Welcome Home! We are a community that celebrates diversity in Braintree, MA - Imagine the Freedom - More Spirituality, Less Religiousity

We accept you as you are...

It's no accident that you are here.

We are so happy you're visiting our website! We update it frequently, so be sure to drop by often. And please let us know if there's anything you'd like to add.

As a happily diverse community, we attempt to remain engaged with each other's differing views. Thus, we learn while sharing, remaining open to rational argument or spiritual enlightenment.

This allows us to minimize doctrine, ideology, dogma, creed, or any kind of fundamentalist, authoritative ideas that are not to be disputed or doubted. Those things can lead to suffering.

The glue that binds us together is the love of our community and an affirmation to promote the Seven Principles of Unitarian Universalism. (See the left side bar)

Many of us feel our spiritual lives are grounded in a sense of the fullness and connectedness of all things.

You can comfortably be spiritual without being religious in this community of seekers if you choose. (a choice not offered everywhere)

Our Services - September through June

During the regular church year, mid-September through mid-June, services are held on Sunday mornings at 10:30 a.m. During the summer months, mid-June through mid-September, abbreviated services are held at 9:30 a.m.

During the regular church year, children begin in the sanctuary with adults before going to their religious education classes. Child care is available for nursery and preschoolers.

Please check the Newcomers link at the top of this page for additional information you may find helpful.
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Upcoming Sunday Services - 10:30 AM

January 1 - New Years Day: Spontaneous Questions for the Pastor. This is our third installment of this participatory service: Questions and ... Let's Hope some Answers. Today, parishioners are given the opportunity to ask questions of the Pastor. Clean, theological or philosophical questions please.

January 8 - "Religious Humanism: A Sensible Approach to the Sacred:
The heart of Religious Humanism is the reliance on reason and science to promote the world that should be. Mysticism is the efforts and acts to touch and live out of the place where the sacred and holy is. Today, validating human experience as the heart of a modern religious path, and yet lifting up the wisdom of the mystics, we seek to find the common ground between spirituality and reason.
* This service will be followed by a very intentional Socratic-like discussion of All Souls Church strength and our journey forward.

January 15 - A Service on Martin Luther King -- Led by Ryan Harrison, Religious Education Coordinator
Martin Luther King Day has been a national holiday for less than a generation. Today, Ryan Harrison will figuratively and literally step into the role of one of the morally and historically significant characters of a plural world. Come for a civil rights-focused service led by our very own RE leader.

January 22 - "What I love about being a UU" Service
"our Heritiage," "Our Polity," "Our Breadth of Sources," "Our Service Committee and Commitment to Justice," "Our Values." In this service ofr all ages, our chief asset, our people, will be on display and serving up a personal pot luck dose of why they love the collective us. At this UU service the Children and Youth at this service are so welcome, they are in it!

January 29 - The Problem of/with Evil: Satan's Coming Out Party.
Evil is a clean word that captures the depth and sickness of human's potential badness. But it is also a word that lacks nuance. This sermon tells a few stories of human evil; traces a little of the Western understanding of evil and Satan; and poses real questions about the language we use to describe the nastiest of human behavior, and prompts us to cultivate the good All in less than 15 minutes. Wow, good luck to me!

All Souls Church, Unitarian Universalist

Our Vision is to be an open-minded spiritual community that celebrates diversity and lives successfully with both its gifts and challenges. We seek to understand and appreciate the great diversity of people and ideas in the world.

With our vision in mind, Our Mission, as All Souls Church, is to come together in community, to create opportunities for spiritual expression and exploration, to learn with and from each other, and to make a difference in the world.
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What Do We Love?

We love a Sense of Belonging, Celebration of Life, Fellowship, Spiritual Growth, Freedom, Ecology, Diversity, Justice, Earth, Same-sex Marriage, Humanity, Democracy, Nature, Music, Love, Liberty, Community, Sustainability, Sharing, Truth, Celebrating Common Values, Creativity, Honesty, Learning, Ethics, Interfaith Weddings, Compassion, The Braintree Farmers Market, Equality, Joy, Our 7 Principles... (See the left sidebar for The Seven Principles of Unitarian Universalism.)

Remember the caution of Paul Tillich and Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. that we not separate love from power. Why? Because love without power is sentimental and anemic, and power without love is reckless and abusive.

What Are Our Demographics?

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Here in Braintree, Massachusetts, on the south shore of Boston, our members and friends are happily all colors, all races, married, single, men, women, adults, youth, children, straight, gay, lesbian, bisexual, transgender, in, out, all sizes, all ages, all different abilities, etc...

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Our Backgrounds and Beliefs

Our members and friends backgrounds/beliefs include - Unitarian Universalism, Humanism, Buddhism, Theological Christianity, Judaism, Taoism, Neo-Paganism, Hinduism, Shinto, Islam, Native American Spirituality, Spiritualism, Agnosticism, Atheism, Pantheism, Creatheism, Environmentalism, etc. with more coming in.

Most resonate with more than one of the above.
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"Don't look to us for your answers. Our way is not The Way. Look into your own heart, and come as close to the voice of your own heart as you can so you can hear the voice of your own heritage. You must figure it out, and see through which tradition it will speak. You must find your own way." - Manuel Hoyongowa, Hopi
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"Therefore, Ananda, be a lamp unto yourself, be a refuge to yourself. Take yourself to no external refuge. Hold fast to the Truth as a lamp; hold fast to the Truth as a refuge. Look not for a refuge in anyone beside yourself. And those, Ananda, who either now or after I am dead shall be a lamp unto themselves, who take themselves to no external refuge, but holding fast to the Truth as their lamp, and holding fast to the Truth as their refuge, shall not look for refuge to anyone beside themselves, it is they who shall reach the highest goal." - Mahaparinibbana Sutta
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We've Got Small Groups!

A sampling of some of our intentional small groups - Chalice Circles, Monthly Book Group, Singing Meditation, Buddhist Reflections, Gay Men's Discussion Group, Women's Lesbian Support Group, Peace & Pizza, Coffee & Conversation, Yoga, Choir, Drummimg, Developing a Deeper Relationship with God etc. For more detailed information on our Small Groups, click on the Get Involved tab at the top of this page.

Rev. Steve Wilson

Rev. Steve Wilson was installed as the settled minister at All Souls Church in 2009. He has served family-sized Unitarian Universalist congregations in Rutland, Vermont, Northfield, MA, and Bernardston, MA. He came to Braintree after a six-month tenure at a growing church in Sydney, Australia.

A truly authentic worship leader, Rev. Wilson officiates at All Souls' Sunday services, which provide a time for reflection and meditation, music, and connection with others. Rev. Wilson brings to his ministry a rich background of experience in social justice and environmental activism. This experience enhances the ministry of All Souls Church, which has a long history of promoting social justice as well as environmental awareness. It has earned the Unitarian Universalist designation of "Welcoming Congregation", indicating a church community that embraces all individuals whether they are straight, gay, lesbian, bisexual or transgendered. It has also earned the designation "Green Sanctuary", indicating its commitment to environmental responsibility. As he began his tenure at All Souls, Rev. Wilson remarked, "I am excited to be here in a religious community that serves as a magnet for progressive thought and social action. For those who actively yearn for justice, love questions as much as answers, and want to live out their religious lives in a welcoming community, my brief time here has already convinced me that this is a great place."

Rev. Wilson has been working with the church's cooperative religious education committee to develop its engaging Sunday morning Young Explorers Program for children and youth. The program is in session on Sundays from 10:30 am to 11:45 am. It provides a variety of experiences, activities and fun time together to provide young people with the opportunity to nurture new friendships, support their individual journeys and be part of a caring community.

Summer Worship Services

Summer services can be really unusual, interesting or just plain fun. The image used to the right is not an actual summer service.
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A Past Service On George's Island

We had Native American flute and African hand drums for this service.
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350.org - International Day of Climate Action

All Souls Unitarian Universalist Church of Braintree took part in the most widespread day of environmental action in history -- over 5,200 events in 181 countries -- to call for a clear solution to the climate crisis: reducing the level of carbon dioxide in our atmosphere below 350 parts per million.

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