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.    

"'God' is not God's name"
Sunday, January 9, 10:50 am, Worship Service Livestream

As a theist, a liberal theist, in a pluralistic religious movement, and a congregation with a significant humanist/atheist/non-theist members, I don't talk much about God. Today, I will, and what that word, that-which-it-points-toward, means for me, and has for other progressive theists too. And whether it is useful to us, even those of us, who don't think we are theists.

Rev. Vanessa Rush Southern, Senior Minister; Dennis Adams, Worship Associate; Reiko Oda Lane, Organist; Jill Rachuy Brindel, Cellist; Brielle Marina Neilson, Songleader

Eric Shackelford, Camera; Reiko Oda Lane, Camera; Jonathan Silk, Communications Director; Joe Chapot, Live Chat Moderator; Remigio Flood, Sexton; Kelvin Jones, Sexton; Carrie Steere-Salazar, Flowers; Alex Darr, Les James, Tom Brookshire, Zoom Coffee Hour

Assistant Minister Rev. Chris Jimmerson's sermon delivered on January 9, 2022. We probably all would like to think we are living intentional lives, but how do we do that? Do we direct our sights toward goals for ourselves, our future and what we hope for our world? What about living with integrity and in congruity with our our deepest values and selves? We'll explore how living with intention may involve taking time for discernment - examining our lives from the balcony rather than the dance. floor.

In this second sermon in the “Ted Lasso” series, we examine our attitudes – which ones help us build strong relationships and move forward with our goals, and which are barriers?

"History is not History"
Sunday, January 16, 10:50 am, Worship Service Livestream

On this Martin Luther King, Jr. weekend when we could focus on the history of the Civil Rights Movement, let's focus on the present realities. From the old deed to an old house to a new staff member's request for a simple lanyard, to modern civil rights leaders asking we celebrate MLK Day only one way this year, what does our bending of the moral arc of our nation today say about where history is not history, but right in front of us.

Rev. Vanessa Rush Southern, Senior Minister; Carmen Barsody, Worship Associate; Mari Magaloni Ramos, Worship Associate; Reiko Oda Lane, Organist; Nancy Munn, soprano; Brielle Marina Neilson, alto; Ben Rudiak-Gould, tenor; Richard Fey, bass; Mark Sumner, Music Director

Eric Shackelford, Camera; Shulee Ong, Camera; Donald Shearer, Camera; Jonathan Silk, Communications Director; Joe Chapot, Live Chat Moderator; Kelvin Jones, Sexton; Judy Payne, Flowers; Alex Darr, 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.    

In this special all-online service, Live Oak members share their experiences of the pandemic and their hope for what lies ahead.

Recorded live at Arlington Street Church, Sunday, December 19, 2021.

Recorded live at Arlington Street Church, Sunday, December 26, 2021.

Guest Minister Rev. Lee Legault's sermon delivered on January 16, 2022. Lee Legault weathered the winter and summer 2021 COVID surges as a chaplain resident at Ascension Seton Medical Center of Austin, feeling privileged to walk beside patients and their families in the pandemic. She brings a grab bag of thoughts/advice/admonishments/assurances based on her time working with COVID patients and their families. As the Omicron variant rages, let's learn and grow together to the benefit of the interconnected web of existence of which we are all apart. Lamenting together, we may take heart that we are never truly alone.

Who are the “teammates” in your life? And what does it mean to be optimistic in 2022? We close out the Ted Lasso series by looking closer at some of the wisdom shared in the Ted Lasso show to see what we might find helpful ... read more.

Assistant Minister Rev. Chris Jimmerson's sermon delivered on January 23, 2022. What does it mean to be a prophetic religion? The prophetic is often thought of as having to do with predicting the future, and it can involve projecting what current circumstance might mean for the future, as well as offering a vision of a more just and peaceful future. Might the prophetic also involve speaking truths in the here and now, embracing our struggles and our broken hearts even as we strive for creating that better world?

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"Some Joy Please"
Sunday, January 23, 10:50 am, Worship Service Livestream

This Sunday let's take a break from lockdown woes and worries and turn our attention to how we bring joy and pleasure into our lives. Is it a song, a favorite recipe, a good book? Hard times make us think that joy isn't possible. But we think joy and pleasures, and staying in touch with both, is the secret sauce that will get us through. Join Revs Southern and Jacks for a service with wonderful music by our Organist Reiko Oda Lane, Choir Director Mark Sumner and soloists Richard Fey, Leandra Ramm, Brielle Marina Nielson, Ben Rudiak-Gould, and Nancy Munn. A morning to ground our reflection on what gives us joy, what are our secret pleasures, what gets us through these days. More joy? Yes, please.

Rev. Vanessa Rush Southern, Senior Minister; Rev. Alyson Jacks, Associate Minister; Reiko Oda Lane, Organist; Richard Fey, Leandra Ramm, Brielle Marina Nielson, Ben Rudiak-Gould, and Nancy Munn, Songleaders; Mark Sumner, Pianist

Eric Shackelford, Camera; Shulee Ong, Camera; Donald Shearer, Camera; Steven Kroeger, Sound & Livestream; Joe Chapot, Live Chat Moderator; Jon Silk, editing; Kelvin Jones, Sexton; Judy Payne, Flowers; Alex Darr, Les James, Tom Brookshire, Zoom Coffee Hour

"The Many Faces of Leadership" Sunday, January 30, 2022 10:50 am, Worship Service

Two days from now the Lunar New Year celebrations will begin and the Year of the Tiger will begin with it. And although being born under one of the Chinese Zodiac signs or another is supposed to have some influence on your character or disposition, perhaps each sign can also be an invitation to all of us to explore some way we can also choose to be present in the world. The Tiger is in part about leadership. And there are stories from traditional texts around the world about the different faces of leadership. Could one be yours?

Rev. Vanessa Rush Southern, Senior Minister; Lori Lai, Board Treasurer; Wonder Dave, Worship Associate; Andrés Vera and Elijah Lacin, Cellists; Ben Rudiak-Gould, Songleader; Mark Sumner, Pianist

Shulee Ong, Camera; Donald Shearer, Camera; Jonathan Silk, Communications Director; Joe Chapot, Live Chat Moderator; Remigio Flood, Sexton; Amy Kelly, Flowers; Alex Darr, Les James, Tom Brookshire, Zoom Coffee Hour

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Assistant Minister Rev. Chris Jimmerson's sermon delivered on January 30, 2022. We tend to think of our identities as clearly defined and stable over time. Research shows though that our identities are complex, sometimes self-contradictory, and adaptable, as well as that they evolve over time. And that may be advantageous. We'll explore this and claiming our full identity as individuals and as a religious community.

In today’s world, it can be easy to be angry, resentful, even hateful. Unitarian Universalism calls us to love boldly. Join Carrie Krause for her last sermon at Live Oak as she recalls her time here and shares her last lesson for us on living ... read more.

One of the things you need the most silently disappeared during the pandemic.

Rev. Meg Barnhouse's sermon delivered on February 6, 2022. Animals help us understand and feel our connection to nature, that we are rooted in the being of all beings.

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"Weaving Waters: Regional Assembly Worship" Sunday, February 6, 2022 10:50 am, Worship Service

This worship is an embodied, engaging, multi-gen service focusing on unity and interdependence. It is a testimony, boldly embracing the reality of Regionalization - combining resources and congregations to better and more equitably serve a vast geography from Western Nebraska through and to Alaska (and beyond). At its core, this worship is told as a parable in four voices, telling the story of a tetrad of rivers cascading together, while maintaining their individual sources, and yet also combining to bring nutrients, gifts, and life giving flow to something much larger than themselves. It is a “both / and” story of interweaving, while keeping one’s essence and culture. It is a story central to Unitarian Universalism, a movement founded on two magnificent things combining, with a new wonderful entity emerging as a result.

Sunday Service Coordinator: Matthew Clayton Davis; Rev Summer Albayati; Rev Justin Almeida; Marena McGregor, Assistant Director of Lifespan Religious Education; Jamili Omar, Director of Lifespan Faith Formation; RejUUvenation Youth Leadership Collective with Penelope Venturini; Pacific Western Region Emerging Adult Task Force with Amelie Heise and Charlie Mara; Eric Bliss; Music by Crispy Watkins

Rev. Meg Barnhouse's sermon delivered on February 13, 2022. A New Year's resolution some years ago led me to the question: what if we were really loved. I have been pondering it since. So many people have that question underneath everything they do or say. Do you really love me? That is what they are asking.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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"To Relationships, with Love" Sunday, February 13, 2022 10:50 am, Worship Service

Over the years, we can learn a few things about what it means to be in relationship well. How to love well? How to get over the rough spots and increase the joy and depth of connection. What are some of the lessons of love?

Rev. Vanessa Rush Southern, Senior Minister; Dennis Adams, Worship Associate; Reiko Oda Lane, Organist; UUSF Choir led by Mark Sumner, Music Director; Wm. Garcia Ganz, Accompanist

Eric Shackelford, Camera; Shulee Ong, Camera; Jonathan Silk, Communications Director; Joe Chapot, Live Chat Moderator; Remigio Flood, Sexton; Kelvin Jones, Sexton; Athena Papadakos, Flowers; Alex Darr, Les James, Tom Brookshire, Zoom Coffee Hour

We talk about “Building Beloved Community” all the time. But what does it actually mean?

"To Sondheim, with Love" Sunday, February 20, 2022 Livestream Worship Service

This morning we celebrate the great composer and lyricist Stephen Sondheim who recently passed away at the age of 91. His cool cleverness and skeptical, often ironic, intellectual character have long been commented on. It is not hard to find articles with titles like "The Case for Sondheim as Existentialist," or an obituary describing him as a "philosopher of music." A number of philosophers have taken it hard over the loss of so marvelous and so philosophical an artist. Cornel West: "His genius shall live forever! He was profound in content, subversive in form and always beautifully lyrical."

To honor his passing, and too feast on what he has "served up," we have chosen a couple of his beloved, familiar songs and, for some, adding a few more new favorites to cement and enlarge his fanbase. No matter how many times you listen to Sondheim, you find yourself taken to new places emotionally. Because of his singular command of music and lyrics, the second you absorb any of what is there, what was first intellectual immediately cuts straight to the heart.

Rev. Vanessa Rush Southern, Senior Minister; Dr. Mark Sumner; Music Director; Carmen Barsody, Worship Associate; Daniel Jackoway, Worship Associate; UUSF Choir; Nancy Munn, Soloist; Richard Fey, Soloist; Brielle Marina Neilson, Soloist; Leandra Ramm, Soloist; Asher Davison, Soloist; Ben Rudiak-Gould, Soloist; Gilead Wurman, Soloist; Wm. Garcia Ganz, Pianist

Eric Shackelford, Camera; Shulee Ong, Camera; Jonathan Silk, Communications Director; Joe Chapot, Live Chat Moderator; Remigio Flood, Sexton; Amy Kelly & Athena Papadakos, Flowers; Alex Darr, 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.    

Helping others often brings to mind feeding the homeless or digging a well in another country. But there are different needs right in our own neighborhood.

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

"To Change the World, with Love" Sunday, February 27, 10:50 am, Worship Service

In her book "Pleasure Activism" author adrienne maree brown questions whether activism needs to look like suffering and opens up the invitation for this piece of what we do to be not just more sustainable but life-giving, pleasurable!! What does she mean by "pleasure activism" and how can it change more than just our social justice work but our lives?

Rev. Vanessa Rush Southern, Senior Minister; Carmen Barsody, Worship Associate; Reiko Oda Lane, Organist & Bell Choir Director; Richard Fey, Baritone; Brielle Marina Neilson, Songleader; Ben Rudiak-Gould, Songleader; Michele Kennedy, Soprano; Allen Biggs, Percussionist; Mark Sumner, Pianist & Music Director

Eric Shackelford, Camera; Shulee Ong, Camera; Jonathan Silk, Communications Director; Joe Chapot, Live Chat Moderator; Remigio Flood, Sexton; Judy Payne, Flowers; Alex Darr, Les James, Tom Brookshire, Zoom Coffee Hour

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What is the ministry we do in the wider community? Join Live Oak members Joel Bercu, Audrey McCann, Chris Milhealsick, and Judy Reynolds, as they discuss taking action with school board issues, reproductive justice and anti-racism, voting, and climate justice.

Rev. Meg Barnhouse's sermon delivered on February 20, 2022. What makes a good goodbye? Our goodbye is going to be a long one. How can we talk about our gains and losses? How can we talk about the grief and the love that we share?

Assistant Minister Rev. Chris Jimmerson's sermon delivered on February 27, 2022. Liberation theology helps us understand that we all can fulfill our greatest potential when we open ourselves and our institutions to all people - greater and greater perspectives. Unitarian Universalism proposes that walking together in covenantal community, in the ways of love, is our way toward widening that circle, maybe even bursting it wide open so none of us left on the inside or the outside.

The world right now looks scary and its easy to imagine enemies around us. But the math says otherwise.

Rev. Meg Barnhouse's sermon delivered on March 6, 2022. The goal of world community with peace, liberty, and justice for all; Our sixth principal is broad and demanding. How in the world do we promote this, much less make this happen?

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

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

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"The Ecology of Generosity"
Sunday, March 6, 10:50 am, Worship Service Livestream

Our preacher this week, The Rev. Vail Weller, has served congregations as parish minister in West Virginia, Michigan, and most recently San Mateo, California, where she still resides. She is also the Congregational Giving Director at the Unitarian Universalist Association and we are so grateful to have her with us on this Sunday when we kick off our 2022-23 annual giving/pledge drive for this community. This week's sermon "The Ecology of Generosity" draws deeply on the thoughts of Robin Wall Kimmerer and her book “Braiding Sweetgrass” and explores the cycles of nature and the cycles of generosity.

Rev. Vail Weller, Guest Minister; Rev. Vanessa Rush Southern, Senior Minister; Sam King & “Wonder Dave” Crady, Canvass Co-Chairs; Reiko Oda Lane, Organist; UUSF Choir led by Mark Sumner, Music Director

Eric Shackelford, Camera; Shulee Ong, Camera; Donald Shearer, Camera; Jonathan Silk, Communications Director; Joe Chapot, Live Chat Moderator; Remigio Flood, Sexton; Judy Payne, Flowers; Alex Darr, Les James, Tom Brookshire, Zoom Coffee Hour

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"Rites of Passage Service: Big Life Questions"
Sunday, March 13, 10:50 am, Worship Service Livestream

We are excited to welcome our 4th and 5th graders for this year's Rites of Passage Service. The service will include wonderful music, performed by our bell and church choir, we'll have special songs, and a few surprises. And of course, the Big Life Questions! Our eight young people have waited an extra year for this service so we want to make this one extra special. And wait till you hear their questions!  Join us for this special celebration.

Rev. Alyson Jacks, Associate Minister; Rev. Vanessa Rush Southern, Senior Minister; Marigold Birch, 4th-5th Grade Lead Teacher; Dennielle Kronenberg, Canvass Testimony; Reiko Oda Lane, Organist & Bell Choir Director; UUSF Choir; Mark Sumner, Music Director; Jon Silk, Drummer; Nancy Munn, Soloist; Wm. García Ganz, Pianist

Eric Shackelford, Camera; Shulee Ong, Camera; Jonathan Silk, Communications Director; Joe Chapot, Live Chat Moderator; Remigio Flood, Sexton; Athena Papadakos, Flowers; Alex Darr, Les James, Tom Brookshire, Zoom Coffee Hour

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

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

This is Ostara, the Spring Equinox, a time of planting. And we are looking ahead to a new future, hopefully a post-pandemic future. What do we want to plant?

Assistant Minister Rev. Chris Jimmerson's sermon delivered on March 13, 2022. In challenging, sometimes scary times such as those in which we find ourselves, it can be hard at times to maintain our faith. Perhaps we can help each other retain our faith and resilience. Perhaps faith is to be found in our struggles for love, justice and a better world - a continual process of remembering that there is beauty to be found in the struggle, even when we cannot know what the outcome may be.

Rev. Meg Barnhouse's sermon delivered on March 20, 2022. A year ago, during the freeze, many of us lost our water for many days on end. Others of us who had water filled up containers to give to our neighbors and friends. We bring water to the service and share a couple of sentences about about our experience of the freeze last year as well as what water means to us.

Rev. Meg Barnhouse's sermon delivered on March 27, 2022. Our seventh principal affirms that we are all part of the physical world in both a physical and a spiritual way. The health of our planet and the health of other animals and humans affect the health of our own body/ mind.

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"The Question of Legacy"
Sunday, March 20, 10:50 am, Worship Service Livestream

I've been thinking a lot about legacy. Call it mid-life, call it an eternal itch we humans scratch and an eternal question with which we wrestle. It's a grounding question, a sobering one, sometimes an inspiring one, and maybe, maybe our answer changes as we go, as the path before us twists and opens. The question of legacy!

Rev. Vanessa Rush Southern, Senior Minister; "Wonder Dave" Crady, Worship Associate; Lori Lai, Annual Fund Testimonial; Dan Barnard, Facilities Manager; Linda Enger; Board of Trustees; Merle Easton; Robin Larsen, UUSF Women's Group; Reiko Oda Lane, Organist; Ben Rudiak-Gould, Songleader

Eric Shackelford, Camera; Donald Shearer, Camera; Jonathan Silk, Communications Director; Joe Chapot, Live Chat Moderator; Remigio Flood, Sexton; Athena Papadakos, Flowers; Linda Messner, Head Usher; Ralph Fenn, Les James, Tom Brookshire, Zoom Coffee Hour

"What's Going On?"
Sunday, March 27, 10:50 am, Worship Service Livestream

I want to talk about what I have been seeing and hearing the last week or two -- not about timeless and eternal questions but about what is going on around and within us all these days... at least my best guess, with a little input from my friends. It will be a time to sing, too light candles, to enjoy each other in coffee hour, to be still, to breathe. Just come, however, you are able to join in.

Rev. Vanessa Rush Southern, Senior Minister; Nancy Hardies, Annual Giving Fund Testimony; Sam King & Wonder Dave Crady, AOF Co-Chairs; Richard Davis, UU Seder 2022; Reiko Oda Lane, Organist; UUSF Choir led by Mark Sumner, Music Director; Wm. García Ganz, pianist

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

“Well I left my happy home
To see what I could find out
I left my folk and friends
With the aim to clear my mind out.” – Cat Stevens. On Rev. Joanna’s last service before leaving on sabbatical, she shares some thoughts about renewal, ... read more.

We are meaning-seeking animals. This means we can sometimes find ourselves looking for our purpose in our lives and communities. It’s simple if we’re just looking to increase what’s ours, raise our status, and beat our competitors into submission. But when we value healing — ... read more.

Rev. Meg Barnhouse's sermon delivered on April 3, 2022. What started the sense that we needed another principle? Why now? Why antiracism? Why do we choose to focus on this issue as opposed to all of the other oppressions? We will vote on it at our May meeting.

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"Word After A Word After A Word Is Power"
Sunday, April 3, 10:50 am, Worship Service Livestream

Poetry has the ability to awaken the mind with a single word or to give a gulp of water to the heart one didn’t know was thirsty. It can boldly tell undeniable truths to ourselves, and to Kings and Queens. It can make a crowd stir as well as call a profound silence in a filled auditorium. It is simple and complex, like each living being. Poetry is the language of Faithful Fools. Carmen Barsody and poets from the Tenderloin Community will lead us in a fool- hearted, poetic service in celebration of poetry month and their high holy month as Faithful Fools. (https://www.faithfulfools.org/)

Carmen Barsody, Sermonizer; Ed Bowers, Sermonizer; Kim Diamond, Sermonizer; Cheryl Shanks, Sermonizer; Joel Yates, Sermonizer; Poindexter (aka Dennis Adams), Worship Associate; Andrés Vera, Cellist; Matthew Linaman, Cellist; Ben Rudiak-Gould, Songleader; Jon Silk, Drummer; Mark Sumner, Pianist

Eric Shackelford, Camera; Jonathan Silk, Communications Director; Joe Chapot, Live Chat Moderator; Lee Jones, Sexton; Kelvin Jones, Sexton; Amy Kelly, Flowers; Linda Messner, Head Usher; Ralph Fenn, Les James, Tom Brookshire, Zoom Coffee Hour

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

Recorded live at Arlington Street Church, Sunday, April 3, 2022.

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Assistant Minister Rev. Chris Jimmerson's sermon delivered on April 10, 2022. Many of us are engaged in a lifelong process of awakening to realities that are different than what we were taught. It is a process that can feel liberating and help us awaken to our own, full creative potential. So, why are we witnessing such a backlash against wokeness.

"An Especially Big and Important Music Service"
Sunday, April 10, Worship Service Livestream

This Sunday, April 10th - after a 25-month delay - and in a follow up to our tribute to Walt Whitman in early December, several choirs return in larger numbers to perform the Dona Nobis Pacem by Ralph Vaughan Williams. In addition to having the UC Alumni Chorus join our church choir, we welcome students from the UC Men’s and Women's Chorales at Berkeley as well as a 45 piece orchestra. The pieces are enhanced exponentially with orchestral forces.

These combined choirs seek to honor the souls lost and displaced by the Ukraine invasion with their music. Dona Nobis Pacem was composed in response to the unsettling state of the world in 1936— Vaughan Williams compelled to cry out for peace featuring traditional texts as well as dramatic poetry by none other than Walt Whitman.

Rev. Alyson Jacks, Associate Minister; “Wonder Dave” Crady, Worship Associate; Reiko Oda Lane, Organist; Nancy Munn, soprano; Rene Minneboo, baritone; Orchestra and Choirs led by Mark Sumner, Music Director

Eric Shackelford, Camera; Donald Shearer, Camera; Jonathan Silk, Sound & Final Mixes; Joe Chapot, Live Chat Moderator; Remigio Flood, Sexton; Athena Papadakos, Flowers; Linda Messner, Head Usher; Ralph Fenn, Les James, Tom Brookshire, Zoom Coffee Hour

Recorded live at Arlington Street Church, Sunday, April 10, 2022.

The Spiritual Practice of Showing Up: From trans rights to reproductive justice, voting rights to the environment, this is a crucial time in Texans’ fight for justice and UU values in the world. The Rev. Erin Walter, musician, dance teacher, and new Executive Director of ... read more.

If “the unexamined life is not worth living,” how does Eastertime encourage us to examine ourselves – to roll away the stones on our hearts – and examine what lies within?

The Rev. Jami Yandle (they/them/theirs) is a non-binary Board Certified Chaplain and will be serving ... read more.

“Never What You Imagined”
Easter Sunday, April 17, 10:50 am, Worship Service Livestream
Rev. Vanessa Rush Southern, Senior Minister, preaching

This year is one when Passover and Easter land in the same stretch of time and Spring also is claiming the stage. Holding these stories, the rituals of remembering, one thing that strikes me is the fullness of this moment in all the stories of the season. How in them all it is a time of loss and hope, both. How in it all there is this vital readiness that is asked of us, and a reminder that what lies ahead is almost always in the big stories, nothing like what we had imagined.

Rev. Vanessa Rush Southern, Senior Minister; Rev. Alyson Jacks, Associate Minister; Sam King, Worship Associate; Bell Choir led by Reiko Oda Lane, Organist; Laurel Sprigg, Soprano; UUSF Choir led by Mark Sumner, Music Director

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

Watct the Meditation:    

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Rev. Meg Barnhouse's sermon delivered on April 17, 2022. Inanna, in the Babylonian faith story, goes to the underworld to visit her sister. At every level of the underworld, she is stripped of one more element of her rank and dignity. After three days in the underworld, she returns to the overworld. What does this story have to teach us about loss and resurrection?

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Rev. Meg Barnhouse's sermon delivered on April 24, 2022. Our covenant of healthy relations calls us to "Welcome and serve by being present with one another through life's transitions" What does it mean to be present with one another? How do we do that?

"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 that’s part of this earth. Let’s talk about elephants.

I don’t know if you’ve 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, I’ll 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

Leonard Jacobson says, “Awakening is about liberating yourself from the prison that is the world of the mind and daring to be here as all that you are.” My life has been about breaking out of the prisons of oppression and daring to be all ... read more.

Recorded live at Arlington Street Church, Sunday, April 17, 2022.

Recorded live at Arlington Street Church, Sunday, April 24, 2022.

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.

Rev. Meg Barnhouse's sermon delivered on May 1, 2022. Our covenant of healthy relations says we should speak to each other directly, in an attitude of curiosity and respect. How do we do this best?

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"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 year’s Sunday School program. We’ll 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. García 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

Rev. Meg Barnhouse's sermon delivered on May 8, 2022. How do you handle your rage? How do you help others with theirs? How do you deal with anger when it is at someone else, or when it is at the supreme court?

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.    

"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. García 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

Assistant Minister Rev. Chris Jimmerson's sermon delivered on May 15, 2022. We tend to think of beauty as something we experience, but we also are capable of creating it. Nurturing beauty in our lives may be essential to our spiritual well being.

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 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

Recorded live at Arlington Street Church, Sunday, May 1, 2022.

Recorded live at Arlington Street Church, Sunday, May 8, 2022.

Recorded live at Arlington Street Church, Sunday, May 15, 2022.

Rev. Meg Barnhouse's sermon delivered on May 22, 2022. Making commitments is complicated. Sometimes they are easy and sometimes they are hard to keep. How do we build our self-esteem by doing what we say we are going to do?

“The Nike Solution”
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. García 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

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.    

Rev. Meg Barnhouse's sermon delivered on May 29, 2022. In this intergenerational service we celebrate the traditional Unitarian ceremony of flower communion. We remember its origins as a vivid resistance to Nazi oppression. We bid farewell to Rev. Meg Barnhouse as she retires.