“With Help from the Essential Wisdom of the World’s Religions” by Rev. Barbara Jarrell

Attached media: https://web.archive.org/web/20211109235336/http://allsoulsshreveport.org/podcasts/10February2019Worship.mp3

“Parsing the Paradox of Peace” by Rev. Barbara Jarrell

Attached media: https://web.archive.org/web/20211109235409/http://allsoulsshreveport.org/podcasts/24February2019Worship.mp3

The April 2019 newsletter can be found online here.

Due to adverse weather, our monthly building and grounds work day has been moved from this Saturday (13 April 2019) to next Saturday (20 April 2019).

Check back next week for more details for our rescheduled monthly building and grounds work day.

Due to adverse weather on Saturday (13 April 2019), PACE‘s annual Pride in the Park event has been moved to Sunday (14 April 2019).

The event will now be happening on Sunday (14 April 2019) from noon to 5:00 PM.

And the community-based Our Whole Lives Grades 10-12 sexuality education course that is hosted by All Souls will not meet on Sunday afternoon.

Many of our OWL class facilitators and youth participants will be attending Pride in the Park and promoting the Our Whole Lives values in their daily lives.

Please join us on Sunday (14 April 2019) at 9:15 AM for our adult religious education class — Faith Climate Action Week:  Part II

U.S. citizens affected by contaminated air, water, and soil are disproportionately black, brown, and poor.

This week we continue our focus on environmental justice and our own responsibilities as a faith community.

Please join us on Sunday (14 April 2019) at 11:00 AM for “How Beautiful — A Service in Celebration of the Home We Share” with special guest musicians George Hancock, Alan Dyson, Maurice White, and Paula O’Neal.

This is the second Sunday of Faith Climate Action Week, Palm Sunday on the Christian liturgical calendar, and the end of our season of focus on peace, social justice, and the interdependent web.

Instead of individual class presentations from the children and youth, the service will feature participatory elements for all ages as well as lots of music.  We will also have a new member signing ceremony.

Pride in the Park has moved to Sunday afternoon — and we all plan to be there but please join us for this worship service before going to Pride.

Please join us on Sunday (21 April 2019) at 9:15 AM for our adult religious education class — “The Story of God:  Beyond Death.”

Although Morgan Freeman has indeed played the role of God in the past, in this National Geographic documentary series he steps into the role of explorer of the idea of God in all its myriad forms around the world.

Fittingly on this Easter morning, we’ll look at Episode 1 (“Beyond Death”) featuring the perspectives of various cultures and individuals on what happens beyond the grave.

Please join us on Sunday (21 April 2019) at 11:00 AM for “Given-ness:  A Celebration of Easter, Passover, and the New Life of Spring.

Our celebration of new life at this time of year includes an optional communion at the end of the service that requires no specific belief but is centered around the community and coming together that is at the root of the word.

Religious education classes for children and youth are offered during the 11:00 AM service.  Children and youth attend the first 15-20 minutes of the service and then are dismissed to class.

An Easter egg hunt for nursery toddlers through 5th grade will follow the service.

Friends and family of Hazel Martin will gather on Saturday (27 April 2019) at 3:30 PM in the sanctuary to celebrate her life (Hazel passed away on 10 March 2019 in Raleigh NC).

Hazel was a longtime active member of All Souls and a dedicated Unitarian Universalist at the district and national level as well.

A tribute to Hazel and her many contributions to church life is on page 2 of the April 2019 newsletter.

We will have a reception in the social hall for those in attendance immediately following the service.

We would appreciate more help with set-up and clean-up for that event and — if anyone can bring some nice cookies, pastries, or a fruit or veggie tray to go with the food we already have coming, that would be lovely.

Join us to welcome Hazel’s family and to celebrate a great life well lived!

On Friday morning (10 May 2019) at 10:00 AM, we hope as many of you as possible can join us to welcome Rev. Dr. William Barber II.

Rev. Barber is bringing the Poor People’s Campaign here to Shreveport.

We realize the morning event may be hard for many to attend — but if you can possibly take the time off — this is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity for you and our church.

Please join us on Sunday (28 April 2019) at 9:15 AM for our adult religious education class — we will continue our exploration of “The Story of God:  Beyond Death.”

Although Morgan Freeman has indeed played the role of God in the past, in this National Geographic documentary series he steps into the role of explorer of the idea of God in all its myriad forms around the world.

We will continue our look at Episode 1 (“Beyond Death”) featuring the perspectives of various cultures and individuals on what happens beyond the grave.

Please join us on Sunday (28 April 2019) at 11:00 AM for “How We Get There” by Rev. Barbara Jarrell.

This is also our Sunday for Give Away the Plate — all of our non-pledge collection will go to Spread the Vote/Project ID.

Religious education classes for children and youth are offered during the 11:00 AM service.  Children and youth attend the first 15-20 minutes of the service and then are dismissed to class.

“Justice and U(U)s” by Rev. Barbara Jarrell

Attached media: https://web.archive.org/web/20211110004251/http://allsoulsshreveport.org/podcasts/3March2019Worship.mp3

“Growing Justice” by Rev. Barbara Jarrell

Attached media: https://web.archive.org/web/20211110004313/http://allsoulsshreveport.org/podcasts/10March2019Worship.mp3

“Celebration of Women: Still Angry” by Melissa Gibson

Attached media: https://web.archive.org/web/20211110004334/http://allsoulsshreveport.org/podcasts/24March2019Worship.mp3

Please join us on Saturday (8 June 2019) from 9:00 AM to 1:00 PM for our monthly building and grounds work day.

Most of the care and maintenance of our physical church home is done by us — the members and friends of All Souls.

This is a great opportunity for you not only to contribute to the stewardship of our surroundings and also to get to know your fellow church members and strengthen our community.

Come for the whole time or just an hour or two if that’s all you can spare.

And if your day’s too busy to stick around, consider dropping off snacks for the crew — see you this Saturday!

Please join us on Sunday (2 June 2019) at 9:15 AM for our adult religious education class — “The Story of God, Episode 5  — Why Does Evil Exist?”  We will continue our discussion of this topic from last week.

This Sunday, we view the conclusion of an episode that asks yet another question for the ages — “Why does evil exist?”

Once again, our intrepid guide travels the globe examining the question from the perspectives of various faith traditions as well as science.  This sparked some great discussions that we look forward to continuing this week.

Please join us on Sunday (9 June 2019) at 11:00 AM for “Building Bridges:  Celebrating Our Children and Youth.”

We will be honoring our graduating seniors — Ash McLain, Sarah Allen, Mason Upton, and Sarah Lord.

Our Affirmation Sunday service brings our whole church community together in honor of our children and youth and features the senior sermons and bridging ceremony for our graduates.

A bridging ceremony celebrates the transition of our graduates from youth to adulthood and is most meaningful when all generations of our community are present to witness and support them.

The June 2019 newsletter can be found online here.

Please join us on Sunday (16 June 2019) at 9:15 AM for our adult religious education class — “Faith Like a River:  Themes in Unitarian Universalist History” with Bennett Upton and Jax Schmidt.

Join Bennett and Jax for this workshop series exploring “the dynamic course of Unitarian, Universalist, and Unitarian Universalist (UU) history-the people, ideas, and movements that have shaped our faith heritage.”

Authored by Alison Cornish and Jackie Clement, the course “invites participants to place themselves into our history and consider its legacies.

What lessons do the stories of our history teach that can help us live more faithfully in the present?

What lessons do they offer to be lived into the future?”

This week: Session 1: “Wading In”

“This workshop explores Unitarian Universalist history as one current in the stream of human history, with its own themes of thought and action that swirl, eddy, and bubble to prominence at different points in time. A selection of stories from our faith heritage offers not only a grounding of knowledge, but also insights into contemporary issues, practices, challenges, and trends in our faith movement.”
– Alison Cornish and Jackie Clement

Please join us on Sunday (16 June 2019) at 11:00 AM for “Carry the Flame” by James Peck.

On this Father’s Day, come and hear All Souls member James Peck — a Unitarian Universalist Dad — reflect on the ways we teach and reinforce Unitarian Universalist principles and values in the home.

Our summer fun activity for children and youth this Sunday will be Rovena and Boogie Windsor guiding the preparation of our Father’s Day Lunch while Kevin Henry and Maggie Molisee guiding the creation of tactile Father’s Day cards and teaching a lesson on God as Father from various traditions.

Please join us on Sunday (4 August 2019) at 9:15 AM for our adult religious education class — “Faith Like a River:  Themes in Unitarian Universalist History” with Bennett Upton and Jax Schmidt.

Join Bennett and Jax for this workshop series exploring “the dynamic course of Unitarian, Universalist, and Unitarian Universalist (UU) history-the people, ideas, and movements that have shaped our faith heritage.”

This week: “The Water is Wide: Multiculturalism”:

As Unitarian Universalists, we face the challenge and opportunity to embrace those with different experiences, perspectives, and ways of being in the world.  As Unitarians, Universalists, and Unitarian Universalists, we have at times in our history followed societal norms in our willingness or reluctance to welcome diversity.  At other times, we have confronted and refuted the accepted ways-sometimes our own accepted ways-in order to embrace diversity and invite it to transform us.  This workshop explores stories of multicultural encounter from our tradition; some are inspiring, and some ask us to examine past actions with candor and compassion.

Please join us on Sunday (4 August 2019) at 11:00 AM for our Water Communion Service with Rev. Barbara Jarrell.

We welcome Rev. Barbara back this Sunday for our annual Water Communion Service.

This is a time when we bring water — whether real or symbolic — from our experiences of the summer (from far away across oceans or from a puddle in your own backyard).

We pour the water into a common vessel as we briefly share our stories.  No one drinks this water.  Instead, we boil, filter, and freeze it and add it to water from previous years of this service.  The water is used for child dedications and other special rituals of the church.

We’ll have the water ceremony while the children and youth are in with us and then sing them out to their summer fun activity — preparing a salad bar lunch for the church in celebration of Lughnasadh (the beginning of the harvest season in the Druid tradition) with help from Kevin Henry and friends.

This is Green Bag Sunday for Noel UMC Food Pantry.  This month, they need canned green beans (15 oz.) and packaged side dishes such as mac and cheese, Rice-a-Roni or Zatarain’s side dishes.

Our 9:15 AM adult religious education class is taking a break this Sunday only — you can sleep in a little and we will see you at the 11:00 AM worship service.

Please join us on Sunday (1 September 2019) at 11:00 AM for “Someone Else’s Truth” by Rev Barbara Jarrell.

“When galaxies collide, there are all sorts of consequences. And still, truth is bigger than all of that.”

You are going to want to know where this is going.

Our summer fun for children and youth will focus on the theme of “Love is the Doctrine of this Church.”

The children and youth will talk together about what that means and then work together on a collaborative art project that supports that theme.

And it’s also Green Bag Sunday for Noel United Methodist Food Pantry ! Bring your bag (any color bag!) this Sunday with one or more of the following items:

• Jiffy Cornbread Mix (8.5 oz.)
• Green Beans (15-16 oz. can)
• Mac and Cheese (7.25 oz. box)

Place them in the hatch of the green Kia Soul that will be parked up by the front breezeway and JoDel Adkins will make sure they get to the food pantry this week.

“A Seat at the Table” by Lee Jeter

Attached media: http://allsoulsshreveport.org/podcasts/31March2019Worship.mp3

Faith Climate Action Week Service with Frances Kelley

Attached media: https://web.archive.org/web/20211110045354/http://allsoulsshreveport.org/podcasts/7April2019Worship.mp3

“Given-ness: A Celebration of Easter, Passover, and the New Life of Spring” by Rev. Barbara Jarrell

Attached media: https://web.archive.org/web/20211110045523/http://allsoulsshreveport.org/podcasts/21April2019Worship.mp3

“How We Get There” by Rev. Barbara Jarrell

Attached media: https://web.archive.org/web/20211110045542/http://allsoulsshreveport.org/podcasts/28April2019Worship.mp3

The September 2019 newsletter can be found online here.

Our 9:15 AM adult religious education class is taking a break this Sunday only — you can sleep in a little and we will see you at the 11:00 AM worship service.

Please join us on Sunday (8 September 2019) at 11:00 AM for  “Great Things They Have Taught Us. Great Things Can Be Done” by Rev Barbara Jarrell.

This is a service in celebration of those prophetic people of our two movements who have come before us, and our own responsibilities for living into their legacy.

We are delighted to announce that the service will feature music from Twang Darkly.

Religious education classes for children and youth are offered during the 11:00 AM service.  Children and youth attend the first 15-20 minutes of the service and then are dismissed to class.

Be sure to join us after the service for our annual swim party and potluck at the home of Kathy Osuch and Mike Roberts.

Please join us on Sunday (22 September 2019) at 9:15 AM for our adult religious education class — UU Elevator Speech.

You may be familiar with the concept of an “elevator speech” — a concise way of explaining something in the time it would take to ride a couple of floors on an elevator.

For the next three Sundays, we’ll help you come up with one of your own, to talk to others about our Unitarian Universalist faith.

This is a part of the series Faith Forward: From Visitor to Leader.

The UU Elevator Speech class will give you the sense of empowerment and ownership that reminds you that you are the church.

In our first class, we learned the difference between a credo and an elevator speech.

While a credo is a personal statement expressing what “I believe,” an elevator speech speaks to our common history and distinct Unitarian Universalist theology.  It is the story of who we are as a faith tradition.

This week, we come to Session 2 — “Writing Your Elevator Speech.”

We’ll look at some examples of elevator speeches from others, and (using some basic tools for constructing an elevator speech) we’ll take some time to work individually on our own.

Hope to see you there — we can’t wait to hear yours (sharing, however, is optional — don’t let that keep you away).

Please join us on Sunday (22 September 2019) at 11:00 AM for “What Unitarian Universalism Holds Sacred” by Rev. Barbara Jarrell.

Some things that are held sacred are different for each one of us.  But as Unitarian Universalists, we also hold a common sense of what calls us to this faith, even as we “arrive from many singular rooms.”

Religious education classes for children and youth are offered during the 11:00 AM service.  Children and youth attend the first 15-20 minutes of the service and then are dismissed to class.

A newcomer class will follow the service.  All visitors interested in pursuing membership or just wishing to learn more about Unitarian Universalism and our congregation are welcome to attend.  Child care will be provided.

“Circle of Mercy to Mother the World” by Rev. Barbara Jarrell

Attached media: https://web.archive.org/web/20211110070659/http://allsoulsshreveport.org/podcasts/12May2019Worship.mp3

“I Will Build This World from Love” by Rabbi Dr. Jana L. De Benedetti

Attached media: https://web.archive.org/web/20211110070722/http://allsoulsshreveport.org/podcasts/26May2019Worship.mp3

“Ain’t Got No Home” by Earlene Venable

Attached media: https://web.archive.org/web/20211110070743/http://allsoulsshreveport.org/podcasts/2June2019Worship.mp3

2019 Graduating Senior Sermons by Ashford McLain, Sarah Allen, and Sarah Lord

Attached media: https://web.archive.org/web/20211110070804/http://allsoulsshreveport.org/podcasts/9June2019Worship.mp3

“Carry the Flame” by James Peck

Attached media: https://web.archive.org/web/20211110070832/http://allsoulsshreveport.org/podcasts/16June2019Worship.mp3

“Loving Unconditionally in a Conditional Society” by Elias Capello

Attached media: https://web.archive.org/web/20211110070853/http://allsoulsshreveport.org/podcasts/23June2019Worship.mp3

“Rule-Breakers and Heretics”

Attached media: https://web.archive.org/web/20211110070920/http://allsoulsshreveport.org/podcasts/30June2019Worship.mp3

On this Sunday (27 October 2019), bring your worthy donations so you can scarf up some delicious treats after church and support Laughing Dog Ranch.

Our middle and high school youth are hosting a cookie sale to benefit Laughing Dog Ranch.

Laughing Dog Ranch is an animal rescue in Oil City LA run by our great friend Pepper Lumina.

Check out her website to see the adoptable pets and other ways to help.

If you would like to help contribute some of the goodies to sell, contact
Eric First or Kathy Osuch.

Please join us on Sunday (27 October 2019) at 9:15 AM for our adult religious education class:

After the Elevator Speech: But What Do You Believe?
Forming your personal credo

This week we will continue discussing some of the “big questions” that will ultimately help us to clarify and express our own personal credos and how they fit within the context of our Unitarian Universalist Principles and values.

Please join us on Sunday (27 October 2019) at 11:00 AM for “Returning to All Souls:  A Celebration of Dia de Los Muertos  (The Day of the Dead)” with Lee Spruell and Virginia Villarreal.

We are thankful and honored to welcome back Lee Spruell to our sanctuary, who will once again share his family’s celebration of the Day of the Dead, as has been celebrated in Mexico for years.

You are invited to bring a picture of a departed loved one to place on the ofrenda.

Although the theme is death, the Day of the Dead is not considered a solemn or spooky holiday.  It is not Halloween.

In many traditions, this is the time of year to feel closer to those who have departed this world, and the celebration is for the expression of our love and joy at having known them.

Religious education classes for children and youth are offered during the 11:00 AM service.  Children and youth attend the first 15-20 minutes of the service and then are dismissed to class.

Please join us on Sunday (3 November 2019) at 9:15 AM for our adult religious education class:

After the Elevator Speech: But What Do You Believe?
Forming your personal credo

This week we will continue discussing some of the “big questions” that will ultimately help us to clarify and express our own personal credos and how they fit within the context of our Unitarian Universalist Principles and values.  We will also hear any credos that class members have written and want to share with the group.

Please join us on Sunday (3 November 2019) at 11:00 AM for “Companions for the Journey” with Rebecca Tuggle, Diana Teeters, and Ken Peterson.

Join three of our members as they talk about the journeys that brought them here, the reasons they stay, and where they are on their respective spiritual paths.

Religious education classes for children and youth are offered during the 11:00 AM service.  Children and youth attend the first 15-20 minutes of the service and then are dismissed to class.

This Sunday (3 November 2019) is the Green Bag Sunday for
Noel Food Pantry.

Foods needed at Noel this month are:

• Jiffy Cornbread Mix (8.5 oz.)
• Canned green beans (15-16 oz.)
• boxed cereal (12 oz.)

Bring your bag of food (any color bag) to church with the requested food items and JoDel Adkins will have her green Kia Soul parked out in front with the hatch open for you to place your bag inside.

JoDel volunteers at Noel and will see that the food is delivered to the Noel Food Pantry.

Please join us on Sunday (24 November 2019) at 9:15 AM for our adult religious education class — “The New UU” with facilitator Bennett Upton.

New and not-so-new Unitarian Universalists will benefit from this comprehensive introduction to our faith tradition and our congregation.

Hear stories from our history, and learn more about our covenantal Living Tradition in the here and now.

For this Sunday — Session 3 – “Philosophy of Religious Education.”
This workshop introduces the philosophy of Unitarian Universalist religious education, especially the concept of lifespan faith development as the search for truth and meaning that goes on throughout our lives. Activities emphasize the role of narrative and the need for religious education to provide ways to respond to all that life presents. This session will feature a guest panel including  Susan Caldwell (Director of Lifespan Religious Education) as well as a longtime teacher in our religious education program (Eric First) and a teacher who has also grown up in the program (Noah Wagstaff).

The “Understanding the Bible” class is on a one-week break and will return next week (1 December 2019) at 9:15 AM with facilitator Susan Caldwell.

Please join us on Sunday (24 November 2019) at 11:00 AM for our annual Thanksgiving ritual and feast with Rev. Barbara Jarrell.

This is a holiday with a tortured history that needs recognition and reckoning.  At the same time, we need time and space to recognize those people, events, and everyday gifts in our lives that cause us to feel gratitude.  It is another part of the great paradox in which we live our lives.  Join us as we celebrate this gratitude and sit down to a meal together.

We begin with a shorter service in the sanctuary and end with a procession to the social hall for a ritual of gratitude and our potluck feast.

If you are unable to prepare or pick up anything, please come anyway.  There will be plenty.  And we need people to help with set-up and clean-up which is just as good as bringing food.

From:  Board of Directors (All Souls Unitarian Universalist Church of Shreveport, Louisiana)

To:  All Members, Inactive Members, and Friends

In accordance with the Bylaws of our church and the Fifth Principle of Unitarian Universalism, we hereby announce that All Souls Unitarian Universalist Church will hold a Congregational Meeting on Sunday (22 December 2019) immediately following the 11:00 AM worship service.

On the Agenda:

• The 2020 Budget
• A change to the bylaws regarding membership categories

Please make every effort to attend.

All active members should attend this meeting or give their proxies to those who can.

Inactive members and friends of the church are invited and encouraged to participate but bylaws stipulate that only those members who have been active 30 days or longer may vote.

We must have a quorum — childcare provided.

Please join us on Sunday (8 December 2019) at 9:15 AM for our adult religious education classes.  For this Sunday, you have choices:

• The New UU –Bennett Upton, Facilitator
  New and not-so-new Unitarian Universalists will benefit from this comprehensive introduction to our faith tradition and our congregation. Hear stories from our history, and learn more about our covenantal Living Tradition in the here and now.  This Sunday — Session 5 — “How Are Decisions Made?  Governance and Polity.”  This workshop explores the workings of a free congregation and the history of our movement behind it.
• Understanding the Bible — Susan Caldwell, Facilitator
  Understanding the Bible provides an opportunity to engage with the scriptures and read them “against the grain.”  As our very tradition was born because our forebears took the initiative to do exactly that, often at the risk of their reputations and even their lives, it’s only right that we take on for ourselves the right and privilege of doing so.  This week — Session 3 — “Generations” — The story of Abraham (including the Akedah, The Binding of Isaac).  This is a story that horrifies many of us but what value did the story have to the people who told and heard it?

Please join us on Sunday (8 December 2019) at 11:00 AM for “Two Notions of God and Their Effect on Movements” by Rev. Barbara Jarrell.

We continue our season of focus on the Jewish and Christian roots of Unitarian Universalism.

Look for the Mitten Tree this Sunday as well as an opportunity to pay tribute to loved ones by purchasing poinsettias for the sanctuary.

Religious education classes for children and youth are offered during the 11:00 AM service.  Children and youth attend the first 15-20 minutes of the service and then are dismissed to class.

Please join us on Sunday (22 December 2019) at 9:15 AM for our adult religious education classes.  For this Sunday, you have choices:

• The New UU –Bennett Upton, Facilitator
  New and not-so-new Unitarian Universalists will benefit from this comprehensive introduction to our faith tradition and our congregation. Hear stories from our history, and learn more about our covenantal Living Tradition in the here and now.  This Sunday — Session 6 — “Membership” — This workshop ties up loose ends and also explicitly invites those who have not yet done so to take the next step into membership.
• Understanding the Bible — Susan Caldwell, Facilitator
  Understanding the Bible provides an opportunity to engage with the scriptures and read them “against the grain.”  As our very tradition was born because our forebears took the initiative to do exactly that, often at the risk of their reputations and even their lives, it’s only right that we take on for ourselves the right and privilege of doing so.  This week — Session 6 — “Meet the Prophets” — As we’ve discussed before in different contexts, the act of prophesying is often more of a “forthtelling,” than a “foretelling,” as in calling forth the powers that be and holding them accountable for the injustices of their regimes.  As we explore the prophetic tradition of the Hebrew Scriptures, we will look at the necessary tension between prophetic leadership, which is essential, and prophets that set themselves in a position to speak truth to the power of leadership, which is also essential.

Join us on Christmas Eve (Tuesday, 24 December 2019) at 6:30 PM for our annual Christmas Eve candlelight service.

We’ll hear the Christmas story and we’ll sing the carols with the original words as we watch the candlelight growing in the window.

The service includes special music by the All Souls Choir and guest musicians.

Afterward, we have a very low-key reception in the social hall, where you can bring any extra goodies you want out of the house and spend some time in the holiday spirit in community with your All Souls friends.

Children and youth are invited to arrive at 6 p.m. to participate in an All Souls Christmas Eve tradition.

The next congregational meeting will happen this Sunday (22 December 2019) immediately after our worship service.

You can read about it here.

Please join us on Sunday (22 December 2019) at 11:00 AM for “Don’t Let the Lights Go Out” with the children, youth, and adults of All Souls.

Our winter holiday celebrations were born of a need to remember in the darkest times of winter that the Light will return.  It is in telling the stories and hearing their messages that call to us even now that we become the bringers of the light to a dark and hurting world.

There will be no 9:15 AM adult religious education classes this Sunday (29 December 2019).

We will be back on 5 January 2020 with a new session of The New UU and the continuation of Understanding the Bible with an exploration of the Christian scriptures.

Check back next week for details.

You did it again!

Thanks to everyone who helped make the season brighter for 20 children in this community support program!

Send in your 2020 pledge form now or bring it to church this Sunday (28 December 2019).

For more than 70 years, All Souls has provided a home for liberal religion in Northwest Louisiana.

The church currently hosts a variety of activities — Sunday services, adult and children’s religious education, Buddhist meditation, yoga, Earth-Based Spirituality, and more.

All Souls is proud to be recognized as a Welcoming Congregation (Unitarian Universalist program for congregations that have done additional study and discernment around issues related to bisexual, gay, lesbian, and transgender equality).

We are also honored and thankful to be the host location for the monthly meetings of Louisiana Trans Advocates (Shreveport Chapter).

Your donation helps maintain and improve All Souls.

Thank you to all who support this congregation with your time, talent, and treasure.

Please join us on Sunday (29 December 2019) at 11:00 AM for “You Have a Point There” with Rev. Barbara Jarrell and Susan Caldwell.

Some “sermonating,” some storytelling, some music, but what’s the point?

Come and find out.

For this week’s religious education for children and youth, we will have a low-key movie and crafts day.

Regular classes will resume next Sunday (5 January 2020) as we begin our pillar on World Religions.

Please join us on Monday (3 February 2020) at 7:00 PM for RiZe Up! — Roy Zimmerman in Concert at All Souls.

Admission is $25.00 (or whatever you can pay).

If you want to come to the concert, don’t let money stand in your way.

Join us, and bring your friends, to welcome Roy Zimmerman back to Shreveport and All Souls.

Roy’s signature blend of heart and hilarity has never been more necessary.

RiZe Up is ninety minutes of Roy Zimmerman’s original songs — a funny and forceful affirmation of peace and social justice.

It’s laughter and encouragement for progressive-minded people who need a lot of both.

Please join us for the 21st annual World Religion Day celebration on 26 January 2020.

This event will be happening at The Highland Center (520 Olive Street, Shreveport LA 71104) from 1:00 PM to 5:00 PM.

As many as 18 different faith traditions have participated in this event, which includes table displays by each faith group as well as panel discussions and musical presentations throughout the afternoon.

We’re delighted to welcome as our keynote this year the Rev. Theron Jackson of Morning Star Missionary Baptist Church — a dynamic speaker and longtime proponent of interfaith engagement and understanding.

Please join us on Sunday (19 January 2020) at 9:15 AM for our adult religious education classes.  For this Sunday, you have choices:

• The New UU –Bennett Upton, Facilitator
  New and not-so-new Unitarian Universalists will benefit from this comprehensive introduction to our faith tradition and our congregation. Hear stories from our history and learn more about our covenantal living tradition in the here and now.
• The Wisdom of the World’s Religions — Susan Caldwell, Facilitator
  Inside Mecca, Part I — We begin a 2-session exploration of Islam viewing the first half of a National Geographic documentary showing a rare view of the Hajj (the pilgrimage to Mecca that is one of the Five Pillars of the Islamic faith) through the eyes of three different pilgrims.

Please join us on Sunday (19 January 2020) at 11:00 AM for “The Power of One” by Carolyn Jones.

Please join us on this Martin Luther King Sunday to welcome one of Shreveport’s own civil rights trailblazers.

From her childhood as the first African-American child to integrate Creswell Elementary to her current life as a businesswoman, musician, tireless community volunteer and activist, hers has been and is a remarkable life.

Ms. Jones will tell her story and (along with her nephew guitarist Maurice White III) will share music with us as well.  Together, they make up the duo Acoustic Standard.

And in celebration of the holiday, please take the time to revisit this moment in Unitarian Universalist history, when the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. gave the Ware Lecture at UUA General Assembly 1966.

Religious education classes for children and youth are offered during the 11:00 AM service.  Children and youth attend the first 15-20 minutes of the service and then are dismissed to class.

Please join us on Sunday (2 February 2020) at 9:15 AM for our adult religious education classes.  For this Sunday, you have choices:

• The New UU –Bennett Upton, Facilitator
  New and not-so-new Unitarian Universalists will benefit from this comprehensive introduction to our faith tradition and our congregation. Hear stories from our history and learn more about our covenantal living tradition in the here and now.
• The Wisdom of the World’s Religions — Susan Caldwell, Facilitator
  “Zoroastrianism:  A Look Inside the World’s Oldest Monotheistic Religion” The subject of Zoroastrianism has come up a few times in our recent discussions of Judaism, Christianity, and Islam, so let’s go back and take a closer look at its origins, its influence on the Abrahamic traditions, and its current practice.

Please join us on Sunday (2 February 2020) at 11:00 AM for “Amid the Noise and Haste – We Choose” by Rev. Barbara Jarrell.

Rev. Barbara is back in the pulpit this morning, revisiting Desiderata (a 1927 piece by Max Ehrmann that saw a resurgence of popularity in the 1970s and bears another look in the present age).

Religious education classes for children and youth are offered during the 11:00 AM service.  Children and youth attend the first 15-20 minutes of the service and then are dismissed to class.

Please join us on Sunday (9 February 2020) at 11:00 AM for “Life in the Riddle:  Inseparable and Contradictory Opposites” by Rev. Barbara Jarrell.

A newcomer session will follow the worship service in the Middle/High School classroom as the Carnival Art Market continues after the service.

Religious education classes for children and youth are offered during the 11:00 AM service.  Children and youth attend the first 15-20 minutes of the service and then are dismissed to class.

“The Myth of Self-Sufficiency” by Susan Caldwell

Attached media: https://web.archive.org/web/20211110114722/http://allsoulsshreveport.org/podcasts/7July2019Worship.mp3

“When Lady Liberty Weeps” by Dr. Pamela McPherson

Attached media: https://web.archive.org/web/20211110114754/http://allsoulsshreveport.org/podcasts/14July2019Worship.mp3

“Someone Else’s Truth” by Rev. Barbara Jarrell

Attached media: https://web.archive.org/web/20211110115039/http://allsoulsshreveport.org/podcasts/1September2019Worship.mp3

Annual Homecoming Service Message with Rev. Barbara Jarrell

Attached media: http://allsoulsshreveport.org/podcasts/15September2019Worship.mp3

“What Unitarian Universalism Holds Sacred” by Rev. Barbara Jarrell

Attached media: https://web.archive.org/web/20211110115227/http://allsoulsshreveport.org/podcasts/22September2019Worship.mp3

“Finding Balance Before the Download” by Rev. Barbara Jarrell

Attached media: https://web.archive.org/web/20211110115253/http://allsoulsshreveport.org/podcasts/6October2019Worship.mp3

“Truth or Dare: The Quest and the Calling” by Rev. Barbara Jarrell

Attached media: https://web.archive.org/web/20211110115330/http://allsoulsshreveport.org/podcasts/13October2019Worship.mp3

Day of the Dead Service with Lee Spruell

Attached media: https://web.archive.org/web/20211110115416/http://allsoulsshreveport.org/podcasts/27October2019Worship.mp3

Please join us on Sunday (23 February 2020) at 9:15 AM for our adult religious education class.  Topic to be announced.

Please join us on Sunday (23 February 2020) at 11:00 AM for “The Love of Justice” by Rev. Barbara Jarrell and special guests.

This is a special service featuring songs of social justice and calls to action on many fronts featuring guest musicians Bob Jordan and Loren and Gus Demerath.

We’ll also hear an update from Gretchen Upton on the Sunrise Movement.

Religious education classes for children and youth are offered during the 11:00 AM service.  Children and youth attend the first 15-20 minutes of the service and then are dismissed to class.

“Two Notions of God and Their Effect on Movements” by Rev. Barbara Jarrell

Attached media: https://web.archive.org/web/20211110123833/http://allsoulsshreveport.org/podcasts/8December2019Worship.mp3

“The Soul Felt Its Worth” by Rev. Barbara Jarrell

Attached media: https://web.archive.org/web/20211110123906/http://allsoulsshreveport.org/podcasts/15December2019Worship.mp3

Due to the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, we have begun to broadcast a livestream video of our Sunday morning worship services.

This worship video will be available live and in recorded formats.

For our first attempt at livestreaming our worship, we have used Facebook Live.

You can find the 15 March 2020 worship video here.

Starting next week (22 March 2020), we will only have the online livestream worship to reduce the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on our community and our community’s medical resources (this is known as “flattening the curve” and NPR explains why this is important here).

We will monitor the risks and make an evidence-based decision to resume in-person worship when it is appropriate.

We will announce that decision when it happens online through email announcements, social media, and our website.

Please join us on Sunday (22 March 2020) at 9:15 AM (via Zoom) for our adult religious education class — “Who is a Prophet?” with facilitator Susan Caldwell.

Please note that this class will be an online interactive class and we will not be meeting in person due to the COVID-19 (coronavirus) pandemic.  Please use the Zoom link if you wish to participate.

This week (after a check-in to find out how we’re all doing and a small tutorial on the features of Zoom) we’ll look at the writings of Paul Rasor, Father Richard Rohr, Rev. William Barber, and others.

We will also talk about what it means to speak with a prophetic voice in turbulent times.

Please join us online this Sunday (22 March 2020) at 11:00 AM for “Companions for the Journey” with Kathy Osuch and Bob Jordan.

As we continue our season focusing on peace, social justice, and the interdependent web, we are blessed to have two of our members share their spiritual paths which are centered around their love and respect for the Earth and nature.

Due to the COVID-19 (coronavirus) pandemic, our worship service will be an online streaming video service and we will not be meeting in person.  You can join us online here.

After the worship service, we are asking children and youth to join us on the religious education Zoom link.  We’ll have a time for sharing joys and concerns and a very short lesson.

Click on the link to download Zoom (if you don’t have it already) and to join the class.

Bennett Upton (All Souls Board President) has designed two surveys to determine how you are faring through the current COVID-19 (coronavirus) pandemic and what kind of help you might need or might be able to give.

We also want to know what kind of online programming you would find most helpful to keep you connected to your church community even when we can’t be together in the same room.

Please take just a few minutes to fill out both of them and help us shape a strong and resilient congregation for the days to come.

• Coronavirus Check-In — How are you? We’re trying to assess the impact of the coronavirus on the congregation to find our areas of greatest need.  We’ll keep this information held within a small group of staff and lay leadership in the congregation.
• Staying Connected — We’re looking to see how we can serve you better and keep you connected to the community.  We’re interested to hear all of your thoughts on how we could do it better.  We’ll also use this to better target our communications with you.  Your answers will be kept confidential, held in a small group of members only and anonymous whenever possible.

Feel free to share this with people that you feel might be interested as church membership is not a requirement of participation.  We welcome the inputs from anyone who participates in the All Souls community.

Due to the impact of the COVID-19 (coronavirus) pandemic, we have begun to broadcast a livestream video of our Sunday morning worship services.

This worship video will be available live and in recorded formats.

For our second attempt at livestreaming our worship, we have used Facebook Live.  One does not have to log into Facebook or have a Facebook account to view this video.

You can find the 22 March 2020 worship video here.

Due to the impact of the COVID-19 (coronavirus) pandemic, we have begun to broadcast a livestream video of our Sunday morning worship services.

This worship video will be available live and in recorded formats.

For our third attempt at livestreaming our worship, we have used Facebook Live.  One does not have to log into Facebook or have a Facebook account to view this video.

You can find the 29 March 2020 worship video here.

Please join us online today (Sunday, 29 March 2020) at 2:00 PM for our weekly middle and high school check-in.

We will be meeting online using this Zoom link.

Our middle and high school youth will meet Sunday afternoon for an online check-in with Noah Wagstaff and Susan Caldwell.

We’re trying this again, getting the word out a little more widely this time.

We’ll see how everyone is doing, and also think about some other ideas for keeping the group connected online during this time.

We hope to see you Sunday afternoon.

Due to the recent COVID-19 (Coronavirus) pandemic and the  restrictions limiting us from having worship in face-to-face settings, we need to find another ways to keep everything happening at All Souls.

If you want to donate to All Souls, you can click on the link provided to our secure donations server.

On this site, there are four options for your donation — 2020 Pledges,  Capital Fund Drive, Collection Plate, and General Fund.

Pick the desired options for your donation.  Your donation can be a one-time donation or a recurring donation (weekly, bi-weekly, monthly, or yearly).

If you want to send a check, please mail your check to:

All Souls Unitarian Universalist Church
9449 Ellerbe Road
Shreveport LA  71106

Please indicate on the memo line of your check if your check is for the 2020 pledge campaign, the capital fund drive, the collection plate, or the general fund.

We will post a link with this information every week when we post information on our Sunday worship service.

Thanks for your continued support during these challenging times.

The scammers are at it again.

During the COVID-19 (Coronavirus) pandemic, our congregants are once again receiving scam emails that are fraudulent and that claim to be sent from our minister Rev. Barbara Jarrell.

The first one arrives as as brief cursory email saying “email me right back.”

Many people, seeing such a message from the pastor, are inclined to do as asked.

Please do not!  Mark as spam and delete immediately.

If you missed the last round of scam warnings and have already responded to the first email and received the second asking for gift cards for cancer patients, coronavirus patients, anyone or any cause at all, do not send anything.

The fraudulent email sender may claim to be Rev. Jarrell or All Souls Board President Bennett Upton.

Rev. Jarrell and Bennett Upton did not send these emails.

These types of email are scams — please do not fall for the scam.

The Federal Trade Commission has more information on this type of scam on their web site.

Neither Rev. Jarrell nor anyone in congregational leadership at All Souls will ever ask you for money, gift cards, or anything like this for any reason.

We are grateful to the congregants who received it this time around and and took the time to let us know.

If you ever receive a pitch for donations that is not part of a pledge drive nor part of our monthly “Give Away the Plate” efforts, please do not reply to that address and do not send them anything.

Please do take the time to call, text, or email us at our legitimate email addresses and phone numbers which are available in all church materials and on our web site.

Please join us on Sunday (5 April 2020) at 9:15 AM for our online adult religious education class “Human Rights in the Time of COVID-19” with facilitator Susan Caldwell (we will be meeting online via Zoom using this link).

We all need to stay in our homes to flatten the curve of the spreading COVID-19 (Coronavirus) and yet our activism is needed now more than ever.

We’ll look at updates from the Unitarian Universalist Service Committee, Amnesty International, the Poor People’s Campaign, and the Industrial Areas Foundation for ways to stay engaged even as we stay home.

And we’ll check in to see how everyone is doing this week.

Please note this is a new link for the adult religious education class.

Because of security concerns, Zoom is now requiring a meeting ID and password for meetings.  If you are a regular (or even semi-regular) class participant, please use this link to join the adult religious education class.

Please watch your emails for notice of a Special Virtual Congregational Meeting beginning in the next few days and lasting through Sunday (19 April 2020) at 3 PM.

On the Agenda:

Application for a small business loan through the CARES Act (Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security Act) for the purpose of paying our employees through the time that COVID-19 (Coronavirus) restrictions are in place.

You will receive via email a form which will allow you to vote for or against this loan application.

You may vote upon receipt of the form.

Or if you have questions, you may pose those questions at any time between now and 19 April 2020 using the church’s Slack channel using #board-agenda tag.

We will also hold a meeting via Zoom on Sunday (19 April 2020) at 1 PM where you may ask questions of the Board using Zoom (we will supply a link for this before the Zoom meeting).

The deadline for voting will be on Sunday (19 April 2020) at 3 PM.

On Sunday (5 April 2020) at 1:30 PM, the Shreveport chapter of Louisiana Trans Advocates  will meeting online via Zoom (information for this meeting can be found on the Shreveport LTA Facebook group).

The Shreveport chapter of Louisiana Trans Advocates (LTA) meets on the first Sunday of every month at 1:30 PM.

Before the COVID-19 (Coronavirus) pandemic, Shreveport LTA would meet in the All Souls Social Hall.

Shreveport LTA is meeting online for the 5 April 2020 meeting in order to flatten the Coronavirus curve.

All transgender, non-binary, and gender-fluid individuals are welcome along their supportive family and friends.

This group provides social support as well as practical advice for people at all points on the spectrum of gender identity and sexual orientation.

Please join us online today (Sunday, 5 April 2020) at 2:00 PM for our weekly middle and high school check-in.

We will be meeting online using this Zoom link.

Our middle and high school youth will meet Sunday afternoon for an online check-in with Noah Wagstaff and Susan Caldwell.

We’re trying this again, getting the word out a little more widely this time.

We’ll see how everyone is doing, and also think about some other ideas for keeping the group connected online during this time.

We hope to see you Sunday afternoon.

Please join us for our online religious education for children and this Sunday (5 April 2020) — we will start this online Zoom classroom about 5 minutes after our worship service is over.

The Zoom link  for this group will be found on the All Souls Religious Education Facebook Group.

This Sunday: Every Person is Important and Valuable!

Last week, we talked about the importance of covenant in our faith and the fact that our seven principles are a covenant.

In the next seven weeks, we’ll look at each of those principles and the ways that we live them every day — even now — when we must “stick together by staying apart.”

This week — “the inherent worth and dignity of every person” — or in the words for younger people — “every person is important and valuable.”

What are some ways we practice that Principle, respect for the worth of every person, even when we can’t be together in the same place?

From week to week in the worship service, we’ll be using your art work to illustrate our principles and sources.  You can post it on the All Souls Religious Education group on Facebook,or email your artwork to Susan Caldwell.

For this Sunday, think about:

• How people act when they consider every person important and valuable
• How people act when they believe everyone should be treated fairly and kindly
• How people act when they support each other and learn together
• How people act when they are free to search for truth in their own lives
• How people act when they work to see that everyone gets a vote
  How people act when they believe in peace, liberty, and justice for all
• How people act when they believe that we are connected to each other and to all life on earth?

Send Susan Caldwell a picture illustrating any of the principles or sources and we will see that it’s used in a worship service (if not this week then next week)

Join us on the new Zoom link about 5 minutes after the worship service.

NOTE: Zoom now requires a meeting ID and password.  This information will be on the All Souls Shreveport Religious Education Group on Facebook.

If you’re on Facebook but haven’t asked to join the group yet, please do so.

If you aren’t on Facebook, send Susan Caldwell an email or text Susan at 318-465-3427 to join the children and youth on Zoom.

Please join us online this Sunday (5 April 2020) at 11:00 AM for our online streaming worship service — “Reclaiming Our Stories” by Mollie Corbett.

The worship video will be available on the All Souls Facebook page (live streaming and recorded).

Mollie is the creator of “Outlier” — a unique multimedia arts installation and advocacy vehicle for survivors of sexual abuse and assault.

With the Outlier project, many victims have become survivors who have then become advocates for others like themselves.

We are proud to present “Reclaiming Our Stories” — a service dedicated to people who rise from the worst moments of their lives to step into their own power and help others step into theirs.

Because the church page is a public Facebook page, you will be able to see the worship service whether or not you have a Facebook account.

You do need log into your Facebook account to “like” and comment on the service.

A note for parents of younger children:  Your family is still welcome to join us for worship.  Mollie is also a parent and will be cognizant of a family audience.  At the same time, if you are at all concerned about the topic, you’re welcome to join us for the first part of the service and wait to watch the recording of the sermon afterward.

While we are remaining physically distant, we want to know how you are doing and what you need.  You can let us know using these online surveys.

And you can contribute to All Souls using this online resource.

Due to the impact of the COVID-19 (coronavirus) pandemic, we have begun to broadcast a livestream video of our Sunday morning worship services.

This worship video will be available live and in recorded formats.

For our livestream video of our worship services, we are using Facebook Live.  One does not have to log into Facebook or have a Facebook account to view this video.

You can find the 5 April 2020 worship video here.

Please join us on Sunday (12 April 2020) at 9:15 AM for our online adult religious education class “Human Rights in the Time of COVID-19 – Part 2” with facilitator Susan Caldwell (we will be meeting online via Zoom using this link).

We all need to stay in our homes to flatten the curve of the spreading COVID-19 (Coronavirus) and yet our activism is needed now more than ever.

We’ll look at updates from the Unitarian Universalist Service Committee, Amnesty International, the Poor People’s Campaign, and the Industrial Areas Foundation for ways to stay engaged even as we stay home.

And we’ll check in to see how everyone is doing this week.

Please note this is a new link for the adult religious education class.

Because of security concerns, Zoom is now requiring a meeting ID and password for meetings.  If you are a regular (or even semi-regular) class participant, please use this link to join the adult religious education class.

If you want to know more about Unitarian Universalism, “The New UU” class for adults begins this Sunday (12 April 2020) at 1:00 PM via Zoom.

All Souls Board President Bennett Upton will facilitate this class via Zoom.

If you’re interested, email Bennett and he will send you a link to join the class this Sunday.

Bennett is once again offering this class for new and not-so-new members alike.

This is a great opportunity to learn more about the history, theology, and polity of Unitarian Universalism along with the history and unique character of our own congregation.

Please watch your emails for notice of a Special Virtual Congregational Meeting beginning in the next few days and lasting through Sunday (19 April 2020) at 3 PM.

On the Agenda:

Application for a small business loan through the CARES Act (Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security Act) for the purpose of paying our employees through the time that COVID-19 (Coronavirus) restrictions are in place.

You will receive via email a form which will allow you to vote for or against this loan application.

You may vote upon receipt of the form.

Or if you have questions, you may pose those questions at any time between now and 19 April 2020 using the church’s Slack channel using #board-agenda tag.

We will also hold a meeting via Zoom on Sunday (19 April 2020) at 1 PM where you may ask questions of the Board using Zoom (we will supply a link for this before the Zoom meeting).

The deadline for voting will be on Sunday (19 April 2020) at 3 PM.