All Ages Worship (13 July 2025)

Please join us on Sunday (13 July 2025) at 11:00 AM for the dedication ceremony of our banned book bookshelf in memory of John Tuggle featuring guest speaker Loretta Casteen (Shreve Memorial Library Programming and Outreach Specialist).

Thanks to our outgoing Board President Sally Wood (who was inspired by a gift of banned books from her daughter), we now have a rapidly filling banned books bookshelf in the sanctuary foyer.

On this Sunday, we will dedicate the bookshelf to the memory of John Tuggle (who before his death in September 2024 was Director of the Shreve Memorial Library System and a fierce advocate for the right to read the books of our choosing free from censorship by those who would rewrite history and even write some of our fellow citizens out of existence).

Members and friends are invited to bring one or more banned books from your home library to donate to the bookshelf.

Want to find out what books have been banned?  Check out the American Library Association’s Banned Book Lists.

You may be surprised by some of the books on it and nearly every Unitarian Universalist probably going to own at least one banned book.

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 COVID,  flu and RSV maintaining a very low level but also showing a slight uptick in our state as of 5 July 2025.  This may be an early indication of the summer seasonal surge in respiratory illnesses.

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.

Online and In-Person Adult Religious Education (13 July 2025)

Please join us on Sunday (13 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 will have a viewing and discussion with an interview with Amanda Jones (Livingston Parish School Librarian and Author of That Librarian: The Fight Against Book Banning in America).

Amanda Jones talks about her experience speaking before the Livingston Parish Library Board and how that one talk made her a target of outside extremist hate groups.

Zoom Lunch This Wednesday (16 July 2025)

Please join us next Wednesday (16 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.

Monthly Building and Grounds Work Day (Saturday, 12 July 2025)

Our monthly building and grounds work day happens on the second Saturday on the month.

For July 2025, the work day will happen on Saturday (12 July 2025) from 9:00 AM to 1:00 PM.

There are tasks indoors and out for all ages and abilities along with snacks for the volunteers.

Meditation with Larry Androes (12 July 2025)

Please join us on Saturday (12 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.

All Ages Worship (6 July 2025)

Please join us on Sunday (6 July 2025) at 11:00 AM for “Reckoning with History and Ourselves” by Susan Caldwell.

On this 249th anniversary of our nation’s Declaration of Independence, we seem to be stepping back from the stated aspirations of our founders –who, imperfect as they were — put into words high standards for what this new Republic could be.

Over the years, we’ve made deeply flawed and faltering steps to live into those lofty words and progress has always met with backlash (as we are seeing now).

With so many recent attempts to erase the harder, less flattering parts of our history, it is neither unwise nor unpatriotic to fight that trend and teach it — warts, gaping wounds, and all.

May we love our country enough to want her to heal.

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 COVID,  flu and RSV maintaining a very low level but also showing a slight uptick in our state as of 28 June 2025.

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.

Online and In-Person Adult Religious Education (6 July 2025)

Please join us on Sunday (6 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.

We will continue last week’s topic — “What Makes You Laugh?” — facilitated by Susan Caldwell and Barbara Deger.

Some of us have found that the one thing keeping us tethered to some sense of reality and/or hope is the ability to laugh and the people who help us do that.

Barbara and Susan have chosen a few samples to share with you although they’re also hoping you will have some recommendations too!

Who knows?  We may even make this one a series.

We need it after all!