Thursday, January 11, 2018
The Coming Week
Thursday, January 11

Young Souls Book Club ’s January read is Muriel Barbery’s The Elegance of the Hedgehog . “ The Elegance of the Hedgehog is a moving, funny, atmospheric novel that exalts the quiet victories of the inconspicuous among us.” For more information, contact Lauren (webmistresslauren@gmail.com). YS Book Club meets every Thursday at 7:30 pm.

Friday-Sunday, January 12-14

Jubilee Anti-Racism Training. Nurture our congregation’s multicultural future in the face of opposing cultural currents. Deepen your understanding of how race and ethnicity play out in our institutions and our daily lives? Honor the legacy of the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr by learning to dismantle structural racism. Register and learn more here .

Saturday, January 13

Souls in the Center Game Day. Trying a different place to avoid the Saturday noise? Let’s play a soothing (ha!) game, where we take resources from each other. RSVP here . Be sure to bring any games you love; we can have several games going depending on numbers. 2:00-6:00 pm, Red Derby (3718 14th St NW, WDC).

Rainbow Souls (www.facebook.com/groups/rainbowsouls), a welcoming, inclusive group of All Souls congregants, young and old, will be dancing (two-step, line dances, west coast swing, and waltz) or just having fun watching. Questions? Contact Ryan Williams (ryan.williams757@gmail.com). Doors open 6:30 pm; dance lessons 7:00-8:00. Town Danceboutique (2009 8th St NW, WDC) .

Sunday, January 14

Songs of Freedom, led by the Bokamoso South African Youth Choir. On this Dr. King Sunday, we celebrate his legacy in a very special way—by once again welcoming the young South Africans of the Bokamoso Youth Choir. Sharing from South Africa’s rich tradition of freedom singing, the young people of Bokamoso (joined by the All Souls Jubilee Singers and Children’s Choir) will mingle their own stories with freedom songs from South Africa and the United States. This is a service you won’t want to miss! 9:30 and 11:15 am.

Refugee Support Initiative 2018 Ingathering and Strategic Planning Meeting. At this meeting, we will discuss RSI’s plans and projects for 2018 and continue to build our organizational structure. Please join us if you are interested in working with refugees and asylum seekers – especially if you have expressed interest in the past and haven’t yet had an opportunity to volunteer. We’ll be finding ways to get everyone connected to new and existing projects. Sun., Jan. 14, 9:30 am, Longfellow Room.

New Young Souls Com-pan-ioning. Still feel new to Young Souls? Want to get more connected? Join us as we gather and decide as a group what we want to do. Maybe treats from Sticky Fingers. A walk around the neighborhood. A cozy cafe for warm drinks. How would you like to break bread together? Questions? Contact Jason ( michalja@mail.gvsu.edu ). RSVP on Facebook here . Meet after second service, Pierce Hall (look for Jason holding the Young Souls sign).

Afro Blue concert: POSTPONED. The concert, originally scheduled for today, will take place Sun., Feb. 25, 4:00 pm, sanctuary.

Wednesday, January 17

Souls in the Center Happy Hour. Let’s celebrate Wednesday - a good time to get meet fun people in a smaller group! Mmm, pretzels. 6:30-8:30 pm, Franklin Hall (1348 Florida Ave NW, WDC).

Thursday, January 18

Join us for our monthly Young Souls Social Justice Task Force meeting . We’ll talking about making a more inclusive space and caucuses within the Young Soul community. Feel free to bring some food/drinks. Questions? Contact Alice Kurima Newberry ( alicekurimanewberry@gmail.com ). Click here to sign up for the Social Justice Task Force e-list and receive awesome goodies in your inbox. Thu., Jan. 18, 6:30-8:30 pm, location TBD.

Saturday, January 20

Church Council meeting. Meeting for lay leaders from all of the church's ministries, but all congregants are welcome to come find out what's going on at All Souls. 9:00 am - 1:00 pm, Pierce Hall.

A Party for Kids of All Ages. All four of the immediate members of the Hargrave/Hernandez family had birthdays within the past month. Let’s celebrate! This family-friendly event will have lots of activities for the young and young at heart, including face painting, games, a cake walk, a sing-along, and various arts and crafts. No fee, and no gifts expected. You may choose to contribute to the All Souls Religious Endowment Fund . We do need to know how many people are coming, so please RSVP to Meredith ( higginsrfp@aol.com ; 301-537-0654) with your names and the ages of your kids. Sat., Jan. 20, 2:30 – 5:30 pm, Pierce Hall.

Souls in the Center Potluck. The theme is winter comfort food! RSVP to dcvalerieb@yahoo.com and sign up here with what you’ll bring. 5:00-8:00 pm, Peter and Valerie’s home in SW DC.

Sunday, January 21

Find Your Ministry Fair. Talk to representatives from all of All Souls' many ministries. Find out where you might fit in to the church community. After each service, Pierce Hall.

All Souls ESL mandatory volunteer training. Join us if you’re interested in teaching, tutoring, or helping run the program, and have availability on two Sundays a month between 1:00 and 3:00 pm. No need to register for the training; just drop in. Spring semester classes run Feb. 4 through Apr. 29. Jan. 28, 11:00 am-2:00 pm, dining room.

Nosh, Nurture, Network. The Reproductive Justice Initiative kicks off the New Year with a potluck brunch, where we’ll discuss the political and legal landscape, brainstorm ways to connect with and support the local ReproJ community, seek input on plans for 2018, and update everyone on this year’s major programming. Everyone welcome! RSVP to Tracey ( tzorpette@gmail.com ). Childcare available with RSVP by Jan. 14. 12:45 - 2:45 pm, dining room.

Transitions: Moving into Our Older Years - Health . As we move into our older years we navigate new opportunities and challenges. Join us as we consider both the pitfalls of aging and what it takes to be successful. The presentations and discussion will include transitions in health and housing that may occur, including the importance of social networks and financial issues, the ins and outs of family dynamics, choosing between medical intervention and palliative care and moving beyond the fear of losing autonomy. Wholeness, both material and spiritual, will be our framework. Led by Deb Rubenstein of Iona Senior Services. The following Sunday (Jan. 28), we’ll reflect on this Sunday’s discussion. In February, we’ll address housing transitions in older years. Fee for series: $20 (scholarships available). Register here . Questions? Contact Elizabeth Fox (202-686-6581; esfoxy@gmail.com). 1:00-3:00 pm, Eaton Room.

Rainbow Souls monthly meeting. Learn about events already on the 2018 calendar and tell us your ideas for other activities. Contact Andre ( andre@broneist.com ) or Ryan ( ryan.williams757@gmail.com ) with questions. Monthly meeting every 3rd Sunday. 1:00 pm, Longfellow Room.
Beloved Conversations
All Souls is excited to announce the start of Beloved Conversations, a powerful pathway for spiritual growth and relationship building that advances our dream of beloved community. A transformative curriculum grounded in spiritual practice and our UU faith, Beloved Conversations is a learning laboratory for how to live healthily in a multiracial, multicultural, theologically diverse community, and how to work for a racially just world, both within and beyond our congregation.
Led by Dr. Mark Hicks, Meadville Lombard Professor of Religious Education, Beloved Conversations opens with a 1.5-day immersive retreat at All Souls (Fri.-Sat., Feb. 16-17), followed by eight 2-hour sessions, every other week, in small cohorts of 10-15 people.

Your participation is invited and encouraged! For more information, contact Minister of Adult Spiritual Development Rev. Dr. Rebecca Parker ( rparker@allsouls.ws ).

How Beloved Conversations came into being

Dr. Hicks, designer of the curriculum, tells the story of how Beloved Conversations first came into being:

“As I moved deeper into the religious and cultural experience of Unitarian Universalism, I discovered I shared a common thread among friends and colleagues. Like me, people were compelled to name and critique how race misshaped their sense of wholeness, of justice. Folks could earn top grades doing the work of denouncing racist language, behaviors, and practices. But while quick to march or turn out a business meeting or publicly shame a wrongdoer, there was a haunting shrillness that was not softened by a spiritual core, the sense of compassion and empathy the nurtures the soul after a heart has been broken.”

Mark set about creating a curriculum that would nourish the heart, deepen capacities for listening and speaking hard truths, enhance self-awareness and empathy, foster cross-cultural dialogue, and ground and grow souls spiritually in accord with our UU faith and informed by the theoretical framework of transformative teaching and learning. He writes, “Beloved Conversations is framed in the spirit of small-group ministry or a covenant group. Beloved Conversations should be thought of as a ‘spiritual practice.’ Facilitators and participants work to encourage seeing anti-racism/anti-oppression work as acts of faith formation of becoming more fully human.”
Children and Youth Religious Education
OPPORTUNITIES and EVENTS

  • A Party for Kids of All Ages – Sat., Jan. 20, 2:30 – 5:30 pm, Pierce Hall. See above.
  • Sunday, Jan 21st - Finding Your Ministry Fair after each service
  • Saturday, Feb 3rd – Teacher/Parent REfresher, following “Sunday Morning Summit”. Tips, resources, and sharing on working/playing with children of all ages.
  • Saturday, Feb. 10th 9:30-noon 6th Grade OWL Orientation
  • Friday, Feb 23rd- Intergenerational Games Night- Back by popular demand
  • Sunday, March 18th- Children’s Clothing Swap

Contact Dolores Miller, Director of Religious Education for Children & Youth (dmiller@allsouls.ws; 202-517-1469).
Opportunities
Ready to step up your involvement in the church? Enroll in the 5th annual All Souls Leadership Course , a course for people interested in developing their leadership capacity at All Souls and beyond. Participants will be exposed to new perspectives and innovative ideas in leadership; engage in reflective and collaborative exercises; and forge and strengthen relationships with other participants and members of the congregation. For more info, go to www.all-souls.org/leadership-application-2018 , contact Susan Crim ( buck_crim@msn.com ), or visit the Leadership Table in Pierce Hall on Sundays during January. 2018 Course dates: Saturdays 2/10, 2/24, 3/20, 3/24, 4/7, and 4/21.

All Souls Refugee Support Initiative (RSI)
  • RSI is looking for more stable housing for our new friend, Ronnie, a journalist from Honduras who is seeking asylum. If anyone knows of potential housing, please contact Laurie Ensworth (lensworth@verizon.net).
  • Our friend Kizito is completing his final examination to become a licensed certified nursing assistant! While he awaits the licensing exam at the end of January, he is trying to raise $250 to cover the expenses of his licensing application. Feel free to drop off VISA gift cards or other financial support at the front desk to the attention of Laurie Ensworth.
  • The Asylum Seeker Assistance Project (ASAP) is recruiting volunteers to assist with our upcoming job-readiness training, which prepares asylum seekers for employment in the U.S. The training will take place Mon., Jan. 22 – Fri., Jan. 26, at ASAP’s office in Tenleytown. Volunteers are encouraged to come to a lunch at 12:00 noon and then co-facilitate breakout sessions. Specific instructions will be provided to volunteers on site. Contact Noah (noah@asylumprojectdc.org) for more info or to RSVP.

The All Souls ESL program provides English language instruction, conversation, and community-building for adults Sundays 1:00-2:45 pm. This past fall, we had 43 registered students originally from Central and South America, Africa, and South/South Central Asia. Like us on Facebook and spread the word! If you are interested in joining our amazing team of volunteers, contact Sarah ( allsouls.esl.dc@gmail.com ). Thinking about teaching, tutoring, or helping run the program? All Souls ESL mandatory volunteer training is Jan. 28, 11-2, in the dining room. No need to register for the training; just drop in. Spring semester classes run Sundays from January 28 through April 23, 2018.

Believe in radical hospitality? Act on those beliefs! Worship services can be magical, but they don’t happen magically. In addition to the ministers and staff, we depend on the time, effort, and good will of volunteer congregants. Interested in helping? You have a choice of roles to play, and each is important.
  • Worship Associates speak from the pulpit five or six times a year to welcome the congregation and introduce the offering collection. Worship Buddies help setup before services. Training occurs once or twice a year. Contact Jana Owens (jana_owens@hotmail.com).
  • Ushers welcome congregants and visitors, hand out the orders of service, and help everything run smoothly and safely. The commitment is only one service each month, so it’s a great way to get involved. Contact Mark Matthews (markhowardmatthews@gmail.com).
  • Greeters welcome visitors and answer their questions, both before and after services. Really important, but easy—once a month commitment and no meetings! Great way to meet people, and you’re already qualified! Contact Sarah Puro (sarahpuro@yahoo.com).
  • Counters receive the offering plates, tally the numbers, and lock everything away in the safe. You’ll serve once a month after the second service and meet a nice group of folks. Contact John Crowe (babaloo913@gmail.com).
  • The Lunch Ministry nourishes the congregation with a homemade, healthy meal about once a month. Stretch your culinary skills! Visit all-souls.org/lunch or contact Jerri Husch (ascu.lunch@ gmail.com).
All Souls Church Unitarian | 1500 Harvard St NW, Washington DC 20009
202.332.5266| www.all-souls.org