All Souls Church Unitarian

At the two services on Generosity Sunday (Oct. 19), we visibly demonstrate our congregation’s magnanimity by carrying our pledges down the aisle and placing them in the offering basket. We gather to celebrate our financial support for the church’s work, including Sunday services, music, social justice programs, adult and children’s religious education, building maintenance and repair, and our wonderful ministers and staff.

If you’ve already submitted your 2015 pledge, you’ll get to walk down the aisle with a special card. If you plan to continue automatic payments from the current year, we still need a 2015 pledge card from you. The coming together of the congregation to show support for the church’s ongoing mission is a powerful moment not to be missed.

Why are pledges so important? Pledges allow the church to plan and establish a budget for the year. Nearly 80% of the budget for All Souls is supported by pledges. Each of us is called to make a pledge that is thoughtful and generous based on our financial situation and proportional to our income. Each and every pledge makes a difference. Pledges can be fulfilled in as many payments as you wish throughout the calendar year of Jan. 1 to Dec. 31 and can be paid in a variety of ways. A pledge can be adjusted up or down if circumstances change during the year. You can pledge right now on our Generosity page.The Fair Share Guideline chart on that page can help you choose a comfortable giving level.

We hope to see everyone here at one of the Generosity Sunday services to pledge your financial commitment to All Souls for 2015. 

The Reeb Project for Voting Rights had a very successful trip to Charlotte to register voters in North Carolina communities negatively impacted by the new voter suppression laws. Together with Charlotte area UU congregations, we helped over 180 voters register or re-register for the upcoming election. Plans are being finalized to get out the vote in late October. We are working with our sister congregations in Charlotte to make the most efficient use of everyone's time during the early voting period. We have lots to do and many opportunities for engagement. Contact ascvotingrights@gmail.com or go to the Reeb Project page to learn how to be involved.

NEWS JUST IN: the UU Funding Program’s Fund for UU Social Responsibility just awarded the Reeb Project a $500 grant to put towards its voting rights work. Congratulations!

Check out this article from UU World about All Souls' Reeb Project. And here's a post on the Standing on the Side of Love blog about the Project.

Watch a slideshow of the renovation project's progress.

This week (October 13-17)

• Most of the plastering and dry wall installation and repairs have been completed in the renovated spaces.
• Tiling, fixtures and walls are being installed in the new bathrooms.
• Sensors/timers for all new interior lighting have been installed.
• It is expected that Pepco will switch the building over to the new power panels. This will require that power be turned off in the building from Tuesday, October 14th through Thursday, October 16th and the church office will be closed all of this week.
• Once the power has been switched to the new panels, testing of the elevator can begin.

Over the next two weeks

• Cement will continue to be poured for the front (16th Street) ramp.
• Painting work will begin in the renovated areas.
• Analog lines will be installed for fire alarms, security hardware, and areas of refuge within the building. An area of refuge is designed to hold occupants during a fire or other emergency when evacuation may not be safe or possible.

Keep up to date with all aspects of the Third Century Challenge project.