All Souls at 100 with Rev. Marlin Lavanhar

Welcome to Tulsa Talks presented by Tulsa Regional Chamber. I’m your host Tim Landes.  

It’s been 100 years since All Souls Unitarian Church was founded by Richard Lloyd Jones, publisher of the Tulsa Tribune, and William R. Holway, a civil engineer behind the Spavinaw water project that provided drinking water to Tulsa. 

Jones name may sound familiar. His writings in his afternoon paper helped fuel the 1921 Tulsa Race Massacre two months after he  co-founded the church.  

My guest on this episode is Rev. Marlin Lavanhar, senior minister of All Souls. It’s not only his job to lead the congregation each Sunday, but also to help reconcile the past. As you’ll hear in this conversation it’s a complicated, messy history, but there are also some truly remarkable achievements along the way.  

We covered some of the church’s history with a story in our March issue.  In this conversation recorded April 1 on Zoom, Reverend Lavanhar dives deeper into the that history and discusses how they’re re-examining their past and how they’re continuing a long mission of working toward equality in today’s Tulsa. 

Marlin grew up in Chicago then relocated to New Orleans where he graduated from Tulane with a degree in sociology. He and friend then spent three years traveling the planet to learn about the world’s religions. After that life changing adventure, he attended Harvard University School of Divinity where in 1999 he earned a Masters in divinity. 

In 2000, All Souls came calling. As you’ll hear, shortly after he and his family settled in Tulsa, the 1921 Race Riot Commission released its findings on the tragic events that occurred May 31 and June 1, 1921. That opened the door for work to be done by the reverend and his church. 

In 1957 the church moved to its current location at 29th and Peoria. Today more than 1,800 adults call All Souls their spiritual home, making it the largest unitarian church in the country. According to the church it is a welcoming community. Everyone, regardless of age, race, culture, economic status, gender identity or sexual orientation is welcome. 

We start the conversation with All Souls at 100 and how they’ve been able to continue hosting services for a fast growing global online audience throughout the COVID-19 pandemic. We also discuss the role of the church in today’s Tulsa and why they’re working to achieve equality for all who call this city home.  

Following my conversation with Rev. Lavanhar, I share an excerpt from my recent Q&A with Tulsa composer Barron Ryan, who just released his new album “First of Its Kind,” and the song “If I Don’t See You Again.” More on that later.  

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Barron Ryan kicked off the year being named one of Smithsonian Magazine's "Ten Innovators to Watch in 2021." He followed that up with his first release of all original compositions with "First of Its Kind," and I can't stop listening to it.

It’s also his first attempt to infuse other genres of music he admires into his classical songs. 

Included on the album is the song “If I Don’t See You Again,” which you can hear in a moment. There are no lyrics to song yet, but Ryan encourages anyone to create them. He has published his music in the public domain. While there are no lyrics, there is a story behind the song. 

You can read the full interview at TulsaPeople.com and it is linked in the notes. And with that here is Barron Ryan’s “If I Don’t See You Again." 

This episode is produced by Morgan Phillips and Tim Landes.