"What Prepares us for Sunrise?"
Easter Sunday, April 9, 10:50 am

Easter morning with its tradition of Sunrise Services is about the good news of life resurrected. You can hear that as the story of Jesus as told and passed down, as a reminder of the natural cycle of seasons, or as a metaphor for so much of life that moves from loss to new beginnings and to loss and new beginnings again and again. But like cheap grace, Easter without the days and nights before it, resurrection without loss doesn't make sense. What happens in the in between of all that that we need to remind ourselves of and then celebrate?

Rev. Vanessa Rush Southern, Senior Minister; Rev. Laura Shennum, Minister of Congregational Life; Richard Davis-Lowell, Worship Associate; UUSF Handbell Choir led by Reiko Oda Lane, Organ; UUSF Choir led by Mark Sumner, Music Director; Jason Park, Trumpet; Bill Ganz, Piano

Jonathan Silk, Communications Director; Jackson Munn, Camera; Thomas Brown, Sexton; Judy Payne, Flowers; Linda Messner, Head Usher

Marlin gives his Easter message This message was delivered on Sunday, April 9th, 2023 at All Souls Unitarian Church in Tulsa, Oklahoma by Rev. Dr. Marlin Lavanhar in the 10am Service. SUBSCRIBE TO WATCH SERMONS FROM OUR MINISTERS: https://www.youtube.com/user/allsoulsunitarian WANT TO LISTEN? SUBSCRIBE TO AUDIO PODCAST: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/all-souls-unitarian-church/id193096943 GIVE TO SUPPORT LOVE BEYOND BELIEF: http://www.allsoulschurch.org/GIVE or text LOVEBB to 73256 LET'S CONNECT: Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/allsoulstulsa Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/allsoulstulsa/ All Souls Church Website: http://www.allsoulschurch.org/connect

This message was delivered on Sunday, April 2nd, 2023 at All Souls Unitarian Church in Tulsa, Oklahoma by Randy Lewis in the Humanist Service. SUBSCRIBE TO WATCH SERMONS FROM OUR MINISTERS: WANT TO LISTEN? SUBSCRIBE TO AUDIO PODCAST: GIVE TO SUPPORT LOVE BEYOND BELIEF: or text LOVEBB to 73256 LET'S CONNECT: Facebook: Instagram: All Souls Church Website:  

Watch the Service: To enable YouTube provided closed-captioning while viewing the service, click the “CC” icon on the bottom bar of your YouTube video player.    

"You Are Loved"
Sunday, April 2, 10:50 am

If folks from theologians to psychologists to wise elders are correct, love comes first. For all of us to be fulfilled, healthily liberated to be our full selves, we have to know and believe we are loved, for ourselves, as we are. How does it inform how we live, to take that necessity seriously?

Rev. Vanessa Rush Southern, Senior Minister; Rev. Laura Shennum, Minister of Congregational Life; Daniel Jackoway, Worship Associate; Allen Biggs, Percussionist; Tommy Kesecker, Percussionist; T. Mychael Rambo, Soloist; Mark Sumner, Songleader; Bill Ganz, Pianist

Eric Shackelford, Camera; Jonathan Silk, Communications Director; Thomas Brown, Sexton; Judy Payne, Flowers; Linda Messner, Head Usher

Recorded live at Arlington Street Church, Sunday, March 26, 2023.

Recorded live at Arlington Street Church, Sunday, March 19, 2023.

Watch the Service: To enable YouTube provided closed-captioning while viewing the service, click the “CC” icon on the bottom bar of your YouTube video player.    

"What Need One?"
Sunday, March 26, 10:50 am

Shakespeare’s King Lear asked the perennial question, "What need one?" I remember it from high school AP English class. Mrs. Laster, who was a force of nature — and put the class at 8 am to discourage the lazy, the dilettantes, the weak — drove it home. The question, that is, not the answer.

Rev. Vanessa Rush Southern, Senior Minister; Rev. Laura Shennum, Minister of Congregational Life; Daniel Jackoway, Worship Associate; Jordan Ong, Canvass Testimony; Reiko Oda Lane, Organist; UUSF Choir led by Mark Sumner, Music Director; Bill Ganz, Pianist

Shulee Ong, Camera; Jackson Munn, Camera; Jonathan Silk, Communications Director; Joe Chapot, Live Chat Moderator; Thomas Brown, Sexton; Athena Papadakos, Flowers; Linda Messner, Head Usher; Ralph Fenn, Les James, Tom Brookshire, Zoom Coffee Hour

This Sunday is a special Family Festival Heritage Sunday Service, celebrating All Souls' 102nd birthday.  Both Marlin and Barbara deliver messages about what it means for us to honor the legacy of those who came before — they planted seeds that grew into trees for us, and we in turn plant seeds from those trees for those will be here beyond us. This message was delivered on Sunday, March 26, 2023 at All Souls Unitarian Church in Tulsa, Oklahoma by Rev. Dr. Marlin Lavanhar and Rev. Barbara Prose in the 10am Service. SUBSCRIBE TO WATCH SERMONS FROM OUR MINISTERS: WANT TO LISTEN? SUBSCRIBE TO AUDIO PODCAST: GIVE TO SUPPORT LOVE BEYOND BELIEF: or text LOVEBB to 73256 LET'S CONNECT: Facebook: Instagram: All Souls Church Website:  

Watch the Service: To enable YouTube provided closed-captioning while viewing the service, click the “CC” icon on the bottom bar of your YouTube video player.    

"From Special Creation to Kin: How Scientific and Indigenous Understandings Call Us to a New Relationship with Nature"

Sunday, March 19, 10:50 am

For much of Western history, the dominant creation story has placed humans at the apex of the natural order. This Sunday we will look at how the scientific creation story calls us to a different relationship with life, one which is consonant with many indigenous understandings and with Unitarian Universalism as well.

Rev. Jamie Hinson-Rieger, Guest Minister; Rev. Laura Shennum, Minister of Congregational Life; Sam King, Worship Associate; Sara Ferree, Canvass Testimony; Reiko Oda Lane, Organist; UUSF Choir led by Mark Sumner, Music Director; Bill Ganz, Pianist

Shulee Ong, Camera; Eric Shackelford, Camera; Jonathan Silk, Communications Director; Joe Chapot, Live Chat Moderator; Thomas Brown, Sexton; Athena Papadakos, Flowers; Linda Messner, Head Usher

We cannot understand religious authority without understanding our relationship to consent. What is our relationship to our own consent? What does it feel like to be fully bought in? What do we do when we feel someone else is not fully bought in? How do we work with the parts of ourselves that are not bought in when someone imposes on us? Join me at the 10:00 am Worship service as we explore how we can be (as in 1 Corinthians 3:9) co-workers in G*d’s service and at the same time be the field and the building. This message was delivered on Sunday, March 19, 2023 at All Souls Unitarian Church in Tulsa, Oklahoma by Rev. Tamara Lebak in the 10am Service.   SUBSCRIBE TO WATCH SERMONS FROM OUR MINISTERS: WANT TO LISTEN? SUBSCRIBE TO AUDIO PODCAST:   GIVE TO SUPPORT LOVE BEYOND BELIEF:  or text LOVEBB to 73256   LET'S CONNECT: Facebook: Instagram: All Souls Church Website:  

How do we manage all of the roles we play in our lives — and does playing a role make us inauthentic?  This Sunday, Carlton Pearson explores the what it means for us to remain authentic as we inhabit all of the pressures that surround what we hold to be precious.  There are so many versions of us that we present that sometimes it can be challenging to find our true inner voices. This message was delivered on Sunday, March 12, 2023 at All Souls Unitarian Church in Tulsa, Oklahoma by Carlton D. Pearson in the The Point Humanist Hour. SUBSCRIBE TO WATCH SERMONS FROM OUR MINISTERS:   WANT TO LISTEN? SUBSCRIBE TO AUDIO PODCAST:   GIVE TO SUPPORT LOVE BEYOND BELIEF:  or text LOVEBB to 73256 LET'S CONNECT: Facebook: Instagram: All Souls Church Website:  

Watch the Service: To enable YouTube provided closed-captioning while viewing the service, click the “CC” icon on the bottom bar of your YouTube video player.    

Recorded live at Arlington Street Church, Sunday, March 12, 2023.

Recorded live at Arlington Street Church, Sunday, March 5, 2023.

Recorded live at Arlington Street Church, Sunday, February 26, 2023.

Recorded live at Arlington Street Church, Sunday, February 19, 2023.

Recorded live at Arlington Street Church, Sunday, February 12, 2023.

"A Hermit's Life"
Sunday, March 12, 10:50 am
Rev. Vanessa Rush Southern, Senior Minister, Preaching

A part of me dreams of being a hermit -- not all year, but part of every year, and not completely alone but a lot alone. And so I spent part of sabbatical reading about hermit's lives and the pieces that feel most gorgeous.

Rev. Vanessa Rush Southern, Senior Minister; Rev. Laura Shennum, Minister of Congregational Life; Dennis Adams, Worship Associate; Gregory Stevens, Canvass Testimony; Ben Rudiak-Gould, Songleader; Bill Ganz, Pianist

Eric Shackelford, Camera; Jonathan Silk, Communications Director; Joe Chapot, Live Chat Moderator; Thomas Brown, Sexton; Carrie Steere-Salazar, Flowers; Linda Messner, Head Usher

Watch the Service: To enable YouTube provided closed-captioning while viewing the service, click the “CC” icon on the bottom bar of your YouTube video player.    

"Greatness"
Sunday, March 5, 10:50 am

I have been thinking about the notion of mediocrity and envy, good enoughness (and its power) but also greatness. As we head into thinking about and raising money for our next year of life together, I'd like to talk about greatness.

Rev. Vanessa Rush Southern, Senior Minister; Rev. Laura Shennum, Minister of Congregational Life; Daniel Jackoway; Worship Associate; Dolores Perez-Heilbron and David Heilbron, Annual Giving Co-Chairs; Reiko Oda Lane, Organist; UUSF Choir led by Mark Sumner, Music Director; Laurel Sprigg, Soprano; Nancy Munn, Soprano; Wm. García Ganz, Pianist

Shulee Ong, Camera; Jackson Munn, Camera; Jonathan Silk, Communications Director; Joe Chapot, Live Chat Moderator; Thomas Brown, Sexton; Amy Kelly, Flowers; Linda Messner, Head Usher; Ralph Fenn, Les James, Tom Brookshire, Zoom Coffee Hour

Are you ever afraid you might say the wrong thing or ask the wrong question? Do you wonder what to think about current debates, such as the ones about Transgender issues?  Are you unsure where and when you can raise your concerns and receive a respectful and well-considered answers? This is a message about courageous love and the problem of certainty.  On both sides of the current debate about whether a person can “change their gender” there are people who are certain.  One side says, “Absolutely not!” and the other says “Absolutely yes” and there is not much room to question.   In between these polarities most people wrestle (silently) with real questions and concerns about what is right and age-appropriate regarding gender fluidity, hormone treatments and various laws that seek to regulate gender in school sports, education and society.   Who has the authority to decide a person’s gender?  The person? Parents? Pastors? Politicians? Pediatricians? Coaches? This message is much more than a talk about gender and rights, it is a deeply personal exploration of what it means to be human and how we show up for one another.   This message was delivered on Sunday, March 5, 2023 at All Souls Unitarian Church in Tulsa, Oklahoma by Rev. Dr. Marlin Lavanhar in the The Point Humanist Hour. SUBSCRIBE TO WATCH SERMONS FROM OUR MINISTERS:   WANT TO LISTEN? SUBSCRIBE TO AUDIO PODCAST: GIVE TO SUPPORT LOVE BEYOND BELIEF:  or text LOVEBB to 73256 LET'S CONNECT: Facebook: Instagram: All Souls Church Website:  

Watch the Service: To enable YouTube provided closed-captioning while viewing the service, click the “CC” icon on the bottom bar of your YouTube video player.    

How do we manage the contradictions inherent in our group identities?  Can we authentically agree to disagree, or does going along to get along actually fracture our authenticity?  The answers to these questions are never static, but it matters that we get ahead of the questions — it’s better to address our civil rights and needs before a civil war becomes necessary!   This message was delivered on Sunday, February 26, 2023 at All Souls Unitarian Church in Tulsa, Oklahoma by Carlton D. Pearson in the The Point Humanist Hour.   SUBSCRIBE TO WATCH SERMONS FROM OUR MINISTERS: https://www.youtube.com/user/allsoulsunitarian  WANT TO LISTEN? SUBSCRIBE TO AUDIO PODCAST: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/all-souls-unitarian-church/id193096943   GIVE TO SUPPORT LOVE BEYOND BELIEF: http://www.allsoulschurch.org/GIVE or text LOVEBB to 73256   LET'S CONNECT: Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/allsoulstulsa Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/allsoulstulsa/  All Souls Church Website: http://www.allsoulschurch.org/connect

"Some of What I Learned on My Sabbatical: Reclaiming Time and Empathy"

Sunday, February 26, 10:50 am

The gift of sabbatical is supposed to be about time -- fallow time, time "on the balcony" of your own life, time to rekindle flames that burn low. What I found was a new thread in an ongoing tapestry I have been weaving about time and my struggles with and against it; and about empathy. The two are related.

Rev. Vanessa Rush Southern, Senior Minister; Rev. Laura Shennum, Minister of Congregational Life; Mari Magaloni Ramos, Worship Associate; Reiko Oda Lane, Organist; UUSF Choir led by Mark Sumner, Music Director

Shulee Ong, Camera; Jackson Munn, Camera; Jonathan Silk, Communications Director; Joe Chapot, Live Chat Moderator; Thomas Brown, Sexton; Carrie Steere-Salazar, Flowers; Linda Messner, Head Usher

Watch the Service: To enable YouTube provided closed-captioning while viewing the service, click the “CC” icon on the bottom bar of your YouTube video player.    

"Mourning and Celebrating"

Sunday, February 19, 10:50 am

At a recent trip to the DeYoung Museum, to see the exhibit by Black South African artist Lhola Amira, I was made aware of (at least) two parts of the righting of the heart and mind around our shared human history.

Rev. Vanessa Rush Southern, Senior Minister; Sam King, Worship Associate; Shawnette Sulker, Soprano; Mark Sumner, Songleader; Jon Silk, Drummer; Wm. García Ganz, Pianist

Shulee Ong, Camera; Eric Shackelford, Camera; Jonathan Silk, Communications Director; Joe Chapot, Live Chat Moderator; Thomas Brown, Sexton; Carrie Steere-Salazar, Flowers; Linda Messner, Head Usher; Ralph Fenn, Les James, Tom Brookshire, Zoom Coffee Hour

Watch the Service: To enable YouTube provided closed-captioning while viewing the service, click the “CC” icon on the bottom bar of your YouTube video player.    

Come for the music and stay for the message! The soundtrack of our lives is infused with influences from African American musicians and creators. To distinguish between American music and Black Music would be impossible. In the same way, it is impossible to distinguish between American History and Black History. This Sunday with the help of our musicians and our special musical guest, Booker Gillespie, we will tap our toes, move our hearts and consider how the soul of Black music has helped shape our own soul. This message was delivered on Sunday, February 19, 2023 at All Souls Unitarian Church in Tulsa, Oklahoma by Rev. Dr. Marlin Lavanhar in the The Point Humanist Hour. SUBSCRIBE TO WATCH SERMONS FROM OUR MINISTERS: WANT TO LISTEN? SUBSCRIBE TO AUDIO PODCAST: GIVE TO SUPPORT LOVE BEYOND BELIEF:  or text LOVEBB to 73256 LET'S CONNECT: Facebook: Instagram: All Souls Church Website:

"Keeping Love Alive"

Sunday, February 12, 2023, Worship Service

What does it take to keep love alive? What are some skills or practices that help us nurture the best in our relationships with one another?

Rev. Vanessa Rush Southern, Senior Minister; Daniel Jackoway, Worship Associate; Bell Choir led by Reiko Oda Lane, Organist; UUSF Choir led by Mark Sumner, Music Director; Jon Silk, Drummer; Bill Ganz, Pianist

Jackson Munn, Camera; Jonathan Silk, Communications Director; Joe Chapot, Live Chat Moderator; Thomas Brown, Sexton; Judy Payne, Flowers; Linda Messner, Head Usher

This Sunday, Randy Lewis challenges our understanding of race through the lens of black and white by exploring the simple fact that none of us are actually black or white — we are all simply varying shades of very light to very dark brown. A black/white dichotomy sets up false archetypes that serve to separate us. This message was delivered on Sunday, February 12, 2023 at All Souls Unitarian Church in Tulsa, Oklahoma by Randy Lewis in the The Point Humanist Hour. SUBSCRIBE TO WATCH SERMONS FROM OUR MINISTERS: WANT TO LISTEN? SUBSCRIBE TO AUDIO PODCAST: GIVE TO SUPPORT LOVE BEYOND BELIEF: or text LOVEBB to 73256 LET'S CONNECT: Facebook: Instagram: All Souls Church Website:

Recorded live at Arlington Street Church, Sunday, February 5, 2023.

Watch the Service: To enable YouTube provided closed-captioning while viewing the service, click the “CC” icon on the bottom bar of your YouTube video player.    

Sunday, February 5, 2023, 10:50 am
“Gongxi Gongxi: A Will to Hope in the Lunar New Year”

The Lunar New Year loudly celebrates the spring amidst the chill of winter. What can a festival so focused on positivity tell us about our not-so-positive experience?

Rev. Seanan Fong, Guest Minister; Carmen Barsody, Worship Associate; Lori Lai, Board Treasurer; Alexandra Lee-Jobe, UU Davis; Reiko Oda Lane, Organist; UUSF Choir led by Mark Sumner, Music Director; Rusty Harris-Bishop, Soloist; Jon Silk, Drums; Bill Ganz, Pianist

Shulee Ong, Camera; Eric Shackelford, Camera; Jonathan Silk, Communications Director; Joe Chapot, Live Chat Moderator; Thomas Brown, Sexton; Kelvin Jones, Sexton; Judy Payne, Flowers; Linda Messner, Head Usher; Ralph Fenn, Les James, Tom Brookshire, Zoom Coffee Hour

Have you ever acted on an incomplete story and paid the price for it? Every story has multiple sides depending on where we sit. As we launch our theme of “Freedom” and celebrate Black History, this month, we will examine the power of the stories we tell and how they can bless or curse our life. Some stories involve the casting of a spell which creates a false reality. This message may come like a kiss to break the spell that keeps us fractured. This message was delivered on Sunday, February 5, 2023 at All Souls Unitarian Church in Tulsa, Oklahoma by Rev. Dr. Marlin Lavanhar in the 10am Service. SUBSCRIBE TO WATCH SERMONS FROM OUR MINISTERS: WANT TO LISTEN? SUBSCRIBE TO AUDIO PODCAST: GIVE TO SUPPORT LOVE BEYOND BELIEF: or text LOVEBB to 73256 LET'S CONNECT: Facebook: Instagram: All Souls Church Website:  

Recorded live at Arlington Street Church, Sunday, January 8, 2023.

Recorded live at Arlington Street Church, Sunday, January 22, 2023.

Recorded live at Arlington Street Church, Sunday, January 15, 2023.

Recorded live at Arlington Street Church, Sunday, January 8, 2023.

Watch the Service: To enable YouTube provided closed-captioning while viewing the service, click the “CC” icon on the bottom bar of your YouTube video player.    

“A Religious Center With a Civic Circumference: Unitarians in San Francisco Since 1850”
Sunday, January 29, 2023, 10:50 am, Worship Service Livestream

Our past Senior Minister returns to our pulpit to speak about the history of our congregation. Since his retirement five years ago, he has been working on a book, which will be available soon, about this history. When the book comes out, he will lead an Adult Rel. Ed. course on the phases of UU history in SF.

Rev. John Buehrens, Sunday Preacher; Dennis Adams, Worship Associate; Andrés Vera, Cellist; Adam Ward, Vocalist; Bill Ganz, Pianist

Shulee Ong, Camera; Eric Shackelford, Camera; Jonathan Silk, Communications Director; Joe Chapot, Live Chat Moderator; Thomas Brown, Sexton; Carrie Steere-Salazar, Flowers; Linda Messner, Head Usher

Perhaps nothing is more desirable for humans than healthy community to hold us, to make our lives more meaningful and bearable, so why is it so hard and rare to find this community? The scarcity of beloved community only highlights our profound need for it. So what does it take? At All Souls, we aren't bound by a creed or a cross, instead we are held together by our covenant - our commitment to each other to love beyond belief. It turns out that our differences aren't problems that keep us from community - they are the very opportunities to reach out and create bridges to one another. As Søren Kierkegaard said, “When one has fully entered the realm of love, the world — no matter how imperfect — becomes rich and beautiful, consisting solely of opportunities for love.” This message was delivered on Sunday, January 29, 2023 at All Souls Unitarian Church in Tulsa, Oklahoma by Randy Lewis in The Point Humanist Hour. SUBSCRIBE TO WATCH SERMONS FROM OUR MINISTERS: WANT TO LISTEN? SUBSCRIBE TO AUDIO PODCAST: GIVE TO SUPPORT LOVE BEYOND BELIEF:  or text LOVEBB to 73256 LET'S CONNECT: Facebook: Instagram: All Souls Church Website:  

“Gaining Vision at the Edge of the Miraculous”
Sunday, January 22, 2023, 10:50 am, Worship Service Livestream

At this time of year in the Jewish community we read the text of the Burning Bush. Can Moses’s response to that encounter inform how we might vision our lives as we in the every day face barriers and fears that block us? Do the miracles of this textual tradition – a burning bush, a well of water, a parted sea, teach us that we are always standing at the edge of miraculous and if we look deeper can find inspiration to go forward with blessing?

Rabbi Jonathan Singer, Guest Preacher; Sam King, Worship Associate; Reiko Oda Lane, Organist; UUSF Choir; Bill Ganz, Conductor; Nancy Munn, Soprano; Leandra Ramm, Mezzo Soprano; Luis Maurer, Pianist

Eric Shackelford, Camera; Jonathan Silk, Communications Director; Joe Chapot, Live Chat Moderator; Thomas Brown, Sexton; Carrie Steere-Salazar, Flowers; Linda Messner, Head Usher

“Once to every Soul and Nation…”
Sunday, January 15, 2023, 10:50 am, Worship Service Livestream

Their voices roll down through history -- cutting through like the thunder before a storm -- warning us, reminding us, showing us by the lives they lived/live that prophetic words can be met by life-changing deeds and that the future is not yet written, that there is another way.

Ukrainian President Zelensky did that recently on a podium before the most powerful audience in the world.. and so did Martin Luther King some 60 years ago through his letter from inside a Birmingham, Alabama jail.

Richard Davis-Lowell, Guest Preacher; Bill Lowell, Worship Associate; Reiko Oda Lane, Organist; UUSF Choir led by Mark Sumner, Music Director; Eric Shackelford, Baritone; Kelvin Jones, Soloist; Wm. García Ganz, Pianist

Shulee Ong, Camera; Eric Shackelford, Camera; Jackson Munn, Camera; Lyle Barrere, Sound; 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

What does it mean for a myth to be true? Does it have to be literal and factual in order for us to glean meaning from it? This Sunday, Rev. Marlin explores the value of myth in our lives and in our world. It might require us to expand our imagination and interpret - indeed, to co-create the universe through our understanding. This message was delivered on Sunday, January 22, 2023 at All Souls Unitarian Church in Tulsa, Oklahoma by Rev. Dr. Marlin Lavanhar in The Point Humanist Hour. SUBSCRIBE TO WATCH SERMONS FROM OUR MINISTERS: WANT TO LISTEN? SUBSCRIBE TO AUDIO PODCAST: GIVE TO SUPPORT LOVE BEYOND BELIEF: or text LOVEBB to 73256 LET'S CONNECT: Facebook: Instagram: All Souls Church Website:

Watch the Service: To enable YouTube provided closed-captioning while viewing the service, click the “CC” icon on the bottom bar of your YouTube video player.    

"Power concedes nothing without a demand. It never did and it never will." — Frederick Douglass As we celebrate and learn from the life and legacy of Martin Luther King, Jr. this MLK Sunday, Rev. Gerald Davis reflects on the "santa-clause-ification" of MLK, a process in which we remember him as a soft and simply well-meaning figure, when in reality he was a radical political and social advocate — to the point that powerful people wanted him killed. This message was delivered on Sunday, January 15, 2023 at All Souls Unitarian Church in Tulsa, Oklahoma by Rev. Gerald Davis in The Point Humanist Hour. SUBSCRIBE TO WATCH SERMONS FROM OUR MINISTERS: WANT TO LISTEN? SUBSCRIBE TO AUDIO PODCAST: GIVE TO SUPPORT LOVE BEYOND BELIEF: or text LOVEBB to 73256 LET'S CONNECT: Facebook: Instagram: All Souls Church Website:

Joni Mitchell famously sung "We are stardust... and we've got to get ourselves back to the garden." What does it mean for us to be made of stardust, floating around on a speck of a speck in the vastness of the cosmos? Does it provoke a sense of wonder that we are here at all? Or maybe a sense of profound uncertainty as to how we got here, or where we are going? These feelings have been provoking us for millennia to create religions about how the stardust turned into us, and also about how we might get back to the garden. Maybe instead of explaining it all, these feelings can remind us how rare it is that we get to consciously exist at all, and maybe this can create a new kind of religious impulse... one that expands our worlds rather than limits them. This message was delivered on Sunday, January 8, 2023 at All Souls Unitarian Church in Tulsa, Oklahoma by Rev. Dr. Marlin Lavanhar in The Point Humanist Hour. SUBSCRIBE TO WATCH SERMONS FROM OUR MINISTERS: WANT TO LISTEN? SUBSCRIBE TO AUDIO PODCAST: GIVE TO SUPPORT LOVE BEYOND BELIEF: http://www.allsoulschurch.org/GIVE or text LOVEBB to 73256 LET'S CONNECT: Facebook: Instagram: All Souls Church Website:

Watch the Service: To enable YouTube provided closed-captioning while viewing the service, click the “CC” icon on the bottom bar of your YouTube video player.    

“A People Without Vision Shall Perish”
Sunday, January 8, 2023, 10:50 am, Worship Service Livestream

Emerging from the COVID-19 pandemic, we realize that there is no turning back to what we once thought was normal. San Francisco has always been a destination for those who want to be their authentic selves and dream dreams. Sunday's sermon will speak to the challenges and opportunities of this time of recalibration and how people of faith can and should be a part of the equation for charting a vision for a brighter future.

Michael G. Pappas, M.Div., Guest Preacher; Wonder Dave, Worship Associate; Reiko Oda Lane, Organist; Maria Roodnitsky, Guitarist and Singer; Cal Ball, Guitarist; Nancy Munn, Songleader

Eric Shackelford, Camera; Jonathan Silk, Communications Director; Joe Chapot, Live Chat Moderator; Remigio Flood, Sexton; Kelvin Jones, Sexton; Amy Kelly, Flowers; Linda Messner, Head Usher

Recorded live at Arlington Street Church, Sunday, January 1, 2023.

Recorded live at Arlington Street Church, Sunday, December 18, 2022.

Recorded live at Arlington Street Church, Sunday, December 11, 2022.

Recorded live at Arlington Street Church, Sunday, December 4, 2022.

Recorded live at Arlington Street Church, Sunday, November 27, 2022.

Watch the Service: To enable YouTube provided closed-captioning while viewing the service, click the “CC” icon on the bottom bar of your YouTube video player.    

Watch the Service: To enable YouTube provided closed-captioning while viewing the service, click the “CC” icon on the bottom bar of your YouTube video player.    

Watch the Service: To enable YouTube provided closed-captioning while viewing the service, click the “CC” icon on the bottom bar of your YouTube video player.    

“Annual Hanging of the Greens Service”
Sunday, December 18, 10:50 am, Worship Service Livestream

We will gather as a full community to build connection through the ritual of creating the greens for our sanctuary. In honor of the sacredness of each person born, we will create stars that highlight each of us that are present. Join us for a lovely tradition of joy and merriment.

Rev. Vanessa Rush Southern, Senior Minister; Rev. Laura Shennum, Minister of Congregational Life; Dennis Adams, Worship Associate; Reiko Oda Lane, Organist; UUSF Choir; Mark Sumner, Music Director; Jon Silk, Drummer; Wm. García Ganz, Pianist

Shulee Ong, Camera; Jackson Munn, Camera; Jonathan Silk, Communications Director; Joe Chapot, Live Chat Moderator; Thomas Brown, Sexton; DeAndre Smith, Sexton; Athena Papadakos, Flowers; Linda Messner, Head Usher

Watch the Service: To enable YouTube provided closed-captioning while viewing the service, click the “CC” icon on the bottom bar of your YouTube video player.    

Watch the Service: To enable YouTube provided closed-captioning while viewing the service, click the “CC” icon on the bottom bar of your YouTube video player.    

“What I want for Christmas?”
Sunday, December 11, 10:50 am, Worship Service Livestream

Cleaning out a box of old papers, the other day, I came across a chapter -- part of a chapter -- of a book from Theologian Stanley Hauerwas that felt very current. It was about the "wanting" at the center of our lives.

Rev. Vanessa Rush Southern, Senior Minister; Sam King, Worship Associate; Larry Chinn, Jazz Pianist; Laurel Sprigg, Soprano; Ben Rudiak-Gould, Songleader

Shulee Ong, Camera; Eric Shackelford, Camera; Jonathan Silk, Communications Director; Joe Chapot, Live Chat Moderator; Thomas Brown, Sexton; DeAndre Smith, Sexton; Carrie Steere-Salazar, Flowers; Linda Messner, Head Ushersner, Head Usher; Ralph Fenn, Les James, Tom Brookshire, Zoom Coffee Hour

In his book, The Naked Now: Learning to See as the Mystics, Richard Rohr, wrote: The most amazing fact about Jesus, unlike almost any other religious founder, is that he found God in disorder and imperfection — and told us that we must do the same or we would never be content on this earth… The struggle to forgive reality for being exactly what it is right now often breaks us through to nondual consciousness.” The mystics of every culture have a way of discovering the divine in all things. In our tradition, Ralph Waldo Emerson encouraged us to discover God, or the Oneness of life, in nature and relationships and inside ourselves. As we explore the multifaceted theme of “God” this month, let us look for the Ultimate in tiny, everyday things. This message was delivered on Sunday, December 11, 2022 at All Souls Unitarian Church in Tulsa, Oklahoma by Rev. Dr. Marlin Lavanhar in 10 am service. SUBSCRIBE TO WATCH SERMONS FROM OUR MINISTERS: WANT TO LISTEN? SUBSCRIBE TO AUDIO PODCAST: GIVE TO SUPPORT LOVE BEYOND BELIEF: or text LOVEBB to 73256 LET'S CONNECT: Facebook: Instagram: All Souls Church Website:

Watch the Service: To enable YouTube provided closed-captioning while viewing the service, click the “CC” icon on the bottom bar of your YouTube video player.    

“Oh, Family”
Sunday, December 4, 10:50 am, Worship Service Livestream

We will spend hours basting a turkey or readying the house for guests, but often not even a few minutes preparing ourselves to be with them. Having just, perhaps, had some time with family, biological or chosen, and maybe preparing to be with family in the Hanukkah, Christmas and Kwanzaa seasons ahead, let's talk about family. How to be with Family: A core spiritual discipline of the holidays!

Rev. Vanessa Rush Southern, Senior Minister; Mari Magaloni Ramos, Worship Associate; Reiko Oda Lane, Organist; UUSF Choir; Mark Sumner, Music Director; Wm. García Ganz, Pianist

Shulee Ong, Camera; Eric Shackelford, Camera; Jonathan Silk, Communications Director; Joe Chapot, Live Chat Moderator; Thomas Brown, Sexton; DeAndre Smith, Sexton; Carrie Steere-Salazar, Flowers; Linda Messner, Head Usher; Ralph Fenn, Les James, Tom Brookshire, Zoom Coffee Hour

In the Bible, there is a moment when God says about humans, "they have become like us." Well, who exactly is "us" there, and what does it mean to become like gods? As humans, we have immense power to create and destroy, but perhaps the thing that makes us *most* like "the gods" is our ability to decide what we will believe about them. Even if we were to see God face to face, we would still be responsible to interpret what we saw! This message was delivered on Sunday, December 3, 2022 at All Souls Unitarian Church in Tulsa, Oklahoma by Carlton D. Pearson in The Point Humanist Hour service. SUBSCRIBE TO WATCH SERMONS FROM OUR MINISTERS: WANT TO LISTEN? SUBSCRIBE TO AUDIO PODCAST: GIVE TO SUPPORT LOVE BEYOND BELIEF:  or text LOVEBB to 73256 LET'S CONNECT: Facebook: Instagram: All Souls Church Website:

Watch the Service: To enable YouTube provided closed-captioning while viewing the service, click the “CC” icon on the bottom bar of your YouTube video player.    

"Little Things Mean a Lot"
Sunday, November 27, 10:50 am, Worship Service Livestream

My dad did a commercial decades ago. It is one of the stories you might hear us retelling when we gather around the table which we are still lucky and blessed enough to do. But, all laughter aside, the joke calls us back to some of what is essential to a life grounded in gratitude.

Rev. Vanessa Rush Southern, Senior Minister; Wonder Dave, Worship Associate; Christine Tulis, Harpist and Singer; Ben Rudiak-Gould, Songleader; Mark Sumner, Pianist

Eric Shackelford, Camera; Jonathan Silk, Communications Director; Joe Chapot, Live Chat Moderator; DeAndre Smith, Sexton; Kelvin Jones, Sexton; Thomas Brown, Sexton; Amy Kelly, Flowers; Linda Messner, Head Usher

Do we have to agree in order to get along?  Or maybe it's more accurate to say we agree *to* get along.  The Greek word "symphoneo," from which we our English word "symphony" simply means "to sound together" — not necessarily to sound alike.  It's likely impossible for us to ever find someone who agrees with us on everything, and instead of those differences threatening our belonging, perhaps they are precisely what makes connection real and meaningful! This message was delivered on Sunday, November 27, 2022 at All Souls Unitarian Church in Tulsa, Oklahoma by Carlton D. Pearson in The Point Humanist Hour service. SUBSCRIBE TO WATCH SERMONS FROM OUR MINISTERS: WANT TO LISTEN? SUBSCRIBE TO AUDIO PODCAST: GIVE TO SUPPORT LOVE BEYOND BELIEF: or text LOVEBB to 73256 LET'S CONNECT: Facebook: Instagram: All Souls Church Website:

Recorded live at Arlington Street Church, Sunday, November 20, 2022.

Watch the Service: To enable YouTube provided closed-captioning while viewing the service, click the “CC” icon on the bottom bar of your YouTube video player.    

“After the OObleck" - A Forgiveness Ritual”
Sunday, November 20, 10:50 am, Worship Service Livestream

Forgiveness can be a sticky topic, especially when we refuse to grant forgiveness to ourselves or others. Let us gather this morning to hear a story about how messy and sticky it can get. Then, we can choose to participate in a forgiveness ritual to help us leave that stickiness behind. If you are attending virtually, please have a rock or stone with you as you watch.

Rev. Laura Shennum, Minister of Congregational Life; Carmen Barsody, Worship Associate; Reiko Oda Lane, Organist; UUSF Choir; Mark Sumner, Music Director; Brielle Marina Neilson, Mezzo Soprano; Jon Silk, Drummer; Jon Silk, Drummer; Wm. García Ganz, Pianist

Shulee Ong, Camera; Eric Shackelford, 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

Recorded live at Arlington Street Church, Sunday, November 13, 2022.

Recorded live at Arlington Street Church, Sunday, November 6, 2022.

Recorded live at Arlington Street Church, Sunday, October 30, 2022.

Recorded live at Arlington Street Church, Sunday, October 23, 2022.

Recorded live at Arlington Street Church, Sunday, October 16, 2022.

"The Double-edged Sword of Faith"
Sunday, November 13, 10:50 am, Worship Service Livestream

Someone asked me on the way out of service this fall what I meant, as a Unitarian Universalist, when I said the word "faith." Let's look at what faith is (and is not) and the role it plays in our lives -- the blessing and the danger of it.

Rev. Vanessa Rush Southern, Senior Minister; Richard Davis-Lowell, Worship Associate; Reiko Oda Lane, Organist; UUSF Choir; Kate Offer, Soprano Kai Leith, Pianist & Conducting; Wm. García Ganz, Pianist & Conducting

Eric Shackelford, Camera; Jonathan Silk, Communications Director; Joe Chapot, Live Chat Moderator; Remigio Flood, Sexton; DeAndre Smith, Sexton; Athena Papadakos, Flowers; Linda Messner, Head Usher

Watch the Service: To enable YouTube provided closed-captioning while viewing the service, click the “CC” icon on the bottom bar of your YouTube video player.    

This Sunday after the United States midterm elections, Randy Lewis reflects on what it takes to stay in relationship with those we love, and those we might love, across all of our differences and as we change. We may disagree about so many things on the surface, but beyond that there might be a greater love that holds us together. This message was delivered on Sunday, November 13, 2022 at All Souls Unitarian Church in Tulsa, Oklahoma by Randy Lewis in The Point Humanist Hour service. SUBSCRIBE TO WATCH SERMONS FROM OUR MINISTERS: WANT TO LISTEN? SUBSCRIBE TO AUDIO PODCAST: GIVE TO SUPPORT LOVE BEYOND BELIEF:  or text LOVEBB to 73256 LET'S CONNECT: Facebook: Instagram: All Souls Church Website:

“Across the Veil”
Sunday, November 6, 10:50 am, Worship Service Livestream

This is the time of year of the Pagan celebration of Samhain, and the Christian (no doubt borrowed and adapted!) witness to All Souls and All Saints, and to the celebrations of Día De Los Muertos in Mexico and across Latin America. All of these community and religious ceremonies and sacred times begin with the Samhain idea that at this time of year the veil between the living and the dying is thinned. It is a season, therefore, for reaching across that veil and pulling those we have loved and lost, their spirit and their legacy, more intentionally into our world for a while.

Rev. Vanessa Rush Southern, Senior Minister; Mari Magaloni Ramos, Worship Associate; Reiko Oda Lane, Organist; UUSF Choir; Mark Sumner, Music Director; Laurel Sprigg, Soprano; Brielle Marina Nielsen, Mezzo Soprano; Wm. García Ganz, Pianist

Shulee Ong, Camera; Jackson Munn, Camera; Jonathan Silk, Communications Director; Joe Chapot, Live Chat Moderator; Dan Barnard, Facilities Manager; Kelvin Jones, Sexton; Athena Papadakos, Flowers; Linda Messner, Head Usher

Watch the Service: To enable YouTube provided closed-captioning while viewing the service, click the “CC” icon on the bottom bar of your YouTube video player.    

Our country is built on a promise we make to each other as citizens. It is far from a perfect system, but at its best it is guided by core values articulated in the Declaration of Independence regarding liberty and justice for all. As we head into an extraordinary election week, in America, people on both sides of the aisle seem to fear a win by the other side could be the end of our country as we know it. What do you do with your feelings that democracy may be failing? It is a time when having a community that cares about these things really matters. This message was delivered on Sunday, November 6, 2022 at All Souls Unitarian Church in Tulsa, Oklahoma by Rev. Dr. Marlin Lavanhar in the 10 am service. SUBSCRIBE TO WATCH SERMONS FROM OUR MINISTERS: WANT TO LISTEN? SUBSCRIBE TO AUDIO PODCAST: GIVE TO SUPPORT LOVE BEYOND BELIEF: or text LOVEBB to 73256 LET'S CONNECT: Facebook: Instagram: All Souls Church Website:

This Sunday, minister Randy Lewis explores the uniquely American problem with violence — particularly gun violence — and what it means to protect ourselves, not just from physical threats, but from corrosive positions in our own hearts.  Is there a political stance that can elevate us out of our current struggles with violence, or is this something that must begin within and spread outward? This message was delivered on Sunday, October 30, 2022 at All Souls Unitarian Church in Tulsa, Oklahoma by Randy Lewis in the 10 am service. SUBSCRIBE TO WATCH SERMONS FROM OUR MINISTERS: WANT TO LISTEN? SUBSCRIBE TO AUDIO PODCAST: GIVE TO SUPPORT LOVE BEYOND BELIEF: or text LOVEBB to 73256 LET'S CONNECT: Facebook: Instagram: All Souls Church Website:

“Living with the Trouble”
Sunday, October 30, 10:50 am, Worship Service Livestream

The saga of our relationship with the nightly raccoons, as a metaphor for learning to live with the troubles in life.

Rev. Margot Campbell Gross, Minister Emerita; Daniel Jackoway, Worship Associate; Reiko Oda Lane, Organist; UUSF Choir; Mark Sumner, Music Director; Ben Rudiak-Gould, Soloist; Laurel Sprigg, Soloist

Jackson Munn, Camera; Jonathan Silk, Communications Director; Joe Chapot, Live Chat Moderator; Dan Barnard, Facilities Manager; Judy Payne, Flowers; Linda Messner, Head Usher

Watch the Service: To enable YouTube provided closed-captioning while viewing the service, click the “CC” icon on the bottom bar of your YouTube video player.    

Watch the Service: To enable YouTube provided closed-captioning while viewing the service, click the “CC” icon on the bottom bar of your YouTube video player.    

“What Fuels These Fools?”
Sunday, October 23, 10:50 am, Worship Service Livestream

What makes Fools “faithful”? More than anything it is a willingness to hang in there, even when it seems like not much is changing. Futility, rather than fuel, seems to be what’s on people’s minds these days, but the Fools are committed to the faithfulness of fidelity and steadiness, keeping on even when it seems rather ridiculous to do so. Carmen Barsody and Sam Dennison, two long-time Faithful Fools, bring us their reflections on what it takes to keep on keepin’ on. As Faithful Fools ready to celebrate 25 years of reflection and engagement, and Carmen and Sam will share their 25th year questions and insights with us.

Carmen Barsody; Sam Dennison; Dennis Adams, Worship Associate; Mark Sumner, Pianist; Richard Fey, Songleader; Rosalie Alfonso, Percussionist; Jon Silk, Drummer; Bill Klingelhoffer, Percussionist; Michael Yamashita, Hula; Ka'ala Carmack, Pianist, Vocals and Ukulele

Eric Shackelford, Camera; Jonathan Silk, Communications Director; Joe Chapot, Live Chat Moderator; Kelvin Jones, Sexton; Carrie Steere-Salazar, Flowers; Linda Messner, Head Usher

The importance of accessibility to a broad range of literature has been held up over the course of our democracy by American luminaries as broad across the cultural spectrum as Emily Dickinson, Frederick Douglass, Ronald Reagan and Laura Bush. These individuals each spoke of the intellectual freedom and ethical instruction they received from literature in their times. From volumes as diverse as the philosophy of Sappho to the adventures of Superman. Because no book, no literature should be placed beyond the reach of any human mind. Instead, we must encourage a collective responsibility, shared in collaboration and concert, to contextualize the transcendent power of literature toward the betterment of all humankind. The brunt of the current attack on literary culture is being felt by our nation’s librarians. A once revered and admirable profession now under immense pressure and public scrutiny. One such public servant recently described the painstaking care with which they try to curate and provide for our community; “We develop our library collections very intentionally, based on the ages, experiences, and needs of the students we serve. We deeply respect the right of parents to monitor what their own children read, while also fighting to the end that no parent can decide what other children can read.” This message was delivered on Sunday, October 23, 2022 at All Souls Unitarian Church in Tulsa, Oklahoma by Cory Lovell and Marlin Lavanhar in The Point Humanist Hour. SUBSCRIBE TO WATCH SERMONS FROM OUR MINISTERS: WANT TO LISTEN? SUBSCRIBE TO AUDIO PODCAST: GIVE TO SUPPORT LOVE BEYOND BELIEF: or text LOVEBB to 73256 LET'S CONNECT: Facebook:  Instagram: All Souls Church Website:  

Recorded live at Arlington Street Church, Sunday, October 9, 2022.

Watch the Service: To enable YouTube provided closed-captioning while viewing the service, click the “CC” icon on the bottom bar of your YouTube video player.    

“Being Alive”
Sunday, October 16, 10:50 am, Worship Service Livestream

For months we struggled with the confinement required to avoid Covid, then the numbers went down and we began to move around again. Some said it felt 'Alive' again. What does being alive mean now that many of us now have more freedom?

Rev. David Sammons, Minister Emeritus; Wonder Dave, Worship Associate; Reiko Oda Lane, Organist; UUSF Choir; Mark Sumner, Music Director; Wm. García Ganz, Pianist

Shulee Ong, Camera; Jackson Munn, Camera; 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

The word conscience (or "con-science") roughly means "with knowledge." What, then, does it mean for us to have a conscience about good and evil? How do we learn about what is evil, and how do we know it's true? In this message, Carlton Pearson reflects on his own journey of understanding of what we might call God (or the "Good") and what we might call Evil. How does someone transition from believing a Unitarian Church is evil to actively being a preacher at one?   This message was delivered on Sunday, October 16, 2022 at All Souls Unitarian Church in Tulsa, Oklahoma by Carlton D. Pearson in The Point: Humanist Hour.   SUBSCRIBE TO WATCH SERMONS FROM OUR MINISTERS: https://www.youtube.com/user/allsoulsunitarian   WANT TO LISTEN? SUBSCRIBE TO AUDIO PODCAST: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/all-souls-unitarian-church/id193096943   GIVE TO SUPPORT LOVE BEYOND BELIEF: http://www.allsoulschurch.org/GIVE or text LOVEBB to 73256   LET'S CONNECT:   Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/allsoulstulsa   Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/allsoulstulsa/   All Souls Church Website: http://www.allsoulschurch.org/connect

Watch the Service: To enable YouTube provided closed-captioning while viewing the service, click the “CC” icon on the bottom bar of your YouTube video player.    

“Whose Land Is This?”
Sunday, October 9, 10:50 am, Worship Service Livestream

Woody Guthrie sang, “This land is your land, this land is my land, from California to the Gulf Stream waters.” Yet Indigenous Peoples’ Day, observed on the second Monday of October (but not as a holiday), suggests that we acknowledge the unceded rights of this continent’s first peoples. Doing so might even shed light on some of our society’s deepest problems. John Buehrens is both our past Senior Minister and a former President of the UUA. He will also reflect on his recent visit to Alaska, where descendants of the Inuit, Aleut, Athabascan, Tlingit, and other peoples constitute 22% of the population.

Rev. John Buehrens, Preacher; Daniel Jackoway, Worship Associate; Reiko Oda Lane, Organist; UUSF Choir; Mark Sumner, Music Director; Wm. García Ganz, Pianist; Rosalie Alfonso, Percussionist; Ka’ala Carmack, Ukulele

Shulee Ong, Camera; Jonathan Silk, Communications Director; Joe Chapot, Live Chat Moderator; Thomas Brown, Sexton; Amy Kelly, Flowers; Linda Messner, Head Usher; Ralph Fenn, Les James, Tom Brookshire, Zoom Coffee Hour

Recorded live at Arlington Street Church, Sunday, October 2, 2022.

Recorded live at Arlington Street Church, Sunday, September 25, 2022.