Complete Service-first Unitarian Universalist Society Of San Francisco

Strange Foolishness: Meditations on Political Correctness “Strange Foolishness: Meditations on Political Correctness.” -- Is Unitarian Universalism "a chapel of political correctness,” as some have charged? -- (and is that a bad thing?) ... We try to untangle the cultural, theological, and political threads that impact our thinking, our speaking, and the way we are together. Rev. Mary McKinnon Ganz, Affiliated Community Minister Alex Darr, Worship Associate Wm. Garcia Ganz, piano Joanne de Mars, cello Asher Davison, song leader Carrie Steere-Salazar, Welcome Jonathan Silk, OOS,Sound and Podcasting

Mend Thine Every Flaw, A Sermon for America's Birthday What makes America great? And what exactly do we need to go back to make it great again? The Reverend Dr. David Keyes finds parallels between the ancient Israelites’ desire to ignore Moses and go back to what they knew, even if that was slavery, and the American citizens whose discomfort with a changing world prompted them to elect Donald Trump president. Having spent most of his professional life serving as an interim minister, Dr. Keyes can speak eloquently to the stresses of change. Come hear what he has to tell us about it. Rev. Dr. David Keyes, Guest Minister Lucy Smith, Worship Associate Lary Chinn, piano Nanette McGuinness,soprano Asher Davison, song leader Galen Workman, ofertory sentence Jonathan Silk, OOS,Sound and Podcasting

Not Knowing - The Resistance to Certainty Rev. Sonya, now Minister to the UU Congregation of Tuolumne County in Sonora, preached an earlier version of this sermon to the UUs of Oakland as part of a recent UUA “teach-in” series on the issue. If you have any lingering concerns, questions, or thoughts on this topic, please do feel free to e-mail her at sonya.sukalski@comcast.net - she'd love to hear from you! In particular, it is her sincere hope that lifting up some stories of UUs of Color will move people to go deeper. Rev. Sonya Sukalski, Guest Minister Phil Marshall, Worship Associate Mark Sumner, piano Asher Davison, song leader Allen Biggs, percussion Fred Morgan, percussion Scott Benbow, welcome Jonathan Silk, OOS,Sound and Podcasting

Confessions of A Curious Cleric: Reflections On 45 Years of Ministry We each bring our own gifts. Ministry is something we all do. John will confess what he wishes he had done differently. Perhaps to inspire us to stay curious and open to what the future may unfold. The Choir will end with the Forman Benediction by Daniel Pinkham, composed in John’s honor for his last service as UUA President. Rev. John Buehrens, Senior Minister Rev. Alyson Jacks, Associate Minister Rev. JD Benson, Assistant Minister Rev. Gwen Langdoc Buehrens Kathleen Quenneville, welcome and reflection Rev. Lindi Ramsden Rev. Dr. Marilyn Sewell Rev. Dr. David Sammons Rev. John Young Rev. David Keyes Rev. Meg Whitaker-Greene Reiko Oda Lane, organ Mark Sumner, music director Jonathan Silk, OOS,Sound and Podcasting

The Curious Case Of This Congregation and Of Schrodinger’s Cat These last three years have been among the happiest and most satisfying of my professional life. Yet UUSF still suffers from some self-defeating understandings of itself. As “Developmental Minister” I will play therapist to try to help you to change the narrative. Worship will include a covenant with Lay Chaplains. Rev. John Buehrens, Senior Minister Rev. JD Benson, Assistant Minister Susan Anthony, Worship Associate Reiko Oda Lane, organ Asher Davison, song leader Katrina Walter, flute Adrienne Malley, oboe Jeannie Psomas, clarinet Patrick Johnson-Whitty, bassoon Leslie Hart, french horn Margaret Halbig, piano Joe Chapot, welcome Nathan Gandrud, OOS Jonathan Silk, sound and podcasting

Inquiring Minds Want To Know: A Question Box Sermon Worship Associate Richard Davis and I will pick the 10 best questions for me to answer. Briefly. The Choir will sing Rumi’s “Come, Come, Whoever You Are,” in English, Spanish and Chinese. We will thank the facilitators of Small Group Ministry. The Bell Choir will perform. Bike to Worship Sunday! Rev. John Buehrens, Senior Minister Rev. Alyson Jacks, Associate Minister Richard Davis, Worship Associate Reiko Oda Lane, organ Dr. Mark Sumner, music director Asher Davison, song leader Christopher Rodriguez, welcome Nathan Gandrud, OOS Leslie Ottaviano, sound Jonathan Silk, podcasting

Practicing Love Our pulpit guest on Memorial Day weekend is a lay member of the UU Congregation of Santa Rosa, a Marriage and Family Therapist, and recipient of several district awards as an outstanding lay preacher. Dennis Adams will serve as Worship Associate. Andres Vera, cello, and Randy Adams, piano, will provide music. Meanwhile, our ministers will be with 100+ members & friends at the annual All-Church Retreat, practicing community-building in a less formal and relaxed setting at the CYO Camp in Occidental. Please join us, one place or the other! Jan Ogren, Guest Preacher Dennis Adams, Worship Associate Andres Vera, cello Randy Adams, piano Galen Workman, welcome Nathan Gandrud, OOS Leslie Ottaviano, sound Jonathan Silk, podcasting

Community as Sanctuary . . . and more The mission statement of UUSF says that we exist “to be a sanctuary for individual religious growth and learning, to celebrate life and worship in diverse fellowship, to bear witness to suffering and joy, and to work for peace and justice in our world.” Rev. John Buehrens, Senior Minister Phil Marshall, Worship Associate Jiun-Chyi Yew & Maria Solis, sopranos Dr. Mark Sumner & David Jones, accompanists Asher Davison, song leader Alan Alpert, tenor Carrie Steere-Salazar, welcome Leslie Ottaviano, sound - recording Jonathan Silk, OOS and podcasting

Foremothers of Faith On Mother’s Day, John will offer a sermon about some of the foremothers of our liberal faith, known and unknown, remembered and forgotten. Lucy Smith will serve as Worship Associate and offer a reflection. The Choir will sing. Reiko will play. And after the service, in the Chapel, there will be an Invitation to Membership for those newcomers who have met with one of the ministers and are ready to sign the membership book of the Society. Rev. John Buehrens, Senior Minister Lucy Smith, Worship Associate Reiko Oda Lane, organ Bill Ganz, guest conductor Kate Offer, soloist Asher Davison, soloist Tim Salaver, soloist David King, soloist Marc Theobald, Board Treasurer Jonathan Silk, OOS, Sound, Podcasting

Two Types of Religion Despite the tremendous diversity in the U.S. religious landscape, there are really only two kinds of religion. Most people practice one or the other, and only one of them leads us to a fuller, deeper, richer experience of life. Our guest preacher is the Regional Lead for the Pacific Western Region of the UUA. The service will make the end of our church school year, with appreciation to all the teachers. Rev. James Kubal-Komoto, Guest Preacher Rev. John Buehrens, Senior Minister Rochelle Fortier-Nwadibia, Worship Associate Larry Chinn, piano Kerry Parker, song leader Harry Moren, Welcome Jonathan Silk, OOS, Sound, Podcasting

Living the Questions - A Celebration of Our Stepping Stones: Rites of Passage Class Join us this Sunday as we honor and celebrate our ten Rites of Passage students. Under the gifted leadership of the ROP Teaching Team:  Alex Darr, Jeff Cookston, Simmy Cover and Chandra Egan, our 3rd and 4th graders spent the year exploring who they are,  what they value, and what it means to be part of a religious community. They've been asking lots of questions too - Big Life Questions, which our Ministers will aim to answer during the service. Our church and bell choir will minister in music with songs of celebration and joy.  Revs. Buehrens, Benson,Jacks, and Worship Associate Alex Darr will co-lead the service. Rev. John Buehrens, Senior Minister Rev. Alyson Jacks, Associate Minister Rev. JD Benson, Assistant Minister Rights of Passage Class 2017 Alex Darr, ROP Lead Teacher Reiko Oda Lane, organ and bell choir director Max Benbow, Welcome Jonathan Silk, OOS, Sound, Podcasting

Last Things First (Earth Day Sunday) On the day following Earth Day, and at the end of a whole month of programming on climate change led by our Environmental Justice Working Group, our Message for All Ages will be a “Blessing of the Bins,” recommitting us all to recycling. Kat Liu, the chair of the working group, will serve as Worship Associate and offer a reflection. Soprano Shannon Warto and pianist and vocalist Lucy Faridany will bring us stunning songs.  And John’s sermon will focus on how we think about endings influences how we live in the meantime. This is true when it comes to our relationship with Earth, and for our own lives.   Rev. John Buehrens, Senior Minister Kat Liu, Worship Associate Alex Darr, Worship Associate Rights of Passage Class Reiko Oda Lane, organ Shannon Warto, vocalist Lucy Faridany, vocalist and piano Rev. John Buehrens, Welcome Jonathan Silk, OOS, Sound, Podcasting

Spiritual Audacity (EASTER SERVICE) Rev. Alyson Jacks offered the Message for All Ages and Rev. JD Benson shared a reflection. The Bell Choir performed “Now the Green Blade Riseth,” and Reiko and the choir was accompanied by trumpeter Tom Dambly in a joyous, audacious celebration of Easter. The offering went to resurrect a UU ministry to the poor in Oklahoma that was destroyed in a recent fire. Rev. John Buehrens, Senior Minister Rev. Alyson Jacks, Associate Minister Rev. JD Benson, Assistant Minister Dr. Mark Sumner, music director Reiko Oda Lane, organ Kate Offer, soloist Asher Davison, soloist Tim Salaver, soloist David King, soloist Kathleen Quenneville, Welcome Jonathan Silk, OOS, Sound, Podcasting

The Road To The Promised Land Until recently the Dean of Religious Life at Stanford, Scotty McLennan continues to teach ethics there in the business school. He is a UU minister whose most recent book is "Christ for Unitarian Universalists: A New Dialogue with Christianity" --which is the Minister’s Book Club Selection for April, to be discussed on Monday evening, April 17. Rev. Scotty McLennan, Guest Minister Rev. John Buehrens, Senior Minister Dr. Mark Sumner, music director Reiko Oda Lane, organ Saira Malik, Welcome Jonathan Silk, OOS, Sound, Podcasting

Justice and Confrontation Conflict is a great way to uncover the truth. World leaders rely on conflicting and competing advisers to make wise decisions. Instead of focusing our efforts in ending conflict, how about if we learned to wage them well in conversations? Conversations are the best places to wage conflict. Conversations are the currency of organizations. Our faith says revelation is unsealed, but so much conversations continue to unravel our authenticity. Our guest is the first Balázs Scholar at Starr King for the Ministry to come from beyond the Hungarian Unitarian community. She is a minister of the UU Church of the Philippines, where she has served the Bicutan Congregation in Manila. For over 20 years she has worked on organizing women, youth, farmers, and labor for better public policies, and advised over 30 non-governmental organizations. Rev. Tet Gallardo, Guest Minister Rev. JD Benson, Assistant Minister Rev. Alyson Jacks, Associate Minister Dr. Mark Sumner, piano Jef Caers, flute Matt Yang

Heartwood Our beautiful sanctuary is, among other things, adorned with redwood beams and ceilings, oak plank floors, and carved chancel furniture that goes back to the ministry of Thomas Starr King. John has long felt that under the surface of every liberal church there lies a framework of covenantal heartwood, left to us as a gift and a present guide in challenging times. Rev. John Buehrens, Senior Minister Susan Anthony, Worship Associate Reiko Oda Lane, organ Dr. Mark Sumner, Music Director Howard Oringer, Welcome Jonathan Silk, OOS, Sound, Podcasting

Presence In The World The late Harry Scholefield, beloved minister of this church for many years, began his days with a meditation practice (“Living by Heart”) that included preparing to be present and welcoming to each day, and to welcome every sign of sacred presence in people as well as in the natural world. Rev. John Buehrens, Senior Minister Rev. Alyson Jacks, Associate Minister Richard Davis, Worship Associate Reiko Oda Lane, organ Dr. Mark Sumner, Music Director Judy Payne, Welcome Task Force on Future Ministry, Announcement Jonathan Silk, OOS, Sound, Podcasting

The Unseen Guests Faith, Hope and Love are evidence of the inherent grace in the world, for humans do not invent or create these experiences, but uncover them as a quality of life itself. That said, we can train our hearts to prepare them room, and, in so doing, we also prepare ourselves for other unseen guests. These are the many people who would benefit from our tradition but have not yet discovered it, and the generations yet to come to whom we will bequeath our communities. The generosity and commitment we make today ensures that they, too, shall know grace. Rev. Christopher Thomas Bell, Guest Minister Rev. John Buehrens, Senior Minister Rev. Alyson Jacks, Associate Minister Lucy Smith, Worship Associate Bill Ganz, piano Asher Davison, song leader Radim Zenkl, Multi-instrumentalist (mandolin, ethnic flutes, didgeridoo) George Cavage, Welcome Jonathan Silk, Communications

Spiritual Friendship In Challenging Times Our congregation is experiencing notable growth. We will kick off our annual fundraising and a much-needed capital campaign to strengthen our church and its work for these challenging times. The theme for the month is “Presence.” The Message for All Ages will come from our 5th and 6th grade church school class. Rev. John Buehrens, Senior Minister Lucy Smith, Worship Associate Reiko Oda Lane, organ and bell choir director Kate Offer, soprano Asher Davison, baritone Stanley Hartzell, Welcome The 5th and 6th Class, message for all ages Jonathan Silk, Communications

Love, Remembered Congregations often accumulate layers of love and stories over decades, like layers of sediment below the surface. They may not be visible, but they are the ground on which we stand. The Rev. Diane Miller, who was ordained by this congregation 40 years ago, was Assistant Minister, Interim Senior Minister, and Associate Minister during her five years with the congregation. She was called to other congregations and served as Director of Ministry from 1993–2001, when John Buehrens was UUA President. Diane will be staying with John and Gwen and then going with them to the annual retreat of the UU Retired Ministers and Partners Association, held this year in Santa Barbara. Rev. Diane M.W. Miller, Guest Preacher Rev. John Buehrens, Senior Minister Alex Darr, Worship Associate Dr. Mark Sumner, piano Andre´s Vera, cello Randy Adams, piano Asher Davison, song leader Betsy Darr, Welcome Jonathan Silk, OOS, Sound, Worship Archives/Podcast