Details at a Glance:
About the Program
All Souls Day Alliance is excited to welcome this month's speaker, Janine Collier, Director of Programs for Family Safety Center.
The Family Safety Center strives to provide wrap-around services offering protection, hope and healing to victims of interpersonal and family violence.
RSVP By Monday, April 13
Janine will be the All Souls Day Alliance speaker on Thursday, April 16, 2026. RSVP by Monday, April 13, by emailing [email protected] Lunch begins at 11:30AM at All Souls Unitarian Church in Tulsa, OK (2952 S. Peoria Ave); Malinda will begin after lunch.
Officers Presented
Officers for the Alliance's 2026-2027 season also will be presented.
Day Alliance is our longest-standing group and offers closer fellowship through monthly luncheon meetings and programs over a variety of interests. Day Alliance also provides hospitality support for memorial receptions and donates to support All Souls.
Membership & Lunch
If you haven’t yet renewed your Day Alliance membership for the year, you can do so at the meeting.
Please RSVP to [email protected]
Details at a Glance
Find something unique and support a great cause at the All Souls Spring Art Market!
Featuring local artisans and crafts people from across the state, this two-day event is your opportunity to shop handmade jewelry, textiles, paintings, and more.
But it's not just about what you'll find, it's also about what you'll support.
A portion of every purchase (10% of all proceeds) goes directly to the All Souls Youth Department, helping fund their annual pilgrimage to Boston. Your support helps create opportunities for growth, connection, and meaningful experiences for the next generation in our community.
Come browse, connect, and celebrate these creative artists, while knowing that every purchase makes a difference.
“I came in here with like a stone… and then… shaped it into a statue.”
That’s how one student described the Coming of Age experience at All Souls—not as something that gave them new beliefs, but as something that helped shape what was already there.
Over the course of the program, students are invited to reflect on their values, their questions, and their understanding of the world around them. The result is a credo—a personal statement of belief—that each student will share with the congregation on April 12. But the real work isn’t in writing the words. It’s in figuring out what those words mean.
For many students, that process begins with something familiar but undefined.
“It was just floating around in my head… all these pieces that I just kind of had to piece together.”
Coming of Age doesn’t hand students a set of answers. Instead, it creates space to reflect, ask questions, and begin making sense of ideas that may have been sitting just below the surface for years.
That clarity often comes through writing.
“I know what I believe… but putting it on paper actually solidified it and put it into perspective.”
What starts as something abstract—feelings, instincts, values—begins to take shape through language. Writing becomes more than an assignment; it becomes a way of understanding.
“Writing my credo… gave me time to actually process stuff in my brain and lay it out into wording that makes sense to me.”
That process expands beyond the classroom.
As part of the Coming of Age journey, students travel to Boston—home to much of Unitarian history—and explore the roots of a tradition built on freedom of belief, questioning, and personal responsibility.
One of the most meaningful moments comes at Walden Pond, where students are given time to step away on their own, journal in hand, and begin shaping their credos.
In the same place where Henry David Thoreau once reflected on life, purpose, and simplicity, students are invited to do something similar: slow down, pay attention, and consider what they believe.
In that stillness, ideas that once felt scattered begin to connect. Thoughts become sentences. Beliefs become something they can return to, revise, and eventually share.
And now, that process is leading to something new.
Because understanding what you believe is one thing. Saying it out loud is another.
In just a three minutes, each student is asked to do something that even many adults find difficult—to stand in front of a congregation and speak honestly about their values, their questions, and the way they see the world.
As they prepare to share their credos, there’s also an understanding that what they’re expressing isn’t fixed or final.
“This credo… is a snapshot in time. Your beliefs will be different a year from now, six months from now.”
The goal isn’t certainty. It’s awareness.
On Sunday, April 12, each student will stand and share what they believe—not as a final answer, but as an honest expression of who they are right now.
And in that act—of speaking clearly, of naming something deeply personal—belief becomes something more than an internal feeling.
It becomes a voice.
For students who will come after them, that journey is just beginning.
Each year, a new class of 9th graders steps into the Coming of Age program—bringing their own questions, perspectives, and voices.
To learn more about the program or how to get involved, reach out to Corey Smith at [email protected]
Each year, All Souls Unitarian Church recognizes individuals who have made an enduring impact on the life of this community—people whose presence, service, and care help shape who we are.
On Sunday, March 22, 2026, we honored Larry and Phyllis Wolverton with the 2026 Heart & Soul Award, celebrating nearly five decades of dedication to All Souls.
The Wolvertons first came to All Souls in 1979 and quickly became involved, beginning as ushers and continuing into a lifetime of service that has touched nearly every corner of All Souls.
Phyllis has spent years quietly doing the kind of work that often goes unseen but is deeply felt. From volunteering in partner schools for over 20 years as a tutor and reading buddy, to coordinating family dinners, to serving through the Community Resource Bank—her care has extended far beyond the walls of the church.
At one point, she even took on a job no one else wanted—washing, drying, and folding t-shirts twice a week for students at then named Jackson Elementary—an act of service that earned her recognition as Tulsa Public Schools Senior Volunteer of the Year.
Larry’s leadership and commitment have been just as expansive. From serving on the Board of Trustees and multiple committees, to helping lead stewardship efforts, to his long-standing work with the Green Team, Larry has helped guide and sustain our community in both visible and behind-the-scenes ways.
He has also quite literally helped carry some of us—driving church vans and shuttles for years to ensure that children and adults alike could fully participate in the life of All Souls.
Together, their contributions tell a larger story—not just of involvement, but of consistency, generosity, and a deep commitment to others.
"Larry and Phyllis have given so much to make this congregation what it is today."
Rev. Dr. Marlin Lavanhar, All Souls Senior Minister
The Heart & Soul Award is more than recognition—it’s a reflection of what makes this community thrive. People who show up. People who care. People who give their time, energy, and heart to something larger than themselves.
We are deeply grateful for Larry and Phyllis—and for all those who continue to build All Souls with Love Beyond Belief.
Easter weekend at All Souls offers space for reflection, renewal, and celebration—moving from the quiet depths of Tenebrae into the joy and possibility of Easter morning. However you choose to participate, you are welcome here.
Tenebrae Service
Friday, April 3, 2026 | 7:00 PM | All Souls Chapel
Our modern Tenebrae service features a silent, progressive extinguishing of candles. As we move into the darkness—reflecting sorrow, suffering, and loss—we also make space for what follows: renewal, hope, and light.
This is a quiet, contemplative service for anyone seeking depth, reflection, and meaning.
Unitarian Universalist Communion
Sunday, April 5, 2026 | 9:30 AM | All Souls Chapel
This simple, meaningful ritual invites us to gather in community and share bread and drink in remembrance—not of doctrine, but of our highest values.
In the Unitarian tradition, communion is a moment to reflect, reconnect, and recommit—to ourselves, to one another, and to the kind of life we are striving to live. All are welcome at the table.
Easter Sunday Service
Sunday, April 5, 2026 | 10:00 AM | All Souls Sanctuary
Join us for our Easter Sunday service at All Souls as we celebrate renewal, transformation, and the enduring power of love. Through music, message, and shared experience, we mark this season of new beginnings together.
Easter Egg Hunt
Sunday, April 5, 2026 | 11:15 AM | West Playground
Children and youth are invited to gather for a festive Easter egg hunt following the service. Bring your baskets and meet by the west playground for a joyful and community-centered tradition.
The Point Humanist Hour Service
Sunday, April 5, 2026, 11:30 AM | All Souls Sanctuary
Our Humanist Hour continues with a thoughtful gathering grounded in human experience, curiosity, and connection. Whether or not Easter holds religious meaning for you, this is a space for reflection rooted in shared humanity.
Details at a Glance
As we move into spring and closer to Easter, we invite you into a quieter, more reflective space.
Tenebrae is a contemplative service centered on the gradual extinguishing of light. Through music, readings, and silence, we acknowledge the reality of sorrow, loss, and uncertainty in our own lives and the world around us.
Rather than rushing past the darkness, this service creates space to sit within it. And in doing so, it opens the possibility for renewal, healing, and the return of light.
Whether this tradition is familiar or entirely new, you are welcome here.
For many, religion has been a source of harm rather than healing.
Recovery from Religious Wounds - moderated by Rev. Randy Lewis and Greg Bledsoe - is a support group designated to create space for those experiences. This support group offers a compassionate, nonjudgmental environment to process, reflect, and begin healing.
Together, participants explore and share the impact of harmful religious experiences, reconnect with their own sense of self, and move toward a healthier understanding of spirituality, religion, and belonging.
This week we highlight songwriter, composer, and performer Ysaӱe Maria Barnwell. In 1979 she became a member of the African American a cappella ensemble Sweet Honey in the Rock, performing with the group until 2013.
Barnwell has three songs published in Singing the Journey, the Unitarian Universalist Association supplement to the hymnal Singing the Living Tradition. One of these, “Breaths,” is a favorite at All Souls Unitarian Church and is often included in worship services.
In addition to writing many of Sweet Honey in the Rock’s songs, Barnwell conducts music workshops throughout the United States, the United Kingdom, Canada, and Australia. Among these is a workshop she created titled “Building a Vocal Community: Singing in the African American Tradition.” This program uses oral tradition, an African worldview, and African American history, values, cultural practices, and vocal traditions to build communities of song among both singers and non-singers.
In 1977, Barnwell founded the Jubilee Singers, a choir at All Souls Church, Unitarian in Washington, D.C..
Barnwell was raised in Harlem, New York City, and later in Jamaica, Queens. The daughter of a violinist, she began studying the violin with her father at just two and a half years old and continued for fifteen years.
She earned bachelor’s and master’s degrees in speech pathology from State University of New York at Geneseo in 1967 and 1968, followed by a PhD in speech pathology from University of Pittsburgh in 1975. In 1981, she earned a Master of Science in Public Health from Howard University.
Barnwell later served as a professor at the Howard University College of Dentistry for more than a decade. She also developed training programs in child protection at Children's National Medical Center and administered community-based health programs at Gallaudet University, all in Washington, DC.
Today, we highlight musician and song writer Heidi Ann Wilson.
On Sunday, March 8, Shannon Boston taught the All Souls Unitarian Church congregation a new song called Hold On. In recent months, the song has become widely sung at protests supporting immigrants and opposing deportations.
Hold On has been published in the UUA online hymnal Sing Out Love..
Hold On was written by Heidi Ann Wilson, a songwriter dedicated to sharing music in service to community and the living world. Her songs celebrate the seasons, bring people together, offer gratitude, inspire courage, and create space for connection and healing.
For the past 20 years, Heidi has led community singing groups in Vermont and beyond, exploring the powerful and often surprising process of deep listening and emergent music-making.
Heidi also sings in the trio Heartwood. The three singers met in 2019 while touring and teaching with Northern Harmony, a group known for singing traditional harmony music from around the world. As Heartwood, they explore music inspired by the woods, water, rocks, and trees. Gathering in wild places, they collaborate with the landscape itself, creating music both for performance and for community singing.
Spring planting season is here, and the All Souls Garden Team invites you to help grow something lasting through the Memorial Garden Legacy Tree Fundraiser.
For a minimum donation of $50, members and friends of All Souls can sponsor drought-hardy trees suited for Oklahoma landscapes. Trees can be planted at your home, delivered if needed, or placed on the All Souls campus as a memorial or tribute. Every donation supports the ongoing care and renewal of the All Souls Memorial Garden.
The project is supported by members of the Garden Team who have been working to restore and revitalize the church grounds, including the Memorial Garden. Among them is longtime member Terry Lastinger.
“As a hobby, I’ve been growing trees for about 30 years and giving them away,” Terry said. “When I moved into a condo with just a balcony, I decided to keep growing them—and eventually started bringing them here so they could find homes.”
The effort has grown into the Legacy Tree Project, now in its second year. Last year alone, trees from the project helped plant nine new trees on the All Souls campus, some grown from seeds or cuttings taken from trees already on church grounds.
“Some of the trees we planted actually came from seeds or cuttings from trees that already exist on campus,” Terry explained. “So in a way, we’re continuing their legacy.”
The trees offered through the project are selected specifically for Oklahoma’s climate and conditions.
“All of the trees we grow are hardy,” Terry said. “They’re drought tolerant, insect tolerant, and disease tolerant—trees that should last a long time.”
Terry Lastinger, All Souls Garden Team
In addition to planting trees at home, members can also choose to have a tree placed on the church campus in honor or memory of someone special. For those who would like help planting their tree, the All Souls Youth group has even volunteered to assist for an additional fee—turning the effort into another way to support the church community.
Ultimately, the project is about more than planting trees. It’s about caring for the land that holds our shared memories—spaces where people gather, reflect, and remember loved ones.
To explore available trees or sponsor one, visit: allsouls.me/trees.
