Complete Service-first Unitarian Universalist Society Of San Francisco

"Enough is Enough: The Inflation of Satisfied and the Risks" (September 26, 2021) Worship Service In the stories of people I know, their children's stories, in what I see in the world, with dire consequences to the planet and to our mental health, I see the inflation of "enough" and I don't just mean in material terms. I mean in all kinds of ways. Let me give examples and let's look at what that might be doing to us and what can be done about it. Rev. Vanessa Rush Southern, Senior Minister; Wonder Dave, Worship Associate; Sam Hamner, Small Group Ministry; Allen Biggs, percussionist; Ben Rudiak-Gould, songleader; Mark Sumner, pianist Eric Shackelford, camera; Shulee Ong, camera; Jonathan Silk, OOS Design & sound; Joe Chapot, live chat moderator; Amy Kelly, flowers; Alex Darr, Les James, Tom Brookshire, Zoom Coffee Hour

"Ganesh Chaturthi and the Need to Remove Obstacles" (September 19, 2021) Worship Service Each year in India there is a ten or eleven-day festival to celebrate Ganesh, the Elephant-headed god who is playful but who also is famous for a particular kind of power, one we all always seem in need of summoning into our lives. Join me for some stories, images, and reflections on the power of ritual. Rev. Vanessa Rush Southern, Senior Minister; Sam King, Worship Associate; Puran and K.G. Singh; Unitarian Church Jowai; UUSF Church Choir, conducted by Mark Sumner Eric Shackelford, camera; Shulee Ong, camera; Jonathan Silk, OOS Design & sound; Joe Chapot, live chat moderator; Amy Kelly, flowers; Alex Darr, Les James, Tom Brookshire, Zoom Coffee Hour

"New Eyes and Not Afraid" (September 12, 2021) Worship Service This Sunday is this confluence of holidays and holidays and anniversaries raising the question not just of how we begin in the midst of ongoing challenges, but how people have always done so; even we ourselves did 20 years ago. We frame that exploration with music, special music, for the occasion. Come join us. Rev. Vanessa Rush Southern, Senior Minister; Rev. Alyson Jacks, Associate Minister; Richard Davis-Lowell, Worship Associate; Reiko Oda Lane, organist; Sarah Brindell, Guest soloist/songwriter; Bill Klingelhoffer, shofar; UUSF Church Choir, conducted by Mark Sumner Eric Shackelford, camera; Shulee Ong, camera; Jonathan Silk, OOS Design & sound; Joe Chapot, live chat moderator; Carrie Steere-Salazar, flowers; Alex Darr, Les James, Tom Brookshire, Zoom Coffee Hour

"In Our Hands Is Placed a Power" (September 5, 2021) Worship Service Welcome to our annual Labor Day service, where we celebrate the contributions to social justice by the labor movement both currently and historically. As has been true for several years now, we will be joined by members of San Francisco's labor union choir Rockin' Solidarity. Hard times have always been here for the vast majority of the world's population, but now all of us are at critical crossroads, and which roads we take over the next decade or two may determine the very survival of humanity. As we make these life-or-death choices, what can we learn from both the victories and defeats of organized labor? Rev. Millie Phillips, Guest Minister; Wonder Dave, Worship Associate; The Rockin’ Solidarity Labor Chorus, Pat Wynne, Director; Mark Sumner, songleader; Bill Ganz, pianist Eric Shackelford, camera; Shulee Ong, camera; Jonathan Silk, OOS Design & sound; Joe Chapot, live chat moderator; Carrie Steere-Salazar, flowers; Alex Darr, Les

"The Power of Focus" (August 29, 2021) Worship Service Steve Jobs is famous for his message on focus, the power of focus. In a different way, the same message has power for our spiritual and moral lives. After all, have you noticed how what we look for in the world in part determines what we find? Or how consciously deciding what we want to make happen also requires us to surrender to not making other things happen if we are to have any chance at meeting our goal? Or how choosing the qualities we put forward in the world also necessitates spiritual practices and focused time for reflection to be able to cultivate those qualities in our character and habits of the heart. As we begin to step into a new year of school, of work after summer, of church and community life, this Sunday is one chance to reflect on where each of us might choose to focus our energies. Rev. Vanessa Rush Southern, Senior Minister; Dennis Adams, Worship Associate; Reiko Oda Lane, organist; Brielle Marina Nielson, mezzo soprano; Mark Su

"I Know Nothing" (August 22, 2021) Worship Service In the millions of acres of trees, in the dark and light, the shadows, the dappled light along canyon walls and rivers, there is real knowing. What is it, to surrender, to let go of having to know, to do, and to let it be enough that the elements sing? Rev. J.D. Benson, Guest Minister; Mari Magaloni Ramos, Worship Associate; Asher Davison, bass-baritone; Wm. Garcia Ganz, accompanist; Nancy Cooke Munn, songleader; Mark Sumner, pianist Eric Shackelford, camera; Shulee Ong, camera; Jonathan Silk, OOS Design & sound; Joe Chapot, live chat moderator; Judy Payne, flowers; Alex Darr, Les James, Tom Brookshire, Zoom Coffee Hour Order of Service: https://bit.ly/20210822OSWeb2 LIVESTREAM: https://youtu.be/dl5AOdg58-g

"Deep Time: Stories We Tell the Children, and the Work of Repair" (August 15, 2021) Worship Service A personal story about the journey to be a good ancestor. Rev. Mary McKinnon Ganz, Guest Minister; Carmen Barsody, Worship Associate; Alex Taite, tenor; My-Hoa Steger, accompanist; Brielle Marina Nielson, songleader Eric Shackelford, camera; Shulee Ong, camera; Jonathan Silk, OOS Design & sound; Joe Chapot, live chat moderator; Athena Papadakos, flowers; Alex Darr, Les James, Tom Brookshire, Zoom Coffee Hour Order of Service: https://bit.ly/20210815OS1 LIVESTREAM: https://youtu.be/Gr_uecb1Kqw

"Sinking In To Ordinary Time" (August 8, 2021) Worship Service In both the Christian and Jewish traditions, there is the idea of “ordinary time” - the time between holy days - an extended period of time that invites contemplation, a chance to sink in to the deeper rhythms that surround us like the flow of a river or the turning of the tides. Living in ordinary time means sinking in and slowing down. This is how we save ourselves and hopefully save our planet. Rev. Alyson Jacks, Associate Minister; Richard Davis-Lowell, Worship Associate; Reiko Oda Lane, organist; Grandview Driveby Aloha Band: Bill Klingelhoffer, Horns; Ka’ala Carmack, singer, ukulele, piano; Rosalie Alfonso, drum; Asher Davison, songleader Eric Shackelford, camera; Shulee Ong, camera; Jonathan Silk, OOS Design & sound; Joe Chapot, live chat moderator; Athena Papadakos, flowers; Alex Darr, Les James, Tom Brookshire, Zoom Coffee Hour Order of Service: https://bit.ly/20210808OSWeb1 LIVESTREAM: https://youtu.be/wnfvbLJ9Cng

"Dare to Love Again" (August 1, 2021) Worship Service Do I dare to love again? Many of us have asked that question at one time or another. I know I have. Whether after death, disappointment or betrayal, life is always asking us to give love another chance. But do we dare? And how? Rev. Dr. Robert M. Hardies, Guest Minister; Rev. Vanessa Rush Southern, Senior Minister; Sam King, Worship Associate; Reiko Oda Lane, organist; Leandra Ramm, alto; Richard Fey, tenor; Bill Ganz, pianist Joe Chapot, OOS Design & live chat moderator; Eric Shackelford, camera; Shulee Ong, camera; Lyle Barrere, sound; Amy Kelly, flowers; Alex Darr, Les James, Tom Brookshire, Zoom Coffee Hour Order of Service: https://drive.google.com/file/d/1k0CZ4hhx5PZDW-tsijtfaq_-WZFAWKMB/view?usp=sharing LIVESTREAM: https://youtu.be/wnfvbLJ9Cng

"Summer Musings" (July 25, 2021) Worship Service If we are lucky summer affords us some of the spaciousness it did as children. Time to wander in body and spirit and let things bubble up, fall away, clarify. Let's make space for such musing this Sunday. Rev. Vanessa Rush Southern, Senior Minister; Daniel Jackoway, Worship Associate; The Harmony People: Anjalisa Aitken, Gary Garrett; Asher Davison, song leader; Bill Ganz, pianist Eric Shackelford, camera; Lyle Barrere, sound; Amy Kelly, flowers, Joe Chapot, OOS Design & live chat moderator; Alex Darr, Les James, Tom Brookshire, Zoom Coffee Hour Order of Service: https://drive.google.com/file/d/1x5Qg48-bVgg5SEt9K0FgHiC46pSz3FV2/view?usp=sharing LIVESTREAM: https://youtu.be/hDUscggUaaU

Sunday, July 18, 10:50 AM, Worship Service Livestream "Crisscrossing Humanity" Meg McGuire and Carmen Barsody, preaching From Cathedral Hill to the Tenderloin, from one side of the city to the other, the many moments where our paths cross are invitations to discover and re-discover our common humanity. Bringing in lessons from the vision and work of the Faithful Fools Meg McGuire and Carmen Barsody reflect on the practice of encountering one another, and the healing, celebration and community that comes from it. Meg McGuire, Ministerial Intern; Carmen Barsody, Worship Associate; Reiko Oda Lane, organist & handbell choir director; Rita Fabrizio, flute; John Thomas, tubaist; Asher Davison, song leader Eric Shackelford, camera; Steven Kroeger, sound; Carrie Steere-Salazar, flowers; Alex Darr, Les James, Tom Brookshire, Zoom Coffee Hour

"Relinquishment" (July 11, 2021) Worship Service As many of you know, John was Senior Minister at UUSF from 2014 until his retirement in 2017. He had earlier been President of the Unitarian Universalist Association of Congregations, 1993-2001, among other posts in religious leadership. He first began pondering relinquishment as he gave up thousands of books before moving the West Coast. He was helped by his witty wife Gwen observing, “I’ve never yet seen a hearse pulling a U-Haul!” Yet some of our most difficult relinquishments are not about things – but about less material attachments. This continues to the very end. Still, we are spiritually wiser if we start the practice earlier. Rev. John Buehrens, Guest Minister Dennis Adams, Worship Associate Reiko Oda Lane, organist Giacomo Fiore, guitarist Maria Roodnitsky, alto Ben Rudiak-Gould, tenor Shulee Ong, camera Jonathan Silk, audio, oos design Stephen Kroeger, sound Joe Chapot, social media chat Thomas Brown, Sexton Judy Payne, flowers Alex Dar

"Time to Slow Down" (July 4, 2021) Worship Service These are urgent times. They long have been. And yet, there are powerful voices, many at the center of justice work, urging us to slow down. We’ll engage this paradox and the spiritual and practical lessons it might offer to us. Meg McGuire, Ministerial Intern Daniel Jackoway, Worship Associate Larry Chinn, jazz piano Ben Rudiak-Gould, tenor Mark Sumner, bass Eric Shackelford, camera Shulee Ong, camera Jonathan Silk, audio, oos design, drums Joe Chapot, social media chat Thomas Brown, Sexton Judy Payne, flowers Alex Darr, Les James, Tom Brookshire, Zoom Coffee Hour

"Raising Hope" (June 20, 2021) Worship Service For Father’s Day, we’ll take a deeper dive into what it means to be hopeful. Tom Wyman, author of Infinitely Full of Hope: Fatherhood and the Future in an Age of Crisis and Disaster, and soon to be a first time father, believes that – despite the despair – now is not the time to give up on hope. Rather, we need to cultivate it and keep it alive. Rev. Alyson Jacks, Associate Minister Mari Magaloni Ramos, Worship Associate Gregg Biggs, Small Group Ministry Bobbi Kovac, Small Group Ministry Rev. Millie Phillips, Small Group Ministry Andrés Vera, double bass My-Hoa Steger, pianist Brielle Marina Nielson, mezzo soprano Jon Silk, drummer Mark Sumner, pianist Ben Rudiak-Gould, lead Eric Shackelford, camera Shulee Ong, camera Lyle Barrere, sound Jonathan Silk, audio, oos design, drums Joe Chapot, social media chat Thomas Brown, Sexton Athena Papadakos, flowers Alex Darr, Les James, Tom Brookshire, Zoom Coffee Hour

"Saying Yes" (June 13, 2021) Worship Service “Teach us all you can by saying yes,” Nancy Shaffer writes in a poem titled “Calling.” Rather than coming from some booming voice on high, the sort of calling that Shaffer describes is marked by the subtle work of learning to listen- and being willing to respond. Preaching for the last time as our ministerial intern (but not her last time in our pulpit) Meg McGuire reframes this notion of calling and reflects on what it might look like for this community going forward. Meg McGuire, Ministerial Intern Rev. Vanessa Rush Southern, Senior Minister Rev. Alyson Jacks, Associate Minister Richard Davis, Worship Associate Richard Davis-Lowell, Worship Associate Cal Ball, chalice lighter Luanne Schulte, Internship Committee Reiko Oda Lane, organist Dr. Mark Sumner, choir director UUSF Choir Bill Ganz, pianist Sarah Rose Cohen, lead Bill Klinglehoffer, lead Asher Davison, lead Ben Rudiak-Gould, lead Eric Shackelford, camera Shulee Ong, camera Jonathan Silk, audio, oos des

"Dismantling Perfectionism: Bring it on!" (June 6, 2021) Worship Service There is a whole set of things that Tema Okun argues are part of White Supremacy Culture in her classic article, "White Supremacy Culture". One of them is perfectionism. Ever since I read that article I've thought most of where and how perfectionism shows up. It was one of the ones that didn't make obvious and immediate sense. And it is the one I am more and more excited to dismantle, take apart, keep some bits of and toss the rest. In our lives of spirit and connection, love and liberated life, I think it is the one that will leverage the most transformation! This Sunday we'll formally welcome new members with a special New Member Recognition Ceremony. And there will be a special video presentation of this year's Rheiner Award. The Rheiner Award was established by the UUSF Board of Trustees in 1989 to recognize and celebrate a member of this Society for social justice activism and community service. RHEINER https://youtu.be/IsgNW7z

"We Shall Not Sleep, Though Poppies Grow" (May 30, 2021) Worship Service From an 1865 gathering at the Charleston race track through two World Wars to modern day, collectively remembering our dead remains an important ritual for the living. On the 50th national observance of Memorial Day, what have we learned about communal grief in times of war and peace? Rev. Mr. Barb Greve, Guest Minister Meg McGuire, Ministerial Intern Sam King, Worship Associate Eric Hamilton, guitarist Maria Roodnitsky, song leader Ben Rudiak-Gould, song leader My-Hoa Steger, pianist Eric Shackelford, camera Shulee Ong, camera Jonathan Silk, audio, oos design Joe Chapot, social media chat Thomas Brown, Sexton Amy Kelly, flowers Alex Darr, Les James, Tom Brookshire, Zoom Coffee Hour

"Marge and Barb Have Class" (May 23, 2021) Worship Service The title of the sermon is a set of words my cousin and I saw spray painted on the side of a falling down old shed on a country road one day in Upstate New York. A good place to leap into a conversation on our obsession, perhaps, with the whole wild notion of "class". Rev. Vanessa Rush Southern, Senior Minister Rev. Alyson Jacks, Associate Minister Linda Enger, 8th Principle Testimony Reiko Oda Lane, organist Brielle Marina Neilson, alto Ben Rudiak-Gould, tenor Asher Davison, bass Wm. García Ganz, pianist Eric Shackelford, camera Shulee Ong, camera Jonathan Silk, audio, oos design, drums Joe Chapot, social media chat Thomas Brown, Sexton Amy Kelly, flowers Alex Darr, Les James, Tom Brookshire, Zoom Coffee Hour

"Holding Ourselves Accountable: The 8th Principle and the Future of Our Faith" (May 16, 2021) Worship Service Paula Cole Jones, a Lay Leader who has been a member of All Souls Unitarian Church in Washington, D.C. for decades, was also one of the two authors of the 8th Principle and leaders of the effort to broaden and deepen when we fundamentally hold ourselves accountable for in our Principles.  She and Vanessa "met" over Zoom to discuss and debate some aspects of what the 8th Principle and the work it calls us to as UU's might mean, where we imagine it might take us.  And so we continue our reflection as we prepare as a community to vote on this Principle on June 6th at our Annual Meeting.   Rev. Vanessa Rush Southern, Senior Minister Paula Cole Jones, Guest Speaker   Mari Magaloni Ramos, Worship Associate Reiko Oda Lane, organist Maria Roodnitsky, soprano Brielle Marina Neilson, alto Ben Rudiak-Gould, tenor Asher Davison, bass Mark Sumner, director/pianist Jen Ha

"Arms Wide Open: Parenting as a Spiritual Path" (May 9, 2021) Worship Service I am a year and a few months from an empty nest, and halfway into a process of pulling together an anthology of writings on the place of children in our wisdom-making living. The book is a project that started as an excuse to go looking for all the gorgeous stories we don't think to tell in the midst of the work and the chores. I want us to hold up some of them together to reflect on our relationship with children as a part of our spiritual paths. Rev. Vanessa Rush Southern, Senior Minister Meg McGuire, Ministerial Intern Dennis Adams, Worship Associate Lori Lai, 8th principle testimonial Reiko Oda Lane, organist Kate Offer, soprano Brielle Marina Neilson, alto Ben Rudiak-Gould, tenor Asher Davison, bass Mark Sumner, director/pianist Alex Darr, Les James, Tom Brookshire, Zoom Coffee Hour Eric Shackelford, camera Shulee Ong, camera Dan Barnard, Facilities Manager Athena Papadakos, flowers Marek Piwnicki, cover image Jonathan Silk,