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.

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

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.

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.

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 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

"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

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.    

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?

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.

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.

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

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

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

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.    

"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

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?

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.

"'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

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.    

We begin our January “Ted Lasso” sermon series with an interactive, ritual-based service called the “Fire Communion.” Come in person Sunday at 10 am for an outdoor service at Live Oak (also Livestreamed) where we honor the past, and let it go. Please bring your ... read more.

"Right Belief or Right Living" Sunday, January 2, 2022, Worship Service Livestream

On Sunday, January 2nd, the Rev. David Usher will be preaching “ right belief or right living“. David was the hula hoop champion Manchester before going on to write one of the greatest books of knock knock jokes and it’s probably most famous for his art exhibition at the Guggenheim of cotton candy sculptures. We hope you’ll join us for this wonderful Sunday with the Reverend David Usher.

Rev. Dr. David Usher, Guest Minister; Rev. Dr. John A. Buehrens; Reiko Oda Lane, Organist; Elliott Etzkorn, Classical Pianist; Ben Rudiak-Gould, tenor

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

Assistant Minister Rev. Chris Jimmerson's sermon delivered on January 2, 2022. We will whisper the things we would like to let go of in the new year and release them to the wind.

Epiphany is the moment we knew our lives would be the same. In a thousand huge and miniscule ways, we experienced epiphany all throughout 2021. Now we are in 2022, knowing differently. What did we realize and when? What might we know next?

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.    

Assistant Minister Rev. Chris Jimmerson's sermon delivered on December 26, 2021. We will explore how, even during challenging circumstances, we may experience and share joy in ways large and small.

Rev. Meg Barnhouse's sermon delivered on December 24, 2021. Come join our annual Christmas Eve worship service of Lessons and Carols. We will read from the Christian texts the story of Rabbi Jesus' heralded birth as well as sing Christmas carols and hymns for the holiday.

"Kwanzaa" Sunday, December 26, 10:50 am, Worship Service

This Sunday we will celebrate and deepen our understanding of Kwanzaa, an African American and Pan-African cultural holiday observed by millions of people worldwide. Please join us in honoring the symbols and significance of another important December rite that lends texture and meaning to this Holiday Season. We will be helped by Brotha Clinton Sockwell II from The Village Project SF and UUSF members Sam and Christina McCauley Hamner, who celebrate Kwanzaa with their family.

Rochelle Fortier Nwadibia, Board Moderator; Brotha Clinton Sockwell II from The Village Project; Sam and Christina McCauley Hamner; Larry Chinn, Jazz Pianist; Ben Rudiak-Gould, Songleader

Eric Shackelford, 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

Recorded live at Arlington Street Church, Sunday, December 12, 2021.

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

Join us Christmas Eve for a night of classic Christmas readings, carols, and candlelight. 

Whose holiday is it, anyway? Historians point out the pagan roots of Yule amidst voices calling for a more religious and less inclusive Christmas. In truth, the holiday has always been a melding of traditions, a pluralistic celebration of humanity and the world in which ... read more.

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.    

Note: There will be only one service on December 12th. “A Very Unitarian Christmas” will be held at 9:30 AM, in person and online, and it will be followed by a Congregational Meeting at 10:30 AM.

Join all ages as we explore the Christmas holidays through ... read more.

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 December 19, 2021. We celebrate our annual Christmas Pageant.

Thousands of years of evolution have wired us for a winter holiday season … and this past year has amplified the need. It’s a time for celebrating transformation, hope, and joy. 

"Being Alive" (December 12, 2021) Worship Service

We are welcoming the President of Starr King School For The Ministry, the Rev. Rosemary Bray McNatt preaching. And we are celebrating two rites of passage -- blessing the newest member of our congregation, Baby Eliot, and celebrating Thomas Brown who has served this congregation for over two decades and is formally retiring. Come join service and the party.

Rev. Rosemary Bray McNatt, Guest Minister; Rev. Vanessa Rush Southern, Senior Minister; Rev. Alyson Jacks, Associate Minister; Rochelle Fortier-Nwadibia, Board Moderator; Scott Miller; Thomas Brown; Reiko Oda Lane, Organist; Giacomo Fiore and Bruno Bartalos, guitarists; Nancy Munn, Songleader; Asher Davison, bass-baritone; Wm. Garcia Ganz, accompanist

Eric Shackelford, Camera; Donald Shearer, Camera; Jonathan Silk, Communications Director; Joe Chapot, Live Chat Moderator; Kelvin Jones, Sexton; Roberto Delalo, Sexton; 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.    

Rev. Meg Barnhouse's sermon delivered on December 12, 2021. Perfectionism can be addictive and destructive. What is it about the holidays that brings out our sense that we should be living like the people on Instagram or in glossy magazines?

Recorded live at Arlington Street Church, Sunday, December 5, 2021.

Recorded live at Arlington Street Church, Sunday, November 28, 2021.

Recorded live at Arlington Street Church, Sunday, November 21, 2021.

"Big Music Sunday" (December 5, 2021) Worship Service

Walt Whitman was a man who lived a very rich life, finding beauty and divinity in all corners of the earth. We enjoy his words as set to some of the most beautiful music imaginable, but we also speak his words, we hear his words, we hear about the man. As a special element we also shall frame the service with that which gave him inspiration to conceive of those words. The aim on the morning of December 5 is to know Walter Junior better and to perhaps reincarnate a bit of him in this time and place.

Dr. Mark Sumner, Music Director; Rev. Vanessa Rush Southern, Senior Minister; Lucy Smith, Worship Associate; Asher Davison, Reading; Reiko Oda Lane, Organist; UUSF and University of California Alumni Choirs; Richard Fey, Baritone; Nancy Munn, Soprano; Leandra Ramm, Contralto; Wm. García Ganz, Pianist; Elliott Etzkorn, Pianist

Eric Shackelford, Camera; Donald Shearer, Camera; Jonathan Silk, Sound; Joe Chapot, Live Chat Moderator; Thomas Brown, Sexton; 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.    

Rev. Meg Barnhouse's sermon delivered on December 5, 2021. Are there difficult people in your family? At work? Do you have any suspicions that you might be the difficult one? Here are some thoughts about what to do.

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 String of Gratefuls" (November 28, 2021) Worship Service

A service of readings and songs on what gives us joy and for what we are grateful.

Rev. Vanessa Rush Southern, Senior Minister; Mari-Ester Magaloni Ramos, Worship Associate; Daniel Jackoway, Worship Associate; Rev. Millie Phillips, Small Group Ministry Co-Chair; Reiko Oda Lane, Organist; Leandra Ramm, Mezzo Soprano; Ben Rudiak-Gould, Songleader; Mark Sumner, Pianist

Eric Shackelford, Camera; Don Shearer, Camera; Jonathan Silk, Communications Director; Joe Chapot, Live Chat Moderator; Thomas Brown, Sexton; Athena Papadakos, Flowers; Alex Darr, Les James, Tom Brookshire, Zoom Coffee Hour

Rev. Meg Barnhouse's sermon delivered on November 28, 2021. Today Rev Meg discusses "Right Concentration" which is the eighth part of the Eight-fold path in the Buddhist tradition. There are many ways to meditate.

Multiplatform – Outdoors and Livestreamed on YouTube, 9:30 am

There is so much anxiety, fear, and worry living inside and around us in these chaotic times. Creating intentional joy through resistance is a way to help increase our resiliency and secure sustainability – so we can ... read more.

Multiplatform – Outdoors and Livestreamed on YouTube, 9:30 am

We gather again as we have in years past for our annual Bread and Cider ceremony. Please bring a bread from your heritage, or that is significant to you in some way, to share.

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 the Pecans have to Teach?” (November 21, 2021) Worship Service

I know -- What does Vanessa mean by this?! Drawing on a chapter in Robin Wall Kimmerer's "Braiding Sweetgrass" a little more about the pecans in your pie, and their life story and wisdom, to lead us soulfully into the week ahead.

Rev. Vanessa Rush Southern, Senior Minister; Linda Harris, UUSC Chair; Bell Choir led by Reiko Oda Lane, Organist; Choir led by Mark Sumner, Music Director; Maddy Gerlach, Soprano; Sylvie Jensen, Alto; Nancy Munn, Soprano; Morgen Warner, Soprano; Jon Silk, Drummer; Wm. García Ganz, Pianist

Eric Shackelford, Camera; Shulee Ong, Camera; Jonathan Silk, Communications Director; Joe Chapot, Live Chat Moderator; Thomas Brown, Sexton; Carrie Steere-Salazar, Flowers; Alex Darr, Les James, Tom Brookshire, Zoom Coffee Hour

Assistant Minister Rev. Chris Jimmerson's sermon delivered on November 21, 2021. On both an individual level and as communities and societies, the ways in which we tell or fail to tell our histories define who we become.

“The Pursuit of Radiance” (November 14, 2021) Worship Service

As the darkest days of the year arrive, lights appear everywhere: ropes of lights outline tall buildings, colorful Christmas lights brighten windows and trees, candles are lit reverently in Hanukkah menorahs, Kwansa kinaras and winter solstice rituals. We humans instinctively crave and seek out light when days are dark. This is true, metaphorically, in our personal lives as well. When our days are dark and despair fills our lives, we crave the light of hope, insight and love. The sermon will explore light as a symbol of the human spirit, and how we can bring more light into our lives.

Rev. Joy Atkinson, Guest Minister; Dennis Adams, Worship Associate; Reiko Oda Lane, Organist; Choir led by Mark Sumner, Music Director; Wm. García Ganz, pianist

Eric Shackelford, Camera; Shulee Ong, Camera; Donald Shearer, Camera; Jonathan Silk, Communications Director; Joe Chapot, Live Chat Moderator; Thomas Brown, Sexton; Amy Kelly, 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.    

Recorded live at Arlington Street Church, Sunday, November 14, 2021.

Recorded live at Arlington Street Church, Sunday, November 7, 2021.

Recorded live at Arlington Street Church, Sunday, October 31, 2021.

Recorded live at Arlington Street Church, Sunday, October 24, 2021.

Rev. Meg Barnhouse's sermon delivered on November 14, 2021. Stacey Abrams, at the Unitarian Universalist General Assembly's Ware Lecture, said this: "I imagine what we need and then I demand what we must have and I don't do it alone because doing it alone means I will lose every time."

Multiplatform – Outdoors and Livestreamed on YouTube, 9:30 am

Across the United States, people are showing up at school board meetings to protest various recent controversies. But there is an underlying battle that has been waged since 1848 when Unitarian Horace Mann said “Education ... read more.

"We are the Thousand Winds that Blow" (November 7, 2021) Worship Service

This service is one that may be becoming a tradition for us -- a chance on this Sunday that coincides with Samhain, All Souls Day, and Dia de Los Muertos to call into our space the memory, an a snapshot of the lives we have lost this last year -- call them into the space to bless and mourn and offer gratitude.

Rev. Vanessa Rush Southern, Senior Minister; Carmen Barsody; Worship Associate; Reiko Oda Lane, Organist; Nancy Munn, Soprano; Brielle Marina Nielson, Mezzo Soprano; Leandra Ramm, Mezzo Soprano; Ben Rudiak-Gould, Tenor; Richard Fey, Baritone; Boris Lieberman, Guitarist; Wm. García Ganz, Pianist

Eric Shackelford, Camera; Shulee Ong, Camera; Jonathan Silk, Communications Director; Joe Chapot, Live Chat Moderator; Thomas Brown, Sexton; Amy Kelly, Flowers; Alex Darr, Les James, Tom Brookshire, Zoom Coffee Hour

Rev. Meg Barnhouse's sermon delivered on November 7, 2021. It is so easy to worry about the future, and it is easy to be weighed down by regrets about things you have said or done, or by anger at things that have been done to you. One cure for anxiety and regrets, the wisdom teachers say, is remaining in the now.

Multiplatform – Outdoors and Livestreamed on YouTube, 9:30 am

There is one thing you can change in your theological thinking that will allow you to live a happier and more fulfilled life and will also make you more effective at designing a world that you want ... read more.

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.    

Multiplatform – Outdoors and Livestreamed on YouTube, 9:30 am

We complete our month’s theme of “Design Your Life” by lifting up an important part of living: FUN. Wear your costume and come ready to celebrate!

Multiplatform – Outdoors and Livestreamed on YouTube, 9:30 am

The pandemic has brought new revelations to us … about us. Are you an introvert or an extrovert? Do you want the same things you wanted before spring of 2020? Who are you, and more importantly … who do ... read more.

Multiplatform – Outdoors and Livestreamed on Youtube, 9:30 am

The labor movement worked for a vision of a life designed to hold meaningful work, adequate rest, and joy-filled living. As we design our own lives, are we honoring what they fought for?

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 October 31, 2021. Halloween Celebration this Sunday! Let's celebrate together. Meg reads a story from her book "Did I say that out Loud" and discusses how we build a strong community.

“The Costumes We Wear” (October 31, 2021) Worship Service

A worship service about disguises.

Rev. Vanessa Rush Southern, Senior Minister; Dennis Adams, Worship Associate; Sam King, Worship Associate; Reiko Oda Lane, Organist; Nancy Munn, Soprano; Bill Ganz, Accompanist; Ben Rudiak-Gould, Songleader

Eric Shackelford, Camera; Shulee Ong, Camera; Jonathan Silk, Communications Director; Joe Chapot, Live Chat Moderator; Thomas Brown, Sexton; Carrie Steere-Salazar, 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.    

Rev. Meg Barnhouse's sermon delivered on October 24, 2021. Our fourth principle talks about the free and responsible search for truth and meaning. What does it mean to be responsible about the truth? What happens when the truth is suppressed? How do you lovingly tell your own truth?

“The Land of Memory” (October 24, 2021) Worship Service

The artist Etel Adnan, wrote that her memories were like a forest with unstable boundaries. Adnan was born in Lebanon, lived in France, then moved to California, living at the base of Mount Tamalpais, where she wrote and painted for many years. Her paintings were a way to explore memories and make meaning of them. Navigating the land of memory can be complex and challenging. But it can lead us into a deeper understanding of who we are, and how to live more fully into our lives as we make our way forward.

Rev. Alyson Jacks, Associate Minister; Richard Davis-Lowell, Worship Associate; Reiko Oda Lane, Organist; UUSF Choir; Mark Sumner, Music Director; Wm. García Ganz, Pianist

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

Assistant Minister Rev. Chris Jimmerson's sermon delivered on Octover 22, 2021. As a faith without creed, covenantal relationship is one of our primary spiritual/theological resources. We'll examine some thoughts about how to cultivate relationship, whether it involves forming new relationships or sustaining and deepening existing ones - whether it is with family and other loved ones, together with each other in religious community or involves other aspects of our lives.

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.    

"Right Thinking, Right Feeling and Right Relations" (October 17, 2021) Worship Service

Twins and co-authors of a recent book "Burnout", Emily and Amelia Nagoski talk about patterns of thinking and dealing with stress that lead to burnout. However, they also go deeper, to patterns of thinking, feeling and being in relationships that undermine our own and one another's health, joy and, I'd say, derail us on the journey to Beloved Community. In our work to hold ourselves accountable for the proposed 8th Principle of Unitarian Universalism, they offer some very tangible ways we can untangle from problematic habits of heart and mind! 

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

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

Recorded live at Arlington Street Church, Sunday, October 17, 2021.

Rev. Meg Barnhouse's sermon delivered on October 10, 2021. It's a Great Big Celebration Sunday. Each year we mark this day as the beginning of the Stewardship season as we make our pledges for the year to support First UU and its mission. This year, though, it's an even bigger celebration as we come back together for the first time in 19 months as well as celebrating Rev. Meg's 10th anniversary with First UU Austin. It's a big day with a lot going on so come worship in-person or online, and let's celebrate our homecoming together.

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.    

"Who is Earth to Me?" (October 10, 2021) Worship Service

Robin Wall Kimmerer in her book "Braiding Sweetgrass" opens with a simple description of this act of weaving, braiding the supple green stalks of a plant, but what unfolds is layers of relationship and story and a paradigm that has saving grace.

Rev. Vanessa Rush Southern, Senior Minister; Daniel Jackoway, Worship Associate; Sam King, Worship Associate; Reiko Oda Lane, Organist; Mark Sumner, Music Director; Jon Silk, Drummer; Asher Davison, Soloist

Eric Shackelford, Camera; Shulee Ong, Camera; Jonathan Silk, Director of Communications; Joe Chapot, Live Chat Moderator; Thomas Brown, Sexton; Dan Barnard, Facilities Manager; Judy Payne, flowers

Recorded live at Arlington Street Church, Sunday, October 10, 2021.

Rev. Meg Barnhouse's sermon delivered on October 3, 2021. The 3rd UU Principle states "Acceptance of one another and encouragement to spiritual growth in our congregations". How do we grow our spirits and encourage one another in doing the same? What fruits do we reap from our spiritual growth?

Rev. Meg Barnhouse's sermon delivered on September 26, 2021. Teacher Eric Kolvig says you can sum up this aspect of the path by saying "Try to do your practice, but don't try too hard, and never give up." This week's element of the eightfold path is "Right Effort".

Multiplatform – Outdoors and Livestreamed on Youtube, 9:30 am

This month, we’re talking about how to design a life worth living. Unitarian Universalism is a faith that knows we do not live for ourselves alone. Our theology is one of collective liberation and collective salvation. What ... read more.

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.    

"Higher Love: Installation Service" (October 3, 2021) Worship Service

"The Installation Service of Senior Minister Rev. Vanessa Rush Southern"

This is a sermon (Higher Love) about where this ministry together takes us and some of what we learn along the way. Our preacher, the Rev. Elizabeth Lerner Maclay, is the Senior Minister of the First Unitarian Church of Providence, RI. Rev. Maclay has been in Providence since 2017 in a congregation that first gathered in 1720! Rev. Maclay played a central role while serving in Maryland for the successful passage of that state's Marriage Equality legislation, as well as their DREAM Act and their repeal of the death penalty. In Providence she has led the organizing of faith communities for gun control and worked during this pandemic with other faith leaders, particularly Black religious leaders, to found and co-lead Faith in Science, promoting equity of vaccine access and uptake for people of color in Rhode Island.

Shirley Gibson and Kathleen Quenneville, Members of the Search Committee that called Rev. Southern; Rohit and Leila Menezes, Rev. Southern’s husband and daughter, respectively
Dennis Adams, Worship Associate, UUSF; Rev. Elizabeth Lerner Maclay, Senior Minister, First Unitarian Church of Providence, RI; Rev. Mr. Barb Greve, Hospice Chaplain with Vitas Healthcare and former Co-Moderator of the Unitarian Universalist Association; Rochelle Fortier Nwadibia, Board of Trustees Moderator of UUSF; Harry Arthur and Max Benbow, Representatives of the Family Ministry Program; Rev. Dr. John A. Buehrens, Former President of the Unitarian Universalist Association; Rev. Alyson Jacks, Associate Minister of UUSF; Jonah Berquist, Board of Trustees Vice Moderator of UUSF; Rev. Dr. Dorsey Blake, Presiding Minister, Church for the Fellowship of All Peoples; Charles Du Mond, Co-Moderator of the Unitarian Universalist Association; Michael Pappas, M.Div., Executive Director, San Francisco Interfaith Council; Rev. Rosemary Bray-McNatt, President, The Starr King School for the Ministry; Rev. Margot Campbell Gross, Minister Emerita, UUSF; Rev. Vanessa Rush Southern, Senior Minister, UUSF.

Eric Shackelford, Camera; Shulee Ong, Camera; Jonathan Silk, Director of Communications; Joe Chapot, Live Chat Moderator; Thomas Brown, Sexton; Dan Barnard, Facilities Manager; Judy Payne, flowers

Reiko Oda Lane, Organist & Bell Choir Director; Mark Sumner, Pianist & Music Director; Wm.; Garcia Ganz, Pianist; Andrés Vera, Cellist; Jon Silk, Drummer; UUSF Choir; UUSF Bell Choir

Recorded live at Arlington Street Church, Sunday, October 3, 2021.

Carrie Krause, Dir. of Lifespan Faith Development

Multiplatform – Outdoors and Livestreamed on Youtube, 9:30 am

Somewhere along life’s journey, most of us in the United States are taught that staying in the lines is valued, even when those lines are strangling us as individuals and a ... read more.

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.    

"Enough is Enough: The Inflation of Satisfied and the Risks" (September 26, 2021) Worship Service

In the stories of people I know, their children's stories, in what I see in the world, with dire consequences to the planet and to our mental health, I see the inflation of "enough" and I don't just mean in material terms. I mean in all kinds of ways. Let me give examples and let's look at what that might be doing to us and what can be done about it.

Rev. Vanessa Rush Southern, Senior Minister; Wonder Dave, Worship Associate; Sam Hamner, Small Group Ministry; Allen Biggs, percussionist; Ben Rudiak-Gould, songleader; Mark Sumner, pianist

Eric Shackelford, camera; Shulee Ong, camera; Jonathan Silk, OOS Design & sound; Joe Chapot, live chat moderator; Amy Kelly, flowers; Alex Darr, Les James, Tom Brookshire, Zoom Coffee Hour

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

Rev. Meg Barnhouse & Rev. Chris Jimmerson's sermon delivered on September 19, 2021. Revs Meg and Chris will talk together about resilience. What helps them be resilient? What helps you?

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.    

"Ganesh Chaturthi and the Need to Remove Obstacles" (September 19, 2021) Worship Service

Each year in India there is a ten or eleven-day festival to celebrate Ganesh, the Elephant-headed god who is playful but who also is famous for a particular kind of power, one we all always seem in need of summoning into our lives. Join me for some stories, images, and reflections on the power of ritual.

Rev. Vanessa Rush Southern, Senior Minister; Sam King, Worship Associate; Puran and K.G. Singh; Unitarian Church Jowai; UUSF Church Choir, conducted by Mark Sumner

Eric Shackelford, camera; Shulee Ong, camera; Jonathan Silk, OOS Design & sound; Joe Chapot, live chat moderator; Amy Kelly, flowers; Alex Darr, Les James, Tom Brookshire, Zoom Coffee Hour

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

Rev. Meg Barnhouse's sermon delivered on September 12, 2021. How do we live into the second UU principle and practice justice, equity, and compassion in human relations? What does it look like to incorporate the vast variety of prayerful practices into our lives?

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.