Can I just "show up" for a worship service or Sunday school if I have never been to All Souls before? Sure. Adults who sign the guest book in the foyer will receive the newsletter for 6 weeks. Parents should complete a visitor card for each child. The cards are available from the Religious Education greeter in the Family Room or from the teacher in the classroom. The card provides information should the church need to reach you, and also has space for you to request more information about the church and children's programs.
How do people dress for Sunday worship services?
From casual to "Sunday best." Come in whatever makes you comfortable for worship.
Should I bring my children when I visit All Souls on Sunday?
Yes! Children's programming and/or childcare are available during all worship services. Church School on Sunday mornings is one big reason people are attracted to All Souls. Children of any age are always welcome in the service – but most will be participating in the children's programming that overlaps the adult worship services. They have their own chapel services on Sunday mornings. The children do come into the sanctuary on Festival Sundays: the Sunday before Thanksgiving, the Sunday after Christmas, and Mothers' Day.
The best way to find the answers to your particular questions regarding children might be to meet with Tennille Clark, our Children's Religious Education Coordinator at 743-2805, ext. 321.
What makes All Souls different from other churches?
There is no test of creed to join - "we need not believe alike to love alike." Within our congregation you will find diversity of belief.
In our Sunday School we do not indoctrinate children by teaching them what they should believe, but rather we try to spark their own curiosity about religious questions and provided them with the tools they need to make their own decisions.
How do I meet other people at All Souls?
Come! Sign the guest book in the foyer at the Newcomers' Table. Come to our many scheduled events! Start with a All Souls 101 class – attend a Roots class (a three-week series taught by one of the ministers) and Branches. Offer to help in the Church School. Sing in the choir. Attend a special interest group event - like MUMS (Mostly Unitarian Moms), Day Alliance or Evening Alliance. Show up to work on a house we're remodeling. Call any of our staff members to discuss even more options for getting involved. Discover more about how to connect.
What is expected of All Souls members?
While anyone is welcome to attend, membership brings with it responsibilities. New (or prospective) members should sign up for a Roots class - a four-week series taught by one of the ministers. Members are expected to support the church as best they can financially, as well as giving time and talent to supports its programs and outreach efforts. You can also explore our monthly themes with us and go deeper.
Are members supposed to come to church every Sunday?
Those who do come regularly tend to feel more a part of the life of the congregation. Those who don't attend regularly still can play a vital supporting role. During the summer on Sundays our children and adult religious education programming is on sabbatical. During the summer months we offer child care and mixed-age children's programming during the service.
Do members have to give money?
Only if they are able. The church relies on the generosity of its members to pay for its staff and programs. If you are the kind of person who likes All Souls, you are probably the kind of person who will want to give at least your fair share. Your pledge at the time of membership rolls over from year to year unless you notify us of a desire to increase or decrease your pledge due to changing circumstances. There is no required amount. Everyone contributes what he or she can. Contact our Business Manager, Mory Harsh to make or change a pledge.
What do Unitarians believe?
Ours is a free faith and we believe in "life before death" and in a free search for truth and meaning. As a liberal religion born of Jewish and Christian traditions, we keep our minds open to the religious questions that people have struggled with in all times and places. We have no creeds. Instead, we are guided by our personal experience, conscience and reason in developing our beliefs, values and ethics. In our view, religious authority lies not in any one book, institution or person. Each of us has a responsibility to continually develop our religious understanding and to act as a moral force in the world. For us it is much more important what people do each day, then what they say they believe. As we continually develop our understanding of life, death, truth and the world, we are open to the insights of science as well as of religious teachers and men and women of all ages, races and cultures. Explore more here.
Do you pray in your church?
We have time for prayer or meditation in all of our services.
Do Unitarians consider themselves to be Christian?
Actually, some do and some do not. As you can see in the answer to "What Unitarians Believe?" we are much more open to a diversity of theological perspectives than the typical Christian church. Nevertheless, Unitarianism grew out of the Protestant Reformation in 16th century Europe. At that time Unitarian thinkers began to question the authority of creeds and dogmas. In so doing, they strived to follow the example of Jesus rather than to keep to the various belief structures that had been created by men long after his death. What they aimed to do was to follow the religion of Jesus rather than the religion about Jesus.
For the first 300 years Unitarians considered themselves to be the most authentic Christians and they saw the Bible as the supreme source of God's truth. It is only in the past 150 years with an increased knowledge and exposure to science and other world religions that Unitarians have begun to see the Bible as only one of the world's great sources of wisdom, values and understanding. Today, most Unitarians think of our tradition as being distinct from Christianity, but some make the case that if Jesus were alive today he would probably recognize our religion as being more familiar than the various Christian religions that have developed in his name.
What is the difference between Unitarian and Unitarian Universalist?
At All Souls we commonly refer to ourselves as "Unitarian." We are a member congregation of the Unitarian Universalist Association, but All Souls was founded in 1921 as a Unitarian church. In early American history the Unitarians and Universalists were two distinct faiths. The Unitarian name came from the fact that they were liberal Christians who believed in one indivisible God rather than in the Trinity of Father, Son and Holy Spirit. The Universalists were Christians distinguished by their rejection of the notion of hell and thus they believed in "universal salvation."
In 1961, the Unitarian and Universalist Churches in America merged. What became clear over time was that the fundamental difference between traditional Christianity and Unitarianism and Universalism was not so much in the notion of the nature of God or in what happens after we die. The fundamental difference is in the notion of human nature. Whereas, traditional Christians see human nature as inherently sinful and in need of salvation, Unitarians and Universalists believe people are inherently good.
How does All Souls observe Christian holidays, such as Christmas and Easter?
Very traditionally! At Christmas we have many festivities saluting our Christian heritage – including three candle light services on Christmas Eve with readings from the Gospels and traditional carols. A large tree goes up in our fellowship hall and our choirs carol. In our church school we also teach about Chanukah, the Winter Solstice, as well as traditions like Kwanzaa and Divali.
At Easter, the emphasis tends to be more on the resurrection of life in springtime and the power of love to transcend death, rather than the literal resurrection of the body of Christ. At around the same time of year we will also talk about Passover and often we will have a local rabbi or Jewish member of our congregation lead a Passover Seder open to anyone who would like to attend.