Joining All Souls New Member Orientation 2017 1500 Harvard St NW, Washington DC 20009 202.332.5266 www.all-souls.org
All Souls Mission and Vision Mission Statement To create a diverse, spirit-growing, justice-seeking community that transforms ourselves and the world into one great family of all souls. Vision To build the Beloved Community, All Souls Church cultivates and celebrates: spiritual growth and transformation as we question, learn from others, and seek lives of meaning and reverence; a welcoming, diverse, and vibrant community where we love, respect, and care for one another; service and prophetic action to move the world toward justice, healing, and sustainability. Expectations of Membership Deciding to join All Souls is a commitment one we hope will enrich your life. All Souls encourages its members to: 1. Worship regularly at Sunday services. Weekly worship cements the bonds of community and keeps our attention directed to our highest values, while nurturing our spirits. 2. Serve the church. All Souls Church works because members find ways to give of themselves, whether through singing, educating, sharing their passion for social justice, cooking, greeting the list of tasks goes on. Find ways to give back that nurture your own soul and spiritual growth. 3. Connect with other All Souls members. We are a large congregation and it can be hard to form community and feel cared for when you are one of many. By joining a small group, you not only get to know others at the church, but they get to know you and can better care for you when needed. 4. Support All Souls with personally generous financial contributions. Giving not only supports the congregation, but can also be a spiritual discipline. Members are encouraged to define generous in the contexts of your family and its commitments. 2
Ways to get involved at All Souls Church Usher at Sunday services, handing out programs and helping folks find seats. Greet newcomers before and after worship, showing a friendly face and answering questions about our church. Collect and count the Sunday plate offering. Join the ministers in the pulpit as a worship associate. Prepare lunch for the entire congregation once a month with the lunch ministry. Ring our Revere bell in the steeple before worship. Provide flowers for a worship service. Sing in one of our choirs. Play djembe drums with Akoma @ All Souls. Strum in our bluegrass band. Lead chants or play instruments at our monthly Vespers service. Teach a religious education class for our children and youth. Mentor a teenager as they prepare their statement of faith. Lead Our While Lives (OWL a sexuality and relationship curriculum) for children or adults. Create or take an Adult Spiritual Development class. Facilitate or participate in a covenant group. Help organize the annual All Souls seder. Meditate with the Mindful Souls. Participate in Clearness Gatherings. Join the Pastoral Care Team and accompany fellow congregants through times of illness and loss. Sign cards of condolence and congratulations at the Caring Card Table. Join an affinity group, such as the Black Souls, the Rainbow Souls, the Young Souls, the Souls in the Center, or the Silver Souls. Tend to the church s flowers and trees with the Gardening Committee. Make the church beautiful with the Sacred Spaces Committee. Work with the Safety Committee. Volunteer a bedroom for the B&B program. Go to Weekend on the Bay, church picnic, or crab fest. Help with the church s social media. Register voters with Reeb Project for Voting Rights. Work for environmental sustainability with the Green Souls Collect/bag groceries for the Thanksgiving Neighbors in Need food drive. Join the Reproductive Justice Committee, Affordable Housing Corporation Board, the Washington Interfaith Network, UUs for Social Justice, or the Beckner Fund. Fight racism with the 8th Principle Ministry, ADORE (A Dialogue On Race and Ethnicity), and Jubilee Anti-Racism Training. Teach English as a Second Language. Focus on world peace with the Heiwa Peace Project. Buy fair-trade goods on Sundays. Volunteer at Beacon House. Participate in church leadership and governance with the Committee of Right Relations, Committee on Ministry, Leadership Development Committee, Church Council, or Board of Trustees. Serve as a church officer. Attend the annual congregational meeting. Help with the annual generosity campaign, the church auction, or other fundraising events. Offer financial knowledge with the Stewardship, Investment, or Audit Committees. Plug into the wider UU community with the Denominational Connections Committee. Be a delegate at the annual UUA General Assembly. Explore All Souls history with the Archives Committee. Travel with a pilgrimage group. Suggest new creative things to do. Get to know others, and let others get to know you. Be humble, be grateful, and have a blast. 3
Roots & Wings Roots & Wings is a six-session exploration of All Souls, Unitarian Universalism, and your own spiritual journey. It's also a great way to bond with a smaller group of your fellow congregants. Register at www.all-souls.org/ asd. Covenant Groups A covenant group is a gathering of eight to twelve members and friends of All Souls Church, who agree (or covenant) to meet once or twice a month to build strong relationships with each other and with the church, reflect on the church s monthly spiritual themes, and to support spiritual growth. Covenant groups encourage people to talk, learn, work, and play together. Members may share their life stories, offer support, and engage in work to serve the church community. Covenant groups offer caring networks and support the engagement of their members in all facets of church life. In a covenant group, people form relationships that affirm the inherent worth and dignity of every person. People experience themselves and each other as part of the interdependent web of existence. Together, people establish communities that embody the values of justice, democracy, and equality. Each person is treated equitably. Each member has a voice that is heard. The group forms its covenant by setting the ground rules for the group s interactions, agreeing to make attendance a priority, committing to welcoming new members as vacancies occur, and performing an annual church service project. Participating in a covenant group is a spiritual practice. Each meeting begins with a devotional, a reading, or prayer that inspires the members and prepares the group for reflection on the church s monthly spiritual themes. Each member checks in by responding briefly to a prompt such as, What did you bring with you to the group today? What have you left behind? After each member has had an opportunity to share, the group discusses the monthly theme. The format of the discussion is left to the group to decide. Some groups use the monthly covenant group guide to begin the reflection; others share offerings that have personal significance. After the reflection draws to a close, a member reads or recites closing words that reinforce the group s understand of the monthly theme. Covenant groups are coordinated by lay members who are responsible for making any necessary arrangements for the meeting, facilitating the discussion, and making certain that everyone is heard. To join a covenant group, go to www.all-souls/covenant-groups and complete the brief survey that will be used to match members with open or beginning covenant groups. For more information, contact Gary Penn (gpenn@allsouls.ws; 202.517.1465). 4
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Member Database Create a login 1. Go to www.all-souls.org. 2. Click on Member database login in the left-hand column. 3. Under the login box, click on Need a login? 4. Enter your first and last names, and email. Then, click Find Me. 5. You ll receive an email containing your username and a temporary password. 6. Return to the login box and enter the username and password. 7. After logging in, change your password. Get the Church Life app 1. Search for and install for ACS Church Life from your iphone or Android app store (or go to www.churchlife.mobi on other devices). 2. Sign in with the same login as above. What can I do in the database/app? View or update your member profile. Add family and individual photos. Register for events and classes. View the church calendar. Set up one-time and recurring donations to the church. Print membership directories. Print, view, or email members of your small groups. View and respond to outreach assignments. Search and sign up for serving opportunities. 8
Generosity Pledging and giving are an important part of membership. We are a self-sustaining religious community, dependent on the generosity of our members and friends. We ask that you consider what All Souls means to you and give accordingly. We are very aware that each of us has our own circumstances, and so we never insist on a minimum gift; we just ask that you determine what you are able to give within your own means. A pledge is a commitment to make a gift in the future. Every fall, we hold our pledge drive, during which congregants promise to make a gift or gifts over the course of the following calendar year. (Pledges made in October 2017 will reference gifts for 2018.) Pledges are important because they help the church predict its income for next year, allowing us to create a budget that covers everything, from utility bills to programs such as music and religious education. This chart gives you a very rough guide to how much you might want to pledge each year. Adjusted income is your income plus any unusual income (e.g., inheritances, business returns, investments) minus any unusual expenses (e.g., medical, parental care, financial losses). Each of us has unique circumstances to consider in this calculation. The flexibility to include meaningful exceptions in your financial life is what makes this Guide fair and useful. Use this tool in the spirit of the Congregationalist tradition; individual and collective responsibility for resourcing our congregations and our movement. The gifts that fulfill a pledge can be given all at once or over the year at regular intervals (most often monthly). There are several ways you can make gifts and set up recurring draws. Use the database or app (see previous page). Text ascu to 73256 and followithe instructions (very convenient during the Sunday collection for those who don t carry cash). Ask your bank to send periodical checks to fulfill your pledge. The only information they ll need is our name (All Souls Church Unitarian) and address (1500 Harvard St NW, Washington DC 20009). We re too small for direct transfers, so they ll actually print and mail paper checks to us. (This method also saves the church the fees charged for other online/database/text gifts.) Put checks or cash in a pew envelope and drop it in the basket on Sunday (be sure to put your name on the envelope). Finally, you can contact Gary Penn (gpenn@allsouls.ws; 202.517.1465), who will happily set up a gift draw for you. Whatever gifts you make, of whatever size, whether financial or of time and talent, are greatly appreciated! 9
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