Complete Service-First Unitarian Universalist Society of San Francisco

Rolling Down the Window The Rev. Dr. David Sammons This sermon will deal with why it's important to not forget those who have gone before us. It's not spooky for Mexicans, for instance, to visit the graves of the members of their families who have passed on. It's a way not only of honoring their ancestors, but of telling the Grim Reaper that he's got no sway over them. We all die, but death is nev...

The Speckled Bird The Rev. Dr. David Sammons A minister in Maine found himself wondering, as Emerson once did, what he was doing in church when what attracted him most during the week were his walks in the beautiful woods that lay behind his house. He just loved the speckled birds that chirped around his pond. But though he loved his walks, and felt in touch with the divine when he was on them, th...

We are delighted to welcome Sister Sheila Flynn back to our pulpit this Sunday. Sister Sheila has been an annual visitor to our congregation since she first came here in 2002 at the invitation of our Minister Emerita, Margot Campbell Gross. Sister Sheila’s ministry to women, children and men, infected and affected by HIV/AIDS in the poorest communities in South Africa. She is the founder, and ment...

Most days our lives are fine, then BAM, something bad happens, often something really bad, then what? What do we do? How do we handle, pain, frustration, humiliation, loss? Particularly when we are in the midst of what's happening it's hard to figure out how we're going to get through it and move on with our lives. But that's our task. Life is a gift and we owe it - and ourselves - a commitment to...

The metaphor of the interdependent web combines universalist love with unitarian wholeness into a vision of cosmic unity and goodness.  This is a large idea that lies at the heart of UU faith and asks us to stretch ourselves wide to be worthy of it. The Rev. Dr. Jay Atkinson, Guest Minister John Young, Worship Associate Dr. Mark Sumner, Choir Director Reiko Oda Lane, Organist & Bell Choi...

September is the month of High Holy Days, a time when people are asked to think about the mistakes they've made and how to deal with them. Mistakes can be embarrassing, but people are embarrassed by a lot of things that have nothing to do with mistakes, like when our Interim Senior Minister was asked to join in a flash dance at his son's recent wedding. This Sunday he'll explore what it is that ca...

In an intriguing book called Why Does the World Exist? Jim Holt, an explorer of the intersection of science and philosophy asks: "Why is there something rather than nothing?" If the answer is: "because some thing created something out of nothing," does that something have to be God? Dave Sammons has been wrestling with questions like this for a long time. Discovering that God might not have to be...

"In April at the Pacific Western Regional Assembly, Rev. Sarah Moldenhauer-Salazar preached a sermon that made waves across the Region inspiring a new way of thinking about Unitarian Universalism for the 21st century. She has agreed to come preach it for us. Please join us to hear Rev. Sarah's inspiring message. Rev. Sarah serves our movement as the President of the Pacific Central District UU Min...

"The idea of "home" has meaning for most people, but what is the meaning? Is home a place we're from and can come back to? Is it something in which we're rooted or something from which we want or need to escape? We'll explore the meaning of home in our lives on this, our "Homecoming Sunday," the time when we celebrate our new church year."

"Some say religion comes from a God-given revelation. But which of them is true? The one that came to Moses, the Buddha, Paul, Mohammad, Baha'u'llah Joseph Smith or Mary Baker Eddy? What if, instead of being based on revelation religion is just something that evolved from the time people began sitting around campfires and telling stories. If this is the case, how does Unitarian Universalism fit in...

"Small Group Ministries is an ongoing program to help us deepen our connections to each other, to grow spiritually, and to strengthen our San Francisco Unitarian Universalist community as a whole. Small Groups, each with about ten people, meet twice monthly to share important parts of their lives. They practice deep listening, which enables participants to form lasting friendships, a stronger comm...

"Dave Sammons often wears rather unusual garments when he preaches. They're called "chasubles." In the Roman Catholic tradition they are kind of over-garments worn by the priest in recognition of the liturgical season the church is now in. Dave's have  a different history and a different meaning. This Sunday he'll wear a chasuble whose design is taken from a painting by Alexander Calder...

"What does it mean to live a religious life if you are not what most people would consider religious? Unitarian Universalism is a unique religion in that it not only welcomes people who follow other faiths, but also those typically referred to as non-believers: atheists, agnostics, those who have rejected other faith traditions, and those who were raised, like today's guest preacher, to reject rel...

Do you remember when you first learned to ride? It was, at heart, an act of faith. Rev. Vail Weller is the Special Assistant to the President for Major Gifts at the Unitarian Universalist Association. She has served as a parish minister in West Virginia, Michigan, and most recently, San Mateo, CA.         Reverend Vail Weller, Guest Minister Reverend Dr. Joh...

Considered this country's poet laureate by many Americans of African descent, Langston Hughes' work also captured the feelings, experiences, and dreams common to all human beings.  Poetry, it has been said, the middle zone between words and music.  Langston Hughes wanted his poems to convey the spirit of American jazz. A look at his life, his religion, and his message. &nb...

Best known for his song-writing and union organizing activities, Woody Guthrie also produced a large quantity of writing (mostly unpublished) on matters of religion and spirituality in a strongly universalist vein. Rev. Steve Edington’s   book and sermon, Bring Your Own God, holds up some of these writings and places them in the context of Woody’s overall life. His book is the result of...

Without water to drink there is no life. The Unitarian Universalist Service Committee (UUSC) has chosen the “human right to water” as one of its primary four areas of focus.  It is an issue of environmental justice. This Sunday we will celebrate the justice work of the UUSC and the remarkable work we have been doing in California and around the world to make safe drinking water available...

Overcoming Social Anxiety to Recognize Belonging. For some of us, it can be hard to remember that we all belong in the interconnected web of life when we don’t even feel like we belong among our friends. Let’s explore together what it would look like to cut through our anxiety, recognize our belonging, and from that place invite our friends to join us Molly Johnson, Guest Preacher and Seminarian R...

The Reverend Dr. Stephen Furrer leading his last service as UUSF’s Interim Senior Minister, and joined by the incoming Interim Senior Minister, the Reverend Dr. David Sammons in which they will ceremonially hand over the ministerial reigns/mantle/keys and invite the worshipping community to renew its commitment to freedom of the pulpit and freedom of the pew.

For contemporary UUs it's easy to forget our Christian roots. The same is true for Dave Sammons. But coming off a long tenure on the board of a Progressive Christian seminary he has often wondered what it would be like if he actually were a Christian - not a Christian like you might find in a conservative church, but the kind of Christian one is being taught to be at a progressive school, like the...

Reverend Stephen Furrer shares some impressions on ministry, the sacred, church dynamics, his tenure at UUSF, and that which signifies. New Member In-gathering Ceremony during worship and a reception afterwards honoring our new members and the nearly concluded interim senior ministry of Reverend Stephen Furrer. The Rev. Dr. Stephen H. Furrer,Interim Senior Minister Christine Patch-Lindsay, Worship...

What If ? -- Complete delivered by The Rev. Alyson Jacks June 9, 2013 at 11:00 am The Rev. Alyson Jacks, Interim Director of Religious Education Christine Patch-Lindsay, Worship Associate Charmaine Emery, San Francisco Threshold Choir Director Members of the San Francisco and Bay Area Threshold Choirs Members of the UC Berkeley Alumni Chorus Eric Shackelford, Baritone Soloist Kerry Parker, Order o...

The 3rd Grade Rites of Passage service where four young theologians pose their BIG QUESTIONS to Revs. Furrer and Jacks. The 3rd grade Rites of Passage class and the culminating service has been part of our church community since 1993 and is a highlight of the church year.  The ROP program was created to strengthen our children's relationship to their church and honor their ongoing religi...

Rev Dr. Steve Furrer on the power and enchantment of our memories will consider the question of what it means to memorialize, as the weekend observances will do across the land.

Rev Joel Scholefield will share memories of growing up in the long-ago-sold church parsonage in Pacific Heights. Joel is an award-winning elementary school in Berkeley; despite doing it for 20 years, it was his second career. During his first career, Joel served UU congregations in Indiana, New York, and California. The Rev. Joel Scholefield, Guest Minister Rev. Dr. John Young, Worship Associate C...