True Confession…read more
All Souls Unitarian Church is probably about a mile from my home, but for some reason it simply hasn't been on my radar over these past few months during my recent extensive exploration of Indy churches.
This is surprising for a handful of reasons - 1) I've actually hoped to find a church with a female pastor and All Souls has one, 2) I lean toward the progressive and, unquestionably, All Souls leans that direction as well, 3) I'd really like to find a church relatively close to my home and, indeed, of the churches I've visited All Souls is among the closest, and 4) I really want a diverse church body and among the churches I've visited All Souls is one of the more diverse.
In short, it "seems" to fit much of what I wanted. However, years ago I'd attended another Unitarian-Universalist church and at times found myself conflicted by what seemed like an emphasis on humanism at the expense of other faith journeys. I have friends who are UU, but it was one of those paths that I just didn't think felt right.
However, I have a couple friends who've recently been visiting a local UU church, in fact the one I'd previously attended, and they'd fallen in love with it. In seeing their happiness, I realized I really needed to give All Souls a try.
All Souls started as a church in Indy in 1903. Rev. Anastassia Zinke has served the congregation since November 2013 and other pastoral staff members include Rev. Sarah (Director of Community and Children's Programming) and Rev. Kayla, I believe the newest minister, who serves as minister of congregational life. Rev. Kayla is so new she's not even on the website yet! Gregory Sanders serves as Director of Music.
I visited for the first time two weeks ago, warmly greeted upon my arrival by Allison, who heads up the church's membership efforts. Allison was friendly, welcoming and made sure I got chances to meet both Rev. Anastassia and Rev. Kayla. Rev. Kayla would also follow up after my visit, as well, in a way that was actually incredibly welcome. It was inviting without being obsessive. I really appreciated it.
I got the chance to meet several individuals active in the church and Allison also graciously gave me a tour of the church. I was super impressed with its wheelchair accessibility including an elevator to what appeared to be every level of the church. While access isn't quite 100%, there's a strong effort to be inclusive and they also offer adaptive devices for their services. They do have accessible parking, not quite ADA, and a ramp at their curb that's also not quite ADA but it should work for most as the curb is a really short one. They also have automatic doors!
My first week, I heard Rev. Anastassia - absolutely wonderful speaker who nicely balances intelligence and feeling in her messages. She's gifted at speaking from her own experiences, yet also making the message universal. The second week, I heard Rev. Kayla. Rev. Kayla is a little more laid back in delivery and a little more into the creative aspects of worship. She's an absolute delight with the kids, which pretty much elevates her to fan club status in my eyes, and she's not hesitant to sing in the middle of a message if needed. I saw Rev. Sarah, but have yet to meet her.
The worship service nicely weaves in elements of tradition and ritual along with elements of the more contemporary style of service. The church is very active in social justice issues - I know at least two of the ministers have a history of activism - and the church has been inclusive long before it was hip.
First time visitors receive a book on Unitarian-Universalism along with a welcome packet. The church openly admits it's still growing into how to truly do well with pastoral care, though I believe this will be a key focus for Rev. Kayla and she practically radiates pastoral care.
As most know, I've longed to find a place where I could live into my gifts as a person with a ministry background myself yet also honor the ways in which disability impacts my daily life and occasional needs for support. Both times I've attended, the undeniable message was "we're here for you" and there's a growing drive toward building this community into the special place it was obviously meant to be (and already is).
They had a membership meeting the week of my first visit - I'll confess I was tempted to attend, not so much to join, but because this is a place that feels comfortable. As someone who struggles through the holiday season, I pulled back and decided to further explore but sometimes you just meet people whom you feel like are meant to be on your journey, and you on theirs, and that's the feeling I've had during both visits.
As a UU church, there is a diversity of theological belief present. That diversity of thought feels welcomed here and it's refreshing. Easily the most hospitable of all the churches I've visited, All Souls is a tremendous option for those living a more progressive spirituality.
