All Souls Unitarian Church

What is the 4th of July to someone who was never free to celebrate it? In 1852, Frederick Douglass posed that very question to a nation still holding Black Americans in bondage — and the answer he gave still cuts just as deep today. Subscribe: https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/all-souls-unitarian-church/id193096943 Watch this message on YouTube: https://youtu.be/qzC6LDiTrek Give a donation to he...

250 years ago, a group of rebels signed their names to words that could have gotten them killed — words that have never stopped being dangerous. What does it really mean to be a conservative in America today? And what if everything you thought you knew about that word was backwards? From Frederick Douglass to Abraham Lincoln to Martin Luther King Jr., generation after generation has reached back t...

One night. One stage. One choice that kept a city from burning. And a question that has been following us ever since, hidden in a song we thought we already knew. What does it cost to love something honestly, after you have seen the whole of it? And what are we quietly handing down while we look the other way? The reflection was delivered on Sunday, June 21, 2026, at All Souls Unitarian Church in...

What does it truly take to change not just laws, but hearts? History has shown that the most powerful social transformations don't happen overnight — they unfold through years of patient, courageous, sometimes uncomfortable work done together in community. From a two-spirit love song honoring ancestors to the story of an elderly woman who stumbled into the wrong classroom and walked out transf...

What if the faith tradition you belong to — or are curious about — has been quietly weaving together the Bible, the natural world, and human reason for over 400 years? The story begins with a shipwrecked man who swore he'd never preach again, a farmer who built a chapel and waited a decade for someone to fill it, and a wind that changed at exactly the right moment. It continues through the tra...

As the winds of Pentecost move through the room, the question is not whether chaos will come, but whether it will claim our humanity. When fear scatters us and division grows loud, can the ember of hope still burn long enough to draw us back into a larger, braver, more compassionate community? Subscribe: https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/all-souls-unitarian-church/id193096943 https://youtu.be/6T...

What does love actually look like — not in theory, but on a Wednesday night at 10pm when the phone won't stop ringing? A Dragon software program, a frazzled minister, and a teenager who can't find their CD accidentally capture something profound: that the most sacred acts of love are often the ones no one notices. Bell hooks insisted love isn't a feeling — it's action, practice, th...

Why does mercy so often feel unfair? And why might it be the very thing that makes wholeness possible? In “Know Mercy, No Regrets,” Rev. Dr. Marlin Lavanhar explores mercy as the kind of love that isn’t something you earn. It isn’t a reward for good behavior, and it isn’t a transaction. Mercy is what shows up when someone could punish you… but chooses compassion instead. Through the story of Josep...

These messages were delivered on Sunday, April 26, 2026, at All Souls Unitarian Church in Tulsa, Oklahoma, by our graduating seniors. Violet Voelker, Anjelita Letterman, Nate Gillispie, Cassius Clark,Gary Mize, Emerson Shankle-Knowlton, and Carter Viles all spoke. Together, these voices ask: What do we owe each other? What does it cost to be ourselves? And what does it look like when a community a...

The message was delivered on Sunday, April 19, 2026, at All Souls Unitarian Church in Tulsa, Oklahoma, by Rev. Dr. Marlin Lavanhar, Senior Minister. Description: A village builds a bell to call out harm — and rings it well. But when a child asks, "After the bell rings, what happens next?" the elders have no answer. What does it mean to hold someone accountable and still believe they can change? Wh...

"I BELIEVE" 10 AM Coming of Age Service | April 12, 2026 Speakers: Owen Showalter, David Rodman, Muriel Arthrell-Knezek, Tucker Meek, Hunter Reece Smith, Imogen Mize, Finn Burk, Cedar Jacob, Oliver Voelker Introduction by Corey Smith, Youth Coordinator and Commisioning by Rev. Dr. Marlin Lavanhar. Description: What does it mean to truly believe something — not because you were told to, but because...

The message was delivered on Sunday, April 5, 2026, at All Souls Unitarian Church in Tulsa, Oklahoma, by Rev. Randy Lewis, Assistant Minister. Description: What happens when a moment slips away, leaving you to wonder if it's truly over? Explore the delicate dance of returning to love and authenticity in our lives. Delve into the stories that have echoed through time, revealing the profound truth t...

March 22, 2026 | Celebrating 105 years of All Souls | Rev. Dr. Marlin Lavanhar Description: What does it mean to leave something behind that truly matters? From the engineers who reshaped Oklahoma's waterways to the judges who challenged mass incarceration, one community in Tulsa has quietly shaped the arc of a city for over a century — and most people have never heard the full story. Legacy isn't...

The message was delivered on Sunday, March 15, 2026, at All Souls Unitarian Church in Tulsa, Oklahoma, by Rev. Randy Lewis, Assistant Minister. Description: What happens when the voices that claim to speak for the divine actually silence our own? As we navigate a world where power and influence intersect, consider the cost of compliance versus the courage of authenticity. What if reclaiming your v...

The message was delivered on Sunday, February 15, 2026, at All Souls Unitarian Church in Tulsa, Oklahoma, by Rev. Dr. Nicole Kirk, Program Minister. Description: What happens when a premature infant stops breathing and a world-renowned doctor declares he sees a "wise soul"? This moment sparked a 25-year contemplation on what the soul truly is—not something to be saved or damned, but our creative e...

The message was delivered on Sunday, February 8, 2026, at All Souls Unitarian Church in Tulsa, Oklahoma, by Rev. Randy Lewis, Assistant Minister. Description: What does it mean to truly embrace freedom in a world shaped by history and experience? As we explore the depths of resilience, we are invited to confront the complexities of survival and the invisible scars that linger. How do we transform...

The message was delivered on Sunday, February 1, 2026, at All Souls Unitarian Church in Tulsa, Oklahoma, by Rev. Dr. Wil Gafney, Guest Minister. Description: What happens when the giants we face are not just individuals, but the very empires that shape our world? Explore the intricate battles of identity, sovereignty, and survival that lie beneath the surface of familiar narratives. As we confront...

The message was delivered on Sunday, February 1, 2026, at All Souls Unitarian Church in Tulsa, Oklahoma, by Rev. Randy Lewis, Assistant Minister. Description: In a world where laughter sometimes feels out of reach, what happens when the weight of grief and joy intertwines? Explore the delicate balance of human emotion and the transformative power of seeing one another as we navigate our shared rea...

The message was delivered on Sunday, January 25, 2026, at All Souls Unitarian Church in Tulsa, Oklahoma, by Rev. Dr. Marlin Lavanhar, Senior Minister. Description: What if the story of our existence transcends ancient texts, uniting diverse cultures and beliefs? Imagine a narrative where the very atoms in your body trace back to the stars, revealing a connection that binds us all. With thousands o...

The message was delivered on Sunday, January 18, 2026, at All Souls Unitarian Church in Tulsa, Oklahoma, by Rev. Dr. Nicole Kirk, Program Minister. Description: In a world where crises unfold and humanity grapples with injustice, how do we find our bearings? Explore the powerful connections that weave us together in an inescapable network of mutuality, echoing the wisdom of figures like Martin Lut...

The message was delivered on Sunday, January 11, 2026, at All Souls Unitarian Church in Tulsa, Oklahoma, by Rev. Justin Schroeder, Guest Minister. Description: What if the very forces that break us open are the same ones that reveal what we're willing to fight for? Like a double helix winding through our lives, grief and gratitude spiral together—each one revealing the other, stretching us wider t...

The message was delivered on Sunday, December 28, 2025, at All Souls Unitarian Church in Tulsa, Oklahoma, by Rev. Randy Lewis, Assistant Minister. Description: In a world where certainty often drowns out understanding, what happens when we embrace the complexities of belief and connection? Imagine a space that invites curiosity over judgment, where the journey of growth is celebrated rather than s...

The message was delivered on Sunday, December 28, 2025, at All Souls Unitarian Church in Tulsa, Oklahoma, by Rev. Randy Lewis, Assistant Minister. Description: Step into a space where faith and uncertainty intertwine, where the silence of profound moments gives way to the richness of human connection. Explore the complexities of belief as you journey through the heart of what it means to live in t...

The message was delivered on Sunday, January 4, 2026, at All Souls Unitarian Church in Tulsa, Oklahoma, by Rev. Dr. Marlin Lavanhar, Senior Minister. DESCRIPTION: What happens when a nation founded on self-evident truths begins to lose sight of its founding principles? As America stands at a crossroads 250 years after its founding, the fundamental question emerges: are we guided by justice and lib...

The message was delivered on Sunday, December 21, 2025, at All Souls Unitarian Church in Tulsa, Oklahoma, by Rev. Dr. Marlin Lavanhar, Senior Minister. Description: What happens when you've been walking through the valley of shadow for so long that you can only see far enough to place one foot in front of the other? On the darkest day of the year, discover why ancient peoples understood darkness n...