At All Souls Church, we welcome all who support the free exchange of ideas in the pursuit of truth, and believe in the universal kinship of all people. We are proud to call ourselves the Free Church in Sioux Falls. We are affiliated with the Unitarian Universalism Association and were one of the first congregations in Sioux Falls, founded in 1878 by the Universalist minister and missionary, Eliza Tupper Wilkes.
Upcoming services are listed below as well as special events. Looking for the locations listed below? Click on the "Directions" link above for convenient maps and directions to the various spaces we utilize!
"Dancing with the Dragon" with Rev. Laurie Bushbaum Rev. Laurie comments on her sermon: Dragons abound in folk and fairy tales. And many sacred texts, too, have their stories of large, scary beasts, whom we must encounter in life. What do we do when we meet our dragons, our fears? So often in Western Culture we are taught to slay our dragons, but what if we thought of dancing with them instead? The Lay Worship Leader is Sue Ann Lang. The musician is Sean Vogt
"Mother Peace: Memory, Action, Vision" with Rev. Ted Tollefson Rev. Ted comments on his sermon: Mother's Day began as "Mother's Peace Day" thanks to a Unitarian named Julia Ward Howe. I will reflect on Howe's contributions to making peace and war ("The Battle Hymn of ht Republic") before turning to the practical matter of creating peace within ourselves, our families, and our world. Leave with some practical tools for peace-making and a vision how peace is possible in our time, our world. The Lay Worship Leader is Mark Sanderson. The musician is Sean Vogt. Rev. Ted Tollefson has served as a parish and community-based UU minister in the Prairie Star District since 1980. For 10 years, he served as founding director of Mythos Institute. Now he is minister to the Unitarian Universalist Society of River Falls, WI. He teaches world religions at United Theological Seminary and depth psychology at Metro State University. He lives with his wife Kristen and dog Gryff at Mythos Center in Frontenac, Minnesota. This summer he will serve as Sage-in-residence at Camp Star Trail, August 2 - 7 near Lincoln Nebraska: http://www.psduua.org/CampStarTrail
“Personal Journeys” with Ann Esse & J.A. Murphy. The Lay Worship Leaders, J.A. Murphy & Ann Esse, will also be the speakers. A long legacy at All Souls has been to offer the pulpit to members in order to share with us their spiritual journey. Each of them will draw on their personal experiences that led them into the Unitarian Universalist fold. The musician is Deb Reid
NOTE: There will not be a Circle Discussion. The All Souls UU Annual Congregational Meeting will commence after the service and after a short coffee break.
Memorial Day Picnic at Terrace Park, Shelter West, at Madison Street & Menlo Ave Reserved from 10-2pm. Grilling at 11 am ; Eat at 11:30. Talk, play, and sing ‘til 2 pm. Bring something to grill, a dish to pass, and your own beverages & utensils. Eric Berg is “Der Grillmeister”.
“Beyond the Culture Wars: How Religion and Science Help Us to See the World” with Dr. Ann Pederson. Dr. Pederson comments on her message: “I want to get the discussion beyond the typical wars of religious and scientific literalism and reductionism, or even beyond how science asks how and religion asks why. But how both are ways of helping us to see and live in one world.” Dr. Pederson has been a Professor of Religion at Augustana College since 1990. She received a Master of Divinity and Ph.D. degrees from the Lutheran School of Theology at Chicago. Her areas of expertise are constructive theology and the dialogue between religion and science (particularly with medicine and technology). She has authored three books and written lots of articles. She is married to Gary Pederson who teaches band at Memorial Middle School. They don't have children, but are owned by two crazy dogs--Byron and Jack.