The light we kindle is set in the lamp of our history.
We inherit this free faith from the brave and gentle, fierce and outspoken, hearts and minds that have come before us.
Let us be worthy inheritors of this faith, and through our good works, pass it boldly to a new generation.
~ Rev. Audette Fulbright (All Souls Associate Minister 2016-2023)
Welcome!
The Unitarian Church of All Souls NYC was founded on November 15th, 1819. From its humble beginnings in a downtown parlor to its rise as a flagship of Unitarian Universalism, it has been a beacon for liberal religious thinking for more than two centuries.
The Annual 2025 Bellows Lecture
Reconstructing Our Unitarian History: Perils and Possibilities
will be given by Rev. Wayne Arnason
Friday, May 16, 6-8:30 PM in the Ware Room and on Zoom
Can the history of our faith be reconstructed as our values and our perspectives change? Drawing on new research and challenging projects in historical renovation, this lecture will explore whether constructing a new story requires tearing down an old one. As a case study in historical reconstruction, we will examine the relationships of the ministers of All Souls Church to Rev. Egbert Ethelred Brown, minister of the Harlem Unitarian Church from 1937 to 1956.
There will be an option to go out for dinner at a local restaurant after the lecture. The cost will be approximately $30. If you’d like to join, please let Bill Bechman know by May 13th, at bill.bechman@gmail.com
The Rev. Dr. Wayne Arnason retired in 2016 from a forty-year career in Unitarian Universalist ministry serving in both parish ministry and in staff and governance roles in the Unitarian Universalist Association. Since retiring, he has taken up his passion for history. A graduate of the Harvard Divinity School, Wayne Arnason was recognized by Meadville Lombard Theological School in 2014 with their honorary doctorate degree for his lifetime of service. Arnason has published an institutional history of the liberal religious youth movement entitled We Would Be One (2005) and an internally published history of the UUA’s Ministerial Fellowship Committee entitled In Fellowship (2020). He is part of a team presenting the 2025 Minns Lectures entitled "Deconstructing Unitarian Anti-Racist Mythologies 1860-1920". He currently volunteers as the Archivist of the UU Congregation in Charlottesville VA and is married to our Targeted Senior Minister, Rev. Kathleen Rolenz.
Come and help us to preserve All Soul’s history
We have some interesting projects coming up:
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Taking care of our amazing art and artifacts, deciding how best to display them in the building to educate the congregation about our history
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Interviewing long-time members of All Souls, making oral histories, and collecting community stories
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Studying our digital archives to learn about our history, and organizing more of our records to be digitized
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Organizing talks like the next Bellows Lecture, and giving tours of our building.
Our members are the heart of the Historical Society
and an integral part of the All Souls story.
Renew or become a new member of the ASHS
to help make possible our mission of promoting the study of All Souls’ history.
We need history more than ever during these stressful and uncertain times.
Learn more about membership at Dues and Donations