Welcome to
All Souls—since 1819 a congregation of open minds and hearts
in New York City. Those who gather in the sanctuary for worship
do so with hearts open to the mysteries of love and minds open
to the wisdom of truth.
We welcome
those who are searching and questioning, those who would be stimulated
by further growth, those who seek to live lives of justice and
compassion, and those who are hurting or bereaved.
This congregation
welcomes you and invites you to be part of our community of caring
and friendliness. We proclaim a life-affirming faith that lifts
us to a greater awareness of who we are and what we can become.
Everyone who shares this spirit of community is welcome to be
a part of our village in the city.
Read
more about us.
| If
you are new to All Souls— |
For
information on the programs and activities at All Souls,
fill out our informational
form. You can also contact Blamo Jaurey, Director of
Newcomer Services, at blamo@allsoulsnyc.org
. |
About
Unitarian Universalism
With its
historical roots in the Jewish and Christian traditions, Unitarian
Universalism is a liberal religion—that is, a religion that
keeps an open mind to the religious questions people have struggled
with in all times and places. We believe that personal experience,
conscience and reason should be the final authorities in religion,
and that in the end religious authority lies not in a book or
person or institution, but in ourselves. We are a "non-creedal"
religion: we do not ask anyone to subscribe to a creed.
Our congregations
are self-governing. Authority and responsibility are vested in
the membership of the congregation. Each Unitarian Universalist
congregation is involved in many kinds of programs. Worship is
held regularly, the insights of the past and the present are shared
with those who will create the future, service to the community
is undertaken, and friendships are made. A visitor to a Unitarian
Universalist congregation will very likely find events and activities
such as church school, day-care centers, lectures and forums,
support groups, poetry festivals, family events, adult education
classes and study groups.
A
statement from Galen Guengerich about the shooting in Knoxville:
My heart goes out to the members and friends of the Tennessee Valley Unitarian
Universalist Church in Knoxville, especially to those whose loved ones were
killed or injured in Sunday’s shooting. This is a devastating loss—of
life, of sanctuary, perhaps of innocence. On behalf of All Souls, I extend my
deepest sympathies to those whose sense of wholeness has been broken.
When bad things happen, we inevitably wonder why. Evil stems from two sources:
the indifferent laws of nature and the willful actions of human beings. Theologians use the terms natural evil
and moral evil to distinguish these two destructive forces. Natural evil is
caused by what insurance documents wrongly call acts of god, such as earthquakes,
floods, and droughts. These are not consequences of human action, at least not
directly, but rather are intrinsic to the cycle of life on this planet, in this
universe. Sometimes the earth quakes, or floods descend, or cancers grow, or
wildfires burn. As a result, human beings suffer and die. That’s just
the way life is—a grim reminder of the tenuous place we occupy in the
order of things.
Moral evil, in
contrast, is caused by decisive human actions, such as murder, rape, genocide,
and terrorist attacks. Moral evil encompasses the kind of human actions that
in theory need never happen at all. One can imagine, for example, a world in
which no man was ever murdered, no woman ever raped, no child ever abused. The
gunshots that shattered the sanctuary of TVUUC in Knoxville on Sunday are a tragic reminder that we are just as vulnerable
to human evil as we are to natural evil. A perfect human storm savaged Knoxville
on Sunday: the horrible confluence of economic deprivation, emotional dysfunction,
and misguided rage—not to mention firepower close at hand.
Here at All Souls,
we will do what we can to support the congregation in Knoxville during this
difficult time. In our upcoming Sunday service, Rev. Cheryl M. Walker will offer words
of healing and hope; and Sunday’s offering will be earmarked to fund trauma
and grief counseling for members and friends of TVUUC. You can also contribute
directly to the UUA’s Knoxville Relief Fund. For more information about
the Fund and how to give, follow
this link. I have conveyed directly to Chris Buice, minister of TVUUC, that
we stand ready to help in any way we can. In the meantime, if you wish to speak with one of the ministers at All Souls about this situation, please
contact us directly, either by email or by calling the church office.
When things fall
apart, it’s a good time to look around and see what doesn’t. Despite
this tragedy, our faith in humanity remains firm, just as the sun shines once
again after the storm clouds pass. In the days ahead, we will stand strong,
reach out, and look up. We have come from the same source, and we share the
same destiny. Although time is fleeting and life is transitory, we are sustained
by a love that will never pass away. This love undergirds our prayers for our
friends in Knoxville, which we offer with an abiding sense of gratitude—for
the love that upholds us and the faith that sustains us, and for the God who
holds us all in a divine embrace.
Love,
For the writings, speeches, and media appearances of Forrest Church, All Souls' minister of public theology, visit Forrestchurch.com..
February, 2008: Mary-Ella Holst, All Souls Director of Religious Education Emerita, is featured on the website ElderCountry.com.
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