RECENT AND UPCOMING WORSHIP SERVICES
Sunday Worship starts at 11:00 am
Join us in person or watch the livestream on our YouTube Channel here.
UUSF no longer requires masks indoors on our premises,
following the lead of the San Francisco Department of Health.
We do, however, encourage people to wear masks or do anything else
that protects and respects their own health and comfort.
There is a designated mask-only area on the far right side of the Sanctuary.
"When Legacy Propels Boldness"
Sunday, April 28, 10:50 am, 2024
Rev. Vanessa Rush Southern, Senior Minister, preaching
The word "legacy" always draws for me images of things past: heavy, anchoring, a little dusty, and old. But in reality, they are just as often more like a sail for covering fast oceans or a ballast for weathering storms than a heavy anchor somewhere fixed and forgotten. This Sunday, I will talk about some of the legacy of the UUSC and its living legacy as I return from a trip to Poland with its Board to meet with organizations doing the work to protect human rights and serve war-torn lands as boldly as that which launched the organization over 70 years ago. Moreover, this Sunday we will talk about our own legacy in this church with our Allyne Circle and those we honor and name this Sunday who are added to our plaque.
"Understanding Autism, Each Other, and Ourselves"
Sunday, April 21, 10:50 am, 2024
Sam King, Worship Associate, preaching
For many people, when they learn they're on the Autism spectrum, they gain a rich and empowering understanding of themselves. Let's learn about these identities so we can support each other's unique spiritual journeys and be a more accessible and compassionate congregation!
"Perspectives on Earth"
Sunday, April 14, 10:50 am, 2024
Rev. Vanessa Rush Southern, Senior Minister, preaching
From the astrophysicist, Neil deGrass Tyson, to the botanist and member of the Citizen Potawatomi Nation, Robin Wall Kimmerer, and through the eyes of the poets, how do we see earth? And what does that tell us about ourselves and life—this life—on this planet we call home?
"Person by Person by Person"
Sunday, April 7, 10:50 am, 2024
Carmen Barsody & Sam Dennison, Preaching
That is how change occurs. Not once and for all, but continuously. Change changes what is possible, and each person we engage makes the possible a little more hopeful. In the words of Bryan Stevenson, “You don’t change the world with the ideas in your mind, but with the conviction in your heart.” Change requires intention and a willingness to take risks. We suspect that change will not always turn out how we expected it to, and we know what was gained can sometimes be lost. But this is the fools' way; it's our theory of change—person by person, the world is changed.
"Roll that Rock Away"
Easter Sunday, March 31, 10:50 am, 2024
Rev. Vanessa Rush Southern, Senior Minister, preaching
Life has a lot of tombs, losses, and setbacks. And there are rocks, heavy and awkward, that protect and seal them. What are the ways we don't end our stories at the rock or tomb? What does it require of us to make resurrection also the stuff of our lives?
"Lessons from the Road"
Sunday, March 24, 10:50 am, 2024
Rev. Vanessa Rush Southern, Senior Minister, preaching
I was fortunate enough to have the gift of almost three straight months to renew and refresh in the ancient tradition of sabbath, or fallow times. Thirty-two of those days (but who is counting?) were spent on the road, circling through the American Southwest, with my husband. It is a modern pilgrimage that many of us have done some version of before—a car, a map, some time ago. I'd love to bore you with some of what germinated on the road. And thank you.
"Written in Pencil"
Sunday, March 17, 10:50 am, 2024
Rev. Cheryl M. Walker, Guest Minister, preaching
We sing from a hymnal called Singing the Living Tradition. What does it mean that ours is a living tradition? In light of the changing landscapes of religion and Unitarian Universalism how do we keep the tradition alive rather than stagnant history?
"Religion... I Too Dislike It"
Sunday, March 10, 10:50 am, 2024
Rev. John Buehrens, preaching
Poet Marianne Moore once wrote a poem beginning, “Poetry . . . I too dislike it.” Yet by its end she affirmed something real in it, and worthwhile. So it is with religion, sayeth the preacher. If you (or your friends) resonate to the phrase “spiritual, but not religious,” this sermon is for you, and for them.
"It's Time to Build"
Sunday, March 3, 10:50 am, 2024
Rev. Laura Shennum, Minister of Congregational Life, preaching
Over the past several years, UUSF has weathered a pandemic, staff transitions, budget worries, and so much more. Now, we are at a place of recognizing our resilience and moving into a new stability. As we contemplate the year to come, let's determine what we want to build together and celebrate who we are!
"What Will You Save?"
Sunday, February 25, 10:50 am, 2024
Rev. Sonya Sukalski, Sabbatical Minister, preaching
As the years accumulate and I (Rev. Sonya) experience growing satisfaction with a life well lived, I wonder what it is worthwhile to save—for posterity, for my children, for our communities? At the same time, a recent article lifted up the fact that longevity often depends on engagement and connection with people and efforts rather than saving and consuming. Rev. Sonya Sukalski and Carmen Barsody will take up the topic with an eye toward walking that fine line.
"Sowing Seeds Together"
Sunday, February 18, 10:50 am, 2024
Rev. Rosemary Bray McNatt, Guest Minister, preaching
It’s a fraught time in our nation, especially because it’s an election year. On this President's Day weekend, how might we read more clearly the crucial signs of our time? And how might our faith be a source of strength, not only for ourselves but for others?
Sowing Seeds Together
Please join President Rev. Rosemary Bray McNatt following this service at 12:30 pm in the Chapel for refreshments, conversation, and the preview of Starr King's new campaign video. We're looking forward to seeing you there!
"The Dragon's Might: A Lunar New Year Celebration"
Sunday, February 11, 10:50 am, 2024
Rev. Seanan Fong, Affiliated Community Minister, preaching
According to legend, a heavenly race determined the order of the Chinese zodiac signs. Why did Dragon, so clearly the mightiest of the animals, fail to come in first place? What can Dragon teach us about using power for more than winning in a world that calls for it? Join us in welcoming the Year of the Dragon.
"Is it Pastoral Care, Pastorial Care, or Pastural Care?"
Sunday, February 4, 10:50 am, 2024
Rev. Fred Rabidoux, Guest Minister Preaching
Watch Videos From this Service Here
Pastoral Care is a term used in various situations and which is meaningful to many different people in ways that are unique to them. This Sunday, we will explore some of those meanings and ways in which peoples' hurts and suffering are alleviated by the judicious use of this aspect of ministry.
"Thus Do We Covenant"
Sunday, January 28, 10:50 am, 2024
Aisha Hauser, Guest Preacher
One of the major differences between Unitarian Universalism and any of the Abrahamic faiths is how we engage with covenant. While Judaism, Islam, and Christianity espouse a covenant with God, we engage in a covenant with each other. This has been both a blessing and deeply challenging. This week we will explore why covenants are foundational to our faith and potentially a way to strengthen who we are and how we navigate the world.
"Covenant: Laying the Foundation"
Sunday, January 21, 10:50 am, 2024
Rev. Laura Shennum, Minister of Congregational Life, Preaching
As we prepare to engage in creating a congregational covenant for UUSF, we will start to lay the foundation of why it is important work for us to do. We will look at the preparation work we have already done and how covenant already exists in our congregational work.
"Belonging"
Sunday, January 14, 10:50 am, 2024
Rev. Sonya Sukalski, Sabbatical Minister, preaching
It is said that religions include belief, behavior and belonging. Unitarian Universalism gave Rev. Sonya an immediate sense of belonging over 25 years ago when she first attended a service in her hometown in New Mexico. Unitarians employ reason in our beliefs, and a sense of freedom concerning religious behaviors, so naming what creates our sense of belonging this month is our work and our play. She will explore what belonging means today as UUSF prepares to explore the promises we make together with a covenant later this month.
"Promises of the Heart"
Sunday, January 7, 10:50 am, 2024
Rev. Millie Phillips, Affiliated Community Minister, preaching
Join us in 2024 as we celebrate a service focused on our hearts and the promises we make to one another. The music will be by cellists Andrés David Vera and Matthew Linaman and singer Adam Ward.
"Let Go of the Old & Ring in the New: Fire Communion"
Sunday, December 31, 10:50 am, 2023
Rev. Laura Shennum, Minister of Congregational Life, preaching
We will gather to reflect on our past year, then set intentions for the upcoming year. This will be ritualized through a Fire Communion.
"Christmas Eve Night"
Sunday, December 24, 4:45 pm, 2023
Rev. Laura Shennum, Minister of Congregational Life, Preaching
Come let us join in community to celebrate the Christmas story in song, stories, and candles.
"What's Up With That: Interactive Christmas Pageant"
Sunday, December 24, 10:50 am, 2023
Rev. Laura Shennum, Minister of Congregational Life, preaching
Join us for an interactive telling of the Christmas story. This is service is for all ages and costumes will be provided for those who want them.
"Hanging of the Greens"
Sunday, December 17, 10:50 am, 2023
Rev. Vanessa Rush Southern, Senior Minister, Preaching
We will gather as a full community to build connection through the ritual of creating the greens for our sanctuary. In honor of the sacredness of each person born, we will create stars that highlight each of us that are present. Join us for a lovely tradition of joy and merriment.
"SACReD Stories, SACReD Decisions and Mary, Mother of God"
Sunday, December 10, 10:50 am, 2023
Angela Williams, Guest Preacher
What is your faith story? What is your reproductive story? How is the Divine a part of both of these stories? How can we weave them together free from shame, judgment, and stigma? Join us as we examine our stories alongside one of the ancient stories of Mary, Mother of God. Rev. Angela Tyler-Williams from SACReD, the Spiritual Alliance of Communities for Reproductive Dignity, will lead an exploration of this Advent story and share some of the biblical support for Reproductive Justice.
"I Will Meet You There"
Sunday, December 3, 10:50 am, 2023
Rev. Vanessa Rush Southern, Senior Minister, Preaching
For weeks, there have been conversations in our church forums, at movie screenings, and on the steps as people gather and leave to address the war in Gaza. On Sunday (I think!) we will talk about the struggle to hold these events and dig into one of the issues coming up around the events: the ancient evils of anti-Semitism and Islamophobia. And find ways and places to dig into the hard moral and political questions of this day in the community, weathering them as whole as we can.
"Oh, We Give Thanks: A Bread Communion"
Sunday, November 26, 10:50 am, 2023
Rev. Vanessa Rush Southern, Senior Minister, Preaching
In this quiet service, we will make space to be fed, to reflect on our times around the table and how they have shaped us, to share some of the food we love, and to fill up on the nourishment of giving thanks. If you have a baked good to donate to the table (for sharing at a service or afterwards), please let Vanessa know (VRSouthern@uusf.org). Others inspired at the last minute can just put it out at coffee hour after service!
"In Transition"
Sunday, November 19, 10:50 am, 2023
Rev. Vanessa Rush Southern and Santana McBride, preaching
This week, the end of Trans Awareness week, we will hear voices of trans folx and be together in their stories and wisdom -- from people we know and love to writers from the United States to the hijra community in India.
"Toward the Beloved Community of Unitarian Universalism"
Sunday, November 12, 10:50 am, 2023
Rev. Kevin Alan Mann, MDiv., Guest Minister, preaching
The late civil rights activist John Lewis called us to: “Not get lost in a sea of despair and to never, ever be afraid to make some noise and get in good trouble, necessary trouble.” Week after week, year after year, Unitarian Universalists gather to build the Beloved Community that centers Black, Indigenous, People of Color, fosters collective liberation, and reminds us that we are not alone in our quest for life saving liberal religion. Come and get in good trouble with me!
"The Enfleshed Life: What Life and Love of a Body Entails"
Sunday, November 5, 10:50 am, 2023
Rev. Vanessa Rush Southern, Senior Minister, Preaching
One of the biggest injuries that Christianity is part of in our journey to human wholeness is seeing the body as sacred—not in the sense of something pristine that could be defiled or whose urges were dangerous, but as something to be honored and trusted. We can blame St. Augustine for some of it. We can blame a world bent on extraction and marketing to us from piling on. However, the wholeness we seek to find in nurturing one another asks for a life that relishes and cherishes enfleshed life. Let’s talk about that!
"Concert for Community"
Sunday, October 1, 1:00 pm, 2023, Sanctuary
Featuring Christian Artmann, Elena McEntire and Laszlo Gardony
As part of our October Extravaganza of Joy events and in a special offering for our community, Flutist / composer Christian Artmann, Elena McEntire (daughter of Bruce and Ruth Cowan), and pianist / composer Laszlo Gardony will be celebrating the joy of coming together in music and the release of Christian’s new album The Middle of Life (Sunnyside, 2023). Deeply centered in contemporary jazz but also reflecting European roots, the music transcends stylistic boundaries and “conveys a perspective beyond boundaries—a singular story capable of including us all” (All About Jazz). The trio will choose pieces from the new album and improvise for you in the moment, emphasizing the spiritual and intimate. As an example, the Lament for Ukraine performed on a rare African flute may follow the life-affirming ripples of the title track “The Middle of Life”, and joy and hope may shine through the fog in a “haunting rendition of Amazing Grace” (Jazz Times).
“Hello, Frank!” in honor of the feast of St Francis which is on Oct 4.
Sunday, October 1, 10:50 am, 2023
Carmen Barsody & Sam Dennison, preaching
Living in a city named for St. Francis, we find ourselves looking for the humanity behind the saint as we negotiate very difficult times: Ideals of loving the poor get confused with the complexity of addressing poverty and homelessness; and a reverence for all creation can leave us wondering what really matters environmentally. Join us as we look beyond the saint and find the human.
"Healing and Hope: A sermon on forgiveness and beyond"
Sunday, September 24, 10:50 am, 2023
Rev. Laura Shennum, Minister of Congregational Life, preaching
Yom Kippur is a day for Jewish people to focus on forgiveness and determine how they will move forward in the next year. This morning, we will focus on our own relationship with forgiveness and participate in a ritual that allows us to find a sense of peace. If you are joining virtually, then please have a rock or stone to participate in the ritual.
"We Are All the Same.... and Not: A service of celebration and reflection on being in community"
Sunday, September 17, 10:50 am, 2023
Mari Magaloni Ramos, Santana Gonzalez Gomez and Rev. Vanessa Southern, preaching
September 15 to October 15 is National Hispanic American Heritage Month. Mari Magaloni Ramos, Santana Gonzalez Gomez and Vanessa Southern will explore some of what we celebrate this month and also larger reflections about being in community together. Rumor has it there may also be members of a Mariachi band at church!!
"Ingathering Sunday: Bring in the People and the Waters!"
Sunday, September 10, 10:50 am, 2023
Revs Vanessa Rush Southern and Rev. Laura Shennum, preaching
Opening Sunday is this Sunday! Church might serve as a location to "Remember" or perhaps to gain an understanding of what it is to be human. If you have waters from the places you visited this summer (even if it was your backyard spigot or your local park) bring them. If you don't, we will have water available, and look forward to your offering of what you bring from the summer into community -- what wisdom, what joy, what heartbreak, what sense of possibilities or yearnings -- all of it offered into the year we begin together.
"Good Job!"
Sunday, September 3, 10:50 am, 2023
Millie Phillips, Affiliated Community Minister, preaching
On Labor Day, we celebrate workers - that is, the vast majority of people - and the work they do. We honor the struggle of workers organizing to make work sufficient and bearable. We ask: What is a good job? Is it having decent pay and benefits? Is it doing work that feeds your soul? Dare we dream to have both? The Covid pandemic has challenged our cultural view of work: what has shifted and what are the implications for social justice?
"Good Job!"
Sunday, September 3, 10:50 am, 2023
Millie Phillips, Affiliated Community Minister, preaching
On Labor Day, we celebrate workers - that is, the vast majority of people - and the work they do. We honor the struggle of workers organizing to make work sufficient and bearable. We ask: What is a good job? Is it having decent pay and benefits? Is it doing work that feeds your soul? Dare we dream to have both? The Covid pandemic has challenged our cultural view of work: what has shifted and what are the implications for social justice?
"Connection Through Sharing"
Sunday, August 27, 10:50 am
Rev. Laura Shennum, Minister of Congregational Life, preaching
One of the ways we find connection at UUSF is through the Small Group Ministry program. Groups meet twice a month to reflect and to share about a topic. We will explore this type of connecting during the service.
"Connection Through Sharing"
Sunday, August 27, 10:50 am
Rev. Laura Shennum, Minister of Congregational Life, preaching
One of the ways we find connection at UUSF is through the Small Group Ministry program. Groups meet twice a month to reflect and to share about a topic. We will explore this type of connecting during the service.
"La Dolce Vita in Motion" (also known as "Reflections on My Life as a Dancer”)
Sunday, August 20, 10:50 am
Rev. Vanessa Rush Southern, Senior Minister, preaching
In seminary we spent part of our first year in a class part of which entailed writing our "Spiritual Autobiography." We had to look back on everything as it related to our journey as a spiritual being or around our beliefs or experiences of religion and spirituality. It made me realize that you and I can write any number of versions of your life. So inspired by this week's "Extravaganza of Joy" party at UUSF I'm writing my Dancing Autobiography. The preacher can get away with a lot in Summer, can't she?!
"Living Joyfully"
Sunday, August 13, 10:50 am
Sam King, Guest Preacher
Couldn't we all use a little bit more joy in our lives from time to time? We're surrounded by supposed ways to get joy: buy this, do that, follow these three simple steps. But when we chase it, it can seem more elusive than ever. How can we keep our minds and hearts open to happiness? How might we live more joyfully?
"The Quick Fix: A conversation about what is lost when we attempt to rush reconciliation."
Sunday, August 6, 10:50 am
Richard Davis-Lowell & Mari Magaloni Ramos, Guest Preachers
August is a month in which people around the world celebrate the ascension of the Virgin Mary and mourn the horror unleashed in Hiroshima.What can these two events tell us about our capacity for causing harm to vulnerable populations and to our own spiritual development when we attempt to assuage our discomfort with the work required of us when we are faced with spiritual and societal strain or fracture? Please join Worship Associates Richard Davis-Lowell and Mari Magaloni Ramos for this one of a kind conversational service.
“Worth and Dignity”
Sunday, July 30, 10:50 am
Sister Sheila Flynn, Guest Preacher
Ever since the 1860’s, when led by our Minister, Thomas Starr King, this congregation has been notable for its commitment to Social Justice. We give scholarships to first generation students, we help feed people in need. We provide free after-school care for local children. We shelter those, who have none, during the winter months. We support ministries in the community, and much else. Today our firmest belief in the inherent worth and dignity of every person, is being assaulted by the forces of Capitalism, the increasing wealth of the rich, the ethos of materialism, and the coercive power wielded by the media. All this contributes to the widening gap between people who are wealthy and those who struggle to survive. How can we be true to our beliefs? This morning we will explore ways in which we can become more aware of the ecological, economic, and power dynamics which benefit the few, and keep us separate. Believing that study and reflection in community, can heal us, if we dare to face the truth.
"Lessons on Community from Nature"
Sunday, July 23, 10:50 am
Aisha Hauser, Guest Preacher
What are the important lessons humans can learn about leadership, adaptation and cooperation? In this sermon, guest preacher, Aisha Hauser will share her favorite stories and lessons from nature about how we can better support each other in community.
"WEAV: What is it?"
Sunday, July 16, 10:50 am
Rev. Laura Shennum, Minister of Congregational Life, preaching
This past Spring, UUSF piloted a new program from Starr King School of the Ministry, WEAV. What is this program and how does it help with our 8th principle work?
"A Worship Service"
Sunday, July 9, 10:50 am
Rev. Vanessa Rush Southern, Senior Minister, preaching
More info coming soon!
"Independence?"
Sunday, July 2, 10:50 am
Rev. Vanessa Rush Southern, Senior Minister, preaching
When is independence a virtue and when is it a set-up or just a lie to pretend? When is it powerful and differentiated and when does it set us up for loneliness? What's true for a person, can be true for a nation.
"Big Music Sunday"
Sunday, June 25, 10:50 am
Mark Sumner, Music Director
On June 25th we will feature the Areté Singers, performing a brand new work called Mass for the Eighth Day with its composer, Luke Mayernik, sharing a reflection on it, as well as accompanying the work on organ. Several other choral gems will surround the musical centerpiece of the service. Some of the finest choral ensemblists in the Bay Area will be singing, a number our regular congregants will recognize. The Chorus is made up of performers from all around the bay each a part of the Areté Singers Network— an organization that provides performers for concerts, operas, weddings, anniversaries, birthdays, corporate, and other life events. More info at Aretesingers.com.
"Our Authentic Selves"
Sunday, June 18, 10:50 am
Rev. Vanessa Rush Southern, Senior Minister, Preaching
To parent (officially or unofficially) we have to be our best selves, but also increasingly I realize the gift of being our authentic self -- as parents, moreso perhaps than in any other role. That gift is not an easy one to offer, but we find ways to do it. And the world splits gorgeously open when we do.
"Big Music Sunday"
Sunday, June 25, 10:50 am
Mark Sumner, Music Director
Today we feature the Areté Singers, performing the live concert premiere of a new work called Mass for the Eighth Day with its award-winning composer, Luke Mayernik, sharing a reflection on it, as well as accompanying the work on organ. Several other choral gems will surround the musical centerpiece of the service. Some of the finest singers in the Bay Area will be performing, including a number that our regular congregants will recognize. The Chorus is made up of artists from all around the bay each a part of the Areté Singers Network — an organization that provides performers for concerts, operas, weddings, anniversaries, birthdays, corporate, and other life events. More info at Aretesingers.com.
"Our Authentic Selves"
Sunday, June 18, 10:50 am
Rev. Vanessa Rush Southern, Senior Minister
To parent (officially or unofficially) we have to be our best selves, but also increasingly I realize the gift of being our authentic self -- as parents, moreso perhaps than in any other role. That gift is not an easy one to offer, but we find ways to do it. And the world splits gorgeously open when we do.
"Life is Pure Jazz"
Sunday, June 11, 10:50 am
Rev. Vanessa Rush Southern, Senior Minister
There are so many metaphors for life: a journey, an unfolding (like a flower), a cycle (like the cycle of the seasons), a drama ("Life’s but a walking shadow, a poor player/That struts and frets his hour upon the stage"). And there are just as many metaphors about how to approach life so you weather it with grace, find some joy, meaning and come out on the other side having made something of it. How about life as jazz, pure jazz?!
"Extravaganza!"
Sunday, June 4, 10:50 am
Rev. Vanessa Rush Southern, Senior Minister
Rev. Laura Shennum, Minister of Congregational Life
Join us for this multigenerational celebration of the end of our year together. Bring a flower to be part of our celebration of the 100th anniversary of the Flower Communion introduced by Unitarian minister Norbert Čapek of Prague, Czechoslovaki and hear the story of Čapek and the ritual. Let's sing, hear the bells, enjoy the choir and tell stories. Service will be followed by our Annual Meeting! Please bring a flower from your garden to be part of this Sunday's Flower Communion ritual!
"Compassion"
Sunday, May 28, 10:50 am
Features COMPASSION DUO integrating music and message into a special service.
Internationally-acclaimed concert artists Christoph Wagner, cellist, and Joanne Kong, pianist, weave together live music, reflections and imagery in an inspiring event that will illuminate how embracing the connections we have to the natural world and all beings can bring about transformative spiritual growth, positive change and planetary healing.
They have given presentations at First Unitarian Universalist Church of Houston, Emerson Unitarian Universalist Church, Unitarian Universalist Fellowship of Galveston County, First Unitarian Universalist Church, Richmond, VA, Unitarian Universalist Congregation of Fairfax and River Road Unitarian Universalist Congregation
"Nap Ministry"
Sunday, May 21, 10:50 am
Rev. Vanessa Rush Southern, Senior Minister, Preaching
This Sunday, whether you are with us in person or joining from home (or wherever life finds you), we invite you to dress comfortably. Bring a cuddly sweater, grab a lap blanket, pack your slippers. While San Francisco is hosting a wild, energetic run from Bay to Breakers,” we will rest!
See you Sunday!
Grace and ease, Vanessa
Tricia Hersey, ordained and tired, got drawn to the idea of a ministry around rest, nap-in-happenings but also the larger idea of rest as revolution. Tied deeply to undoing some of the patterns of a culture that has made models of extraction more than colonial models abroad, Hersey unpacks what virtue around rest and work and justice embodied ask of us. It is all very fun and deeply powerful to consider. Note: This Sunday is the Sunday of the Bay to Breakers run so if you come to church in person (please do, if you are inclined!) just check your route against the route of the race!
"A Sacred Choice: Reproductive Justice"
Sunday, May 14, 10:50 am
Rev. Laura Shennum, Minister of Congregational Life, Preaching
On this day honoring mothers, what does it mean to truly support the choice to become a mother or not? What does the upcoming resolution call us as a congregation to do to support this choice?
"Little Did I Know"
Sunday, May 7, 10:50 am
Rev. Vanessa Rush Southern, Senior Minister, Preaching
An anthology on caring for young people, a grief (or preparation project) around the Empty Nest Chapter that was on the horizon. That's how the book project began, but it took me places that were so different than I expected... as our journey loving and caring for the young people in our lives, I guess, always does.
"A May Day Convergence"
Sunday, April 30, 10:50 am
Rev. Millie Phillips, Affiliated Community Minister, Preaching
On May 1st, it would appear that everything is converging at the same moment, whether it be the international worker's holiday, the Beltane festival, or a desperate call for help.
About: Rev. Millie Phillips, a long-time member of our congregation, was ordained by us in January 2020, and is an affiliated community minister at SF SU. During her previous work life, she was a labor union activist and she now works as an interfaith organizer for the Faith Alliance for a Moral Economy (FAME), an initiative of the union-founded nonprofit East Bay Alliance for a Sustainable Economy.
"The Problem with God"
Sunday, April 23, 10:50 am
Rev. Vanessa Rush Southern, Senior Minister, Preaching
For a lot of people it's the notion of "God" that gets in the way of coming into a religious community. So I want to explore some of what the "problem with God" is and some ways folks have reframed that word -- or reclaimed it -- so that we can see what possibilities there are for God (and where we hit some limits).
Ordination of Meg McGuire
Sunday, April 16, 2:00 pm
On Sunday April 16 at 2:00 pm, our former ministerial intern Meg McGuire was jointly ordained into the Unitarian Universalist ministry by UUSF and her home congregation in Columbus.
"Heartbeats"
Sunday, April 16, 10:50 am
Rev. Marco Belletini, Guest Minister, Preaching
I was 29 years old when I served as assistant minister to Diane Miller back in 79/80. 18 years in Hayward, then 17 in Columbus, 7 years retired. And bam! Just like that, I am 73 and have heart problems. I’m afforded good care through Ohiohealth, Medicare and supplemental insurance, gratefully. But there is no obvious Medicare of the spirit to help me, and most everyone I know, through these present difficult times of tumult, hurt, anger, fear and escalating injustice in the US and the rest of the world. I know my own metaphoric heart hurts more and more daily, but there are many things I remember from earlier in my life to remind me how to move through the present world with my heart beating with courage, freedom and love.
"What Prepares us for Sunrise?"
Easter Sunday, April 9, 10:50 am
Rev. Vanessa Rush Southern, Senior Minister, Preaching
Easter morning with its tradition of Sunrise Services is about the good news of life resurrected. You can hear that as the story of Jesus as told and passed down, as a reminder of the natural cycle of seasons, or as a metaphor for so much of life that moves from loss to new beginnings and to loss and new beginnings again and again. But like cheap grace, Easter without the days and nights before it, resurrection without loss doesn't make sense. What happens in the in between of all that that we need to remind ourselves of and then celebrate?
"You Are Loved"
Sunday, April 2, 10:50 am
Rev. Vanessa Rush Southern, Senior Minister, Preaching
If folks from theologians to psychologists to wise elders are correct love comes first. For all of us to be fulfilled, healthily liberated to be our full selves, we have to know and believe we are loved, for ourselves, as we are. How does it inform how we live, to take that necessity seriously?
"Livin' Out Loud: 25th Anniversary Celebration"
Saturday, April 1, 6:30 pm, Sanctuary
We came to the Tenderloin 25 years ago to LIVE OUT LOUD!!! And we’ve been doing that ever since. Through hard times and good times, with friends and neighbors, we’ve been livin’ out loud and it’s time to celebrate all those years and all of you.
Decades of social and political struggles are visible in the streets and in the lives of people all around us and all around you, too. And just as brilliantly visible is the light, courage, strength, creativity and deep actions of the people we encounter who share this commitment to life in all its messy, glorious color.
So, put April 1st on your calendar right away, let us know you are coming, and get ready to raise the roof with song, dance, poetry, and all manner of performance. The show begins at 7:00 pm, but the doors will open to welcome you at 6:00 pm. We’ll be at the Unitarian Universalist Society of San Francisco and we hope you will be too.
"What Need One?"
Sunday, March 26, 2023
Rev. Vanessa Rush Southern, Senior Minister, Preaching
Shakespeare’s King Lear asked the perennial question, "What need one?" I remember it from high school AP English class. Mrs. Laster, who was a force of nature — and put the class at 8 am to discourage the lazy, the dilettantes, the weak — drove it home. The question, that is, not the answer.
"From Special Creation to Kin: How Scientific and Indigenous Understandings Call Us to a New Relationship with Nature"
Sunday, March 19, 2023
Rev. Jamie Hinson-Rieger, Guest Minister, Preaching
For much of Western history, the dominant creation story has placed humans at the apex of the natural order. This Sunday we will look at how the scientific creation story calls us to a different relationship with life, one which is consonant with many indigenous understandings and with Unitarian Universalism as well.
"A Hermit's Life"
Sunday, March 12, 2023
Rev. Vanessa Rush Southern, Senior Minister, Preaching
A part of me dreams of being a hermit -- not all year, but part of every year, and not completely alone but a lot alone. And so I spent part of sabbatical reading about hermit's lives and the pieces that feel most gorgeous
"Greatness"
Sunday, March 5, 2023
Rev. Vanessa Rush Southern, Senior Minister, Preaching
I have been thinking about the notion of mediocrity and envy, good enoughness (and its power) but also greatness. As we head into thinking about and raising money for our next year of life together, I'd like to talk about greatness.
"Some of What I Learned on My Sabbatical: Reclaiming Time and Empathy"
Sunday, February 26, 2023
Rev. Vanessa Rush Southern, Senior Minister, Preaching
The gift of sabbatical is supposed to be about time -- fallow time, time "on the balcony" of your own life, time to rekindle flames that burn low. What I found was a new thread in an ongoing tapestry I have been weaving about time and my struggles with and against it; and about empathy. The two are related.
"Mourning and Celebrating"
Sunday, February 19, 2023
Rev. Vanessa Rush Southern, Senior Minister, Preaching
At a recent trip to the DeYoung Museum, to see the exhibit by Black South African artist Lhola Amira, I was made aware of (at least) two parts of the righting of the heart and mind around our shared human history.
Remembering Donald Heyneman (1925-2022)
Saturday, February 18, 10:30 am
Donald Heyneman, PhD, touched the lives of family, friends, colleagues, students, and acquaintances with his kindness, warmth, humor, humility, and dedication to making our world a better place. On Saturday, February 18, the 98th anniversary of Don's birth, a memorial service honoring his life will be held in the Sanctuary at 10:30 a.m., and will be live streamed, followed by a reception in the King Rooms.
To learn more about Don Heyneman's incredible life, read his obituary here.
https://bit.ly/Don-Heyneman-Obit
"Keeping Love Alive"
Sunday, February 12, 2023
Rev. Vanessa Rush Southern, Senior Minister, Preaching
What does it take to keep love alive? What are some skills or practices that help us nurture the best in our relationships with one another?
“Gongxi Gongxi: A Will to Hope in the Lunar New Year”
Sunday, February 5, 2023
Rev. Seanan Fong, Guest Minister, Preaching
The Lunar New Year loudly celebrates the spring amidst the chill of winter. What can a festival so focused on positivity tell us about our not-so-positive experience?
“A Religious Center With a Civic Circumference: Unitarians in San Francisco Since 1850”
Sunday, January 29, 2023, 10:50 am, Worship Service Livestream
Rev. John Buehrens, Guest Minister, Preaching
Our past Senior Minister returns to our pulpit to speak about the history of our congregation, a project he has been working on since his retirement five years ago. The publication process has been complex, and it is still is not entirely clear that the book itself will be available for sale that day, but it will be relatively soon. He will then lead an adult RE course on the phases of UU history in SF.
“Gaining Vision at the Edge of the Miraculous”
Sunday, January 22, 2023, 10:50 am, Worship Service Livestream
Rabbi Jonathan Singer, Guest Preacher
At this time of year in the Jewish community we read the text of the Burning Bush. Can Moses’s response to that encounter inform how we might vision our lives as we in the every day face barriers and fears that block us? Do the miracles of this textual tradition – a burning bush, a well of water, a parted sea, teach us that we are always standing at the edge of miraculous and if we look deeper can find inspiration to go forward with blessing?
“Gaining Vision at the Edge of the Miraculous”
Sunday, January 15, 2023, 10:50 am, Worship Service Livestream
Richard Davis Lowell, Guest Preacher
Their voices roll down through history -- cutting through like the thunder before a storm -- warning us, reminding us, showing us by the lives they lived/live that prophetic words can be met by life-changing deeds and that the future is not yet written, that there is another way.
Ukrainian President Zelensky did that recently on a podium before the most powerful audience in the world.. and so did Martin Luther King some 60 years ago through his letter from inside a Birmingham, Alabama jail.
“A PEOPLE WITHOUT VISION SHALL PERISH”
Sunday, January 8, 2023, 10:50 am, Worship Service Livestream
Michael G. Pappas, M.Div., Guest Preacher
Emerging from the COVID-19 pandemic, we realize that there is no turning back to what we once thought was normal. San Francisco has always been a destination for those who want to be their authentic selves and dream dreams. Sunday's sermon will speak to the challenges and opportunities of this time of recalibration and how people of faith can and should be a part of the equation for charting a vision for a brighter future.
"LETTING GO & BEGINNING ANEW"
Sunday, January 1, 2023, 10:50 am, Worship Service Livestream
Rev. Laura Shennum, Minister of Congregational Life, preaching
We will gather to reflect on our past year, then set intentions for the upcoming year. This will be ritualized through a Fire Communion.
“GRATEFUL & GOING FORWARD JOYFULLY: CHRISTMAS DAY VIRTUAL SERVICE”
Sunday, December 25, 11AM Worship Service Livestream Only
Christmas Day will be a day of gratitude and joy as six Bay Area UU churches collaborate to create a virtual service only. You can snuggle up in your favorite PJs and a warm beverage to reflect on blessings from this year and how they will carry you forward into the new year joyfully. Senior Minister Rev. Vanessa Rush Southern will host a virtual coffee hour after the service.
Tenderloin Tessie will be feeding the hungry on Christmas Day, so the UUSF office and church will be closed to the public on the 25th. Tenderloin Tessie Holiday Dinners, an all-volunteer organization, has fed the San Francisco community on Easter, Thanksgiving, and Christmas for over 40 years. They work hard to provide a plentiful meal, a smile, and a gift to all of their customers in a friendly environment. Every holiday, they serve a thousand people.
CHRISTMAS EVE CANDLELIGHT SERVICE
Saturday, December 24, 4:45 pm, Christmas Eve Worship Service Livestream (online and in-person)
A service of candles, song and story!
Please join us for a retelling of the story of Christmas, for carols and candlelight and an invitation for the spirit of the season to take hold of us!
“ANNUAL HANGING OF THE GREENS SERVICE”
Sunday, December 18, 10:50 am, Worship Service Livestream (online and in-person)
We will gather as a full community to build connection through the ritual of creating the greens for our sanctuary. In honor of the sacredness of each person born, we will create stars that highlight each of us that are present. Join us for a lovely tradition of joy and merriment.
“WHAT I WANT FOR CHRISTMAS?”
Sunday, December 11, 2022
Rev. Vanessa Rush Southern, Senior Minister, preaching
Cleaning out a box of old papers, the other day, I came across a chapter -- part of a chapter -- of a book from Theologian Stanley Hauerwas that felt very current. It was about the "wanting" at the center of our lives.
“OH, FAMILY”
Sunday, December 4, 2022
Rev. Vanessa Rush Southern, Senior Minister, preaching
We will spend hours basting a turkey or readying the house for guests, but often not even a few minutes preparing ourselves to be with them. Having just, perhaps, had some time with family, biological or chosen, and maybe preparing to be with family in the Hanukkah, Christmas and Kwanzaa seasons ahead, let's talk about family. How to be with Family: A core spiritual discipline of the holidays!
"LITTLE THINGS MEAN A LOT"
Sunday, November 27, 2022
Rev. Vanessa Rush Southern, Senior Minister, preaching
My dad did a commercial decades ago. It is one of the stories you might hear us retelling when we gather around the table which we are still lucky and blessed enough to do. But, all laughter aside, the joke calls us back to some of what is essential to a life grounded in gratitude.
“AFTER THE OOBLECK" - A FORGIVENESS RITUAL”
Sunday, November 20, 2022
Rev. Laura Shennum, Minister of Congregational Life, preaching
Forgiveness can be a sticky topic, especially when we refuse to grant forgiveness to ourselves or others. Let us gather this morning to hear a story about how messy and sticky it can get. Then, we can choose to participate in a forgiveness ritual to help us leave that stickiness behind. If you are attending virtually, please have a rock or stone with you as you watch.
"THE DOUBLE-EDGED SWORD OF FAITH"
Sunday, November 13, 2022
Rev. Vanessa Rush Southern, Senior Minister, preaching
Someone asked me on the way out of service this fall what I meant, as a Unitarian Universalist, when I said the word "faith." Let's look at what faith is (is not) and the role it plays in our lives -- the blessing and the danger of it.
“ACROSS THE VEIL”
Sunday, November 6, 2022
Rev. Southern and Mari Magaloni Ramos, preaching
This is the time of year of the Pagan celebration of Samhain, and the Christian (no doubt borrowed and adapted!) witness to All Souls and All Saints, and to the celebrations of Día De Los Muertos in Mexico and across Latin America. All of these community and religious ceremonies and sacred times begin with the Samhain idea that at this time of year the veil between the living and the dying is thinned. It is a season, therefore, for reaching across that veil and pulling those we have loved and lost, their spirit and their legacy, more intentionally into our world for a while.
Rev. Southern and Mari Magaloni Ramos will lead a service this Sunday, in honor of this season, in which you are invited to bring the name of someone you lost and a couple of sentences about them. Feel free to bring a photo or a memento with you. You can even bring a favorite food of theirs (and after the service we can share that at social hour). The service will be participatory. To prepare please think of how you would finish these sentences:
I call out the name of _________________________________, who was [fill in their relationship to you — parent, friend, teacher, neighbor] ____________________________________ to me.
I give thanks for [fill in something about them, their spirit, their part in your life. Please keep it short — one sentence — so that others can share too] ________________________________.
“LEARNING TO LIVE WITH THE TROUBLE”
Sunday, October 30, 2022
Rev. Margot Campbell Gross, Minister Emerita, preaching
The saga of our relationship with the nightly raccoons, as a metaphor for learning to live with the troubles in life.
“WHAT FUELS THESE FOOLS?”
Sunday, October 23, 2022
Carmen Barsody and Sam Dennison, preaching
What makes Fools “faithful”? More than anything it is a willingness to hang in there, even when it seems like not much is changing. Futility, rather than fuel, seems to be what’s on people’s minds these days, but the Fools are committed to the faithfulness of fidelity and steadiness, keeping on even when it seems rather ridiculous to do so. Carmen Barsody and Sam Dennison, two long-time Faithful Fools, bring us their reflections on what it takes to keep on keepin’ on. As Faithful Fools ready to celebrate 25 years of reflection and engagement, and Carmen and Sam will share their 25th year questions and insights with us.
“BEING ALIVE”
Sunday, October 16, 2022
Rev. David Sammons, Minister Emeritus, preaching
For months we struggled with the confinement required to avoid Covid, then the numbers went down and we began to move around again. Some said it felt 'Alive' again. What does being alive mean now that many of us now have more freedom?
“WHOSE LAND IS THIS?”
Sunday, October 9, 2022
Rev. John Buehrens, preaching
Woody Guthrie sang, “This land is your land, this land is my land, from California to the Gulf Stream waters.” Yet Indigenous Peoples’ Day, observed on the second Monday of October (but not as a holiday), suggests that we acknowledge the unceded rights of this continent’s first peoples. Doing so might even shed light on some of our society’s deepest problems. John Buehrens is both our past Senior Minister and a former President of the UUA. He will also reflect on his recent visit to Alaska, where descendants of the Inuit, Aleut, Athabascan, Tlingit, and other peoples constitute 22% of the population.
“A HOPE WORTH FIGHTING FOR”
Sunday, October 2, 2022
Rev. Dr. Daniel Kanter, Guest Minister, preaching
Exploring hope and despair in the context of the work the Dallas UU community has done for reproductive dignity and what you might ponder as you consider your callings to make a difference.
“ARE WE NORMAL?”
Sunday, September 25, 2022
Rev. Laura Shennum, Minister of Congregational Life, preaching
What is it about the human condition that is normal? And what is normal anyway? By taking lessons from our time in the pandemic, from my time as a hospital chaplain, and from our collective experiences as humans, we can explore how normal is not a concept to compare ourselves to others, but rather a way to build a shared understanding of what it means to be human. This shared understanding can then be the cornerstone to create a lifespan religious education program.
“THE TASKS OF LIFE”
Sunday, September 18, 2022
Rev. Vanessa Rush Southern, Senior Minister, preaching
What is the purpose of a life, of life. It's always been the question religion was tasked to answer. Part of the work of answering that question involves the tasks of life, of each life and even its stages of tasks. As we step into a new church year perhaps we can ask where we think we are in this work so each of us can step intentionally, and more deeply, into that work.
“THE RIVER OF LIFE: AN INGATHERING”
Sunday, September 11, 2022
Revs Vanessa Southern and Laura Shennum, preaching
This week is a joyous regathering: virtually and in person we will come back together for our official start to a church year. Children will join us in worship and we will sing and speak in words and ritual of our journeys apart and what we bring back with us.
Please bring a celebratory dessert food/baked good/yummy thing to share after service at our social hour, as we welcome Rev. Laura Shennum (and all of us back) to the UUSF community!
“BIRTHING A NEW WORLD”
Sunday, September 4, 2022
Rev. Millie Phillips, Guest Minister, preaching
For our annual Labor Day service, Rev. Millie Phillips celebrates a struggle that ebbs and flows, but has never died; the struggle for economic survival and dignity on the job. Playing off the multiple meanings of the word "labor," do we have the courage to do what it takes to give birth to " a new world from the ashes of the old?" Whatever the obstacles, increasingly, working people, especially young and marginalized workers, are rediscovering the power of union organizing and are putting the movement back into the labor movement.
“THE ARC OF THE UNIVERSE”
Sunday, August 28, 2022
Richard Davis-Lowell, Worship Associate, preaching
August 28th is the 59th anniversary of the 1963 March on Washington for Racial Equality. It's keynote address by Reverend Martin Luther King Jr. has become the most famous speech in modern history. Echoed in his remarks that day were the paraphrased words of an early Unitarian minister, Theodore Parker; that the arc of the moral universe bends towards justice.
Earlier this summer, the remarkable achievement of the Webb telescope began challenging humanity to look deeply into the past in order to make sense of today and what is to come. Indeed, in so many ways, we won't ever create the future of our dreams without understanding the past.
Join us as we explore Dr. King's inspiration in the words of a radical Boston minster, how those words convinced a cultural icon to continue to go "where no man had gone before" and finally, how we're learning, through science, that there is indeed an arc in the universe and that it bends towards truth.
“TRANSFORMING PERFECTION”
Sunday, August 21, 2022
Charlotte Maitreya Cramer, Guest Preacher
This Sunday, join Guest Preacher Charlotte Cramer exploring the concept of perfection and how it influences our lives and society. Perfection is everywhere in our country, and it has impacted how we treat one another and ourselves. What is the mindset and healing that is needed to work against the strong drive towards being perfect? How could overcoming perfection foster a more wholesome and healthy life, and society?
“ORDINARY DAYS”
Sunday, August 14, 2022
Rev. Vanessa Rush Southern, Senior Minister, preaching
Life is made up of ordinary days. And they are often some of the best days we have. A sermon musing on the ordinariness of a sweet life.
“RETRAINING THE DRAGON”
Sunday, August 7, 2022
Rev. Sonya Sukalski, Guest Minister, preaching
When threatened some of us fight - even "breathing fire" if provoked, others freeze or retreat. We all know life is better when we are not stressed all the time, but some seem more resilient and able to shake off strife and difficulty than others. Recent brain science points to the limbic system as the place filtering our experience and deciding whether to act on a threat or choose to go with the flow of life. Rev. Sonya Sukalski has found that resetting the switch that sends the mind, body and spirit into rest and digest chemistry rather than fight or flight to be a satisfying spiritual practice. Her practice includes elements of prayer, meditation, movement, and employs theology UUs might find useful and life-affirming.
ABOUT:
Rev. Sonya Sukalski has always been curious about how people think about what is most important in life – following this interest in studying Cognitive Linguistics, Germanic Languages, and Adult Wellness Education before moving to the East Bay to attend Starr King School for the ministry. During seminary, Sonya had a short winter job in 2005 with the UU Justice (formerly Legislative) Ministry calling California congregations to send valentines to the governor in support of marriage equality. Sonya later helped develop the Young Leaders Project and SALT programs with UUJMCA. She has served a variety of sabbatical and family leave ministries with the Berkeley, Fremont, Hayward, Chico, and Livermore congregations, and was the minister for the UU Fellowship of Tuolumne County from 2014-2020. Sonya enjoys nature, backpacking, yoga, playing the piano, and recently, playing with her 2 year old nephews. During the pandemic, a chance conversation brought how formative the brain chemistry and wiring of the limbic system is throughout our lives, and she has spent the last year working to reset her own limbic system.
“GOOD TROUBLE”
Sunday, July 31, 2022
Mari Magaloni Ramos, Worship Associate, preaching
In March of 2020, the late John Lewis called on everyone to "get into good trouble, necessary trouble and redeem the soul of America" as he spoke from the Edmund Pettis bridge in Selma Alabama commemorating the tragedy of Bloody Sunday, March 7, 1965. Join us on Sunday July 31st for a special service led by worship associate Mari Magaloni Ramos: “Good Trouble”
Our collective values of democracy, privacy and bodily autonomy are under active attack and we have suffered setbacks. And as is always the case, it is our BIPOC and LGBTQ folx that will be most negatively impacted in the coming years if we do not act. One of the most powerful things that we can do to stem this tide is to support and motivate our fellow Americans to vote. We can do that by meeting hate and grievance with love and beloved community.
So join us after the service for a letter writing party! We’ll talk about how we become a Good Trouble Congregation and write letters to voters in battleground states located in underserved, marginalized communities. Sandwiches and refreshments will be served and kids are most welcome!
“A HOPE WORTH FIGHTING FOR”
Sunday, October 2, 2022
Rev. Daniel C. Kanter, Guest Minister, preaching
Our Sunday service will explore hope and despair in relation to the work the Dallas UU community has done for reproductive dignity and how you might think about your own callings.
“WHAT AM I GOING TO DO?”
Sunday, July 24, 2022
Rev. Margot Campbell Gross, Minister Emerita, preaching
This is the question we ask ourselves at major pivotal points in our lives: graduation, career choice, retirement. “What am I going to do?” is also the question we ask ourselves when there are decisions to be made about: relationships, medical options, questions of moving and choosing where we will live..
I find it useful to distinguish between what I can do, and how I can be in the world. I will try to explain what that distinction means to me, and how I have found it helpful in making my choices in life.
“COFFEE IN THE DESERT”
Sunday, July 17, 2022
Rev. Vanessa Rush Southern, Senior Minister, preaching
A sermon on welcome -- on the sacred value of welcome. This is a sermon I preached as one of my first five years ago at UUSF and the foundation holds. But there are insights too about what this virtue asks of us, brought to light in the conversations out of the racial reckoning of the last two years or more.
“THE LIVING TRADITION”
Sunday, July 10, 2022
Rev. Mr. Barb Greve, Guest Minister, preaching
Rev. Mr. Barb reflects on 51 years of practicing Unitarian Universalism. Oh how we have (and have not) changed. Imagine with Barb as he shares his dreams for our next 51 years.
Barb Greve earned his Masters of Divinity at Starr King School for the Ministry. At present he serves as a hospice chaplain with Vitas Healthcare. From August 2017 – June 2020 he served as one of the volunteer Co-Moderators to the Unitarian Universalist Association of Congregations and currently serves on the board of Meadville Lombard Theological School. In addition to having served as an intentional interim/consulting director of lifespan religious education to multiple Unitarian Universalist congregations, Barb has served on the Faculty of The Chaplaincy Institute (teaching Prophetic Voice & Social Transformation), as the Chair of the Starr King School for the Ministry’s Board of Trustees, is a founding member and served on the Steering Committee of Transgender Religious professional Unitarian Universalists Together (TRUUsT), is a founding member and served on the Steering Committee of the Guild of Interim Religious Educators.
“THE PERFECT BODY AND LADDER"
Sunday, July 3, 2022
(Originally broadcast on Sunday, December 6, 2020)
"The Perfect Body and the Ladder" is about the personal and the political uses of the body, timed perfectly to rebroadcast as we prepare to unveil our sweet bodies in the lighter clothes and freedom of summer. It's a lovely service and we invite you to sit with the questions it raises and the invitation to include our bodies (and others') in the deepest work of honoring and cherishing.