Announcements

All Ages Worship (28 September 2025)

Please join us this Sunday (28 September 2025) at 11:00 AM for “A UU Path to Walk” by Bennett Upton.

This morning we welcome former board president Bennett Upton back to our pulpit. He will share his perspective on finding our own path and understanding the paths of others.

We will be meeting in the sanctuary for this worship service.  Please join us in person at All Souls Unitarian Universalist Church, 9449 Ellerbe Road, Shreveport LA  71106 if you are able to do so.

Our service will also be livestreamed on Facebook Live here if you cannot attend in person.

We are moving our videos from Facebook to YouTube for long-term storage and viewing — you can find our worship videos on YouTube here.

State-level COVID data can be found on the Louisiana Department of Health’s respiratory virus dashboard web page.  The most sensitive metric to follow for current COVID trends is the “Laboratory Surveillance Data” link.  The link is currently showing flu and RSV maintaining a very low level  as of 20 September 2025.

However, we also continuing to show a significant COVID-19 uptick in our state as of 20 September 2025.  This is an indication of the COVID-19 summer seasonal surge is still happening.  COVID-19 numbers are still high but they are continuing their decline.

Masking and COVID vaccination are optional for attending in-person events at All Souls.

We encourage you to be vaccinated against COVID and to also have the most-current COVID booster shots.  This provides greater protection to the individual and the church community.

Anyone who prefers wearing a mask is welcome to do so for in-person events and attending worship through livestream video is also an option where required for medical or schedule conflict reasons.

We will still have KN95 masks available in the foyer for anyone who needs one.

We continue to recommend that you stay home if you have any symptoms and that you keep up with all available vaccinations and boosters.

If you are recovering from COVID and have no symptoms, you should mask in public until you have tested negative twice in a 48 hour period.

We also ask that you go by the previous CDC guidelines of waiting at least 5 days past the onset of symptoms rather than the current 24 hour recommendation.

If you have symptoms for COVID or other respiratory illness, please stay home and take care of yourself.

Our September 2025 give-away-the-plate recipient is Students for Justice in Palestine (LSU-S Chapter).

And you can contribute to All Souls using this online resource.

Religious Education for Children and Youth (28 September 2025)

For this Sunday (28 September 2025), our children and youth religious education class will continue the theme of  “How We Do UU” by exploring
“Our UU Values and Planning for the Blessing of the Animals.”

Our Blessing of the Animals service will be next Sunday (5 October 2025).

Next Sunday is the Feast of St. Francis in the Catholic tradition and our annual blessing of the animals worship service one of our most beloved services at All Souls.

For this Sunday, the children and youth will help plan their parts of next Sunday’s worship service which will celebrate our shared Unitarian Universalist values and how they inspire us to care for the animals who share our earthly home

Online and In-Person Adult Religious Education (28 September 2025)

Please join us on Sunday (21 September 2025) for our adult religious education class at 9:00 AM.

Our adult religious education class is now a dual-platform class — meeting in person in the church social hall and also on Zoom.

For this Sunday, we will watch the video “The History of Unitarian Universalism in 15 Minutes or Less” followed with a discussion.

As we enter the time of year when we focus on Unitarian Universalist identity, we will view a video by the Rev. Lee Paczulla of Wellspring Congregation of Chester, Pennsylvania.

This is a rescheduling of last Sunday’s adult religious education class that was cancelled due to building electrical issues.

1000 Conversations — A House Meeting Training with Our Neighbors (7 October 2025)

Please join us for 1000 Conversations – a House Meeting Training with our neighbors at Grace Community United Methodist Church (9400 Ellerbe Road, Shreveport LA  71106)

Please note the re-scheduled date — Tuesday, 7 October 2025.  The time is still 6:00 PM.

On Tuesday (7 October 2025) at 6:00 PM, members and friends of All Souls will join our neighbors at Grace Community UMC for a House Meeting Training aimed at creating a more vibrant, healthy, and equitable community.

Because 10 voices are louder than 1 and 100 are louder than 10, we will learn how to facilitate small group listening sessions where neighbors can listen and share with each other — and together can not only build lasting relationships, but also work together to meet the needs and create change in our congregations — our neighborhoods, and the wider community.

Scan the QR code above or register here to help our organizers plan.

Chili Cook-Off and Trunk or Treat (26 October 2025)

On Sunday (26 October 2025) after our 11:00 AM worship service, we will have a combined celebration of two All Souls Fall Classic events:

Chili Cook-Off and Trunk-or-Treat

The Chili Cook-Off grants the winner with a year’s worth of bragging rights and possession of the coveted Chili Chalice.

Do YOU have the Chili Chops to beat the reigning Chili Champion, Bennett Upton?  Because this is a chili cookoff in Louisiana, we of course shamelessly buy votes.  Bring cash — small or large bills — to put in the collection basket by your favorite chili.  Don’t worry — we will figure out a way to vote online as well.

Trunk-or-Treat is our annual Halloween celebration for which we invite our members and friends to decorate their cars in the parking lot and pass out candy to the kids who go trick-or-treating from car to car.

We encourage you to bring a game for the kids at your car to play or an easy craft for them to make as well.

Festivus Market (15 November 2025)

On Saturday (15 November 2025), All Souls is hosting a Festivus Market in the parking lot of All Souls Unitarian Universalist Church (9449 Ellerbe Road, Shreveport LA  71106) from 11:00 AM to 4:00 PM.

Painters, sculptors, jewelry makers, soap and candle makers, fabric artists, authors, bakers, artists and artisans of all kinds are all welcome.

A $25 booth fee gets you a space in our parking lot to set up.  You may buy two adjacent spaces if you think you need extra space.

Register here or (if you prefer) scan the QR code with a second device.

If you prefer a paper flyer and registration form, download them here.

The parking lot will open that morning at 9:30 AM.  We ask that vendors arrive early enough to be set up completely by 10:45 AM.

Zoom Lunch This Wednesday (1 October 2025)

Please join us next Wednesday (1 October 2025) at 12 noon for our weekly Zoom lunch.

Between the blazing hot weather and the busy lives of our regular participants, our in-person Zoom lunches are on hold for the time being but the link is always open to join at noon every Wednesday.

Meditation with Larry Androes (27 September 2025)

Please join us on Saturday (27 September 2025) at 10:30 AM for our weekly meditation group with Larry Androes.

This group will be meeting via Zoom and not in person.

This is a sitting Buddhist meditation including a brief introduction to mindfulness meditation, 20 minutes of sitting, and followed by a weekly teaching.