Complete Service-First Unitarian Universalist Society of San Francisco: Recent Episodes

1st Unitarian Universalist Society of San Francisco

First Unitarian Universalist Society of San Francisco Sunday worship service. Home of liberal spirituality for over 150 years, the Society welcomes people of all racial and religious backgrounds. Our Congregation includes gay, straight, transgendered, and questioning people. More information is available at www.uusf.org.

"The State of the Union and the Soul of the Nation"
Sunday, November 10, 2024

No matter what happens in our election, as I write this, it is playing out in voting booths and polling places across the country. We will have work to do together. The divide is too big, the rhetoric too scary and angry, for us to think that we can just declare victory or defeat and bunker back down on our side of the issues or arguments. As a nation, we need to reconnect to each other, to what is exacerbating any legitimate differences, heal some old wounds, and perhaps get good at declaring what we will not, the majority of us, agree to descend into. In addition, we need some articulated notion of the common good wrestled into national consciousness to anchor us against the storms of climate change and international anti-democratic movements and all else we need to face off, creatively, against instead of using up our energy to fight one another. This Sunday we gather ourselves, as we are, to begin to attend to what we have just been through and are facing as the emerging state of our union.

Rev. Vanessa Rush Southern, Senior Minister; Rev. Laura Shennum, Minister of Congregational Life; Dennis Adams, Worship Associate; Galen Workman, Moderator, Board of Trustees; Larry Chinn, jazz pianist; Mark Sumner, songleader; Ben Rudiak-Gould, songleader

Shulee Ong; Eric Shackelford; Eli Boshears, Camera, Camera Operators; Jonathan Silk, Communications Director; Thomas Brown, Jose Matias Pineda, and Francisco Castellanos, Sextons; Athena Papadakos, Flowers; Linda Messner, Head Usher

"Uncertainty"
Sunday, November 3, 2024

Among the hardest emotions to tolerate is uncertainty. And yet it is both so much a part of our lives, inevitably, part of the entire mortal condition, and part of a life that takes risks and reaches for the stars. It is also the river we wade into this election season. How do we live in the face of and dance with uncertainty?

Rev. Vanessa Rush Southern, Senior Minister; Santana McBride, Worship Associate; Reiko Oda Lane, organist; UUSF Choir; Mark Sumner, director; Andrew Kessler, baritone; Wm. García Ganz, pianist

Jonathan Silk, Communications Director; Thomas Brown, Jose Matias Pineda, and Francisco Castellanos, Sextons; Athena Papadakos, Flowers; Linda Messner, Head Usher

"Listening to Our Ancestors"

Sunday, October 27, 2024

On this day, we honor and celebrate the time of year held sacred in so many traditions to recognize our continued connection to our ancestors. Although it is not lined up with Samhain, All Saints and Souls Day, and Día de Los Muertos, we will hold that legacy and step into that sacredness of time. In the spirit of this time and sacred season, you are invited to bring a copy of a photo, a memento, or a favorite food of someone you lost to worship and be prepared to speak their name. The foods you bring will be shared during social hour. The service will be participatory.

Rev. Laura Shennum, Minister of Congregational Life; Mari Magaloni Ramos, Worship Associate; Reiko Oda Lane, organist; Akané Ota, songleader; William Klingelhoffer, french horn; Marilyn Thompson, pianist

Shulee Ong, Eli Boshears, Camera Operators; Jonathan Silk, Communications Director; Thomas Brown, Jose Matias Pineda, and Francisco Castellanos, Sextons; Judy Payne, Flowers; Linda Messner, Head Usher

"Skilling up for Love"

Sunday, October 20, 2024

Being human is not just something we are born into; it is something we practice. Being human in a person who loves deeply and loves well is the same. And nothing is more crucial to a strong and loving relationship than deep listening—the kind that is seductive, gorgeously affirming, and brings us extraordinarily deep connection—the kind, I think, we dream of.

Rev. Vanessa Rush Southern, Senior Minister; Rev. Laura Shennum, Minister of Congregational Life; Carmen Barsody, Worship Associate; UUSF Bell Choir led by Reiko Oda Lane, Organist; UUSF Choir led by Mark Sumner, Music Director; Wm. García Ganz, pianist

Shulee Ong, Camera Operator; Jonathan Silk, Communications Director; Judy Payne, Flowers; Linda Messner, Head Usher

"Listening Deeply to Hear if We Got the Story Right"
Sunday, October 13, 2024

Storytelling is powerful. Maybe the most powerful tool we have to move human hearts and wills—a nation, a family, people—all of us tell and live into a lot of stories and their truths. Which means stories also need to be interrogated, and we only do that by listening deeply, getting curious, and being willing, if need be, to change something as sacred as the stories we tell... and live by.

Rev. Vanessa Rush Southern, Senior Minister; Rev. Laura Shennum, Minister of Congregational Life; Kate Steinberg, Ministerial Intern; Mari Magaloni Ramos, Worship Associate; UUSF Choir led by Mark Sumner, Music Director; Nancy Munn, Akané Ota, Ben Rudiak-Gould, Andy Kessler, soloists; Wm. García Ganz, pianist

Jonathan Silk, Communications Director; Amy Kelly, Flowers; Linda Messner, Head Usher

"Accountability to What We Hear Inside"
Sunday, October 6, 2024, 10:50 am

As we enter into the Holy Days of Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur and as we launch into an examination of the theme of Deep Listening, I find myself reflecting on how deep listening to ourselves, our inner voice and feelings, is foundational to our personal discernment. Perhaps the most foundational practice for it. What does it mean to listen deeply to ourselves and commit to doing so?

Rev. Vanessa Rush Southern, Senior Minister; Rev. Laura Shennum, Minister of Congregational Life; Kate Steinberg, Ministerial Intern; Daniel Jackoway, Worship Associate; Galen Workman, Moderator; Reiko Oda Lane, organist; UUSF Choir led by Wm. García Ganz, pianist

Jonathan Silk, Communications Director; Thomas Brown, Jose Matias Pineda, Francisco Castellanos, Sextons; Amy Kelly, Flowers; Linda Messner, Head Usher

"The Turbulence of Invitation"
Sunday, September 29, 2024, 10:50 am

Invitation sounds so easy and lovely, but already this month we have unpacked some of both what it opens up for us and what it requires. What about the ways invitations throw the unexpected our way? In ways small and large, it requires courage and bent-knee flexibility and readiness as a posture. Let me tell you a small example from my recent experience narrow boating in England and a few other stories too as we look together at the turbulence that is part of living life alive to invitation.

Rev. Vanessa Rush Southern, Senior Minister; Gregory Stephens, Worship Associate; Julia Wald, Trustee; Reiko Oda Lane, organist; Joanne Kong, pianist; Christoph Wagner, cellist; Nancy Munn, songleader; Mark Sumner, pianist

Jonathan Silk, Communications Director; Thomas Brown, Jose Matias Pineda, Francisco Castellanos, Sextons; Carrie Steere-Salazar, Flowers; Linda Messner, Head Usher

“From a Wave to a Welcome: Invitation as a Spiritual Practice”
Sunday, September 22, 2024

How do UUs embody the core value of liberating love? Perhaps we commit to “invitation” as a conscious practice, continually inviting new experiences and new ways of being to co-create a better world. This week we’ll consider how an everyday welcome might transmute into a radical welcome.

Kate Steinberg, Ministerial Intern; Rev. Laura Shennum, Minister of Congregational Life; Richard Davis - Lowell, Worship Associate; Mari Magaloni Ramos, Worship Associate; Linda Enger, Trustee; Reiko Oda Lane, Organist; UUSF Choir led by Mark Sumner, Music Director; Jon Silk, Drummer; Wm. García Ganz, Pianist

Shulee Ong; Eric Shackelford, Camera Operators; Jonathan Silk, Communications Director; Carrie Steere-Salazar, Flowers; Linda Messner, Head Usher

"Invitation to Participate in the Democratic Process"
Sunday, September 15, 2024, 10:50 am

How do we as UUs live into our values as we engage the democratic process? How is this a spiritual practice? As we sort through all the chatter, let us find ways to ground ourselves in what we believe to participate in the democratic process intentionally.

Rev. Laura Shennum, Minister of Congregational Life; Kate Steinberg, Ministerial Intern; Mari Magaloni Ramos, Worship Associate; Cal Ball, UU the Vote; Lucy Smith, Board Secretary; Reiko Oda Lane, Organist; UUSF Choir led by Mark Sumner, Music Director; Wm. García Ganz, Pianist

Shulee Ong; Eric Shackelford; Francisco Castellanos, Camera, Camera Operators; Jonathan Silk, Communications Director; Athena Papadakos, Flowers; Linda Messner, Head Usher

"Spiritual Practices and Climate Justice"
Sunday, July 7, 10:50 am, 2024

"We can never return to innocence, but we can move forward with integrity."
- Rev. Dr. Howard Thurman

The 20th-century spiritual leader, Rev. Dr. Howard Thurman, loved San Francisco. A mentor to Martin Luther King, Jr., and Pauli Murray, Thurman found in this city a special dynamism, a variety of people, and chance interactions that could be a gateway to transformation, individually and collectively, to resist racism, classism, and hardness of heart. In a time of climate crisis, what is love asking us to do? Spirituality and activism are not opposites—Thurman would often say they are complements. To sustain long-term work for change—whether challenging air pollution health risks, adapting to rising sea levels, cultivating food forests and community gardens, securing safe, affordable housing, or preparing renewable energies—requires vision, community, and time to "center down." Let's explore how personal spiritual practices may help inform our work for climate justice.

Rev. Daniel Lawlor, Guest Minister; Mari Magaloni Ramos, Worship Associate; Galen Workman, Moderator, Board of Trustees; Jessie Nucho, flautist; Nancy Munn, songleader; Wm. García Ganz, pianist

Eric Shackelford; Francisco Castellanos, Camera, Camera Operators; Jonathan Silk, Communications Director; Amy Kelly, Flowers; Linda Messner, Head Usher

"Radical Rethinking of God: God is Queer"
Sunday, June 30, 10:50 am, 2024

On this Pride Weekend, we will dive into Queer Theology: What does it have to say about the nature of God and of the holy? Why is that important for all of us?

Rev. Vanessa Rush Southern, Senior Minister; Rev. Laura Shennum, Minister of Congregational Life; Carmen Barsody, Worship Associate; Reiko Oda Lane, Organist; Lambert Moss, singer; Andy Kessler, Songleader

Jonathan Silk, Communications Director; Thomas Brown, Jose Matias Pineda, Francisco Castellanos, Sextons; Amy Kelly, Flowers; Linda Messner, Head Usher

"Harmony Unveiled: The Secret Music of the Renaissance"
Sunday, June 23, 10:50 am, 2024

"Bigger" Music Sunday is thrilled to present "Harmony Unveiled: The Secret Music of the Renaissance," a mesmerizing service full of vocal and instrumental masterpieces sung by Areté Singers, an East Bay ensemble renowned for their innovative vocal performances. They will team up with RammDance, which features Léna Alvino, Noelle Tham, and Maddie Sager with choreography by Courtney Ramm, as well as Matthew Xie on lute and Jamie Mulfinger on flute and recorder.

This exquisite program offers an immersive journey into one of history’s most vibrant and transformative musical periods. The congregation will experience the rich tapestry of Renaissance music, marked by its intricate polyphony, lush harmonies, and emotive depth. The shared cultural and historical significance of the performed music will not only entertain but also enlighten the audience.

Mark Sumner, Music Director; Rev. Laura Shennum, Minister of Congregational Life; Areté Singers led by Tim Salaver, Music Director; Matthew Xie, Lute/Baroque Guitar; Jamie Mulfinger, Flute/Recorder; Courtney Ramm, Director and Choreographer, Maddie Sager, Léna Alvino, Noelle Tham, RammDance

Eric Shackelford, Camera; Francisco Castellanos, Camera; Jonathan Silk, Communications Director; Judy Payne, Flowers; Linda Messner, Head Usher

“What They Taught Us?”
Sunday, June 16, 10:50 am, 2024

What does it mean to be a man? What did we learn, from whom, and how? What do we want to pass on?

Rev. Vanessa Rush Southern, Senior Minister; Sam King, Worship Associate; Trio: Akané Ota, Kei Uchida, Tetsuya Taura, singers; Yuki Ota and Haruka Ota, cellists; Mark Sumner, pianist

Jonathan Silk, Communications Director; Amy Kelly, Flowers; Linda Messner, Head Usher

"Metaphors for Us"

Sunday, June 9, 10:50 am, 2024

Bring your flowers this week as we engage in the ritual of the end of our year, where we make visible the life we have made tangible among us.

Rev. Vanessa Rush Southern, Senior Minister; Rev. Laura Shennum, Minister of Congregational Life; Dennis Adams, Worship Associate; Liz Strand, Secretary, Board of Trustees; UUSF Bell Choir led by Reiko Oda Lane, Organist; UUSF Choir led by Mark Sumner, Music Director; Nancy Munn, Akane Ota, Soloists; Wm. García Ganz, Pianist

Shulee Ong, Camera; Francisco Castellanos, Camera; Jonathan Silk, Communications Director; Thomas Brown, Jose Matias Pineda, Francisco Castellanos, Sextons; Linda Messner, Head Usher

"A Look Back"
Sunday, June 2, 10:50 am, 2024

Let's look back on our year together.

Rev. Vanessa Rush Southern, Senior Minister; Rev. Laura Shennum, Minister of Congregational Life; Mari Magaloni Ramos, Worship Associate; Galen Workman, Trustee; Reiko Oda Lane, Organist; UUSF Choir led by Mark Sumner, Music Director; Andrew Kessler, Guest Director; Wm. García Ganz, Pianist

Shulee Ong, Camera; Francisco Castellanos, Camera; Jonathan Silk, Communications Director; Thomas Brown, Jose Matias Pineda, Francisco Castellanos, Sextons; Carrie Steere-Salazar, Flowers; Linda Messner, Head Usher

"Meditations on the Transformative Power of Street Ministry"
Sunday, May 26, 10:50 am, 2024

Join Rev. Charlotte as she reflects on her experiences as a street minister in Marin, the transformative power of connecting with our unhoused neighbors (and how it changed her life), and her new project helping communities create spaces of belonging for all people.

Rev. Charlotte Maitreya Cramer, Guest Minister; Sam King, Worship Associate; Linda Enger, Trustee; Shana Downs and Jill Rachuy Brindel, cellists; Akane Ota, Songleader; David Jones, pianist

Francisco Castellano, Camera; Jonathan Silk, Communications Director; Thomas Brown, Jose Matias Pineda, Francisco Castellanos, Sextons; Athena Papadakos, Flowers; Linda Messner, Head Usher

"The Fight to be Authentic, and Loved"
Sunday, May 19, 10:50 am, 2024

It is so central to want to be seen and loved for who we are, understood, if we can be so lucky. It is also the source of so much pain (and power) to make that journey in a world, in a family, at a time that won't easily make a place for you in the family of things, to paraphrase poet Mary Oliver. Drawing from Lamya H's "Hijab Butch Blues," let's talk about some of the journey to being authentically ourselves.

Rev. Vanessa Rush Southern, Senior Minister; Rev. Laura Shennum, Minister of Congregational Life; Daniel Jackoway, Worship Associate; Galen Workman, Trustee; Nancy Munn, voice and piano

Eric Shackelford, Camera; Francisco Castellanos, Camera; Jonathan Silk, Communications Director; Thomas Brown, Jose Matias Pineda, Francisco Castellanos, Sextons; Athena Papodakos, Flowers; Linda Messner, Head Usher

"A Polymath Nun and Why She Matters on this Mothers' Day"
Sunday, May 12, 10:50 am, 2024

Reflections on Hildegard von Bingen: The Patron Saint of Late Bloomers. She founded her own abbey, created her own language, and wrote one of the first musical plays. She was a wonderful composer who set her own lushly poetic texts. Hildegard was 42 before she started writing anything down, and she was also someone who didn’t accept her place in the world. In a male-dominated church, she went on preaching tours at a time when women were not supposed to preach, especially in public. She refused to behave in a certain way. She wrote at a time when, if the church authorities had not thought she was divinely inspired, she could easily have been put to death as a heretic. Let's witness how else she might inspire.

Dolores Perez Heilbron; Louise Diskerud; Judith Stoddard; Kathleen McClung; Nancy Munn; Maggie McGrann, Worship Participants; Carmen Barsody, Worship Associate; Reiko Oda Lane, Organist; UUSF Choir led by Mark Sumner, Music Director; Yuhi Aizawa Combatti, Guest Soprano soloist, Nancy Munn, Akané Ota, Soloists; Wm. García Ganz, Pianist

Shulee Ong, Camera; Jackson Munn, Camera; Jonathan Silk, Communications Director; Thomas Brown, Jose Matias Pineda, Francisco Castellanos, Sextons; Judy Payne, Flowers; Linda Messner, Head Usher

"Treasures from the Journey"
Sunday, May 5, 10:50 am, 2024

Our high school seniors will be sharing the stories, relationships, and learnings from their time growing up in a UU church and answering what they treasure from their journey.

Rev. Laura Shennum, Minister of Congregational Life; Rev. Vanessa Rush Southern, Senior Minister; Claire Cover, Bree Shennum, Charlie Zwibelman; Galen Workman, Trustee; UUSF Bell Choir led by Reiko Oda Lane, Organist; UUSF Choir led by Mark Sumner, Music Director; Wm. García Ganz, Pianist

Shulee Ong, Camera; Francisco Castellanos, Camera; Jonathan Silk, Communications Director; Thomas Brown, Jose Matias Pineda, Francisco Castellanos, Sextons; Judy Payne and Athena Papadakos, Flowers; Linda Messner, Head Usher

"When Legacy Propels Boldness"
Sunday, April 28, 10:50 am, 2024

The word "legacy" always draws for me images of things past: heavy, anchoring, a little dusty, and old. But in reality, they are just as often more like a sail for covering fast oceans or a ballast for weathering storms than a heavy anchor somewhere fixed and forgotten. This Sunday, I will talk about some of the legacy of the UU Service Committee (UUSC) and its living legacy as I return from a trip to Poland with its Board to meet with organizations doing the work to protect human rights and serve war-torn lands as boldly as that which launched the organization over 70 years ago. Moreover, this Sunday we will talk about our own legacy in this church with our Allyne Circle and those we honor and name this Sunday who are added to our plaque.

Rev. Vanessa Rush Southern, Senior Minister; Rev. Laura Shennum, Minister of Congregational Life; Sarah Ellerman, Allyne Circle; Linda Enger, Trustee; Reiko Oda Lane, Organist; UUSF Choir led by Mark Sumner, Music Director; Wm. García Ganz, Pianist

Shulee Ong, Camera; Francisco Castellanos, Camera; Jonathan Silk, Communications Director; Amy Kelly, Flowers; Thomas Brown, Jose Matias Pineda, Francisco Castellanos, Sextons; Linda Messner, Head Usher

"Understanding Autism, Each Other, and Ourselves"
Sunday, April 21, 10:50 am, 2024

For many people, when they learn they're on the Autism spectrum, they gain a rich and empowering understanding of themselves. Let's learn about these identities so we can support each other's unique spiritual journeys and be a more accessible and compassionate congregation!

Sam King, Guest Preacher; Rev. Millie Phillips, Affiliated Community Minister; Tad Hopp, Worship Participant; Eric Hamilton, Guitarist; Mark Sumner, Pianist; Ben Rudiak-Gould, Songleader

Eric Shackelford, Camera; Francisco Castellanos, Camera; Jonathan Silk, Communications Director; Thomas Brown, Jose Matias Pineda, Francisco Castellanos, Sextons; Amy Kelly, Flowers; Linda Messner, Head Usher

"Perspectives on Earth"
Sunday, April 14, 10:50 am, 2024

From the astrophysicist, Neil deGrass Tyson, to the botanist and member of the Citizen Potawatomi Nation, Robin Wall Kimmerer, and through the eyes of the poets, how do we see earth? And what does that tell us about ourselves and life—this life—on this planet we call home?

Rev. Vanessa Rush Southern, Senior Minister; Rev. Laura Shennum, Minister of Congregational Life; Richard Davis-Lowell, Worship Associate; Greggory Stevens, Story for All Ages; Galen Workman, Trustee; Members of the San Francisco and Kensington Unitarian Universalist Church Choirs; Mark Sumner and Bryan Baker, directors; Wm. Garcia Ganz, pianist; Reiko Oda Lane, organist; Jon Silk, drummer

Shulee Ong, Camera; Jonathan Silk, Communications Director; Carrie Steere-Salazar, Flowers; Linda Messner, Head Usher

"Person by Person by Person"
Sunday, April 7, 10:50 am, 2024

Person by Person by Person… that is how change occurs. Not once and for all, but continuously. Change changes what is possible, and each person we engage makes the possible a little more hopeful. In the words of Bryan Stevenson, “You don’t change the world with the ideas in your mind, but with the conviction in your heart.” Change requires intention and a willingness to take risks. We suspect that change will not always turn out how we expected it to, and we know what was gained can sometimes be lost. But this is the Fools' way; it's our theory of change—person by person, the world is changed.

Carmen Barsody & Sam Dennison, Faithful Fools; Rev. Laura Shennum, Minister of Congregational Life; Jack Dello & Sherry Dello, Canvass Chairs; Liz Strand, Trustee; Reiko Oda Lane, Organist; UUSF Choir led by Mark Sumner, Music Director; Claudine Jones, Rusty Harris-Bishop, Morgen Warner, soloists; Jon Silk, Drummer;Wm. García Ganz, pianist

Jonathan Silk, Audio and Video; Eric Shackelford, Camera; Carrie Steere-Salazar, Flowers; Linda Messner, Head Usher

"Roll that Rock Away"
Easter Sunday, March 31, 10:50 am, 2024

Life has a lot of tombs, losses, and setbacks. And there are rocks, heavy and awkward, that protect and seal them. What are the ways we don't end our stories at the rock or tomb? What does it require of us to make resurrection also the stuff of our lives?

Rev. Vanessa Rush Southern, Senior Minister; Rev. Laura Shennum, Minister of Congregational Life; Dennis Adams, Worship Associate; Bill Klingelhoffer and Courtney Young-Law; Canvass Testimonials; Linda Enger, Trustee; UUSF Bell Choir led by Reiko Oda Lane, Organist; UUSF Choir led by Mark Sumner, Music Director; Nancy Munn, Vocalist; Wm. García Ganz, Pianist

Shulee Ong, Camera; Jonathan Silk, Communications Director; Amy Kelly, Flowers; Linda Messner, Head Usher

"Lessons from the Road"
Sunday, March 24, 10:50 am, 2024

I was fortunate enough to have the gift of almost three straight months to renew and refresh in the ancient tradition of sabbath, or fallow times. Thirty-two of those days (but who is counting?) were spent on the road, circling through the American Southwest, with my husband. It is a modern pilgrimage that many of us have done some version of before—a car, a map, some time ago. I'd love to bore you with some of what germinated on the road. And thank you.

Rev. Vanessa Rush Southern, Senior Minister; Mari Magaloni Ramos, Worship Associate; Kathleen McClung and Dennielle Kronenberg, Canvass Testimonials; Galen Workman, Trustee; Rami Bar-Niv, Pianist; Andy Kessler, Songleader; Wm. García Ganz, Accompanist

Eric Shackelford, Camera; Jonathan Silk, Communications Director; Carrie Steere-Salazar, Flowers; Linda Messner, Head Usher

"Written in Pencil"
Sunday, March 17, 10:50 am, 2024

We sing from a hymnal called Singing the Living Tradition. What does it mean that ours is a living tradition? In light of the changing landscapes of religion and Unitarian Universalism how do we keep the tradition alive rather than stagnant history?

Rev. Cheryl M. Walker, Guest Minister; Rev. Vanessa Rush Southern, Senior Minister; Rev. Laura Shennum, Minister of Congregational Life; Greggory Stevens and Nancy Munn, Canvass Testimonials; Galen Workman, Trustee; Reiko Oda Lane, Organist; UUSF Choir led by Mark Sumner, Music Director; Jon Silk, Drummer; Wm. García Ganz, Pianist

Jonathan Silk, Communications Director; Eric Shackelford, Camera; Athena Papadakos, Flowers; Linda Messner, Head Usher

"Religion... I Too Dislike It"
Sunday, March 10, 10:50 am, 2024

Poet Marianne Moore once wrote a poem beginning, “Poetry . . . I too dislike it.” Yet by its end she affirmed something real in it, and worthwhile. So it is with religion, sayeth the preacher. If you (or your friends) resonate to the phrase “spiritual, but not religious,” this sermon is for you, and for them.

Rev. John Buehrens; Rev. Laura Shennum, Minister of Congregational Life; Mari Magaloni Ramos, Worship Associate; Judith Ottoson and Richard Brydon, Canvass Testimonial; Linda Enger, Trustee; Reiko Oda Lane, Organist; UUSF Choir led by Mark Sumner, Music Director; Wm. García Ganz, Pianist

Shulee Ong, Camera; Eric Shackelford, Camera; Jonathan Silk, Communications Director; Judy Payne, Flowers; Linda Messner, Head Usher

"It's Time to Build"
Sunday, March 3, 10:50 am, 2024

Over the past several years, UUSF has weathered a pandemic, staff transitions, budget worries, and so much more. Now, we are at a place of recognizing our resilience and moving into a new stability. As we contemplate the year to come, let's determine what we want to build together and celebrate who we are!

Rev. Laura Shennum, Minister of Congregational Life; Daniel Jackoway, Worship Associate; Sherry Delo & Jack Delo, Canvass Co-Chairs, Canvass Co-Chairs; Lucy Smith, Secretary; Bill Lowell, Membership Team; Reiko Oda Lane, Organist; UUSF Choir led by Mark Sumner, Music Director; Nancy Munn, Soloist; Jon Silk, Drummer; Wm. García Ganz, Pianist

Shulee Ong, Camera; Eric Shackelford, Camera; Jackson Munn, Camera; Jonathan Silk, Communications Director; Judy Payne, Flowers; Linda Messner, Head Usher

"What Will You Save?"
Sunday, February 25, 10:50 am, 2024

As the years accumulate and I (Rev. Sonya) experience growing satisfaction with a life well lived, I wonder what it is worthwhile to save—for posterity, for my children, for our communities? At the same time, a recent article lifted up the fact that longevity often depends on engagement and connection with people and efforts rather than saving and consuming. Rev. Sonya Sukalski and Carmen Barsody will take up the topic with an eye toward walking that fine line.

Rev. Sonya Sukalski, Sabbatical Minister; Rev. Laura Shennum, Minister of Congregational Life; Carmen Barsody, Worship Associate; Galen Workman, Board of Trustees; Mark Sumner, Pianist; Andy Kessler, Songleader; Andrés Vera, Cellist

Eric Shackelford, Camera; Jonathan Silk, Communications Director; Amy Kelly, Flowers; Linda Messner, Head Usher

"Storm Warning"
Sunday, February 18, 10:50 am, 2024

It’s a fraught time in our nation, especially because it’s an election year. On this President's Day weekend, how might we read more clearly the crucial signs of our time? And how might our faith be a source of strength, not only for ourselves but for others?

Starr King School for the Ministry is commemorating its long-standing connection with the First Unitarian Universalist Society of San Francisco! President Rev. Rosemary Bray McNatt will provide an inspiring sermon, followed by refreshments at an after-service reception in the Chapel, which will include the debut of our new campaign film. We look forward to seeing you there!

Rev. Rosemary Bray McNatt, Guest Minister; Rev. Laura Shennum, Minister of Congregational Life; Rev. Sonya Sukalski, Sabbatical Minister; Mari Magaloni Ramos, Worship Associate; Sam King, Vice Moderator; UUSF Choir led by Mark Sumner, Director; Nancy Munn, Morgen Warner, Akane Ota, Ben Rudiak-Gould, Andrew Kessler, Maggie McGrann, Soloists; Wm. García Ganz, pianist

Shulee Ong, Camera; Jackson Munn, Camera; Alex Schofield, Sound; Jonathan Silk, Order of Service; Amy Kelly, Flowers; Linda Messner, Head Usher

"The Dragon's Might: A Lunar New Year Celebration"
Sunday, February 11, 10:50 am, 2024

According to legend, a heavenly race determined the order of the Chinese zodiac signs. Why did Dragon, so clearly the mightiest of the animals, fail to come in first place? What can Dragon teach us about using power for more than winning in a world that calls for it? Join us in welcoming the Year of the Dragon.

Rev. Seanan Fong, Affiliated Community Minister; Rev. Sonya Sukalski, Sabbatical Minister; Kat Liu, Worship Associate; Linda Enger, Board of Trustees; UUSF Bell Choir directed by Reiko Oda Lane, Organist; UUSF Choir directed by Mark Sumner, Music Director; Akane Ota, mezzo soprano; Wm. García Ganz, pianist.

Shulee Ong, Camera; Eric Shackelford, Camera; Jonathan Silk, Communications Director; Carrie Steere-Salazar, Flowers; Linda Messner, Head Usher

"Thus Do We Covenant"
Sunday, January 28, 10:50 am, 2024

After the weekend of creating our covenant, we will come together to reveal what we have found most important for us to promise. We will explore and understand how we will use it in our relationships going forward.

Aisha Hauser, Guest Preacher; Rev. Laura Shennum, Minister of Congregational Life; Rev. Sonya Sukalski, Sabbatical Minister; Mari Magaloni Ramos, Worship Associate; Diane Allen, Board of Trustees; Reiko Oda Lane, Organist; Choir led by Mark Sumner, Music Director; Millie Phillips, soloist; Jon Silk, Drummer; Wm. Garcia Ganz, pianist

Jonathan Silk, Communications Director; Eric Shackelford, Camera; Athena Papadakos, Flowers; Linda Messner, Head Usher

"Covenant: Laying the Foundation"
Sunday, January 21, 10:50 am, 2024

As we prepare to engage in creating a congregational covenant for UUSF, we will start to lay the foundation of why it is important work for us to do. We will look at the preparation work we have already done and how covenant already exists in our congregational work.

Rev. Laura Shennum, Minister of Congregational Life; Mari Magaloni Ramos, Worship Associate; Jonah Berquist, Moderator; Reiko Oda Lane, Organist; Nancy Munn, Soprano; Morgen Warner, Soprano; Akane Ota, Alto; Ben Rudiak-Gould, Tenor; Andrew Kessler, Bass; Wm. García Ganz, Pianist

Shulee Ong, Camera; Jonathan Silk, Communications Director; Athena Papadakos, Flowers; Thomas Brown, Jose Matias Pineda, Francisco Castellanos, Sextons ; Linda Messner, Head Usher

"Belonging"
Sunday, January 14, 10:50 am, 2024

It is said that religions include belief, behavior and belonging. Unitarian Universalism gave Rev. Sonya an immediate sense of belonging over 25 years ago when she first attended a service in her hometown in New Mexico. Unitarians employ reason in our beliefs, and a sense of freedom concerning religious behaviors, so naming what creates our sense of belonging this month is our work and our play. She will explore what belonging means today as UUSF prepares to explore the promises we make together with a covenant later this month.

Rev. Sonya Sukalski, Sabbatical Minister; Rev. Laura Shennum, Minister of Congregational Life; Richard Davis-Lowell, Worship Associate; Linda Enger, Board of Trustees; Hanna Hart, Interfaith Winter Shelter; Reiko Oda Lane, Organist; Giacomo Fiore, Guitarist; Ben Rudiak-Gould, Songleader

Shulee Ong, Camera; Jonathan Silk, Communications Director; Judy Payne, Flowers; Linda Messner, Head Usher

"Promises of the Heart"
Sunday, January 7, 10:50 am, 2024

Unitarian Universalism is a non-creedal, covenantal faith; that is, we are united not by a single set of theological beliefs, but by the commitments we make to each other and to the broader society in which we live. A covenant is a promise from the heart to carry out these commitments. Throughout January, we will be exploring the concept and practice of covenanting.

Rev. Millie Phillips, Affiliated Community Minister; Richard Davis Lowell, Worship Associate; Galen Workman, Board of Trustees; Andrés Vera, cellist; Stephanie Bibbo, violinist; Andrew Kessler, songleader; Elliott Etzkorn, pianist

Shulee Ong, Camera; Jonathan Silk, Communications Director; Athena Papodakos, Flowers; Linda Messner, Head Usher

"Let Go of the Old & Ring in the New: Fire Communion"

Sunday, December 31, 10:50 am, 2023

We will gather to reflect on our past year, then set intentions for the upcoming year. This will be ritualized through a Fire Communion.

Rev. Laura Shennum, Minister of Congregational Life; Dennis Adams, Worship Associate; Diane Allen, Board of Trustees; Allen Biggs, Percussionist; Akane Ota, Songleader; Elliott Etzkorn, Pianist

Shulee Ong, Camera; Eric Shackelford, Camera; Jonathan Silk, Communications Director; Athena Papodakos, Flowers; Linda Messner, Head Usher

"Christmas Eve Night"

Sunday, December 24, 4:45 pm, 2023

Come let us join in community to celebrate the Christmas story in song, stories, and candles.

Rev. Laura Shennum, Minister of Congregational Life; Mari Magaloni Ramos, Worship Associate; Bree Shennum; Tad Hopp; Michael Bossier; Claire Cover; Tad Hopp, Worship Participants; UUSF Bell Choir led by Reiko Oda Lane, Organist; UUSF Choir led by Mark Sumner, Music Director; William Harvey, Trumpeter; Nancy Munn, Soprano; Kate Offer, Soprano; Morgen Warner, Soprano; Wm. García Ganz, Pianist

Eric Shackelford, Camera; Jackson Munn, Camera; Jonathan Silk, Communications Director; Alicia Cover, Lights; Amy Kelly, Flowers; Linda Messner, Head Usher

"What's Up With That: Interactive Christmas Pageant"

Sunday, December 24, 10:50 am, 2023

Join us for an interactive telling of the Christmas story. This service is for all ages and costumes will be provided for those who want them.

Rev. Laura Shennum, Minister of Congregational Life; Dennis Adams, Worship Associate; Orianna Jooss Moren; Robert Jumonville; Callum Sanchez; Dahlia Tarou; Bree Shennum, Worship Participants; Akane Ota, Songleader; Mark Sumner, Pianist, Yuki and Haruka Ota, Cellists

Shulee Ong, Camera; Jonathan Silk, Communications Director; Amy Kelly, Flowers; Linda Messner, Head Usher

"Hanging of the Greens"
Sunday, December 17, 10:50 am, 2023

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

Rev. Vanessa Rush Southern, Senior Minister; Rev. Laura Shennum, Minister of Congregational Life; Christine Patch-Lindsay, Pagan Interest Circle; Reiko Oda Lane, Organist; UUSF Choir led by Mark Sumner, Music Director; Nancy Munn, Akane Ota, Singers; Wm. García Ganz, Pianist

Shulee Ong, Camera; Eric Shackelford, Camera; Emanuel Class, Chat Moderator; Jonathan Silk, Communications Director; Amy Kelly, Flowers; Linda Messner, Head Usher

"SACReD Stories, SACReD Decisions and Mary, Mother of God"
Sunday, December 10, 10:50 am, 2023

What is your faith story? What is your reproductive story? How is the Divine a part of both of these stories? How can we weave them together free from shame, judgment, and stigma? Join us as we examine our stories alongside one of the ancient stories of Mary, Mother of God. Rev. Angela Tyler-Williams from SACReD, the Spiritual Alliance of Communities for Reproductive Dignity, will lead an exploration of this Advent story and share some of the biblical support for Reproductive Justice.

Rev. Angela Tyler-Williams, Guest Preacher; Rev. Vanessa Rush Southern, Senior Minister; Rev. Laura Shennum, Minister of Congregational Life; Sam King, Worship Associate; Reiko Oda Lane, organist; UUSF Choir led by Mark Sumner, Music Director; Jon Silk, Drummer; Shannon Warto, Soloist

Shulee Ong, Camera; Jackson Munn, Camera; Jonathan Silk, Communications Director; Athena Papadakos, Flowers; Linda Messner, Head Usher

"I Will Meet You There"

Sunday, December 3, 10:50 am, 2023

For weeks, there have been conversations in our church forums, at movie screenings, and on the steps as people gather and leave to address the war in Gaza. On Sunday (I think!) we will talk about the struggle to hold these events and dig into one of the issues coming up around the events: the ancient evils of anti-Semitism and Islamophobia. And find ways and places to dig into the hard moral and political questions of this day in the community, weathering them as whole as we can.

Rev. Vanessa Rush Southern, Senior Minister; Richard Davis - Lowell, Worship Associate; Bruce Neuberger, Lay Leader; Galen Workman, Board of Trustees; Reiko Oda Lane, Organist; UUSF Choir led by Mark Sumner, Music Director; Wm. García Ganz, Pianist

Jonathan Silk, Communications Director; Athena Papadakos, Flowers; Linda Messner, Head Usher

"Oh, We Give Thanks: A Bread Communion"
Sunday, November 26, 10:50 am, 2023

In this quiet service, we will make space to be fed, to reflect on our times around the table and how they have shaped us, to share some of the food we love, and to fill up on the nourishment of giving thanks. If you have a baked good to donate to the table (for sharing at a service or afterwards), please let Vanessa know (VRSouthern@uusf.org). Others inspired at the last minute can just put it out at coffee hour after service!

Rev. Vanessa Rush Southern, Senior Minister; Dennis Adams, Worship Associate; Jef Caers, flute; Andy Kessler, Songleader; Mark Sumner, Pianist

Eric Shackelford, Camera; Alex Schofield, Sound; Jonathan Silk, Order of Service; Carrie Steere-Salazar, Flowers; Linda Messner, Head Usher

"In Transition"

Sunday, November 19, 10:50 am, 2023

This week, the end of Trans Awareness week, we will hear voices of trans folx and be together in their stories and wisdom -- from people we know and love to writers from the United States to the hijra community in India.

Rev. Vanessa Rush Southern, Senior Minister; Rev. Laura Shennum, Minister of Congregational Life; Santana McBride, Worship Associate; Lucy Smith, Board of Trustees; UUSF Bell Choir led by Reiko Oda Lane, Organist; UUSF/India Tour Choir led by Mark Sumner, Music Director; Wm. García Ganz, Pianist

Asani Seawell, Chat Moderator; Jonathan Silk, Communications Director; Carrie Steere-Salazar, Flowers; Linda Messner, Head Usher

"Toward the Beloved Community of Unitarian Universalism"

Sunday, November 12, 10:50 am, 2023

The late civil rights activist John Lewis called us to: “Not get lost in a sea of despair and to never, ever be afraid to make some noise and get in good trouble, necessary trouble.” Week after week, year after year, Unitarian Universalists gather to build the Beloved Community that centers Black, Indigenous, People of Color, fosters collective liberation, and reminds us that we are not alone in our quest for life saving liberal religion. Come and get in good trouble with me!

Rev. Kevin Alan Mann, MDiv., Guest Minister; Rev. Laura Shennum, Minister of Congregational Life; Mari Magaloni Ramos, Worship Associate; Linda Enger, Board of Trustees; Reiko Oda Lane, Organist; UUSF Choir led by Mark Sumner, Music Director

Shulee Ong, Camera; Felix Borggraefe, Sound; Jonathan Silk, Communications Director & Audio Video Remix; Judy Payne, Flowers; Linda Messner, Head Usher

"The Enfleshed Life: What Life and Love of a Body Entails"

Sunday, November 5, 10:50 am, 2023

One of the biggest injuries that Christianity is part of in our journey to human wholeness is seeing the body as sacred—not in the sense of something pristine that could be defiled or whose urges were dangerous, but as something to be honored and trusted. We can blame St. Augustine for some of it. We can blame a world bent on extraction and marketing to us from piling on. However, the wholeness we seek to find in nurturing one another asks for a life that relishes and cherishes enfleshed life. Let’s talk about that!

Rev. Vanessa Rush Southern, Senior Minister; Rev. Laura Shennum, Minister of Congregational Life; Carmen Barsody, Worship Associate; Galen Workman, Board of Trustees; Reiko Oda Lane, Organist; UUSF Choir led by Mark Sumner, Music Director

Shulee Ong, Camera; Jackson Munn, Camera; Gregory Stevens, Chat Moderator; Jonathan Silk, Communications Director; Judy Payne, Flowers; Linda Messner, Head Usher

"Connecting Across Borders and Divides"

Sunday, October 29, 10:50 am, 2023

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

In the spirit of this time and sacred season, you are invited to bring a copy of a photo or a memento of someone you have lost that we can put on the altar during worship. Be prepared to share their name. You are also invited to bring their favorite food to the worship. The foods that you bring will be shared during social hour.

Rev. Vanessa Rush Southern, Senior Minister; Mari Magaloni Ramos, Worship Asscociate; Carlowe Connelly, The Pagan Interest Circle; Megan Lehmer, Board of Trustees; UUSF Bell Choir led by Reiko Oda Lane, Organist; UUSF Choir led by Mark Sumner, Music Director; Akane Ota, Soloist; Wm García Ganz, Pianist

Shulee Ong, Jackson Munn, Livestream Team; Asani Seawell, Chat Support; Jonathan Silk, Communications Director; Amy Kelly, Flowers; Linda Messner, Head Usher

"Lessons for Future Ancestors"
Sunday, October 22, 10:50 am, 2023

"Let us measure success by how many of us can say: I am living a life I don’t regret. A life that will resonate with my ancestors" -adrienne maree brown

Matt is a musician and worship leader who has led hundreds of services for UU congregations across the country. He has a degree in hand drumming and serves as Director of Community Life for Sanctuary Boston.

https://www.rhythmrevelations.com/

Matt Meyer, Guest Preacher; Rev. Vanessa Rush Southern, Senior Minister; Diane Allen, Board of Trustees; Mark Sumner, Music Director; Elliott Etzkorn, Pianist

Jonathan Silk, Communications Director; Eric Shackelford, Camera; Amy Kelly, Flowers; Linda Messner, Head Usher

"By Stander, Standing By"

Sunday, October 15, 10:50 am, 2023

This weekend when we honor awareness about our Trans Beloveds, I want to talk about some stories I've heard from members lately. I want to talk about how we show up and invite others to do the same. I want to talk about the real danger of the bystander.

Rev. Vanessa Rush Southern, Senior Minister; Rev. Laura Shennum, Minister of Congregational Life; Daniel Jackoway, Worship Associate; Liz Strand, Board of Trustees; Hamner Family, Chalice Lighting; Reiko Oda Lane, Organist; UUSF Choir led by Mark Sumner, Music Director; Lambert Moss, soloist; Wm. García Ganz, Pianist

Shulee Ong, Camera; Felix Borggraefe, Audio; Asani Seawell, Live Chat Moderator; Jonathan Silk, Communications Director; Athena Papadakos, Flowers; Linda Messner, Head Usher

"The Uses and Abuses of Scripture"
Sunday, October 8, 10:50 am, 2023

On a Sunday when we mark Indigenous Peoples Day, we will enjoy music from a group of Native Hawai’ian musicians. Rev. Buehrens reflect on how scripture was abused in the spread of settler colonialism, even as he invites people, in his Monday evening adult RE course on the Hebrew Bible, to learn about how the scriptures can be understood and used to counter oppression and begin the process of healing.

Rev. John Buehrens; Rev. Laura Shennum, Minister of Congregational Life; Dennis Adams, Worship Associate; Lori Lai, Treasurer; Dennielle and Miles Kronenberg, Chalice Lighters; Worship Associate; Grandview Aloha Band featuring Ka’ala Carmack; Rosalie Alfonso; William Klingelhoffer; Pastor James Aarona; Mark Sumner, Songleader; Wm. García Ganz, Pianist

Shulee Ong, Camera; Eric Shackelford, Camera; Greggory Stevens, Chat Moderator; Jonathan Silk, Communications Director; Athena Papadakos, Flowers; Linda Messner, Head Usher

“Hello, Frank!” in honor of the feast of St Francis which is on Oct 4.
Sunday, October 1, 10:50 am, 2023

Living in a city named for St. Francis, we find ourselves looking for the humanity behind the saint as we negotiate very difficult times: Ideals of loving the poor get confused with the complexity of addressing poverty and homelessness; and a reverence for all creation can leave us wondering what really matters environmentally. Join us as we look beyond the saint and find the human.

Carmen Barsody & Sam Dennison, Faithful Fools; Dennis Adams, Worship Associate; Linda Enger, Board of Trustee; Christoph Wagner, Cellist; Joanne Kong, Pianist; Mark Sumner, Songleader; Jon Silk, Drummer; Wm. García Ganz, Pianist

Jonathan Silk, Communications Director; Carrie Steere-Salazar, Flowers; Jose Matias Pineda, Sexton; Linda Messner, Head Usher

"Healing and Hope: A sermon on forgiveness and beyond"
Sunday, September 24, 10:50 am, 2023

Yom Kippur is a day for Jewish people to focus on forgiveness and determine how they will move forward in the next year. This morning, we will focus on our own relationship with forgiveness and participate in a ritual that allows us to find a sense of peace. If you are joining virtually, then please have a rock or stone to participate in the ritual.

Rev. Laura Shennum, Minister of Congregational Life; Rev. Vanessa Rush Southern, Senior Minister; Daniel Jackoway, Worship Associate; Jonah Berquist, Moderator; Gupta Family, Chalice Lighting; Bell Choir directed by Reiko Oda Lane, Organist; UUSF Choir led by Mark Sumner, Music Director; Wm. Klingelhoffer, Shofar

Shulee Ong, Camera; Felix Borggraefe, Sound; Santana McBride, Live Chat Moderator; Jonathan Silk, Communications Director; Carrie Steere-Salazar, Flowers; Linda Messner, Head Usher

"We Are All the Same.... and Not: A service of celebration and reflection on being in community"
Sunday, September 17, 10:50 am, 2023

September 15 to October 15 is National Hispanic American Heritage Month. Mari Magaloni Ramos, Santana Gonzalez Gomez and Vanessa Southern will explore some of what we celebrate this month and also larger reflections about being in community together. Rumor has it there may also be members of a Mariachi band at church!!

Rev. Vanessa Rush Southern, Senior Minister; Rev. Laura Shennum, Minister of Congregational Life; Mari Magaloni Ramos, Worship Associate; Santana González Gómez, Worship Associate; Galen Workman, Board of Trustees; The Ferree Family, Chalice Lighting; Reiko Oda Lane, Organist; UUSF Choir led by Mark Sumner, Music Director; Morgen Warner, Soprano; Mariachi Trio El Jalisco

Shulee Ong, Camera; Jackson Munn, Camera; Asani Seawell, Live Chat Moderator; Jonathan Silk, Communications Director; Amy Kelly, Flowers; Linda Messner, Head Usher

"Ingathering Sunday: Bring in the People and the Waters!"

Sunday, September 10, 10:50 am, 2023

This Sunday is opening Sunday! Church may serve as a place to "Remember" or to get an understanding of what it is to be human. Bring any water from areas you went this summer (even if it was from your backyard spigot or a nearby park). If you don't, we will have water accessible, and we look forward to your offering of what you bring from the summer into community -- what wisdom, what joy, what grief, what sense of possibilities or yearnings -- all of it presented into the year we begin together.

Rev. Vanessa Rush Southern, Senior Minister; Rev. Laura Shennum, Minister of Congregational Life; Rev. Seanan Fong, Community Minister; Dennis Adams, Worship Associate; Lucy Smith, Board of Trustees; Reiko Oda Lane, Organist; UUSF Choir led by Mark Sumner, Music Director; Nancy Munn, Soloist; Wm. García Ganz, Pianist

Shulee Ong, Camera; Jackson Munn, Camera; Santana Gonzalez-Gomez, Live Chat Moderator; Jonathan Silk, Communications Director; Amy Kelly, Flowers; Linda Messner, Head Usher

"The Quick Fix: A conversation about what is lost when we attempt to rush reconciliation."

Sunday, August 6, 10:50 am

August is a month in which people around the world celebrate the ascension of the Virgin Mary and mourn the horror unleashed in Hiroshima. What can these two events tell us about our capacity for causing harm to vulnerable populations and to our own spiritual development when we attempt to assuage our discomfort with the work required of us when we are faced with spiritual and societal strain or fracture? Please join Worship Associates Richard Davis-Lowell and Mari Magaloni Ramos for this one of a kind conversational service.

Richard Davis-Lowell, Worship Associate; Mari Magaloni Ramos, Worship Associate; Mark Sumner, songleader, Elliott Etzkorn, pianist

Eric Shackelford, Camera; Alicia Cover, Order of Service; Jonathan Silk, Audio; Athena Papadakos, Flowers; Linda Messner, Head Usher

"Big Music Sunday"

Sunday, June 25, 10:50 am

Today we feature the Areté Singers, performing the live concert premiere of a new work called Mass for the Eighth Day with its award-winning composer, Luke Mayernik, sharing a reflection on it, as well as accompanying the work on organ. Several other choral gems will surround the musical centerpiece of the service. Some of the finest singers in the Bay Area will be performing, including a number that our regular congregants will recognize. The Chorus is made up of artists from all around the bay each a part of the Areté Singers Network — an organization that provides performers for concerts, operas, weddings, anniversaries, birthdays, corporate, and other life events. More info at Aretesingers.com.

Mari Magaloni Ramos, Worship Associate; Areté Singers, Tim Salaver, conductor; Mark Sumner, songleader; Luke Mayernik, organist; Kassidy Mayernik, soprano; Leandra Ramm, mezzo soprano; Solo Quartet: Stephanie Collins; Leandra Ramm; Ben Rudiak-Gould; Asher Davison; Irene Cheng, conductor

Shulee Ong, Camera; Eric Shackelford, Camera; Steven Kroeger, Sound, Sound; Gregory Stevens, Live Chat Moderator; Alicia Cover, Order of Service; Judy Payne, Flowers; Linda Messner, Head Usher; Jonathan Silk, AV Remixes

"Our Authentic Selves"

Sunday, June 18, 10:50 am

To parent (officially or unofficially) we have to be our best selves, but also increasingly I realize the gift of being our authentic self -- as parents, more so perhaps than in any other role. That gift is not an easy one to offer, but we find ways to do it. And the world splits gorgeously open when we do.

Rev. Vanessa Rush Southern, Senior Minister; Richard Davis-Lowell, Worship Associate; Michele Kennedy, Soprano; Reiko Oda Lane, Organist; Mark Sumner, Pianist

Eric Shackelford, Camera; Santana Gonzalez Gomez, Live Chat Moderator; Jonathan Silk, Communications Director; Judy Payne, Flowers; Linda Messner, Head Usher

"Life is Pure Jazz"

Sunday, June 11, 10:50 am

There are so many metaphors for life: a journey, an unfolding (like a flower), a cycle (like the cycle of the seasons), a drama ("Life’s but a walking shadow, a poor player/That struts and frets his hour upon the stage"). And there are just as many metaphors about how to approach life so you weather it with grace, find some joy, meaning and come out on the other side having made something of it. How about life as jazz, pure jazz?!

Rev. Vanessa Rush Southern, Senior Minister; Rev. Laura Shennum, Minister of Congregational Life; Wonder Dave, Worship Associate; UUSF Choir led by Mark Sumner, Music Director; Jon Silk, Drummer; Wm. García Ganz, Pianist; Richard Saunders, Bassist; Lambert Moss, Soloist

Shulee Ong, Camera; Eric Shackelford, Camera; Jonathan Silk, Communications Director; Asani Seawell, Live Chat Moderator; Matias Salazar, Sexton; Tony Miller, Sexton; Kelvin Jones, Sexton; Judy Payne, Flowers; Linda Messner, Head Usher

"Extravaganza!"

Sunday, June 4, 10:50 am

Join us for this multigenerational celebration of the end of our year together. Bring a flower to be part of our celebration of the 100th anniversary of the Flower Communion introduced by Unitarian minister Norbert Čapek of Prague, Czechoslovaki and hear the story of Čapek and the ritual. Let's sing, hear the bells, enjoy the choir and tell stories. Service will be followed by our Annual Meeting! Please bring a flower from your garden to be part of this Sunday's Flower Communion ritual!

Rev. Vanessa Rush Southern, Senior Minister; Rev. Laura Shennum, Minister of Congregational Life; Dennis Adams, Worship Associate; UUSF Bell Choir led by Organist Reiko Oda Lane; UUSF Choir led by Mark Sumner, Music Director; Wm. García Ganz, pianist

Eric Shackelford, Camera; Jonathan Silk, Communications Director; Gregory Stevens, Live Chat Moderator; Athena Papadakos, Flowers; Matias Salazar, Sexton; Dan Barnard, Facilities Manager; Linda Messner, Head Usher

"Compassion"
Sunday, May 28, 10:50 am

Features COMPASSION DUO integrating music and message into a special service.

Internationally-acclaimed concert artists Christoph Wagner, cellist, and Joanne Kong, pianist, weave together live music, reflections and imagery in an inspiring event that will illuminate how embracing the connections we have to the natural world and all beings can bring about transformative spiritual growth, positive change and planetary healing.

They have given presentations at First Unitarian Universalist Church of Houston, Emerson Unitarian Universalist Church, Unitarian Universalist Fellowship of Galveston County, First Unitarian Universalist Church, Richmond, VA, Unitarian Universalist Congregation of Fairfax and River Road Unitarian Universalist Congregation.

Christoph Wagner, cellist; Joanne Kong, pianist; Richard Davis, Worship Associate; Mark Sumner, pianist; Ben Rudiak-Gould, songleader

Jonathan Silk, Communications Director; Judy Payne, Flowers; Linda Messner, Head Usher

"Nap Ministry"
Sunday, May 21, 10:50 am

Tricia Hersey, ordained and tired, got drawn to the idea of a ministry around rest, nap-in-happenings but also the larger idea of rest as revolution. Tied deeply to undoing some of the patterns of a culture that has made models of extraction more than colonial models abroad, Hersey unpacks what virtue around rest and work and justice embodied ask of us. It is all very fun and deeply powerful to consider. Note: This Sunday is the Sunday of the Bay to Breakers run so if you come to church in person (please do, if you are inclined!) just check your route against the route of the race!

Rev. Vanessa Rush Southern, Senior Minister; Rev. Laura Shennum, Minister of Congregational Life; Mari Magaloni Ramos, Worship Associate; The Bernal Hill Players: Martha Rodríguez-Salazar, flute; Leah di Tullio, clarinet; Jennifer Peringer, piano; Richard Fey songleader; Wm. García Ganz, pianist

Shulee Ong, Camera; Jonathan Silk, Communications Director; Tom Brookshire, Live Chat Moderator; Judy Payne, Flowers; Linda Messner, Head Usher

"A Sacred Choice: Reproductive Justice"
Sunday, May 14, 10:50 am

On this day honoring mothers, what does it mean to truly support the choice to become a mother or not? What does the upcoming resolution call us as a congregation to do to support this choice?

Rev. Laura Shennum, Minister of Congregational Life; Bree Shennum, Worship Associate; Reiko Oda Lane, Organist; UUSF Choir led by Mark Sumner, Music Director; Peg Lisi, Soloist

Shulee Ong, Camera; Jonathan Silk, Communications Director; Amy Kelly, Flowers; Linda Messner, Head Usher

"Little Did I Know"
Sunday, May 7, 10:50 am

An anthology on caring for young people, a grief (or preparation project) around the Empty Nest Chapter that was on the horizon. That's how the book project began, but it took me places that were so different than I expected... as our journey loving and caring for the young people in our lives, I guess, always does.

Rev. Vanessa Rush Southern, Senior Minister; Rev. Laura Shennum, Minister of Congregational Life; Carmen Barsody, Worship Associate; Reiko Oda Lane, Organist; UUSF Choir led by Mark Sumner, Music Director; Wm. García Ganz, Pianist

Shulee Ong, Camera; Eric Shackelford, Camera; Jonathan Silk, Communications Director; Santana Gonzalez-Gomez, Chat Moderator; Kelvin Jones, Sexton; Amy Kelly, Flowers; Linda Messner, Head Usher

"A May Day Convergence"
Sunday, April 30, 10:50 am

On May 1st, it would appear that everything is converging at the same moment, whether it be the international worker's holiday, the Beltane festival, or a desperate call for help.

Rev. Millie Phillips, Affiliated Community Minister; Mari Magaloni Ramos, Worship Associate; Reiko Oda Lane, Organist; UUSF Choir led by Mark Sumner, Music Director

Shulee Ong, Camera; Eric Shackelford, Camera; Jonathan Silk, Communications Director; Santana Gonzalez-Gomez, Chat Moderator; Thomas Brown, Sexton; Athena Papsadakos, Flowers; Linda Messner, Head Usher

"The Problem with God"
Sunday, April 23, 10:50 am

For a lot of people it's the notion of "God" that gets in the way of coming into a religious community. So I want to explore some of what the "problem with God" is and some ways folks have reframed that word -- or reclaimed it -- so that we can see what possibilities there are for God (and where we hit some limits).

Rev. Vanessa Rush Southern, Senior Minister; Rev. Laura Shennum, Minister of Congregational Life; Dennis Adams, Worship Associate; Rheinber Award Committee; Jennifer Peringer, piano; Mark Sumner, piano; Ben Rudiak-Gould, songleader

Jonathan Silk, Communications Director; Asani Seawell, Chat Moderator; Thomas Brown, Sexton; Carrie Steere-Salazar, Flowers; Linda Messner, Head Usher

"Heartbeats"
Sunday, April 16, 10:50 am

I was 29 years old when I served as assistant minister to Diane Miller back in 79/80. 18 years in Hayward, then 17 in Columbus, 7 years retired. And bam! Just like that, I am 73 and have heart problems. I’m afforded good care through Ohiohealth, Medicare and supplemental insurance, gratefully. But there is no obvious Medicare of the spirit to help me, and most everyone I know, through these present difficult times of tumult, hurt, anger, fear and escalating injustice in the US and the rest of the world. I know my own metaphoric heart hurts more and more daily, but there are many things I remember from earlier in my life to remind me how to move through the present world with my heart beating with courage, freedom and love.

Rev. Dr. Marco Belletini, Guest Minister; Rev. Vanessa Rush Southern, Senior Minister; Rev. Laura Shennum, Minister of Congregational Life; Sam King, Worship Associate; Reiko Oda Lane, Organ; Mark Sumner, Music Director; UUSF Choir; Nancy Munn, Soloist; Brielle Marina Nielson, Soloist; Richard Fey, Soloist; Bill Ganz, Piano

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

"What Prepares us for Sunrise?"

Easter Sunday, April 9, 10:50 am

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Sunday, March 19, 10:50 am

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

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

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

"A Hermit's Life"

Sunday, March 12, 10:50 am

Rev. Vanessa Rush Southern, Senior Minister, Preaching

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

"Some of What I Learned on My Sabbatical: Reclaiming Time and Empathy"
Sunday, February 26, 10:50 am

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

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

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

"Mourning and Celebrating"
Sunday, February 19, 10:50 am

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

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

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

"Keeping Love Alive"
Sunday, February 12, 2023, Worship Service

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Shulee Ong, Camera; Eric Shackelford, Camera; Jackson Munn, Camera; Lyle Barrere, Sound; Joe Chapot, Live Chat Moderator; Remigio Flood, Sexton; Kelvin Jones, Sexton; Amy Kelly, Flowers; Linda Messner, Head Usher; Ralph Fenn, Les James, Tom Brookshire, Zoom Coffee Hour

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

"Little Things Mean a Lot"

Sunday, November 27, 10:50 am, Worship Service Livestream

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

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

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

“After the OObleck" - A Forgiveness Ritual”

Sunday, November 20, 10:50 am, Worship Service Livestream

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

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

Shulee Ong, Camera; Eric Shackelford, Camera; Jonathan Silk, Communications Director; Joe Chapot, Live Chat Moderator; Dan Barnard, Facilities Manager; Amy Kelly, Flowers; Linda Messner, Head Usher; Ralph Fenn, Les James, Tom Brookshire, Zoom Coffee Hour

"The Double-edged Sword of Faith"

Sunday, November 13, 10:50 am, Worship Service Livestream

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

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

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

“Across the Veil”

Sunday, November 6, 10:50 am, Worship Service Livestream

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

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

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

“Living with the Trouble”

Sunday, October 30, 10:50 am, Worship Service Livestream

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

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

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

“What Fuels These Fools?”

Sunday, October 23, 10:50 am, Worship Service Livestream

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

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

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

“The Arc of the Universe”

Sunday, August 28, 10:50 am, Worship Service Livestream

August 28th is the 59th anniversary of the 1963 March on Washington for Racial Equality. Its keynote address by Reverend Martin Luther King Jr. has become the most famous speech in modern history. Echoed in his remarks that day were the paraphrased words of an early Unitarian minister, Theodore Parker; that the arc of the moral universe bends towards justice.

Earlier this summer, the remarkable achievement of the Webb telescope began challenging humanity to look deeply into the past in order to make sense of today and what is to come. Indeed, in so many ways, we won't ever create the future of our dreams without understanding the past.

Join us as we explore Dr. King's inspiration in the words of a radical Boston minster, how those words convinced a cultural icon to continue to go "where no man had gone before" and finally, how we're learning, through science, that there is indeed an arc in the universe and that it bends towards truth.

Richard Davis-Lowell, Guest Preacher; Rev. Vanessa Rush Southern, Senior Minister; Katrina Walter, Flautist; Charmian Stewart, Violinist; Nancy Munn, Pianist; Richard Fey, Songleader

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

“Transforming Perfection”

Sunday, August 21, 10:50 am, Worship Service Livestream

This Sunday, join Guest Preacher Charlotte Cramer exploring the concept of perfection and how it influences our lives and society. Perfection is everywhere in our country, and it has impacted how we treat one another and ourselves. What is the mindset and healing that is needed to work against the strong drive towards being perfect? How could overcoming perfection foster a more wholesome and healthy life, and society?

Charlotte Maitreya Cramer, Guest Preacher; Sam King, Worship Associate; Asher Davison, Bass Vocals; Larry Chinn, Piano

Jonathan Silk, Communications Director; Joe Chapot, Live Chat Moderator; Remigio Flood, Sexton; Kelvin Jones, Sexton; Judy Payne, Flowers; Linda Messner, Head Usher; Ralph Fenn, Les James, Tom Brookshire, Zoom Coffee Hour

“Coffee in the Desert”

Sunday, July 17, 10:50 am, Worship Service

A sermon on welcome -- on the sacred value of welcome. This is a sermon I preached as one of my first five years ago at UUSF and the foundation holds. But there are insights too about what this virtue asks of us, brought to light in the conversations out of the racial reckoning of the last two years or more.

Rev. Vanessa Rush Southern, Senior Minister; Carmen Barsody, Worship Associate; Reiko Oda Lane, Organist; Richard Fey, Baritone; Wm. García Ganz, Accompanist; Ben Rudiak-Gould, Songleader

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

“The Living Tradition”

Sunday, July 10, 10:50 am, Worship Service Livestream

Rev. Mr. Barb reflects on 51 years of practicing Unitarian Universalism. Oh how we have (and have not) changed. Imagine with Barb as he shares his dreams for our next 51 years.

Rev. Mr. Barb Greve, Guest Minister; Lucy Smith, Worship Associate; Larry Chinn, Pianist; Richard Fey, Songleader

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

"The Perfect Body and the Ladder"

Sunday, July 3, 10:50 am, Worship Service Livestream

"The Perfect Body and the Ladder" is about the personal and the political uses of the body, timed perfectly to rebroadcast as we prepare to unveil our sweet bodies in the lighter clothes and freedom of summer. It's a lovely service and we invite you to sit with the questions it raises and the invitation to include our bodies (and others') in the deepest work of honoring and cherishing.

Rev. Vanessa Rush Southern, Senior Minister; Meg McGuire, Ministerial Intern; Reiko Oda Lane, Organist; Leandra Ramm, Songleader; Brielle Marina Neilson, Songleader; Ben Rudiak-Gould, Songleader; Asher Davison, Songleader; Luis Maurer, Pianist

Eric Shackelford, camera; Shulee Ong, camera; Jonathan Silk, AV remix ; Sam King, chat moderator; Tom Brookshire, Les James, Ralph Fenn, Zoom Coffee Hour; Athena Papadakos, Flowers

What is Fatherhood?

Sunday, June 19, 10:50 am, Worship Service Livestream

How can you form an opinion on it if you don’t know what it is? Fatherhood is essentially an elegant idea. You can’t buy it, hold it in your hands or taste it. It is a no-thing. Please come and explore this elegant idea in community on Father’s Day.

Rev. Fred Rabidoux, Guest Minister; Richard Davis-Lowell, Worship Associate; Alice Sobze, Guest Speaker; Reiko Oda Lane, Organist; Nancy Munn, Soprano; Wm. García Ganz, Pianist

Jonathan Silk, Communications Director; Joe Chapot, Live Chat Moderator; Remigio Flood, Sexton; Dan Barnard, Facilities Manager; Judy Payne, Flowers; Linda Messner, Head Usher; Ralph Fenn, Les James, Tom Brookshire, Zoom Coffee Hour

"I'm So Glad We Had This Time Together"

Sunday, June 12, 10:50 am, Worship Service Livestream

Join us for a joyous good-bye celebration for Rev. Alyson Jacks who is retiring this June. We'll share stories, salutations and some surprises too. There will be wonderful music by our church and bell choir, percussionist Allen Biggs, pianist Lucas Keeley, and our organist Reiko Lane. Let's celebrate and be glad for this incredible time we've had together.

Rev. Alyson Jacks, Associate Minister; Rev. Vanessa Rush Southern, Senior Minister; Mari Magaloni Ramos, Worship Associate; Cal Ball, Offertory Sentence; Bell Choir led by Reiko Oda Lane, Organist; Allen Biggs, Percussionist; Lucas Keely, Pianist; UUSF Choir led by Mark Sumner, Music Director

Jonathan Silk, Communications Director; Joe Chapot, Live Chat Moderator; Jackson Munn, Camera; Remigio Flood, Sexton; Kelvin Jones, Sexton; Athena & Max Papadakos, Flowers; Linda Messner, Head Usher; Ralph Fenn, Les James, Tom Brookshire, Zoom Coffee Hour

"Finding Out Who We Are"

Sunday, June 5, 10:50 am, Worship Service Livestream

This is a service of stories and songs for these times -- drawn from graduation speeches, spiritual reflections on place and community, hymns -- a reminder of who we are.

Rev. Vanessa Rush Southern, Senior Minister; Rev. Alyson Jacks, Associate Minister; Daniel Jackoway, Worship Associate; Nancy Hardies & Judith Stoddard, Membership; Reiko Oda Lane, Organist; UUSF Choir led by Mark Sumner, Music Director; Elliott Etzkorn, Pianist

Shulee Ong, Camera; Jackson Miunn, Camera; Jonathan Silk, Communications Director; Joe Chapot, Live Chat Moderator; Remigio Flood, Sexton; Dan Barnard, Facilities Manager; Athena Papadakos, Flowers; Linda Messner, Head Usher; Ralph Fenn, Les James, Tom Brookshire, Zoom Coffee Hour

"Remembering the Future"

Sunday, May 29, 10:50 am, Worship Service Livestream

War continues to rage in the Ukraine and elsewhere, and, on top of everything else we are facing, nuclear Armageddon increasingly feels like a realistic fear. Memorial Day was started as Decoration Day to honor Union soldiers who died in the Civil War, through drawing upon memorial traditions in both the North and South. On this Memorial Day weekend, let us meditate on past, present, and future war. What does it mean to remember the dead while continuing a global practice that guarantees more dead to remember in the future?

Rev. Millie Phillips, Guest Minister; Mari Magaloni, Worship Associate; Richard Fey, Song Leader; Reiko Oda Lane, Organist

Jonathan Silk, Communications Director; Joe Chapot, Live Chat Moderator; Remigio Flood, Sexton; Kelvin Jones, Sexton; Carrie Steere-Salazar, Flowers; Linda Messner, Head Usher; Ralph Fenn, Les James, Tom Brookshire, Zoom Coffee Hour

“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

"A Time of Transition, part II: The Place In Between"

Sunday, May 15, 2022 10:50 am Livestream Worship Service

William Bridges, when he wrote about transitions, didn't just talk about the Endings, though he did name that first stage and all it required. And he didn't talk about the New Beginnings though that also was tender and vital. He talked about this rarely named space in between those two. And all that happens in that space and how it feels and how to step thoughtfully into and through it. This is what we'll talk a little about this Sunday, and you might find the description familiar and relevant to a lot of life at this moment!

Rev. Vanessa Rush Southern, Senior Minister; Sam King, Worship Associate; Percussionists Allen Biggs & Tommy Kesecker; Mark Sumner, Music Director

Eric Shackelford, Camera; Shulee Ong, Camera; Jonathan Silk, Communications Director; Joe Chapot, Live Chat Moderator; Dan Barnard, Facilities Manager; Amy Kelly, Flowers; Linda Messner, Head Usher; Ralph Fenn, Les James, Tom Brookshire, Zoom Coffee Hour

"The Loving and the Letting Go"

Sunday, May 8, 10:50 am, Worship Service Livestream

What it means to parent a 17-year-old is what it means to parent at any age, just more obviously so. The piece about how love is always about letting go and trusting the universe. And all the other hard -- annoyingly wise but hard -- lessons we learn in journeys of love.

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

"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

"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

“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

"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

"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

"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

"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

"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

"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

"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

"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

"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

"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

"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

"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

"'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

"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

"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

“The Hanging of the Greens: An Intergenerational Service” Sunday, December 19, 10:50 am, Worship Service

Nearing the shortest day of the year, we will make and bring in greens in an intergenerational service with participatory music led by percussionist Allen Biggs and Reiko Oda Lane (and the Bell Choir). Come and be prepared to be part of the revelry.

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

Eric Shackelford, Camera; Donald Shearer, Camera; Jonathan Silk, Communications Director; Joe Chapot, Live Chat Moderator; Thomas Brown & Kelvin Jones, Sexton; Judy Payne, Flowers; Alex Darr, Les James, Tom Brookshire, Zoom Coffee Hour

"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

"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

"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

“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

“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

"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

“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

“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

"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

"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

"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

"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

"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

"New Eyes and Not Afraid" (September 12, 2021) Worship Service

This Sunday is this confluence of holidays and holidays and anniversaries raising the question not just of how we begin in the midst of ongoing challenges, but how people have always done so; even we ourselves did 20 years ago. We frame that exploration with music, special music, for the occasion. Come join us.

Rev. Vanessa Rush Southern, Senior Minister; Rev. Alyson Jacks, Associate Minister; Richard Davis-Lowell, Worship Associate; Reiko Oda Lane, organist; Sarah Brindell, Guest soloist/songwriter; Bill Klingelhoffer, shofar; UUSF Church Choir, conducted by Mark Sumner

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

"In Our Hands Is Placed a Power" (September 5, 2021) Worship Service

Welcome to our annual Labor Day service, where we celebrate the contributions to social justice by the labor movement both currently and historically. As has been true for several years now, we will be joined by members of San Francisco's labor union choir Rockin' Solidarity. Hard times have always been here for the vast majority of the world's population, but now all of us are at critical crossroads, and which roads we take over the next decade or two may determine the very survival of humanity. As we make these life-or-death choices, what can we learn from both the victories and defeats of organized labor?

Rev. Millie Phillips, Guest Minister; Wonder Dave, Worship Associate; The Rockin’ Solidarity Labor Chorus, Pat Wynne, Director; Mark Sumner, songleader; Bill Ganz, pianist

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

"The Power of Focus" (August 29, 2021) Worship Service

Steve Jobs is famous for his message on focus, the power of focus. In a different way, the same message has power for our spiritual and moral lives. After all, have you noticed how what we look for in the world in part determines what we find? Or how consciously deciding what we want to make happen also requires us to surrender to not making other things happen if we are to have any chance at meeting our goal? Or how choosing the qualities we put forward in the world also necessitates spiritual practices and focused time for reflection to be able to cultivate those qualities in our character and habits of the heart. As we begin to step into a new year of school, of work after summer, of church and community life, this Sunday is one chance to reflect on where each of us might choose to focus our energies.

Rev. Vanessa Rush Southern, Senior Minister; Dennis Adams, Worship Associate; Reiko Oda Lane, organist; Brielle Marina Nielson, mezzo soprano; Mark Sumner, pianist; Jon Silk, drummer; Asher Davison, song leader & clarinetist

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

"I Know Nothing" (August 22, 2021) Worship Service

In the millions of acres of trees, in the dark and light, the shadows, the dappled light along canyon walls and rivers, there is real knowing. What is it, to surrender, to let go of having to know, to do, and to let it be enough that the elements sing?

Rev. J.D. Benson, Guest Minister; Mari Magaloni Ramos, Worship Associate; Asher Davison, bass-baritone; Wm. Garcia Ganz, accompanist; Nancy Cooke Munn, songleader; Mark Sumner, pianist

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

Order of Service:

https://bit.ly/20210822OSWeb2

LIVESTREAM:

https://youtu.be/dl5AOdg58-g

"Deep Time: Stories We Tell the Children, and the Work of Repair" (August 15, 2021) Worship Service

A personal story about the journey to be a good ancestor.

Rev. Mary McKinnon Ganz, Guest Minister; Carmen Barsody, Worship Associate; Alex Taite, tenor; My-Hoa Steger, accompanist; Brielle Marina Nielson, songleader

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

Order of Service:

https://bit.ly/20210815OS1

LIVESTREAM:

https://youtu.be/Gr_uecb1Kqw

"Sinking In To Ordinary Time" (August 8, 2021) Worship Service

In both the Christian and Jewish traditions, there is the idea of “ordinary time” - the time between holy days - an extended period of time that invites contemplation, a chance to sink in to the deeper rhythms that surround us like the flow of a river or the turning of the tides. Living in ordinary time means sinking in and slowing down. This is how we save ourselves and hopefully save our planet.

Rev. Alyson Jacks, Associate Minister; Richard Davis-Lowell, Worship Associate; Reiko Oda Lane, organist; Grandview Driveby Aloha Band: Bill Klingelhoffer, Horns; Ka’ala Carmack, singer, ukulele, piano; Rosalie Alfonso, drum; Asher Davison, songleader

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

Order of Service:

https://bit.ly/20210808OSWeb1

LIVESTREAM:

https://youtu.be/wnfvbLJ9Cng

"Dare to Love Again" (August 1, 2021) Worship Service

Do I dare to love again? Many of us have asked that question at one time or another. I know I have. Whether after death, disappointment or betrayal, life is always asking us to give love another chance. But do we dare? And how?

Rev. Dr. Robert M. Hardies, Guest Minister; Rev. Vanessa Rush Southern, Senior Minister; Sam King, Worship Associate; Reiko Oda Lane, organist; Leandra Ramm, alto; Richard Fey, tenor; Bill Ganz, pianist

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

Order of Service:

https://drive.google.com/file/d/1k0CZ4hhx5PZDW-tsijtfaq_-WZFAWKMB/view?usp=sharing

LIVESTREAM:

https://youtu.be/wnfvbLJ9Cng

"Summer Musings" (July 25, 2021) Worship Service

If we are lucky summer affords us some of the spaciousness it did as children. Time to wander in body and spirit and let things bubble up, fall away, clarify. Let's make space for such musing this Sunday.

Rev. Vanessa Rush Southern, Senior Minister; Daniel Jackoway, Worship Associate; The Harmony People: Anjalisa Aitken, Gary Garrett; Asher Davison, song leader; Bill Ganz, pianist

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

Order of Service:

https://drive.google.com/file/d/1x5Qg48-bVgg5SEt9K0FgHiC46pSz3FV2/view?usp=sharing

LIVESTREAM:

https://youtu.be/hDUscggUaaU

Sunday, July 18, 10:50 AM, Worship Service Livestream

"Crisscrossing Humanity"

Meg McGuire and Carmen Barsody, preaching

From Cathedral Hill to the Tenderloin, from one side of the city to the other, the many moments where our paths cross are invitations to discover and re-discover our common humanity. Bringing in lessons from the vision and work of the Faithful Fools Meg McGuire and Carmen Barsody reflect on the practice of encountering one another, and the healing, celebration and community that comes from it.

Meg McGuire, Ministerial Intern; Carmen Barsody, Worship Associate; Reiko Oda Lane, organist & handbell choir director; Rita Fabrizio, flute; John Thomas, tubaist; Asher Davison, song leader

Eric Shackelford, camera; Steven Kroeger, sound; Carrie Steere-Salazar, flowers; Alex Darr, Les James, Tom Brookshire, Zoom Coffee Hour

"Relinquishment" (July 11, 2021) Worship Service

As many of you know, John was Senior Minister at UUSF from 2014 until his retirement in 2017. He had earlier been President of the Unitarian Universalist Association of Congregations, 1993-2001, among other posts in religious leadership. He first began pondering relinquishment as he gave up thousands of books before moving the West Coast. He was helped by his witty wife Gwen observing, “I’ve never yet seen a hearse pulling a U-Haul!” Yet some of our most difficult relinquishments are not about things – but about less material attachments. This continues to the very end. Still, we are spiritually wiser if we start the practice earlier.

Rev. John Buehrens, Guest Minister

Dennis Adams, Worship Associate

Reiko Oda Lane, organist

Giacomo Fiore, guitarist

Maria Roodnitsky, alto

Ben Rudiak-Gould, tenor

Shulee Ong, camera

Jonathan Silk, audio, oos design

Stephen Kroeger, sound

Joe Chapot, social media chat

Thomas Brown, Sexton

Judy Payne, flowers

Alex Darr, Les James, Tom Brookshire, Zoom Coffee Hour

Order of Service:

https://bit.ly/20210711OS

"Time to Slow Down" (July 4, 2021) Worship Service

These are urgent times. They long have been. And yet, there are powerful voices, many at the center of justice work, urging us to slow down. We’ll engage this paradox and the spiritual and practical lessons it might offer to us.

Meg McGuire, Ministerial Intern

Daniel Jackoway, Worship Associate

Larry Chinn, jazz piano

Ben Rudiak-Gould, tenor

Mark Sumner, bass

Eric Shackelford, camera

Shulee Ong, camera

Jonathan Silk, audio, oos design, drums

Joe Chapot, social media chat

Thomas Brown, Sexton

Judy Payne, flowers

Alex Darr, Les James, Tom Brookshire, Zoom Coffee Hour

"Raising Hope" (June 20, 2021) Worship Service

For Father’s Day, we’ll take a deeper dive into what it means to be hopeful. Tom Wyman, author of Infinitely Full of Hope: Fatherhood and the Future in an Age of Crisis and Disaster, and soon to be a first time father, believes that – despite the despair – now is not the time to give up on hope. Rather, we need to cultivate it and keep it alive.

Rev. Alyson Jacks, Associate Minister

Mari Magaloni Ramos, Worship Associate

Gregg Biggs, Small Group Ministry

Bobbi Kovac, Small Group Ministry

Rev. Millie Phillips, Small Group Ministry

Andrés Vera, double bass

My-Hoa Steger, pianist

Brielle Marina Nielson, mezzo soprano

Jon Silk, drummer

Mark Sumner, pianist

Ben Rudiak-Gould, lead

Eric Shackelford, camera

Shulee Ong, camera

Lyle Barrere, sound

Jonathan Silk, audio, oos design, drums

Joe Chapot, social media chat

Thomas Brown, Sexton

Athena Papadakos, flowers

Alex Darr, Les James, Tom Brookshire, Zoom Coffee Hour

"Saying Yes" (June 13, 2021) Worship Service

“Teach us all you can by saying yes,” Nancy Shaffer writes in a poem titled “Calling.” Rather than coming from some booming voice on high, the sort of calling that Shaffer describes is marked by the subtle work of learning to listen- and being willing to respond. Preaching for the last time as our ministerial intern (but not her last time in our pulpit) Meg McGuire reframes this notion of calling and reflects on what it might look like for this community going forward.

Meg McGuire, Ministerial Intern

Rev. Vanessa Rush Southern, Senior Minister

Rev. Alyson Jacks, Associate Minister

Richard Davis, Worship Associate

Richard Davis-Lowell, Worship Associate

Cal Ball, chalice lighter

Luanne Schulte, Internship Committee

Reiko Oda Lane, organist

Dr. Mark Sumner, choir director

UUSF Choir

Bill Ganz, pianist

Sarah Rose Cohen, lead

Bill Klinglehoffer, lead

Asher Davison, lead

Ben Rudiak-Gould, lead

Eric Shackelford, camera

Shulee Ong, camera

Jonathan Silk, audio, oos design, drums

Joe Chapot, social media chat

Thomas Brown, Sexton

Amy Kelly, flowers

Alex Darr, Les James, Tom Brookshire, Zoom Coffee Hour

"Dismantling Perfectionism: Bring it on!" (June 6, 2021) Worship Service

There is a whole set of things that Tema Okun argues are part of White Supremacy Culture in her classic article, "White Supremacy Culture". One of them is perfectionism. Ever since I read that article I've thought most of where and how perfectionism shows up. It was one of the ones that didn't make obvious and immediate sense. And it is the one I am more and more excited to dismantle, take apart, keep some bits of and toss the rest. In our lives of spirit and connection, love and liberated life, I think it is the one that will leverage the most transformation!

This Sunday we'll formally welcome new members with a special New Member Recognition Ceremony. And there will be a special video presentation of this year's Rheiner Award. The Rheiner Award was established by the UUSF Board of Trustees in 1989 to recognize and celebrate a member of this Society for social justice activism and community service.

RHEINER

https://youtu.be/IsgNW7zkTPA

Rev. Vanessa Rush Southern, Senior Minister

Rev. Alyson Jacks, Associate Minister

Meg McGuire, Ministerial Intern

Carrie Steere-Salazar, Board Moderator

Sarah Ellerman, membership

Reiko Oda Lane, organist

UUSF Choir

Mark Sumner, choir director

Maria Roodnitsky, soprano

Brielle Marina Neilson, alto

Ben Rudiak-Gould, tenor

Gilead Wurman, baritone

Asher Davison, bass

Eric Shackelford, camera

Shulee Ong, camera

Jonathan Silk, audio, oos design, drums

Joe Chapot, social media chat

Thomas Brown, Sexton

Amy Kelly, flowers

Alex Darr, Les James, Tom Brookshire, Zoom Coffee Hour

"We Shall Not Sleep, Though Poppies Grow" (May 30, 2021) Worship Service

From an 1865 gathering at the Charleston race track through two World Wars to modern day, collectively remembering our dead remains an important ritual for the living. On the 50th national observance of Memorial Day, what have we learned about communal grief in times of war and peace?

Rev. Mr. Barb Greve, Guest Minister

Meg McGuire, Ministerial Intern

Sam King, Worship Associate

Eric Hamilton, guitarist

Maria Roodnitsky, song leader

Ben Rudiak-Gould, song leader

My-Hoa Steger, pianist

Eric Shackelford, camera

Shulee Ong, camera

Jonathan Silk, audio, oos design

Joe Chapot, social media chat

Thomas Brown, Sexton

Amy Kelly, flowers

Alex Darr, Les James, Tom Brookshire, Zoom Coffee Hour

"Marge and Barb Have Class" (May 23, 2021) Worship Service

The title of the sermon is a set of words my cousin and I saw spray painted on the side of a falling down old shed on a country road one day in Upstate New York. A good place to leap into a conversation on our obsession, perhaps, with the whole wild notion of "class".

Rev. Vanessa Rush Southern, Senior Minister

Rev. Alyson Jacks, Associate Minister

Linda Enger, 8th Principle Testimony

Reiko Oda Lane, organist

Brielle Marina Neilson, alto

Ben Rudiak-Gould, tenor

Asher Davison, bass

Wm. García Ganz, pianist

Eric Shackelford, camera

Shulee Ong, camera

Jonathan Silk, audio, oos design, drums

Joe Chapot, social media chat

Thomas Brown, Sexton

Amy Kelly, flowers

Alex Darr, Les James, Tom Brookshire, Zoom Coffee Hour

"Holding Ourselves Accountable: The 8th Principle and the Future of Our Faith" (May 16, 2021) Worship Service

Paula Cole Jones, a Lay Leader who has been a member of All Souls Unitarian Church in Washington, D.C. for decades, was also one of the two authors of the 8th Principle and leaders of the effort to broaden and deepen when we fundamentally hold ourselves accountable for in our Principles. She and Vanessa "met" over Zoom to discuss and debate some aspects of what the 8th Principle and the work it calls us to as UU's might mean, where we imagine it might take us. And so we continue our reflection as we prepare as a community to vote on this Principle on June 6th at our Annual Meeting.

Rev. Vanessa Rush Southern, Senior Minister

Paula Cole Jones, Guest Speaker

Mari Magaloni Ramos, Worship Associate

Reiko Oda Lane, organist

Maria Roodnitsky, soprano

Brielle Marina Neilson, alto

Ben Rudiak-Gould, tenor

Asher Davison, bass

Mark Sumner, director/pianist

Jen Hayman, Spirit of life song leader

Amelia Peele, Spirit of life song leader

Rochelle Rice, Spirit of life song leader

Gordon Kent, Spirit of life pianist

Gary Penn, Spirit of life video production

Stephen Benson, Spirit of life video production

Alex Darr, Les James, Tom Brookshire, Zoom Coffee Hour

Leeland Jones, Sexton

Athena Papadakos, flowers

Chris Curry, cover image

Jonathan Silk, AV, OOS Design

Order of Service:

https://content.uusf.org/Order_Of_Service/2021/20210516OSWeb.pdf

"Arms Wide Open: Parenting as a Spiritual Path" (May 9, 2021) Worship Service

I am a year and a few months from an empty nest, and halfway into a process of pulling together an anthology of writings on the place of children in our wisdom-making living. The book is a project that started as an excuse to go looking for all the gorgeous stories we don't think to tell in the midst of the work and the chores. I want us to hold up some of them together to reflect on our relationship with children as a part of our spiritual paths.

Rev. Vanessa Rush Southern, Senior Minister

Meg McGuire, Ministerial Intern

Dennis Adams, Worship Associate

Lori Lai, 8th principle testimonial

Reiko Oda Lane, organist

Kate Offer, soprano

Brielle Marina Neilson, alto

Ben Rudiak-Gould, tenor

Asher Davison, bass

Mark Sumner, director/pianist

Alex Darr, Les James, Tom Brookshire, Zoom Coffee Hour

Eric Shackelford, camera

Shulee Ong, camera

Dan Barnard, Facilities Manager

Athena Papadakos, flowers

Marek Piwnicki, cover image

Jonathan Silk, AV, OOS

Order of Service:

https://content.uusf.org/Order_Of_Service/2021/20210509OSWeb.pdf

Watch:

https://youtu.be/kIo5IuiSFGs

"Religious Imagination: What it Means to be a Teaching Congregation" (May 2, 2021) Worship Service

This Sunday marks the final class for our Sunday School program. Our classes have been virtual – like our worship services – for the whole year. We will take time to celebrate our achievements and honor our Lead Teachers. It’s also a good time to reflect upon the importance of religious education and spiritual growth for the entire congregation. We’ve certainly learned a lot this last year! Rev. Jacks will be joined by Ministerial Intern Meg McGuire sharing reflections on the role of a teaching congregation in shaping beloved community.

Rev. Alyson Jacks, Associate Minister

Meg McGuire, Ministerial Intern

Sam Hamner, 8th Principle Testimonial

Reiko Oda Lane, organist

Maria Roodnitsky, soprano

Brielle Marina Neilson, alto

Ben Rudiak-Gould, tenor

Asher Davison, bass

Mark Sumner, director/pianist

Alex Darr, Les James, Tom Brookshire, Zoom Coffee Hour

Eric Shackelford, camera

Leeland Jones, Sexton

Athena Papadakos, flowers

Jacek Dylag, cover image

Jonathan Silk, AV, OOS, drums

Order of Service:

https://content.uusf.org/Order_Of_Service/2021/20210502OSWeb.pdf

Music:

https://content.uusf.org/Sound/20210502Music.mp3

Watch

https://youtu.be/u-PKPJLTfFk

"Close Enough for Awe: An Earth Day Sermon" (April 25, 2021) Worship Service

It's spring, it's Earth Day. It's a time when it is easy to fall in love with the world. So, let's do that. With a lover's eyes, let's see what beauty, what amazement is right in front of us. And tumble into its spell. And for good reason.

Rev. Vanessa Rush Southern, Senior Minister

Sam King, Worship Associate

Allen Biggs, Marimba

Tommy Kesecker, vibraphone

Brielle Marina Neilson, song leader

Mark Sumner, pianist

Eric Shackelford, camera

Jonah Berquist, Social Media Chat Support

Alex Darr, Les James, Tom Brookshire, Zoom Coffee Hour

Dan Barnard, Facilities Manager

Judy Payne, flowers

Navi Photography, cover image

Pete Wong, cover image

Daniel Olah, cover image

Jonathan Silk, AV, OOS Design

Order of Service:

https://content.uusf.org/Order_Of_Service/2021/20210425OSWeb.pdf

Music:

https://content.uusf.org/Sound/20210425Music.mp3

"Becoming Together" (April 18, 2021) Worship Service

Becoming ourselves is a lifelong process. And this practice of continual growth, of waking up to who we are, is one that cannot be done alone. Join Ministerial Intern Meg McGuire, Young Adult Coordinator Joe Chapot, members of the UU Theologies for Young Adults class, and friends, for a service exploring how we grow into ourselves, and how we grow together.

Meg McGuire, Ministerial Intern

Joe Chapot, Young Adult Coordinator

Vanessa Vanderlaan, Worship Associate

Alfie Jang, Worship Associate

Aitana Sierra-Valdes, Worship Associate

Sara Fread, Worship Associate

Audrey McDougal, 8th Principle Testimonial

Reiko Oda Lane, organist

Mark Sumner, conductor/pianist

Maddy Gerlach, soprano

Jaime Docherty, guitar and vocals

Asher Davison, song leader

Eric Shackelford, camera

Jonah Berquist, Social Media Chat Support

Alex Darr, Les James, Tom Brookshire, Zoom Coffee Hour

Dan Barnard, Facilities Manager

Amy Kelly, flowers

Aitana Sierra-Valdes, cover image

Jonathan Silk, AV, drums, OOS Design

"Living Purposefooly" (April 11, 2021) Worship Service

Drawing the Fool in the Tarot cards represents new beginnings. We step out into the world with faith in the future, though we don’t know what to expect. The journey requires improvisation and trust, and a willingness to be shaped along the way. It is an invitation to walk purposefooly toward an as-yet unknown destination, also known as coddiwompling.

Carmen Barsody, Faithful Fools

Alex Darr, Faithful Fools

Silena Layne, Faithful Fools

Reiko Oda Lane, organist

Brielle Marina Nielson, alto

Ben Rudiak Gould, tenor

Asher Davison, bass

Mark Sumner conductor/pianist

Ben Rudiak-Gould, song leader

Eric Shackelford, camera

Shulee Ong, camera

Joe Chapot, Social Media Chat Support, OOS

Alex Darr, Les James, Tom Brookshire, Zoom Coffee Hour

Lee Jones, Sexton

Amy Kelly, flowers

Alicia Lee Farnsworth, cover image

Jonathan Silk, Sound, video edits, drums

"Easter Sunday: Hope is a......." (April 4, 2021) Worship Service

Easter, of course, is about resurrection -- life from places of loss, hope from despair, second chances for the makers of even the gravest of mistakes. And it is about Hope. Hope as a four-letter word, textured, gritty, gorgeous and feather-light. Time to unpack hope.

Rev. Vanessa Rush Southern, Senior Minister

Meg McGuire, Ministerial Intern

Reiko Oda Lane, organist

Tom Dambly, trumpet

Michele Kennedy, soprano

Brielle Marina Nielson, alto

Ben Rudiak Gould, tenor

Asher Davison, bass

Mark Sumner conductor/pianist

Ben Rudiak-Gould, song leader

Eric Shackelford, camera

Shulee Ong, camera

Joe Chapot, Social Media Chat Support

Alex Darr, Coffee Hour Zoom

Lee and Robert, Sexton

Amy Kelly and , flowers

Zdenek Machácek, cover image

Jonathan Silk, OOS, Sound, video edits

"The First Steps" (March 28, 2021) Worship Service

Both Passover and Palm Sunday coincide this week. Different and also with one thread that pulls through them both, about the power of the monumental first steps. And the human drive for commitment and consistency on which so much good (and evil) often rests.

Rev. Vanessa Rush Southern, Senior Minister

Meg McGuire, Ministerial Intern

Richard Davis-Lowell, Worship Associate

Gayle Reynolds and Keith Hollon, Annual Operating Fund Drive

Andrés Vera, cellist

My-Hoa Steger, accompanist

Wm. García Ganz, pianist

Ben Rudiak-Gould, song leader

Eric Shackelford, camera

Joe Chapot, Social Media Chat Support

Alex Darr, Coffee Hour Zoom

Thomas Brown, Sexton

Carrie Steere-Salazar, flowers

Casey Horner, cover image (https://unsplash.com/@mischievous_penguins)

Jonathan Silk, OOS, Sound, video edits

Order of Service:

https://content.uusf.org/Order_Of_Service/2021/20210328OSWeb.pdf

Music:

https://content.uusf.org/Sound/20210328Music.mp3

Reflection:

https://content.uusf.org/Sound/Reflections/20210328RDLReflection.mp3

"Sabbath Redux" (March 21, 2021) Worship Service

One of the first sermons I preached here at UUSF was a sermon on the ancient idea of Sabbath. I think, strangely, it is time to preach it again as work and life merge even more than before and we need a way to reground and refresh spirit and body.

Rev. Vanessa Rush Southern, Senior Minister

Don Wiepert, Worship Associate

Dolores Perez Heilbron and David Heilbron, Annual Operating Fund Campaign

Reiko Oda Lane, organist

Leandra Ramm, soprano

Brielle Marina Neilson, alto

Ben Rudiak-Gould, tenor

Asher Davison, bass and conductor

Wm. García Ganz, accompanist

Eric Shackelford, camera

Joe Chapot, Social Media Chat Support

Alex Darr, Coffee Hour Zoom

Thomas Brown, Sexton

Carrie Steere-Salazar, flowers

Jonathan Silk, OOS, Sound, video edits

Order of Service:

https://content.uusf.org/Order_Of_Service/2021/20210321OSWeb.pdf

Music:

https://content.uusf.org/Sound/20210321Music.mp3

Reflection:

https://content.uusf.org/Sound/Reflections/20210321DDReflection.mp3

"Giving it Up for Lent" (March 14, 2021) Worship Service

I am not one for giving up chocolate or ice cream. Those kinds of punishing practices never work for me -- I once "gave up soda" for a week and drank more soda in that week than the previous month. But there are some things I'd like to give up. How about you?

Rev. Vanessa Rush Southern, Senior Minister

Sam King, Worship Associate

Wonder Dave, Annual Operating Fund Campaign

Reiko Oda Lane, organist

Mark Sumner, conductor/pianist

Brielle Marina Neilson, soprano

Leandra Ramm, alto

Ben Rudiak-Gould, tenor

Asher Davison, bass

Eric Shackelford, camera

Joe Chapot, Social Media Chat Support

Alex Darr, Coffee Hour Zoom

Thomas Brown, Sexton

Carrie Steere-Salazar, flowers

Joseph Gonzalez, cover image

https://unsplash.com/@miracletwentyone

Jonathan Silk, OOS, Sound, video edits

Order of Service:

https://content.uusf.org/Order_Of_Service/2021/20210314OSWeb.pdf

Music:

https://content.uusf.org/Sound/20210314Music.mp3

Reflection:

https://content.uusf.org/Sound/Reflections/20210314WDReflection.mp3

"Times Like These" (March 7, 2021) Worship Service

To stand in important moments, in the midst of historic chapters is to do our part. And to wonder about all those historic chapters, and generous, courageous shoulders that came before ours.

Meg McGuire, Ministerial Intern

Gayle Reynolds & Keith Hollon, Annual Operating Fund Drive

Reiko Oda Lane, organist

Mark Sumner, conductor/pianist

Michele Kennedy, soprano

Leandra Ramm, alto

Ben Rudiak-Gould, tenor

Asher Davison, bass

Eric Shackelford, camera

Shulee Ong, camera

Joe Chapot, Social Media Chat Support

Les James, Coffee Hour Zoom

Thomas Brown, Sexton

Judy Payne, flowers

Jonathan Silk, OOS, Sound, video edits

Order of Service:

https://content.uusf.org/Order_Of_Service/2021/20210307OSWeb.pdf

Music:

https://content.uusf.org/Sound/20210307Music.mp3

"Love and Accountability" (February 28, 2021) Worship Service

Accountability can sound unpleasant, even scary, but what if it didn’t have to be? Disability justice educator and writer Mia Mingus offers a dream of what accountability can be- one that might support us in living into our work as a congregation.

Meg McGuire, Ministerial Intern

Carmen Barsody, Worship Associate

Daniel Jackoway, Worship Associate

Mari Magaloni, 8th Principle Task Force

Liz Strand, 8th Principle Task Force

Mark Sumner, song leader/pianist

Eric Hamilton, guitarist

Brielle Marina Neilson, song leader

Jon Silk, drums

Eric Shackelford, camera

Shulee Ong, camera

Joe Chapot, Social Media Chat Support

Les James, Coffee Hour Zoom

Thomas Brown, Sexton

Judy Payne, flowers

Alex Perez, cover image, https://unsplash.com/@a2eorigins

Jonathan Silk, OOS, Sound, video edits

Order of Service:

https://content.uusf.org/Order_Of_Service/2021/20210228OSWeb.pdf

Music:

https://content.uusf.org/Sound/20210228Music.mp3

Reflection:

https://content.uusf.org/Sound/Reflections/20210228DJReflection.mp3

"Being Ready" (February 21, 2021) Worship Service

This month the Minister's Book Club is reading John Lewis's Memoir (written with Michael D'Orso) "Walking with the Wind" and it has me thinking about the idea of being ready.

Rev. Vanessa Rush Southern, Senior Minister

Meg McGuire, Ministerial Intern

Richard Davis-Lowell, Worship Associate

Reiko Oda Lane, organist

Mark Sumner, conductor

Leandra Ramm, soprano

Brielle Marina Neilson, alto

Ben Rudiak-Gould, tenor

Asher Davison, bass

Eric Shackelford, camera

Shulee Ong, camera

Joe Chapot, Social Media Chat Support

Les James, Coffee Hour Zoom

Thomas Brown, Sexton

Amy Kelly, flowers

Waranont (Joe), cover image, https://unsplash.com/@tricell1991

Jonathan Silk, OOS, Sound, video edits

Order of Service:

https://content.uusf.org/Order_Of_Service/2021/20210221OSWeb.pdf

Music:

https://content.uusf.org/Sound/202102021Music.mp3

Reflection:

https://content.uusf.org/Sound/Reflections/20210221RDLReflection.mp3

"Lessons of Love" (February 14, 2021) Worship Service

Years ago I read an article in some low-brow magazine in which a woman was reflecting on what she had taken away from all the past relationships that were long gone. Broken hearts (or breaking hearts) was only part of the story. Learning French, because she fell in love with a Frenchman, was one. There was a laundry list of how love had changed her from the superficial to the enduring. Lessons in Love.

Rev. Vanessa Rush Southern, Senior Minister

Don Wiepert, Worship Associate

Reiko Oda Lane, organist

Leandra Ramm, soprano

Brielle Marina Neilson, alto

Ben Rudiak-Gould, tenor

Asher Davison, bass

Mark Sumner, pianist

Eric Shackelford, camera

Shulee Ong, camera

Joe Chapot, Social Media Chat Support

Les James, Coffee Hour Zoom

Thomas Brown, Sexton

Amy Kelly, flowers

engin akyurt,cover https://unsplash.com/@enginakyurt

Jude Beck cover https://unsplash.com/@judebeck

Jonathan Silk, OOS, Sound

Order of Service:

https://content.uusf.org/Order_Of_Service/2021/20210214OSWeb.pdf

Music:

https://content.uusf.org/Sound/202102014Music.mp3

Reflection:

https://content.uusf.org/Sound/Reflections/20210214DWReflection.mp3

"The Year of the Ox" (February 7, 2021) Worship Service

Lunar New Year, begins next week Friday, February 12th. Although I am not in a family that has celebrated Lunar New Year, many in our community do which is such a gift. Especially this year, this Year of the Ox. Reading about this figure -- hardworking, reliable, honest and loyal -- am I the only one who finds herself thirsting for a world and a Year re-animated by the virtues of the Ox? Let's celebrate that!

Rev. Vanessa Rush Southern, Senior Minister

Dennis Adams, Worship Associate

Lori Lai, Worship Associate

Reiko Oda Lane, organist

Leandra Ramm, soprano

Brielle Marina Neilson, alto

Ben Rudiak-Gould, tenor

Asher Davison, bass

My-Hoa Steger, pianist

Mark Sumner, conductor

Eric Shackelford, camera

Shulee Ong, camera

Joe Chapot, Social Media Chat Support

Alex Darr, Coffee Hour Zoom

Thomas Brown, Sexton

Carrie Steere-Salazar, flowers

Macau Photo Agency, oos photo - https://unsplash.com/@macauphotoagency

Jonathan Silk, OOS, Sound, drums, Video Edits

Order of Service:

https://content.uusf.org/Order_Of_Service/2021/20210207OSWeb.pdf

Music:

https://content.uusf.org/Sound/20210207Music.mp3

Reflection:

https://content.uusf.org/Sound/Reflections/20210207LLReflection.mp3

"The Wonder of Being Alive" (January 31, 2021) Worship Service

Being alive is more than just existing, more than not being dead. Adjectives abound when we talk about being alive. We can be animated. Lively. Alert. Awake. Being alive, to me, is about being in relationship. For some of us, we feel most alive when we are with other people. Others find their aliveness in nature. Many find it in art, particularly the making of art. As we begin the slow return to spring, let’s spend some time imagining what it means to be alive in this world.

Rev. Alyson Jacks, Associate Minister

Sam King, Worship Associate

Larry Chinn, pianist

Asher Davison, song leader

Mark Sumner, accompanist

Eric Shackelford, camera

Shulee Ong, camera

Joe Chapot, Social Media Chat Support

Alex Darr, Coffee Hour Zoom

Thomas Brown, Sexton

Carrie Steere-Salazar, flowers

Em bé khóc nhè, cover image

Jonathan Silk, OOS, Sound, Video Edits

Order of Service:

https://content.uusf.org/Order_Of_Service/2021/20210131OSWeb.pdf

Music:

https://content.uusf.org/Sound/20210131Music.mp3

Reflection:

https://content.uusf.org/Sound/Reflections/20210131SKReflection.mp3

"The Nature of Religious Experience and the Power of Knowing" (January 24, 2021) Worship Service

William James in his classic text, "The Varieties of Religious Experience" outlines the qualities common to so-called religious experiences. One of them is knowing. It may be the hardest for UU's to reckon with and it may be the quality that we most need to get in touch with now in our life as a nation.

Rev. Vanessa Rush Southern, Senior Minister

Meg McGuire, Ministerial Intern

Richard Davis-Lowell, Worship Associate

Reiko Oda Lane, organist

My-Hoa Stegger, pianist & soprano

Leandra Ramm, soprano

Brielle Marina Neilson, alto

Ben Rudiak-Gould, tenor

Asher Davison, bass

Mark Sumner, conductor/pianist

Members of the UC Men’s and Women’s Chorales, Berkeley,

Morgan Nilsen, clarinet

Jim Rebhan, accordion

Eric Shackelford, camera

Shulee Ong, camera

Joe Chapot, Social Media Chat Support

Alex Darr, Coffee Hour Zoom

Thomas Brown, Sexton

Judy Payne, flowers

Jonathan Silk, OOS, Sound, Video Edits

Order of Service:

https://content.uusf.org/Order_Of_Service/2021/20210124OSWeb.pdf

Music:

https://content.uusf.org/Sound/20210124Music.mp3

Reflection:

https://content.uusf.org/Sound/Reflections/20210124RDLReflection.mp3

Saying "I'm Sorry" (January 17, 2021) Worship Service

What is a "good apology" one with grace and authenticity of the kind that makes it land and gives it the power, or just potential power, to heal. It's always relevant, and more so perhaps today to have this skill at hand.

Rev. Vanessa Rush Southern, Senior Minister

Meg McGuire, Ministerial Intern

Dennis Adams, Worship Associate

Reiko Oda Lane, organist

Eric Shackelford, soloist

Leandra Ramm, soprano

Brielle Marina Neilson, alto

Ben Rudiak-Gould, tenor

Asher Davison, bass

Mark Sumner, conductor/pianist

Eric Shackelford, camera

Shulee Ong, camera

Joe Chapot, Social Media Chat Support

Alex Darr, Coffee Hour Zoom

Thomas Brown, Sexton

Judy Payne, flowers

Jonathan Silk, OOS, Sound, Video Edits

Order of Service:

https://content.uusf.org/Order_Of_Service/2021/20210117OSWeb.pdf

Music:

https://content.uusf.org/Sound/20210117Music.mp3

Reflection:

https://content.uusf.org/Sound/Reflections/20210117DAReflection.mp3

“Homosexuality and the Bible" (January 10, 2021) Worship Service

So much harm has been done in the name of religion and for many of us, in our lifetimes, that means messages about what it means to be LGBTQ and Christianity, grounded, we are told, in the Bible. Hmmm. I invite us to dig a little deeper to know the truth and understand our liberation from the lies, and maybe take some time for some healing too.

Rev. Vanessa Rush Southern, Senior Minister

Carmen Barsody, Worship Associate

Reiko Oda Lane, organist

Christine Tulis, harpist

Asher Davison, song leader

Eric Shackelford, camera

Shulee Ong, camera

Joe Chapot, Social Media Chat Support

Alex Darr, Coffee Hour Zoom

Thomas Brown, Sexton

Amy Kelly, flowers

Jonathan Silk, OOS, Sound, Video

Order of Service:

https://content.uusf.org/Order_Of_Service/2021/20210110OSWeb.pdf

Music:

https://content.uusf.org/Sound/20210110Music.mp3

Reflection:

https://content.uusf.org/Sound/Reflections/20210110CBReflection.mp3

“Whole Enough" (January 3, 2021) Worship Service

It’s a new year. How does this season of intentions and fresh starts shape how we see ourselves- and one another? And how might we want it to?

Meg McGuire, Ministerial Intern

Rev. Vanessa Rush Southern, Senior Minister

Michael Bossier, TWZ Player

Lori Lai, TWZ Player

Meg McGuire, TWZ Player

Don Shearer, TWZ Player

Leslie Trook, TWZ Player

The Harmony People: Anjalisa and Gary Garrett

Reiko Oda Lane, organist

Mark Sumner, conductor

Leandra Ramm, soprano

Brielle Marina Neilson, alto

Ben Rudiak-Gould, tenor

Asher Davison, bass

Jon Silk, drums

My-Hoa Steger, pianist

Eric Shackelford, camera

Shulee Ong, camera

Joe Chapot, Social Media Chat Support

Alex Darr, Coffee Hour Zoom

Thomas Brown, Sexton

Amy Kelly, flowers

Jonathan Silk, OOS, Sound, Video

Order of Service:

https://content.uusf.org/Order_Of_Service/2021/20210103OSWeb.pdf

All Music:

https://content.uusf.org/Sound/20210103Music.mp3

“Let the End be the Beginning: A Meditative Service for the New Year" (December 27, 2020) Worship Service

This service will be a time structured for meditative reflection on the year past and the year to come. Be prepared to sit with your own thoughts, take notes. It's a time to take stock, stand like Janus, the ancient god of transitions, a face pointed in each of two directions, forward and backward, before stepping into the new year.

Rev. Vanessa Rush Southern, Senior Minister

Sam King, Worship Associate

Radim Zenkl, multi-instrumentalist

Reiko Oda Lane, organist

Mark Sumner, director

Leandra Ramm, soprano

Brielle Marina Neilson, alto

Ben Rudiak-Gould, tenor

Asher Davison, bass

Eric Shackelford, camera

Shulee Ong, camera

Joe Chapot, Social Media Chat Support

Alex Darr, Coffee Hour Zoom

Thomas Brown, Sexton

Jonathan Silk, OOS, Sound, Video

Order of Service:

https://content.uusf.org/Order_Of_Service/2020/20201227OSWeb.pdf

“Christmas Eve Service" (December 24, 2020) Worship Service

Join us for Christmas Eve, the familiar story, music, just bring your own candle and have it ready. After service we will also have a Zoom gathering for Caroling. It won't be like any Christmas Eve before but it will be familiar and a chance to usher in the night together.

Rev. Vanessa Rush Southern, Senior Minister

Rev. Alyson Jacks, Associate Minister

Meg McGuire, Ministerial Intern

Richard Davis-Lowell, Worship Associate

Reiko Oda Lane, organist/handbell choir director

Mark Sumner, conductor

Tom Dambly, trumpeter

Leandra Ramm, soprano

Brielle Marina Neilson, alto

Ben Rudiak-Gould, tenor

Asher Davison, bass

VanNessa Hulme Silbermann, soprano

Derek Silbermann, keyboard

UCAC, UC Chorale & UUSF choristers

UUSF Handbell Choir

Eric Shackelford, camera

Shulee Ong, camera

Joe Chapot, Social Media Chat Support

Alex Darr, Coffee Hour Zoom

Thomas Brown, Sexton

Jonathan Silk, OOS, Sound, Video

Order of Service:

https://content.uusf.org/Order_Of_Service/2020/20201224OSWeb.pdf

“The Wintering Season" (December 20, 2020) Worship Service

The Winter Solstice is a time to celebrate the season with the hanging of greens and decorating trees. This year’s solstice service and celebration, we'll ring bells, sing seasonal songs, and tell winter tales too. Holidays and rituals are an invitation - an opening out of the ordinary into extraordinary. Join us for this intergenerational service where we’ll reflect upon the beauty and the mystery of the wintering season.

Rev. Vanessa Rush Southern, Senior Minister

Rev. Alyson Jacks, Associate Minister

Meg McGuire, Ministerial Intern

Reiko Oda Lane, organist

Mark Sumner, conductor

Leandra Ramm, soprano

Brielle Marina Neilson, alto

Ben Rudiak-Gould, tenor

Asher Davison, bass

My-Hoa Steger, pianist

Solstice Ringers

Eric Shackelford, camera

Shulee Ong, camera

Joe Chapot, Social Media Chat Support

Alex Darr, Coffee Hour Zoom

Thomas Brown, Sexton

Jonathan Silk, OOS, Sound, Video

Order of Service:

https://content.uusf.org/Order_Of_Service/2020/20201220OSWeb.pdf

All Music:

https://content.uusf.org/Sound/20201220Music.mp3

“The Soul of America: Worth Saving?" (December 13, 2020) Worship Service

As we explore the wrongs and rights in American history and contemporary life questions arise: Can there be a faith that abides? Is Beloved Community possible or is it a dream inevitably deferred?

Rev. Dr. Dorsey Blake, Guest Minister

Rev. Vanessa Rush Southern, Senior Minister

Reiko Oda Lane, organist

Mark Sumner, conductor

Leandra Ramm, soprano

Brielle Marina Neilson, alto

Ben Rudiak-Gould, tenor

Asher Davison, bass

My-Hoa Steger, pianist

Eric Shackelford, camera

Shulee Ong, camera

Joe Chapot, Social Media Chat Support

Alex Darr, Coffee Hour Zoom

Thomas Brown, Sexton

Jonathan Silk, OOS, Sound

Order of Service:

https://content.uusf.org/Order_Of_Service/2020/20201213OSWeb.pdf

All Music:

https://content.uusf.org/Sound/20201213Music.mp3

“The Perfect Body and Ladder" (December 6, 2020) Worship Service

The second sermon in a series on our bodies as part of our religious journeys, that is to say of how we find and make meaning in this life.

Poet and Movement-founder Sonya Renee Taylor writes and speaks and encourages others to do so about our relations to our bodies and one another. But more so she ties it to a larger notion, a spiritual stumbling block, a dangerous construct that wise folks from the Dalai Lama to Jesus have warned against -- Taylor calls it the imaginary ladder. And how it hurts and distracts us from what is important and healing and life saving.

Rev. Vanessa Rush Southern, Senior Minister

Meg McGuire, Ministerial Intern

Reiko Oda Lane, organist

Leandra Ramm, soprano

Brielle Marina Neilson, alto

Ben Rudiak-Gould, tenor

Asher Davison, bass

Luis Maurer, pianist

Eric Shackelford, camera

Shulee Ong, camera

Joe Chapot, Social Media Chat Support

Les James, Coffee Hour Zoom

Thomas Brown, Sexton

Jonathan Silk, OOS, Sound, drums

Order of Service:

https://content.uusf.org/Order_Of_Service/2020/20201206OSWeb.pdf

All Music:

https://content.uusf.org/Sound/20201206Music.mp3

“Coming to the Table" (November 29, 2020) Worship Service

This time of the year is usually marked by gathering and breaking bread with friends, family and neighbors. As love for one another calls us to keep our gatherings limited, virtual, or non-existent this year, the moment is ripe to remember- and reimagine. Can we bring what’s at the heart of these gatherings out into the world in new ways? What might be required of us to do so?

Meg McGuire, Ministerial Intern

Dennis Adams, Worship Associate

VanNessa Hulme, soprano

Derek Silbermann, pianist

Mark Sumner, director

Leandra Ramm, songleader

Brielle Marina Neilson, songleader

Ben Rudiak-Gould, songleader

Asher Davison, songleader

Eric Shackelford, camera

Shulee Ong, camera

Joe Chapot, Social Media Chat Support

Les James, Coffee Hour Zoom

Thomas Brown, Sexton

Jonathan Silk, OOS, Sound

Order of Service:

https://content.uusf.org/Order_Of_Service/2020/20201129OSWeb.pdf

All Music:

https://content.uusf.org/Sound/20201129Music.mp3

Reflection:

https://content.uusf.org/Sound/Reflections/202011129DAReflection.mp3

“I Sing the Body Electric" (November 22, 2020) Worship Service

There is so much to give thanks for, but what about this body that carries us through the world; the ones poets and scientists, photographers and even the Psalmists could not help but be astounded by. So, a little tribute to the gorgeous miracle and mystery and work of art -- the human body.

Rev. Vanessa Rush Southern, Senior Minister

Mari Magaloni, Reflection

Reiko Oda Lane, organist

Mark Sumner, director/piano

Leandra Ramm, soprano

Brielle Marina Neilson, alto

Ben Rudiak-Gould, tenor

Asher Davison, bass

My-Hoa Steger, pianist

Eric Shackelford, camera

Shulee Ong, camera

Joe Chapot, Social Media Chat Support

Alex Darr, Coffee Hour Zoom

Jonathan Silk, OOS, Sound, drums

Order of Service:

https://content.uusf.org/Order_Of_Service/2020/20201122OSWeb.pdf

All Music:

https://content.uusf.org/Sound/20201122Music.mp3

Reflecton:

https://content.uusf.org/Sound/Reflections/202011122MMReflection.mp3

“Now What?" (November 15, 2020) Worship Service

As the weeks after the election unfold, so will the answer, of what next. And so we will gather words of inspiration, clarity wherever we find them, and our own reflections on this moment in history. To that end, if you hear of words worth sharing, if you have your own reflection you'd like to share, please send it to me as we weave together an answer during this time.

Rev. Vanessa Rush Southern, Senior Minister

Meg McGuire, Ministerial Intern

Sam King, Worship Associate

Reiko Oda Lane, organist

Mark Sumner, pianist

Asher Davison, bass

Leandra Ramm, mezzo soprano

Shannon Warto, soprano

Ariel Andrew, mezzo soprano

Alex Taite, tenor

VanNessa Hulme, soprano

Derek Silbermann, piano

Lyman Medeiros, bass

Lyndon Rochele, drums

Kate Offer, soprano

Brielle Marina Neilson, mezzo soprano

Eric Shackelford, camera

Shulee Ong, camera

Joe Chapot, Social Media Chat Support

Alex Darr, Coffee Hour Zoom

Jonathan Silk, OOS, Sound

“Rebuilding Trust" (November 8, 2020) Worship Service

Great damage has been done to social trust in recent years. Not only to trust in leaders, government, the integrity of elections, but also trust in facts, science, shared reality, and in our fellow citizens. Repair is a moral and spiritual project that will require almost superhuman effort. How and where can each of us begin?

Rev. Dr. John Buehrens

Rev. Vanessa Rush Southern, Senior Ministerr

Reiko Oda Lane, organist

Andrés Vera, cellist

Leandra Ramm, soprano

Brielle Marina Neilson, alto

Ben Rudiak-Gould, tenor

Asher Davison, bass

Mark Sumner, director/pianist

Eric Shackelford, camera

Shulee Ong, camera

Joe Chapot, Social Media Chat Support

Alex Darr, Coffee Hour Zoom

Jonathan Silk, OOS, Sound

“Healing and Hope" (November 1, 2020) Worship Service

In this lead up to this election, which for many of us feels like the very future of our nation, of its best self, lies in the balance, let’s talk about what will be required of us on the other side. Let's talk about healing and hope.

Rev. Vanessa Rush Southern, Senior Minister

Rev. Alyson Jacks, Associate Minister

Reiko Oda Lane, organist

Mark Sumner, director

VanNessa Hulme, soprano

Brielle Marina Neilson, mezzo soprano

Ben Rudiak-Gould, tenor

Asher Davison, bass

Wm. García Ganz, accompanist

Eric Shackelford, camera

Shulee Ong, camera

Joe Chapot, Social Media Chat Support

Alex Darr, Coffee Hour Zoom

Jonathan Silk, OOS, Sound, drums

“Creating the Altar" (October 25, 2020) Worship Service

This Sunday we are going to create an altar, a community one, filled with the portraits and stories of those we love and lost, who shaped us. It will be our honoring of the spirit of what All Souls Day and Dia De Los Muertos has made space for for centuries -- paying homage, bringing the living spirit of life that endures back close to hold us.

Rev. Vanessa Rush Southern, Senior Minister

Dennis Adams, Worship Associate

Mark Sumner, pianist

Andrés Vera, cellist

My-Hoa Steger, pianist and songleader

Asher Davison, songleader

Asher Davison, bass

Eric Shackelford, camera

Shulee Ong, camera

Joe Chapot, Social Media Chat Support

Alex Darr, Coffee Hour Zoom

Jonathan Silk, OOS, Sound

“Breathing Room" (October 18, 2020) Worship Service

The atmosphere is toxic – from both the devastating fires across the west and the increasingly inflammatory political rhetoric - leaving us gasping for fresh air, fresh ideas – a fresh start. More than ever, we need open space to help us recoup, rejuvenate, and regenerate our spirits. How do we channel our energies to ensure that those physical, spiritual and emotional spaces are available to all people? For our personal, collective and planetary wellbeing, we all need breathing room to get us through. Another world is not only possible, she is on her way. On a quiet day, I can hear her breathing. - Arundhati Roy

Rev. Alyson Jacks, Associate Minister

Carmen Barsody, Worship Associate

Reiko Oda Lane, organist

Mark Sumner, singer/director

Sarah Rose Cohen, soprano

Brielle Marina Neilson, mezzo soprano

Ben Rudiak-Gould, tenor

Asher Davison, bass

Eric Shackelford, camera

Shulee Ong, camera

Joe Chapot, Social Media Chat Support

Alex Darr, Coffee Hour Zoom

Jonathan Silk, OOS, Sound

“New Habits of the Heart: Seeing for Real" (October 11, 2020) Worship Service

There is a Ted Talk by X called "The Dangers of the Single Story." Meg's mentioned it once already since she started as our Intern and then again this last week when the subject came up of how we fall into habits about the stories we tell. And what gets lost in the telling of them.

Rev. Vanessa Rush Southern, Senior Minister

Meg McGuire, Ministerial Intern

George Wiepert, Worship Associate

Reiko Oda Lane, organist

Mark Sumner, percussion/director

Sarah Davison, soprano

Brielle Marina Neilson, mezzo soprano

Ben Rudiak-Gould, tenor

Asher Davison, bass

Wm. García Ganz, pianist

Kramer Dhal, percussionist

Eric Shackelford, camera

Shulee Ong, camera

Joe Chapot, Social Media Chat Support

Alex Darr, Coffee Hour Zoom

Jonathan Silk, OOS, Sound, drums and conga

“Big Love" (October 4, 2020) Worship Service

This week is the 250th anniversary of Universalism and the day the congregation votes on its next settled ministry. It is also a time of great upheaval. What's the way forward and what anchors us as we go?

Rev. Vanessa Rush Southern, Senior Minister

Meg McGuire, Ministerial Intern

George Wiepert, Worship Associate

Reiko Oda Lane, organist

Mark Sumner, singing/conducting

My-Hoa Steger, pianist

Michele Kennedy, soloist

Brielle Marina Neilson, soloist

Ben Rudiak-Gould, soloist

Asher Davison, soloist

Eric Shackelford, camera

Shulee Ong, camera

Joe Chapot, Social Media Chat Support

Jonathan Silk, OOS, Sound, Drums

"I'm Sorry" (September 27, 2020) Worship Service

Never before has it been as important as it is now to take to heart the lessons at the heart of Yom Kippur and make it's annual practices, a part of our ongoing spiritual practices. Humility and Atonement: The Great Turning.

Rev. Vanessa Rush Southern, Senior Minister

Sam King, Worship Associate

Reiko Oda Lane, organist

Brielle Marina Neilson, mezzo-soprano

Bill Klingelhoffer, french horn

Wm. García Ganz, pianist

Eric Shackelford, camera

Shulee Ong, camera

Joe Chapot, Social Media Chat Support

Jonathan Silk, OOS, Sound

"The Sum of Our Parts" (September 20, 2020) Worship Service

The central task of religious community, according to Rev. Mark Morrison Reed, is to uncover the bonds that bind us to one another. So, what holds us together? Without the brick and mortar, the face to face connection we’ve long relied upon, how do we stay rooted in this deeper relatedness? Meg McGuire, our new ministerial intern, will reflect on religious community and what’s possible when we come together.

Meg McGuire, Ministerial Intern

Rev. Vanessa Rush Southern, Senior Minister

Dennis Adams, Worship Associate

Reiko Oda Lane, organist

VanNessa Hulme, soloist

Brielle Marina Neilson, soloist

Ben Rudiak-Gould, soloist

Asher Davison, soloist

Eric Shackelford, camera

Shullee Ong, camera

Joe Chapot, Social Media Chat Support

Jonathan Silk, OOS, Sound

"Plow this Field... and other mantras to pull us through a wild and unfolding new year." (September 13, 2020)

This Sunday is the Sunday we always launch, officially, the new church year. Sunday School with our kids and youth kicks off, folks return from their summer places (geographically and/or mentally) and we live and learn and serve and witness and weather and delight in another year of life together. We are doing that again, but in a wild kind of year. And I have been thinking about how to hold myself steady through it and all the uncertainty of what will come. I'll share with you what I have been thinking and I'd love to know what you are thinking too!

Rev. Vanessa Rush Southern, Senior Minister

Rev. Alyson Jacks, Associate Minister

Meg McGuire, Ministerial Intern

Michael Bossier, performer

Jayanti Chapot, performer

Don Shearer, performer

Reiko Oda Lane, organist

Sarah Rose Cohen, soloist

Brielle Marina Neilson, soloist

Ben Rudiak-Gould, soloist

Asher Davison, soloist

Luis Maurer, pianist

Eric Shackelford, camera

SJ Ong, camera

Joe Chapot, Social Media Chat Support

Jonathan Silk, OOS, Sound, drums

"What Do We Do When We're Under Attack?" (September 6, 2020)

Rev. Millie Phillips, a member of this congregation, is currently serving the UU Community of Lake County. For this Labor Day service, she draws on her many years of experience as a union activist to celebrate worker resistance during these difficult times.

Rev. Millie Phillips, Guest Minister

Sam King, Worship Associate

Select members of The Rockin’ Solidarity Chorus

Pat Wynne, director

Asher Davison, song leader

Ben Rudiak-Gould, song leader

My-Hoa Steger, pianist

Eric Shackelford, camera

Joe Chapot, Social Media Chat Support

Jonathan Silk, OOS, Sound

"Jonah and the Big Fish" (August 30, 2020)

I love stories and their power to teach or invite us to let them speak to us wherever we are. And I love the story in the Hebrew Scriptures of Jonah and his journey with that Big Fish. And what layers we might find for ourselves in it about how to face life and what it might insist on from us.

Rev. Vanessa Rush Southern, Senior Minister

Gregg Biggs, Worship Associate

Reiko Oda Lane, organist

Eric Hamilton, guitarist

Mark Sumner, pianist

Asher Davison, song leader

Eric Shackelford, camera

Joe Chapot, Social Media Chat Support

Jonathan Silk, OOS, Sound, drums

"Launching the Fledglings" (August 23, 2020)

It's an odd year to think about how to raise and launch adults (be they nieces, nephews, children, grandchildren). It is also a process and one we are engaged in all along the way. It probably also has lessons about how we deal with some adults too!!!

Rev. Vanessa Rush Southern, Senior Minister

Dennis Adams, Worship Associate

Reiko Oda Lane, organist

Asher Davison, clarinet and song leader

Wm. García Ganz, pianist

Ben Rudiak-Gould, song leader

Eric Shackelford, camera

Joe Chapot, Social Media Chat Support

Jonathan Silk, OOS, Sound, drums

"Turning Points" (August 16, 2020)

Our history is full of turning points. So are our individual lives. As we live through a time full of both danger and opportunity, let us reflect on some of the great turning points in our national history – such as women winning the right to vote in August, 1920, or same sex couples winning the right to marry just five years ago, – and how they came about.

John Buehrens is the past Senior Minister of UUSF, the past President of the Unitarian Universalist Association (1993-2001), a past honorary President of Religions for Peace, and was national co-chair of Freedom to Marry from 2002 t0 2012. He is the author of seven books, most recently, Conflagration: How the Transcendentalists Sparked the American Struggle for Racial, Gender, and Social Justice.

Rev. John Buehrens

Richard Davis-Lowell, Worship Associate

Jennifer Peringer, pianist

Martha Rodríguez Peringer, flutist

Asher Davison, Songleader

Brielle Neilson, Songleader

Eric Shackelford, camera

Joe Chapot, Social Media Chat Support

Alex Darr, Zoom Remote Host

Jonathan Silk, OOS, Sound, drums

"Story Time" (August 9, 2020)

We are the stuff of stars. A collection of particles held together by the laws of physics and the forces of nature. We talk of free will but we move and act in accordance to evolution’s playbook. What sets us apart is our ability to reflect, to look back in time and imagine the future – to see ourselves as part of the unfolding story of time, and ask ourselves what does it mean to be human after all.

Rev. Alyson Jacks, Associate Minister

Don Wiepert, Worship Associate

Reiko Oda Lane, organist

Andrés Vera, cellist

My-Hoa Steger, pianist

Mark Sumner, Songleader

Brielle Nielson, Songleader

Eric Shackelford, camera

Joe Chapot, Social Media Chat Support

Alex Darr, Zoom Remote Host

Jonathan Silk, OOS, Sound

"The Promise in the Desert" (August 2, 2020)

Some have begun calling 2020 "The Great Reckoning," a time when the injustices of reality are fully being called in by the promises of our possibility. It is a powerful, scary, tense, creative, and uncertain time in our lives. Drawing inspiration from the story of Hajar in the Islamic Traditions, we will explore what it can mean to believe in the promise of our faith in these times, and how to deepen our resilience as Unitarian Universalists manifesting justice and love.

Rev. Ranwa Hammamy, Executive Director, UU Legislative Ministry of California

Sam King, Worship Associate

Larry Chinn, jazz pianist

Asher Davison, sonleader

Mark Sumner, songleader

Eric Shackelford, camera

Joe Chapot, Social Media Chat Support

Alex Darr, Zoom Remote Host

Jonathan Silk, OOS, Sound

"From Fragility to Accountability" (July 26, 2020)

This Sunday, there is a journey we'd like you to take with us. Let us go as seekers. We will pack a little bag and wander along a less traveled path. It's a path that we hope, one day, will become well worn as others follow us into a new place. We won’t be following an easy trail, but the promise of this journey is that we will become less anxious and more steadfast in the work of anti-racism. We have a responsibility that has been nagging at us for generation upon generation, and now is a very good time to take up the mantle handed to us by our ancestors. It is time to survey the landscape and ask ourselves, “How has this nation’s history of racism shaped my life and my community?”

And what if along this road we discover new possibilities that fuel us towards a more just society? What if the contentment that comes with facing the past illustrates for us—in bright, living color—what a stronger, healthier, more just community might be?

How do we get to that place from where we are now? In the words of Antonio Machado, “Traveler, there is no path. The path is made by walking. By walking you make the path.”

Come then, join us, and let us make our way together through this difficult terrain moving from fragility to accountability. No, it won’t be easy, but it is necessary. It is what we are called to do in this time and place.

Carmen Barsody, Faithful Fools Street Ministry

Sam Dennison, Faithful Fools Street Ministry

Dennis Adams, Worship Associate

Reiko Oda Lane, organist

Hugo Wainzinger, guitarist

Rita Fabrizio, flutist

Mark Sumner, Songleader

Brielle Nielson, Songleader

Eric Shackelford, camera

Joe Chapot, Social Media Chat Support

Alex Darr, Zoom Remote Host

Jonathan Silk, OOS, Sound

"Poetry for Summer Musing" (July 19, 2020)

Periodically diving deep in the world of poetry is like asking someone to hold a frame around the ordinary or a magnifying glass against the small that holds universes. What better time for such presence to ordinary that is anything but ordinary than summer days -- bring a blade of grass to put between your teeth!

Rev. Vanessa Rush Southern, Senior Minister

Sam King, Worship Associate

Jill Rachuy Brindel, cello

Marilyn Thompson, pianist

Asher Davison, song leader

Wm. García Ganz, pianist

Eric Shackelford, camera

Joe Chapot, Social Media Chat Support

Alex Darr, Zoom Remote Host

Jonathan Silk, OOS, Sound

"The Power of Witnessing" (July 12, 2020)

In W.H. Auden's poem "Musee des Beaux Arts" the poet describes two Brueghel paintings and in both something about the witnessing or missing of huge moments in the human drama was/is the theme. It got me thinking about this act of witnessing, why and how it is important to us, a salve, a buoy. And how it might actually be one of the most important and not-so-difficult gifts we can give one another.

Rev. Vanessa Rush Southern, Senior Minister

Alex Darr, Worship Associate

Reiko Oda Lane, organist

Joyce Lee, flutist

My-Hoa Steger, pianist

Asher Davison, song leader

Ben Rudiak-Gould, song leader

Jon Silk, drums

Eric Shackelford, camera

Joe Chapot, Social Media Chat Support

Alex Darr, Zoom Remote Host

Jonathan Silk, OOS, Sound

"Exquisite Risk" (July 5, 2020)

Following on our sermon on "Negotiating Risk" (May 17) we will look this Sunday at the flip side of risk -- that part of engaging life that is scary but gorgeous and transformative, that keeps us growing and alive.

Rev. Vanessa Rush Southern, Senior Minister

Dennis Adams, Worship Associate

Reiko Oda Lane, organist

Gilead Wurman, baritone

Asher Davison, bass-baritone

Wm. Garcia Ganz, pianist

Eric Shackelford, camera

Joe Chapot, Social Media Chat Support

Alex Darr, Zoom Remote Host

Jonathan Silk, OOS, Sound, Podcasting, Video Edits

"The Perfect Day" (June 28, 2020)

In the story of creation told in Hebrew Scriptures, after six days of work creating heaven and earth, God took a day off. And so there’s a long tradition in Judaism and Christianity and Islam this day of Sabbath so the actual day that’s marked as such as different in each tradition. It is a day of mandatory rest. A day in which we are supposed to pretend that everything is perfect as it is and well in the gorgeousness of life at our feet. To me this is a genius creation by man or God who or whatever you want to credit it to. And I want to talk again about why.

Rev. Vanessa Rush Southern, Senior Minister

Sharon Weld, Ministerial Intern

Reiko Oda Lane, organist

Allen Biggs, marimbist

Asher Davison, song leader

Mary Jane Mikuriya, Internship Committee

Marie Kazan-Komarek, Internship Committee

Luanne Schulte, Internship Committee

Eric Shackelford, camera

Joe Chapot, Social Media Chat Support

Alex Darr, Zoom Remote Host

Jonathan Silk, OOS, Sound, Podcasting, Video Edits

"Lost Stories" (June 21, 2020)

June 19th, every year, also known as Juneteenth, Freedom Day, Black Fourth of July, is the day in The United States that we commemorate June 19, 1865, when two and a half years after the Emanciation Proclamation was implemented, enslaved African Americans in parts of the South finally got word of their liberation. As we commemorate that date we will look at the history of lost stories, as part of the legacy of slavery and the founding fabric of the United States. We will tell the story of Bilali.

Rev. Vanessa Rush Southern, Senior Minister

Judith Stoddard, Worship Associate

Reiko Oda Lane, organist

Michele Kennedy, soprano

My-Hoa Steger, pianist

Jon Silk, drums

Carlton Ball, actor

Michael Bossier, actor

Jayanti Chapot, actor

Alyson Jacks, actor

Don Shearer, actor

Eric Shackelford, camera

Joe Chapot, Social Media Chat Support

Alex Darr, Zoom Remote Host

Jonathan Silk, OOS, Sound, Podcasting, Video Edits

A Welcoming Community (June 14, 2020)

We look at the importance of community and the power of radical welcoming - a celebration of the congregation and a thanks for priceless gifts. This will be Sharon's last sermon with us as our 2019-2020 Ministerial Intern.

Sharon Weld, Ministerial Intern

Rev. Alyson Jacks, Associate Minister

Reiko Oda Lane, organist

Jennifer Peringer, pianist

Ben Rudiak-Gould, song leader

Eric Shackelford, camera

Joe Chapot, Social Media Chat Support

Alex Darr, Zoom Remote Host

Jonathan Silk, OOS, Sound, Podcasting, Video Edits

For Such a Time as This (June 7, 2020)

Rev. Vanessa Rush Southern, Senior Minister

Rochelle Fortier Nwadibia, Worship Associate

Ben Rudiak-Gould, tenor

Asher Davison, bass-baritone

Wm. Garcia Ganz, pianist

Eric Shackelford, camera

Joe Chapot, Social Media Chat Support

Alex Darr, Zoom Remote Host

Jonathan Silk, OOS, Sound, Podcasting, Video Edits, drums

“Apart/Together” (May 31, 2020)

One of the side-effects of physical distancing and shelter-in-place is loneliness. According to Dr. Vivek Murthy, the former Surgeon General, research shows that more than 20% of the US adult population struggles with loneliness, and that was before COVID19. Social connection is baked into our nervous system. We need human interaction to survive. What causes loneliness and how can we help to alleviate it? Faith communities, I think, are a great place to begin the conversation.

Rev. Alyson Jacks, Associate Minister

Richard Davis-Lowell, Worship Associate

Reiko Oda Lane, organist

Michele Kennedy, soprano

Brielle Neilson, mezzo-soprano

My-Hoa Steger, pianist

Jon Silk, drums

Eric Shackelford, camera

Joe Chapot, Social Media Chat Support

Alex Darr, Zoom Remote Host

Jonathan Silk, OOS, Sound, Podcasting, Video Edits

"The Human Spirit, Hardy and Delicate" (May 24, 2020)

Poppies come to us in magnificent clumps of color. They grow wild. They bring us hope. If not for their brightly colored blooms, they would be considered a weed, given how their seeds drift on the wind and take root by any road or on any hillside. Their flowers are delicate, their life force is hardy. It was for these characteristics that they became Memorial Day's symbol of remembrance.

In wartime, we want to protest the violence and honor the lives of those serving. It is never easy to reconcile loss, especially untimely or violent loss, and regret. It is our task to hold both things, letting neither outweigh the other. It is our task to honor the human spirit which is both hardy and delicate.

Carmen Barsody, Faithful Fool

Sam Dennison, Faithful Fool

Sharon Weld, Ministerial Intern

Andrés Vera, cellist

My-Hoa Steger, pianist

Asher Davison, song leader

Eric Shackelford, camera

Joe Chapot, Social Media Chat Support

Alex Darr, Zoom Remote Host

Jonathan Silk, OOS, Sound, Podcasting, Video Edits

"Negotiating Risk" (May 17, 2020)

Life is risky business, always, and always has been, but life right now has put the idea of risk at the center of our lives, and in more ways than one. Let's talk risk and what it brings into sharp(er) focus in our own lives and the world, and how this close dance-with-risk might change us!

Rev. Vanessa Rush Southern, Senior Minister

Sam King, Worship Associate

Reiko Oda Lane, organ

Mark Sumner, bass

Wm. Garcia Ganz, piano

Asher Davison, bass-baritone

Eric Shackelford, camera

Joe Chapot, Social Media Chat Support

Alex Darr, Zoom Remote Host

Jonathan Silk, OOS, Sound, Podcasting, Video Edits

"It Takes a Village: The People Who Shaped Us" (May 10, 2020)

Mothers are important, but also mothering and befriending, grand parenting and neighboring all shape us too as we grow, come to know ourselves, choose how and who we'd like to be in the world. This Mother's Day we will celebrate the stories of, as Garrison Keillor says, "The Mothers and Others."

Rev. Vanessa Rush Southern, Senior Minister

Anish Johnson, Worship Associate

Reiko Oda Lane, organ

Mark Sumner, bass

Wm. Garcia Ganz, piano

Brielle Nielson, mezzo-soprano

Asher Davison, bass-baritone

Jon Silk, drums

Eric Shackelford, camera

Joe Chapot, Social Media Chat Support

Alex Darr, Zoom Remote Host

Jonathan Silk, OOS, Sound, Podcasting, Video Edits

"How Are You Feeling?" (May 3, 2020)

Fred Rogers taught us that it's important to express our feelings, and to be listened to and respected. It's not always easy to say what's in our hearts. We need to feel safe and know that others can be trusted. It's what we strive for in our Sunday School, and in all of our church interactions. This Sunday, we'll draw lessons from Mr. Rogers neighborhood that can help us on our way. This Sunday concludes our formal Sunday School programming. Our children and youth will join us virtually for the start of worship for a special Message for all Ages, then depart for their virtual classes, and wrap up for the church year.

Rev. Vanessa Rush Southern, Senior Minister

Rev. Alyson Jacks, Associate Minister

Reiko Oda Lane, organ

Mark Sumner, piano and baritone

My-Hoa Steger, piano and soprano

Brielle Nielson, mezzo-soprano

Asher Davison, bass-baritone

Jon Silk, drums

Eric Shackelford, camera

Joe Chapot, Social Media Support

Alex Darr, Zoom Remote Host

Jonathan Silk, OOS, Sound, Podcasting, Video Edits

"Life in the Monastery" (April 26, 2020)

Part of me has always wanted to live in a monastery. The only problem is that my spouse wouldn't agree, and there are all those vows too. Lately, though, there is a lot monastic about my life, and maybe yours. What if we think of framing our time of stay-at-home as "Life in the Monastery"? What would that mean or might it.

Rev. Vanessa Rush Southern, Senior Minister

Dennis Adams, Worship Associate

Reiko Oda Lane, organ

Giacomo Fiore, electric guitar and electronics

My-Hoa Steger, pianist

Brielle Nielson, mezzo-soprano

Asher Davison, bass-baritone

Eric Shackelford, camera

Joe Chapot, Social Media Support

Alex Darr, Zoom Remote Host

Jonathan Silk, OOS, Sound, Podcasting, Video Edits

"Earth’s Lessons" (April 19, 2020)

On April 22,1970 “teach-ins” launched the first Earth Day. Fifty years later, voices from across the globe are demanding that we wake up, double down, and respond more quickly to the climate crisis. “Climate change is a timed test” (McKibben) and the 2020s will be our exam. This is neither a test of individual purity, nor an exam we can pass alone. In this time of trauma and possibility, what are we learning? How can our faith help us to answer this existential call?

Rev. Lindi Ramsden, Guest Minister

Rev. Vanessa Rush Southern, Senior Minister

Sharon Weld, Ministerial Intern

Reiko Oda Lane, organ

Dr. Mark Sumner, piano

Asher Davison, bass-baritone

Michele Kennedy, soprano

Jon Silk, drums

Eric Shackelford, camera

Joe Chapot, Social Media Support

Alex Darr, Zoom Remote Host

Jonathan Silk, OOS, Sound, Podcasting, Video Edits

"Easter in Holy Week Times" (April 12, 2020)

This, you might say, is not exactly an Easter time. The events of Holy Week, as it is traditionally celebrated, feel so much more accurate a description of where most of us find ourselves around the globe. We live now, more than we often do, together in the shadow of loss, keeping company with human limitations, facing our mortality, and present to all the ways in which bad things happen to good and not-so-good people alike. You might say we are a Covid-19 global tribe weather Holy Week times. So where is the hope and joy of Easter Sunrise for us? Let's name it and sing of it together!

Rev. Vanessa Rush Southern, Senior Minister

Rev. Alyson Jacks, Associate Minister

Sharon Weld, Ministerial Intern

*Reiko Oda Lane, organ

*Tom Dambly, trumpet

*Handbell Choir

Dr. Mark Sumner, piano

Asher Davison, bass-baritone

Laurel Sprigg, soprano

Jon Silk, drums

Eric Shackelford, camera

**Joe Chapot, Social Media Support

**Alex Darr, Zoom Remote Host

Jonathan Silk, OOS, Sound, Podcasting, Video Edits

*recordings

**offsite

"At Ease" (April 5, 2020)

During times of crisis and uncertainty, we experience suffering, and seek out ways to bring comfort to those in need, including ourselves. It being Palm Sunday, and Buddha’s birthday on April 8, we’ll journey with Jesus and Buddha to contemplate ways we can ease suffering and bring comfort to our souls.

Rev. Alyson Jacks, Associate Minister

Sharon Weld, Ministerial Intern

Reiko Oda Lane, organ

Wm García Ganz, piano

Asher Davison, vocals

Brielle Nelson, vocals

Jon Silk, drums

Eric Shackelford, camera

Joe Chapot, YouTube Social Media Chat Support

Alex Darr, Zoom Remote Host

Jonathan Silk, OOS, Sound, Podcasting, Video Edits

"Perspective: The Power of Climbing up onto the Balcony and What Can We See?" (March 29, 2020)

We all know that anxiety and fear sharpen our minds and brains down to a narrow tunnel of needs and priorities and put our thoughts on infinite repeats of certain “What If’s” — or a long, tired, bleak list of them. The antidote to that is, in part, perspective, what one author called, “Getting up on the balcony.” So, let’s try and get up there, this morning. What can we see from the balcony of these days? What’s the long view? What do we ourselves, even, look like from up here?

Rev. Vanessa Rush Southern, Senior Minister

Sharon Weld, Ministerial Intern

David Heilbron, Worship Associate

Reiko Oda Lane, organ

My-Hoa Steger, piano

Brielle Neilson, mezzo soprano

Ben Rudiak-Gould, tenor

Eric Shackelford, camera

Joe Chapot, YouTube Social Media Chat Support

Alex Darr, Zoom Remote Host

Jonathan Silk, OOS, Sound, Podcasting, Drums, Video Edits

"Are We Saved?" (March 22, 2020)

A sermon about the age-old religious question and the honest-to-God answer (at least by this preacher)!

Rev. Vanessa Rush Southern, Senior Minister

Rev. Alyson Jacks, Associate Minister

Joe Chapot, Office Assistant & Young Adult Coordinator

Reiko Oda Lane, organ

My Hoa Steger, piano

Michele Kennedy, soprano

Asher Davison, bass

Eric Shackelford, camera

Jonathan Silk, OOS, Sound, Podcasting, Video Edits

"Gifts Great and Small" (March 15, 2020)

This is Pi(e) weekend. The ratio of the radius of our circle of caring and sharing to its circumference, geometrically, is forever roughly 3.14. So just what does this mean for our relatively small, church community in relation to the great surrounding spiritual and social needs of the city and world in which we live?

What part of the whole pie of services that UUSF attempts to provide goes to whom? What proportion of those efforts should each of us try to support with our gifts of time and treasure?

Rev. Dr. John Buehrens, Guest Preacher

Rev. Vanessa Rush Southern, Senior Minister

Richard Davis-Lowell, Worship Associate

Dr. Mark Sumner, Music Director

Reiko Oda Lane, organ and bell choir director

Joe Dellert, Canvass Co-Chair

Lori Lai, Board Treasurer

Shulee Ong, Camera

Jonathan Silk, OOS, Sound, Podcasting, Video Edits

"A Thousand Cuts and the Work of Healing" (March 8, 2020)

This week we will look at what are called micro-agressions, how they unfold even in our community, how we intervene and imagine a world without them. Members Mari Maglione and Michael Bossier from Fake Comedy Radio, Don Shearer, Rochelle Fortier-Nwadibia and our ministers will lead a journey of skits and reflection as we explore this way to be better and more whole together.

Rev. Vanessa Rush Southern, Senior Minister

Sharon Weld, Ministerial Intern

Dr. Mark Sumner, Music Director

Reiko Oda Lane, organ

Wm. García Ganz, piano

Mari Maglione, TWZ Player

Michael Bossier, TWZ Player

Don Shearer, TWZ Player

Rochelle Fortier-Nwadibia, TWZ Player

Leandra Ramm, soloist

Brielle Nielson, soloist

Asher Davison, soloist

Ben Rudiak-Gould, soloist

Eric Shackelford, Trustee

Shulee Ong, camera

Jonathan Silk, OOS, Sound, Podcasting, Video Edits, drums

"What Goes Around..." (March 1, 2020)

So many stories, good stories — aren’t we in need of some good stories — to tell of another possible law of the universe. Or maybe just another addition to the Golden Rules worth risking on.

Rev. Vanessa Rush Southern, Senior Minister

Sharon Weld, Ministerial Intern

Nancy Buffum, Annual Operating Fund Drive Campaign Co-Chair

Joe Dellert, Annual Operating Fund Drive Campaign Co-Chair

Dr. Mark Sumner, Music Director

Reiko Oda Lane, organ

Wm. García Ganz, piano

Scott Benbow, Trustee

Eric Shackelford, camera

Jonathan Silk, OOS, Sound, Podcasting, Video Edits

"Envisioning Justice" (February 23, 2020)

As you imagine a better future, what changes would you make for yourself, for the church, for the neighborhood? We will envision personal and collective change that inspires us all, and we will spotlight the justice work already achieved by this congregation.

Sharon Weld, Ministerial Intern

Jan Oringer, Worship Associate

Sam King, Worship Associate

Emma's Revolution, Guest Music

Dr. Mark Sumner, piano

Kerry Parker, song leader

Judy Payne, Trustee

Shulee Ong, camera

Jonathan Silk, OOS, Sound, Podcasting, Video Edits, Drums

"From Darwin to Unitarian Universalism" (February 16, 2020)

Darwin’s theory of evolution by natural selection set into motion a way of thinking that has profoundly affected not only the understanding of biology but also influenced a much wider range of human concerns, including religion. This is most evident in Unitarian Universalism. We will trace how this came about and reflect on how this way of thinking can lead to greater fulfillment of life’s potentials.

Jim Barnett has been a UU for 45 years. He is retired from his career in biomedical research, a graduate of the Humanist Institute and currently the chair of the Humanists and Non-Theists committee at UUSF.

Jim Barnett, Worship Leader

Carmen Barsody, Worship Associate

Dolores Perez Heilbron, Worship Associate

Dr. Mark Sumner, music director

Reiko Oda Lane, organ and bell choir director

Eric Shackleford, Trustee

Sharon Weld, camera

Jonathan Silk, OOS, Sound, Podcasting, Video Edits

"I Do, I Do: A Sermon on Relationships" (February 9, 2020)

After all these years of doing weddings, and watching marriages (and living in one), and being in relationship, what can we say definitively about love and what makes us stick together.

Rev. Vanessa Rush Southern, Senior Minister

Dennis Adams, Worship Associate

Mark Sumner, music director

Reiko Oda Lane, organ

Bill Ganz, piano

Asher Davison, soloist

Amy Kelly, trustee

Jonathan Silk, OOS, Sound, Podcasting, Video Edits, drums

"The Year of..." (February 2, 2020)

Our congregations draw from the wisdom and experience and the traditions of their families and communities-of-origin, the practices they carry forward, and how they weave these into lives that feel grounded and guided.

This Sunday as we are in the season of Lunar New Year, we'll take a moment -- in no way is this service a celebration of Lunar New Year as any one who grew up with it would recognize -- and we'll take a moment to honor some of the threads that weave through this season of celebration and beginning.

Rev. Vanessa Rush Southern, Senior Minister

Daniel Jackoway, Worship Associate

Lori Lai, Board Treasure

Kat Liu, Worship Associate

Andrés Vera, cello

My Hoa Steger, piano

Mark Sumner, piano

Ben Rudiak-Gould, song leader

Reece Hart, Trustee

Don Shearer, Camera Operator

Jonathan Silk, OOS, Sound, Podcasting, Video Edits

"Millie Phillips Ordination Service" (January 26, 2020)

On January 26th, at 6PM in our Sanctuary we ordained into UU Ministry Millie Phillips. Millie is a long time member and lay leader in the congregation who completed her studies at the Starr King School of the Ministry and was cleared for ordination this past spring by the denomination.

As is the custom of Unitarian Universalism it is a congregation that ordains people into ministry and ours voted this fall at a special meeting to ordain Millie.

Rev. Millie Phillips

Rev. Christopher Bell, Senior Minister

Rev. Dr. Dorsey O. Blake, Presiding Minister

Rev. Cat Cox, Spiritual Director

Rev. Margot Campbell Gross, Minister Emerita

Rev. Alyson Jacks, Associate Minister

Carrie Steere-Salazar, Moderator, Board of Trustees

Stephen Schwichow, Ordination Committee Chair

Rev. Vanessa Rush Southern, Senior Minister

Dr. Amy Kelly, Ordination Committee

Eric Langhirt, Ordination Committee

Jan and Howard Oringer, Ordination Committee

Stephen Schwichow, chair, Ordination Committee

Melvin Starks, Ordination Committee

Judith Stoddard, Ordination Committee

Eric Hamilton, guitarist

Randy Moore, drummer

Reiko Oda Lane, organ

Richard Saunders, bass

Keith Saunders, pianist

Dr. Mark Sumner, Music Director

Shulee Ong, Camera

Jonathan Silk, sound, OOS

"Who Are You to Judge?" (January 26, 2020)

These days everyone's a critic. We all make judgments, good and bad, some with lasting and profound effects. Judgement assumes thoughtful deliberation, but we've all had occasion to make a snap judgement now and then.

What forms and informs our ability to judge? When we strive to be non-judgmental, what role does judgement play?

Rev. Alyson Jacks, Associate Minister

Sharon Weld, Ministerial Intern

Reiko Oda Lane, organ

Dr. Mark Sumner, Music Director

Christopher Rodriguez, Trustee

Shulee Ong, Camera Operator

Jonathan Silk, OOS, Sound, Podcasting, Video Edits

"Honesty and Legacy II: Inspecting the Family Tree" (January 19, 2020)

Once we hit on the idea that our legacy as a person, a family or a nation is tied inextricably to our history, we have to own the responsibility to dig into that history, especially the parts that got papered over or conveniently forgotten.

We looked at that in November (or started to) around the United State’s history with Native and Indigenous peoples. Let’s look this morning at two families and their journeys and just some of what they unearthed and had/have to reckon with.

Rev. Vanessa Rush Southern, Senior Minister

Don Wiepert, Worship Associate

Reiko Oda Lane, organ

Wm. García Ganz, guest conductor

Eric Shackelford, soloist

Judy Payne, Board Secretary

Don Shearer, Camera Operator

Jonathan Silk, OOS, Sound, Podcasting, Video Edits

"Religious Experience and the Ascent of Mount Ventoux" (January 12, 2020)

Fourteenth Century poet and scholar, Frencesco Petrarca, more commonly known as Petrarch was part of the early Italian Renaissance. He was also Catholic and is widely considered one of the first humanists. At 32, he and his brother and two servants ascended Mount Ventoux.

The journey up (and down) would be a turning point in his life. And the story raises the question, what is “religious experience”? Moreover is it important and if so, how, and so what?

Rev. Vanessa Rush Southern, Senior Minister

Sam King, Worship Associate

Reiko Oda Lane, organ

Roy Zimmerman, guitar/vocalist

Ben Rudiak-Gould, song leader

Linda Harris, UUSC

Scott Benbow, Trustee

Gino Fortunato, Auction

Vanessa Vanderlaan, Camera Operator

Jonathan Silk, OOS, Sound, Podcasting, Video Edits

Angels Among Us (December 24, 2019)

Please join us for a retelling of the story of Christmas, for carols and candlelight and an invitation for the spirit of the season to take hold of us! This year there will be no pageant, but plenty of story telling, candles, gorgeous music of all kinds, and magic.

Rev. Vanessa Rush Southern, Senior Minister

Rev. Alyson Jacks, Associate Minister;

Sharon Weld, Ministerial Intern

Richard Davis Lowell, Worship Associate

Dr. Mark Sumner, Music Director

Reiko Oda Lane, organ and bell choir director

Nancy Cooke Munn, soloist

Laurel Sprigg, soloist

Brielle Nelson, soloist

Asher Davison, soloist

Ellen McEntire Cowan, soloist

Eric Shackelford, Camera

Don Shearer, lights

Jonathan Silk, OOS, Sound, Podcasting, Video Edits

The Big Question (January 5, 2020)

Is there a difference between believing that God exists and believing in God?

Rev. Dr. David Usher, Guest Minister

Rev. Vanessa Rush Southern, Senior Minister

Lisanicole Sarkisian, Worship Associate

Reiko Oda Lane, organ

Eric Hamilton, guitar

Shanon Warto, song leader

Reece Heart, Trustee

Joe Chapot, Camera Operator

Jonathan Silk, OOS, Sound, Podcasting, Video Edits

The End (December 29, 2019)

In the last weekend of 2019, we’ve reached “the end” of a chapter: the end of this year and the end of this decade. We spend much of our lives reading and watching stories that draw neatly to a close, but in our messy real-world lives, “the end” so often brings more ambiguity than clarity. So how do we bring this chapter to a close, and open the next?

Rev. Seanan Fong, Guest Minister

Sharon Weld, Ministerial Intern

Dennis Adams, Worship Associate

Nanette McGuinness, soprano

My-Hoa Steger, piano/accompanist

VanNessa Hulme, song leader

Lori Lai, Board Treasurer

Eric Shackelford, Camera Operator

Jonathan Silk, OOS, Sound, Podcasting, Video Edits

Blinded by the Light (December 22, 2019)

As we honor the time of Hanukkah along with so many other holidays that speak of light, of miracles, of hope, we gather to do the same.

Rev. Vanessa Rush Southern, Senior Minister

Carmen Barsody, Worship Associate

Dr. Mark Sumner, Music Director and Harpsicord

Reiko Oda Lane, organ

Ellen McEntire Cowan, soloist

Asher Davison, song leader

Don Shearer, Camera Operator

Jonathan Silk, OOS, Sound, Podcasting, Video Edits

Hanging of the Greens: A Multigenerational Extravaganza! (December 15, 2019)

This is a service that was created by the Princeton UU Church and made its way through many congregations and this year makes its debut with us. Honoring the longest days of the year, the ancient traditions of bringing in greens to remind us of what is alive in the depths of winter, we will gather, sing, create, move around the building, drink cider and revel as people of all ages, together, celebrating the all of it. Come join. Risk the experiment of this Sunday!

Rev. Vanessa Rush Southern, Senior Minister Rev. Alyson Jacks, Associate Minister Sharon Weld, Ministerial Intern Sam King, Worship Associate Dr. Mark Sumner, Music Director Reiko Oda Lane, organ Bill Ganz, piano Don Shearer, Camera Operator Jonathan Silk, OOS, Sound, Podcasting, Video Edits

what are we waiting for? (December 8, 2019)

For many people this time of year is one of waiting…for the sun to return, the people to come together, the lamp to burn long enough, for the Savior to be born.

This morning will be a time for each of us to reflect, what are we really waiting for?

The Offering this morning will go to Kopanang, the women’s empowerment group in South Africa, founded by Sister Sheila in 2001.

This congregation has been contributing to Kopanang for the past nineteen years, and our support has been crucial to this community living in the area of shacks, riven by poverty, violence, and AIDS.

Sadly, this year Sister Sheila will not be with us, she is in Australia recovering from a bad fall.

Rev. Margot Campbell Gross, Minister Emerita

Carmen Barsody, Worship Associate

Sharon Weld, Ministerial Intern

VanNessa Hulme, soloist

Dr. Mark Sumner, Music Director

Reiko Oda Lane, organ & bell choir director

VanNessa Hulme, soloist

Eric Shackleford, Trustee

Don Shearer, Camera Operator

Jonathan Silk, OOS, Sound, Podcasting, Video Edits

A Pearl of Great Price (December 1, 2019)

This service is about the value in finding the "work of one’s life”… despite the challenges / obstacles … finding that thing that lights up one’s eyes and life. … mostly an optimistic intention that also acknowledges what is hard.

Sharon Weld, Ministerial Intern

Don Wiepert, Worship Associate

Mark Sumner, piano

Andrés Vera, cello

My-Hoa Steger, piano

Shannon Warto, song leader

Amy Kelly, Trustee

Eric Shackelford, camera

Jonathan Silk, OOS, Sound, Podcasting, Video Edits

The Ultimate MassUp (November 24, 2019)

This Sunday is BIG MUSIC Sunday. If you've never been to one, hold on to your hat and be sure to fasten your seat belts. Actually, DO grab a seat and belt yourself in. We sold out last Sunday at Hertz Hall in Berkeley and those who sat in the aisles may come again THIS SUNDAY to experience it again---to say nothing of those planning to spend $20 at the door who were turned away.

It fills up the service in several ways this Sunday, complete with an actual programme and a freewill donation towards our "Alex Post" Fund which support special sharing of this kind in the future.

With a chorus of 180, soloists and 45-piece orchestra (If you extrapolate the Hamilton orchestra with this, the comparable ticket price would be over $4,000) we would not want to perform for a congregation smaller than the performing forces! The balcony will be open for overflow congregants.

You will NOT want to miss "The Ultimate Mass-Up....a mash-up of movements from the greatest masses ever written". I poured a lot into the arrangement of the music and hope even the most non-Catholic attendee will find great pleasure, beauty and surprise in this incredible playlist. It will also feature our two newest church soloists, VanNessa Hulme and Brielle Nelson.

We're putting the "Big" into Big Music Sunday so please put it in your calendar in Big letters for this Sunday!

Dr. Mark Sumner, Music Director Rev. Vanessa Rush Southern, Senior Minister Reiko Oda Lane, organ Bill Ganz, keyboard Brielle Nelson, mezzo soprano Holly Lewis, soprano Gilead Wurman, baritone René Minneboo, baritone VanNessa Hulme, soprano Asher Davison, soloist Tim Salaver, soloist Jim Hillendahl, soloist Anthony White, soloist Kealie Pretzlav, soloist Allen Biggs, percussion Don Shearer, video camera Jonathan Silk, OOS, Sound, Podcasting, Video Edits

Happiness is.... (November 17, 2019)

Ancient philosophers have talked about happiness. Religions have weighed in on what it means for us and how to find it. And ever since the launching of the field of positive psychology, the study (rigorous, measurable, double-blind and controlled studies) of what makes us happy has confirmed some of what we always knew, but also dismantled some of what we thought we knew would make us happy. Where does knowing all this leave us?

Rev. Vanessa Rush Southern, Senior Minister

Alyson Jacks, Associate Minister

Daniel Jackoway, Worship Associate

Reiko Oda Lane, organ

Dr. Mark Sumner, Music Director

Judy Payne, Board Secretary

Shulee Ong, video camera

Jonathan Silk, OOS, Sound, Podcasting, Video Edits

Authenticity and the Price of Being Most Fully Human and Yourself (November 10, 2019)

Later this month on November 20th it will be Transgender Day of Remembrance, a day to remember all those whose lives were lost in anti-transgender violence.

It raises the larger question of why? And the struggles of transgender folks, a high number of whom take their own lives too. At heart, though, the struggle is so familiar, isn't it?

Rev. Vanessa Rush Southern, Senior Minister

Lisanicole Sarkisian, Worship Associate

Rev. Claire Bohman, Worship Associate

Reiko Oda Lane, organ

Dr. Mark Sumner, Music Director

Eli Wise, guitar & vocals

Asher Davison, vocals

Carrie Steere-Salazar, Moderator

Don Shearer, video camera

Jonathan Silk, OOS, Sound, Podcasting, Video Edits, drums

Imagine That! (October 20, 2019)

I think of church as an Imaginarium, a place devoted to the exploration of the imagination. In the Imaginarium we learn to see and experience things from different angles and discover new perspectives.

We open ourselves to new (and sometimes old!) ideas, widen our vision, and gain deeper understanding. Growing our imaginations takes practice, courage, and faith, which, after all, is what church is all about. Just imagine, won’t you?

Rev. Alyson Jacks, Associate Minister

Sharon Weld, Ministerial Intern

Dr. Mark Sumner, Music Director

VanNessa Hulme, soprano

Brielle Nelson, mezzo soprano

Eric, Hamilton, classical guitar

Aaron Kierbel, percussion

Carrie Steere-Salazar, Moderator

Vanessa Vanderlaan, video camera

Jonathan Silk, OOS, Sound, Podcasting, Video Edits

Honoring the Ancestors (November 3, 2019)

This weekend is the confluence of the celebrations of the Day of the Dead in Mexican and Mexican-American communities and in Catholicism the All Saints and All Souls Days.

All of them are about honoring those who have gone before, loved, gone. And so we spend a little time honoring and thinking about what it means to honor our ancestors.

Rev. Vanessa Rush Southern, Senior Minister

Carmen Barsody, Worship Associate

Sharon Weld, Ministerial Intern

Anjalisa Aitken, vocals (The Harmony People)

Gary Garrett, guitar & vocals (The Harmony People)

My-Hoa Steger, piano

Asher Davison, song leader

Reece Hart, Board Trustee

Max Benbow, Young Adults

Don Shearer, video camera

Jonathan Silk, OOS, Sound, Podcasting, Video Edits

Honesty and Legacy (October 13, 2019)

This Monday will be Columbus Day or, as we better know it now, Indigenous People's Day. That change is a call, part of a movement to tell a whole history, a full and honest history of our nation. It is a call to talk about, not just the ideals, or the retold stories of lore, but of the moments that are not heroic but that are also stamped indelibly on our history and legacy.

It is a question many of us face in our own families-of-origin, to tell truths, not just cleaned-up ones. Why do that? And what happens (or can) when we do?

Rev. Vanessa Rush Southern, Senior Minister

Rev. Alyson Jacks, Associate Minister

Richard Davis-Lowell, Worship Associate

Reiko Oda Lane, organ

Dr. Mark Sumner, Music Director

Liz Patterson, solo

Judy Payne, Board Secretary

Don Shearer, video camera

Jonathan Silk, OOS, Sound, Podcasting, Video Edits

The Cost of Turning (October 6, 2019)

Yom Kippur and the Days of Awe that precede it ask us turn back to God, or whatever we know and name as holy or as the desired to ground of our being. What does it take to make that turning in our lives? What does it cost us? And what does it make room for?

Rev. Vanessa Rush Southern, Senior Minister

Lisanicole Sarkisian, Worship Associate

Sharon Weld, Ministerial Intern

Reiko Oda Lane, organ

William Klingelhoffer, shofar

Jill Brindel, cello

Matthew Arnerich, piano

Diane Frank, poem

Ben Rudiak Gould, song leader

Scott Benbow, Trustee

Shullee Ong, video camera

Jonathan Silk, OOS, Sound, Podcasting, Video Edits

A Caring Community (September 29, 2019)

Each week we remind ourselves of our covenant to “dwell together in peace, to seek the truth in freedom, and to help one another.” This Sunday we explore the various pastoral ministries of the community, designed to facilitate mutual helping and care. What are some of the ways each of us might be involved in these ministries? How do they contribute to congregational life?

Rev. Pamela Gehrke, Assistant Minister

Daniel Jackoway, Worship Associate

Mark Sumner, piano

Reiko Oda Lane, organ

Eric Hamilton, guitar

Asher Davison, song leader

Lori Lai, Board Treasurer

Shullee Ong, video camera

Jonathan Silk, OOS, Sound, Podcasting, Video Edits

What Books Changed Your Life? (September 22, 2019)

We talk about the "larger library of human wisdom" from which we draw as Unitarian Universalists. That includes, of course, poetry, history, psychology, biography -- all the places learning and insights about life and the living of it surfaces for us.

What about books, then, fiction, non-fiction, have most changed us. What is our own personal scripture; what verse, so to speak, changed the course of our life in some significant way. On Sunday we will reflect a little together on books that changed our lives -- mine and a few other folks too.

Rev. Vanessa Rush Southern, Senior Minister

Gayle Reynolds, Partner Church

Carrie Steere-Salazar, Partner Church

Sam King, Worship Associate

Kat Liu, Worship Associate

Mark Sumner, music director

Reiko Oda Lane, organ

Amy Kelly, Trustee

Don Shearer, video camera

Jonathan Silk, OOS, Sound, Podcasting, Video Edits

Connections that Hold Us (September 15, 2019)

On this day when special music honors a beloved member, Vera Lee, we begin a year of small group ministry and remember that what holds us, grounds us, that where the deepest wisdom and insights so often come is from one another.

In family (the one we are born into or choose and make), at work (when it is healthy and good) and in the circles of friends or fellow travels that we simply show up for, we find and make the connections that hold and deepen us.

Rev. Margot Campbell Gross, Minister Emerita

Rev. Vanessa Rush Southern, Senior Minister

Judith Stoddard, Small Group Ministry

Ralph Fenn, Small Group Ministry

Bobbi Kovac, Small Group Ministry

Laurel Sprigg, soprano

Bill Ganz, piano

Mark Sumner, music director

Reiko Oda Lane, organ

Judy Payne, Board Secretary

Don Shearer, video camera

Jonathan Silk, OOS, Sound, Podcasting, Video Edits

Cuentista: Who tells us who we are? (September 8, 2019)

Come on our Opening Sunday. We will bless our students and teachers who are beginning their year of religious education together, and launch our own year of life. Drawing from Cherríe Moraga’s book on her mother, entitled “Native Country of the Heart” we will look at how the cuentista, the story teller, shapes us, and why that is relevant to our lives in community together.

Rev. Vanessa Rush Southern, Senior Minister

Rev. Alyson Jacks, Associate Minister

Rev. Pam Gehrke, Assistant Minister

Dennis Adams, Worship Associate

UUSF Chorus

Rachel Spund, soprano

Bill Ganz, piano

Mark Sumner, music director

Reiko Oda Lane, organ

Lori Lai, board treasurer

Judy Payne, board secretary

Carrie Steere-Salazar, board moderator

Margaret Pearce, Anne Dillon Award Winner

Shulee Ong, video camera

Jonathan Silk, OOS, Sound, Podcasting, Video Edits

Alive with Hope, Despite It All (September 1, 2019)

In keeping with the music theme, the sermon will address hopeful signs for economic justice, such as new successful union organizing, new approaches by labor such as bargaining for the common good, the Poor Peoples Campaign, the increasing engagement of youth and young adults in economic justice-related work, and the role of faith communities in supporting economic justice.

Millie Phillips, Guest Preacher

Sam King, Worship Associate

The Labor Heritage/Rockin’ Solidarity Chorus

Pat Wynne, director

Mark Sumner, piano

Asher Davison, song leader

Anish Johnson, Worship Associate

Don Shearer, video camera

Jonathan Silk, OOS, Sound, Podcasting, Video Edits

Biophilia, the Urge to Connect with Life (August 25, 2019)

Edward O. Wilson introduced the idea that we humans had the urge to connect with other forms of life in his 1984 book, "Biophilia". What happens when we have that connection, though, is just as important, how it changes us and our relationship to the world; that love may be what saves us!

Rev. Vanessa Rush Southern, Senior Minister

Christine Patch-Lindsay, Worship Associate

Laurel Sprigg, soprano

My-Hoa Steger née Lê, piano

Shannon Warto, song leader

Eric Shackelford, Welcome

Dan Wiffen, video camera

Jonathan Silk, OOS, Sound, Podcasting, Video Edits

Finding Your Voice (August 18, 2019)

Young adulthood is a phase of discovery of one's voice, perspective, morals, values, and more. It's a time when all of one's hopes and dreams seem possible, even as the forces seek to stop them. There is simply no proper way to navigate its trials and tribulations.

Alan Alpert, Worship Associate and Song Leader

Joe Chapot, Young Adult Coordinator

Jamie Docherty, Worship Associate

Greg Jean-Baptiste, Worship Associate

Alfie Jiang, Worship Associate

Anish Johnson, Worship Associate

Sabrina Kaschmitter, Worship Associate (not in final mix)

Sam King, Worship Associate

Chelsea Wiffen, Worship Associate

Radim Zenkl, multi instrumentalist

My-Hoa Steger née Lê, piano

Eric Shackelford, video camera

Jonathan Silk, OOS, Sound, Podcasting, Video Edits

Deep Time (August 11, 2019)

Author Robert Macfarlane writes about the intersections of human and natural realms. In Underland: A Deep Time Journey he writes, " To think in deep time can be a means of not escaping our troubled present, but rather of re-imagining it; countermanding its quick greeds and furies with older, slower stories of making and remaking. Set down your smart devices, turn off your ipads, power down your computers and join us for a time traveling service where we'll explore deep time and our relationship to it.

Rev. Alyson Jacks, Associate Minister

Dennis Adams, Worship Associate

Reiko Oda Lane, organ

Shannon Warto, song leader

Richard Fey, baritone

Elektra Schmidt, piano

Rochelle A.Fortier Nwadibia , Vice Moderator

Don Shearer, video camera

Jonathan Silk, OOS, Sound, Podcasting, Sound Meditation

At Least a Thousand More (August 4, 2019)

According to the Sufi poet Rumi, "there are a thousand ways to kneel and kiss the ground." but even in the 13th Century, that was a conservative number. In her last sermon as Assistant Minister at UUSF, Rev. Mary Ganz reprises a theme from one of her first here as an intern minister 15 years ago, considering the meaning of "prayer" for Unitarian Universalists.

Rev. Mary McKinnon Ganz, Assistant Minister (final service)

Lisanicole Sarkisian, Worship Associate

Mark Sumner, piano

Shannon Warto, song leader

Dan Frechette, guitar & vocals

Laurel Thomsen, violin & vocals

Carrie Steere-Salazar, Moderator

Eric Shackelford, video camera

Jonathan Silk, OOS, Sound, Podcasting

No Going Back (July 28, 2019)

They say there is wisdom to be found as we get older. How do we make our way to it, through thickets of diminishing memory or physical strength?

Rev. Mary McKinnon Ganz, Assistant Minister

Carmen Barsody, Worship Associate

Reiko Oda Lane, organ

Mark Sumner, piano

Mark Kapner, piano

Jiun-Chyi Yew, soprano

Asher Davison, song leader

Reece Hart, Welcome

Carrie Steere-Salazar, Moderator

Nathan Gandrud, Staff

Eric Shackelford, video camera

Jonathan Silk, OOS, Sound, Podcasting

In Memoriam (July 21, 2019)

Years ago when the losses of US soldiers reached over 1000, a member of the church I served set up a meeting to say how horrified and saddened she was that we ceased to notice the losses -- all happening in our names. So, we witnessed to it one week soon after, and then in one ritual for every week that followed until the war was officially declared over. We vowed not to forget what was being done, lost, harmed, sacrificed each week "in our name."

This week, under different circumstances, we are calling ourselves to do the same. Come join us for a service, hard but honest, witnessing to in our hour together of worship (a word whose root means "meaning making") and through collective public witness outside on our steps after service, to what is happening in our world, in our name -- To loss, cruelty, death, starvation, human-beings'-inhumanity-to-one-another. This week's response may also be part of evolving rituals and actions that will not let us go, that cannot let us go, until the end to another kind of war is declared. And to that end, we gather.

Rev. Vanessa Rush Southern, Senior Minister

Sharon Weld, Worship Associate

Reiko Oda Lane, organ

Asher Davison, bass-baritone

My-Hoa Steger, piano

Shannon Warto, song leader

Mark Sumner, song leader

Carrie Steere-Salazar, Welcome

Shulle Ong, video camera

Jonathan Silk, OOS, Sound, Podcasting

Hope in an Age of Climate Despair (July 14, 2019)

On this warming piece of rock that is our home, what can we hang our hopes on? Can we find a path between denial and despair?

Rev. Mary McKinnon Ganz, Assistant Minister

Richard Davis-Lowell, Worship Associate

Martha Rodriguez-Salazar, flute and vocals

Sharon Wayne, vocals and guitar

David Jones, piano

Mark Sumner, song leader

Amy Kelly, Welcome

Ben Welte, video camera

Jonathan Silk, OOS, Sound, Podcasting

Poetry and Life Distilled (July 7, 2019)

Following on the theme of spaciousness and invitations to sit with life and go deep, we will spend a Sunday hour sitting with the wisdom source and texts of a few arresting, delightful works of poetry.

Rev. Vanessa Rush Southern, Senior Minister

Sam King, Worship Associate

Reiko Oda Lane, organ

Christine Tulis, harp and vocals

Asher Davison, song leader

Eric Shackelford, video camera

Jonathan Silk, OOS, Sound, Podcasting

Inside/Out (June 30, 2019)

It’s Pride Sunday, our city is throwing a party to celebrate Queer culture in all its many marvelous manifestations. Before heading to the parade, join us for worship. We’ll explore the idea of culture care, how to create generative environments that help communities and individuals thrive and grow, openly, honestly and with boundless joy.

Rev. Alyson Jacks, Associate Minister

Daniel Jackoway, Worship Associate

Larry Chinn, jazz piano

Chie Sugiyama, vocalist

Asher Davison, song leader

Kat Liu, welcome

Joe Chapot, OOS

Sharon Weld, video camera

Jonathan Silk, Sound, Podcasting

Releasing on Urgency.... A Sermon for Summer (June 23, 2019)

We all know what gets done when we are highly efficient and focused -- just how much we can accomplish and just how much there is that needs accomplishing. What is lost, though, in a world enamored of urgency? How can summer be a way into reminding ourselves of what that other space makes possible? From Dismantling White Supremacy to staying in touch with our deepest selves and one another, what if it is urgent we not be so urgent all the time!

Rev. Vanessa Rush Southern, Senior Minister

Dennis Adams, Worship Associate

My-Hoa Steger née Lê, piano

Andrés Vera cello

Alan Alpert, soloist

Joe Chapot, OOS

Donald Shearer, Live Sound

Jonathan Silk, Podcasting

A Little Better than Before (June 16, 2019)

Sidney Poitier, the great actor and director once said, "I decided in my life that I would do nothing that did not reflect positively on my father's life." The influence of our fathers (their presence or absence) shapes us. Reflecting on their lives, their influence, their legacy is a big piece of what it means to wrestle with our own lives. We reflect on some stories of fathers and a little bit of how making sense of their lives might help us clarify how to make sense of our own.

Rev. Vanessa Rush Southern, Senior Minister

Carmen Barsody, Worship Associate

Reiko Oda Lane, organ

Julie Grower, country singer/guitar

Anish Johnson, welcome

Donald Shearer, Live Sound

Joe Chapot, OOS

Jonathan Silk, Podcasting

What Deserves Our Ultimate Trust? (June 9, 2019)

The first challenge to a child’s emotional development, said Erik Erikson, is trust vs. mistrust. James Baldwin said that what he learned in church is “do our first works over.” In a society and time that has come to distrust information, institutions, and almost all else, let’s talk about trust. On a Sunday when Rev. Southern will be in New York for the ordination of our intern minister, Shari Halliday-Quan, our former senior minister steps. The Choir will sing for the last time before summer services begin. Worship will be followed by the Annual Meeting of the Society.

Rev. John Buehrens, Guest Minister

Richard Davis-Lowell, Worship Associate

Dr. Mark Sumner, Music Director

Reiko Oda Lane, organ

Kate Offer, soprano

Bill Ganz, piano

Asher Davison, soloist

Shannon Warto, soloist

Kevin Smith, soloist

Gayle Reynolds, welcome

Joe Chapot, Video Camera

Jonathan Silk, Sound, Podcasting, OOS, Livestream, Videos, drums

You Know That I Love You (June 2, 2019)

Here at First Unitarian Universalist SF, we try as best as possible to draw the circle ever wider and be an inclusive and loving community. We all have limited time and energy, of course, and so both individually and collectively, we often fail to achieve this goal perfectly. No surprise there since perfection is impossible, but perhaps we can inch just a little closer to loving well. Shari Halliday-Quan, our ministerial intern this year, will preach about who and what is at the center of our circle of love.?

Shari Halliday-Quan, Ministerial Intern

Rev. Vanessa Rush Southern, Senior Minister

Daniel Jackoway, Worship Associate

Dr. Mark Sumner, Music Director

Reiko Oda Lane, organ and Bell Choir Director

Bill Ganz, piano

Alan Alpert, tenor

Marie Kazan-Komarek, Mary Jane Mikuriya, Richard Davis, Intern Committee

Rev. Eloise Mayo and her children Beth and David

Diane Alen, Vision/Mission

Christopher Rodriguez, welcome

Shulee Ong, Video Camera

Jonathan Silk, Sound, Podcasting, OOS, Livestream, Videos

Two Bodies, One Heart (May 19, 2019)

Ralph Waldo Emerson told us, "Friendship demands a religious treatment.” In this sermon guest minister the Rev. Dr. Colin Bossen will offer of a spirituality of friendship that draws upon Unitarian Universalism Transcendentalist roots. Dr. Bossen currently serves as the interim senior minister of the First Unitarian Universalist Church of Houston. He is in San Francisco to give the second of his Minns lectures: “The Social Question: Unitarian Social Ethics in the Progressive Era.” His blog can be found at www.colinbossen.com.

Rev. Dr. Colin Bossen, Guest Minister

Shari Halliday-Quan, Ministerial Intern

Sam King, Worship Associate

Christine Tulis, harp and vocals

Wm. García Ganz, piano

Ariel Andrew, song leader

Carrie Steere Salazar, Moderator

Don Shearer, video camera

Jonathan Silk, Sound, Podcasting, OOS, Livestream, Videos

Good Enough Mother (May 12, 2019)

On this Mother’s Day, when we celebrate our mother’s let’s talk about cutting ourselves some slack. Perfection is overrated for one. But also, giving it up — illusion that it is — might just be the best gift we give our kids. Goodbye Paragons of Virtue. Hello Goddesses of Good Enough!

Rev. Vanessa Rush Southern, Senior Minister

Rev. Alyson Jacks, Associate Minister

Shari Halliday-Quan, Ministerial Intern

Richard Davis-Lowell, Worship Associate

Reiko Oda Lane, organ

Bill Ganz, piano

Ariel Andrew, soloist

Amy Kelly, welcome

Natlie Shuttleworth, video camera

Jonathan Silk, Podcasting, OOS, Livestream, Videos, drums

Growing a Soul (May 5, 2019)

UU Minister A. Powell Davies, whose All Souls Church in Washington D.C. was a leader in challenging segregation in the nation’s capital during his ministry, once said that the purpose of life was, “to grow a soul.” There are so many ways we grow a soul. This Sunday we’ll honor a couple of those and just hold up the venture itself, remind ourselves of what it takes, mostly a village.

Rev. Vanessa Rush Southern, Senior Minister

Rev. Alyson Jacks, Associate Minister

Rev. Margot Campbell Gross, Minister Emerita

Small Group Ministry

Young Adult Group

All Church Retreat

Dennis Adams, Worship Associate

Ben Bear, reflection

Reiko Oda Lane, organ

Bill Ganz, piano

Asher Davison, soloist and guest conductor

Ariel Andrew, soloist

Scott Benbow, welcome

Don Shearer, video camera

Jonathan Silk, Podcasting, OOS, Livestream, Videos, drums

Liberation (April 28, 2019)

“The goal,”Rabbi Irving Greenberg once wrote of Passover, “is to go back thousands of years and to experience, first, the crushing bitterness and despair of slavery and, next, the wild, exhilarating release of freedom.” And then to ask, what do I need to be liberated from; what liberating work is left to do, remembering what that work might look and feel like. Let's accept the Passover invitation to re-engage with the experience and call to liberation.

Rev. Vanessa Rush Southern, Senior Minister

Rev. Alyson Jacks, Associate Minister

Daniel Jackoway, Worship Associate

Reiko Oda Lane, organ

Dr. Mark Sumner, piano

Asher Davison, song leader

The Harmony People, Anjalisa and Gary

Anjalisa Aitken, vocals

Gary Garrett, guitar

Christopher Rodriguez, welcome

Gino Fortunato, All Church Retreat

Daniel Stuurop-Wiffen, video camera

Jonathan Silk, Podcasting, OOS, Livestream, Videos

Miracles (April 21, 2019)

Part of the Easter story is the most horrific cruelty and loss that precedes it, and then the most magnificent miracle that wakes us Easter morning. How do we rational, scientific folks make sense of miracle stories, and of this one in particular? Let's re-frame Easter for our ears and lose none of the beauty of it in so doing!

Rev. Vanessa Rush Southern, Senior Minister

Rev. Mary McKinnon Ganz, Assistant Minister

Shari Halliday-Quan, Ministerial Intern

Lisanicole Sarkisian, Worship Associate

Reiko Oda Lane, organ and bell choir director

Dr. Mark Sumner, Music Director

Asher Davison, soloist

Kate Offer, solist

Eric Shackleford, welcome

Joe Chapot, video camera

Jonathan Silk, Podcasting, OOS, Livestream, Videos

Stepping Stones: Rites of Passage Class (April 14, 2019)

We have four bright, young thinkers in this year’s class, each has posed their Big Life Question, now it's time for the ministers to answer!

Rites of Passage Class 2019 (Zoe, Erik, Calder, Oriana)

Rev. Alyson Jacks, Associate Minister

Rev. Vanessa Rush Southern, Senior Minister

Rev. Mary McKinnon Ganz, Assistant Minister

Shari Halliday-Quan, Ministerial Intern

Marigold Birch and Stepping Stones Teaching Team

Alex Darr, Worship Associate

Dr. Mark Sumner, Music Director

Asher Davison, soloist

Kate Offer, intro offertory

Bill Ganz, piano

Linda Robertshaw, drums

Donald Shearer, video camera

Jonathan Silk, Podcasting, OOS, Livestream, Videos

The Way - The Fools Way (April 7, 2019)

"The Camino is Life!" Along the Camino de Santiago, these words are often heard, called by one pilgrim to another, or seen, scribbled on a wall or a rock -- words that challenge and inspire, adding the energy necessary for the climb up another hill. How was life on the Camino similar to life walking in the Tenderloin as a Faithful Fool? What energy and focus can we find by asking together, "What are we walking toward?"

Carmen Barsody, OSF, Faithful Fools Street Ministry

Rev. Mary McKinnon Ganz, Assistant Minister

Sam Dennison, Faithful Fool

Mark Sumner, piano and song leader

Laurel Sprigg, soprano

Ariel Andrew, mezzo soprano

Richard Fey, baritone

Asher Davison, baritone

David Jones, piano

Jim Rebhan, accordion

Judy Payne, Board Secretary

Donald Shearer, video camera

Jonathan Silk, Podcasting, OOS, Livestream, Videos

Threshold Living (March 31, 2019)

Rev. Vanessa Rush Southern, Senior Minister

Shari Halliday-Quan, Ministerial Intern

Trudy Lionel, Reflection: Why I Give

Daniel Jackoway, Worship Associate

Jordan Kersten, soprano

Reiko Oda Lane, organ

Dr. Mark Sumner, piano

Ariel Andrew, song leader

Gayle Reynolds, Trustee

Kelli Murray, AOF Co-Chair

Donald Shearer, video camera

Jonathan Silk, Podcasting, OOS, Livestream, Videos

Time of the Month (March 24, 2019)

Women's History Month invites us to explore the ways extraordinary women and everyday communities have cast off the oppressive limitations placed on them by wider society based on their gender. This liberation work takes many forms today as we collectively pursue gender justice, and this week we explore how grounding ourselves in historical celebrations of transcendence can help us get our bodies and spirits more free.

Shari Halliday-Quan, Ministerial Intern

Rev. Alyson Jacks, Associate Minister

Rev. Vanessa Rush Southern, Senior Minister

Gino Fortunato, Reflection: Why I Give

Sam King, Worship Associate

Reiko Oda Lane, organ

Ariel Andrew, soprano

Dr. Mark Sumner, Music Director

Carrie Steere-Salazar, welcome

Laurence Pulgram, AOF Co-Chair

Natalie Shuttleworth, video camera

Jonathan Silk, Podcasting, OOS, Livestream, Videos

An Understanding Mind (March 17, 2019)

In the famous wisdom tales of King Solomon, it’s said that God appeared to him in a dream saying, “Tell me what I should give you? Solomon asks for an understanding mind in order to serve his people. Some scholars interpret an understanding mind to mean a hearing heart. Wisdom – the gathering of knowledge, understanding, insight and perception – is an exercise in listening with both heart and mind. We live in a world crowded with smart alecks and experts; let’s explore the wisdom of the hearing heart together.

Rev. Alyson Jacks, Associate Minister

Shari Halliday-Quan, Ministerial Intern

Courtney Young-Law and Chris Law, Why I Give

Radim Zenkl, Multi Instrumentalist

Wm. García Ganz, piano

Ariel Andrew, song leader

Hanna Hart, welcome

Kelli Murray, AOF Co-Chair

Eric Shackelford, camera

Scott Miller, Livestream Technical Support

Jonathan Silk, Podcasting, OOS, Livestream, Videos

Boldness! (March 10, 2019)

This Sunday our Annual Operating Fund Campaign begins!

Rev. Vanessa Rush Southern, Senior Minister

Rev. Alyson Jacks, Associate Minister

Shari Halliday-Quan, Ministerial Intern

Kelli Murray and Laurence Pulgram, AOF 2019

Dr. Mark Sumner, Choir Director

Reiko Oda Lane, organ and bell choir director

Millie Phillips, soprano

Diane Allen, Vision/Mission, Chair

Eric Shackelford, camera

Shulee Ong, camera

Scott Miller, Livestream Technical Support and camera

Jonathan Silk, Podcasting, OOS, Livestream, Videos

Gift Culture: the Gift Experiment (March 3, 2019)

What does it mean not to think of life as ownership? Other people have had this idea. How does it change us? We will kick off this experiment on Sunday.

Rev. Vanessa Rush Southern, Senior Minister

Rev. Alyson Jacks, Associate Minister

Dennis Adams, Worship Associate

Dr. Mark Sumner, Choir Director

Reiko Oda Lane, Organist

Bill Lowell, Membership

Kensington UU Choir

Kate Offer,soloist

Ariel Andrew,soloist

Hsuanwei Fan,soloist

Asher Davison,soloist

Wm. Garcia Ganz, piano

Gayle Reynolds, Trustee

Eric Shackelford, Livestream Camera Operator

Scott Miller, Livestream Technical Support

Jonathan Silk, Podcasting, OOS, Livestream, Videos

Seeing Whiteness? (February 24, 2019)

Our Board said an overarching goal at this summer’s Board Retreat — to seek and serve “wholeness” among us. It is a particularly important goal to keep in mind as we look, in our just-beginning strategic planning process, at the future of who we wish to be and what it will mean to get there. Part of that work has meant for many of us to begin to unpack what is hard to see and name — the water we swim in, the culture that forms us and we reinforce unless we are careful, the power and privilege and protected class of whiteness.

Rev. Vanessa Rush Southern, Senior Minister

Rev. Alyson Jacks, Associate Minister

Sam King, Worship Associate

Dr. Mark Sumner, Choir Director

Reiko Oda Lane, Organist

Alan Alpert, tenor

Wm. Garcia Ganz, piano

Gayle Reynolds, Trustee

Jonathan Silk, Podcasting, OOS

Exploring Our Humanist Source: A Living Faith in Human Connection (February 17, 2019)

Let's explore our fifth source: "Humanist teachings which counsel us to heed the guidance of reason and the results of science, and warn us against idolatries of the mind and spirit." What does it mean to live faithfully without reliance on the supernatural, to place our deepest trust in the abilities of our own imperfect humanity?"

Millie Phillips, Guest Preacher

Jim Barnett, Humanists & Non-Theists

Lucy Smith, Worship Associate

Dr. Mark Sumner, Choir Director

Reiko Oda Lane, Organist

Bill Ganz, piano

Rochelle Fortier Nwadibia, Vice Moderator

Jonathan Silk, Podcasting, OOS

Antwann Horace, sound

Come Home! (February 10, 2019)

This month we begin our 31st year of providing home for 70 men in our city who otherwise would sleep on the streets. With others we will provide breakfast and dinners and shelter from the elements. We will also reflect on our connection to the planet we call home, all of which raises the notion of what is “home” and what is our relationship to this place (or is it an idea) and how does our experience of home shape us, and what does it require of us? Come home!

Rev. Vanessa Rush Southern, Senior Minister

Rev. Alyson Jacks, Associate Minister

Daniel Jackoway, Worship Associate

Dr. Mark Sumner, Choir Director

Reiko Oda Lane, Organist

Bill Ganz, piano

Shannon Warto, soprano

Betsy Darr, EJWG

Amy Kelly, Trustee

Jonathan Silk, Podcasting, OOS, Sound

Unafraid of the Dark (February 3, 2019)

Who’s afraid of the dark? English-speaking, American culture is riddled with links between darkness and fear, but what else is there to discover in the darkness. Rich, fertile possibilities await us when we stretch ourselves just a little bit and expand our metaphorical and moral imagination.

Shari Halliday-Quan, Ministerial Intern

Rev. Vanessa Rush Southern, Senior Minister

Richard Davis-Lowell, Worship Associate

Jennifer Peringer, piano

Ariel Andrew, song leader

Carrie Steere-Salazar, Moderator

Jonathan Silk, Podcasting, OOS, Sound

Wrestling with Time (January 27, 2019)

One of our UU Saints, Charles Darwin, wrote: "A man who dares to waste one hour of time has not discovered the value of life.”

We are all destined to wrestle with time, it's passage, its limits, what it can be and what it can devolves into, and the refrain of the modernity since it began: how to be in a world of "speeded up.” Let's look this morning at at what it means to be forever engaged in wrestling with time, and how to thrive in the midst of it.

Rev. Vanessa Rush Southern, Senior Minister

Rev. Alyson Jacks, Associate Minister

Daniel Jackoway, Worship Associate

Dr. Mark Sumner, Music Director

Reiko Oda Lane, organ

Eric Shackelford, Trustee

Jonathan Silk, Podcasting, OOS, Sound, drums

The Myth of Inevitability (January 20, 2019)

Sometimes in the telling of history backwards, everything looks as if it was leading to the place we arrived at -- a kind of foreordained destiny. But it is rarely so in people's lived experience. On this MLK Sunday we will look back at some of the stories and chapters of the American Civil Right's struggle and this myth of inevitability, as we prepare ourselves to live into the next chapter of it.

Rev. Vanessa Rush Southern, Senior Minister

Rev. Alyson Jacks, Associate Minister

Rochelle Fortier Nwadibia, Worship Associate

Dr. Mark Sumner, Music Director

Reiko Oda Lane, organ

Eric Shackelford, soloist

Wm. García Ganz, piano

Judy Payne, Trustee

Gary Lorentzen, auction

Jonathan Silk, Podcasting, OOS, Sound, drums

Healthy Lives, Healthy Institutions: Love and the Limits of Kindness (January 13, 2019)

I have been reading and thinking a lot about “kindness” as a virtue — when it is the thing that knits the world back together and how it is a balm for all the storms of daily life, and where it’s benefits stop. Where love and health require a tougher way of being to serve the good.

Rev. Vanessa Rush Southern, Senior Minister

Rev. Alyson Jacks, Associate Minister

Sam King, Worship Associate

Dr. Mark Sumner, Music Director

Reiko Oda Lane, organ

David Jones, tenor

Peter Gross, Trustee

Susan Anthony & Julia Wald, auction

Jonathan Silk, Podcasting, OOS, Sound

In An Ideal World (January 6, 2019)

Let's be real, living up to our ideals isn't easy, sometimes it's downright dangerous. When we think of the ideal, often, we picture perfection, the ultimate, the unattainable. Why bother? But in today's reality, particularly political reality, we harken for something better - something more ideal. Are there examples of the ideal that are attainable, inspiring, useful for us mere mortals? ?Ideals that might guide us out of the mess we are in? Is there an ideal story that can show us a way forward? Today's service we will explore some of the central ideas about ideals (Plato anyone?) and why they matter, now more than ever.

Rev. Alyson Jacks, Associate Minister

Phil Marshall, Worship Associate

Asher Davison, song leader

Larry Chinn, piano

Scott Benbow, Treasurer

Linda Harris, UUSC

Jonathan Silk, Podcasting, OOS, Sound

Saved from Perfection (December 30, 2018)

You are enough. I am enough. I could do a little better. We can do a little better together. Our American Unitarian fore-bearers split from our Puritan roots over a number of theological differences, including the controversial idea that human beings have the power to both do good and do better. Along with this doggedly hopeful belief about our ability to improve ourselves comes the freedom to no longer need to prove that we are already good, already perfect. Our liberal tradition teaches that we are already saved from perfection. Let's start there.

Shari Halliday-Quan, Ministerial Intern

Lisanicole Sarkasian, Worship Associate

David Jones, song leader

Andrés Vera, cello

My-Hoa Steger, piano

Rochelle Fortier Nwadibia, Vice Moderator

Jonathan Silk, Podcasting, OOS, Sound

Holy Families (December 23, 2018)

We'll gather the day after this to tell the ancient story of love made real in a particular infant, and yet as Unitarian religious educator Sophia Lyon Fahs taught, "Each night a child is born is a holy night." We might even say that every child, every person, every family is a miracle.

In this multi-generational Sunday morning service, we celebrate families of many types, each statistically unlikely collections of stardust, DNA, histories and former strangers that miraculously came to be.

Shari Halliday-Quan, Ministerial Intern

Rev. Vanessa Rush Southern, Senior Minister

Rev. Alyson Jacks, Associate Minister

Reiko Oda Lane, organ

Dr. Mark Sumner, Music Director

Lori Lai, Story

Shulee Ong, Story

DJ Quinn, Story

Shannon Warto, soprano

Alan Alpert, tenor

Eric Shackelford, Trustee

Jonathan Silk, Podcasting, OOS, Sound, drums

Joy! (December 16, 2018)

You know, of all the spiritual practices, there is fasting and study and prayer, why not joy? What does it look like to put joy at the center? Fun to try!

Rev. Vanessa Rush Southern, Senior Minister

Lucy Smith, Worship Associate

Shari Halliday-Quan, Ministerial Intern

Reiko Oda Lane, organ

Wm. García Ganz, guest conductor

Asher Davidson, soloist

Alan Alpert, soloist

Ariel Andrew, soloist

Gayle Reynolds, Trustee

Jonathan Silk, Podcasting, OOS, Sound, Percussion

The Gaudy Curtain (December 9, 2018)

Just as we string lights against the darkness at Solstice time, we construct of our lives a "gaudy curtain" that covers over the Abyss, toward which we all inexorably travel. If we cultivate an honest awareness of our inevitable death, what gifts might we find for our living?

Rev. Mary McKinnon Ganz, Assistant Minister

Sam King, Worship Associate

Reiko Oda Lane, organ

Mark Kapner, piano, guitar and vocals

Carrie Steere-Salazar, Moderator

Jonathan Silk, Podcasting, OOS, Sound

The Season of Waiting? (December 2, 2018)

Sunday, December 2nd begins what in the Christian tradition is known as the season of Advent. It is a season of waiting, watchfulness, preparation. The preparation period probably feels appropriate, but how distinct is the waiting and watchfulness -- the quiet, still, attentive quality -- from flurry of Black-Friday-though-Monday, Giving Tuesday, and shop-til-you-drop madness of the next three weeks? Rare, perhaps, but the truth is that you and I need to know how to do advent times in our life. Life is full of them. And religion has found a way to help us be in them and get through them. Come Sunday. You deserve the break.

Rev. Vanessa Rush Southern, Senior Minister

Richard Davis-Lowell, Worship Associate

Dr. Mark Sumner, Music Director

Alexander Rameses Taite, soloist

UC Alumni and Men's and Women's Chorale

Wm. Garcia Ganz, piano

René Minneboo, soloist

Amy Kelly, Trustee

Jonathan Silk, Podcasting, OOS, Sound

What is True? (November 25, 2018)

How can we know what, and who, to believe? With so much fake news—not to mention lies— from public figures, including some politicians and religious leaders, many people have to ask themselves, “How can I know what to believe?” Our focus will be what is truth in the spiritual dimension. Scientists tell us that everything is matter, there is no Transcendental Reality, no God, out there or in here. Yet, many of us have experienced a time when we felt as if we were opened to a new dimension of beauty or love, that changed us. These times of transformation— which can only be described in the language of poetry or religion—are they real? Are they true? The question we are posing is, what is spiritual truth for you.

Rev. Margot Campbell Gross, Minister Emerita

Sister Sheila Flynn

Reiko Oda Lane, Organist

Asher Davison, song leader

Gayle Reynolds, Trustee

Jonathan Silk, Podcasting, OOS, Sound

Jim Jones and the Nature of Cult (November 18, 2018)

Forty years ago on November 18th, 1978, news spread around the world, but reverberated especially in the San Francisco Bay Area about the People's Temple, which had been located right in the heart of the Filmore, but relocated to Jonestown, Guyana, when over 900 residents took their lives. It raised the question about what happened there, and what are the signs and dangers of cults. We will honor the lost and reflect together on Sunday.

Rev. Vanessa Rush Southern, Senior Minister

Rev. Alyson Jacks, Associate Minister

Shari Halliday-Quan, Ministerial Intern

Dennis Adams, Worship Associate

Reiko Oda Lane, Organist and Hand-Bell Choir Director

Dr. Mark Sumner, Music Director

Christopher Rodriguez, Trustee

Linda Harris, UUSC Chair

Jonathan Silk, Podcasting, OOS, Sound

The Soul of Genius (November 11, 2018)

In remembrance of our recent musical programmes, evidenced by our Reformation concert last year and our observance on April 4th of the 50th anniversary of Martin Luther King's assassination, these times have provided our chorus with plenty of inspiration to lift up and honor these occasions through music. The theme for today's music is almost the same as my first Bay Area concert 22 years ago-----Hallowe'en. This time however, I am much more informed and grounded, thanks to the many observances of Dia de los Muertos witnessed in our communities and the recent and worldwide influence of the movie Coco. For me, our programme has become an opportunity to publicly and demonstratively honor loved ones who have passed.

This occasion has also provided an opportunity to take another look at Mozart's unfinished Requiem. There are many reasons to make use of a requiem setting in a concert but for today's I thought it timely to feature a completion of Mozart's by one (Robert D. Levin) who can lay claim to a piece of Mozart's spirit by finishing his masterwork AND receive a passing grade for it---that is, it could indeed pass as Mozart's. My primary hope is that you can find moments in our music today to summon the good spirits around you, and may you, those spirits, the spirit of Mozart and the spirits of all loved ones enjoy today's ofrendas/offerings.

Dr. Mark Sumner, music director, conductor

Rev. Vanessa Rush Southern, Senior Minister

Shari Halliday-Quan, Ministerial Intern

Bill Ganz, piano

Gilead Wurman, soloist

Kate Offer, soprano

Ariel Andrew, mezzo soprano

Seth Arnopole, tenor

Asher Davison, bass

Mark Abdilla, guitar

First Unitarian Universalist Chorus

Guest singers from UC Alumni Chorus, Berkeley

UC Men's and Women's Chorales, Berkeley

Jonathan Silk, Podcasting, OOS, Sound

Invitations Across the Veil (November 4, 2018)

In pagan tradition around Samhain, Day of the Dead and All Souls' and All Saints' Days, this idea of a day when the veil is thin has persisted as an observance. A time to connect with ancestors, literally or in our hearts, a time to acknowledge loss and the what persists across loss.

Rev. Vanessa Rush Southern, Senior Minister

Rev. Alyson Jacks, Associate Minister

Shari Halliday-Quan, Ministerial Intern

Phil Marshall, Worship Associate

Dr. Mark Sumner, music director

Bill Ganz, piano

Los Arribeños are Marilyn Merlino, Ron Cohen, Jim Letchworth, Ron Esparza, Jane English, Judith Berlowitz, Lorna Baird, Anna Boersma and Lance Beeson, music director

Scott Benbow, welcome

Jonathan Silk, Podcasting, OOS, Sound

Foundations: Our Pagan Roots (October 28, 2018)

As we approach October 31st it seems a great chance to turn to the Pagan wisdom and practices that both influenced the formation of the Christian tradition (and so Unitarian Universalism) and that deeply sustain some of our members still. What, for instance, does the Gaelic festival of Samhain say about the season that is upon us and what invitations does it offer?

Rev. Vanessa Rush Southern, Senior Minister

Shari Halliday-Quan, Ministerial Intern

Sam King, Worship Associate

Carlowe Connelly, Message for all Ages

Joe Dellert, Message for all Ages

Dr. Mark Sumner, music director

Reiko Oda Lane, organ and bell choir director

Carrie Steere-Salazar, welcome

Jonathan Silk, Podcasting, OOS, Sound

Living Hope. Living Justice (October 21, 2018)

Since UUSC’s founding, Unitarian Universalists have been fundamental to UUSC’s work to advance human rights. With our shared values under threat, there is an even louder call to collaborate and even more we can accomplish together. The Rev. Mary Katherine Morn, UUSC’s President and CEO, will share a sermon about the need for hope and justice in the face of some of today’s greatest human rights challenges.

Rev. Mary Katherine Morn, UUSC President and CEO

Rev. Vanessa Rush Southern, Senior Minister

Rev. Alyson Jacks, Associate Minister

Shari Halliday-Quan, Ministerial Intern

Christine Tulis, harp and vocals

Dr. Mark Sumner, piano

Asher Davison, song leader

Linda Harris, UUSC Chair Welcome

Jonathan Silk, Podcasting, OOS, Sound, drums

Enshrined in Walls and Windows (October 14, 2018)

This Saturday just prior to service will have been the 50th anniversary since our Center -- the Brutalist-style addition that partners with our sanctuary/church -- was built. What are the stories of how it started, and what is the life it has given shelter to, and what does it say about us.

Rev. Vanessa Rush Southern, Senior Minister

Rev. Alyson Jacks, Associate Minister

Lisanicole Sarkisian, Worship Associate

Alex Darr, Lead Teacher

Reiko Oda Lane, organ

Dr. Mark Sumner, music director

Wm. García Ganz, piano

Christopher Rodriguez, welcome

Jonathan Silk, Podcasting, OOS, Sound

Beloved Community (October 7, 2018)

Unitarian Universalists are being called in this moment to live more powerfully and boldly into a vision of Beloved Community. What does this look like and how do we answer “Yes” to this calling in our lives and in our congregations?

Rev. Susan Frederick-Gray, Unitarian Universalist President

Rev. Vanessa Rush Southern, Senior Minister

Rev. Alyson Jacks, Associate Minister

Shari Halliday-Quan, Ministerial Intern

Rochelle A. Fortier Nwadibia, Worship Associate

Bill Ganz, piano and conductor

Reiko Oda Lane, organ

Gayle Reynolds, welcome

Jonathan Silk, Podcasting, OOS, Sound, drums

Loved Into Being (September 30, 2018)

Each of us is the unique interweaving of the stories of the people who came before us, and who we are as people is born, at least in part, out of the dance of others into and out of our lives. One new dance partner for the year in the UUSF community is the ministerial intern, Shari Halliday-Quan, whose ministry will be shaped, will be loved into being, in part by the people here. As we reflect on the people who have shaped how we walk in the world, we too are invited to imagine how our love shapes the world to come.

Shari Halliday-Quan, Ministerial Intern

Rev. Alyson Jacks, Associate Minister

Lisanicole Sarkisian, Worship Associate

Dr. Mark Sumner, Music Director

Reiko Oda Lane, Organ and Bell Choir Director

Rochelle A. Fortier Nwadibia, welcome

Jonathan Silk, Podcasting, OOS, Sound

Lost and Found in America (September 23, 2018)

This month the Minister’s Book Group is discussing Jon Meacham’s “The Soul of America”. It is a timely dive into the challenging chapters in our history when we rose to reclaim our best self, and what those chapters have to say about hope and the sources of resilience that we can draw on in these days.

Rev. Vanessa Rush Southern, Senior Minister

Rev. Alyson Jacks, Associate Minister

Shari Halliday-Quan, Intern Minister

Daniel Jackoway, Worship Associate

Wm. García Ganz, piano

Laurel Sprigg, soprano

Shandra Steimert, obo

Ariel Andrew, Song Leader

Jonathan Silk, Podcasting, OOS, Sound

Lay the Burden Down (September 16, 2018)

Yom Kippur is the day in the Jewish Liturgical Year that the book of life is closed for the year, our deeds written in permanent celestial ink, and so the ten days before, The Days of Awe, we make amends (if we are wise) for our wrongs. The metaphor of death and new life is part of that ritual time. Why? What does it mean to lay our burden of wrong or hurt down? What does it make room for and how can we get there?

Rev. Vanessa Rush Southern, Senior Minister

Rev. Alyson Jacks, Associate Minister

Shari Halliday-Quan. Intern Minister

Richard Davis, Worship Associate

UUSF Choir

Dr. Mark Sumner, music director

Reiko Oda Lane, organ

Bill Klingelhoffer, shofar

Scott Benbow, welcome

Jonathan Silk, Podcasting, OOS, Sound and Drums

The Love Boat (September 9, 2018)

It is a new year of church. Rosh Hashana is around the corner telling us also that the book of life is about to be opened on a new year of choices and actions. And we launch again, together. What metaphor shall we try on? I’ve got an idea….

Rev. Vanessa Rush Southern, Senior Minister

Rev. Alyson Jacks, Associate Minister

Dennis Adams, Worship Associate

UUSF Choir

Dr. Mark Sumner, music director

Reiko Oda Lane, organ

Anish Johnson, welcome

Jonathan Silk, Podcasting, OOS, Sound and Drums

Rising Up (September 2, 2018)

This Labor Day weekend, let's celebrate some good news about working people and its positive lessons for our faith.

Millie Phillips, Guest Preacher

Phil Marshall, Worship Associate

The Labor Heritage/Rockin’ Solidarity Chorus

Pat Wynne, music director

Mark Sumner, piano

Ariel Andrew, song leader

Eric Shackleford, welcome

Jonathan Silk, Podcasting, OOS, Sound

Carried Through Time (August 26, 2018)

Summer vacation took me to Blue Hill Maine to a cottage on the edge of Bagaduce River where we watched the tidal waters flow in and out to the Penobscot Bay. Tall stands of trees - Eastern Pine, Fir, Oak, and Birch – stood in quiet witness while birds fed on crustaceans buried deep in the pockets of the emptied mud flats. Time feels different on tidal waters, like a long, slow breath moving in and out, again and again. In these times, these uncertain and oh so busy times, let’s pause at the edge of the tidal river, breathe in the briny air, look deep into the forest, and feel ourselves carried through time, witnessing to the delicate beauty of life unfolding all around us.

Rev. Alyson Jacks, Associate Minister

Daniel Jackoway, Worship Associate

Laurel Sprigg, soprano

Daniel Lockert, piano

Reiko Oda Lane, organ

Asher Davison, song leader

Jonathan Silk, Podcasting, OOS, Sound

Summer Stillness and Silence (August 19, 2018)

Anne LeClaire hears the call to "Sit in Silence." What happens over the time she begins to do so is that the layers of life -- the ones noise and the necessity of speaking mask -- get peeled back. Let's talk about what she finds and the power and place of silence in our spiritual lives.

Rev. Vanessa Rush Southern, Senior Minister

Lucy Smith, Worship Associate

Ava Harmon, soprano

Reiko Oda Lane, organ

Mark Sumner, piano

Asher Davison, song leader

Jonathan Silk, Podcasting, OOS, Sound

Pilgrimage (August 12, 2018)

There is a long History across cultures of people taking pilgrimages, often to places of religious or spiritual significance. What is at the heart of the pilgrimage, and how can it be part of our every day life?

Rev. Vanessa Rush Southern, Senior Minister

Rochelle Fortier Nwadibia, Worship Associate

Larry Chinn, jazz pianist

Asher Davison, song leader

Jonathan Silk, Podcasting, OOS, Sound

Awakenings (August 5, 2018)

“...the great end is to awaken the soul, to excite and cherish the spiritual life.” So wrote the early nineteenth century Unitarian minister, William Ellery Channing, about the education of children, but I believe it holds true of many others of us too. In Small Group Ministry we try to make place and a process, for people to come together on a regular basis, to explore that it means to awaken the soul and cherish the spiritual life. In small groups people can develop the trust to explore their own, individual, spiritual paths. Through the sharing of our experiences and thoughts, we learn to listen deeply to one another, and see the holy in the ordinary of our daily lives.

Rev. Margot Campbell Gross, Minister Emerita

Elaine Pratt, Small Group Ministry co-chair

Anish Johnson, Small Group Ministry co-chair

Laura Pedersen, Small Group Ministry

Susan Gordon, Small Group Ministry

Tristan Hembree, Small Group Ministry

Alan Constant, Small Group Ministry

Reiko Oda Lane, organ

Giacomo Fiore, guitar

Ariel Andrew, song Leader

Eric Shackleford,Trustee

Jonathan Silk, Podcasting, OOS, Sound

We Are So Much More Connected Than We Think (July 29, 2018)

Eleanor Piez spent two weeks in June in San Ysidro CA and Tijuana, Mexico, studying the U.S.-Mexico border through the lens of theology. Eleanor will reflect on the struggles, suffering and possibilities occurring there, and how we can participate now in the sixth UU principle, the goal of world community with peace, liberty and justice for all.

Eleanor Piez, Guest Preacher

Dennis Adams, Worship Associate

Reiko Oda Lane, organ

Asher Davison, song Leader

Jennifer Peringer, piano

Martha Rodríguez-Salazar, flute

Peter Gross, welcome

Jonathan Silk, Podcasting, OOS, Sound

The Deep Song of Our Lives (July 22, 2018)

What can we in our time and place learn from a mild-mannered poet who was the first martyr of the Spanish Civil War? Stories from the life and poetry of Federico Garcia Lorca.

Rev. Mary McKinnon Ganz, Assistant Minister

Sam King, Worship Associate

Mark Sumner, piano

Asher Davison, song Leader

Radim Zenkl, mandolin, flute, vocals

Judy Payne, welcome

Jonathan Silk, Podcasting, OOS, Sound

The Warrior and the Wise Man (July 15, 2018)

In the 12th century, young men across Europe enlisted en masse to leave their homes and families and travel east to fight in the Crusades, believing that waging war was the best way to serve God, the Prince of Peace. Here is a story of one such soldier of Christ, searching for purpose in his cause, as he grapples with the meaning of “Holy War” on his way to Jerusalem and what he encounters along the way.

Alessandro Gagliardi, Guest Preacher

Richard Davis, Worship Associate

Reiko Oda Lane, organ

Mark Sumner, piano

Jiun-Chyi Yew, soprano

Asher Davison, song leader

Eric Shakelford, welcome

Jonathan Silk, Podcasting, OOS, Sound

Doing Small Things with Great Love (July 8, 2018)

Person by person, relationship by relationship, sometimes casserole by casserole, with conversations and occasional rides to church, we are building a congregation that is a caring community. How does it all come together, and what is each one's role in creating it, in the midst of already overfull lives?

Rev. Mary McKinnon Ganz, Assistant Minister

Lisanicole Sarkisian, Worship Associate

Larry Chinn, piano

Asher Davison, song leader

Gayle Reynolds, welcome

Jonathan Silk, Podcasting, OOS, Sound

Loving America (July 1, 2018)

How do we hold onto what is good about our country, given its past wrongs and present struggles? What is real about what we love, and what is fantasy? What would it take to build an America we might love unreservedly, as a collective act of imagination?

Rev. Mary McKinnon Ganz, Assistant Minister

Lucy Smith, Worship Associate

Ariel Andrew, mezzo soprano

Alan Alpert, tenor

Wm. García Ganz, piano

Reiko Oda Lane, organ

Amy Kelly, welcome

Jonathan Silk, Podcasting, OOS, Sound

Breaking the Silence Barrier: Lessons of Love and Liberation (June 24, 2018)

Join us this Pride Sunday as we celebrate and mark the 49th Anniversary of the Stonewall riots, which gave voice to the queer liberation movement. In light of today’s political perils and in the particulars of this Pride Sunday, listen to words of poet and writer Audre Lorde, “The transformation of silence into language and action is an act of self-revelation, and that always seems fraught with danger.” This Sunday’s service is an invitation to explore how we break through the barriers of silence and bring our voices to the streets in the name of love and liberation.

Rev. Alyson Jacks, Associate Minister

Richard Davis, Worship Associate

Asher Davison, song leader

Bill Ganz, piano

Margaret Halbig, piano

Christine Tulis, harp and vocals

Rochelle Fortier, welcome

Jonathan Silk, Podcasting, OOS, Sound

What We Tell Our Men (June 17, 2018)

There is a lot of talk about what we tell our girls and our women -- messages that are not helpful or supportive of their fullest being and fruition, but this Father's Day, what about some reflections on what we tell our men and our boys about what that reality they are born into "should" mean or might!

Rev. Vanessa Rush Southern, Senior Minister

Daniel Jackoway, Worship Associate

Lisanicole Sarkisian, Worship Associate

Reiko Oda Lane, organ

Asher Davison, song leader

Katrina Walter, flute

Margaret Halbig, piano

Spider Ranch, live sound and recording

Nathan Gandrud, OOS

Jonathan Silk, Podcasting

State of the Garden: A Reflection on Us and Here (June 10, 2018)

People asked me when I came what was my vision for UUSF. That seemed so silly. Vision doesn't come with you like a stencil you apply to any wall, it grows out of a place like the things of a garden that thrive in that soil, with that level of rainfall. So, 9 months in, as we wrap up one "church year" and as we think about launching next year into Mission and Vision conversations, what do I see? What's in this garden and what's ripe for planting?

Rev. Vanessa Rush Southern, Senior Minister

Sam King, Worship Associate

Asher Davison, clarinet and song leader

Wm. García Ganz, piano

Spider Ranch, live sound and recording

Nathan Gandrud, OOS

Jonathan Silk, Podcasting

The Outermost House and The Sacrality of Place (June 3, 2018)

A bit less than 100 years ago, Henry Beston wrote "The Outermost House" after a year he spent in Cape Cod. The book didn't sell much at first but it has become one of the most famous literary touchstones for naturalists and conservationists in America. Beston argues with observation and poetry for the power, the beauty, and by extension, the need to protect natural places.

Rev. Vanessa Rush Southern, Senior Minister

Lisanicole Sarkisian, Worship Associate

Reiko Oda Lane, organ

Ariel Andrew, mezzo soprano

Asher Davison, song leader

Spider Ranch, live sound and recording

Nathan Gandrud, OOS

Jonathan Silk, Podcasting

Contemplative Practices And Connection In Digital Times (May 27, 2018)

How can contemplative practices renew hearts and spirits in digital times? In what ways does technology help or harm our human abilities to engage our ethics in a beautiful and heart-breaking world? All are welcome for this service of inquiry and hope.

Rev. Dara Olandt, Guest Minister

Phil Marshall, Worship Associate

My-Hoa Steger, piano

Wm. García Ganz, piano

Spider Ranch, live sound and recording

Jonathan Silk, OOS, Podcasting

Sports and Spirit: What being a jock can teach us about life. (May 20, 2018)

This week is our Bay to Breaker’s Sunday so…. take public transportation and leave early for church! And we will take the excuse of the big race as a chance (in this month when our theme is “Body”) to look at sports and what it teaches us about our relationship to the body but also to life. Come. Dust off your varsity jacket, if you must — just leave early so you can navigate the traffic snarls!

Rev. Vanessa Rush Southern, Senior Minister

Daniel Jackoway, Worship Associate

Wm. García Ganz, piano

Asher Davison, song leader

Christine Tullis, harp and vocals

Marc Theobald, Treasurer

Jonathan Silk, OOS, Sound, Podcasting

Embodied Faith (May 13, 2018)

Having a child changed my relationship to my body, or more importantly my awareness of where body and sacredness intersect. It has for other folks too, I know, and theologian, Stephanie Paulsell too. Come here how this Mother’s Day Sunday.

Rev. Vanessa Rush Southern, Senior Minister

Rochelle Fortier Nwadibia, Worship Associate

Reiko Oda Lane, organ

Asher Davison, song leader

Gary Garrett (The Harmony People), guitar

Anjalisa Aitken (The Harmony People), vocals

Scott Benbow, welcome

Jonathan Silk, OOS, Sound, Podcasting

A Child’s Place in Church

This Sunday is our Religions Education Sunday, the end of the year’s program, the celebration of teachers, and a chance to reflect on what the place of children in our congregations should be — something a Hassidic colleague told me, a person about the Mennonite church she grew up in. It is the time to talk about some things that challenge us to frame intentionally how we hold the little folks among us in the grand plan of who we are.

Rev. Vanessa Rush Southern, Senior Minister

Rev. Alyson Jacks, Associate Minister

Joe Chapot, Young Adult Coordinator

Reiko Oda Lane, organ

Asher Davison, guest conductor

Carrie Steere-Salazar, welcome

Jonathan Silk, OOS, Sound, Podcasting

Coming of Age Service

This Sunday we celebrate our Coming of Age youth with a special worship service. The worship service is the culmination of a year-long faith exploration program for our 8th and 9th graders. Over the past seven months, they have examined their religious identity, gaining self-awareness and deepening their connection to our Unitarian Universalist faith and this church community. They describe their COA experience as a "coming home." Through class discussion, retreats, journaling, and self-reflection, the six members of this year's Coming of Age class - Max Benbow , Christopher Dean , Madeline Hart , Margot Hart , Zuzu Lorentzen , Quincy McDougal and Leila Menezes – will offer their credo statements, and share in the duties of leading worship.

Rev. Alyson Jacks, Associate Minister

Alex Darr, Worship Associate and Teacher

Dr. Mark Sumner, Music Director

Reiko Oda Lane, Organ and Bell Choir Director

Linda Robertshaw, drums

Hsuanwei Fan, soloist

Max Benbow, COA Class 2018

Christopher Dean, COA Class 2018

Madeline Hart, COA Class 2018

Margot Hart, COA Class 2018

Zuzu Lorentzen, COA Class 2018

Quincy McDougal, COA Class 2018

Leila Menezes, COA Class 2018

Jonathan Silk, OOS, Sound, Podcasting

What Still Connects Us

Twenty years ago, a small group set out walking from this church, down the hill and into the Tenderloin. From that founding act of the Faithful Fools Street Ministry, thousands have come to reflect on the disparities of wealth and power that become visible at street level.The Faithful Fools share some of what can be learned from placing one foot in front of the other.

Rev. Mary McKinnon Ganz, Assistant Minister

Carmen Barsody, Faithful Fools

Alex Darr, Worship Associate

Dr. Mark Sumner, Music Director

Reiko Oda Lane, Organ

Jim Rebhan, accordion

Linda Robertshaw, djembe

Asher Davison, soloist

Kersten Jordan, soloist

Ariel Andrew, soloist

Elaine Pratt, Small Group Ministry Chair

Rev. Margot Campbell Gross, Small Group Ministry

Peter Gross, welcome

Jonathan Silk, OOS, Sound, Podcasting

Fifty Years Later

It is a privilege to present the rarely performed, Pulitzer Prize nominated oratorio Scenes from the Life of a Martyr composed by the esteemed African American female composer and educator Undine Smith Moore. Last performed by the Oakland Symphony and Chorus in 1986 with the composer in attendance, the work reflects on the life of Martin Luther King, Jr. who will have passed 50 years and 4 days prior to our performance. Bay Area luminary Noah Griffin will narrate and soloists, Michele Kennedy , Crystal Philippi and Alex Taite will be accompanied by a full orchestra and chorus numbering 150 strong.

Dr. Mark Sumner, Music Director

Rev. Alyson Jacks, Associate Minister

Reiko Oda Lane, Organ

Noah Griffin, Narrator

Michele Kennedy, Soprano

Crystal Philippi, Soprano

Alex Taite, Tenor

Jonathan Silk, OOS, Sound, Podcasting

The Radical Act of Hoping

Easter cannot be understood without Good Friday, though liberals love to skip right over the one, straight into the other. To get why hope is radical -- maybe the most radical act there is, next to love -- is to dive deep into what happens just before the dawn breaks this morning.

Rev. Vanessa Rush Southern, Senior Minister

Lisanicole Sarkisian, Worship Associate

Dr. Mark Sumner, music director

Reiko Oda Lane, organ

Jonathan Silk, OOS, Sound, Podcasting

Liberation, Again and Again

Some messages endure, are worthy of revisiting, because they are forever relevant in new ways. Passover's core message of liberation is one of them. It wasn't just the Israelite's, long ago, who found themselves in bondage and needing to be free.

Rev. Vanessa Rush Southern, Senior Minister

Richard Davis, Worship Associate

Sharon Weld, Reflection

Betsy Darr, EJWG

Dr. Mark Sumner, music director

Linda Robertshaw, percussion

Jason Ditzian, clarinet

Max Baloian, guitar

Jonathan Silk, OOS, Sound, Podcasting

Every other year our 8th and 9th graders have their Coming of Age when they dare to state what they believe, as they will this year in April. And each time they do so it raises the question of why our adults are not asked to do the same -- to write and speak their "Credos". Today our worship associates will engage with their beliefs and inspire us to do the same.

Rev. Vanessa Rush Southern, Senior Minister

Sam King, Dennis Adams, Worship Associate

Daniel Jackoway, Worship Associate

Phil Marshall, Worship Associate

Lucy Smith, Worship Associate

Richard Davis, Worship Associate

Lisanicole Sarkisian, Worship Associate

Rochelle Fortier Nwadibia, Worship Associate

Reiko Oda Lane, organ

Asher Davison, song leader

Saira Malik, Director of Finance & Administration

Jonathan Silk, OOS, Sound, Podcasting

Rev. Kay Jorgensen Memorial Service

January 9, 1932 - January 15, 2018

What the World Needs Now

I've been thinking a lot lately about justice, but also mercy, its cousin (or fraternal twin). And about what the world needs now.

Rev. Vanessa Rush Southern, Senior Minister

Lucy Smith, Worship Associate

Gino Fortunato, Smiling Dishwasher

Coming of Age Class, Message for All Ages

Reiko Oda Lane, organ and bell choir director

Dr. Mark Sumner, music director

Tim Salaver, tenor

Judy Payne, welcome

Jonathan Silk, OOS, Sound, Podcasting

The Beams in the Great Hall

Alfred North Whitehead talks of the "law of expenditure". "There are tides in the ocean of life, and what comes in depends upon what goes out," he writes. But what does he mean and how is this relevant to our lives?

Rev. Vanessa Rush Southern, Senior Minister

Marty Vanderlaan, AOF Chair

Daniel Jackoway, Worship Associate

Neighboring Faiths Class, Message for All Ages

Reiko Oda Lane, organ

Dr. Mark Sumner, music director

Galen Workman, Moderator

Jonathan Silk, OOS, Sound, Podcasting

"Gifts of God"

450 years ago the Edict of Torda proclaimed that faith is "the gift of God." That was the beginning of Unitarianism in Transylvania. What is the heritage given to us from our family, our faith, and our communities? Are we aware of all these? Let's find the gifts that connect us to each other.

Rev. Emese Bodor, Guest Minister

Sam King, Worship Associate

Reiko Oda Lane, organ

Dr. Mark Sumner, music director

Amy Kelly, Trustee

Jonathan Silk, OOS, Sound, Podcasting

The Play's the Thing: Theater and Play

Some of you may know that I grew up in the theater, at least when I was small. My dad was an actor and so theater was part of our life. Moreover, it doesn’t feel like an accident that what I loved about theater often resonates with what I love about worship — the two feel, at their best, very kindred to me. Places of wisdom, laughter, grappling with meaning. The play is the thing, after all, in which you do, sometimes, catch the conscience of the king. Curtain at 11AM.

Rev. Vanessa Rush Southern, Senior Minister

Rev. Alyson Jacks, Associate Minister

Daniel Jackoway, Worship Associate

Faithful Journeys Class

Reiko Oda Lane, organ and bell choir director

Dr. Mark Sumner, music director

Chris Rodriguez, Trustee

Jonathan Silk, OOS, Sound, Podcasting

Improv for Life

One of the most lasting pieces of a ministry I served in Washington DC was an improv troupe we started. Actually, we just started with one workshop, but people fell in love. And I did too, in a way. The lessons of improv are more than a form of entertainment, they are lessons for life. Say, “yes” to coming to church this week and be prepared to color outside the lines a little.

Rev. Vanessa Rush Southern, Senior Minister

Rev. Alyson Jacks, Associate Minister

Rev. Mary McKinnon Ganz, Assistant Minister

Lucy Smith, Worship Associate

Reiko Oda Lane, organ

Dr. Mark Sumner, piano and song leader

Nancy Hardies, membership

Richard Davis, sermon play

Margaret Hill, sermon play

Galen Workman, Moderator

Jonathan Silk, OOS, Sound, Podcasting

Pilgrimage

Popular guest speaker and UCLA Oncology Chaplain, Michael Eselun will explore the idea of pilgrimage-- our pursuit of inspiration and enlightenment. Internal journeys and external ones-and some in between.

Michael Eselun, guest preacher

Sam King, Worship Associate

Reiko Oda Lane, organ

Dr. Mark Sumner, music director

Gayle Reynolds, Vice Moderator

Jonathan Silk, OOS, Sound, Podcasting

Real Differences

There are, despite our most fervent hopes, some differences about how we can choose to frame our understanding of society, of family, of individual identity that are very different, and form us to be different people and different cultures with different agendas. Let's look at one or two and what they teach us about our dance with difference.

Rev. Vanessa Rush Southern, Senior Minister

Rev. Margot Campbell Gross, Reflection on Kay

Kat Liu, Worship Associate

Reiko Oda Lane, organ

Dr. Mark Sumner, music director

Amy Kelly, Vice Moderator

Jonathan Silk, OOS, Sound, Podcasting

The Construction of Difference

What about those differences that we create or that are created in us? How does class background form us and how does it show up, not invisible but not stamped on our forehead in a way that separates us from one another? Or the idea of race, charted out with pseudo scientific semi-precision and then charted into law. Or gender differences, scripted at birth. To see is, maybe, to be liberated from them... from some.

Rev. Vanessa Rush Southern, Senior Minister

Rev. Alyson Jacks, Associate Minister

Rochelle Fortier Nwadibia, Worship Associate

Reiko Oda Lane, organ

Dr. Mark Sumner, music director

The Yale Spizzwinks, all-male a cappella group

Carrie Steere-Salazar, Vice Moderator

Jonathan Silk, OOS, Sound, Podcasting

The Beauty of Difference

How and when is difference a gift, life enhancing, part of the beauty of the world and a joyful source of wisdom and delight.

Rev. Vanessa Rush Southern, Senior Minister

Rev. Alyson Jacks, Associate Minister

Phil Marshall, Worship Associate

Reiko Oda Lane, organ

Asher Davison, song leader

Giacomo Fiore, guitar

Marc Theobald, welcome

Jonathan Silk, OOS, Sound, Podcasting

A Legacy Worth Celebrating

The end of one year and the starting of another is traditionally a time of remembering, planning, releasing, and (re)committing. As is always the case, as a community and as individuals, the past year has contained both sorrowful and joyous milestones. And, though we live in times that occur to many of us as more troubled than usual, 2017 has pushed us toward growth, revealed our hidden strengths, and inspired us to live into transformational possibilities. Through it all, we persevere, building a legacy worth celebrating.

Millie Phillips, Guest Preacher

Richard Davis, Worship Associate

Mark Sumner, piano

Asher Davison, song leader

Annalisa Aitken & Gary Garrett, The Harmony People

Elaine Pratt, welcome

Jonathan Silk, OOS, Podcasting

The Alt Christmas

This afternoon we will tell the story of Christmas with mangers and the star and the kings and shepherds. That about all the other stories of Christmas we might tell, our own, quirky and fun and lopsided. They get at the spirit of the season too. How?

Rev. Vanessa Rush Southern, Senior Minister

Kat Liu, Worship Associate

Dr. Mark Sumner, piano

The Cello Street Quartet

Asher Davison, song leader

Peter Gross, trustee

Jonathan Silk, OOS, Sound, Podcasting

The Miracle Stories: The Lamp and the Sea

This time of the year we are inundated with miracle stories -- old and new. Let's look at a few. The story of the lamp that stayed lit for 8 days, though there was only oil for one. Moses splitting the Sea of Reeds. Set aside the facts, what's the truth at the heart of the stories? That truth, after all, is why generations bother to retell them.

Rev. Vanessa Rush Southern, Senior Minister

Alex Darr, Worship Associate

Reiko Oda Lane, organist and bell choir director

Choir Members, Quartet

Wm. García Ganz, Guest Conductor and accompanist

Galen Workman, Moderator

Jonathan Silk, OOS, Sound, Podcasting

Memories of Home

Why do people stay home? Why do they leave? What does "home" mean, anyway? What do we long for, when we long for home? And why is that longing so strong, this time of year?

Rev. Mary McKinnon Ganz, Assistant Minister

Dennis Adams, Worship Associate

Asher Davison, clarinet

Wm. García Ganz, Guest Conductor and accompanist

Gayle Reynolds, Trustee

Jonathan Silk, OOS, Sound, Podcasting

Waiting and Anticipation

Waiting and anticipation are part of the season of Advent and the lead up to getting those Christmas, Hanukah, and Kwanza presents. They say that anticipating something fun like a vacation is a large part of the joy we get out of it. But it can also be the hardest part of life -- waiting to hear test results, watching and waiting for a loved one to let go and leave this life. What happens in times of waiting that make it a rich place for spiritual insight and growth?

Rev. Vanessa Rush Southern, Senior Minister

Daniel Jackoway, Worship Associate

Dr. Mark Sumner, piano

Reiko Oda Lane, organ

Shannon Warto, soprano

Scott Benbow, Trustee

Jonathan Silk, OOS, Sound, Podcasting

My Family and Other Animals

We all have the sense of some ideal family, and with it the clarity of how far ours deviates from that norm. The lesson pressed into us at times like Thanksgiving, is how there are no ordinary families. But what fun to tell their stories... our stories!

Rev. Vanessa Rush Southern, Senior Minister

Lucy Smith, Worship Associate

Dr. Mark Sumner, piano

Bill Ganz, piano

Asher Davison, clarinet and song leader

Amy Kelly, Trustee

Jonathan Silk, OOS, Sound, Podcasting

Out of Control

There are times in life when our well thought-out projects or plans do not materialize as hoped, and we are faced with the unknown. These can be times of great vulnerability, as we try to discern how to move forward with our lives.

Sister Sheila Flynn lived in South Africa for many years. While there, she founded the women’s empowerment group called Kopanang. Sister Sheila spoke to women from the vast shack areas of Tskane and Langaville, south east of Johannesburg.

Rev. Margot Campbell Gross, Silindile Twala and Sister Sheila Flynn from 2015

She invited them to come to her religious community and learn ways to make a living for themselves, in order to feed their children. Rev. Margot Campbell Gross spent months of her sabbatical leave in 2001 with Sister Sheila and her community.

She was there what Sister Sheila brought the women together for the first time, and she participated in the founding group of Kopanang. She will speak of her experiences of vulnerability, and transformation, during that time in South Africa.

Sister Sheila Flynn, Guest Preacher

Rev. Margot Campbell Gross, Minister Emerita

Rev. Alyson Jacks, Associate Minister

Dr. Mark Sumner, Music Director

Reiko Oda Lane, organ

Marc Theobald, Treasurer

Jonathan Silk, OOS, Sound, Podcasting

Enough?

"Enough is as good as a feast," as the proverb says. But what if we have lost the notion of enough -- and not just in food, but in all categories of life? What happens then?

Rev. Vanessa Rush Southern, Senior Minister

Phil Marshall, Worship Associate

Dr. Mark Sumner, Music Director

Reiko Oda Lane, organ

Stephanie Gowan, Stewardship Chair

Jonathan Silk, OOS, Sound, Podcasting

Picnic at the Graveyard

What makes us more vulnerable than the ultimate loss, than death? Nothing, I think. Different cultures have different ways of putting us in relationship to death. Let’s look at some of those and see what the blessings and burdens of those ways are, what relationship we would choose, and how.

Rev. Vanessa Rush Southern, Senior Minister

Rev. Alyson Jacks, Associate Minister

Daniel Jackoway, Worship Associate

Dr. Mark Sumner, Music Director

Reiko Oda Lane, organ

Judy Payne, Board Secretary

Jonathan Silk, OOS, Sound, Podcasting

Big Music Sunday: 500 Years Since Reformation Began!

We've all found ourselves lost in the state of limbo at some point in our lives, caught between its borders of the known and the unknown, unsure which way to go or where to turn. When you are stuck in limbo, your resilience is compromised, limiting your capacity to act.

How do you resist the abyss and move forward? Keep calm, no small thing; listen for that still voice within. Gather your wits and gather your tools, make a map. Watch for signs of hope and promise, follow them. And when borders seem insurmountable, dangerous even, build a circle of love with those around you, feel its collective power to withstand the forces pressing down. And trust that your faith will lead you through.

Rev. Vanessa Rush Southern, Senior Minister

Dr. Mark Sumner, Music Director

Reiko Oda Lane, organ

Jubilate Baroque Orchestra

David Wilson, conductor

Asher Davison, tenor

Kate Offer, soprano

Edward Betts, tenor

Leandra Ramm, mezzo soprano

UUSF Choir

UC Berkeley Alumni, Chorus

Galen Workman, moderator

Jonathan Silk, OOS, Sound, Podcasting

Sitting in Limbo

We've all found ourselves lost in the state of limbo at some point in our lives, caught between its borders of the known and the unknown, unsure which way to go or where to turn. When you are stuck in limbo, your resilience is compromised, limiting your capacity to act.

How do you resist the abyss and move forward? Keep calm, no small thing; listen for that still voice within. Gather your wits and gather your tools, make a map. Watch for signs of hope and promise, follow them. And when borders seem insurmountable, dangerous even, build a circle of love with those around you, feel its collective power to withstand the forces pressing down. And trust that your faith will lead you through.

Rev. Alyson Jacks, Associate Minister

Phil Marshall, Worship Associate

Dr. Mark Sumner, music director

Reiko Oda Lane, organ

Bill Ganz, piano

Amy Kelly, trustee

Jonathan Silk, OOS, Sound, Podcasting

Resistance: Symbolic Acts

To deal in symbols is complicated business. Religion and State have done it for millennia, literature too. But we do so because symbols have the power to unmake power. How can symbolic acts be transforming acts of resistance?

Rev. Vanessa Rush Southern, Senior Minister

Rev. Alyson Jacks, Associate Minister

Susan Anthony, Worship Associate

Brady Anderson, cello

Jasmine Nagano, piano

Reiko Oda Lane, organ

Dolores Perez Priem, Animal Ministry

Jonathan Silk, OOS, Sound, Podcasting

Resistance: Making Lemonade or The 614th Commandment

One way we act out of resistance to hurt or evil in the world is go make good of it. Why? And what can that look like? Here are some stories to prime the pump of your own thinking.

Rev. Vanessa Rush Southern, Senior Minister

Rev. Alyson Jacks, Associate Minister

Dennis Adams, Worship Associate

Dr. Mark Sumner, music director

Reiko Oda Lane, organ

Peter Gross,Trustee

Jonathan Silk, OOS, Sound, Podcasting

Healing, Resistance, and a Hole in the Roof

What does it take for us to be healed, as individuals and as communities? What does healing have to do with resistance (or with a hole in the roof, for that matter)? Stories from the Faithful Fools weekly "Conversation of Biblical Proportions."

Rev. Mary Ganz, Assistant Minister

Rev. Alyson Jacks, Associate Minister

Dennis Adams, Worship Associate

Dr. Mark Sumner, music director

Reiko Oda Lane, organ

Asher Davison, song leader

Margaret Pearce, Food Bank

Jonathan Silk, OOS, Sound, Podcasting

Written But Not Yet Sealed

These are the Days of Awe. It is time when the work of atonement (at-one-ness) is supposed to be our focus. It's our last chance to fix a year's wounds, wrongs, missteps. What would it mean to live that way?

Rev. Vanessa Rush Southern, Senior Minister

Rev. Alyson Jacks, Associate Minister

Richard Davis, Worship Associate

Dr. Mark Sumner, piano

Asher Davison, song leader

Andres Vera , cello

Molly Mahoney , soprano

Rev. John Young, Social Justice Ministry

Jonathan Silk, OOS, Sound, Podcasting

The Perfect Day

Sabbath seems like such an old word, but particularly as articulated in the Jewish Tradition it is a gorgeous, but forgotten, notion of what helps shape and ground a rich, full life. What is Sabbath? Perhaps more countercultural and radical an idea than we think.

Rev. Vanessa Rush Southern, Senior Minister

Rev. Alyson Jacks, Associate Minister

Ben Bear, Worship Associate

Dr. Mark Sumner, Choir Director

Reiko Oda Lane, Organist

Jonah Berquist, Task Force on Future Ministry

Jonathan Silk, OOS, Sound, Podcasting

Coffee in the Desert

The ancient rite or obligation of hospitality is just that, ancient and sacred. From the Bedoin people and the Greeks, to the Jews and then the Christians; on the Indian subcontinent and everywhere where people once were strangers and could not forget how powerful it was to be welcomed.

Rev. Vanessa Rush Southern, Senior Minister

Rev. Alyson Jacks, Associate Minister

Rev. Mary McKinnon Ganz, Affiliated Community Minister

Dr. Mark Sumner, music director

Reiko Oda Lane, organ

Bill Ganz, piano

Asher Davison, song leader

Galen Workman, moderator

Jonathan Silk, OOS, Sound, Podcasting

Work That is Real

In honor of Labor Day, we will be hosting Rev. Ben Meyers , who will share what he and his congregation in San Mateo learned in their experience working with local labor and partners for justice for workers at SFO. Effectively lobbying the Airport Commission to break a wage freeze on food workers.

Rev. Ben Meyers, Guest Minister

Daniel Jackoway, Worship Associate

The San Francisco Labor Chorus

Pat Wynne, SSFLC Music Director

Dr. Mark Sumner, piano

Asher Davison, song leader

Harry Moren, Family Faith Committee

Jonathan Silk, OOS, Sound, Podcasting

Fresh Starts

We've all had particular moments in our lives that stay with us. A time where we felt alive, awake, open and present. Full-bodied moments. Do you remember the first time you fell in love? Took a stand for justice? What about those beginner steps that set you on a religious path? This Sunday we'll reflect on the meaning of time, how we move through it, trying to feel the fullness of each moment as it passes.

Rev. Alyson Jacks, Associate Minister

Richard Davis, Worship Associate

Dan Frechette, guitar and vocals

Laurel Thomsen, violin and vocals

Dr. Mark Sumner, piano

Shannon Warto, song leader

Elaine Pratt, Welcome

Jonathan Silk, OOS, Sound, Podcasting

In the Present Moment

If seasons of the year invite different seasons of the soul, what about summer invites us to focus more on being in the present moment? How do we do that? What gets in the way? And how do we take the best of that practice into the frenetic busyness of the year that waits just beyond Labor Day?

Rev. Vanessa Rush Southern, Senior Minister

Phil Marshall, Worship Associate

Ted Rust, oboe

Viva Knight, piano

Dr. Mark Sumner, piano

Asher Davison, song leader

Gayle Reynolds, Welcome

Jonathan Silk, OOS, Sound, Podcasting

Together: A Reflection on Small Group Ministry

At the start of UUSF's new ministry with Reverend Vanessa Rush Southern, an exploration of what it means to come together, to gather, in an intentional way. What do we give up? What do we gain? In Small Group Ministry, we commit —for a specified time—to meet in small groups, to explore and share our spiritual journeys, and deepen our friendships.

Millie Phillips, Guest Preacher

Judith Stoddard, Small Group Ministry

Elaine Pratt, Small Group Ministry Coordinator

Laura Pedersen, Small Group Ministry

Judith Stoddard, Small Group Ministry

Laurel Sprigg, soprano

Daniel Lockert, piano

Dr. Mark Sumner, piano

Asher Davison, song leader

Carrie Steere-Salazar, Welcome

Jonathan Silk, OOS, Sound, Podcasting

The Enduring Purpose of Religious Community

All specific congregational mission statements aside, why do we come together and what is it we're supposed to be doing here? What is it communities like ours have been about for centuries and should always be about? What is our enduring purpose for being?

Rev. Vanessa Rush Southern, Senior Minister

Rev. Alyson Jacks, Associate Minister

Reiko Oda Lane, piano

Bill Ganz, conductor

Elliott Etzkorn, accompanist

Galen Workman, Welcome

Kathleen Quenneville, Task Force on Future Ministry

Jonathan Silk, OOS, Sound, Podcasting

Thriving in Difficult Times

Difficulty can arise in any arena of our lives: partners, children, friends, work, health, finances, church, community, politics or the larger word. When things are really bad we just hope we can survive. This morning we’ll explore possibilities for thriving in difficult times.

Rev. Doug Kraft, Guest Minister

Kat Liu, Worship Associate

Jennifer Peringer, piano, accordion

Martha Rodriguez-Salazar, percussion, vocals

Members from the 94110 Protest Band

Catherine Jameson, soprano

Shannon Warto, soprano

Asher Davison, song leader

Jonathan Silk, OOS, Sound, Podcasting

Surrender to the Weight of Being Healed

Surrender to the Weight of Being Healed: what does it mean to bear witness and change worlds? Issues can't be repaired; problems can. How do we recognize the beauty and the wounded within and beyond us, and make real and lasting change for the good? C'mon, good people! Let's to it!

Rev. JD Benson, Assistant Minister

Rochelle Fortier Nwadibia, Worship Associate

Reiko Oda Lane, piano

Catherine Jameson, soprano

Elliott Etzkorn, accompaniment

Asher Davison, song leader

John Young, Welcome

Leslie Ottaviano, Sound

Jonathan Silk, OOS, Podcasting

What Do A Billion Muslims Have To Teach Us About Unitarian Universalism?

Islam, the second largest religion in the world, could be thought of as a Unitarian heresy. Like American Unitarians 1200 years later, Muhammad and his followers regarded Jesus as a prophet, but not a God. They believed that the kingdom of God belonged to all people, not just a chosen few. In many ways Islam and Unitarianism share a certain kinship, particularly in relation to the Judeo-Christian tradition. At the same time, there are vast differences. Islam arose in the 7th century on the Arabian Peninsula among Bedouins. American Unitarianism arose in the 19th century among the "Boston Brahmins". Islam asserted itself in the language of poetry. Unitarianism asserted itself in the language of reason. Today, Unitarians are among the most vocal allies of Muslims in the United States and Rumi is one of our favorite poets. And yet, we know so little about the textual tradition of Islam. Let's explore a bit of that tradition and see what it can tell us about our own faith.

Alessandro Gagliard, Guest Preacher

Susan Anthony, Worship Associate

Reiko Oda Lane, piano

Radim Zenkl, mandolin, mandola, ukulele, didgeridoo

Asher Davison, song leader

Gayle Reynolds, Welcome

Jonathan Silk, OOS,Sound and Podcasting

Strange Foolishness: Meditations on Political Correctness

“Strange Foolishness: Meditations on Political Correctness.” -- Is Unitarian Universalism "a chapel of political correctness,” as some have charged? -- (and is that a bad thing?) ... We try to untangle the cultural, theological, and political threads that impact our thinking, our speaking, and the way we are together.

Rev. Mary McKinnon Ganz, Affiliated Community Minister

Alex Darr, Worship Associate

Wm. Garcia Ganz, piano

Joanne de Mars, cello

Asher Davison, song leader

Carrie Steere-Salazar, Welcome

Jonathan Silk, OOS,Sound and Podcasting

Mend Thine Every Flaw,

A Sermon for America's Birthday

What makes America great? And what exactly do we need to go back to make it great again? The Reverend Dr. David Keyes finds parallels between the ancient Israelites’ desire to ignore Moses and go back to what they knew, even if that was slavery, and the American citizens whose discomfort with a changing world prompted them to elect Donald Trump president. Having spent most of his professional life serving as an interim minister, Dr. Keyes can speak eloquently to the stresses of change. Come hear what he has to tell us about it.

Rev. Dr. David Keyes, Guest Minister

Lucy Smith, Worship Associate

Lary Chinn, piano

Nanette McGuinness,soprano

Asher Davison, song leader

Galen Workman, ofertory sentence

Jonathan Silk, OOS,Sound and Podcasting

Not Knowing - The Resistance to Certainty

Rev. Sonya, now Minister to the UU Congregation of Tuolumne County in Sonora, preached an earlier version of this sermon to the UUs of Oakland as part of a recent UUA “teach-in” series on the issue. If you have any lingering concerns, questions, or thoughts on this topic, please do feel free to e-mail her at sonya.sukalski@comcast.net - she'd love to hear from you! In particular, it is her sincere hope that lifting up some stories of UUs of Color will move people to go deeper.

Rev. Sonya Sukalski, Guest Minister

Phil Marshall, Worship Associate

Mark Sumner, piano

Asher Davison, song leader

Allen Biggs, percussion

Fred Morgan, percussion

Scott Benbow, welcome

Jonathan Silk, OOS,Sound and Podcasting

Confessions of A Curious Cleric: Reflections On 45 Years of Ministry

We each bring our own gifts. Ministry is something we all do. John will confess what he wishes he had done differently. Perhaps to inspire us to stay curious and open to what the future may unfold. The Choir will end with the Forman Benediction by Daniel Pinkham, composed in John’s honor for his last service as UUA President.

Rev. John Buehrens, Senior Minister

Rev. Alyson Jacks, Associate Minister

Rev. JD Benson, Assistant Minister

Rev. Gwen Langdoc Buehrens

Kathleen Quenneville, welcome and reflection

Rev. Lindi Ramsden

Rev. Dr. Marilyn Sewell

Rev. Dr. David Sammons

Rev. John Young

Rev. David Keyes

Rev. Meg Whitaker-Greene

Reiko Oda Lane, organ

Mark Sumner, music director

Jonathan Silk, OOS,Sound and Podcasting

The Curious Case Of This Congregation and Of Schrodinger’s Cat

These last three years have been among the happiest and most satisfying of my professional life. Yet UUSF still suffers from some self-defeating understandings of itself. As “Developmental Minister” I will play therapist to try to help you to change the narrative. Worship will include a covenant with Lay Chaplains.

Rev. John Buehrens, Senior Minister

Rev. JD Benson, Assistant Minister

Susan Anthony, Worship Associate

Reiko Oda Lane, organ

Asher Davison, song leader

Katrina Walter, flute

Adrienne Malley, oboe

Jeannie Psomas, clarinet

Patrick Johnson-Whitty, bassoon

Leslie Hart, french horn

Margaret Halbig, piano

Joe Chapot, welcome

Nathan Gandrud, OOS

Jonathan Silk, sound and podcasting

Inquiring Minds Want To Know: A Question Box Sermon

Worship Associate Richard Davis and I will pick the 10 best questions for me to answer. Briefly.

The Choir will sing Rumi’s “Come, Come, Whoever You Are,” in English, Spanish and Chinese. We will thank the facilitators of Small Group Ministry. The Bell Choir will perform. Bike to Worship Sunday!

Rev. John Buehrens, Senior Minister

Rev. Alyson Jacks, Associate Minister

Richard Davis, Worship Associate

Reiko Oda Lane, organ

Dr. Mark Sumner, music director

Asher Davison, song leader

Christopher Rodriguez, welcome

Nathan Gandrud, OOS

Leslie Ottaviano, sound

Jonathan Silk, podcasting

Practicing Love

Our pulpit guest on Memorial Day weekend is a lay member of the UU Congregation of Santa Rosa, a Marriage and Family Therapist, and recipient of several district awards as an outstanding lay preacher. Dennis Adams will serve as Worship Associate. Andres Vera, cello, and Randy Adams, piano, will provide music. Meanwhile, our ministers will be with 100+ members & friends at the annual All-Church Retreat, practicing community-building in a less formal and relaxed setting at the CYO Camp in Occidental. Please join us, one place or the other!

Jan Ogren, Guest Preacher

Dennis Adams, Worship Associate

Andres Vera, cello

Randy Adams, piano

Galen Workman, welcome

Nathan Gandrud, OOS

Leslie Ottaviano, sound

Jonathan Silk, podcasting

Community as Sanctuary . . . and more

The mission statement of UUSF says that we exist “to be a sanctuary for individual religious growth and learning, to celebrate life and worship in diverse fellowship, to bear witness to suffering and joy, and to work for peace and justice in our world.”

Rev. John Buehrens, Senior Minister Phil Marshall, Worship Associate Jiun-Chyi Yew & Maria Solis, sopranos Dr. Mark Sumner & David Jones, accompanists Asher Davison, song leader Alan Alpert, tenor Carrie Steere-Salazar, welcome Leslie Ottaviano, sound - recording Jonathan Silk, OOS and podcasting

Foremothers of Faith

On Mother’s Day, John will offer a sermon about some of the foremothers of our liberal faith, known and unknown, remembered and forgotten. Lucy Smith will serve as Worship Associate and offer a reflection. The Choir will sing. Reiko will play. And after the service, in the Chapel, there will be an Invitation to Membership for those newcomers who have met with one of the ministers and are ready to sign the membership book of the Society.

Rev. John Buehrens, Senior Minister

Lucy Smith, Worship Associate

Reiko Oda Lane, organ

Bill Ganz, guest conductor

Kate Offer, soloist

Asher Davison, soloist

Tim Salaver, soloist

David King, soloist

Marc Theobald, Board Treasurer

Jonathan Silk, OOS, Sound, Podcasting

Two Types of Religion

Despite the tremendous diversity in the U.S. religious landscape, there are really only two kinds of religion. Most people practice one or the other, and only one of them leads us to a fuller, deeper, richer experience of life. Our guest preacher is the Regional Lead for the Pacific Western Region of the UUA. The service will make the end of our church school year, with appreciation to all the teachers.

Rev. James Kubal-Komoto, Guest Preacher

Rev. John Buehrens, Senior Minister

Rochelle Fortier-Nwadibia, Worship Associate

Larry Chinn, piano

Kerry Parker, song leader

Harry Moren, Welcome

Jonathan Silk, OOS, Sound, Podcasting

Living the Questions - A Celebration of Our Stepping Stones: Rites of Passage Class

Join us this Sunday as we honor and celebrate our ten Rites of Passage students. Under the gifted leadership of the ROP Teaching Team: Alex Darr, Jeff Cookston, Simmy Cover and Chandra Egan, our 3rd and 4th graders spent the year exploring who they are, what they value, and what it means to be part of a religious community. They've been asking lots of questions too - Big Life Questions, which our Ministers will aim to answer during the service. Our church and bell choir will minister in music with songs of celebration and joy. Revs. Buehrens, Benson,Jacks, and Worship Associate Alex Darr will co-lead the service.

Rev. John Buehrens, Senior Minister

Rev. Alyson Jacks, Associate Minister

Rev. JD Benson, Assistant Minister

Rights of Passage Class 2017

Alex Darr, ROP Lead Teacher

Reiko Oda Lane, organ and bell choir director

Max Benbow, Welcome

Jonathan Silk, OOS, Sound, Podcasting

Last Things First (Earth Day Sunday)

On the day following Earth Day, and at the end of a whole month of programming on climate change led by our Environmental Justice Working Group, our Message for All Ages will be a “Blessing of the Bins,” recommitting us all to recycling. Kat Liu, the chair of the working group, will serve as Worship Associate and offer a reflection.

Soprano Shannon Warto and pianist and vocalist Lucy Faridany will bring us stunning songs. And John’s sermon will focus on how we think about endings influences how we live in the meantime. This is true when it comes to our relationship with Earth, and for our own lives.

Rev. John Buehrens, Senior Minister

Kat Liu, Worship Associate

Alex Darr, Worship Associate

Rights of Passage Class

Reiko Oda Lane, organ

Shannon Warto, vocalist

Lucy Faridany, vocalist and piano

Rev. John Buehrens, Welcome

Jonathan Silk, OOS, Sound, Podcasting

Spiritual Audacity (EASTER SERVICE)

Rev. Alyson Jacks offered the Message for All Ages and Rev. JD Benson shared a reflection. The Bell Choir performed “Now the Green Blade Riseth,” and Reiko and the choir was accompanied by trumpeter Tom Dambly in a joyous, audacious celebration of Easter. The offering went to resurrect a UU ministry to the poor in Oklahoma that was destroyed in a recent fire.

Rev. John Buehrens, Senior Minister

Rev. Alyson Jacks, Associate Minister

Rev. JD Benson, Assistant Minister

Dr. Mark Sumner, music director

Reiko Oda Lane, organ

Kate Offer, soloist

Asher Davison, soloist

Tim Salaver, soloist

David King, soloist

Kathleen Quenneville, Welcome

Jonathan Silk, OOS, Sound, Podcasting

The Road To The Promised Land

Until recently the Dean of Religious Life at Stanford, Scotty McLennan continues to teach ethics there in the business school. He is a UU minister whose most recent book is "Christ for Unitarian Universalists: A New Dialogue with Christianity" --which is the Minister’s Book Club Selection for April, to be discussed on Monday evening, April 17.

Rev. Scotty McLennan, Guest Minister

Rev. John Buehrens, Senior Minister

Dr. Mark Sumner, music director

Reiko Oda Lane, organ

Saira Malik, Welcome

Jonathan Silk, OOS, Sound, Podcasting

Justice and Confrontation

Conflict is a great way to uncover the truth. World leaders rely on conflicting and competing advisers to make wise decisions. Instead of focusing our efforts in ending conflict, how about if we learned to wage them well in conversations? Conversations are the best places to wage conflict. Conversations are the currency of organizations. Our faith says revelation is unsealed, but so much conversations continue to unravel our authenticity. Our guest is the first Balázs Scholar at Starr King for the Ministry to come from beyond the Hungarian Unitarian community. She is a minister of the UU Church of the Philippines, where she has served the Bicutan Congregation in Manila. For over 20 years she has worked on organizing women, youth, farmers, and labor for better public policies, and advised over 30 non-governmental organizations.

Rev. Tet Gallardo, Guest Minister

Rev. JD Benson, Assistant Minister

Rev. Alyson Jacks, Associate Minister

Dr. Mark Sumner, piano

Jef Caers, flute

Matt Yang, piano

Asher Davison, song leader

Rev. John Young, Welcome

Jonathan Silk, OOS, Sound, Podcasting

Heartwood

Our beautiful sanctuary is, among other things, adorned with redwood beams and ceilings, oak plank floors, and carved chancel furniture that goes back to the ministry of Thomas Starr King. John has long felt that under the surface of every liberal church there lies a framework of covenantal heartwood, left to us as a gift and a present guide in challenging times.

Rev. John Buehrens, Senior Minister

Susan Anthony, Worship Associate

Reiko Oda Lane, organ

Dr. Mark Sumner, Music Director

Howard Oringer, Welcome

Jonathan Silk, OOS, Sound, Podcasting

Presence In The World

The late Harry Scholefield, beloved minister of this church for many years, began his days with a meditation practice (“Living by Heart”) that included preparing to be present and welcoming to each day, and to welcome every sign of sacred presence in people as well as in the natural world.

Rev. John Buehrens, Senior Minister

Rev. Alyson Jacks, Associate Minister

Richard Davis, Worship Associate

Reiko Oda Lane, organ

Dr. Mark Sumner, Music Director

Judy Payne, Welcome

Task Force on Future Ministry, Announcement

Jonathan Silk, OOS, Sound, Podcasting

The Unseen Guests

Faith, Hope and Love are evidence of the inherent grace in the world, for humans do not invent or create these experiences, but uncover them as a quality of life itself. That said, we can train our hearts to prepare them room, and, in so doing, we also prepare ourselves for other unseen guests. These are the many people who would benefit from our tradition but have not yet discovered it, and the generations yet to come to whom we will bequeath our communities. The generosity and commitment we make today ensures that they, too, shall know grace.

Rev. Christopher Thomas Bell, Guest Minister

Rev. John Buehrens, Senior Minister

Rev. Alyson Jacks, Associate Minister

Lucy Smith, Worship Associate

Bill Ganz, piano

Asher Davison, song leader

Radim Zenkl, Multi-instrumentalist (mandolin, ethnic flutes, didgeridoo)

George Cavage, Welcome

Jonathan Silk, Communications

Spiritual Friendship In Challenging Times

Our congregation is experiencing notable growth. We will kick off our annual fundraising and a much-needed capital campaign to strengthen our church and its work for these challenging times. The theme for the month is “Presence.” The Message for All Ages will come from our 5th and 6th grade church school class.

Rev. John Buehrens, Senior Minister

Lucy Smith, Worship Associate

Reiko Oda Lane, organ and bell choir director

Kate Offer, soprano

Asher Davison, baritone

Stanley Hartzell, Welcome

The 5th and 6th Class, message for all ages

Jonathan Silk, Communications

Love, Remembered

Congregations often accumulate layers of love and stories over decades, like layers of sediment below the surface. They may not be visible, but they are the ground on which we stand. The Rev. Diane Miller, who was ordained by this congregation 40 years ago, was Assistant Minister, Interim Senior Minister, and Associate Minister during her five years with the congregation. She was called to other congregations and served as Director of Ministry from 1993–2001, when John Buehrens was UUA President. Diane will be staying with John and Gwen and then going with them to the annual retreat of the UU Retired Ministers and Partners Association, held this year in Santa Barbara.

Rev. Diane M.W. Miller, Guest Preacher

Rev. John Buehrens, Senior Minister

Alex Darr, Worship Associate

Dr. Mark Sumner, piano

Andre´s Vera, cello

Randy Adams, piano

Asher Davison, song leader

Betsy Darr, Welcome

Jonathan Silk, OOS, Sound, Worship Archives/Podcast

Wanted: Love Makers

Wedged between tirades of mean tweets, disparaging demagoguery and the rollercoaster of topsy-turvy politics, love holds on tight for the ride of its life. To effectively counter the barrage of hate mongers, we need creative and committed love makers engaged in efforts that bring hope, vision and transformation. Let’s explore ways to be faithful and imaginative love practitioners and channel love’s enormous power to bring about healing and wholeness in the world.

Loving The Future

Native Americans, as in the Great Law of the Iroquois Confederacy, stressed keeping in mind the well-being of those who will follow us in seven generations. If we loved, rather than feared, the future, perhaps we might be better at doing this. John Buehrens will preach. The service will include the dedication of Iris Floyd, child of Emily Hurstak and Ryan Floyd.

Rev. John Buehrens, Senior Minister

Rev. Alyson Jacks, Associate Minister

Dennis Adams, Worship Associate

K2 Class with Summer Andreasen and Christine Patch-Lindsay, Message for All Ages

Reiko Oda Lane, organist

Dr. Mark Sumner, choir director

Ryan Floyd, piano

Elliott Etzkorn, piano

Linda Robertshaw, drums

Jim Barnett, Welcome

Jonathan Silk, OOS, Sound, Worship Archives/Podcast

Dr King said, “What is needed is a realization that power without love is reckless and abusive, and love without power is sentimental and anemic. Power at its best is love implementing the demands of justice, & justice at its best is power correcting everything that stands against love.”

Rev. John Buehrens, Senior Minister

Rev. Alyson Jacks, Associate Minister

Lucy Smith, Worship Associate

Phil Marshall, Worship Associate

Reiko Oda Lane, bell chor director and organist

Dr. Mark Sumner, choir director

Wm. García Ganz, piano

Asher Davison, baritone

Jim Valent, Welcome

Jonathan Silk, OOS, Sound, Worship Archives/Podcast

It Ain't Necessarily So

Our nation lives in a perpetual wrestling match with might opponents. Individually and collectively we are called to engage our personal, social, political and religious communities to bring about transformation for the common good of humanity. Really is this what we are called to? If so, how might the arts support us in the divine project of becoming fully human. Trust me, there is hope. Before becoming Minister for Faith in Action and then Parish Minister of the First Unitarian Church of Oakland, and before graduating from Starr King School for the Ministry, Rev. Duhart served as a social worker and military chaplain. She is exchanging pulpits with Rev. Buehrens.

Rev. Jacqueline Duhart, Guest Minister

Kat Liu, Worship Associate

Larry Chinn, piano

Asher, song leader

Howard Oringer, Welcome

Jonathan Silk, OOS, Sound, Worship Archives/Podcast

Dread, Hope, And Expectation

On the Sunday after the presidential inauguration, and our annual UUSF Spaghetti Supper for Social Justice, the Choir will sing, “Take Care of This House,” from the Lerner/ Bernstein musical, 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue. It includes the line, “but hope isn’t easy to see.” John’s sermon will be based on his own experience, as President of the UUA (1993-2001) of false news, propaganda, and right-wing divisiveness being used against our democratic faith – and how we prevailed then and can again.

Rev. John Buehrens, Senior Minister

Richard Davis, Worship Associate

Reiko Oda Lane, organ

Mark Sumner, choir director

Wm. Garcia Ganz, piano

Max Benbow, Welcome

Jonathan Silk, OOS, Sound, Worship Archives/Podcast

Hope Is Not Idle

This Sunday begins our Human Rights Awareness Month. Serving as Worship Associate will be Rochelle Fortier-Nwadibia, member, immigration attorney, and chair of our Human Rights Working Group. The Choir plans an anthem by contemporary composer Debra Scoggins based on the Emily Dickinson poem, Hope is the thing with feathers that perches in the soul and sings the tune without the words and never stops at all.

Rev. JD Benson, Assistant Minister

Rev. Alyson Jacks, Associate Minister

Rochelle Fortier-Nwadibia, Worship Associate

Reiko Oda Lane, organ

Mark Sumner, choir director

Wm. Garcia Ganz, piano

Jonathan Silk, OOS, Sound, Worship Archives/Podcast

Intransitive Hope

Hope is dangerous. We can become attached to particular outcomes. The best sort of hope is not a bet on outcomes, but an intransitive “orientation of the spirit,” as humanist Vaclav Havel put it. To operate in the realm between faith and love is also to learn to practice non-attachment to the fruits of right action. We’ll sing, with the help of the choir, a hymn that speaks of “hope, all other hopes above.” We’ll also hear the haunting song, “An Only Hope,” from the film, "A Walk to Remember", and an anthem by poet Elizabeth Alexander that speaks of sustaining hope “while pulling every weed.”

Rev. John Buehrens, Senior Minister

Alex Darr, Message for All Ages

Susan Anthony, Worship Associate

Reiko Oda Lane, organ

Wm. Garcia Ganz, piano & conductor

Elliott Etzkorn, piano

Jonathan Silk, OOS, Sound, Worship Archives/Podcast

Lost Hopes, New Hope

The year 2016 was one of many dashed hopes. But then so are most years. On New Year’s Day we will write some of our lost hopes on cards, then let them go – to be burned in the courtyard following the service. We will also write new hopes on cards – to be taken home, reflected upon, revised, and held. Alex Darr will serve as Worship Associate. Music will be provided by singer Elena McIntyre Cowan and her partner & accompanist. If you make it to church on New Year’s morning – well, there’s hope for you yet!

Rev. John Buehrens, Senior Minister

Alex Darr, Worship Associate

Carrie Steere-Salazar, Vice Moderator

Elena McEntire Cowan, mezzo soprano

Wm. Garcia Ganz, piano

Elliott Etzkorn, piano

Jonathan Silk, OOS, Sound, Worship Archives/Podcast

OPENING GIFTS

It’s not just on Christmas morning that we open gifts. It’s every morning that we receive and open the gift of a new day. As we gather on Christmas morning, Worship Associate Dennis Adams (a.k.a. Poindexter the Clown) will help us greet one another with surprise and wonder. Our guest musicians will be Ted Rust and Viva Knight on oboe and piano. And we will sing some beloved carols.

Rev. John Buehrens, Senior Minister

Dennis Adams, Worship Associate

David Jones, Piano

Dolci, piano and oboe

Jim Valent, Welcome

Jonathan Silk, OOS, Sound, Worship Archives/Podcast

IN THE BLEAK MIDWINTER

The hymn from which the sermon title is taken includes the words: “Once more child and mother weave their magic spell,/ Touching hearts with wonder words can never tell./ In the bleak mid-winter, in this world of pain,/ Where our hearts are open, love is born again.”

THE WONDER OF CHRISTMAS

The hymn from which the sermon title is taken includes the words: “Once more child and mother weave their magic spell,/ Touching hearts with wonder words can never tell./ In the bleak mid-winter, in this world of pain,/ Where our hearts are open, love is born again.” Kat Liu will serve as Worship Associate and offer a reflection. Trumpeter Tom Dambly and soprano Kate Offer will lead our music in this more contemplative Christmas Eve service with sermon.

Wonders Still The World Shall Witness

The world does not lack for wonders, said poet Muriel Rukeyser, only for a sense of wonder. John’s spiritual mentor, Dr. Jacob Trapp, wrote a hymn with the same title as his sermon. In the face of life’s inevitable changes, disappointments, and losses, how do we revive a sense of wonder? His text will come from a question the disciples of John posed to Jesus: Are you the one who is to come, or shall we wait for another? wondering, In what sense must each of us answer that question?

Rev. John Buehrens, Senior Minister

Rev. JD Benson, Assistant Minister

Susan Anthony, Worship Associate

Kathleen Quenneville, Moderator

Mark Sumner, Music Director

Reiko Oda Lane, Organist

Jonathan Silk, OOS, Sound, Worship Archives/Podcast

Wondrous Music In The Face of Wrongs

Dr. Buehrens, homilist

Dr. Mark Sumner directing the UUSF Choir and Soloists

and the Jubilate Instrumental Ensemble

and Reiko Oda Lane at the organ keyboard.

Jonathan Silk, OOS, Sound, Worship Archives/Podcast

Bring your music loving friends! Our “Big Music Sunday” this year features works by J.S. Bach, centered on Cantata 79, his “Reformation Cantata” --a fitting prelude to the 500th anniversary of the Reformation, 1517 to 2017. The cantata includes a chorale, “Nun danket alle Gott,” praising, in the face of enduring ills, the “wondrous things” already done to rectify many ancient wrongs. On the day after International Human Rights Day, we both celebrate and recommit ourselves – with the Human Rights Working Group bringing forth our UUSF “Black Lives Matter” banner.

As part of the service at First Unitarian Universalist Church in SF, many members of the UC Alumni Chorus will join the Unitarian Universalist Choir.

Directed by Mark Sumner

Includes Jubilate/Magnificat Orchestra, David Wilson, conductor.

Soloists:

Kate Offer

Alex Jerinic

Asher Davidson

Gilead Wurman

Jiun-Chyi Yew

Features an all Johann Sebastian Bach programme: Orchestral Suite No. 1 in C Major, BWV 1066 Ouverture; Heute noch lieber Vater from The Coffee Cantata, BWV 211; Gott der Herr und Sonn und Schild, Cantata No. 79 and Immortal Bach arranged by Knut Nystedt

A Rebirth of Wonder

In a poem with a refrain about “awaiting a rebirth of wonder,” San Francisco’s own Lawrence Ferlinghetti once described how he got through the McCarthy era and the complacency of the ‘50s. That “rebirth of wonder” is what we most need in our own souls to keep our spirits alive and just grateful for life – and a good theme for the season of Advent, as we approach the wonder of the winter holidays.

Rev. John Buehrens, Senior Minister

Phil Marshall, Worship Associate

Dr. Mark Sumner, choir director

Reiko Oda Lane, Organ

Jim Valent, Welcome

Jonathan Silk, OOS, Sound, Worship Archives/Podcast

Once Upon A Time . . . Again

We welcome back popular guest speaker Michael Eselun, who has come to us every autumn for several years. An Oncology Chaplain at UCLA Hospital, Michael will use very personal stories to illustrate how we can retell the story of our lives in ways that reconcile us to the past and allow us to face whatever may come with grace and courage.

Michael Eselun, Guest Preacher

Rev. John Buehrens, Senior Minister

Sister Sheila Flynn, O.P.

Eric Hamilton, guitar

Dr. Mark Sumner, Song Leader

Reiko Oda Lane, Organ

Kathleen Quenneville, Welcome

Jonathan Silk, OOS, Sound, Worship Archives/Podcast

Good Grace: Stories of Thanksgiving and Reconciliation

There is a good chance your Thanksgiving holiday will include some post-election reflection. Along with some side dishes, well come with our stories. In preparation, we will spend this Sunday with the Thanksgiving story, which will serve as our centerpiece, exploring the facts and the fiction, seeing what it can teach us about reconciliation and grace. Our stories have power, they can bring us together or break us apart. As we prepare to gather at the common table, may our stories move us in a direction that leads to healing and hope.

Rev. Alyson Jacks, Associate Minister

Lucy Smith, Worship Associate

Linda Harris, Chair of UUSC at UUSF

Dr. Mark Sumner, Music Director

Reiko Oda Lane, Organ

Jim Valent, Welcome

Jonathan Silk, OOS, Sound, Worship Archives/Podcast

Reconciling Opposing Views

Novelist F. Scott Fitzgerald once said that “the test of a first-rate intelligence is the ability to hold two opposed ideas in mind at the same time and still retain the ability to function.” This is true both in our relational lives – and in more profound forms of religious thought.

Rev. John Buehrens, Senior Minister

Rev. Alyson Jacks, Associate Minister

Richard Davis, Worship Associate

Dr. Mark Sumner, Music Director

Reiko Oda Lane, Organ

Gayle Reynolds, Welcome

Jonathan Silk, OOS, Sound, Worship Archives/Podcast

Winners, Losers, and Reconciliation: An Election Day Sermon

Winners hold parties; losers hold meetings. Only finite games divide the winners and losers. From a distance, life is more like an infinite game. The real goal then is to keep the play going. Which requires grace and reconciliation. Drawing on both the tradition of the Election Sermon and ideas of philosopher James Carse, John will try to put Election Day in spiritual perspective.

Rev. John Buehrens, Senior Minister

Phil Marshall, Worship Associate

Dr. Mark Sumner, Music Director

Reiko Oda Lane, Organ

Jonah Berquist, Welcome

Jonathan Silk, OOS, Sound, Worship Archives/Podcast

We have Come This Far By Faith

The Rev. Darrick Jackson is the Director of Contextual Ministry at Meadville Lombard Theological School. Darrick is involved denominationally as Treasurer of DRUUMM (the UU ministry for people of color) and as co-chair of the UU Ministers Association CENTER Committee and Institute for Ministerial Excellence. He is also the treasurer and Workshop Leader for Healing Moments (a ministry for caregivers of people with Alzheimer's). In his free time, Darrick likes to knit and to be involved in theater. He is married to James Olson, a United Church of Christ minister and lives with their two cats, Merlin and Morgana.

Rev. Darrick Jackson, Guest Preacher

Rev. John Buehrens, Senior Minister

Rev. Alyson Jacks, Associate Minister

Kat Liu, Worship Associate

Dr. Mark Sumner, Music Director

Reiko Oda Lane, Organ

Asher Davison, solo

HyeJin Yu, solo

Jim Valent, Welcom

Jonathan Silk, OOS, Sound, Worship Archives/Podcast

Authoritarians, Then and Now

On the 72nd anniversary of the founding of the United Nations here in the City of St. Francis, some reflections on why, despite the growing strength of the international human rights movement, authoritarian tendencies are again growing ñ and what people of faith should remember in facing them.

Rev. John Buehrens, Senior Minister

Alex Darr, Worship Associate

Dr. Mark Sumner, piano

Andres David Vera , cello

Randy Adams, piano

Kate Offer, solo

Christopher Rodriguez, Trustee

Jonathan Silk, OOS, Sound, Worship Archives/Podcast

Fine Tuning Your Moral Compass

What is the source of your authority to act--in word or deed--in the world? What external influences and what innate origins are there to one's personal sense of right and wrong and for mustering the courage to live by (or close as one can to) one's moral compass? What are the micro-corrections we might make?

Rev. JD Benson, Assistant Minister

Rev. Alyson Jacks, Associate Minister

Dennis Adams, Worship Associate

Reiko Oda Lane, Organ

Wm. GarcÌa Ganz, pianist

Tim Salaver, solo

Kate Offer, solo

Peter Gross, Trustee

Jonathan Silk, OOS, Sound, Worship Archives/Podcast

The (Limited) Authority of Tradition

What can we learn from traditions of the Jewish High Holidays? Especially from those associated with Yom Kippur, the solemn Day of Atonement? Martin Buber, who took traditional religion to have only limited authority, said that the purpose of tradition is to teach us “to hallow this life” – to make of its moments days of awe and holy.

Rev. John Buehrens, Senior Minister

Rev. Alyson Jacks, Associate Minister

Richard Davis, Worship Associate

Dr. Mark Sumner, Music Director

Reiko Oda Lane, Organ

Bill Klingelhoffer, horn and shofar

Maria Solis, soprano

Tim Salaver, solo

Asher Davison, solo

Jim Valent, Moderator

Jonathan Silk, OOS, Sound, Worship Archives/Podcast

Power, Authority, and Spirituality

When I was UUA President, I co-led a couple of retreats for Unitarian Universalist CEOs under this title. To use what power we have (which is often greater than we care to acknowledge) for the common good; to exercise authority with moral responsibility; these are signs of authentic spirituality – at work, at home, and in our common life.

Rev. John Buehrens, Senior Minister

Susan Anthony, Worship Associate

Dr. Mark Sumner, Music Director

Reiko Oda Lane, Organ and Bell Choir Director

Kathleen Quenneville, Moderator

Jonathan Silk, OOS, Sound, Worship Archives/Podcast

Faith: The Verb

We welcome to our pulpit the newly-called Co-Minister of the Unitarian Universalist Church of Berkeley. Christian shares the ministry there with his wife, the Rev. Kirstin Schmidt. They are the parents of two boys, ages 4 and 18 months. John Buehren s supervised Christian as an Intern Minister at First Parish in Needham, MA. He was a journalist and UU lay leader in Texas before entering ministry studies.

Rev. Christian Schmidt, Guest Minister

Rev. John Buehrens,Senior Minister

Lucy Smith, Worship Associate

Dr. Mark Sumner, song leader

Bill Klingelhoffer, french horn

Jennifer Peringer, piano

Tammy Hall, piano

Kathleen Quenneville, Moderator

Jonathan Silk, OOS, Sound, Worship Archives/Podcast

Are There Two Types Of Faith?

The great Jewish sage Martin Buber once wrote an influential book called Two Types of Faith, suggesting as much. One type emphasizes relationship. In Hebrew, the key word for faith is enumah – meaning trust, or loyalty. The other type he saw typified in the Christian emphasis on what is called in Greek pistis, as in the word epistle, or letter, which leads to literal, faithful belief in a formulaic creed. While we Unitarian Universalists are clearly closer to an enumah form of faith than to a required creed, is it also possible that there are other forms of faith? Our Story for All Ages will come from Buddhist tradition.

Rev. John Buehrens,Senior Minister

Phil Marshall, Worship Associate

Dr. Mark Sumner, Music Director

Reiko Oda Lane, Organ

Gayle Reynolds, Vice Moderator

Jonathan Silk, OOS, Sound, Worship Archives/Podcast

Faith of the Free

We gather for a new church year of learning, caring, and serving at UUSF on the 15th anniversary of September 11, 2001. The following months and years were the best of times and the worst of times. Free people gathered to help one another. Free people also became manipulated by fear-mongering. Developments over the past summer have mirrored that tension. We are all clearly afraid and anxious. What shall we do with all our fears? Where do we dare to invest our finite faith, our hope, our love? Could we ever trust one another enough, in the here and now, to sort out what is worthy of our faith?

Rev. John Buehrens,Senior Minister

Rev. Alyson Jacks, Associate Minister

Rev. JD Benson, Assistant Minister

Dr. Mark Sumner, music director

Reiko Oda Lane, organ

Christopher Rodriguez, trustee

Jonathan Silk, OOS, Sound, Worship Archives/Podcast

What Does It Mean To Have Faith In The Collective Power Of Working People?

At a time when the U.S. labor movement is struggling to survive and so many people lack secure employment and living wages, can the fight for justice on the job be source of spiritual strength, as it was for many of our ancestors? Our preacher will be our own Millie Phillips, a long-time labor activist, member of UUSF, recent graduate of Starr King School for the Ministry, and now Intern Minister for the UU Congregation of Santa Rosa.

Millie Phillips , M.Div.

Rev. John Buehrens,Senior Minister

The Labor Heritage/Rockin’ Solidarity Chorus

Pat Wynne, Choir Director

Dr. Mark Sumner, piano

Kate Offer, song leader

Jonathan Silk, OOS, Sound, Worship Archives/Podcast

Friendship, Why Bother?

A collaborative service of voices from Small Group Ministry, reflecting ways in which we can deepen our relationships; and learn from our differences.

Rev. Margot Campbell Gross, Minister Emerita

Alessandro Gagliardi, Small Group Ministry Co-ordinator

Judith Stoddard, Small Group Ministry

Megan Lehmer, Small Group Ministry

Tristan Hembree, Small Group Ministry

Stanley Hartzell, Small Group Ministry

Julia Wald, Small Group Ministry

Jiun-Chyi Yew, soprano

Dr. Mark Sumner, piano & song leading

Larry Chinn, jazz pianist

Jonathan Silk, OOS, Sound, Worship Archives/Podcast

Be Friend

Friendship is difficult to describe, but that hasn’t stopped us from trying. Take Aristotle. He believed that friendship – philia – is a great good, one of the greatest goods. And to be a good friend, you must be a good person; only good people can be friends. Like Aristotle, I believe friendship is a great good, both for the individual and society as a whole. The world could do with fewer frenemies, for sure. But there’s more to the story.

Concepts of friendship have changed since the days of Aristotle. The poet and philosopher John O’Donahue believed friendship is an act of recognition and belonging, cutting across convention, morality, and category. Friendship may be hard to describe, but the story of friendship is a deep one.

In his essay on Friendship, Ralph Waldo Emerson said that “Friendship demands a religious treatment. Reverence is a great part of it. Treat your friend as a spectacle.”

Rev. Alyson Jacks, Associate Minister

Richard Davis, Worship Associate

Nanette McGuinness, soprano

Reiko Oda Lane, organ

Dr. Mark Sumner, piano & song leading

Marc Theobald, Welcome

Jonathan Silk, OOS, Sound, Worship Archives/Podcast

The Future of Evil

Unitarian Universalism is transitioning into its next theological phase of embracing spirituality and appreciating a higher power. While comforting, can we reach only for the positive and deny the negative? What will be our UU position on evil in our next phase?

Rev. Russ Menk, Guest Minister Kat Liu, Worship Associate Nancy Munn, soprano David Jones, piano Gayle Reynolds, Welcome Leslie Ottaviano, Sound Jonathan Silk, OOS, Worship Archives/Podcast

Accepting Our Demons

From where come Temptation, Evil, and Demons? Recent bestsellers prominently feature devilish beings, pointing us toward the ancient religious study of Demonology. What do Unitarian Universalists have to say about these creatures? How might liberal religion understand them? What do stories about demons have to say about the roles of good, evil, and temptation in our own world and in our lives? Rev. Lucas Hergert, minister of the Unitarian Universalist Church in Livermore since 2009, will explore these questions.

Rev. Lucas Hergert, Guest Minister

Dennis Adams, Worship Associate

Christine Tulis, harp & song leader

Wm. Garcia Ganz, piano

Kathleen Quenneville, Welcome

Jonathan Silk, OOS, Sound & Worship Archives/Podcast

Renewing Gratitude

A mother and her son were at a local farmers market. They stopped at a stall piled high with beautiful fruit. The vendor smiled at the little boy and handed him an orange. When her son remained silent, she looked at him and asked, ìWhat do you say to the nice man?î The child mulled it over, handed the orange back to the man and said, ìPeel it.î OUCH. He sure missed the gratitude train. Are you missing opportunities to express appreciation and kindness on a daily basis? Join us for an interactive sermon on the spiritual practice of GRATITUDE.

Rev. Carol Thomas Cissel, Guest Minister Rev. JD Benson, Assistant Minister Kat Liu, Worship Associate Kerry Parker, song leader Larry Chinn, piano Galen Workman, Welcome Jonathan Silk, OOS, Sound & Worship Archives/Podcast

The Art of Creative Reframing: Seeing The World With Fresh Eyes

Vincent van Gogh wrote to his brother Theo, “The more I think it over, the more I feel that there is nothing more truly artistic than to love people.” When we encounter difficulties in our relationships it can be easy to entrench into a position of disappointment or frustration. How do we reframe our worldview, as van Gogh does in this writing, to encourage ourselves into the creative place of deepening connection?

Rev. Melissa Thomson, Guest Minister

Sue Anthony, Worship Associate

Kerry Parker, song leader

Eric Hamilton, guitarist

Wm. Garcia Ganz, piano

Judy Payne, Trustee

Jonathan Silk, OOS, Sound & Worship Archives/Podcast

Creative Generativity

“Any damned fool can be a genitor,” some wise man once said. “It takes creative wisdom and maturity to actually be a good father.” Recognizing how few of us may have been blessed to experience really good parenting, this service will seek to lead us all toward more creative forms of generativity – not so much biological as social. This will be Rev. John’s last Sunday in the pulpit until September, as he spends the summer in creative work on UUA leadership, writing a new book, and then celebrating the wedding of his eldest nephew and namesake.

Rev. John Buehrens,Senior Minister

Phil Marshall, Worship Associate

Reiko Oda Lane, organ

Andrés Vera, cello

Randy, Adams, piano

Jim Valent, Trustee

Jonathan Silk, OOS, Sound & Worship Archives/Podcast

Creativity, Hubris, and Babel

“Democracy,” said Winston Churchill, “is the worst of all possible systems of government – except for all the others that have been tried.” At the moment, all around the world, democracy seems to be in trouble. Creative demagogues threaten to dominate. What kind of leadership is needed to cut through the babel and to clarify the common good?

Rev. John Buehrens,Senior Minister

Kat Liu, Worship Associate

Reiko Oda Lane, organ

Radim Zenkl, Flute, Mandolin, Fujara

Jim Valent, Trustee

Jonathan Silk, OOS, Sound & Worship Archives/Podcast

On Being Part of The Creative (and Destructive) Process

Western free market economist Friedrich Hayek spoke of “creative destruction.” Hindus have a trinity of deities: Brahma, the Oneness; Krishna, the Creator; and Siva, the Destroyer. Buddhists note the transience of all structures. Our Choir will end their year of singing for us before leaving for their fourth triennial trip to Eastern Europe. And we will celebrate FLOWER COMMUNION – according to the practice of the Rev. Norbert Capek, who in Prague between the World Wars brought humanists, Jews, Christians, and others together in opposition to Nazi racism. Please note the anti-racism and economic justice events on the two previous days.

Flower Communion

Rev. John Buehrens,Senior Minister

Rev. Margot Campbell Gross, Minister Emerita

Lucy Smith, Worship Associate

Dr. Mark Sumner, choir director

Reiko Oda Lane, organ

Peter Gross, Trustee

Bill Frank, Tape Op

Jonathan Silk, OOS, Sound & Worship Archives/Podcast

The Practice of Care

A reflection on what it means to practice a caring orientation to life. How we can cultivate this basic attitude of attentiveness, openness, love even. Margot will particularly focus on why this is difficult, and why it is foundational to caring for others, and for oneself.

Rev. Margot Campbell Gross, Minister Emerita

Richard Davis, Worship Associate

Reiko Oda Lane, organ

Ryan Floyd, piano

Emily Wilson, welcome

Bill Frank, Sound

Jonathan Silk, OOS, Sound & Worship Archives/Podcast

The Limits of Care

We can’t possibly care about everything. “Teach us to care and not to care,” prayed poet T.S. Eliot. The trick is to know when to do each. This is never easy, but essential to real maturity and even to learning the difference between caring and co-dependence.

Bike and Walk to Worship Sunday!

Rev. John Buehrens,Senior Minister

Rev. Alyson Jacks, Associate Minister

Alex Darr, Worship Associate

Dr. Mark Sumner, piano

Reiko Oda Lane, organ

Katrina Walter, flute

Marc Theobald, Trustee

Bill Frank, Tape Op

Jonathan Silk, OOS, Sound & Worship Archives/Podcast

Spiritual Care

Ministers are often said to have people in their “spiritual care” or to be involved in “the care of souls.” What is that in practical terms? The Rev. László Major, minister of the 350 member Unitarian Church of Dakt in Transylvania has been studying pastoral care this year as the Balázs Scholar at Starr King School for the Ministry. He will serve as Worship Associate and offer a brief reflection during the service and a longer dialogue after the service. The offering will go to our Partner Church in Transylvania, which our Choir will visit on their pilgrimage this summer.

Rev. John Buehrens,Senior Minister

Rev. László Major, Balázs Scholar

Dr. Mark Sumner, piano

Christine Tulis, harp and vocals

Jim Valent, Trustee

Jonathan Silk, OOS, Sound & Worship Archives/Podcast

Reciprocal Care

Meg is the daughter of a UU Religious Education Director. She is both a licensed psychotherapist and has served as minister to four UU congregations. She has served as Adjunct Faculty at Starr King School for Ministry and Clinical Supervisor of the Native American Counseling Center. She works with troubled families and with historic and present day trauma, and is a graduate of Rev. Jeremy Taylor’s Marin Institute of Dream Workers.

Rev. John Buehrens,Senior Minister

Rev. Meg Whitaker-Greene, Guest Preacher

Lucy Smith, Worship Associate

Dr. Mark Sumner, Music Director

Michael Yokas, violin

Laurel Sprigg, soprano

Mark Johnson, piano

Jim Valent, Trustee

Jonathan Silk, OOS, Sound & Worship Archives/Podcast

Work and Care

Much of the world’s work, especially caring work, is unpaid or under-valued. Many crises in the social world result from a scarcity of adequately paid work in our rapidly integrating global economy. The service offers a preview of the conference we will host on June 4 on economic justice issues, under the sponsorship of the UU Justice Ministry of California . It will also include recognition of those who have taught in our religious education programs this year.

Rev. John Buehrens,Senior Minister

Rev. Alyson Jacks, Associate Minister

Sue Anthony, Worship Associate\

Hanna Clements-Hart, Family Life Ministry Chair

Reiko Oda Lane, organist

Jennifer Peringer, pianist

Bill Klingelhoffer, Trustee

Bill Frank, audio support and tape op

Jonathan Silk, OOS, Sound & Worship Archives/Podcast

Self-Awareness: Coming of Age

This Sunday we celebrate our Coming of Age youth with a special worship service. The worship service is the culmination of a year-long faith exploration program for our youth who are in the 8th and 9th grades. Over the past seven months, the youth have examined their religious identity, gaining self-awareness and deepening their connection to our Unitarian Universalist faith and this church community. They describe their COA experience as a "coming home." They have asked themselves, "What do we believe, and what does it mean to be a UU? How do my values and our community values sustain and support us through challenges? How does our faith guide our justice work?"

Through class discussion, retreats, journaling, mentorship and self-reflection, the six members of this year's Coming of Age class - Day Chionsini, Ryan Connelly, Natasha Janowski, Max Kaplan, Georgia Pori, and Eli Wallace - are ready to offer their credo statements, and share in the duties of leading worship. Joining the COA youth will be their teachers, Alex Darr and Gary Lorentzen, Rev. Buehrens and Rev. Jacks.

Rev. John Buehrens,Senior Minister

Rev. Alyson Jacks, Associate Minister

Alex Darr, Worship Associate

Gary Lorentzen, Teacher

Day Chionsini, Coming of Age Youth

Ryan Connelly, Coming of Age Youth

Natasha Janowski, Coming of Age Youth

Max Kaplan, Coming of Age Youth

Georgia Pori, Coming of Age Youth

Eli Wallace, Coming of Age Youth

Dr. Mark Sumner, choir director

Reiko Oda Lane, organist and bell choir director

Wm. García Ganz, pianist

Kate Offer, song leader

Judy Payne, Trustee

Bill Frank, audio support and tape op

Jonathan Silk, OOS, Sound & Worship Archives/Podcast

The Awareness of Glory

"Big Music" Sunday at UUSF! The Poulenc Gloria is one of the great choral works of the 20th century. It was commissioned for and first performed by the Boston Symphony Orchestra and Chorus in 1961.

Rev. John Buehrens,Senior Minister

Rev. Alyson Jacks, Associate Minister

Kat Liu, Worship Associate

Margaret Pearce, The Interfaith Power and Light

Dr. Mark Sumner, choir director

Mark Bruce, organist

Wm. García Ganz, pianist

Kate Offer, soprano

Kathleen Quenneville, Moderator

Jonathan Silk, OOS, Sound & Worship Archives/Podcast

The Awareness of Evil

If most religion begins in a sense of metaphysical unity, it also includes the moral duality

of good and evil. We often focus on good people, doing good things. But how are good

Universalists called to respond when we see and encounter real evil in the world?

Rev. John Buehrens,Senior Minister

Richard Davis, Worship Associate

Rev. Alyson Jacks, Message for All Ages

Dr. Mark Sumner, choir director

Eric Hamilton, guitar

Marc Theobald, Trustee

Bill Frank, Tape Op Support

Jonathan Silk, OOS, Sound & Worship Archives/Podcast

The Awareness of Oneness

It is possible to be both rational and something of a mystic. Perhaps all unifying

religion begins in what we claim as one of the sources of our living tradition:

Direct experience of that transcending mystery and wonder, affirmed in all cultures,

which moves us to a renewal of the spirit and an openness to the forces that create

and uphold life. The Message for All Ages will be given by our Neighboring Faiths

class, who have been visiting other houses of worship.

Rev. John Buehrens,Senior Minister

Phil Marshall, Worship Associate

Neighboring Faiths class, Message for All Ages

Dr. Mark Sumner, choir director

Reiko Oda Lane, organ

Reece Hart, Trustee

Bill Frank, Tape Op Support

Jonathan Silk, OOS, Sound & Worship Archives/Podcast

Practicing Resurrection

In a change from past practice at Easter, the children will join us only for the early part of the service, for a Message for All Ages and for some of the glorious music; then they will go off with Rev. Alyson to other activities, including an Easter egg hunt. John’s message, under a title borrowed from the poet Wendell Berry, will be about carrying the Easter theme into daily and year-round life. Fancy Easter hats, of course, are part of the tradition and fun at UUSF Easter.

Rev. John Buehrens,Senior Minister

Rev. Alyson Jacks, Associate Minister

Rev. JD Benson, Assistant Minister

Dennis Adams, Poindexter the Clown (and nugget the dog)

Dr. Mark Sumner, choir director

Reiko Oda Lane, organ

Kate Offer, soprano soloist

Tom Dambly, trumpet

Kathleen Quenneville, Board Moderator

Jonathan Silk, OOS, Sound & Worship Archives/Podcast

Cracking The Monolith

Bill Rankin is the author of a 1994 book on social change with the same title as his sermon

with the subtitle, “The Struggle for the Soul of America: A Peace and Justice Manifesto.”

Bill is a 20-year friend of John and Gwen Buehrens, an Episcopal priest holding a doctorate

in social ethics, the former Dean of Episcopal Divinity School, and, with his wife, Sally,

was recently honored by Duke University for community service in global health. He is

President Emeritus of thegaia.org, The Global AIDS Interfaith Alliance. We will mark both the

spring equinox and Palm Sunday.

Rev. Dr. William Rankin, guest preacher

Rev. John Buehrens,Senior Minister

Rev. Alyson Jacks, Associate Minister

Kat Liu, Environmental Justice Working Group Chair

Jonah Berquist, Reflection

Mark Johnson, piano

Andrés Vera, cello

Randy Adams, piano

Galen Workman, Board Secretary

Jonathan Silk, OOS, Sound & Worship Archives/Podcast

Change In The Church

Spirituality is meant to change us. No one should touch holy ground and remain unchanged. Churches, on the other hand, are meant to provide stability – a framework for spiritual change. No wonder there is an inherent tension between them!

Rev. John Buehrens,Senior Minister

Jan Hutslar and Windows & Mirrors Class

Teresa Goebel, Reflection

Reiko Oda Lane, organist

Rusty Harris-Bishop, soloist

Reece Hart, Trustee

Jonathan Silk, OOS, Sound & Worship Archives/Podcast

Worship is constantly changing. The root of the word goes back to the Anglo-Saxon “worth -shaep.” The constant purpose being to help give shape to what is of true worth, to shape our inner lives that way. Taking off from an essay on religion in an age of science, John will discuss how rock concerts, intimate groups, and even astronomy offer aspects of what we seek – but not the whole.

Rev. John Buehrens,Senior Minister

Alyson Jacks, Associate Minister

Susan Anthony, Worship Associate

Dr. Mark Sumner, Music Director

Reiko Oda Lane, organist

Wm. García Ganz, piano

Judy Payne, trustee

Jonathan Silk, OOS, Sound & Worship Archives/Podcast

The Soul as Inner Connection

The late Malvina Reynolds, a Bay Area Unitarian activist and singer-songwriter, once wrote a prose piece she called her “Soul Book,” arguing that the soul is something we acquire in the course of living rather than something inherent. Whether you believe the soul exists or not, is inherent or acquired, we hope you’ll find your own soul expanded by the reflection offered by Ben Bear.

Rev. John Buehrens,Senior Minister

Ben Bear, Worship Associate

Dr. Mark Sumner, Music Director

Reiko Oda Lane, organist

Wm. García Ganz, piano

Gayle Reynolds, Vice Moderator

Jonathan Silk, OOS, Sound & Worship Archives/Podcast

Alienation and Reconnection

Alienation, said theologian Paul Tillich, is inherent in the human condition. We live alienated from ourselves, from others, and from the very ground of our being. How then do we reconnect? Preaching for us will be a scientist turned minister, now retired from active ministry but still serving as a research scholar at Starr King School for the Ministry. John Buehrens calls Jay "one of my wisest colleagues." The Coming of Age class will provide the Message for All Ages.

Rev. Dr. Jay Atkinson, Guest Minister

Kat Liu, Worship Associate

Dr. Mark Sumner, song leader

Reiko Oda Lane, organist and bell choir director

Giacomo Fiore, guitar

Emily Wilson, Administrator

Jonathan Silk, OOS, Sound & Worship Archives/Podcast

Connecting To Beauty

On Valentineís Day we will ponder eros ñ not just as sexual attraction ñ but as the divine energy that connects us to the beauty all around us. Those who are lonely, or depressed, or feel spiritually starved (and that is all of us at times) often need to practice connecting to beauty.

Rev. John Buehrens,Senior Minister

Alison Rittger, Worship Associate

Dr. Mark Sumner, music director

Reiko Oda Lane, organist

Wm. GarcÌa Ganz, piano

Linda Robertshaw, percussion

Reece Hart, Trustee

Jonathan Silk, OOS, Sound & Worship Archives/Podcast

Practicing Connection

Many of us, including your Sr. Minister, are actually introverts. We have to be intentional about making a real connection with other people. Those who are natural extroverts sometimes need to be intentional about just listening. This is how the web of community is woven, in diversity.

Rev. John Buehrens,Senior Minister

Rev. Alyson Jacks, Associate Minister

Milo Hanke, Worship Associate

Aggie Sweeney, Fundraising Consultant to UUSF

Reiko Oda Lane, organist

Wm. Garcia Ganz, guest choir director

James Valent, Trustee

Jonathan Silk, OOS, Sound & Worship Archives/Podcast

In These Hands: Embodying Justice

In his latest book, Prehension: The Hand and the Emergence of Humanity, philosopher and writer Colin McGinn tells the amazing story of how the hand formed human evolution. Our hands -- with their dexterity,

flexibility, precision, and sensitivity -have been instrumental in shaping the world around us, for better and for worse.

The hand has also played a critical role in how we practice justice making. We carry protest signs. We feed the hungry. We plant gardens. We raise our fists, lift hammers and write letters.

But it’s not just the hands. Justice making is a bodily endeavor, summoning our hands, hearts, bodies, minds and voices to act in concert. The more we practice and fine tune our justice making muscles, the better we’ll get.

Rev. Alyson Jacks, Associate Minister

Alison Rittger, Worship Associate

Reiko Oda Lane, organist

Threshold Choir

Bill Klingelhoffer, Trustee

Jonathan Silk, OOS, Sound & Worship Archives/Podcast

Holding Out For Mercy

When I get to talking too much about justice, my wife Gwen is likely to say aloud, “Personally, I’m holding out for mercy.” Aren’t we all? In the effort actually to practice justice, nothing is more important than forgiving ourselves and one another as we stumble on the way. Wisdom from rabbinic tradition is relevant and will be applied.

Rev. John Buehrens, Senior Minister

Rev. Alyson Jacks, Associate Minister

Phil Marshall, Worship Associate

George Cavage, Membership

Dr. Mark Sumner, Music Director

Reiko Oda Lane, organist and bell choir director

Wm. García Ganz, piano

Peter Gross, Trustee

Kate Offer and Mark Johnson, Sing-a-long

Jonathan Silk, OOS, Sound & Worship Archives/Podcast

Waking Up White

The Black Lives Matter movement has been a wake-up call to white America. When did you wake up to issues of race in your own life? How have those early experiences helped or hindered your re-awakening in this new moment in the quest for racial justice.

Rev. John Buehrens, Senior Minister

Rev. Alyson Jacks, Associate Minister

Richard Davis, Worship Associate

Dr. Mark Sumner, Music Director

Reiko Oda Lane, organist

Eric Shackelford, soloist

Judy Payne, Trustee

Jonathan Silk, OOS, Sound & Worship Archives/Podcast

Beloved Conversations:Healing Our Way Toward Beloved Community

A group of UUSF members is about to begin a curriculum called "Beloved Conversations: Meditations on Race and Ethnicity." Several other UU churches in the region are already involved. The conversation about racial justice is important.

Rev. JD Benson, Assistant Minister

Alex Darr, Worship Associate

Reiko Oda Lane, organist

Wm. García Ganz, guest conductor

Rusty Harris-Bishop, soloist

Galen Workman, Secretary

Jonathan Silk, OOS, Sound & Worship Archives/Podcast

Practicing Justice

Seeking justice as an advocate or activist is one thing -- sometimes akin to serving an ideal. Practicing justice in one's life, every day, is something more concrete and challenging. William Blake said, "[Whosoever] would do good to another must do it in Minute Particulars. General Good is the plea of the scoundrel, hypocrite, and flatterer."

Rev. John Buehrens, Senior Minister

Ben Bear, Worship Associate

E. McEntire Cowan, mezzosoprano

Laura Inserra, multi-instrumentalist

David Jones, piano

Christian Artmann, flute

Kathleen Quenneville, Moderator

Jonathan Silk, OOS, Sound & Worship Archives/Podcast

Transitions

Major transitions are always done in the face of fear, grief, or anxiety. Young adults Joseph Chapot and Cierdwynn Donaldson will testify to their own experiences of finishing college, becoming engaged, changing gender identity, and dealing with the death of a parent, while Rev. Buehrens leads us in preparing for a spiritually grounded transition into a New Year.

Rev. John Buehrens, Senior Minister

Joseph Chapot, Young Adult Cordinator

Cierdwynn Donaldson, Young Adult

Reiko Oda Lane, organ

Eric Hamilton, guitar

Kathleen Q., Moderator

Jonathan Silk, OOS, Sound & Worship Archives/Podcast

Fear Not! Said The Angels Pt2

For a more contemplative experience of Christmas Eve, on the same theme. Sue Anthony will serve as Worship Associate, and soloists rather than full choir will provide the Christmas music.

The Reverend John Buehrens, Senior Minister

The Reverend JD Benson, Assistant Minister

Susan Anthony, Worship Associate

Dr. Mark Sumner, Music Director

Reiko Oda Lane, organ

Jason Park, trumpet

Kate Offer, soprano

David Jones, piano

Jiun-Chyi Yew, soprano

Maria Solis, soprano

Jonathan Silk, OOS, Sound & Worship Archives/Podcast

Fear Not! Said The Angels

Intergenerational service with full choir and Christmas music in a multi-generational context.

Rev. John Buehrens, Senior Minister

Rev. Alyson Jacks, Associate Minister

Dr. Mark Sumner, piano, Music Director

Reiko Oda Lane, organ, Bell Choir Director

Jason Park, trumpet

Jiun-Chyi Yew, soprano

Maria Solis, soprano

Kate Offer, soprano

David Jones, piano

Jonathan Silk, OOS, Sound & Worship Archives/Podcast

Natural Fear and Historical Hope

Managing our own fears and anxieties is a primary test of our faithful living, no matter what we believe or disbelieve. “What’s an angel?” asked a little girl. “Not someone who’s always good,” replied her wise mom. “But someone who teaches me about facing fear, as you sometimes do.” We’ll mark the Winter Solstice, when our early ancestors feared the sun might disappear forever and begin to sing Christmas carols.

Rev. John Buehrens, Senior Minister

Kat Liu, Worship Associate

Wm. Garcia Ganz, conductor

Laurel Sprigg, soprano

Mark Johnson, piano

William Klingelhoffer, Trustee

Jonathan Silk, OOS, Sound & Worship Archives/Podcast

A Royal Banquet: In The Face of Fear

The UUSF Choir and the UC Berkeley Alumni/ae Choir combine with an orchestra under the direction of UUSF Music Director Dr. Mark Sumner for a performance of William Walton’s BELSHAZZAR’S FEAST – with brief historical and reflective commentary by Rev. Buehrens on the story from the ancient Book of Daniel.

Rev. John Buehrens, Senior Minister

Mark Sumner, Music Director

Reiko Oda Lane, Organist

Jonathan Silk, OOS, Sound & Worship Archives/Podcast

Thoughts In the Presence of Fear

The title is borrowed from poet, ecologist, peace advocate and essayist Wendell Berry, who wrote on this theme after 9/11. Here we are again, and on the anniversary of Pearl Harbor Day. What is the most faithful response to fear? -- within us, around us, and beyond our own control? Chanukah, that Jewish festival of religious freedom, begins Sunday evening, and helps to ground our spiritual andmoral reflection.

Rev. John Buehrens, Senior Minister

Rev. JD Benson, Assistant Minister

Reiko Oda Lane, Organist and Bell Choir Director

Mark Sumner, Music Director

Judy Payne, trustee

Jonathan Silk, OOS, Sound & Worship Archives/Podcast

Nostalgia and Expectations

Thanksgiving weekend also brings us the first Sunday of Advent, the season of expectation. John’s sermon will touch on some memories – of his first Thanksgiving as a young husband; of his wife’s ordination 30 years ago this weekend – along with some thoughts about expectations.

Rev. John Buehrens, Senior Minister

Sister Sheila Flynn, O.P., from the Kopanang Community in South Africa

Alex Darr, Worship Associate

Reiko Oda Lane, Organist

Mark Sumner, piano

Steve Taylor-Ramírez, guitar and vocals

Jim Valent, trustee

Jonathan Silk, OOS, Sound & Worship Archives/Podcast

Crossing Over

On the Sunday before Thanksgiving we celebrate Guest at Your Table Sunday, and dedicate the offering to the work of the Unitarian Universalist Service Committee. 75 years ago, in 1940, they began rescuing refugees from totalitarian regimes in Europe. Today they work on many fronts: economic justice; rights in crisis; environmental justice – here and all around the world. Rev. Buehrens is vice-chair of the UUSC Board. Plan to stay for a gala luncheon in celebration of UUSC’s anniversary.

Rev. John Buehrens, Senior Minister

Rachel Gore Freed, UUSC VP and Chief Program Officer

Ben Bear, Worship Associate

Reiko Oda Lane, Organist

Mark Sumner, Music Director

Emily Wilson, Director Finance & Administration

Jonathan Silk, OOS, Sound & Worship Archives/Podcast

Breaking Barriers: Learning to Move at the Speed of Trust

When I think about barriers and boundaries, I think of Robert Frost's poem, “Mending Wall” and its famous line “ Good fences make good neighbors.” In the poem, Frost asks, “Why do they make good neighbors … Before I built a wall, I’d ask to know what I was walling in or walling out, and to whom I was like to give offense?” Boundaries serve a purpose, no doubt. But what happens when boundaries become barriers to building deeper connection and trust with others? How do we learn to trust? From infancy to old age, trust is key to our well-being, even our survival. Today’s service we’ll unpack trust and play with some of its core building blocks, finding ways to build bridges instead of barriers, and maybe mend some fences along the way.

Rev. Alyson Jacks, Associate Minister

Rev. John Buehrens, Senior Minister

Milo Hanke, Worship Associate

Reiko Oda Lane, Organist

Mark Sumner, Music Director

Reece Hart, Trustee

Jonathan Silk, OOS, Sound & Worship Archives/Podcast

All of us need “good boundaries?” But in an age of both constant electronic communications and firewalls, of more border-crossers, refugees and asylum seekers than ever how do we – how should we – respond? The service will be followed by a Town Hall meeting about plans to make our 50 year old UU Center and historic church sanctuary more hospitable.

Rev. John Buehrens, Senior Minister

Alison Rittger, Worship Associate

Reiko Oda Lane, Organist and Bell Choir Director

Mark Sumner, Music Director

Galen Workman, Welcome and Announcements

Jonathan Silk, Sound & Worship Archives/Podcast

A prayer in our hymnal includes the line, “Forbid that we should feel superior to others when we are only more shielded.” Columbus Day (otherwise known as Indigenous People’s Day) seems a good time to ponder what it is that lies behind arrogance, even in ourselves.

Rev. John Buehrens,Senior Minister

Phil Marshall, Worship Associate

Mark Johnson, piano

Thomas Yee, violin

Jeuen Yee, piano

Jim Valent, Welcome and Announcements

Jonathan Silk, Sound, Order of Service & Worship Archives/Podcast

No one wants to “lose face, much less be humbled or humiliated. Yet few humans can escape it. What matters is how we respond. On the feast day of Francis of Assisi, some stories of spiritual response.

Rev. John Buehrens,Senior Minister

Kat Liu, Worship Associate

Dr. Mark Sumner, music director

Reiko Oda Lane, organ and bell choir director

Bill Klingelhoffer, Welcome and Announcements

Jonathan Silk, Sound, Order of Service & Worship Archives/Podcast

Minister Emeritus of the Mt. Diablo UU Church in Walnut Creek, Rev. Sammons served UUSF as Interim Minister before John Buehrens arrived. Let’s give him, and his wife, Jan, a warm welcome. His sermon will compare the recent book on "Character" by columnist David Brooks with the ideas of the spiritual founder of Unitarianism in America, William Ellery Channing.

Rev. David Sammons, Guest Minister

Rev. Alyson Jacks, Associate Minister

Rev. JD Benson, Assistant Minister

Dr. Mark Sumner, piano

Reiko Oda Lane, organ

Jiun-Chyi Yew, soprano

Greg Meissner, tenor

Rev. Mary Katherine Morn, UUA

Emily Wilson, Welcome and Announcements

Jonathan Silk, Sound, Order of Service & Worship Archives/Podcast

We mark the Jewish High Holidays with adapted liturgy and appropriate music. The central theme of the Days of Awe is teshuvah, turning and returning. John’s sermon will reflect on the need for a spirituality not of one-time repentance, but rather of continuous self-renewal – which sounds far easier than it often is.

Rev. John Buehrens,Senior Minister

Rev. Alyson Jacks, Associate Minister

Alison Rittger, Worship Associate

Dr. Mark Sumner, choir director

Reiko Oda Lane, organ

Bill Klingelhoffer, shofar

Maria Solis, soprano

Alexandra Sessler, soprano

Judy Payne, Welcome and Announcements

Jonathan Silk, Sound, Order of Service & Worship Archives/Podcast

The morning will begin with a breakfast for families and children, old and new. The service will not only kick off a new church year, but also “Bring a Friend Month” at UUSF. There are many longing for a non creedal community of spirit, service, friendship and critical thinking. Invite someone to come try us out!

Rev. John Buehrens,Senior Minister Rev. Alyson Jacks, Associate Minister Rev. JD Benson, Assistant Minister Dr. Mark Sumner, choir director Reiko Oda Lane, organ Mark Johnson, piano Wm. Garcia Ganz, piano Michael Yokas, violin Gayle Reynolds, Welcome and Announcements Jonathan Silk, Sound, Order of Service & Worship Archives/Podcast

Remembering his own years as a member of the United Mine Workers, John’s sermon will mark Labor Day weekend and discuss the increasing attacks on all forms of unionization. New member Bruce Neuberger, author of Lettuce Wars: Ten Years of Struggle in the Fields of California , will offer a reflection on his years with the United Farm Workers.

Rev. John Buehrens,Senior Minister

Bruce Neuberger, Worshio Associate

Dr. Mark Sumner, Song Leader

Larry Chinn, jazz piano

Reece Hart, Welcome and Announcements

Jonathan Silk, Sound, Order of Service & Worship Archives/Podcast

Our Unitarian heritage is full of examples of wise and foolish ways to understand our faith. Rev. John Buehrens will draw on his broad experience as a historian and as a leader of our denomination.

Rev. John Buehrens,Senior Minister

Galen Workman, Board Secretary

Dr. Mark Sumner, piano

Martha Rodriguez Salazar, flute and voice

Sarah Bonomo, clarinet

Jennifer Peringer, piano

Jonathan Silk, Sound, Order of Service & Worship Archives/Podcast

When we are young, we are taught to look both ways before crossing the street. By midlife, we’ve probably learned to look at life from both sides now. How do we keep spiritually alive when, as we age, there is so much to look back upon but life’s end is drawing closer?

Rev. John Buehrens,Senior Minister

Amy Kelly, Worship Associate

Reiko Oda Lane, organ

Hans York, guitarist/vocalist

Dr. Mark Sumner, song leader

Kathleen Quenneville, welcome

Jonathan Silk, Sound, Order of Service & Worship Archives/Podcast

When we are young, we are taught to look both ways before crossing the street. By midlife, we’ve probably learned to look at life from both sides now. How do we keep spiritually alive when, as we age, there is so much to look back upon but life’s end is drawing closer?

Rev. John Buehrens,Senior Minister

Milo Hanke, Worship Associate

Reiko Oda Lane, organ

Nanette McGuinness, soprano soloist

Mark Johnson, piano

Dr. Mark Sumner, song leader

Mark Theobald, welcome

Jonathan Silk, Sound, Order of Service & Worship Archives/Podcast

We often say how important it is to welcome the stranger, and indeed we do try to practice hospitality. But a closer, deeper connection is not so easy to risk. Growing up, many of us learned things about other people--some true, some false--but these teachings can make it more difficult for us to really see, and love, our neighbors as our selves. Sometimes we have to learn to shut our eyes to things we have been taught about others, in order to see another more humanly and more deeply.

The Reverend Emerita Margot Campbell Gross serves as spiritual advisor to the Small Group Ministry Program. Judith Stoddard is the coordinator of the program. Other participants in this service are current or former small group facilitators.

Rev. Margot Campbell Gross, Minister Emerita Judith Stoddard, SGM Coordinator Rev. Rev. Fred Rabidoux, Small Group Ministry Megan Lehmer, Small Group Ministry Peter Gross, Small Group Ministry Alessandro Gagliardi, Small Group Ministry Julia DeFranco, Small Group Ministry David Jones, piano Thomas Yee, violin Jieun Yee, piano Jonathan Silk, Sound, Order of Service & Worship Archives/Podcast

"What is essential is invisible to the eye" says the fox in "The Little Prince". In a world of matter and form, what is this knowing that lives with only the shape the human heart may offer? Intuitive understanding is essential to the human condition. How shall we cultivate and value this kind of knowing, and why should we?

Rev. JD Benson, Assistant Minister

Phil Marshall, Worship Associate

David Jones, piano

Ted Rust, oboe

Viva Knight, piano

Jim Valent, welcome

Jonathan Silk, Sound, Order of Service & Worship Archives/Podcast

Face it, humility doesn't come easily to most of us Unitarian Universalists; it doesn't come easily to Americans, either, especially to those of us living here in the most beautiful city on Earth. Yet, there it is on the wall. A hard look at an often-forgotten virtue.

Rev. Mary McKinnon Ganz, Guest Minister

Kat Liu, Worship Associate

Reiko Oda Lane, organ

Mark Johnson, piano

Kate Offer, soprano

Kathleen Quenneville, Moderator

Jonathan Silk, Sound, Order of Service & Worship Archives/Podcast

Many of us are comfortably among the affluent and rich Americans who hold 87% of US wealth. As people who wish to be responsible and want to diminish unfair privilege, how much of the necessary change and sacrifice are we willing to participate in so that the US may become an economic and political democracy again?

Rev. John Young, Guest Minister

Sue Anthony, Worship Associate

Reiko Oda Lane, organ

Mark Johnson, piano

Cassandra Bequary, violin.

Judy Payne, Welcome

leslie Ottaviano, sound

Jonathan Silk, Order of Service & Worship Archives/Podcast

We are bound together with strong threads of inspiration, reverence and love. Our stories are those of individual lives woven together with our shared lot in life. We have made the choice to be in this intentionally diverse and inescapably interdependent religious community. How shall we grow even more deeply into its fabric?

Rev. Carol Thomas Cissel, Guest Minister

Kat Liu, Worship Associate

Reiko Oda Lane, organ

Mark Johnson, piano

Shannon Warto, mezzo soprano

Galen Workman, Welcome

Jonathan Silk, Sound, Order of Service & Worship Archives/Podcast

Theologian Kortright Davis explains that true hospitality requires us to move beyond our boundaries and to extend the spirit of welcome to the stranger, to those easily seen as ?Others?. But do we want to step away from the ease and comfort of congregational homogeneity? If so, how do we set The Welcome Table for all to be fed? Come join us to listen, share and learn.

Rev. Carol Thomas Cissel, Guest Minister

Ben Bear, Worship Associate

Mark Johnson, piano

Laura Inserra, Blossom Bells, Khen, Hang

Jim Valent, Welcome

Jonathan Silk, Sound, Order of Service & Worship Archives/Podcast

Dawn began contemplative practice in 1997. She is currently earning an MA (MDiv equivalent) in Buddhist Studies and Chaplaincy from the Graduate Theological Union. Dawn was ordained in Burma in 2009, and was authorized to teach Buddhist practice,

from the perspective of loving-kindness, by her Burmese teacher that year. She teaches meditation, mindfulness, and loving-kindness in Buddhist, clinical, and educational settings. She serves intermittently as a commissioned interfaith chaplain and was a student in John Buehrens preaching class this spring at Starr King School for the Ministry.

Dawn Neal, Guest Preacher

Alison Rittger, Worship Associate Chair

Dr. Mark Sumner, piano & song leader

Mark Johnson, piano

Radim Zenkl, mandolin & flute

Jim Valent, Welcome

Jonathan Silk, Sound, Order of Service & Worship Archives/Podcast

We have just celebrated the involvement 50 years ago of hundreds of Unitarian Universalists in Selma, Alabama, in support of Black voting rights. But we should also know about and learn from Unitarian Universalists living in the South whose work on racial issues preceded and followed the voting rights demonstrations of 1965. Gordon Gibson was part of the Selma civil rights campaign, served as the only Unitarian Universalist minister in Mississippi 1969-84, and has recently written "Southern Witness: Unitarians and Universalists in the Civil Rights Era". At UUSF he is best known as Shirley Gibson's father.

Rev. Gordon Gibson,Guest Minister

Rev. John Buehrens,Senior Minister

Reiko Oda Lane, organ

Eric Hamilton, guitar

Marc Theobald, Welcome

Jonathan Silk, Sound, Order of Service & Worship Archives/Podcast

This will be Flower Communion Sunday. Bring a flower, if you can, to be exchanged for one brought by someone else.John will tell the story of how the flower communion developed at what was the largest Unitarian church in the world in Prague, between the world wars. He will also tell a story relevant to the central question of his developmental ministry? with us. How will we know when we have arrived?

Rev. John Buehrens,Senior Minister

Rev. Alyson Jacks, Associate Minister

Rev. JD Benson, Assistant Minister

Alex Darr, Worship Associate

Dr. Mark Sumner, piano

Reiko Oda Lane, organ

Gayle Reynolds, Welcome

Jonathan Silk, Sound, Order of Service & Worship Archives/Podcast

It's hard to feel at home in the world. But if we are going to fulfill our mission as a sanctuary for spiritual exploration, we must welcome pilgrims on life's journey. Our service will include the formal welcome of new members who have joined UUSF in recent months. Please try to be present to let them know that we are glad they have chosen to join us.

Rev. John Buehrens,Senior Minister

Rev. Alyson Jacks, Associate Minister

George Cavage, Membership Chair

Dr. Mark Sumner, choir director

Reiko Oda Lane, organ

Gayle Reynolds, Welcome

Jonathan Silk, Sound, Order of Service & Worship Archives/Podcast

A person entirely tied up in him (or her) self becomes a very small package, said one great progressive preacher. True joy emerges, often unexpectedly, in giving oneself to a purpose far larger than oneself. So what purpose might that be for you? At this time in your life. Because, you may recall, to everything there is a season, and a time to every purpose under heaven."

Rev. John Buehrens,Senior Minister

Rev. Alyson Jacks, Associate Minister

Ben Bear, Worship Associate

Dr. Mark Sumner, choir director

Reiko Oda Lane, organ

Wm. GarcÌa Ganz, piano

Stan Stanley Hartzell, Welcome

Jonathan Silk, Sound, Order of Service & Worship Archives/Podcast

On this Memorial Day Weekend, many members of UUSF will be on the All-Church Retreat. The joyous, UU remnant left in the city will gather in the Sanctuary, And have a joyous time, perhaps remembering that true joy is only possible in the full awareness of loss and absence.

Rev. Margot Campbell Gross, Minister Emerita

Alison Rittger, Worship Associate

Reiko Oda Lane, organ

The St.Petersburg Menís Ensemble

unknown, Welcome

Jonathan Silk, Sound, Order of Service & Worship Archives/Podcast

Claiming the name ?gay,? was an act of liberation for same-sex loving men and others in our culture. But today, in 78 countries in our world, such sexual expression remains life-threatening. Our own Guardian Group helps to resettle LGBTQ refugees fleeing for their lives. We will join with progressive congregations of every stripe in proclaiming a ?Gilead Sabbath,? to include straight and gay alike, in claiming a right to joy. With some definition of what such joy truly is.

Rev. John Buehrens,Senior Minister

Alison Rittger, Worship Associate

David Jones, piano

Natalie Raney, cello

Bill Klingelhoffer, Welcome

Jonathan Silk, Sound, Order of Service & Worship Archives/Podcast

Many of us feel a bit ?other.? If we are wise, we learn to treat others as we ourselves would like to be treated. Our mothers, if they were wise, told us this. But we often need the reminder. And sometimes our mothers do too! On this Mother?s day Sunday John offers a sermon with a story involving his own mother, and the process of being wisely open to joy again. No matter what.

Rev. John Buehrens,Senior Minister

Sue Anothony, Worship Associate

Dr. Mark Sumner, choir director

Reiko Oda Lane, organ

Kate Offer, soprano

Stan Stanley Hartzell, Welcome

Jonathan Silk, Sound, Order of Service & Worship Archives/Podcast

We will begin the service with Rev. Alyson Jacks, Associate Minister, recognizing those who have volunteered as teachers in our religious education program this year. In the day-to-day roller coaster ride through our lives we experience a range of feelings moment by moment. Joy is something deeper than pleasure or happiness. A reservoir of joy sits tranquil, unaffected, awaiting our acceptance. How shall we find a path to our joy?

Rev. JD Benson, Assistant Minister

Rev. Alyson Jacks, Associate Minister

Dr. Mark Sumner, choir director

Reiko Oda Lane, organ and bell choir director

Kate Offer, soprano

Margaret Pearce & Gary Lorentzen, Welcome

Jonathan Silk, Sound, Order of Service & Worship Archives/Podcast

Our worship theme for April is "wealth and poverty," explored in both the material and spiritual dimensions. Questions of distributive economic justice are ultimately moral and spiritual issues. Join John Buehrens for a powerful sermon which borrows its title from a book on the theme by UU Minister Richard Gilbert.

Rev. John Buehrens,Senior Minister

Ben Bear, Worship Associate

Dr. Mark Sumner, choir director

Reiko Oda Lane, organ

Gayle Renolds, Welcome

Jonathan Silk, Sound, Order of Service & Worship Archives/Podcast

It's boom town times again in San Francisco, this time with companies on the cutting edge of technology. We hunger for the new; we fear being left behind in this year's Global Economy 3.0. But is there a spiritual downside? Rev. Mary McKinnon Ganz first hit the streets of San Francisco in the 1970s as a reporter for the AP and the SF Examiner. After completing her ministerial internship with this congregation and the Faithful Fools Street Ministry 10 years ago, she went East to serve congregations in Virginia and Massachusetts. Last fall, she returned to walk again with friends and Fools in the Tenderloin.

Rev. Mary McKinnon Ganz, Guest Minister

Rev. Alyson Jacks, Associate Minister

Alison Rittger, Worship Associate

Dr. Mark Sumner, piano

Mark Johnson, piano

Katrina Walter, flute

Larry Danos, Welcome

Jonathan Silk, Sound, Order of Service & Worship Archives/Podcast

This Sunday is our special RITES OF PASSAGE Service! Our 12 ROP graduates, along with their Teaching Team, will join Revs. Buehrens, Benson and Jacks on the Chancel. Our talented group of 3rd-4th graders has spent the year learning about themselves and their church community. They have filled up the pages in their workbooks, interviewed the ministers and other church leaders. They've toured the building, designed a service project, and created symbolic artwork, which will be on display at the service. In addition, they've contemplated some of life's Big Questions. This Sunday the ministers will do their best to answer those Big Life Questions, wish them luck!

Rev. John Buehrens,Senior Minister

Rev. Alyson Jacks, Associate Minister

Rev. JD Benson, Assistant Minister

Alex Darr, Worship Associate

Reiko Oda Lane, organ

Dr. Mark Sumner, Choir Director

UC Berkeley Alumni Chorus

Santa Barbara Choral Society

Margaret Pearce, Welcome

Rites of Passage: Alex Darr (Teacher), Indigo Murphy, Nicholas Fortunato, Till Lorentzen, Charlie Zwibelman, Madelyn Smith.Gary Lorentzen (Teacher), Graham Hart, Claire Cover, Peer Lorentzen, Miles Perez-Davs, Elena Perez (Assistant), Taiger Murphy (Teacher) Simmy Cover (Teacher).Riley Reynolds, Jasmin Desruisseau, Helen Chionsini.

Jonathan Silk, Sound, Order of Service & Worship Archives/Podcast

Celebrate Easter with laughter and joy, music and stories of new life. Wear an Easter bonnet if you like, bring the children, and join the ministers, the Choir, the Bell Choir and singer-songwriter Mike Rufo in an Easter Sunday to remember.

Rev. John Buehrens,Senior Minister

Rev. Alyson Jacks, Associate Minister

Rev. JD Benson, Assistant Minister

Reiko Oda Lane, organ and Bell Choir Director

Dr. Mark Sumner, Choir Director

Tom Dambly, trumpet

Mike Rufo, guitar & vocals

Kathleen Quenneville, Welcome

Jonathan Silk, Sound, Order of Service & Worship Archives/Podcast

It has been said that the Exodus story, retold at Passover, is not only the key to "engaged religion," but has been re-interpreted in every social justice movement from Jesus on Palm Sunday through Marxism to other liberation struggles. Linda Enger, chair of our 2015 operating fund drive, will give both a report and a testimonial.

Rev. John Buehrens, Senior Minister

Linda Enger, 2015 Canvass Chair

Alison Rittger, Worship Associate Chair

Reiko Oda Lane, organ

Dr. Mark Sumner, Choir Director

Mark Theobald, Welcome

Jonathan Silk, Sound, Order of Service & Worship Archives/Podcast

Going to and from Selma Alabama for the 50th anniversary of the voting rights campaign there, John Buehrens was reading Racing to Justice: Transforming Our Conceptions of Self and Other to Build an Inclusive Society, by UC Berkeley professor john a. powell, who spoke at a dinner here on Feb. 28. In his final chapter, from which this sermon takes its title, Powell writes, "If spirituality is engagement with the deeper sense of self, the divine, or God, narrow engagement with the egoistic self is the lack of spirituality. The suffering that is caused by separation cannot be healed by this small self. Indeed, it is this same small self and the institutional arrangements that it collectively brings into being that cause social suffering."

Rev. John Buehrens,Senior Minister

Dr. Phil Marshall, Worship Associate

Reiko Oda Lane, organ

David Jones, piano

Maria Solis, soprano

Jiun-Chyi Yew, soprano

Kat Liu, Welcome

Jonathan Silk, Sound, Order of Service & Worship Archives/Podcast

What does it mean to be a philosophically and theologically pluralistic community? What does matter in our relationships with one another and to what is it we each rely upon? Are you "right" or is what you believe/understand simply right for you?

In the late 1800's, American Philosopher, Josiah Royce, coined the term Beloved Community, a phrase adopted by Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King. To build the beloved community, according to Royce, requires love, loyalty, and cooperation, among other things. It also requires engagement and risk. And it takes practice - lots and lots of practice.

Rev. Alyson Jacks, Associate Minister

Alison Rittger, Testimonial

Dr. Mark Sumner, choir director

Ted Arnold, soloist

Threshold Choir

Galen Workman, Welcome

Jonathan Silk, Sound, Order of Service & Worship Archives/Podcast

Which comes first? Church community? Or our social justice mission? The chicken or the egg? We will launch our annual pledge drive for the UUSF operating budget.

Rev. John Buehrens,Senior Minister

Cindy Pincus, Intern Minister

Harry Arthur, Testimonial

Dr. Mark Sumner, choir director

Reiko Oda Lane, organ

Rusty Harris-Bishop, tenor

Kathleen Quenneville, Welcome

Jonathan Silk, Sound, Order of Service & Worship Archives/Podcast

Mutual trust is a form of "social capital." We move forward at the speed of trust, I am convinced. But when trust fails, the natural tendency is to seek our own safety. How do we begin taking risks again?

Rev. John Buehrens,Senior Minister

Sue Anthony, Worship Associate

Dr. Mark Sumner, piano

Ted Rust, oboe

Viva Knight, piano

Emily Wilson, Welcome

Jonathan Silk, Sound, Order of Service & Worship Archives/Podcast

When our trust has been betrayed, the first thing we do is put on armor to protect our vulnerable spots. Betrayal can be especially painful in matters of the heart and we are often left with feelings of guilt, shame, and anger. On Valentine's Day weekend, we ponder the creative power of vulnerability and the risk of love.

Cindy Pincus, Intern Minister

Rev. John Buehrens,Senior Minister

Dr. Mark Sumner, Choir Director

Reiko Oda Lane, Organ and Bell Choir Director

Howard Oringer, Stewardship Committee

Jonathan Silk, Sound, Order of Service & Worship Archives/Podcast

Martin Luther King's legacy towers above all the rest in our national imagination. We remember him for his pure dream of freedom and equality, and yet today that dream still seems so far from our nightmare of mass incarceration and the unbearable fact that black bodies don't seem to matter as much as white bodies. Come hear Cindy Pincus preach about spiritual reparations and religious hope as we engage again and again with the great, unfinished American experiment in freedom.

Cindy Pincus, Intern Minister

Rev. John Buehrens,Senior Minister

Rev. Alyson Jacks, Associate Minister

Regina Wells, spirited play teacher

Kat Liu, Worship Assocaite

Dr. Mark Sumner, choir director

Reiko Oda Lane, organist

Eric Shackelford, baritone

Merle Easton, Humanists/Non-Theists

Jonathan Silk, Sound, Order of Service & Worship Archives/Podcast

Most of us are alienated from someone. Often for quite good reason. How do we achieve anything like reconciliation? John will draw on his experience in family systems work to offer some insights on the age-old issue of forgiveness.

Rev. John Buehrens,Senior Minister

Rev. JD Benson, Associate Minister

Cindy Pincus, Intern Minister

Milo Hanke, Jr, Worship Associate

Reiko Oda Lane, organist

Wm. García Ganz, guest choir director

Morgen Warner, soprano

Kate Offer, soprano

Kate Offer, song leader

Dolores Perez Priem, Transition Team/Welcome

Jonathan Silk, Sound, Order of Service & Worship Archives/Podcast

As we begin the New Year, our service begins with a baby blessing - dedicating the grandchild of our beloved organist, Reiko Oda Lane. Her name: "Aria." In traditional churches, a theme raised at the New Year is how Jesus was named, brought to the Temple, adored by Magi, and then, as an adult, baptized. But why? John will tell a story about a visit to Israel that suggested an answer. Assistant Minister Rev. JD Benson will join John on the Chancel.

Rev. John Buehrens,Senior Minister

Rev. JD Benson, Assistant Minister

Cindy Pincus, Intern Minister

Reiko Oda Lane, organist

E. McEntire Cowan, mezzo-soprano

Mark Johnson, piano

Kate Offer, song leader

Stephen S, Welcome

Aria Ruby Hikari Reyes, dedicated baby

Nysa Hikari Lane and Martin Reyes, parents of dedicated baby

Jonathan Silk, Sound, Order of Service & Worship Archives/Podcast

Alex Darr, who grew up in UUSF, will serve as Worship Associate and Kristen Pedersen will work with Rev. Buehrens to create a service that will include the voices of young adults testifying to how UU values were part of their transformations and personal growth.

Rev. John Buehrens,Senior Minister

Alex Darr, Worship Associate

Kristen Pedersen, Young Adult

Mark Johnson, piano

Kate Offer, song leader

Margaret Pearce, Welcome

Jonathan Silk, Sound, Order of Service & Worship Archives/Podcast

The title is taken from the American poet, Theodore Roethke. The sermon will be a Christmas season response to the underlying tone of despair in so many lives and so much of our culture. Sue Anthony will be the Worship Associate. Trumpet, soloist, carols, and candlelight will welcome all.

The Reverend John Buehrens, Senior Minister

Susan Anthony, Worship Associate

Dr. Mark Sumner, Music Director

Reiko Oda Lane, organ, Bell Choir Director

Tom Dambly, trumpet

Laurel Sprigg, soprano

Kate Offer, soprano

Mark Johnson, piano

Jonathan Silk, Sound, Order of Service & Worship Archives/Podcast

Ancient lessons, modern interpretations, carols and candlelight will welcome all

comers. There are often nearly 500 people at this service, so come early! The

offering will go to support our “Up on Top” after-school outreach program for

children in the Tenderloin and Western Addition.

The Reverend John Buehrens, Senior Minister

The Reverend Alyson Jacks, Minister of Family Life

Dr. Mark Sumner, Music Director

Reiko Oda Lane, organ, Bell Choir Director

Tom Dambly, trumpet

Laurel Sprigg, soprano

Madeleine Gerlach, soprano

Morgen Warner, soprano

Kate Offer, soprano

David Jones, piano

Mark Johnson, piano

Jonathan Silk, Sound, Order of Service & Worship Archives/Podcast

On the shortest and darkest day of the year our ancient forebears had the spiritual sense to fend off fear and despair with the lighting of bonfires and some of the most joyous, festive revelry. The sermon will explore the themes of waiting, hope, and the loss of hope which is true despair - as well as the surprise (and cultivation) of joy. The service will include a reflection by Worship Associate, Alison Rittger and a Holiday Message from Rev. Dr. Kay Jorgenson, Minister Emerita.

Rev. John Buehrens,Senior Minister

Alison Rittger, Worship Associate

Dr. Mark Sumner, Choir Director

Reiko Oda Lane, Organ and Bells

Galen Workman, Welcome

Jonathan Silk, Sound, Order of Service & Worship Archives/Podcast

The church choir led by Dr. Mark Sumner and organist Reiko Oda Lane will be joined by singers from the East Bay and professional musicians who have

gathered to share this most wonderful music. "Rejoice in the Lamb" is a favorite masterwork composed by Benjamin Britten who was celebrated throughout the choral world last year on his 100th birthyear. The unique and thought-provoking text is by Christopher Smart. Morten Lauridsen's music is now considered a world-wide treat and "Lux Aeterna" is his latest large-scale masterwork.

Dr. Mark Sumner, Choir Director

Rev. John Buehrens,Senior Minister

Cindy Pincus, Intern Minister

Reiko Oda Lane, Organ

David Jones, Welcome

Jonathan Silk, Sound, Order of Service & Worship Archives/Podcast

We welcome the Minister Emerita of First Unitarian in Portland, OR, where she built up one of the largest, most influential churches in the UUA and in the state, often preaching to 1000 people. She will do a reading from her latest book in the Fireside Room at 9:30 AM. The 11AM service will include a reflection by Worship Associate Ben Bear, a ceremony recognizing our many new members conducted by Rev. Buehrens.

The Rev. Dr. Marilyn Sewell, Guest Preacher

Rev. John Buehrens,Senior Minister

Cindy Pincus, Intern Minister

Ben Bear, Worship Associate

George Cavage, Membership

Dr. Mark Sumner, Choir Director

Reiko Oda Lane, Organ

Eric Langhirt, Song Leader

Kathleen Quenneville, Welcome

What constitutes a good ending? To a day, or to a life? Perhaps the answer is the same. Our service for Thanksgiving weekend will be graced by the music of some gifted young musicians. Please don't hesitate to bring visitors or friends.

Rev. John Buehrens,Senior Minister

Cindy Pincus, Intern Minister

David "Rudy" Ruettige, Worship Associate

Young Performers International (YPI)

Dr. Mark Sumner, Piano

Jiun-Chyi Yew, soprano

Eric Langhirt, Song Leader

Linda Harris, Welcome

Jonathan Silk, Sound, Order of Service & Worship Archives/Podcast

Unitarian Universalist oncology chaplain and inspiring speaker Michael Eselun as he explores our relationship to our own stories and how we can use them in the attempt to make spiritual sense of our lives. Joining Michael on the chancel are Cindy Pincus, Intern Minister and Alison Rittger, Worship Associate. Music from the choir led by Dr. Mark Sumner; Reiko Oda Lane, organ and Kate Offer, soprano.

It seems that children -- of all ages -- need prompting to be thankful. Why are we so persistently resistant to gratitude? And what helps us to overcome that resistance?

Rev. John Buehrens, Senior Minister

Reiko Oda Lane, Organist

Dr. Mark Sumner, Music Director

Kate Offer, Soprano

Emily Wilson, Welcome

Jonathan Silk, Sound, Order of Service & Worship Archives/Podcast

Maya Angelou said, 'Let gratitude be the pillow upon which you kneel to say your nightly prayer.' Let's talk about how gratitude can comfort us when life has brought us to our knees.

Cindy Pincus, Intern Minister

Rev. John Buehrens, Senior Minister

Sr. Sheila Flynn, O.P., Guest Visitor

Reiko Oda Lane, Organist & Bell Choir Director

Dr. Mark Sumner, Music Director

Kathleen Quenneville, Welcome

Jonathan Silk, Sound, Order of Service & Worship Archives/Podcast

We will celebrate our beloved dead on All Souls Day by expressing how grief is resolved only in gratitude.

Rev. John Buehrens, Senior Minister

Alyson Jacks, Minister of Family Life

Cindy Pincus, Intern Minister

Sue Anthony, Worship Assocaite

Reiko Oda Lane, Organist

Dr. Mark Sumner, Music Director

Bill Klingelhoffer, Welcome

Jonathan Silk, Sound, Order of Service & Worship Archives/Podcast

Many today harbor a barely concealed despair, anxious about the future - for themselves, for the planet, for coming generations. Yet they've also largely given up on traditional doctrines of salvation.' What does Unitarian Universalism have to offer to such spiritual seekers today?

Rev. John Buehrens, Senior Minister

Rev. Szabolcs Czire, Special Guest Minister

Reiko Oda Lane, Organist

Kerry Parker, song leader

Stan Hartzell, Welcome

Jonathan Silk, Sound, Order of Service & Worship Archives/Podcast

On this UN Sunday, we welcome the Executive Director of the UU Office at the United Nations. Bruce Knotts is a retired US diplomat who has become a leader among NGOs at the UN on climate change, LGBT rights, and refugee issues. John Buehrens will conduct the service with Bruce.

Bruce Knotts, Guest Preacher

Rev. John Buehrens, Senior Minister

Kate Offer, Song Leader

Dr. Mark Sumner, Choir Director & Piano

Reiko Oda Lane, Organist & Bell Choir Director

Galen Workman, Welcome

Jonathan Silk, Sound, Order of Service & Worship Archives/Podcast

John sometimes jokes that he keeps getting called back into ministry because God knows he still needs to learn patience! But the actress Meryl Streep recently wrote that experience taught her there are some things with which it's fine to have no patience at all. Ah, the wisdom to know the difference! On this St. Francis Day, we hold a Blessing of Animals in the Chapel.

Rev. John Buehrens, Senior Minister

Cindy Pincus, Intern Minister

Alison Rittger, Worship Associate

Kate Offer, Song Leader

Mark Johnson, Piano

Thomas Yee, Violin

Trudy Lionel, Welcome

Jonathan Silk, Sound, Order of Service & Worship Archives/Podcast

The great Unitarian minister A. Powell Davies reportedly said that "Life is just a chance to grow a soul." Another Unitarian, the Bay Area's own poet-songwriter-activist, Malvina Reynolds, wrote a prose poem she called "The Soul Book." Come, join us in exploring what it might really mean to "grow a soul."

Rev. John Buehrens, Senior Minister

Cindy Pincus, Intern Minister

Dr. Mark Sumner, Choir Director

Reiko Oda Lane, Organ

Kerry Parker, Sopranos Soloist

Margaret Pearce, Welcome

Jonathan Silk, Sound, Order of Service & Worship Archives/Podcast

We mark the Jewish High Holidays, the "Days of Awe,"with the sounding of the shofar and the call to teshuvah - which means turning, or returning. The birds and animals do this instinctively. For humans, it takes a decision. As Shlomo Carlebach sings, "Return to who you are; return to what you are; return to the home of your soul."

Rev. John Buehrens, Senior Minister

Alex Darr, Worship Associate

Reiko Oda Lane, Organ

Kate Offer, Song Leader

Maria Solis, Soprano & Guitar

Bill Klingelhoffer, Shofar & French Horn

Joan Rost, Welcome

Jonathan Silk, Sound, Order of Service & Worship Archives/Podcast

We're taught as children that it's not polite to stare. But what happens when we look long enough to see something delightfully new beneath a familiar façade? This week, embrace the value of taking the long look and learn how to stare. Our new Intern Minister is entering her final year of studies at the Pacific School of Religion. She is an environmental scientist by training.

Rev. John Buehrens, Senior Minister

Alyson Jacks, Family Life Minister

Cindy Pincus, Intern Minister

Alison Rittger, Worship Associate

Regina Wells, Spirted Play Teacher

Dr. Mark Sumner, Choir Director

Reiko Oda Lane, Organ

Kathleen Quenneville, Trustee

Jonathan Silk, Sound, Order of Service & Worship Archives/Podcast

The poet Marianne Moore once began a poem, "Poetry: I too dislike it." Our new minister feels the same about religion! And yet, like the poet, finds "in it, after all, a place for the genuine." Surely for today's "cultured despisers of religion," of whom we know many-for those who consider themselves atheists, agnostics, and "spiritual, but not religious-what we offer here is "a place for the genuine." Again, you are urged to invite unaffiliated friends.

Rev. John Buehrens, Senior Minister

Cindy Pincus, Intern Minister

Dr. Mark Sumner, Choir Director

Reiko Oda Lane, Organ

Jonathan Silk, Sound, Order of Service & Worship Archives/Podcast

Our children, youth, and teachers will process in following their welcome back breakfast. Minister Emerita Kay Jorgensen will invest John with an official cap from the Faithful Fools Street Ministry. Margot Campbell Gross will again lead us in meditation and prayer. And our preacher will be the new President of Starr King School for the Ministry. Don't miss this Sunday! Invite your friends.

Rev. John Buehrens, Senior Minister

Rev. Rosemary Bray McNatt, Guest Minister

Rev. Margot Campbell Gross, Minister Emerita

Rev. Kay Jorgensen, Minister Emerita

Rev. Alyson Jacks, Minister of Family Life

Regina Wells, Spirited Play Teacher

Cindy Pincus, Intern Minister

Dr. Mark Sumner, Choir Director

Reiko Oda Lane, Organ

Michaelle Goerlitz, Percussionist

David Chiu, President San Francisco Board of Supervisors

Jonathan Silk, Sound, Order of Service & Worship Archives/Podcast

"Only connect!" said the novelist E.M. Forster. But "connections are made slowly," warned poet Marge Piercy, "sometimes they grow underground." John Buehrens will preach, but the service will also include a chance to learn how to connect at UUSF to other spiritual seekers and skeptics through Small Group Ministry.

Rev. John Buehrens, Senior Minister

Rev. Margot Campbell Gross, Minister Emerita

Judith Stoddard, Small Group Ministry Coordinator

Derek Czajka

Sandra Niman

Larry Chinn, Guest Pianist

Dr. Mark Sumner, Pianist

Kerry Parker, Song Leader

Jonathan Silk, Sound, Order of Service & Worship Archives/Podcast

Whatever you can do or dream you can do, begin it. Boldness has genius, power, and magic in it. Begin it now." These words are often attributed to Goethe. In fact, they have another origin. Beginning with other beloved but misattributed sayings, I will explore both myth making and the art of beginning well to promote change that lasts...

Rev. Dr. John Buehrens, Senior Minister

Rev. Alyson Jacks, Minister of Family Life

Dr. Mark Sumner, Music Director

Reiko Oda Lane, Organist

Kate Offer, Song Leader

Gamelan Kori Mas

Jonathan Silk, Sound, Order of Service & Worship Archives/Podcast

"How dare you assume that I am . . ." Well, fill in the blank! In an opening series of sermons on the ABCs of spirituality and life in community, our new Senior Minister promises that if we don't make too many assumptions about him, he won't make many about us. Then we can really begin to meet, connect and grow spiritually through I-Thou encounters.

The Rev. Dr. John Buehrens, Senior Minister

The Rev. Margot Campbell Gross, Minister Emerita

Dr. Mark Sumner, Music Director

Reiko Oda Lane, Organist & Bell Choir Director

Jonas Magram, Guitarist, Pianist and Vocalist

Jonathan Silk, Sound, Order of Service & Worship Archives/Podcast

Aging With Grace: An Intergenerational Discussion. Church member Millie Phillips will share about what she has learned about the issue of aging, particularly from our Unitarian Universalist perspective. Getting older brings with it limitations and changes, but it's also a time to embrace life.

The Rev. Dr. John Buehrens, Senior Minister

Millie Phillips, Guest Preacher

Julia DeFranco, Worship Associate

Reiko Oda Lane, Organist

Kate Offer, Song Leader

Laura Inserra, Instrumentalist

Jonathan Silk, Sound, Order of Service & Worship Archives/Podcast

What is the purpose of poetry? What is the purpose of religion? How do the two purposes overlap? Our speaker, Rev. Dr. Lynn Ungar, both a UU minister and a published poet, will share her theology, her poetry, and how the two interrelate.

The Rev. Dr. John Buehrens, Senior Minister

The Rev. Dr. Lynn Ungar Guest Minister

Judith Stoddard, Worship Associate

Mark Johnson, Pianist

Millie Phillips, Song Leader

Chris Waltz, Guitarist, Irish Flutest & Vocalist

Jonathan Silk, Sound, Order of Service & Worship Archives/Podcast

How do we listen for, and respond to, the sacred when we are up against a problem that isn't easily "fixed," when we feel overwhelmed by our own powerlessness and limitations? This theme is especially relevant in the world of health care, one of the most intimate areas of our lives where, despite our increasing technological innovations, our human vulnerability and imperfections persist. We will reflect on lessons learned from the world of health care chaplaincy and how we can put these to work in our everyday lives.

The Rev. Susan Porter Conrad, Guest Minister

Derek Czajka, Worship Associate and Song Leader

Mark Johnson, Pianist

Christine Tulis, Harpist & Vocalist

Kem Stone, Percussionist & Keyboardist

Jonathan Silk, Sound, Order of Service & Worship Archives/Podcast

The Executive Director of the Interfaith Council of San Francisco, Michael Pappas, will speak from his experience about the role the Interfaith Community plays in the life of the city and how our church fits into it.

Michael Pappas, Guest Preacher

Christine Patch-Lindsay, Worship Associate

Reiko Oda Lane, Organist

Ted Rust, Oboist

Viva Knight, Pianist

Kate Offer, Song Leader

Jonathan Silk, Sound, Order of Service & Worship Archives/Podcast

Sundays mornings are now for baseball, soccer, and dance practices in the secular world. Where has the Sabbath gone? How can we "Do" church and religious education while competing with these other interests? Can we radically remake our style for this era? And what does Dark Matter have to do with anything anyway?

With a background as a mathematician and a theologian, Jeffrey stays up on the latest theories science has to explain this incredible experience we know as the Universe. He will bring his interests

to his sermon.

Jeffrey Melcher, Guest Preacher

Emily Wilson, Worship Associate

Katrina Walter, Flutist

Reiko Oda Lane, Organist

David Jones, Pianist

Millie Phillips, Song Leader

Jonathan Silk, Sound, Order of Service & Worship Archives/Podcast

When was the last time you listened with more than your ears? Join us in an exploration of deep listening: what it is, how we do it, and the meaning for us as Unitarian Universalists. Come prepared for a fully embodied and engaging experience led by Youth and Young Adult Coordinator and divinity student Molly Johnson

Molly Johnson, Guest Preacher

Christine Patch-Lindsay, Worship Associate

Alison Rittger, Worship Associate

Dr. Mark Sumner, Pianist

Kate Offer, Song Leader

Eric Hamilton, Guitarist

Richard Popovich, Guitarist

Jonathan Silk, Sound, Order of Service & Worship Archives/Podcast

We each have sacred cows: ideas and life practices that we do not find it easy to have challenged or to change.What are some of the common ones for UUs, for Americans & for you? In the 21st century, spirituality is going global, just as are the other aspects of our lives.How could this globalization of spirituality challenge and help us and our religious movement?

The Rev. John Young, Guest Minister

Nanette McGuinness, Soprano Soloist

Mark Johnson, Pianist

Kate Offer, Song Leader

Jonathan Silk, Sound, Order of Service & Worship Archives/Podcast

As Dave Sammons takes his leave he'll reflect on his ministry with us and his hopes for our future. The past two years have shown him what a solid congregation this is and what it has going for it as a new minister guides it forward.

The Rev. Dr. David Sammons, Interim Senior Minister

Reiko Oda Lane, Organist & Bell Choir Director

Jiun-Chyi Yew, Pianist

Larry Marietta, Guest Conductor

Jonathan Silk, Sound, Order of Service & Worship Archives/Podcast

Most of us like to think of ourselves as truthful, but every once in awhile we catch ourselves telling one of those "little white lies." We're tired, so we say: "I wish I could come to your party but I've already made a commitment to go to see Joe." "Oh yeah, the person wonders, why does Joe always trump my invitation? Why doesn't my party take precedence? Little white lies can set traps hard to get out of.

The Rev. Dr. David Sammons, Interim Senior Minister

Christine Patch-Lindsay, Worship Associate

Megan Lehmer, Small Group Ministry Coordinator

Reiko Oda Lane, Organist

Giacomo Fiore, Guitarist

Jonathan Silk, Sound, Order of Service & Worship Archives/Podcast

On Memorial Day in some towns and cities people gather in cemeteries where the dead of war are buried to pay tribute to their sacrifice. But what would these troops have wanted said about them in thier eulogies we might say for them to say - and what would we want said in our own eulogies? Would it be the same as what others would say about us after we're gone?

The Rev. Dr. David Sammons, Interim Senior Minister

Reiko Oda Lane, Organist

St. Petersburg Men's Ensemble

Jonathan Silk, Sound, Order of Service & Worship Archives/Podcast

Jeremy is a graduate of Pacific School of Religion (PSR), former intern at this church and currently serves as the Minister of the Mission Peak UU Church in Fremont, CA.He says of his topic: "In a time when distractions abound and attention spans are at an all-time low, we need to be reminded of the importance of really hearing each other."

The Rev. Jeremy Nickel, Guest Minister

Christine Patch-Lindsay, Worship Associate

Dr. Mark Sumner, Pianist

Mark Johnson, Pianist

Derek Czajka, Songleader

Luther Lewis III, Tenor Soloist

Jonathan Silk, Sound, Order of Service & Worship Archives/Podcast

Thirty years after she died, Dave Sammons feels it's time to write a letter to his mom. She died after suffering through a stroke, her husband's death, and a year in a nursing home. Dave wants to share his letter so that all of us might think about our mothers in a way both caring and honest. It's tough being a mom, yet after the game is over, even the burliest football player lets tears roll down his cheeks and says "I love you, Mom. This game was for you."

The Rev. Dr. David Sammons, Interim Senior Minister

The Rev. Alyson Jacks, Family Life Minister

Regina Wells, Spirited Play Teacher

Dr. Mark Sumner, Choir Director

Reiko Oda Lane, Organist

Maria Solis, Soprano Soloist

Robert Weber, Baritone Soloist

Jonathan Silk, Sound, Order of Service & Worship Archives/Podcast

We celebrate the culmination of this year's Coming of Age program with a special worship service for our seven graduates: Maeve Dellert, Alicia Cover, Spencer Gowin, Fiona King, Olivia Ong, Mara Pulgram and Lana Whealey. The year-long class, which includes three district-wide retreats gives youth time and opportunity to explore their spirituality and to deepen their relationship to their home congregation and our wider UU movement. During the service, each graduate will share their personal credo statements. In addition, there will be songs, special music from the church and bell choirs and much more. The Reverends Sammons and Jacks will be there to round out the worship team.

The Rev. Dr. David Sammons, Interim Senior Minister

The Rev. Alyson Jacks, Family Life Minister

Dr. Mark Sumner, Choir Director

Reiko Oda Lane, Organist & Bell Choir Director

Kate Offer, Soprano Soloist

Jonathan Silk, Sound, Order of Service & Podcast

For this Sunday after Earth Day we should reflect on what religious groups have to say about the issues threatening the earth today, from climate change, to resource depletion and the pollution of our rivers, oceans and lakes. If the Baptists can speak out about what's happening, what about us?

The Rev. Dr. David Sammons, Interim Senior Minister

Dr. Mark Sumner, Pianist

Kate Offer, Song Leader

Ted Rust, English Hornist and Oboist

Viva Knight, Pianist

Jonathan Silk, Sound, Order of Service & Podcast

The music, stories and thoughts woven together in this service are meant to honor the spirit of Easter: the rebirth of life that comes with Spring and the re-beginnings that can happen for people if they leave behind what's not working in their lives and move ahead with an uplifted spirit.

The Rev. Dr. David Sammons, Interim Senior Minister

The Rev. Alyson Jacks, Family Life Minister

Dr. Mark Sumner, Music Director

Reiko Oda Lane, Organist & Bell Choir Director

Tom Dambly, Trumpeter

Laurel Sprigg, Soprano Soloist

David Jones, Pianist

Jonathan Silk, Sound, Order of Service & Podcast

This sermon is about that day, long ago when Jesus entered Jerusalem riding a donkey through a gate strewn with palms. What did this mean and does it have anything to say to us today - we folks who've outgrown donkeys and palms?

The Rev. Dr. David Sammons, Interim Senior Minister

George Cavage, Membership Committee Chair

Dr. Mark Sumner, Music Director

Reiko Oda Lane, Organist

Jonathan Silk, Sound, Order of Service & Podcast

The Reverend Dr. Dorsey Blake, who succeeded Howard Thurman as the minister of The Fellowship of All People here in San Francisco. Dorsey also serves on the faculty of Starr King School for the Ministry, where he is one of the school's favorite teachers. In his sermon Dr. Blake will pick up on the hopeful themes to be found in the writings of Howard Thurman, a man who encouraged people of all backgrounds to live a better future into being by working to both envision a better future and to achieve it.

The Rev. Dr. Dorsey Blake, Guest Minister

The Rev. Dr. David Sammons, Interim Senior Minister

Dr. Mark Sumner, Music Director

Reiko Oda Lane, Organist

Jonathan Silk, Sound, Order of Service & Podcast

In their film about the life of a make-believe prophet like Jesus, the crazy men who make up "Monty Python" have him hanging on the cross singing with his cross-mates "Always look on the bright side of life." We should. But there's also a not-so-bright side, too, as we could see with him hanging there. How do we negotiate a life when there's often an unpredictable balance between the bright and the not-so-bright?

The Rev. Dr. David Sammons, Interim Senior Minister

John Young, Worship Associate

Dr. Mark Sumner, Pianist

Jiun-Chyi Yew, Soprano Soloist

Thomas Yee, Violinist

Jonathan Silk, Sound, Order of Service & Podcast

Giving to a church isn't a burden. It should be something we feel good about, as we do when we support something that, to us, has real meaning.

The Rev. Dr. David Sammons, Interim Senior Minister

Stephanie Gowin, Board of Trustees Moderator

Members of the Task Force on Future Ministry

Members of the 2014 Canvass Committee

Reiko Oda Lane, Organist & Bell Choir Director

Jonathan Silk, Sound, Order of Service & Podcast

Continuing the conversation about what it means to be faithful people, we'll switch this week to the notion of what it means to be religious, at least in our liberal religious sense.

The Rev. Dr. David Sammons, Interim Senior Minister

The Rev. Alyson Jacks, Family Life Minister

Derek Czajka, Worship Associate

Dr. Mark Sumner, Choir Director

Reiko Oda Lane, Organist

Jonathan Silk, Sound, Order of Service & Podcast

Soon our church will be asking a new minister to come take the place of our Interim Senior Minister. In thinking about what it would mean if he were to be the person, Dave Sammons would like to reflect on Ministers and the communities of faith in which they work.

The Rev. Dr. David Sammons, Interim Senior Minister Emily Wilson, Worship Associate Dr. Mark Sumner, Choir Director Reiko Oda Lane, Organist Jonathan Silk, Sound, Order of Service & Podcast

This past November the Masons celebrated the life of Thomas Starr King here at our church. Rev. King is the most famous of our past ministers. It's not exactly that they stole him. King was a Mason, and proud of it. And it is great the Masons are proud of him, too. But on this 150th Anniversary of his death it is time for our church to have a celebration of our own for a person not only important for his contribution to California and the Union, but to the church he loved here in San Francisco.

The Rev. Dr. David Sammons, Interim Senior Minister

Christine Patch-Lindsay, Worship Associate

Dr. Mark Sumner, Choir Director

Reiko Oda Lane, Organist

Jonathan Silk, Sound, Order of Service & Podcast

We all get ideas from time to time that others (or perhaps we ourselves) think are foolish. What might happen, were we to act on them? In 1998 Rev. Kay Jorgensen and Sr. Carmen Barsody stepped out the doors of the church and into the Tenderloin, bringing together people from within and outside the neighborhood through arts, advocacy, education, and accompaniment - changing lives along the way.

The Faithful Fools, long supported by our church, is a ministry that grows out of concern for people living on the streets of San Francisco. This Sunday, members of this ministry, along with Dave Sammons, will bring their inspiring - and very colorful message to us as a reminder that the concerns of our congregation reach out far beyond our walls.

We'll explore together the challenges and rewards of listening to our inner foolish voice.

The Rev. Dr. Kay Jorgensen, Minister Emerita

The Rev. Dr. David Sammons, Interim Senior Minister

Sister Carmen Barsody, Faithful Fools

Melissa Fafarman, Faithful Fools

Alex Darr, Faithful Fools

Meg Whitaker-Greene, Faithful Fools

Giacomo Fiore, Guitarist

Reiko Oda Lane, Organist

Kate Offer, Soprano Soloist

Jonathan Silk, Sound, Order of Service & Podcast

How are we called by our religious tradition to seed hope in our own lives and in the lives of our neighbors? How do we reconcile all that we know about the world and its all-too-real ills with a heritage which says our goal is to seek redemption in this life? Rev. Leslie Takahashi Morris will explore this topic.

The Rev. Leslie Takahashi Morris, Guest Minister

The Rev. Dr. David Sammons, Interim Senior Minister

Dr. Mark Sumner, Choir Director

Reiko Oda Lane, Organist and Bell Choir Director

Jonathan Silk, Sound, Order of Service & Podcast

Those who love don't always respect the worth and dignity of every person, as our Unitarian Universalist (UU) Principles ask us to do. It might be easier if everyone did treat us as people of worth and dignity, but not everyone does. Sometimes people do things that are horrible. So what do we do with our principle then? Say we want to "affirm and promote" the first principle as we're asked to do, should we only do so when we think a person is deserving? It's a question well worth asking, especially as a Unitarian Universalist President once said: "It all depends."

The Rev. Dr. David Sammons, Interim Senior Minister

Derek Czajka, Worship Associate

Dr. Mark Sumner, Choir Director

Reiko Oda Lane, Organist

Jonathan Silk, Sound, Order of Service & Podcast

In the famous biblical story it's assumed that it's God who makes it possible for the little guy, David, to best the giant, Goliath. But a recent book suggests otherwise. David actually had the advantage in the fight, and it wasn't having God on his side. Thuis Sunday we'll explore the uses of power, from congtests like the biblical one, to the relationship of two people in marriage. Power is moe complext than most people think, so is the way it's used (and abused).

The Rev. Dr. David Sammons, Interim Senior Minister

Alison Rittger, Worship Associate

Dr. Mark Sumner, Choir Director

Reiko Oda Lane, Organist

Jonathan Silk, Sound, Order of Service & Podcast

We are living in interesting and uncertain times. Transitions, both intentional and unintentional, challenge us as people of faith and reason. Come hear about how a path to deepening joy, love, and integrity in your faith and your life. Rev. Earl W. Koteen, Environmental Justice Minister, UU Justice Ministry California, and a co-founder and leader of 350 Bay Area, has been on a long, strange trip and would like to share his experiences on the other side of the looking glass.

The Rev. Earl Koteen, Guest Minister

The Rev. Dr. David Sammons, Interim Senior Minister

Margaret Pearce, Board Member and Chair of SF 350.org

Dr. Mark Sumner, Pianist

Kerry Parker, Song Leader

Giacomo Fiore, Guitarist

Jonathan Silk, Sound, Order of Service & Podcast

On this Sunday before the anniversary of the birth of Martin Luther King Jr. we'll look at the role of prophetic figures in our lives and wonder whether there are any such figures in our contemporary world - people of the stature of King or Nelson Mandela. And if there aren't any contemporary Moses's, like them, what do we do if our goal is to create a world in which reigns peace and justice?

The Rev. Dr. David Sammons, Interim Senior Minister

The Rev. Alyson Jacks, Minister of Family Life

Regina Wells, Spirited Play Teacher

John Young, Worship Associate

Reiko Oda Lane, Organist

Dr. Mark Sumner, Choir Director

Kerry Parker, Soprano Soloist

Wm. García Ganz , Pianist

Jonathan Silk, Sound, Order of Service & Podcast

Theologian Lesslie Newbigin writes, "We live in an age that favors doubt over faith. Both faith and doubt are needed, yet it is faith that is more fundamental. Even if I doubt something, I must believe there are criteria by which it can be judged. I must believe something before I can doubt anything. To choose doubt as a philosophy of life is akin to choosing immobility as a means of transportation." I believe we come to church to be moved beyond a doubt. Our faith tradition encourages open inquiry. And our questions and doubts must be motivators to deepen and clarify our faith, giving us ground to stand on.

The Rev. Alyson Jacks, Family Life Minister

The Rev. Dr. David Sammons, Interim Senior Minister

Reiko Oda Lane, Organist

Charmaine Emery, Threshold Choir Director

George Cavage, Membership Chair

Jonathan Silk, Sound, Order of Service & Podcast

This Sunday we will look at the role whatever this thing called "spirit" has in our lives. Is there even such a thing and if so, how do we connect to it. Ralph Waldo Emerson once said he was a "Binitarian," rather than a Trinitarian or Unitarian because he could shake the idea that there was a something in him and the world that connected him to the Divine.

The Rev. Dr. David Sammons, Interim Senior Minister Toby Branz, Soprano Soloist, Violinist Mark Johnson, Pianist Kate Offer, Song Leader Jonathan Silk, Sound, Order of Service & Podcast

We can think of all kinds of ways to avoid what might be good for us,

like visiting a spiritual community or becoming part of one. Contrary to

common fears, you don’t need to have all your “stuff ” together before

belonging to a congregation. This sermon is not about what you wear...

or how you do your hair when coming to church. It’s about starting to

show who we really are, our strengths and struggles alike, our doubts

and our aspirations for living this life.

The Rev. Roger Jones, Guest Minister

The Rev. Dr. David Sammons, Interim Senior Minister

Reiko Oda Lane, Organist

Chris Waltz, Guitarist, Flutist and Vocalist

Jonathan Silk, Sound, Order of Service & Podcast

Christmas Eve will be a glorious time at the church. We've consolidated

our worship into a single service that will include the traditional

Christmas story, a children's pageant for our youngsters and those young

at heart, the superb music of our choir and organ and readings meant to

capture the spirit of Christmas for Unitarian Universalists.

The Rev. Dr. David Sammons, Interim Senior Minister

The Rev. Alyson Jacks, Family Life Minister

Dr. Mark Sumner, Music Director

Reiko Oda Lane, organ, Bell Choir Director

Tom Dambly, Trumpet

Kate Offer, Soprano

Jonathan Silk, Sound, Order of Service & Podcast, Audio Samples

Of all the depictions of the birth of Jesus, or of Jesus as a baby,

there are none that show him with his father, his earthly father, that

is: the one who took in the pregnant young girl and promised a home for

her and her child. We've got almost no historical record of this man,

but given the fact his own father was named Joseph, Dave Sammons would

like to put him back into the story on this Sunday before Christmas.

The Rev. Dr. David Sammons, Interim Senior Minister

Christine Patch-Lindsay, Worship Associate

Dr. Mark Sumner, Choir Director

Reiko Oda Lane, Organist

Jonathan Silk, Sound, Order of Service & Podcast

Evan will talk about how UUs in Calfornia have worked and can continue to work together to affect political decisions in our state on such issues as human equality, water rights and climate change.

Evan R. Junker, Guest Preacher

The Rev. Dr. David Sammons, Interim Senior Minister

Dr. Mark Sumner, Choir Director

Reiko Oda Lane, Organist and Bell Choir Director

Madeleine Gerlach, Soprano Soloist

David Jones, Pianist

Jonathan Silk, Sound, Order of Service & Podcast

We celebrate the hope our children give us by performing two wonderful

pieces of music. John Rutter's Mass of the Children and Arthur

Honegger's Une Cantate de Noel. Guest singers will augment our choir,

Chad Runyon and Kate Offer are our soloists, the UC Women's Chorale from

Berkeley will be singing the children's choir music featured in both

masterworks, and a full orchestra will accompany all. You will not want

to miss both Rutter's and Honegger's finest and most heartfelt

contributions to the choral repertoire.

The Rev. Dr. David Sammons, Interim Senior Minister

Dr. Mark Sumner, Choir Director

Reiko Oda Lane, Organist

Combined Choirs of the UC Alumni Chorus and First Unitarian Chorus

Chad Runyon, Baritone Soloist

Kate Offer, Soprano Soloist

UC Women's Chorale

Madeline Wolf, Treble Soloist

Orchestra made up of both professional string players and student

players from UC Berkeley Symphony.

Eric Rawlins, Sound

Jonathan Silk, Order of Service & Podcast

A walk through the aisles of Macy's or any other such store, sometimes

beginning in August there is no doubt that Christmas is on the way - not

the Christmas that goes with the story of the birth that supposedly took

place in Bethlehem a couple of millennium ago, but the Christmas that goes

with exchanging gifts, from clay plaques into which have been pressed the

hands of five year old's, to the BMW's and diamonds being hawked on TV, as

though we could all afford them. Why are we so attached to all these

things and is there something we should do about it that doesn't crush the

spirit of Christmas?

The Rev. Dr. David Sammons, Interim Senior Minister

Emily Wilson, Worship Associate

Dr. Mark Sumner, Song Leader

Reiko Oda Lane, Organist

Katrina Walter, Flutist

Wm. García Ganz, Pianist

Eric Rawlins, Sound

Jonathan Silk, Sound, Order of Service & Podcast

There is a lot to give thanks for this Sunday after our country's annual

remembrance of the feast celebrated by the Pilgrims and their Native

American guests that first harvest after their arrival. But we should

remember the no thanks that should have gone with it - like the no thanks

for forcing the local tribes off their lands those many years ago and the

no thanks for turning what had become our country's one truly Interfaith

Religious holiday - a time when our congregation used to celebrate with

our Jewish and other neighbors, into a time best remembered for over-

eating and football games. So, along with our thanks, to what should we be

saying no thanks.

The Rev. Dr. David Sammons, Interim Senior Minister

Derek Czajka, Worship Associate

Dr. Mark Sumner, Choir Director

Reiko Oda Lane, Organist & Bell Choir Director

Elena McIntyre, Mezzo Soprano Soloist

Wm. García Ganz, Pianist

Jonathan Silk, Sound, Order of Service & Podcast

Our guest speaker is Rev. Dr. Bonn Dlott, Bonnie, left a career in

science to raise her two children with her husband Rick. a doctor working

for Kaiser. Bonnie discovered Unitarian Universalism at the Mt. Diablo

Church, while Dave Sammons was its minister, and discovdred there that she

wanted to be a minister. She graduated from Starr King in 2005, and has

been serving the Napa Fellowship for the past seven years, inspiring them

to purchase a brand new religious home in which to worship. Bonnie

describes herself as an earth-centered mystic who loves to do things like

hike and fish along with her ministerial duties. The title of her sermon,

"Leaning in and Manning Up," has to do with what it's like to be women and

men in this world in which we now live.

The Rev. Dr. Bonnie Dlott, Guest Minister

The Rev. Dr. David Sammons, Interim Senior Minister

The Rev. Alyson Jacks, Family Life Minister

Dr. Mark Sumner, Pianist

Radim Zenkl, Multi-Instrumentalist

Kerry Parker, Song Leader

Linda Harris, Unitarian Universalist Service Committee Volunteer

Jonathan Silk, Sound, Order of Service & Podcast

The Rev. Dr. David Sammons, Interim Senior Minister

Bruce Knotts, UU-United Nations Office Director

Dr. Mark Sumner, Choir Director

Reiko Oda Lane, Organist

Jonathan Silk, Sound, Order of Service & Podcast

Rolling Down the Window

The Rev. Dr. David Sammons

This sermon will deal with why it's important to not forget those who have gone before us. It's not spooky for Mexicans, for instance, to visit the graves of the members of their families who have passed on. It's a way not only of honoring their ancestors, but of telling the Grim Reaper that he's got no sway over them. We all die, but death is never the end of it.

The Rev. Dr. David Sammons, Interim Senior Minister

Rev. Károly (Kari) Vass, Balázs Scholar

Dr. Mark Sumner, Choir Director

Reiko Oda Lane, Organist

John Meliska, UUs for Peace

George Cavage, Membership Chair

Alison Rittger, Allyne Circle

Jonathan Silk, Sound, Order of Service & Podcast,

The Speckled Bird

The Rev. Dr. David Sammons

A minister in Maine found himself wondering, as Emerson once did, what he was

doing in church when what attracted him most during the week were his walks in

the beautiful woods that lay behind his house. He just loved the speckled birds

that chirped around his pond. But though he loved his walks, and felt in touch

with the divine when he was on them, the minister part of him found something of

value in church, too. How does out faith relate to its history, tradition, and

Sunday gatherings to the world outside, with both its beauty and challenges?

The Rev. Dr. David Sammons, Interim Senior Minister

Judith Stoddard, Worship Associate

Dr. Mark Sumner, Pianist

Jiun-Chyi Yew, Soprano Soloist

Laurel Sprigg, Soprano Soloist

Kate Offer, Soprano Soloist

Jonathan Silk, Sound, Order of Service & Podcast, Podcast

We are delighted to welcome Sister Sheila Flynn back to our pulpit this Sunday.

Sister Sheila has been an annual visitor to our congregation since she first came here in 2002 at the invitation of our Minister Emerita, Margot Campbell Gross. Sister Sheila’s ministry to women, children and men, infected and affected by HIV/AIDS in the poorest communities in South Africa.She is the founder, and mentor to the women of Kopanang, a collective that makes beautiful embroidery work—including the World Religions panels in our Chapel.On this Sunday morning Sister Sheila Flynn and the Reverend Margot Campbell Gross will explore what it means to be faithful—to a moral code, to a relationship, to a religion, to a community, to oneself.

Sister Sheila Flynn, Guest Preacher

The Rev. Margot Campbell Gross, Minister Emerita

Dr. Mark Sumner, Choir Director

Reiko Oda Lane, Organist & Bell Choir Director

Jonathan Silk, Sound and Order of Service

Most days our lives are fine, then BAM, something bad happens, often something

really bad, then what? What do we do? How do we handle, pain, frustration,

humiliation, loss? Particularly when we are in the midst of what's happening it's

hard to figure out how we're going to get through it and move on with our lives.

But that's our task. Life is a gift and we owe it - and ourselves - a commitment

to live it well. This Sunday Dave Sammons will share some thoughts about it.

The Rev. Dr. David Sammons, Interim Senior Minister

Millie Phillips, Worship Associate

Dr. Mark Sumner, Choir Director

Reiko Oda Lane, Organist

Kate Offer, Soprano Soloist

Ted Arnold, Tenor Soloist

Jonathan Silk, Sound and Order of Service

The metaphor of the interdependent web combines universalist love with unitarian

wholeness into a vision of cosmic unity and goodness. This is a large idea that

lies at the heart of UU faith and asks us to stretch ourselves wide to be worthy

of it.

The Rev. Dr. Jay Atkinson, Guest Minister

John Young, Worship Associate

Dr. Mark Sumner, Choir Director

Reiko Oda Lane, Organist & Bell Choir Director

Jonathan Silk, Sound and Order of Service

September is the month of High Holy Days, a time when people are asked to think about the mistakes they've made and how to deal with them. Mistakes can be embarrassing, but people are embarrassed by a lot of things that have nothing to do with mistakes, like when our Interim Senior Minister was asked to join in a flash dance at his son's recent wedding. This Sunday he'll explore what it is that causes embarrassment, why it's such a troubling emotion and how we can deal with it.

The Rev. Dr. David Sammons, Interim Senior Minister

The Rev. Alyson Jacks, Minister of Family Life

Derek Czajka, Worship Associate

Dr. Mark Sumner, Choir Director & Pianist

Leela Pratt, Young Performer's International Choir Director & Pianist

Elliott Pennington, Vocalist

Ushers led by Linda Messner

Jonathan Silk, Sound and Order of Service

In an intriguing book called Why Does the World Exist? Jim Holt, an explorer of the intersection of

science and philosophy asks: "Why is there something rather than nothing?" If the answer is: "because

some thing created something out of nothing," does that something have to be God? Dave Sammons has

been wrestling with questions like this for a long time. Discovering that God might not have to be

the answer is one of the things that drew him and many of the rest of us into thuis peculiar faith we

call Unitarian Universalism.

The Rev. Dr. David Sammons, Interim Senior Minister

The Rev. Alyson Jacks, Minister of Family Life

Christine Patch-Lindsay, Worship Associate

Reiko Oda Lane, Organist

Toby Branz, Soprano Soloist

Mark Johnson, Piano Accompanist

Kerry Parker, Songleader

Jonathan Silk, Sound and Order of Service

"In April at the Pacific Western Regional Assembly, Rev. Sarah Moldenhauer-Salazar preached a sermon

that made waves across the Region inspiring a new way of thinking about Unitarian Universalism for

the 21st century. She has agreed to come preach it for us. Please join us to hear Rev. Sarah's

inspiring message. Rev. Sarah serves our movement as the President of the Pacific Central District UU

Ministers Associating and as a Trustee of the Starr King School for the Ministry. She currently

serves as a community minister for a non-profit working with homeless youth."

The Rev. Sarah Moldenhauer-Salazar, Guest Minister

The Rev. Dr. David Sammons, Worship Associate

Reiko Oda Lane, Organist

Dr. Mark Sumner, Choir Director

Maria Solis, Soprano Soloist

William Klingelhoffer, Shofar

Gayle Atkinson, Quartet

Kerry Parker, Quartet

David Jones, Quartet

Mark Johnson, Quartet

Jonathan Silk, Sound and Order of Service

"The idea of "home" has meaning for most people, but what is the

meaning? Is home a place we're from and can come back to? Is it

something in which we're rooted or something from which we want or need

to escape? We'll explore the meaning of home in our lives on this, our

"Homecoming Sunday," the time when we celebrate our new church year."

"Some say religion comes from a God-given revelation. But which of them is true? The one that came to Moses, the Buddha, Paul, Mohammad, Baha'u'llah Joseph Smith or Mary Baker Eddy? What if, instead of being based on revelation religion is just something that evolved from the time people began sitting around campfires and telling stories. If this is the case, how does Unitarian Universalism fit into that evolution?"

The Rev. Dr. David Sammons, Interim Senior Minister

Emily Wilson, Worship Associate

Brenden Guy, Clarinetist

Mark Johnson, Pianist

Dr. Mark Sumner, Pianist and Song Leader

Jonathan Silk, Sound and Order of Service

"Small Group Ministries is an ongoing program to help us deepen our connections to

each other, to grow spiritually, and to strengthen our San Francisco Unitarian

Universalist community as a whole. Small Groups, each with about ten people, meet

twice monthly to share important parts of their lives. They practice deep

listening, which enables participants to form lasting friendships, a stronger

community, and to minister to each other."

The Rev. Dr. David Sammons, Interim Senior Minister

The Rev. Margot Campbell Gross, Small Group Ministry

Julia DeFranco, Small Group Ministry

Kristen Gray, Small Group Ministry

Stan Hartzel, Small Group Ministry

David Jones, Small Group Ministry

Megan Lehmer (chair), Small Group Ministry

Margaret Levitt, Small Group Ministry

Millie Phillips, Small Group Ministry

Alison Rittger, Small Group Ministry

Judith Stoddard, Small Group Ministry

Reiko Oda Lane, Organist

Nanette McGuinness, Soprano Soloist

David Jones, Pianist

Millie Phillips, Song Leader

Jonathan Silk, Sound and Order of Service

"Dave Sammons often wears rather unusual garments when he preaches. They're called "chasubles." In the Roman Catholic tradition they are kind of over-garments worn by the priest in recognition of the liturgical season the church is now in. Dave's have a different history and a different meaning. This Sunday he'll wear a chasuble whose design is taken from a painting by Alexander Calder with a tie to our city. In describing his painting Calder says it was taken from an image of the red fiery fingers of the sun rising from a yellow sea while he was on board a ship headed for San Francisco. Dave will use this image both to introduce himself and to talk abvout the year he'll be spending with us as our Interim Senior Minister - a role he feels honored to have been asked to fill."

The Rev. Dr. David Sammons, Interim Senior Minister

Alison Rittger, Worship Associate

Reiko Oda Lane, Organist

Kate Offer, Song Leader

Jonas Magram, Guitarist, Vocalist, Pianist

Jonathan Silk, Sound and Order of Service

"What does it mean to live a religious life if you are not what most people

would consider religious? Unitarian Universalism is a unique religion in that

it not only welcomes people who follow other faiths, but also those typically

referred to as non-believers: atheists, agnostics, those who have rejected

other faith traditions, and those who were raised, like today's guest

preacher, to reject religion altogether. In fact, these so-called non-

believers make up a fair percentage of the people in our pews. What brings us

here? What might we believe? UU ministerial student Millie Phillips, a self-

identified "non-theist religious humanist," will address these questions."

Millie Phillips, Guest Preacher and Seminarian

Judith Stoddard, Worship Associate

Jef Caers, Flutist

Greg Meissner, Tenor Soloist

David Lee, Pianist

Reiko Oda Lane, Organist

Jonathan Silk, Sound and Order of Service

Do you remember when you first learned to ride? It was, at heart, an act of

faith. Rev. Vail Weller is the Special Assistant to the President for Major

Gifts at the Unitarian Universalist Association. She has served as a parish

minister in West Virginia, Michigan, and most recently, San Mateo, CA.

Reverend Vail Weller, Guest Minister

Reverend Dr. John Young, Worship Associate

Maria Solis, Soprano Soloist

Dr. Carmen Lemoine, Flutist

David Jones, Pianist

Dr. Mark Sumner, Song Leader, Pianist

Jonathan Silk, Sound and Order of Service

Considered this country's poet laureate by many Americans of African descent,

Langston Hughes' work also captured the feelings, experiences, and dreams

common to all human beings. Poetry, it has been said, the middle zone

between words and music. Langston Hughes wanted his poems to convey the

spirit of American jazz. A look at his life, his religion, and his message.

Reverend Ben Bortin, Guest Minister

Alison Rittger, Worship Associate

Larry Chinn, Pianist

Elizabeth Hornby, Pianist

Maria Solis, Song Leader

Jonathan Silk, Sound and Order of Service

Best known for his song-writing and union organizing activities, Woody Guthrie

also produced a large quantity of writing (mostly unpublished) on matters of

religion and spirituality in a strongly universalist vein. Rev. Steve Edington’s

book and sermon, Bring Your Own God, holds up some of these writings and places

them in the context of Woody’s overall life. His book is the result of two years

of research at the Woody Guthrie Foundation and Archives.

Reverend Steve Edington, Guest Minister

Christine Patch-Lindsay, Worship Associate

Thomas Yee, Violinist

Wm. García Ganz, Pianist

Kate Offer, Song Leader

Jonathan Silk, Sound and Order of Service

Without water to drink there is no life. The Unitarian Universalist Service Committee (UUSC) has chosen the “human right to water” as one of its primary four areas of focus. It is an issue of environmental justice. This Sunday we will celebrate the justice work of the UUSC and the remarkable work we have been doing in California and around the world to make safe drinking water available for everyone.

Overcoming Social Anxiety to Recognize Belonging. For some of us, it can be

hard to remember that we all belong in the interconnected web of life when we

don’t even feel like we belong among our friends. Let’s explore together what

it would look like to cut through our anxiety, recognize our belonging, and

from that place invite our friends to join us

Molly Johnson, Guest Preacher and Seminarian

Rev. Dr. John Young, Worship Associate

David Jones, Pianist

Kate Offer, Soprano Soloist

Jonathan Silk, Sound and Order of Service

The Reverend Dr. Stephen Furrer leading his last service as UUSF’s Interim

Senior Minister, and joined by the incoming Interim Senior Minister, the

Reverend Dr. David Sammons in which they will ceremonially hand over the

ministerial reigns/mantle/keys and invite the worshipping community to renew

its commitment to freedom of the pulpit and freedom of the pew.

For contemporary UUs it's easy to forget our Christian roots. The same is true for

Dave Sammons. But coming off a long tenure on the board of a Progressive Christian

seminary he has often wondered what it would be like if he actually were a Christian

not a Christian like you might find in a conservative church, but the kind of

Christian one is being taught to be at a progressive school, like the one on whose

board he sat.

The Rev. Dr. David Sammons, Consulting Minister

The Reverend Dr. Stephen H. Furrer, Worship Associate

Dr. Mark Sumner, Pianist and Song Leader

Thomas Yee, Violinist

Reiko Oda Lane, Organist

Jonathan Silk, Sound and Order of Service

Reverend Stephen Furrer shares some impressions on ministry, the sacred, church

dynamics, his tenure at UUSF, and that which signifies. New Member In-gathering

Ceremony during worship and a reception afterwards honoring our new members and the

nearly concluded interim senior ministry of Reverend Stephen Furrer.

The Rev. Dr. Stephen H. Furrer,Interim Senior Minister

Christine Patch-Lindsay, Worship Associate

George Cavage, Membership Chair

Christine Tulis, Harpist and Vocalist

Ken Stralka, Percussionist and Keyboardist

Kerry Parker, Order of Service Support; Amy Kelly, Flowers

Eric Rawlins, Sound; Kate Offer, Song Leader

What If ? -- Complete delivered by The Rev. Alyson Jacks June 9, 2013 at 11:00 am

The Rev. Alyson Jacks, Interim Director of Religious Education

Christine Patch-Lindsay, Worship Associate

Charmaine Emery, San Francisco Threshold Choir Director

Members of the San Francisco and Bay Area Threshold Choirs

Members of the UC Berkeley Alumni Chorus

Eric Shackelford, Baritone Soloist

Kerry Parker, Order of Service Support

The 3rd Grade Rites of Passage service where four young theologians pose their BIG QUESTIONS to Revs. Furrer and Jacks. The 3rd grade Rites of Passage class and the culminating service has been part of our church community since 1993 and is a highlight of the church year. The ROP program was created to strengthen our children's relationship to their church and honor their ongoing religious development. Join us for this special Sunday service. There's a good chance that the questions we'll consider this Sunday are your questions too. Under the direction of Music Director Dr. Mark Sumner and Bell Choir Director Reiko Lane, there will be fantastic music. In addition, we will have a special presentation of the Rites of Passage gift to our Society.

The Rev. Dr. Stephen H. Furrer, Interim Senior Minister

Rev. Alyson Jacks, Interim Religious Education Director

Dr. Mark Sumner, Choir Director

Reiko Oda Lane, Bell Choir Director

Rachel King, 3rd Grade Rites of Passage Teaching Team

Dan Saffer, 3rd Grade Rites of Passage Teaching Team

Members of the UC Berkeley Alumni Chorus

Jonathan Silk, OOS, Sound and Podcasting

Rev Dr. Steve Furrer on the power and enchantment of our memories will consider the question of what it means to memorialize, as the weekend observances will do across the land.

Rev Joel Scholefield will share memories of growing up in the long-ago-sold church parsonage in Pacific Heights. Joel is an award-winning elementary school in Berkeley; despite doing it for 20 years, it was his second career. During his first career, Joel served UU congregations in Indiana, New York, and California.

The Rev. Joel Scholefield, Guest Minister

Rev. Dr. John Young, Worship Associate

Chris Waltz, Vocalist, Guitarist and Flautist

David Jones, Pianist

Jonathan Silk, Podcast

Mother’s Day Observed in music, story, and song. “Healing Touches and Songs,” Rev Furrer affirming what we love about motherhood…and what make us—many of us—chafe. How new patterns of love allow ancient instincts to breath in one’s heart.

Reverend Stephen Furrer and members of the SGM celebrate a key ministry of our congregation and how it resonates with not

only in the hearts of many current members, but with the heart of historical UU tradition. Brief ceremony honoring this

year’s Small Group Ministry Facilitators.

The second of two April sermons on ministry and UUSF, by Interim Senior Minister Steve Furrer. Hearing, following, accepting a “call” is woven, somehow, into the heart of the ministry. When it comes to actually calling a minister accepted congregational practices and the UUSF bylaws also play important parts. Some thoughts on what ministry looks like…and how—with your input—it looks even better.

What does it mean to be a part of a church community? Dave Sammons' thesis is that

it's about more than the things like good music, programs and a sympathetic staff, as

important as these things are. There's something about "being here" that matters. So,

he'd like to explore what the "being here" involves.

The first of two April sermons by Interim Senior Minister Reverend Stephen Furrer

seeking to first pose and then answer the question: by what authority does a Unitarian

Universalist minister speak? On what basis does a minister in our tradition base her

or his authority? Catholics claim apostolic succession; other traditions make other

claims. What are ours?

Reflections, Dreams & Thoughts. Margaret Fuller made the case for beloved communities

that were both politically radical and spiritually wholesome. Reverends Alyson Jacks,

David Sammons, and Margot Campbell Gross share their understanding of how it is that

church’s matter, and—in particular—the church at 1187 Franklin Street.

The Rev. Dr. Stephen H. Furrer, Interim Senior Minister

The Rev. Dr. David Sammons, Consulting Minister

The Rev. Margot Campbell Gross, Minister Emerita

The Rev. Alyson Jacks, Interim Director of Religious Education

Dr. Mark Sumner, Music Director

Reiko Oda Lane, Organist

Thomas Yee, Violinist

Jonathan Silk, Order of Service, Sound and Recording

CANVASS TEAM 2013-2014

Jim Valent, Chair

Kiam Cua

Susan Anthony

Laurence Pulgram

Shirly Gibson

Rebecca Lyon

David Jones

The Deeper Affirmation of Yes

Easter and the renewal of hope and creativity wherever love abides.

The Rev. Dr. Stephen H. Furrer, Interim Senior Minister

The Rev. Dr. David Sammons, Consulting Minister

The Rev. Alyson Jacks, Interim Director of Religious Education

Alison Rittger, Worship Associate

Dr. Mark Sumner, Music Director

Reiko Oda Lane, Organist & Bell Choir Director

Wm. García Ganz, Pianist

Tom Dambly, Trumpeter

Peer, Religious Education Student

Till, Religious Education Student

Margot, 3rd Grade Rites of Passage Student

Zuzu, 3rd Grade Rites of Passage Student

Mariella, 3rd Grade Rites of Passage Student

Tita, 3rd Grade Rites of Passage Student

Jonathan Silk, Order of Service, Sound and Recording

“To Spring, To Leap, To Jump Over Lightly” Reverend Furrer on Passover and Jesus’ triumphant entry into Jerusalem—a mythic reappraisal.

The Rev. Dr. Stephen H. Furrer, Interim Senior Minister

Alison Rittger, Worship Associate

Dr. Mark Sumner, Music Director

Reiko Oda Lane, Organist

Jiun-Chyi Yew, Soprano Soloist

Wm. García Ganz, Pianist

Jonathan Silk, Order of Service, Sound and Recording

“The Two Cultures” By Dr. John E. Hearst. English chemist and novelist C.P. Snow’s

1959 essay "The Two Cultures" lamented what he saw as a growing disconnect between

scientists and "literary intellectuals." UC Emeritus Professor of Chemistry John

Hearst has resolved to bridge this gap by reaching across the aisle, so to speak: a

man of science speaking to people of faith.

The Rev. Dr. Stephen H. Furrer, Interim Senior Minister

The Rev. Alyson Jacks, Interim Director of Religious Education

Dr. John E. Hearst, Guest Preacher

Dr. Mark Sumner, Music Director, Pianist

Reiko Oda Lane, Organist

Judy Fjell, Guitarist and Vocalist

Jonathan Silk, Order of Service, Sound and Recording

“Touching the Face of God” By Rev. Dr. David Sammons. Many UUs have two sides when it

comes to religion. The first is the humanistic assumption that we're responsible for

our lives and there's no Deity to take care of things for us. The other side senses

there is a "Something More Than Us" we may be able to touch.

“Singing from the Same Sheet” Rev. Dr. Furrer leading services celebrating the many

ways music has been will remain ever close to the heart of religious truth. Plus

special adumbrations of Samson!

The Rev. Dr. Stephen H. Furrer, Interim Senior Minister

Richard Carp, Worship Associate

Dr. Mark Sumner, Music Director

Reiko Oda Lane, Organist

Kate Offer, Soprano Soloist

“Revelation Is Not Sealed” Reverend Furrer, preaching. A touchstone of liberal

religion is the idea that the revelation of religious truth is not sealed in a

book of scripture, a particular myth, one prophet’s insight, or any religious

authority or hierarchy. It’s open and ongoing.

The Rev. Dr. Stephen H. Furrer, Interim Senior Minister

Christine Patch-Lindsay, Worship Associate

Dr. Mark Sumner, Music Director

Bill Klingelhoffer, Song Leader

Giacomo Fiore, Guitarist

We take a look at the UU connections of Abraham Lincoln, Martin Luther King

Jr. and Barack Obama from Dave Sammons, born and raised in Illinois and

steeped in the lore of Lincoln. It's a good side commentary to go with the

film about to win a bundle of Academy Awards.

Global Warming and its effects, in obscure collaboration with Interfaith Power & Light.

Yiddish has hundreds of colorful words. One of them, the adjective farpotshket, describes

something that’s all fouled up, especially as the result of an attempt to fix it. If Rube

Goldberg was a repairman instead of an inventor, he would be a master of the art. How we

sometimes make things significantly worse when we try to make them better?

Participation in a faith community can strengthen your family and bring added goodwill and light into

your home.

Reverend Jeremiah Kalendae, preaching on how our heritage teaches us that the most profound

social progress happens when it is rooted in liberal religious spiritual values,

traditions, and wisdom. Unitarian Universalism has for generations married social justice

work with spirituality, the(a)ology, and religious mission. The mystical activist Andrew

Harvey writes: "Sacred Activism is a transforming force of compassion-in-action that is

born of a fusion of deep spiritual knowledge, courage, love, and passion, with wise radical

action in the world. The large-scale practice of Sacred Activism can become an essential

force for preserving and healing the planet and its inhabitants." This sacred work infuses

the life of our congregation--from working on the streets of San Francisco to caring for

children and speaking out for the voiceless. One of our latest trailblazing ministries is

our LGBT Guardian Group which is helping aslyees and refugees escaping torture and

execution in their countries of origin. A special collection will be taken up this MLK

Sunday to grow this work as we explore how, as sacred activists, our hearts can encompass

the globe.

Reverend Dr. Stephen Furrer, preaching on how the world is both yin and yang, light and dark, happy and sad. It is trying to escape that part of life that brings us pain that leads to suffering. Let us embrace the whole thing.

Reverend Stephen Furrer, preaching on Twelfth Night and Epiphany…and also on epiphanies: those “ah-ha” moments when we suddenly see something that had been elusive theretofore.

New Beginnings -- Complete delivered by The Rev. Dr. Stephen H. Furrer December

30,2012 at 11:00 am

A Wish for Us at Christmas -- Complete delivered by The Rev. Dr. David Sammons December 24,2012 at 4:45 pm

Christmas of the Heart -- Complete delivered by The Rev. Dr. Stephen H. Furrer December 23,2012 at 11:00 am

The Growing Light -- Complete delivered by The Rev. Dr. Stephen H. Furrer December 16,2012 at 11:00 am

Dickens, Unitarians and Christmas -- Complete delivered by The Rev. Dr. David Sammons December 9,2012 at 11:00 am

Anticipation -- Complete delivered by The Rev. Dr. David Sammons December 2,2012 at 11:00 am

The Practice of Gratitude -- Complete delivered by Sister Sheila Flynn November 25, 2012 at 11:00 am

Family, Food and Football! -- Complete delivered by The Reverend Dr. David Sammons November 18,2012 at 11:00 am

American Pride - Renewing the Emancipation Proclamations -- Complete delivered by The Reverend Jeremiah Kalendae November 11,2012 at 11:00 am

Belonging - the middle path of compassion in the face of ecological crisis -- Complete delivered by The Reverend Dr. David Sammons November 4,2012 at 11:00 am

Finding Peace in a Time of Panic - the middle path of compassion in the face of ecological crisis -- Complete delivered by The Reverend Sarah Moldenhauer-Salazar October 28,2012 at 11:00 am

Frolicking In Mystery -- Complete delivered by The Reverend Robert T. Latham October 21,2012 at 11:00 am

Encountering the Other -- Complete delivered by The Reverend Adél Nagy October 14,2012 at 11:00 am

The Long Compromise -- Complete delivered by The Reverend Dr. David Sammons October 7,2012 at 11:00 am

Give Sorrow Words -- Complete delivered by Lindasusan Ulrich September 30,2012 at 11:00 am

Report from the Trenches 33 Years Later -- Complete delivered by The Rev. Dr. Mark Belletini September 23,2012 at 11:00 am

Finding Happiness Despite Life’s Sorrows -- Complete delivered by The Rev. John Young September 16,2012 at 11:00 am

Money, Truth, and Excellence -- Complete delivered by The Rev. Dr. Jay Atkinson September 9,2012 at 11:00 am

Communities of Memory and Hope -- Complete delivered by The Rev. Dr. David Sammons September 2,2012 at 11:00 am

The Beginning of Love -- Complete delivered by The Rev. Jan Christian August 26,2012 at 11:00 am

Why Small Group Ministry Matters -- Complete delivered by Small Group Ministry August 19,2012 at 11:00 am

Connective Tissue -- Complete delivered by Rev. Alyson Jacks August 12,2012 at 11:00 am

A UU Field Report -- Complete delivered by Rev. David Maynard August 5,2012 at 11:00 am

The Importance of Leaving -- Complete delivered by Rev. Fred Rabidoux July 29,2012 at 11:00 am

How Unitarianism & Universalism Can Save Our World -- Complete delivered by Rev. Jeremiah Kalendae July 22,2012 at 11:00 am

Roadmap to our UUSF Future -- Complete delivered by Rev. Dr. Stephen H. Furrer July 15,2012 at 11:00 am

Sophistry and the 2012 Election -- Complete delivered by Rev. Dr. Stephen H. Furrer July 8,2012 at 11:00 am

Centering for Revolution -- Complete delivered by Rev. Dr. Stephen H. Furrer July 1,2012 at 11:00 am

Being There: An Experience in Religious Democracy -- Complete delivered by Rev. Dr. Stephen H. Furrer June 24,2012 at 11:00 am

Parables of Zen -- Complete delivered by Rev. Dr. Stephen H. Furrer June 17,2012 at 11:00 am

Heart Flowering:The Path of Devotion -- Complete delivered by Rev. Dr. Stephen H. Furrer June 10,2012 at 11:00 am

Heart Flowering:The Path of Devotion -- Complete delivered by Rev. Jeremiah Kalendae June 3,2012 at 11:00 am

Whisper of the Voice Within -- Complete delivered by Rev. Fred Rabidoux May 27,2012 at 11:00 am

Images of Mother -- Complete delivered by Rev. Dr. Stephen H. Furrer May 13,2012 at 11:00 am

Leap of Faith -- Complete delivered by Rev. Dr. Stephen H. Furrer May 6,2012 at 11:00 am

A Home for Love -- Complete delivered by Rev. Dr. Rebecca Parker April 29,2012 at 11:00 am

Climate Chang- -Personal Change -- Complete delivered by Rev. Dr. Stephen H. Furrer April 22,2012 at 11:00 am

Contraception and Morality -- Complete delivered by Rev. Fred Rabidoux April 15,2012 at 11:00 am

The True Resurrection -- Complete delivered by Rev. Dr. Stephen H. Furrer April 8, 2012 at 11:00 am

Casa del Cambio -- Complete delivered by Rev. Dr. Stephen H. Furrer April 1,2012 at 11:00 am

Planting Hope, Growing Community:Paying for Excellence -- Complete delivered by Rev. Dr. Stephen H. Furrer March 25,2012 at 11:00 am

On Friendship -- Complete delivered by Rev. Dr. Stephen H. Furrer

March 18,2012 at 11:00 am

A Mission Born of Mystery -- Complete delivered by Rev. Robert T. Latham March 11,2012 at 11:00 am

From Hopelessness to Hope -- Complete delivered by Rev. Dr. Stephen H. Furrer March 3, 2012 at 11:00 am

Know Thyself -- Complete delivered by Rev. Jeremiah Kalendae February 26, 2012 at 11:00 am

George Washington: Che of Fairfax County, Virginia -- Complete delivered by Rev. Dr. Stephen H. Furrer February 19, 2012 at 11:00 am

Charles Darwin and Contemporary Creation Myth -- Complete delivered by Rev. Dr. Stephen H. Furrer February 12, 2012 at 11:00 am

Ecclesiological Update -- Complete delivered by Rev. Dr. Stephen H. Furrer February 5, 2012 at 11:00 am

Four Paths, Four Yogas -- Complete delivered by Rev. Dr. Stephen H. Furrer January 29, 2012 at 11:00 am

Breakthrough -- Complete delivered by Rev. Dr. Stephen H. Furrer January 22, 2012 at 11:00 am

Failing and Finding Your Way -- Complete delivered by Rev. Alyson Jacks January 8, 2012 at 11:00 am

Don’t Stop Building Your Own Theology -- Complete delivered by Rev. Fred Rabidoux January 1, 2012 at 11:00 am

Candlelight Christmas Eve Service: A Child’s Christmas in Wales -- Complete delivered by Rev. Dr. Stephen H. Furrer December 24, 2011 at 4:45 pm

Candlelight Christmas Eve Service: The Spirit of Christmas -- Complete delivered by Rev. Dr. Stephen H. Furrer December 24, 2011 at 4:45 pm

From Callithumpians to Pajama-Clad Tykes -- Complete delivered by Rev. Dr. Stephen H. Furrer December 18, 2011

The Value of Ritual -- Complete delivered by Rev. Dr. Stephen H. Furrer December 11, 2011

The Dream of the Diaspora -- Complete delivered by Rev. Zoltán Kopándi-Benczédi December 4,

2011

Occupy Advent -- Complete delivered by Rev. Jeremiah Kalendae November 27, 2011

Distrust, Breakthrough, Reconciliation, Gratitude: Thanksgiving in America -- Complete delivered by Rev. Dr. Stephen H. Furrer November 20, 2011

Close to the Source(s): Big Music Cantata & Up On Top -- Complete delivered by Rev. Dr. Stephen H. Furrer November 13, 2011

Longings of the Heart, Queries of the Mind -- Complete delivered by Rev. Dr. Stephen H. Furrer November 6, 2011

Kracks in the Cosmic Egg -- Complete delivered by Rev. Dr. Stephen H. Furrer October 30, 2011

The Goal of World Community with Peace, Liberty, and Justice for All -- Complete delivered by

Rev. Dr. Stephen H. Furrer October 23, 2011

Where the Theology Meets the Road -- Complete delivered by Michael Eselun October 16, 2011

Love Is as Love Does -- Complete delivered by Rev. Dr. Stephen H. Furrer October 9, 2011

Four Components of a Healthy Church -- Complete delivered by Rev. Dr. Stephen H. Furrer October 2, 2011

What’s So Funny? -- Complete delivered by Rev. Dr. Stephen H. Furrer September 25, 2011

The Common Good: What’s In It for Me? -- Complete delivered by Rev. Dr. Stephen H. Furrer September 18, 2011

Homecoming -- Complete delivered by Rev. Dr. Stephen H. Furrer September 11, 2011

Come Grow Old With Me -- Complete delivered by Rev. Fred Rabidoux September 4, 2011

Gain the World, Lose Your Soul? -- Service delivered by Rev. Jeremiah Kalendae August 28, 2011

Overcoming Obstacles, Detours, and Set-backs on the Road to One’s Dreams -- Service delivered by Rev. Dr. Stephen H. Furrer August 21, 2011

Covenant -- Service delivered by Rev. Dr. Stephen H. Furrer August 14, 2011

The Art & Practice of Ministry -- Service delivered by Rev. Dr. Stephen Furrer August 7, 2011

Architecture of the Soul -- Service delivered by Rev. Jeremiah Kalendae July 31, 2011

What is Eco-Theology? -- Service delivered by Rev. Fred Rabidoux July 24, 2011

Blessing the World -- Service delivered by Rev. Jeremiah Kalendae July 17, 2011

The Goddess -- Service delivered by Rev. Jeremiah Kalendae July 10, 2011

Radical Reformation, Right Now in Our Time -- Service delivered by Rev. Fred Rabidoux July 3, 2011

How Our Lives Are Enriched By Rituals -- Service delivered by Rev. Fred Rabidoux June 26, 2011

Drag Kings, Divas, and other Shamans -- Service delivered by Rev. Jeremiah Kalendae June 19, 2011

Grace, Holiness, and Beauty -- Service delivered by Rev. Fred Rabidoux June 12, 2011

Wrestling with Angels -- Service delivered by Rev. Jeremiah Kalendae June 5, 2011

A Man as Divine as Myself -- Service delivered by Rev. Denis Letourneau Paul May 29, 2011

Coming of Age -- Service delivered by Rev. Denis Letourneau Paul May 22, 2011

If Life is like a Rollercoaster, Where Do I Buy My Ticket or Not! -- Service delivered by Rev. Fred Rabidoux May 15, 2011

Parting Glances -- Service delivered by Rev. Gregory L. Stewart May 8, 2011

Healing From the Heart -- Service delivered by Rev. Fred Rabidoux May 1, 2011

Stirring To be Awakened: An Easter Festival of Stories and Music -- Service delivered by Rev. Gregory L. Stewart April 24, 2011

A Light on a Hill: Celebration Sunday -- Service delivered by Rev. Jeremiah Kalendae April 17, 2011

The Gospel According to John (Lennon) -- Service delivered by Rev. Jeremiah Kalendae, April 10, 2011

Life on Resurrection Boulevard -- Service delivered by Rev. Gregory L. Stewart April 3, 2011

There’s No Place Like Home -- Service delivered by Rev. Dr. Kay Jorgensen, March 27, 2011

Rites of Passage -- Service delivered by Rev. Gregory L. Stewart March 20, 2011

Hidden Treasures: The Bible as Poetry -- Service delivered by Rev. Gregory L. Stewart March 13, 2011

Is That Really in the Bible? -- Service delivered by Rev. Gregory L. Stewart March 6, 2011

God and Dr. King -- Service delivered by Rev. Dr. David Keyes February 27, 2011

Fathers Under Siege! -- Service delivered by Rev. Gregory L. Stewart February 20, 2011

Love and Marriage -- Service delivered by Rev. Gregory L. Stewart February 13, 2011

In the Name of the Family -- Service delivered by Rev. Gregory L. Stewart February 6, 2011

Wrongology: Adventures in Getting it Right -- Service delivered by Rev. Alyson Jacks January 30, 2011

The Children Who Wake Up -- Service delivered by Rev. Denis Letourneau Paul January 23, 2011

Bad Times for the Common Good? -- Service delivered by Rev. Gregory L. Stewart January 16, 2011

Seeking Justice and Compassion in Health Care -- Service delivered by Amy Moses-Lagos January 9, 2011

Two Or Three Things I Know For Sure -- Service delivered by Rev. Gregory L. Stewart January 2, 2011

Let’s Not Forget About The Universalists.They Freed Us From Sin. -- Service delivered by Rev. Fred Rabidoux December 26, 2010

A Candlelight Festival of Lessons and Carols -- Service delivered by Rev. Gregory L. Stewart December 24, 2010

Does Jesus Save? -- Service delivered by Rev. Gregory L. Stewart December 19, 2010

How Moses Saved America -- Service delivered by Rev. Gregory L. Stewart December 12, 2010

Reconciliation and Right Relations -- Service delivered by Sr. Sheila Flynn December 5, 2010

The Disabled God -- Service delivered by Rev. The Reverend Jeremiah Kalendae November 28, 2010

Let Us Break Bread Together: Music Sunday -- Service delivered by Rev. Jeremiah Kalendae November 21, 2010

Premeditated Mercy -- Service delivered by Rev. Gregory L. Stewart November 14, 2010

The Soul of A Citizen: Living with Conviction in Challenging Times -- Service delivered by Paul Loeb November 7, 2010

Bringing Death Home -- Service delivered by Rev. Gregory L. Stewart October 31, 2010

The Ethical Aspects of a Climate Treaty -- Service delivered by Dr. Jan Dash October 24, 2010

Why Do We Gather? -- Service delivered by Michelle Collins October 17, 2010

We Are The Message! -- Service delivered by Rev. Alyson Jacks October 10, 2010

The Angel of Death -- Service delivered by Rev. Jeremiah Kalendae October 3, 2010

From a Tenderloin Church to the Lompoc Prison: A Peacemaker Walks the Path of St. Francis -- Service delivered by Fr. Louis Vitale September 26, 2010

Who Is My Neighbor? -- Service delivered by Rev. Gregory L. Stewart, Rev. Jeremiah Kalendae, Rev. John Young, September 19, 2010

You’re The Message! -- Service delivered by Rev. Gregory L. Stewart September 12, 2010

The Kingdom of God is within you -- Service delivered by Rev. Jeremiah Kalendae September 5, 2010

Nathan McCall’s Dilemma -- Service delivered by Rev. Gregory L. Stewart August 29, 2010

Mary Oliver's Conversion -- Service delivered by Rev. Gregory L. Stewart August 22, 2010

Ralph Waldo’s Obsession -- Service delivered by Rev. Gregory L. Stewart August 15, 2010

Imagine this City as Heaven -- Service delivered by Joel Gilbertson-White August 8, 2010

What would you do if suddenly you believed in God/Goddess? -- Service delivered by Rev. Fred Rabidoux August 1, 2010

The People with Eyes on Our Feet -- Service delivered by Rev. Denis Letourneau Paul July 25, 2010

Is God Keeping You From Going to Church? -- Service delivered by Rev. Jeremiah Kalendae July 18, 2010

Staying Put -- Service delivered by Rev. Alyson Jacks July 11, 2010

Stewards of Freedom -- Service delivered by Rev. Fred Rabidoux July 4, 2010

A San Francisco Pride Service - Why I am a Unitarian Universalist -- Service delivered by Rev. Jeremiah Kalendae June 27, 2010

No Day But Today -- Service delivered by the Young Adults June 20, 2010

Fumbling in the Fog for a Light -- Service delivered by Joel Gilbertson-White June 13, 2010

Singing the Journey! -- Service delivered by Rev. Gregory L. Stewart June 6, 2010

How To Pray Without Being Religious -- Service delivered by Rev. Gregory L. Stewart May 30, 2010

It’s A Rhythm Thing -- Service delivered by Rev. Alyson Jacks May 23, 2010

The Priesthood of All People -- Service delivered by Rev. Jeremiah Kalendae May 16, 2010

Noah’s Ark and Animal Rights -- Service delivered by Rev. Gregory L. Stewart May 9, 2010

Celebration of Ordination -- Service delivered by Rev. Michael Walker May 8, 2010

Big Music: Faure’s Requiem -- Service delivered by Dr. Mark Sumner May 2, 2010

Transitions Service -- Service delivered by Rev. Gregory L. Stewart April 25, 2010

Living In The Now -- Service delivered by Rev. Dr. Douglass E. Fitch April 18, 2010

Dying To Live -- Service delivered by Rev. Gregory L. Stewart April 11, 2010

What is the Spirit of This Church? -- Service delivered by Rev. Gregory L. Stewart March 7, 2010

What Would Jesus Really Do? -- Service delivered by Rev. Gregory L. Stewart April 4, 2010

Heroic Ministry -- Service delivered by Betty Skwarek March 28, 2010

Stop Talking, I Can’t Hear You -- Service delivered by Rev. Gregory L. Stewart March 21, 2010

Let’s Be A Church On Purpose -- Service delivered by Rev. Gregory L. Stewart March 14, 2010

The Art of Massage -- Service delivered by Joel Gilbertson-White February 28, 2010

Climbing Out of Your Rut? -- Service delivered by Rev. Alyson Jacks February 21, 2010

Is Change Really Possible? -- Service delivered by Rev. Gregory L. Stewart February 14, 2010

The Only Thing We Have To Fear -- Service delivered by Rev. Gregory L. Stewart February 7, 2010

A Volcanic Eruption of the Human Heart -- Service delivered by Rev. Dr. Kay Jorgensen January 31, 2010

I’ve Decided to be Kinder -- Service delivered by Rev. Alyson Jacks January 24, 2010

A Resurrection in our Time -- Service delivered by Dr. Charlie Clements January 17, 2010

Hope and Illusion -- Service delivered by Rev. Fred Rabidoux January 10, 2010

A Responsive Imaginarium -- Service delivered by Joel Gilbertson-White January 3, 2010

Human Christianity -- Service delivered by Joel Gilbertson-White December 27, 2009

A Candlelight Festival of Lessons and Carols -- Service delivered by Rev. Greg Stewart December 24, 2009

An American Jesus -- Service delivered by Rev. Greg Stewart December 20, 2009

In the Valley of the Shadow -- Service delivered by Rev. Greg Stewart December 13, 2009

The Body as a Vehicle for Prayer -- Service delivered by Sr. Sheila Flynn December 6, 2009

Alive with Unreckonable Gratitude -- Service delivered by Joel Gilbertson-White November 29, 2009

Bread and Music -- Service delivered by Rev. Gregory L. Stewart November 22, 2009

The War that Whispers -- Service delivered by Rev. Greg Stewart November 15, 2009

A Prophet, But No Fool -- Service delivered by Rev. Greg Stewart November 8, 2009

Out of Many, One -- Service delivered by Rev. Greg Stewart November 1, 2009

Unitarian Universalist Clout in a Time of Change -- Service delivered by Bruce Knotts October 25, 2009

The New American Sloth -- Service delivered by Rev. Gregory L. Stewart October 18, 2009

What Did Starr King Really Believe? -- Service delivered by Rev. Gregory L. Stewart October 11, 2009

A Harlot, But No Whore -- Service delivered by Rev. Greg Stewart October 4, 2009

Regarding Candlepower -- Service delivered by Joel Gilbertson-White September 27, 2009

Forgiveness for the Rest of Us -- Service delivered by Rev. Gregory L. Stewart September 20, 2009

Is There Any Good News? -- Service delivered by Rev. Gregory L. Stewart September 13, 2009

Turtles All The Way Down -- Service delivered by Alison Rittger August 30, 2009

Ramadan Revisited -- Service delivered by Rev. Gregory L. Stewart August 23, 2009

Let’s Go Public -- Service delivered by Rev. Dr. Douglass Fitch August 16, 2009

Imagining the Impossible: Healing the World -- Service delivered by Cathy Rion August 9, 2009

El Salvador and the Interdependent Web -- Service delivered by Amy Moses-Lagos August 2, 2009

In the Beginning God Created Heaven and Earth -- Service delivered by Rev. Fred Rabidoux July 26, 2009

Reaching Past the Snake Oil Salesman -- Service delivered by Rev. Denis Letourneau Paul July 19, 2009

Sit There and Listen -- Service delivered by Rev. Alyson Jacks July 12, 2009

The New Americans -- Service delivered by Rev. Fred Rabidoux July 5, 2009

What About Our Principles? -- Service delivered by Rev. Fred Rabidoux June 28, 2009

Will We Live Up to Our Own Expectations? -- Service delivered by the Young Adult Group June 21, 2009

Deadly Sins for Lively Liberals: Anger -- Service delivered by Rev. Greg Stewart June 14, 2009

Transitions: A Celebration of Change -- Service delivered by Betty Skwarek June 7, 2009

Finding Your Path -- Service delivered by Peter Olandt May 31, 2009

Something Out of Nothing -- Service delivered by Rev. Denis Letourneau Paul May 24, 2009

Deadly Sins for Lively Liberals: Greed -- Service delivered by Rev. Greg Stewart May 17, 2009

Coming of Age -- Service delivered by the Coming of Age Youth of 2009 on May 10, 2009

Be The Way -- Service delivered by Rev. Dr. Laurel Hallman May 3, 2009

Deadly Sins for Lively Liberals: Lust -- Service delivered by Rev. Gregory L. Stewart April 26, 2009

A Faithful Existence -- Service delivered by Rev. Alyson Jacks April 19, 2009

Enduring Betrayal -- Service delivered by Rev. Gregory L. Stewart April 12, 2009

John Rutter's Gloria -- Rehearsal conducted by Dr. Mark Sumner April 5, 2009

The Prophetic Church in the 21st Century -- Service delivered by Rev. Meg A. Riley April 5, 2009

Denis Letourneau Paul Ordination -- Service delivered by Rev. Denis Letourneau Paul March 29, 2009

Is Your Spiritual Practice Working? -- Service delivered by Rev. Fred Rabidoux March 29, 2009

Deadly Sins for Lively Liberals: Sloth -- Service delivered by Denis Paul March 22, 2009

Wanderlust -- Service delivered by Rev. Alyson Jacks March 15, 2009

There’s Something About Mary -- Service delivered by Rev. Fred Rabidoux March 8, 2009

Total Love in Total War -- Service delivered by Peter Olandt March 1, 2009

Losing Faith Religiously -- Service delivered by Rev. Greg Stewart February 22, 2009

Are There Any Poor Unitarian Universalists? -- Service delivered by Rev. Fred Rabidoux February 15, 2009

Deadly Sins For Lively Liberals: Envy -- Service delivered by Rev. Greg Stewart February 8, 2009

Love and Death -- Service delivered by Rev. Greg Stewart February 1, 2009

On Whose Shoulders? -- Service delivered by Rev. Chip Wright January 25, 2009

Fuzzy Logic for Fuzzy Answers -- Service delivered by Peter Olandt January 18, 2009

A Question of Questions -- Service delivered by Peter Olandt January 11, 2009

Beyond Fear -- Service delivered by Rev. Fred Rabidoux January 4, 2009

Hope in Human History -- Service delivered by Sr. Sheila Flynn, December 28, 2008

There Comes A YES: A Candlelight Festival Of Lessons And Carols -- Service delivered by Rev. Greg Stewart, December 24, 2008

Countdown to Chaos? (A Holiday Survival Guide) -- Service delivered by Rev. Greg Stewart, December 21, 2008

Deadly Sins For Lively Liberals: Gluttony -- Service delivered by Rev. Greg Stewart, December 14, 2008

Lights in the Dark -- Service delivered by Peter Olandt, December 7, 2008

Righteous Ambiguity -- Service delivered by Rev. Greg Stewart, November 30, 2008

Interfaith Thanksgiving Celebration -- Service delivered by Rev. Greg Stewart, November 27, 2008

A Vigil in Defense of Marriage for All -- Service delivered by Rev. Greg Stewart and Peter Olandt, November 03, 2008

A Family Thanksgiving In Black And White -- Service delivered by Rev. Greg Stewart, November 23, 2008

Deadly Sins For Lively Liberals: Pride -- Service delivered by Rev. Greg Stewart November 16, 2008

SCIENCE!!! Discovering The Spark Of Life -- Sermon delivered by Peter Olandt November 9, 2008

Goin’ to the Chapel: A Wedding and a Vigil in Defense of Marriage for All -- November 2, 2008

Stretch Our Arms: We Are Our Brother’s Keeper -- Sermon delivered by Rev. Fran Mercer October 26, 2008

The Sin Series: Deadly Sins for Lively Liberals -- Sermon delivered by Rev. Greg Stewart October 19, 2008

Universalism: For Such A Time As This! -- Sermon delivered by Rev. Greg Stewart October 12, 2008

Who’s Right About Animal Rights? -- Sermon delivered by Rev. Greg Stewart October 5, 2008

Shofar, So Good -- Sermon delivered by Peter Olandt September 28, 2008

Traveling Mercies -- Sermon delivered by Rev. Greg Stewart September 21, 2008

Making Loss Matter -- Sermon delivered by Rev. Greg Stewart September 14, 2008