All Souls Church, Unitarian (Washington, D.C.)

Coordinates: 38°55′33″N 77°02′10″W / 38.925964°N 77.036036°W / 38.925964; -77.036036
Source: Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.
For other similarly named churches, see All Souls Church.
All Souls Church, Unitarian
Washington, DC
CountryU.S.
DenominationUnitarian Universalism
Websitewww.all-souls.org
History
StatusChurch
Founded1821 (1821)
Architecture
Functional statusActive
Clergy
Minister(s)Rev. Bill Sinkford, Transitional Minister
NRHP reference No.100005905[1]
Added to NRHPDecember 7, 2020
Pennsylvania Avenue
runs in the foreground.

All Souls Church, Unitarian is a

St Martin-in-the-Fields in London, England. It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 2020. All Souls, a member of the Unitarian Universalist Association of Congregations, describes its theology
as having evolved from a liberal Christian tradition into a "rich pluralism."

History

Nineteenth century

All Souls was founded in 1821 as the First Unitarian Church of Washington; among the church's founding members were President John Quincy Adams, Vice President John C. Calhoun, and Charles Bulfinch (who designed the original church building at 6th and D Streets NW and more famously the United States Capitol). The All Souls bell was cast in 1822 by Joseph Revere, the son of Paul; this bell, paid for with contributions by, among others, President James Monroe, originally served as a quasi-official town bell for Washington, DC.[2]

downtown
Washington, D.C., ca. 1916

The church has a long tradition of promoting liberal religious views and social justice issues. In the first half of the 19th century, it was known for its opposition to slavery, and counts among its past ministers the prominent abolitionist William Henry Channing.

William Henry Channing gave a sermon on the morning of February 8, 1863 at the Unitarian Church, which was still located on the corner of 6th and D Streets Northwest. Later that evening abolitionist and women's rights activist John Celivergos Zachos gave a prominent sermon to the Freedman of the Southern States. The subject was entitled "The Unity of the Human Race" with a special reference to the Freedman of South Carolina.[3]

In 1877 the congregation changed its name to All Souls Church, a reflection of the words of William Ellery Channing, founding father of Unitarian Universalism (and uncle of Willam Henry Channing): "I am a member of the living family of all souls."

Twentieth century

In 1944 All Souls called

Nagasaki. During this period, All Souls also founded the first desegregated boys' club in the city, in response to the Police Boys' Club's reluctance to desegregate. Davies' popular ministry caused explosive growth both at All Souls and also in the formation of new Unitarian churches in the Washington, D.C. area, starting with the Unitarian Church of Arlington and followed closely by the Mount Vernon Unitarian Church and the Unitarian Universalist Congregation of Fairfax
.

FBI
agent in the church to monitor the congregation and undermine Eaton's ministry.

Members of All Souls Church, Unitarian marching in memory of the 16th Street Baptist Church bombing victims. September 1963.

All Souls has been performing interracial and same-sex weddings for decades.

New millennium

On the evening of

National Press Club news conference on CNN's The Situation Room . On December 18, 2009 at All Souls Church, mayor Adrian Fenty
signed into law the "Religious Freedom and Civil Marriage Equality Amendment Act of 2009", which made same-sex marriage legal in Washington, D.C. Rev. Hardies resigned from All Souls in June 2020. All Souls then hired an Interim Senior Minister for two years, the Rev. Kathleen Rolenz, who was the first female senior Minister of the church. The church then brought on the Rev. Bill Sinkford to continue the transitional work needed to prepare for a new called Senior Minister.

Engagement

Music

All Souls has two primary choirs: The All Souls Choir, and the Jubilee Singers.[4]

The Charlie Byrd and Stan Getz album Jazz Samba was recorded on 13 February 1962 in Pierce Hall at All Souls.[5]

Social justice

Civil Rights activist Lillian Smith delivered "The Mob and the Ghost" on September 2, 1961.[6]

Activist Angela Davis spoke at All Souls in 1974.[7]

Members

Prominent members of All Souls have included President and Chief Justice

Ysaye Maria Barnwell
.

References

  1. ^ "National Register of Historic Places Program: Weekly List". National Park Service. December 11, 2020. Retrieved 2020-12-11.
  2. ^ "All Souls Church, Unitarian, Washington, D.C., History". All-souls.org. Retrieved 2021-01-20.
  3. ^ "Freedmen of the Southern States" (PDF). Daily National Republican Washington D.C. Vol. III No 61 Page 3. Library of Congress. February 7, 1863. Retrieved August 21, 2020.
  4. ^ "Music – All Souls Church Unitarian". All-souls.org. Retrieved 2021-01-20.
  5. ^ "'Jazz Samba,' landmark album recorded in a D.C. church, turns 50". The Washington Post. 2012-04-19. Retrieved 2021-01-20.
  6. ISBN 9781604731071
    . Retrieved 2021-01-20.
  7. ^ "Cultural convergence". culturaltourismdc.org. Retrieved 25 June 2023.

External links

Wikimedia Commons has media related to All Souls Church, Unitarian.
Retrieved from "https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=All_Souls_Church,_Unitarian_(Washington,_D.C.)&oldid=1205626041"