top of page
Image by Steve Johnson
Image by Steve Johnson

Love is the Spirit of this Church, and Service is its Prayer.

WORSHIP SERVICE

"Hanging of the Greens"
Sunday, December 15, 2024, 10:50 am
Rev. Vanessa Rush Southern, Senior Minister, preaching

Join us for the annual Hanging of the Greens Service. This all-ages service has us begin together in the sanctuary and then move around the church, decorating garlands and wreaths and making pomanders, learning a winter song, and coming together at the end in that age-old ritual in pre-Christian Europe of bringing evergreens into the winter halls, a reminder that life continues through winter into spring. Come join the fun!

Read this Week's Flame

Watch This Week's Service Here

Watch Previously Recorded Worship Services

THE FLAME

UUSF Weekly Newsletter
December 11, 2024

The Flame, our weekly newsletter, is published every Wednesday! We cover Sunday services as well as recent UUSF news and upcoming events. On Fridays, we also send a brief email outlining the weekend's events. If you send us an email at flame@uusf.org The Flame will be sent directly to your inbox.

Image by Paul Bulai
12-soul 1.jpg
Soul Matters

December: Presence

james-wainscoat-hjmED1qivmc-unsplash.jpg

Woody Allen famously once said, “80% of success in life is just showing up.” Showing up certainly matters. Studies of people who “are lucky” find that those folks who are out circulating in the world, making friends, and making connections “get more lucky.” Being there when opportunity arises matters. Friendships are formed, so often, by “time on task.” Presence—that quality of just being there, steadily, reliably—matters. And this month we want to invite you to pay attention also to the kinds of presence we can pay attention to, to how we can deepen our connection to self, to each other, to the miraculous, mysterious, and unknown, to purpose and calling. It won’t all happen in our services. You might find it in the poem of the month or a small group, a discussion of an issue in the world, a piece of music, or conversation over coffee some day in the courtyard. We invite you to be present to presence! 

                            -- Soul Matters (www.soulmatterssharingcircle.com)

Christmas Eve 

"Christmas Eve Night"
Tuesday, December 24, 2024, 4:45 pm
Rev. Vanessa Rush Southern, Senior Minister, preaching

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.​​

Red Poinsettia_edited.jpg
Red Poinsettia_edited.jpg
Red Poinsettia_edited.jpg

Honor Your Loved Ones This Holiday Season with a Poinsettia Dedication Dedications are due by Wednesday, December 18.

Please consider honoring a loved one by dedicating a poinsettia to our holiday display. We recommend a $40 donation to sustain the sanctuary's floral arrangements throughout the year. Dedications will appear in the order of service on Tuesday, December 24. You may pay by check, and if there is a dedication, name it on the memo line. Alternatively, you may pay via the uusf.org payment donate button (here), and select the Sunday Flowers/Poinsettias line. You can enter the dedication online, but we recommend sending it via email to jsilk@uusf.org by 6:00 pm Wednesday, December 18.

GInvolved fair.jpg

GET INVOLVED!

“… and Service is our Prayer.”

UUSF relies on all of us to offer our time and ideas in order to build the church that we all know and love! To see a list of volunteer opportunities, classes, and ministries, visit the "Finding Your Ministry" form below. For additional questions, or if you are interested in finding other ways to get involved at UUSF, feel free to contact the UUSF Nominating Committee HERE.

CONGREGATIONAL COVENANT

Under Construction

In an effort to make the world a better place, we support each other’s journey to seek truth with openness, curiosity and respect for different perspectives and paths.


As love is our spirit, we commit to respect, accept, listen to and support each other.


We hold ourselves and each other accountable by continually assessing our individual and community actions toward living into our covenant. This will include speaking up when someone’s actions are not aligned.


We commit to be in community with openness and loving kindness, acknowledging our own biases and differing perspectives.


We welcome the newcomer, we commit to building trust with each other, we celebrate differences and make space for repair when harm occurs.

Watch A Conversation with Rev. Cheryl M. Walker about Article II (HERE)

Image by Ray Mallick

NEWCOMER ORIENTATION

uusf 2.jpg

NEWCOMER ORIENTATION

Sunday December 1: Martin Luther King Room
12:30pm

New to this community? New to Unitarian Universalism?

Newcomers are welcome to join us after the service to meet some of our members and learn more about our congregation and Unitarian Universalism.

 

It's a great chance to meet other folks in the community, ask any questions you might have, and find out how to get involved in our programs and ministries.

Free childcare is available to attendees who need it.

We look forward to meeting you!

WHAT TO EXPECT DURING WORSHIP

A Guide for Newcomers

We will address inquiries such as: When are services held? Where are the services? Does attending the service require signing up? May I bring my children? And many more. To learn more, click the button below.

CK6A3066-Edit.jpg
WINDOW BLUE.jpg

Upcoming! & Watch Now

Expanded War in the Middle East.

What to Expect From the New Administration.

Sunday Forum, November 10, 9:30 am, 2024

(VIEW HERE)

"The State of the Nation, and its Soul"

Sunday, November 10, 10:50 am, 2024

(VIEW HERE)

"Inside the Iranian Uprising"

Friday, November 15, 6:30 pm, 2024

Sensible Cinema

(VIEW HERE)

Critical Perspectives on the Genocide in Gaza

Ian Mooney & Vets for Peace

Sunday Forum, November 17, 9:30 am, 2024

(VIEW HERE)

"Forgiveness & Repair: A Ritual"

Sunday, November 17, 10:50 am, 2024

(VIEW HERE)

"Social Justice Town Hall "

Sunday, November 17, 12:30 pm, 2024

(VIEW HERE)

"Breaking Bread"

Sunday, November 24, 10:50 am, 2024

(VIEW HERE)

"Committee Chairs Meet"

Sunday, November 24, 12:30 pm, 2024

(VIEW HERE)

The Death Penalty is Dying with Bob Bacon

Sunday Forum, December 1, 9:30 am, 2024

(VIEW HERE)

"Seeing Nature and Presence Through the Eyes of Robin Wall Kimmerer"

Sunday, December 1, 10:50 am, 2024

(VIEW HERE)

"How Do We Lead?"

Sunday, December 8, 10:50 am, 2024

(VIEW HERE)

Poetry and Lunch with Robert Lavett Smith 

Tuesday, December 10, noon to 12:30 pm

(REGISTER HERE)

"On Tyranny: Twenty Lessons from the Twentieth Century" by Timothy Snyder

Minister's Book Group

Wednesday, December 11, 6:30-8 PM 

(REGISTER HERE)

UUSF presents Standing Together: Palestinian & Israeli activists working together.

Saturday, December 14, 6:30 pm, TSK Room/Zoom 

(VIEW HERE)

"Hanging of the Greens"

Sunday, December 15, 10:50 am, 2024

(VIEW HERE)

WORSHIP ASSOCIATES

Please check out this brand-new page on our website. Explore the vast collection of worship service reflections that we have compiled, as well as our Worship Associates. Being thoughtful and introspective is necessary to create meaning.

CK6A0133.jpg
Opening Sunday

FAMILY MINISTRY

Stay up to date with what is happening for our families and Sunday School program by subscribing to the Thursday weekly emails. To be put on the email list, please contact Rev. Laura Shennum at lshennum@uusf.org.

CALENDAR

FROM THE COVID ADVISORY GROUP

Recommendation for close contacts of cases.

  • If you have new COVID-19 symptoms, you should test and mask right away.

  • If you do not have symptoms, and are at higher risk of severe COVID-19 infection and would benefit from treatment, you should test within 5 days. 

  • If you do not have symptoms and have contact with people who are at higher risk for severe infection, you should mask indoors when around such people for 10 days. Consider testing within 5 days after the last exposure date (Day 0) and before contact with higher-risk people. For further details, see CDPH COVID-1​9 tes​​ting guidance​.​

FOR MORE INFORMATION

If you have questions, suggestions, resources or want/need clarification, please reach out to our Covid Advisory Team Here.

___t_m_2021_6_7_7ed9f309-5287-4f2a-aee6-d194a8ca6a80_55_7d0d3f41-ed19-4f8e-8d01-10fa1d1abc

NEW TO UUSF?
GET CONNECTED

WATCH & LISTEN

While we meet live every Sunday morning at 10:50 am PT, worship certainly isn’t restricted to those moments! Anytime you need a comforting word, a song that will help you with your life, visit our video archives or listen to one of our podcasts.

Blessing (4 of 7) (1).jpg

GET IN TOUCH

1187 Franklin St, San Francisco, CA 94109

(415) 776-4580

bottom of page