Ongoing on Wednesdays (alphabetical order)
Creative Play with Linda Alred
In Person: Artists’ Atelier
Re-ignite your creativity, play along with others, relieve stress, try new things, and have fun! We’ll be thinking outside the box with a variety of materials and ideas throughout the season. Bring your ideas and your imagination.
Kick-Boxing for Everyone
In Person: Presidents’ Room
Join us for an energetic and empowering kick-boxing class led by Noah Johnson from Aspire Fitness! In this fun and supportive environment, you’ll learn boxing techniques, self-defense skills, and core-strengthening exercises, all at a level suitable for beginners and experienced participants alike.
Sunday Circle on Wednesday
In Person: Room 206 | Online: bit.ly/wednesdaycircle
Members moderate this conversational ministry from a spiritual point of view, governed by a commitment to our covenant. All are welcome to join in person (during Wednesday Community Connections) or on Zoom year round!
Writers' Circle with Katja Blum (Online Only)
On Zoom: bit.ly/kbwriting
In this group, we explore our own voices and engage with each other and our world through our writing. Fiction and nonfiction writers are equally welcome. Our goal is to share our stories and improve our creative writing skills together. The group is facilitated by author and creative writing teacher Katja Blum.
Yoga for Every Body with Stacie Beckert
In Person: Room 207
Take part in empowering, restorative yoga for every body type. Come expand your mind and stretch your body.
Winter-Spring 2025 Classes (alphabetical order)
Armchair Garden Tours with Terry Lastinger
Jan. 29, Feb. 26, March 26 & April 23
In Person: Room 128
Put on your virtual walking shoes and enjoy four of the world’s most enchanting botanic gardens.
- January 29: Kirstenbosch Botanical Gardens, Cape Town, South Africa
- February 26: Keukenhof Gardens, Amsterdam, Holland
- March 26: Butchart Gardens, Victoria, Canada
- April 23: El Charco del Ingenio, San Miguel, Mexico (in Room 112)
Belonging Circle (Feb. 12)
In Person: Room 203
As a follow up to the Foundations class, this introduction to Small Group Ministry will welcome new members to the practice of sharing and deep listening that is a cornerstone of All Souls’ congregational work.
'The Cult of Christianity" Book Talk with Mike Williams & Rev. Dr. Marlin Lavanhar
April 23 | In Person: All Souls Sanctuary
In his bold yet controversial net book, "The Cult of Christianity" Mike Williams takes on the religious dogmas, oral traditions, borrowed myths and outright lies that make up so much of what Christians believe, and from which they need to be freed. Biblical literalism, a relatively new way of interpreting the Bible, which would be completely foreign to the First Century Christians of the New Testament, is strangling Christianity and killing the Church. Discover the origins of Bishop Carlton Pearson's 'The Gospel of Inclusion.' Is it New Age? Is it new at all? What would the early church fathers have thought about Inclusions and Ultimate Reconciliaton? Lear about the rise of Christian Nationalism and the negative impact it has had on the christian church. Who or what is the devil? From where did the concept originate? Why are christians so devoted to the devil and the idea of hell? Come and learn the answers to these questions and so much more.
End Of Life Decisions Workshops (April 9-23)
In Person: Room 120
Join the All Souls Life Decisions Team to learn about many of the ways our community is here to help at our inevitable end of life and how a little bit of planning can make a difficult time much easier for everyone involved. Learn how to have the conversations now that will allow future events to unfold without unnecessary surprises or catastrophe.
- April 9 - Session 1: Starting the Discussion
- April 16 - Session 2: Forms for Peace of Mind
- April 23 - Specific Planning, Including Your Memorial Service
Forest Bathing with Sue Woodward (March 26)
In Person: Room 129 and on church grounds
Join Sue Woodward, certified Forest Therapy Guide, in a practice that supports health and wellness through guided immersion in the outdoors to promote the well-being of both people and the land. Sue will guide us to slow down, allow the senses to open and experience the environment to deepen the reciprocal relationship between participants and nature.
Foundations of Unitarian Universalism (Jan. 22-Feb. 5)
In Person: Room 112 | Online: allsouls.me/foundations
Join our ministers on this exploration of the roots of Unitarianism and Universalism and how they came together to form the basis of Love Beyond Belief that we experience at All Souls today. This class is a great way to deepen your connections to fellow congregants, get to know your ministers, and learn about the exciting history of our chosen faith!
Great Decisions with Earl Goodman & Mack Vanderlip (Jan. 22-April 2)
In Person: Room 120 | Online: allsouls.me/greatdecisions
Great Decisions is a nation-wide discussion program on world affairs that involves reading the Great Decisions Briefing Book, watching the video series and meeting in a discussion group to discuss the most critical global issues facing us today.
- January 22: Review, get acquainted, and distribute books
- January 29: American Foreign Policy at a Crossroads
- February 5: U.S. Changing Leadership of the World Economy
- February 19: U.S. China Relations
- February 26: India—Between China, the West and the Global South
- March 5: International Cooperation on Climate Change
- March 12: The Future of NATO and European Security
- March 19: AI and American National Security
- March 26: American Foreign Policy in the Mideast: Taking Stock, Looking Ahead
- April 2: Wrap up review, wine & cheese at All Souls
The 2025 Great Decisions Kick-Off Meeting will be held Sunday, January 19 at 2:30 in the Aaronson Auditorium downtown in the Central Library. Dr. Robert Donaldson, former University of Tulsa President, Trustees Professor of Political Science Emeritus, and Director, Tulsa Committee on Foreign Relations will present the keynote address on U.S.-China Relations. A live streamed link will be provided for those who cannot attend in person.
The 2025 Briefing Books will be available at the downtown Kick-Off meeting and at the first few meetings at All Souls. Briefing books can also be ordered online from the Foreign Policy Association for $35. The Kindle version is available through Amazon for $24.99.
How Authoritarianism Works: Some Lessons for US Politics (March 19)
In Person: Location TBD
Most non-democratic countries today don't resemble the single-party disctatorships and military juntas that were common during the Cold War. Instead, the modern authoritarian regime often maintains power through heavily controlled, multiparty elections -- a phenomenon political scientists call electoral authoritarianism. In this talk, Professor Cole Harvey (Oklahoma State University) will describe how modern authoritarianism works, adn what the implications might be for American politics. A discussion will follow the brief lecture.
Improv Workshops with Third Space
- Intro to Improv (January 15, March 12):
Flex your creativity, build your self-confidence, and just plain have fun in our Intro to Improv workshop! This beginner-friendly class will help build the fundamentals for improvisational comedy through games and laughs! - Improv for Social Anxiety (February 12):
Did you know laughter releases endorphins, which act like a natural antidepressant? Feeling socially anxious since the pandemic? Come try improv with us! No skills required, just bring yourself. This session will include exercises and concepts from Comedy Improv Group Therapy for Social Anxiety by Neal King, LCSW. - Musical Improv (April 23):
“If you can’t sing, sing louder!” is what we say. Whether you’re a seasoned singer or just love to belt a tune, this improv class offers a supportive and playful environment for all music and improvisational skill levels. Come ready to laugh, learn, and have fun with fellow music enthusiasts. No sheet music required—just bring your enthusiasm!
Japan To Jerusalem: Around the World by Mountain Bike
with Rev. Dr. Marlin Lavanhar (April 30)
In Person: Emerson Hall | Online: allsoulschurch.org/live
Rev. Lavanhar will take you along with him on his three-year around-the-world mountain bike odyssey. You do not really know Marlin until you watch him relive the adventure he took while in his twenties. You will travel over the Himalayas and into the homes, huts and haunts of desert nomads, Chinese cave-dwellers, Hindu Holy men, matrilineal tribes and through some of the roughest terrain and most beautiful scenery on earth. Through colorful stories and stunning photographs, Marlin shares a contagious enthusiasm for the people and cultures of the world.
Mosaics with Bill Westcott (March 5 - April 30)
In Person: Banks of the Nile
Learn the art of Mosaics using glass with master artist, Bill Westcott, as we create community projects for All Souls!
Mandatory OWL Parent Meeting for 7-9 Grade Parents (Feb. 19)
Online: allsouls.me/owlparent
Make plans to attend the mandatory OWL parent meeting for students in grades 7-9.
Did you know Oklahoma has the fifth hightest teen birth rate in the U.S. (2022)? Or that half of all sexually active Oklahomans will have an STI by the time they are 25 and most won't even know it (according to OK State Department of Health)? Classes will run Wednesdays, Feb. 26 through May 21, 2025, from 6:30-8:30PM in the Majestic Theater at All Souls Unitarian Church. Cost: $75 for pledging member families* and $175 for non-members. Includes snacks and beverages throughout the 12-week program. Learn more about OWL curricula developed by the UUA and UCC by visiting www.uua.org/re/owl. Questions? Email Shannon Boston at [email protected].
*Members may request a scholarship by contacting Shannon Boston.
Recovering From Religious Wounds with Rev. Randy Lewis (Mar. 12, 26; Apr. 9 & 23)
In Person: Room 120 (registration required)
This four-session course is designed to provide an opportunity for church leaders and lay members to identify the nature of their religious wounds and, through active group participation and sharing, to develop basic tools and techniques for addressing them. Open to adults 18 and older.
(Re)Discover the Bible with Rev. Dr. Gary Peluso Verdend
(Jan. 29, Feb. 12 & 25, Mar. 12 & 26, Apr. 9 & 23)
In Person: Thoreau Lounge
Whether you’ve heard all of the stories before or the Judeo-Christian text is new to you, take this opportunity to explore key biblical themes and stories from a distinctly liberal perspective. Explore this cornerstone of western civilization with a practical theologian and seminary educator who can provide context for the stories and contrast to uses of the Bible on the Religious Right. Rev. Dr. Gary Peluso-Verdend is the President Emeritus at Tulsa’s Phillips Seminary and is currently the theologian-in-residence at Boston Avenue United Methodist Church. His daughter, Eliana, has been actively involved at All Souls during her high school years. Gary wrote an unpublished text, From Exodus to Resurrection, which we will use as a resource for this class.
Reimagining Your Own Theology 1 (Feb. 26 - Mar. 12)
In Person: Room 112 | Online: allsouls.me/reimagining
Most Unitarian Universalists can easily say what they don’t believe, but how many can clearly state what they do believe? Many people who have found the UU faith have come from other faith traditions, or from none at all. In this series we will begin an exploration of individual beliefs and the “big questions,” seeking a deepening and expanding understanding of ourselves and our world.
Reimagining Your Own Theology 2 (Mar. 26-Apr. 16)
In Person: Room 112 | Online: allsouls.me/reimagining
A continuation of the first session, beginning February 19.
Testing and Charging Your Chakras/Healing Circles with Sue Woodward (Jan. 29)
In Person: Room 129
Sue, a graduate of the Deborah King Lifeforce Energy Healing School, will demonstrate testing chakras with a pendulum and lead us in charging our own chakras, followed by a group Healing Circle, through the power of our intention to send love and light for someone or something’s highest good, including a shift in consciousness and positive change in the world.
Tulsa Zen Center (Feb. 5 - Mar. 12)
In Person: Room 129
Experience the timeless path of Zen Buddhism in this six-week introductory course, meeting once a week for a 90-minute immersion. Each session weaves together engaging discussions and guided meditation to gently cultivate clarity, resilience, and a deeper sense of connection. You’ll learn fundamental practices, Zen history, traditions, and techniques. By the end, you’ll carry forward practical tools to sustain a calming, insightful meditation practice at home and beyond!
