Author: Steve Caldwell, Web Editor
All Ages Worship (20 July 2025)
Please join us on Sunday (20 July 2025) at 11:00 AM for “Welcoming the Stranger: What Now?” with Susan Yellott and Taha Hayat.
We welcome Susan and Taha back to our pulpit to tell us some of the stories of their work with Louisiana Advocates for Immigrants in Detention and how that work is informed by their Unitarian Universalist values.
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.
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 12 July 2025.
However, we also showing a significant COVID-19 uptick in our state as of 12 July 2025. This may be an early indication of the COVID-19 summer seasonal surge.
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 July 2025 give-away-the-plate recipient is North Louisiana Interfaith.
And you can contribute to All Souls using this online resource.
Light from Deep Under — Nida Abu Baker Returns to All Souls (27 July 2025)
Please join us next Sunday (27 July 2025) at 11:00 AM as we welcome Nida Abu Baker back to our pulpit (in person and in streaming video).
Nida is the daughter of Shukri Abu Baker (a member of the Holy Land Five still serving out a 65-year sentence for establishing the Holy Land Foundation charity that provided food, medicine, and educational supplies to Palestinian children and families).
Shukri Abu Baker and his charity founder partners were charged with “providing material support to Hamas.”
During his incarceration, Shukri has continued to write poetry and to draw, a testament to his relentless spirit. Nida will give us an update on how he is doing and read to us from his new book — Light from Deep Under.
We will also have an informal gathering after the service in the social hall where our members and friends in attendance will have a chance to talk with Nida and ask questions.
Children and Youth Summer Art Activity (20 July 2025)
For this Sunday, the children and youth will have a chance to sculpt with clay as they work with air-dry clay projects (part 1).
Online and In-Person Adult Religious Education (20 July 2025)
Please join us on Sunday (20 July 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 are hosting a viewing and discussion of “Apartheid-Free Communities” (UUJME Workshop from UUA General Assembly 2025 –a Panel Discussion with the Rev. Dr. Allison Tanner, Omar Barghouti, Devin Dadah, and our own Taha Hayat).
All Souls Shreveport was the first congregation in the UUA to sign the Apartheid-Free pledge. Because the whole workshop was an hour and a half, we’re going to watch Taha’s part first then we will decide how we want to divide the workshop to watch over the next couple of weeks.
Artist Sunday (10 August 2025)
Artist Sunday 2025 will happen on 10 August 2025 at 11:00 AM — a beloved All Souls tradition returns.
At the Artist Sunday worship service, every element of the service is some form of performing art, whether singing, dancing, instrumental music, or some other kind of performance.
Past celebrations have included magicians, belly dancers, contortionists, karate and tai chi demonstrations, and multiple variations on performance art.
On that same Sunday, we will also feature and art show and sale in the Religious Education wing.
Anyone interested in displaying or selling art should text Trinity Conant at 318-527-7848.
Yoga for Palestine (30 August 2025)
Please join us on Saturday (30 August 2025) for Yoga for Palestine with Dr. Mythili Bhat to benefit Al Jawad School for Displaced Children in the Gaza Strip.
There are two session times — 10:30 AM – 12:00 PM and 5:00 PM – 6:30 PM — fee by donation.
Join us for either or both of two sessions of yoga taught by Dr. Mythili Bhat — a yoga teacher with Yogis for Palestine. Both classes will be the same, so you can choose the one that fits your schedule or even attend both.
The classes will be open to all levels of yoga ability.
The Al Jawad School is the idea of Hadeel Al-Gharbawi (a journalist from the Gaza Strip who started by establishing an educational tent and is now preparing to establish a number of tents throughout the region).
These educational tents provide children with meaningful daytime activities, emotional support from a psychologist, instruction in languages and math, and essential skills such as hygiene to increase their survival chances amid diseases and epidemics. They learn kindness towards animals as well.
Zoom Lunch This Wednesday (23 July 2025)
Please join us next Wednesday (23 July 2025) at 12 noon for our weekly Zoom lunch.
Our weekly Zoom lunch is zoom-only this week.
If you do want to meet in person, send Susan a text message (318-465-3427) to let her know.
Bring your lunch and meet up with your All Souls friends, have lunch, and just catch up.
Meditation with Larry Androes (19 July 2025)
Please join us on Saturday (19 July 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.