenn, Les James, Tom Brookshire, Zoom Coffee Hour
βThe River of Life: An Ingatheringβ
Sunday, September 11, 10:50 am, Worship Service Livestream
This week is a joyous regathering: virtually and in person we will come back together for our official start to a church year. Children will join us in worship and we will sing and speak in words and ritual of our journeys apart and what we bring back with us.
Rev. Vanessa Rush Southern, Senior Minister; Rev. Laura Shennum, Minister of Congregational Life; Sam King, Worship Associate; Reiko Oda Lane, Organist; Wm. GarcΓa Ganz, Pianist; Nancy Munn, soprano soloist; UUSF Choir; Mark Sumner, Music Director
Shulee Ong, Camera; Jackson Munn, Camera; Jonathan Silk, Communications Director; Joe Chapot, Live Chat Moderator; Remigio Flood, Sexton; Kelvin Jones, Sexton; Athena Papadakos, Flowers; Linda Messner, Head Usher; Ralph Fenn, Les James, Tom Brookshire, Zoom Coffee Hour
βBirthing a New Worldβ
Sunday, September 4, 10:50 am, Worship Service Livestream
For our annual Labor Day service, Rev. Millie Phillips celebrates a struggle that ebbs and flows, but has never died; the struggle for economic survival and dignity on the job. Playing off the multiple meanings of the word "labor," do we have the courage to do what it takes to give birth to " a new world from the ashes of the old?" Whatever the obstacles, increasingly, working people, especially young and marginalized workers, are rediscovering the power of union organizing and are putting the movement back into the labor movement.
Rev. Millie Phillips, Guest Minister; Dennis Adams, Worship Associate; The Labor Heritage/Rockin' Solidarity Chorus; Pat Wynne, Labor Chorus Director; Mark Sumner, Pianist; Ben Rudiak-Gould, Songleader
Shulee Ong, Camera; Jonathan Silk, Communications Director; Joe Chapot, Live Chat Moderator; Remigio Flood, Sexton; Kelvin Jones, Sexton; Amy Kelly, Flowers; Linda Messner, Head Usher; Ralph Fenn, Les James, Tom Brookshire, Zoom Coffee Hour
βThe Arc of the Universeβ
Sunday, August 28, 10:50 am, Worship Service Livestream
August 28th is the 59th anniversary of the 1963 March on Washington for Racial Equality. Its keynote address by Reverend Martin Luther King Jr. has become the most famous speech in modern history. Echoed in his remarks that day were the paraphrased words of an early Unitarian minister, Theodore Parker; that the arc of the moral universe bends towards justice.
Earlier this summer, the remarkable achievement of the Webb telescope began challenging humanity to look deeply into the past in order to make sense of today and what is to come. Indeed, in so many ways, we won't ever create the future of our dreams without understanding the past.
Join us as we explore Dr. King's inspiration in the words of a radical Boston minster, how those words convinced a cultural icon to continue to go "where no man had gone before" and finally, how we're learning, through science, that there is indeed an arc in the universe and that it bends towards truth.
Richard Davis-Lowell, Guest Preacher; Rev. Vanessa Rush Southern, Senior Minister; Katrina Walter, Flautist; Charmian Stewart, Violinist; Nancy Munn, Pianist; Richard Fey, Songleader
Jonathan Silk, Communications Director; Joe Chapot, Live Chat Moderator; Remigio Flood, Sexton; Kelvin Jones, Sexton; Amy Kelly, Flowers; Linda Messner, Head Usher; Ralph Fenn, Les James, Tom Brookshire, Zoom Coffee Hour
βTransforming Perfectionβ
Sunday, August 21, 10:50 am, Worship Service Livestream
This Sunday, join Guest Preacher Charlotte Cramer exploring the concept of perfection and how it influences our lives and society. Perfection is everywhere in our country, and it has impacted how we treat one another and ourselves. What is the mindset and healing that is needed to work against the strong drive towards being perfect? How could overcoming perfection foster a more wholesome and healthy life, and society?
Charlotte Maitreya Cramer, Guest Preacher; Sam King, Worship Associate; Asher Davison, Bass Vocals; Larry Chinn, Piano
Jonathan Silk, Communications Director; Joe Chapot, Live Chat Moderator; Remigio Flood, Sexton; Kelvin Jones, Sexton; Judy Payne, Flowers; Linda Messner, Head Usher; Ralph Fenn, Les James, Tom Brookshire, Zoom Coffee Hour
βCoffee in the Desertβ
Sunday, July 17, 10:50 am, Worship Service
A sermon on welcome -- on the sacred value of welcome. This is a sermon I preached as one of my first five years ago at UUSF and the foundation holds. But there are insights too about what this virtue asks of us, brought to light in the conversations out of the racial reckoning of the last two years or more.
Rev. Vanessa Rush Southern, Senior Minister; Carmen Barsody, Worship Associate; Reiko Oda Lane, Organist; Richard Fey, Baritone; Wm. GarcΓa Ganz, Accompanist; Ben Rudiak-Gould, Songleader
Shulee Ong, Camera; Eric Shackelford, Camera; Tyler Heston, Sound; Jonathan Silk, Communications Director; Joe Chapot, Live Chat Moderator; Remigio Flood, Sexton; Kelvin Jones, Sexton; Amy Kelly, Flowers; Linda Messner, Head Usher; Ralph Fenn, Les James, Tom Brookshire, Zoom Coffee Hour
βThe Living Traditionβ
Sunday, July 10, 10:50 am, Worship Service Livestream
Rev. Mr. Barb reflects on 51 years of practicing Unitarian Universalism. Oh how we have (and have not) changed. Imagine with Barb as he shares his dreams for our next 51 years.
Rev. Mr. Barb Greve, Guest Minister; Lucy Smith, Worship Associate; Larry Chinn, Pianist; Richard Fey, Songleader
Jonathan Silk, Communications Director; Jackson Munn, Camera; Joe Chapot, Live Chat Moderator; Remigio Flood, Sexton; Kelvin Jones, Sexton; Amy Kelly, Flowers; Linda Messner, Head Usher; Ralph Fenn, Les James, Tom Brookshire, Zoom Coffee Hour
"The Perfect Body and the Ladder"
Sunday, July 3, 10:50 am, Worship Service Livestream
"The Perfect Body and the Ladder" is about the personal and the political uses of the body, timed perfectly to rebroadcast as we prepare to unveil our sweet bodies in the lighter clothes and freedom of summer. It's a lovely service and we invite you to sit with the questions it raises and the invitation to include our bodies (and others') in the deepest work of honoring and cherishing.
Rev. Vanessa Rush Southern, Senior Minister; Meg McGuire, Ministerial Intern; Reiko Oda Lane, Organist; Leandra Ramm, Songleader; Brielle Marina Neilson, Songleader; Ben Rudiak-Gould, Songleader; Asher Davison, Songleader; Luis Maurer, Pianist
Eric Shackelford, camera; Shulee Ong, camera; Jonathan Silk, AV remix ; Sam King, chat moderator; Tom Brookshire, Les James, Ralph Fenn, Zoom Coffee Hour; Athena Papadakos, Flowers
What is Fatherhood?
Sunday, June 19, 10:50 am, Worship Service Livestream
How can you form an opinion on it if you donβt know what it is? Fatherhood is essentially an elegant idea. You canβt buy it, hold it in your hands or taste it. It is a no-thing. Please come and explore this elegant idea in community on Fatherβs Day.
Rev. Fred Rabidoux, Guest Minister; Richard Davis-Lowell, Worship Associate; Alice Sobze, Guest Speaker; Reiko Oda Lane, Organist; Nancy Munn, Soprano; Wm. GarcΓa Ganz, Pianist
Jonathan Silk, Communications Director; Joe Chapot, Live Chat Moderator; Remigio Flood, Sexton; Dan Barnard, Facilities Manager; Judy Payne, Flowers; Linda Messner, Head Usher; Ralph Fenn, Les James, Tom Brookshire, Zoom Coffee Hour
"I'm So Glad We Had This Time Together"
Sunday, June 12, 10:50 am, Worship Service Livestream
Join us for a joyous good-bye celebration for Rev. Alyson Jacks who is retiring this June. We'll share stories, salutations and some surprises too. There will be wonderful music by our church and bell choir, percussionist Allen Biggs, pianist Lucas Keeley, and our organist Reiko Lane. Let's celebrate and be glad for this incredible time we've had together.
This is a family friendly service for ages 6 and up. Childcare for children 0-5 will be available that morning, Following the service, there will be a luncheon celebration in the courtyard.
Rev. Alyson Jacks, Associate Minister; Rev. Vanessa Rush Southern, Senior Minister; Mari Magaloni Ramos, Worship Associate; Cal Ball, Offertory Sentence; Bell Choir led by Reiko Oda Lane, Organist; Allen Biggs, Percussionist; Lucas Keely, Pianist; UUSF Choir led by Mark Sumner, Music Director
Jonathan Silk, Communications Director; Joe Chapot, Live Chat Moderator; Jackson Munn, Camera; Remigio Flood, Sexton; Kelvin Jones, Sexton; Athena & Max Papadakos, Flowers; Linda Messner, Head Usher; Ralph Fenn, Les James, Tom Brookshire, Zoom Coffee Hour
"Finding Out Who We Are"
Sunday, June 5, 10:50 am, Worship Service Livestream
This is a service of stories and songs for these times -- drawn from graduation speeches, spiritual reflections on place and community, hymns -- a reminder of who we are.
Rev. Vanessa Rush Southern, Senior Minister; Rev. Alyson Jacks, Associate Minister; Daniel Jackoway, Worship Associate; Nancy Hardies & Judith Stoddard, Membership; Reiko Oda Lane, Organist; UUSF Choir led by Mark Sumner, Music Director; Elliott Etzkorn, Pianist
Shulee Ong, Camera; Jackson Miunn, Camera; Jonathan Silk, Communications Director; Joe Chapot, Live Chat Moderator; Remigio Flood, Sexton; Dan Barnard, Facilities Manager; Athena Papadakos, Flowers; Linda Messner, Head Usher; Ralph Fenn, Les James, Tom Brookshire, Zoom Coffee Hour
"Remembering the Future"
Sunday, May 29, 10:50 am, Worship Service Livestream
War continues to rage in the Ukraine and elsewhere, and, on top of everything else we are facing, nuclear Armageddon increasingly feels like a realistic fear. Memorial Day was started as Decoration Day to honor Union soldiers who died in the Civil War, through drawing upon memorial traditions in both the North and South. On this Memorial Day weekend, let us meditate on past, present, and future war. What does it mean to remember the dead while continuing a global practice that guarantees more dead to remember in the future?
Rev. Millie Phillips, Guest Minister; Mari Magaloni, Worship Associate; Richard Fey, Song Leader; Reiko Oda Lane, Organist
Jonathan Silk, Communications Director; Joe Chapot, Live Chat Moderator; Remigio Flood, Sexton; Kelvin Jones, Sexton; Carrie Steere-Salazar, Flowers; Linda Messner, Head Usher; Ralph Fenn, Les James, Tom Brookshire, Zoom Coffee Hour
βThe Nike Solutionβ
Sunday, May 22, 10:50 am, Worship Service
Lately I feel like what we need most is what we have the hardest time doing. It's a rough place to be. And on a Sunday when we celebrate the incredible work of our Small Group Ministry program over so many years, and this last year, it fits perfectly into the story of now. And how to step into the choices and life activities that will heal us and help us to feel whole and wholly alive again!
We will also honor the important leadership of Minister Emerita Rev. Margot Campbell Gross who has served as the spiritual advisor to small group ministries through the years.
Rev. Vanessa Rush Southern, Senior Minister; Rev. Margot Campbell Gross, Minister Emerita; Gregg Biggs and Millie Phillips, Small Group Ministry Chairs; Dennis Adams, Worship Associate; Reiko Oda Lane, Organist; UUSF Choir led by Mark Sumner, Music Director; Ben Rudiak-Gould, Soloist; Wm. GarcΓa Ganz, Accompanist
Shulee Ong, Camera; Jonathan Silk, Communications Director; Joe Chapot, Live Chat Moderator; Remigio Flood, Sexton; Kelvin Jones; Carrie Steere-Salazar, Flowers; Linda Messner, Head Usher; Ralph Fenn, Les James, Tom Brookshire, Zoom Coffee Hour
"A Time of Transition, part II: The Place In Between"
Sunday, May 15, 2022 10:50 am Livestream Worship Service
William Bridges, when he wrote about transitions, didn't just talk about the Endings, though he did name that first stage and all it required. And he didn't talk about the New Beginnings though that also was tender and vital. He talked about this rarely named space in between those two. And all that happens in that space and how it feels and how to step thoughtfully into and through it. This is what we'll talk a little about this Sunday, and you might find the description familiar and relevant to a lot of life at this moment!
Rev. Vanessa Rush Southern, Senior Minister; Sam King, Worship Associate; Percussionists Allen Biggs & Tommy Kesecker; Mark Sumner, Music Director
Eric Shackelford, Camera; Shulee Ong, Camera; Jonathan Silk, Communications Director; Joe Chapot, Live Chat Moderator; Dan Barnard, Facilities Manager; Amy Kelly, Flowers; Linda Messner, Head Usher; Ralph Fenn, Les James, Tom Brookshire, Zoom Coffee Hour
"The Loving and the Letting Go"
Sunday, May 8, 10:50 am, Worship Service Livestream
What it means to parent a 17-year-old is what it means to parent at any age, just more obviously so. The piece about how love is always about letting go and trusting the universe. And all the other hard -- annoyingly wise but hard -- lessons we learn in journeys of love.
Rev. Vanessa Rush Southern, Senior Minister; Daniel Jackoway, Worship Associate; Reiko Oda Lane, Organist; UUSF Choir led by Mark Sumner, Music Director; Jon Silk, Drummer; Wm. GarcΓa Ganz, Pianist; Richard Fey, Baritone
Eric Shackelford, Camera; Jonathan Silk, Communications Director; Joe Chapot, Live Chat Moderator; Remigio Flood, Sexton; Judy Payne, Flowers; Linda Messner, Head Usher; Ralph Fenn, Les James, Tom Brookshire, Zoom Coffee Hour
"A Time of Transition"
Sunday, May 1, 10:50 am, Worship Service Livestream
This Sunday we will celebrate our children, youth, and teachers as we wrap up this yearβs Sunday School program. Weβll have a special tribute to our incredible volunteers, and our amazing Lead Teachers, Sarah Beth Chionsini, Christine Patch-Lindsay, Marigold Birch, Hilary Buffum and Audrey McDougal. We are also beginning to say our good-byes to our Associate Minister, Rev. Alyson Jacks, who will retire at the end of this church year. We are in a time of change and transition, taking time to say good-bye and preparing for what comes next.
Rev. Alyson Jacks, Associate Minister; Rev. Vanessa Rush Southern, Senior Minister; Richard Davis-Lowell, Worship Associate; UUSF Choir led by Mark Sumner, Music Director; Wm. GarcΓa Ganz, Accompanist; Elliott Etzkorn, Pianist; Jon Silk, Drummer
Eric Shackelford, Camera; Jonathan Silk, Communications Director; Joe Chapot, Live Chat Moderator; Remigio Flood, Sexton; Amy Kelly, Flowers; Linda Messner, Head Usher; Ralph Fenn, Les James, Tom Brookshire, Zoom Coffee Hour
In these troubled times, we need to hold fast to traditions to keep us grounded. Join us as the Labyrinth Team hosts the annual Flower Communion followed by a Maypole dance.
Katherine Enyart joined Live Oak in February 2001 and has held many roles at the ... read more.
Leonard Jacobson says, βAwakening is about liberating yourself from the prison that is the world of the mind and daring to be here as all that you are.β My life has been about breaking out of the prisons of oppression and daring to be all ... read more.
"Elephant Company: an Earth Day service"
Sunday, April 24, 10:50 am, Worship Service Livestream
On Earth Day I think our goal is always to connect to the miracle and the mystery and the awesome power and our love for the earth, in part so that we remember in our hearts that we are anchored to the commitment to save earth and care for Her. I have also been thinking of that phrase lately of how the more particular something is, the more universal it is. So rather than talk about the blue-green spinning planet and try and feel love and connection to that, I want to talk about one particular piece of life thatβs part of this earth. Letβs talk about elephants.
I donβt know if youβve ever heard a sermon on the elephant. Maybe that alone will draw you to church to see how a minister is going to make something spiritual out of the big, plodding, odd looking creature that we know as the pachyderm. Or maybe you just need to be together and sing and sit in silence or light candles. Whatever it is, Iβll see you on Sunday!
Rev. Vanessa Rush Southern, Senior Minister; Dennis Adams, Worship Associate; Reiko Oda Lane, Organist; Mark Sumner, Songleader; Rita Fabrizio, Flautist & Vocalist; Jill Smith, Guitarist & Vocalist
Shulee Ong, Camera; Donald Shearer, Camera; Jonathan Silk, Communications Director; Joe Chapot, Live Chat Moderator; Remigio Flood, Sexton; Judy Payne, Flowers; Linda Messner, Head Usher; Ralph Fenn, Les James, Tom Brookshire, Zoom Coffee Hour