Welcome to All Souls Church of Braintree, a liberal faith tradition
in Braintree, Massachusetts, since 1833.
A lay-led congregation

All Souls Unitarian Universalist church warmly welcomes individuals of all beliefs, including those who identify as non-religious. Our inclusive community values diversity and encourages open-minded exploration. Everyone is welcome to join us in fellowship and shared experiences.
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​As a Unitarian Universalist congregation, we strive to make the world a better place by living out our values. We covenant to affirm and promote the inherent worth and dignity of all persons as we engage in an ongoing search for truth and meaning.

Whoever you are, whomever you love, however you inhabit your body, and wherever you are on life’s journey, you are welcome into the life of this church.


Located at:  196 Elm Street, Braintree, MA
Postal Mail:  PO Box 850219 Braintree, MA 02185
Call us at 781-843-1388
Text us at 781-817-3952​
​   Green Sanctuary, Accessible, Welcoming, Adaptive Hearing Devices, Large Print Orders of Service
 

All our meetings, connection circles, services and groups are streamed live on Zoom.  Sunday service is in person at All Souls Church, streamed on Zoom and often on Facebook. The zoom link is
​https://zoom.us/j/96571006038
If the technology is a barrier, ​you can call in by phone

One tap mobile
+13017158592,,96571006038# US (Washington DC)
+13052241968,,96571006038# US
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Meeting ID: 965 7100 6038​

Our building is accessible; assistive listening devices and large print orders of service are available. Our orders of service, song lyrics and inspiring images are also projected on the wall at the front of the church and shown on Zoom and Facebook so you can easily follow along. Please enter through the door at the ramp on Charles Street. Once service begins, our door is locked.  If you arrive after 10:30 am, please ring the bell there and an usher will be happy to let you in. 

Join us in person in the parish hall for food and fellowship coffee hour after service. Those attending online gather after Sunday service for virtual coffee hour on Zoom. 
​A time to socialize and connect with one another. 

Please note that our Food for the Soul potluck brunches are not live streamed.

For information about WEATHER CANCELLATIONS - GO HERE
or visit the WCVB storm center onlinewww.wcvb.com/weather/closings

 
All Souls Unitarian Universalist Church welcomes all people to our faith community. Services are in the sanctuary, in person, September through mid June, Sundays at 10:30 am. Our building is accessible; assistive listening devices and large print orders of service are available. Our orders of service, song lyrics and inspiring images are projected on the wall at the front of the church and shown on Zoom and FaceBook so you can easily follow along. 

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Whether you're in search of spiritual growth, meaningful connections, or avenues to make a positive impact, you'll discover a welcoming home at All Souls Church of Braintree.

Come just as you are, embracing the spirit of acceptance and belonging.
Coffee Hour
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September through June ... Please join us online after Sunday service for virtual coffee hour.  A time to socialize and connect with one another. Join us in person in the parish hall for food and fellowship coffee hour. 


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Reading Group

Our December selection is The Purloined Letter, a short story by Edgar Allan Poe (1809-1849).  Poe is best known for his poetry and short stories and is generally considered to be the inventor of the detective fiction genre.  
 
The Purloined Letter, published in 1844, was the third and last story featuring his detective, Auguste Dupin.  It involves blackmail rather than murder and focuses on being able to think like the criminal might.
 
The All Souls Reading Group meets next on December 11, at 7 pm on the ASC Zoom connection for meetings.  Please feel free to join us.


Connection Circles

Wednesdays at 2:30 pm
 
Connection Circles provide a time to check in with old friends and welcome new friends in conversation.

 During our time together, we will engage in check-ins and open conversation.  

December weekly meetings will be held on Wednesdays from 2:30 to 4:00 pm, and will incorporate equal time for open conversation and a shared focal point for discussion as indicated below:  

December 4 – Topic –  Dance Scenes from the Movies (Judy)
December 11 -  Topic – View and discuss a Ted Talk about Hearing Loss
December 18 -  Topic:  Read and discuss “ Christmas article” by Margaret Renkl
December 25 –  No Connection Circle
We welcome new attendees who would like to forge new connections or renew old ones!
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Coat Drive at All Souls
All Souls Church is participating in a Coat Drive through early January.

If you have a coat of any size looking for a new owner, All Souls will happily add it to our Coat Drive being held in partnership with the Flaherty Elementary School of Braintree. There is a collection box on a table in the church foyer at the ramp entrance.  

When you come to service now through early January, you can drop off a coat.

If you notice the box is full, please email or call the office. 

Once collected and cleaned by Anton’s Cleaners using environmentally sensitive processes, coats are distributed at no cost through Coats for Kids in New England. Coats should be in good wearable condition. Please only donate coats you would give a friend; no tears, broken zippers or permanent stains and please be sure to empty out all pockets!

​Spiritual Writing Group

The Spiritual Writing Group usually meets the last Wednesday of the month at 4 pm EST on Zoom. https://zoom.us/j/96571006038 

The Spiritual Writing Group postponed its November meeting to December 11 - 4:30 to 6:00 pm
★ I am a control freak about...
○ Write about what you control in your life. Has it served you well?


All are welcome to please come and join us. If you like to write and you want your stories written in your own words, this is the group you have been looking for!

We are a small but powerful set of individuals with words as our Armor as we share and record our lives together.
Sunday, December 8 at 10:30 am
Food for the Soul Potluck Brunch

You are invited to a Food for the Soul Potluck Sunday service exploring:
Presence vs. Existence in Challenging Times

What does it mean to truly be in this moment as we all experience this moment of challenge and uncertainty? It is in these times that we draw strength from our shared humanity and the enduring spirit of love and justice.

Join us as we delve into the profound difference between mere existence and the transformative power of presence in challenging times. Through reflection, discussion, and spiritual exploration, we will consider:

• The nature of consciousness and awareness
• The impact of mindfulness on our lives
• How to cultivate a deeper connection to ourselves and the world around us
All are welcome to this thought-provoking service. Let's come together to explore the depths of our being and embrace the present moment. Let's walk this path together, with compassion and understanding.

We begin with a welcome and a chalice lighting, after which all are invited to join together to enjoy food and fellowship. Please bring something to eat with more to share. An ingredient list is helpful in case of allergies.

Please note that the Food for the Soul Brunch is in-person only. Be sure to join us at All Souls for our other beautiful services this month including our Candlelight Christmas Eve, 



WEAV is various intentions woven together. The threads consist of practices for the heart, body and mind to engage participants. These same threads are also introductions to various fields of knowledge and ways of knowing. The ten very distinct sessions take participants on a journey through an overview of a repair process which can be practiced in your congregation. 

In addition, the sessions provide participants with differing paradigms of learning to experience new ways of engaging ourselves and others in our UU community and beyond. There are times when the sessions might seem unconnected. Yet, all of the various sessions are to provide insight into the complexity of the issue of antiracist work involving spiritual, physical, emotional, and intellectual growth. 

The learning emphasis is placed on the growth and transformation and concluding commitments of each participant as a UU, as we grow in community and witness each other’s growth and are witnessed for our own.

Our ten Zoom session commitment begins January 11, 2025, meeting on the second and fourth Saturday of each month, through May 24, 2025.  Each session is approximately 90 minutes, from 10am-11:30am ET.  

Please contact Kellie Kinsman
​ ([email protected]) 
with any questions you may have, and to register for WEAV!  The Zoom link will be provided to all who register.  

I look forward to this journey with you!

​Kellie


​Social Action and Environment Group 

The Social Action and Environment Committee will be leading two discussions in the coming weeks:  on January 5, 2025 and January 14, 2025

01/05/25 - following the Food for the Soul service, the SAEC will lead a discussion as to where we are, as a community and as a country, and what we need to be doing, to live our principles.  We have dealt with a Trump presidency once before, though not after he won the electoral and popular vote, both times running against a woman. 
 
In many ways, the US is a two-sided country.  

One side sees coming up assaults on women’s rights, workers’ rights, confronting the climate crisis, all communities not seen as descended from White Europeans, to name a few.

Another side sees promised improvements in their ability to meet the cost of living, improvements in the culture of the country, respect for (Christian) religion, and in the standing of “people like us.”

If we are going to meet this situation in a principled, successful, way we can’t ignore half the country.  If one-half just thinks “they're all wrong” and the other half thinks the same, we will not improve the situation and build toward anything better. That doesn’t mean we just roll over; it does mean we need to listen as well as speak; we need to recognize the wisdom of thinking of and caring for your neighbor as you would yourself.

01/14/25 - opening the first part of the regular SAEC meeting to a follow up discussion of the message given by Claire Karl Muller at the 01/12/25 service at All Souls. We are extending an invitation to the All Souls community as well as those in the Five Point Cluster community.  

​​The regular meetings of the SAEC will be Tuesday, 12/10/24, at 7:15 PM and Tuesday, 01/14/ 25 at 7:15 PM, both on zoom.
estimate_of_giving_2024-25.pdf
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