Complete Service-first Unitarian Universalist Society Of San Francisco

The Warrior and the Wise Man (July 15, 2018) In the 12th century, young men across Europe enlisted en masse to leave their homes and families and travel east to fight in the Crusades, believing that waging war was the best way to serve God, the Prince of Peace. Here is a story of one such soldier of Christ, searching for purpose in his cause, as he grapples with the meaning of “Holy War” on his way to Jerusalem and what he encounters along the way. Alessandro Gagliardi, Guest Preacher Richard Davis, Worship Associate Reiko Oda Lane, organ Mark Sumner, piano Jiun-Chyi Yew, soprano Asher Davison, song leader Eric Shakelford, welcome Jonathan Silk, Podcasting, OOS, Sound

Doing Small Things with Great Love (July 8, 2018) Person by person, relationship by relationship, sometimes casserole by casserole, with conversations and occasional rides to church, we are building a congregation that is a caring community. How does it all come together, and what is each one's role in creating it, in the midst of already overfull lives? Rev. Mary McKinnon Ganz, Assistant Minister Lisanicole Sarkisian, Worship Associate Larry Chinn, piano Asher Davison, song leader Gayle Reynolds, welcome Jonathan Silk, Podcasting, OOS, Sound

Loving America (July 1, 2018) How do we hold onto what is good about our country, given its past wrongs and present struggles? What is real about what we love, and what is fantasy? What would it take to build an America we might love unreservedly, as a collective act of imagination? Rev. Mary McKinnon Ganz, Assistant Minister Lucy Smith, Worship Associate Ariel Andrew, mezzo soprano Alan Alpert, tenor Wm. García Ganz, piano Reiko Oda Lane, organ Amy Kelly, welcome Jonathan Silk, Podcasting, OOS, Sound

Breaking the Silence Barrier: Lessons of Love and Liberation (June 24, 2018) Join us this Pride Sunday as we celebrate and mark the 49th Anniversary of the Stonewall riots, which gave voice to the queer liberation movement. In light of today’s political perils and in the particulars of this Pride Sunday, listen to words of poet and writer Audre Lorde, “The transformation of silence into language and action is an act of self-revelation, and that always seems fraught with danger.” This Sunday’s service is an invitation to explore how we break through the barriers of silence and bring our voices to the streets in the name of love and liberation. Rev. Alyson Jacks, Associate Minister Richard Davis, Worship Associate Asher Davison, song leader Bill Ganz, piano Margaret Halbig, piano Christine Tulis, harp and vocals Rochelle Fortier, welcome Jonathan Silk, Podcasting, OOS, Sound

What We Tell Our Men (June 17, 2018) There is a lot of talk about what we tell our girls and our women -- messages that are not helpful or supportive of their fullest being and fruition, but this Father's Day, what about some reflections on what we tell our men and our boys about what that reality they are born into "should" mean or might! Rev. Vanessa Rush Southern, Senior Minister Daniel Jackoway, Worship Associate Lisanicole Sarkisian, Worship Associate Reiko Oda Lane, organ Asher Davison, song leader Katrina Walter, flute Margaret Halbig, piano Spider Ranch, live sound and recording Nathan Gandrud, OOS Jonathan Silk, Podcasting

State of the Garden: A Reflection on Us and Here (June 10, 2018) People asked me when I came what was my vision for UUSF. That seemed so silly. Vision doesn't come with you like a stencil you apply to any wall, it grows out of a place like the things of a garden that thrive in that soil, with that level of rainfall. So, 9 months in, as we wrap up one "church year" and as we think about launching next year into Mission and Vision conversations, what do I see? What's in this garden and what's ripe for planting? Rev. Vanessa Rush Southern, Senior Minister Sam King, Worship Associate Asher Davison, clarinet and song leader Wm. García Ganz, piano Spider Ranch, live sound and recording Nathan Gandrud, OOS Jonathan Silk, Podcasting

The Outermost House and The Sacrality of Place (June 3, 2018) A bit less than 100 years ago, Henry Beston wrote "The Outermost House" after a year he spent in Cape Cod. The book didn't sell much at first but it has become one of the most famous literary touchstones for naturalists and conservationists in America. Beston argues with observation and poetry for the power, the beauty, and by extension, the need to protect natural places. Rev. Vanessa Rush Southern, Senior Minister Lisanicole Sarkisian, Worship Associate Reiko Oda Lane, organ Ariel Andrew, mezzo soprano Asher Davison, song leader Spider Ranch, live sound and recording Nathan Gandrud, OOS Jonathan Silk, Podcasting

Contemplative Practices And Connection In Digital Times (May 27, 2018) How can contemplative practices renew hearts and spirits in digital times? In what ways does technology help or harm our human abilities to engage our ethics in a beautiful and heart-breaking world? All are welcome for this service of inquiry and hope. Rev. Dara Olandt, Guest Minister Phil Marshall, Worship Associate My-Hoa Steger, piano Wm. García Ganz, piano Spider Ranch, live sound and recording Jonathan Silk, OOS, Podcasting

Sports and Spirit: What being a jock can teach us about life. (May 20, 2018) This week is our Bay to Breaker’s Sunday so…. take public transportation and leave early for church! And we will take the excuse of the big race as a chance (in this month when our theme is “Body”) to look at sports and what it teaches us about our relationship to the body but also to life. Come. Dust off your varsity jacket, if you must — just leave early so you can navigate the traffic snarls! Rev. Vanessa Rush Southern, Senior Minister Daniel Jackoway, Worship Associate Wm. García Ganz, piano Asher Davison, song leader Christine Tullis, harp and vocals Marc Theobald, Treasurer Jonathan Silk, OOS, Sound, Podcasting

Embodied Faith (May 13, 2018) Having a child changed my relationship to my body, or more importantly my awareness of where body and sacredness intersect. It has for other folks too, I know, and theologian, Stephanie Paulsell too. Come here how this Mother’s Day Sunday. Rev. Vanessa Rush Southern, Senior Minister Rochelle Fortier Nwadibia, Worship Associate Reiko Oda Lane, organ Asher Davison, song leader Gary Garrett (The Harmony People), guitar Anjalisa Aitken (The Harmony People), vocals Scott Benbow, welcome Jonathan Silk, OOS, Sound, Podcasting

A Child’s Place in Church This Sunday is our Religions Education Sunday, the end of the year’s program, the celebration of teachers, and a chance to reflect on what the place of children in our congregations should be — something a Hassidic colleague told me, a person about the Mennonite church she grew up in. It is the time to talk about some things that challenge us to frame intentionally how we hold the little folks among us in the grand plan of who we are. Rev. Vanessa Rush Southern, Senior Minister Rev. Alyson Jacks, Associate Minister Joe Chapot, Young Adult Coordinator Reiko Oda Lane, organ Asher Davison, guest conductor Carrie Steere-Salazar, welcome Jonathan Silk, OOS, Sound, Podcasting

Coming of Age Service This Sunday we celebrate our Coming of Age youth with a special worship service. The worship service is the culmination of a year-long faith exploration program for our 8th and 9th graders. Over the past seven months, they have examined their religious identity, gaining self-awareness and deepening their connection to our Unitarian Universalist faith and this church community. They describe their COA experience as a "coming home." Through class discussion, retreats, journaling, and self-reflection, the six members of this year's Coming of Age class - Max Benbow , Christopher Dean , Madeline Hart , Margot Hart , Zuzu Lorentzen , Quincy McDougal and Leila Menezes – will offer their credo statements, and share in the duties of leading worship. Rev. Alyson Jacks, Associate Minister Alex Darr, Worship Associate and Teacher Dr. Mark Sumner, Music Director Reiko Oda Lane, Organ and Bell Choir Director Linda Robertshaw, drums Hsuanwei Fan, soloist Max Benbow, COA Class 2018 Christopher Dean,

What Still Connects Us Twenty years ago, a small group set out walking from this church, down the hill and into the Tenderloin. From that founding act of the Faithful Fools Street Ministry, thousands have come to reflect on the disparities of wealth and power that become visible at street level.The Faithful Fools share some of what can be learned from placing one foot in front of the other. Rev. Mary McKinnon Ganz, Assistant Minister Carmen Barsody, Faithful Fools Alex Darr, Worship Associate Dr. Mark Sumner, Music Director Reiko Oda Lane, Organ Jim Rebhan, accordion Linda Robertshaw, djembe Asher Davison, soloist   Kersten Jordan, soloist Ariel Andrew, soloist Elaine Pratt, Small Group Ministry Chair Rev. Margot Campbell Gross, Small Group Ministry Peter Gross, welcome Jonathan Silk, OOS, Sound, Podcasting

Fifty Years Later It is a privilege to present the rarely performed, Pulitzer Prize nominated oratorio Scenes from the Life of a Martyr composed by the esteemed African American female composer and educator Undine Smith Moore. Last performed by the Oakland Symphony and Chorus in 1986 with the composer in attendance, the work reflects on the life of Martin Luther King, Jr. who will have passed 50 years and 4 days prior to our performance. Bay Area luminary  Noah Griffin  will narrate and soloists,  Michele Kennedy ,  Crystal Philippi  and  Alex Taite  will be accompanied by a full orchestra and chorus numbering 150 strong. Dr. Mark Sumner, Music Director Rev. Alyson Jacks, Associate Minister Reiko Oda Lane, Organ Noah Griffin, Narrator Michele Kennedy, Soprano Crystal Philippi, Soprano Alex Taite, Tenor Jonathan Silk, OOS, Sound, Podcasting

The Radical Act of Hoping Easter cannot be understood without Good Friday, though liberals love to skip right over the one, straight into the other. To get why hope is radical -- maybe the most radical act there is, next to love -- is to dive deep into what happens just before the dawn breaks this morning. Rev. Vanessa Rush Southern, Senior Minister Lisanicole Sarkisian, Worship Associate Dr. Mark Sumner, music director Reiko Oda Lane, organ Jonathan Silk, OOS, Sound, Podcasting

Liberation, Again and Again Some messages endure, are worthy of revisiting, because they are forever relevant in new ways. Passover's core message of liberation is one of them. It wasn't just the Israelite's, long ago, who found themselves in bondage and needing to be free. Rev. Vanessa Rush Southern, Senior Minister Richard Davis, Worship Associate Sharon Weld, Reflection Betsy Darr, EJWG Dr. Mark Sumner, music director Linda Robertshaw, percussion Jason Ditzian, clarinet Max Baloian, guitar Jonathan Silk, OOS, Sound, Podcasting

Every other year our 8th and 9th graders have their Coming of Age when they dare to state what they believe, as they will this year in April. And each time they do so it raises the question of why our adults are not asked to do the same -- to write and speak their "Credos". Today our worship associates will engage with their beliefs and inspire us to do the same. Rev. Vanessa Rush Southern, Senior Minister Sam King, Dennis Adams, Worship Associate Daniel Jackoway, Worship Associate Phil Marshall, Worship Associate Lucy Smith, Worship Associate Richard Davis, Worship Associate Lisanicole Sarkisian, Worship Associate Rochelle Fortier Nwadibia, Worship Associate Reiko Oda Lane, organ Asher Davison, song leader Saira Malik, Director of Finance & Administration Jonathan Silk, OOS, Sound, Podcasting

Rev. Kay Jorgensen Memorial Service January 9, 1932 - January 15, 2018

What the World Needs Now I've been thinking a lot lately about justice, but also mercy, its cousin (or fraternal twin). And about what the world needs now. Rev. Vanessa Rush Southern, Senior Minister Lucy Smith, Worship Associate Gino Fortunato, Smiling Dishwasher Coming of Age Class, Message for All Ages Reiko Oda Lane, organ and bell choir director Dr. Mark Sumner, music director Tim Salaver, tenor Judy Payne, welcome Jonathan Silk, OOS, Sound, Podcasting

The Beams in the Great Hall Alfred North Whitehead talks of the "law of expenditure". "There are tides in the ocean of life, and what comes in depends upon what goes out," he writes. But what does he mean and how is this relevant to our lives? Rev. Vanessa Rush Southern, Senior Minister Marty Vanderlaan, AOF Chair Daniel Jackoway, Worship Associate Neighboring Faiths Class, Message for All Ages Reiko Oda Lane, organ Dr. Mark Sumner, music director Galen Workman, Moderator Jonathan Silk, OOS, Sound, Podcasting