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The Coming Week
Thursday, December 1
An Evening with Cleve Jones Honoring World AIDS Day. Join Whitman Walker Clinic, All Souls Social Justice Ministries, and Politics and Prose Bookstore for a World AIDS Day observance featuring longtime activist Cleve Jones (one of the creators of the AIDS quilt) speaking about his memoir "When We Rise: My Life in the Movement." The evening begins with music at 6:30; official program begins at 7:00. Book signing and reception to follow. RSVP at Facebook.
Saturday, December 3
Memorial services for Loretta Carter Hanes, longtime president/director of DC Reading Is Fundamental, educator, historian, researcher, community activist and environmental public health advocate. Loretta passed away at age 90 on August 21. 1:00 pm, sanctuary.
UUA Congregational Study Action Issues Briefing. 2016-2020: The Corruption of Our Democracy. Learn about the CSAI process and study guide. Brainstorm ways to jumpstart discussion of this new CSAI in your congregation. Register at uusj.org. For more info, contact Lavona Grow (lavonagrow@mac.com) or Elizabeth (202-600-9132). Sat., Dec. 3, 1:30 pm (gather/check-in), 2:00-5:00 pm (briefing), Washington Ethical Society (7750 16th St NW, DC).
The Jubilee Singers provide music for a play, The Christians, by Lucas Hnath, at Theater J, the professional theater of the DC Jewish Community Center. This play is an epic and unexpectedly intimate drama that offers an unflinching look at faith of any denomination - and its power to unite or divide. Those within the All Souls community who have interfaith inclinations are encouraged to come and experience this event. To purchase tickets, visit theaterj.org or call 202-777-3210 and mention the coupon code ALLSOULS for a 25% discount. 8:00 pm, Theater J (1529 16th St. NW @ Q St.).
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Sunday, December 4
9:30 and 11:15 am.
A Journey Called Hope. Rev. Hardies. People often ask what gives me hope. Yet hope isn't so much a gift as it is a spiritual discipline. It is the fruit of conscious decisions and actions that we take in our lives. Hope is a journey.
Lunch will be served after second service.
All Souls Annual Congregational Meeting. We gather as a church community to review the year past and anticipate the year to come. Voting members elect new trustees and officers and to approve (or not) the proposed 2017 budget. Democracy doesn't stop outside the church door. Participate!
About All Souls is a casual, hour-long introduction to All Souls and Unitarian Universalism. Feel free to drop in and ask questions. After each service, Longfellow Room (upstairs).
Mindful Souls. Come meditate with our open and friendly mindfulness group. Meditations are 10-20 minutes. All levels welcome. 12:45-1:30 pm, Classroom 2.
Notecards and 2017 calendars featuring the Hiroshima Children's Drawings will be on sale this Sunday through Dec. 18. Honor All Souls' decades-long relationship with the people of Hiroshima and support the work of the Heiwa Peace Project through your purchase. They make great holiday gifts!
Fairly traded, organic coffee, tea, cocoa, and chocolate provide just incomes, let children attend school, and harm neither Earth nor workers. Whole-bean and ground coffee, caffeinated and herbal teas, large and small chocolate bars, cocoa mixes, olive oil, and other goodies. Help us reach 500 pounds of merchandise sold this year!
Monday, December 5
Young Souls Classic Movie Night. Every Monday watch a critically acclaimed film. Popcorn and movie-inspired cocktail served. Contact Reeve (reeve.tyndall${"["}@]gmail.com). Showtime at 7:30 pm.
Wednesday, December 7
Philosophical Souls: Ethics and Politics. This month we explore a topic on many of our minds: the relationship of ethics and politics. Are there certain rights or ethical principles that should not be subject to political debate? What are they? What ethics are necessary for democratic politics? How do we view political compromise in response to moral disagreement and diversity? Do different ethical standards apply to elected leaders, public servants, or citizens? Join us for these and your questions! RSVP to Sara (sarafrueh${"["}@]gmail.com). Snacks at 6:30; discussion at 7:00.
ADORE and the REEB Voting Rights Project sponsor a dialogue to debrief the November elections. All Souls member and writer Peter Montgomery will discuss the intersection of religion, race, politics, and money. Peter has studied religious conservatives for close to two decades. He attended the GOP Convention and a number of Trump rallies. For Peter this is spiritual work. He says, "We have to remember that many Trump supporters are motivated by their love of this country." This meeting will be in lieu of our regularly scheduled ADORE meetings on the third Thursday of each month. 7:00-9:00 pm, Pierce Hall.
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Women's March on Washington
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Hosts are needed to accommodate UUs coming for the Women's March on Washington! All Souls is offering two kinds of accommodations for the March Weekend: the regular Bed & Breakfast program and Couch-Surfing. If you can provide a bed, couch, or floor space for the March, please
sign up here to let us know what you have to offer! You do not need to provide anything else besides accommodations. Guests will be asked to pay (through the church website) a sliding scale fee of $25-$50 per person, per night to benefit the church. Hosts will receive an email when they have been paired with a guest(s). If you're interested in joining the B&B program as host, which means offering guests a private room and breakfast with a two-day minimum stay,
you can do that here.
Also, the location and time of the March are not yet known. Many of the large public spaces in Washington (including the Mall around the Lincoln Memorial) had long been booked when the March was announced. We will share the updated information once we have it. We will also attempt to identify a UU meeting place. Whenever and wherever the March ends up happening, there will be a hospitality event at All Souls Church that evening with soup, singing, and fellowship!
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Generosity 2017
Pledging: It's about the budget
At the Annual Meeting, the congregation will be asked to approve a budget for 2017. This budget will be based on the amount of gifts we've pledged to make next year. Decisions on the budget depend to a great degree on individual decisions made regarding pledging. Thus, it is important that all of us pledge generously to support the budget, which includes salaries for our ministers and staff, building maintenance and utilities, and program expenses for music, social justice, religious education and more.
Please take the time soon to pledge at all-souls.org/generosity/2017-pledge-form. You'll also find a pledge form in the Annual Giving brochure in the pews; just drop it in the offering plate or leave it at the church desk. You can fulfill your pledge in as many payments as you wish throughout the calendar year and it can be paid in a variety of ways. A pledge can be adjusted up or down if your circumstances change during the year. If you plan to continue automatic payments from the current year, we still need a 2017 pledge form from you.
If you have any questions regarding pledging, you can visit the Generosity table in Pierce Hall after each service.
We thank those who have already pledged and look forward to expressing our sincerest gratitude to those of you who step forward now to make a pledge in support of our beloved church. Remember, it's about the budget!
The Generosity Team Co-Chairs:
Bruce DePuyt, Sara Hudgins, Betsy Quilligan, and Armele Vilceus.
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Religious Education for Children and Youth
For information about our Religious Education programs for children and youth, go to www.all-souls.org/re. To receive an RE newsletter with up-to-date happenings, contact Director of Religious Education for Children and Youth Dolores Miller (dmiller${"["}@]allsouls.ws).
Help needed on Sunday mornings for children with a variety of special needs. Contact Dolores.
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Opportunities
Sing in a choir. Help decorate the church. Visit fellow congregants to discuss their commitment to All Souls. Become a church leader. Host traveling UUs in your home. Find these and other opportunities on our website.
Are you a caregiver for a person with dementia? Consider joining the
Dementia caregivers' covenant group, where we share the ups and downs of caregiving and other aspects of our lives. We have time for music, readings, and reflection, while making deep connections and illuminating our path through the disorienting space of dementia and gradual loss. Contact Kathy Ferger (202-723-6320;
dcstreet${"["}@]rcn.com).
Calling all members of the Caring Souls Network. If you can take on a Caring Souls assignment in the coming week or two, stop by the Caring Table after service and check in with Caring Souls coordinator Carrie Davidson. She has a list of needs coming up and will match you with an assignment that fits what you are able to do. You can also e-mail her at
ASCU.CaringSouls@gmail.com.
In 2015, the UUA adopted a statement of conscience embracing the principles of the reproductive justice movement: (1) the right to have children, (2) the right not to have children, (3) the right to raise children in safe and healthy environments, and (4) the right to health and self-determination regarding one's body and sexuality, free from oppression and shame. The statement encouraged UUs to speak loudly in the religious arena, "as the religious voice has often been used to limit access to reproductive justice." Reproductive justice combines reproductive rights, social justice, and human rights; it is grounded in the particular experiences, values, priorities, and leadership of women of color. For more information, visit www.uua.org/reproductive or sistersong.net. If you are interested in forming a reproductive justice group and incorporating the movement into our congregational life, adult spiritual development, and advocacy initiatives, please contact Tracy Zorpette (tzorpette${"["}@]gmail.com).
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