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Neville Crowell
Jason Cuccia Jason Saucedo Kathy Hewitt Jeremy Moore
You’re not just picking a school you’re building a LEGACY!
From STEM/STEAM and dual language classes to college credit, Dallas ISD offers more than a traditional classroom education. Find the right school for your child with more than 100 specialty schools to choose from. Don’t miss your chance to apply.
VIRTUAL
DEC. 6, 2025
Elementary9 a.m. - 11 a.m.
Middle/High School11 a.m. - 1 p.m.
JAN. 17, 2026
All grades10 a.m. - 11:30 a.m.
PASSION TO PROFESSIONAL, BACK TO PASSION
DYEMOND OBRYAN DANIEL is Dallas-born and raised.
As a kid, he began picking up art from his mother. She was an avid painter of landscapes, flowers and funny faces. Daniel would often redraw her work.
With everything from hand-drawn sketches to paintings, he explored artistic styles, taking inspiration from skateboarding art he saw on the streets to caricature sketches from his people watching.
His hobby picked up in his early 20s when he had a spark for graphic design and illustration, utilizing Adobe Illustrator and Photoshop in addition to hand-drawn work. Day to day, Daniel would do everything he could by learning and meeting people he says perfected their craft, feeding off their energy to fuel his own creative passions.
From there, he says something possessed him to pursue art as a career, taking inspiration from the Dallas skateboarding art he saw growing up. In 2021, he was featured in Thrasher Magazine and created a limited edition poster for the Mavericks. Or you may know his style from the dog of Herby’s Burgers or the design he made for the Oak Cliff Skate Park.
Working as a professional artist was something natural for him to pursue. Until it wasn’t. Today, he’s working full time as a mechanic.
His last exhibition at New American Perspective featured art with aspects of religion. His next exhibition is coming up in 2026, in collaboration with Raymond Butler and friends at the Oak Cliff Cultural Center.
WITHOUT ATTENDING ART SCHOOL, HOW DID YOU GET INTO “THE ART WORLD?”
I’ve been drawing and painting since I was a kid, and one of my really close friends, Edward Montees, who lives in New York now, started posting drawings, and I was doing just that. He’d see me drawing on a piece of paper or something, and he’d show people. And then that turned into an art show invite around 2009. And then another one. And then it just steamrolled really quick and I was like, “I think I like doing this and I’d like to see what it’s like doing just this full time.” So I jumped into it with the blessing from my wife.
WHEN DID YOU STOP WORKING AS AN ARTIST FULL TIME?
Around 2019 to 2020, kind of around the COVID shutdowns. Galleries were shutting down. Jobs that I’ve had were going away just because their businesses were closing. So things got a little
Dyemond Obryan Daniel keeps creating for Oak Cliff
Story by VICTORIA HERNANDEZ | Photography by VICTORIA GOMEZ
stressful there for a minute, and it was already setting in for me that I wasn’t enjoying it as much. That just kind of pushed it forward to where I was like, “OK, well, what else do I like doing in life?” I like tinkering with things, so I ended up just working on cars. So now I just work on cars full time, and then in my off time, I make as much art as I can.
SOME OF THE PIECES FROM YOUR LAST PUBLIC EXHIBIT HAD ASPECTS OF RELIGION. IS THAT A BIG PART OF YOUR ART AND IDENTITY TODAY?
I grew up in a very religious family. We were in church quite a bit growing up. I’m not a serious person. My art kind of pokes fun at more of the setting of the church and not really the church itself. Having kids in church falling asleep or a lady in a big hat in your visual and you can’t see anything going on. It’s more of an exaggerated joke on the people, not religion. Just feeding off the sketches and feelings, things I might have felt as a kid growing up, like being a sinner is wrong and not giving 10% is wrong. I wouldn’t say religion is a big part of my identity. It’s just a part of my life and I like to draw little aspects, just kind of flashbacks of my life and putting that out there. Religion was a very large part of my life for a long time, so it’s just going to make its way into my work, whether I’m kind of poking fun at something or trying to say something more serious. It’s more that’s me and that’s been my life.
WHAT
DOES ART LOOK LIKE FOR YOU NOW?
These days, I work just pure passion. It takes some of the passion out of it, doing it for work. I really struggled with that when I was younger, trying to find myself, but ultimately for me, just having the freedom to create when I want and make it what I want is more important to me than what I’m necessarily getting out of it. I love sharing work. I love sharing my friends’ work. It’s more like a never-ending learning process and trying to create new things.
This interview has been edited for clarity and brevity.
Growing up, Daniel moved all around Dallas, taking inspiration from the skatepark scenes and applying it to his art.
We worked with Bart during one of the hottest housing markets in recent history. Bart stuck with us through several offer cycles, and each new house he found was better than the last. His background in architecture and construction is a huge plus. He always has a flashlight in the car and is ready to crawl down below a house. You won’t be disappointed with his skills and work ethic. Thanks Bart for everything! -Maggie M.
SHOPPING
BEST FURNITURE STORE
WINNER - CANALES FURNITURE
2ND - HOUSS ON BISHOP
3RD - FAMSA FURNITURE
BEST GARDEN STORE
WINNER - OASIS PLANT SHOP
2ND - CACTUS HOUSE TEXAS BY VARNISH + VINE
3RD - ARCADIA PARK NURSERY (TIE)
3RD - CACTUS QUEEN DFW (TIE)
BEST GIFT SHOP
WINNER - MOSAIC MAKERS COLLECTIVE
2ND - ALL GOOD THINGS
3RD - DAVIS STREET MERCANTILE (TIE)
3RD - MERCADO369 (TIE)
BEST MEN’S STORE
WINNER - RIVERA WESTERN WEAR
2ND - DLM SUPPLY
3RD - DAILY (STREETWEAR AND BARBERSHOP)
BEST THRIFT CONSIGNMENT STORE
WINNER - DOLLY ON BISHOP (TIE)
WINNER - RARE HEART VINTAGE (TIE)
2ND - LULA B’S OAK CLIFF VINTAGE SHOP
3RD - THRIFT TOWN
BEST WOMEN’S BOUTIQUE
WINNER - BEATNIK FINE GOODS
2ND - HOME ON BISHOP
3RD - BLUE DAHLIA
THE SWEET
The Sweet Rice dry noodle with chicken ($14.99-$18.99) sits with a pair of fruit and milk teas ($6-$8). The three are behind the two versions of the papaya salad: Thai papaya salad ($11.99) and Lao papaya salad with salted field crab ($12.99).
& THE SAVORY
Sweet
Rice blends neighboring countries’ foods into one shop
Story by VICTORIA HERNANDEZ | Photography by KATHY TRAN
WHEN IT COMES TO SERVING UP SOUTHEASTERN ASIAN
FOOD , plenty of places have you covered for Thai. But at Sweet Rice, the flavors of both Laos and Thailand are on the plate.
“A lot of Laos food is more herbal, and it’s not as many items with the stir fries,” manager Mina Sourignavong says. “It’s more herbal stuff and the taste is also the same, but then the Laos people, they don’t like more oily food or something that cooks more like soup.”
The counter-service restaurant at the corner of Tyler and West Davis opened in October 2024, with a long-running brick wall, dark wooden tables and Edison light bulbs hanging from the ceiling.
Sourignavong has been with Sweet Rice since the first location opened in April 2018. Today, there are five locations throughout Texas, including another spot in northwest Dallas on West Mockingbird Lane and one location in Tacoma, Washington.
She met Sweet Rice founder Von Linavong prior to opening his first Frisco venture, as he gave her a tour of the space and they exchanged ideas on the concept. Sourignavong was exploring new options in the restaurant industry, having already been working as a chef, when things fell into place. Shortly after they met, Linavong invited her to work with him and now she handles operations for the Texas locations.
Sourignavong initially joined to help create a place where she could share her love of home cooking with other people.
“I have a sister. When we were young at home, I’d be the one to cook and she’d be the one to clean, and I guess I’ve been involved in food since I was young,” Sourignavong says. “I love to meet and love to experience different things.”
Moving from Laos to Texas, Sourignavong has been in the Lone Star State for almost 30 years. When it came to developing the menu, she said she wanted to join well-known dishes of Thai food with her own Laotian upbringing eats, specifically “street food” focused dishes.
“It’s something that we know, and then if you do something that you know about, you can be good at it,” she says. “We choose the item or the food that we know, so we can do the best of it.”
She mentioned when first producing the menu, ingredients were easier to get. Today, Sourignavong says there is some uncertainty and shortages with new tariffs. They primarily source their ingredients from Asian grocery stores in Carrollton and Garland.
One reason for adding Laotian in
addition to the Thai food menu is how the two countries balance each other.
She highlights one of the Laotian menu items: dry noodle with chicken ($14.9918.99). Compared with the savory, saucy Thai street noodle chicken ($14.99-18.99), Laotian food tends to have a slightly different texture and taste.
Other favorite options that come to her mind include the Thai papaya salad or Lao papaya salad with salted field crab ($11.9912.99) and the sweetness of sticky rice with fresh mango ($12).
Some dishes have the option to add spice, ranging from No Spicy at zero to Super Spicy at five. They have an added disclaimer on the menu: “WE USE FRESH THAI CHILI; NO REFUNDS ON FOOD TOO SPICY.”
“We also have the Lao (spicy) sausage ($10.99). It’s very savory and herbal. I mean, everybody loves it,” she says. “Even people here who think they will try it. They love it.”
Each location of Sweet Rice is “a little bit different.”
With this location, Sweet Rice added fruit teas and milk teas ($6-8) with add-in topping options of tapioca boba pearls, crystal boba, oreo or chocolate ($1). Even though the popular bubble tea hails from China, they wanted to include it since there were not many spots for the drink. She says the rising popularity of matcha made it easy to incorporate into the flavor options as well.
For the future, Sourignavong says they hope to focus less on new food items, but they are workshopping Japanese pancakes.
“It’s not easy to run a business,” Sourignavong says. “But it is something you enjoy with reward.”
Sweet Rice, 831 W. Davis St., 214.613.6244, sweetricetx.com
THE GIFT GUIDE
It’s that time of year again when we compile a few of our favorite things from our neighborhood stores. Find something for every type of somebody in your life.
Compiled by Victoria Hernandez, Katharine Bales & Elizabeth Truelove
GALLERY AND RESOURCE CENTER
Grocery Shopping with My Mother $24
DLM
Oak Cliff Mens SS
Crew Neck Tee $36
FOODIE
MOSAIC MAKERS
COLLECTIVE
Christmas Tree Forest
Sailor Bow for Dogs $16
Classic Christmas Plaid
Dog Bandana $20
THE WILD DETECTIVES
So Easy So Good $34.99
Surviving the Food Desert: Cookbook & Food Desert
Resource Guide $34.99
by
HOLA CAFÉ
House Blend Coffee $17.99
DUDE, SWEET CHOCOLATE
Pebbles Chai Chocolate Bar $8
ARI’S PANTRY
Ari’s 24oz Tomato Sauce $12.95
Photo
Manny Rodrigues
PLANT LOVER
WE ARE 1976, INC.
Flutter Heart Flower
Anatomy Art Print $35
OASIS PLANT SHOP
Snake plant $32 Pot $35
OUTPOST FINE GOODS 6 Eyes Pot $30
DIRT FLOWERS
Peppermint Bark, petite flower arrangement $167
HOUSE RULES GAMES
Fit to Print (Kickstarter) $45
HOBB
PEOPLE
One-of-a-kind hand crafted ceramics $45-130 or learn the craft starting at $250
SPINSTER RECORDS
Jensen CD-60R-BT
Portable CD Player
Bluetooth FM Radio
60 Second Anti-skip (Black) $52
HOME BODY
ALL GOOD THINGS
Milk + Honey Large
Bath Soak $32
KNIT DALLAS
21 Color Slouch Hat Kit
$40
OUTPOST FINE GOODS
Outpost Candle Patchouli + Grapefruit $36
DAVIS STREET MERCANTILE
Dallas and Bishop
Arts Handmade Photo Drink Coasters $10
Boot W/ Matches $22.95
TLAZO HOME
Indian Flower and Sakura Stripe Printed Cushion $55
Cat’s out of the bag: The Bishop Arts quarrel has come to a close
After years of voicing concerns and protests starting in 2021, the Bishop Arts cat controversy has come to a close. And it was done so during Yom Kippur, the Jewish Day of Atonement, and went into effect on the Feast of St. Francis of Assisi, the Catholic patron of animals.
Cats in the Cliff nonprofit founder Lisa Dennis and local real estate developer David Spence of Good Space Inc., who declined to be interviewed for this story, came together to discuss how to best move forward as two passionate Cliff dwellers.
The two had previously been at odds over the state of community cats in the Bishop Arts District. Many were a part of established cat colonies, which are groups of cats that free roam outside in certain areas together. According the City of Dallas, the only humane way to control the outdoor populations is to utilize the practice of trap-neuter-return (TNR) to where they were found. However, the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department published concerns about potential public health effects from hosting TNR animals.
Dennis, who has been caring for community cats for a decade, and other local colony managers would continue to care for the ones on Spence’s property when they came across traps. According to an article from the Dallas Observer, Spence had previously set out “a non-harmful trap to capture any critter causing a nuisance (as) is his right as a property owner.”
This raised issue with Dennis. Community cats that had already gone through the TNR process with the City had gone missing.
“I was crushed to my core when 15 of my cats — my personal colony, the ones that I had fed for 10 years — when they came up missing. I was gutted,” Dennis says.
She began organizing to bring attention to this practice, with protests at Good Space and throughout North Oak Cliff. However, in recent months, Dennis decided it was time for a truce.
How coming together on Yom Kippur brought atonement between Oak Cliff neighbors
Story by VICTORIA HERNANDEZ
“But to hold on to a grudge or to try to change the past, it’s not going to happen,” she says. “So what do you do? You move forward.”
Dennis says she originally reached out to Spence requesting that he stop the trapping and make two sizable donations to animal welfare organizations, not including her own, to finally resolve this tension within the community. Three weeks later, he sent her an email in return, and the two agreed to meet.
“When David and I were emailing, he knows my strong stance for Israel and for the Jewish community, and so he said it would be really, in so many words this is paraphrasing, but it would be really cool if we could do this on Yom Kippur because of what Yom Kippur stands for,”
Photography by Victoria Hernandez.
Dennis says. “And I was like wow … when you talk about Israel and you talk about the High Holidays and things, you’re touching my heart.”
They joined in conversation at Kessler Park United Methodist Church. Lead Pastor Eric Folkerth served as host and one of the mediators.
“We at Kessler Park, we seek to be a safe space for all of our neighbors, and we want to serve the whole community,” Folkerth says. “And any time that we can help to be a part of this kind of resolution, that’s something that we are interested in.”
Joe and Connie Stout of the nonprofit Mid-Cities Community Cats also served as mediators to help the pair come to a solution for their quarrel.
“When Lisa asked us to come and told us a reverend would be involved, I thought, ‘Hey, this is good,’” Stout says. “This had a good chance of being successful.”
Folkerth echoes that statement, saying he felt it was very helpful for them to be in the room together.
“To me, they both seemed very sincere and very motivated to put this behind them,” Folkerth says.
The Stouts were able to provide their educational expertise on TNR, or what they prefer as trap-neuter-vaccinate-return (TNVR), to the table as supporters of feral cats in Hurst, Euless, Bedford and several adjoining cities.
During the discussion, the couple explained the importance of TNVR versus simply removing or relocating feral cats.
“If you trap and remove the animal, especially if it’s already been fixed under the TNVR protocol … you’re going to have a vacuum,” says Connie. “No matter what the animal, even if it’s a squirrel or a ’possum or raccoon, but also with cats. If you remove a cat that’s already been fixed and vaccinated for rabies, you don’t really get rid of them. You will just get the ones that are not vaccinated.”
Following their two-hour discussion, Dennis says Spence stepped up beyond her suggestion to not only remove traps, but donate to four separate animal welfare nonprofits.
“I just feel like the pounding has stopped, like David said,” Dennis says. “And I’m grateful for that, too.”
MELISSA
SERVES THE THROUGHCOMMUNITY ISLAM
The center aspires to grow programming from hosting Jumuah to opening re-entry housing
Story by VICTORIA HERNANDEZ
Photography by AMANI SODIQ
Ared, yellow and green Black power salute circled by the phrase “Muslims for Oak Cliff” and a nod to the Ottoman empire’s Islamic identity with a crescent moon and star frame the building’s name: Oak Cliff Empowerment Center. A mosque that focuses on raising the banner of Islam in the very place they call home.
But the center is more than a space for worship — it is a place that focuses on providing compassion and service to the community regardless of religion.
As you enter on the left, a crockpot and paper bowls sit ready for serving, men are gathered around a Socratic seminar style of tables for the last Men’s Taaleem (“education” in Arabic) of October, where they plan to conduct discussions on global topics and apply those chats to the Quran. The right hosts a table filled with tissue paper and gold polka-dot bags.
There, Yasmin Washington is packing compassion bags for women who have experienced gun violence, domestic violence, sexual abuse or incarceration. She
fills each bag with a blanket, a hair brush, sugar scrub, soap, a candle and a copy of the Quran with a letter highlighting verses to lift their spirits.
“Sometimes it’s just verbalizing to them, ‘You don’t deserve that,’” she says. “‘You don’t have to deal with that. You don’t have to do that. We have resources for you. Let me help you do this and let me help you do that.’”
Since September 2023, the center has offered its religious services along with community violence intervention, support groups, children’s tutoring, mentorship for at-risk youth, re-entry programs for Muslims returning from incarceration and a food pantry.
Executive Director Victor Alvelais founded the center following his own re-entry from incarceration. After converting to Islam during his 15th year in prison, he says he wanted to help his fellow men behind bars.
After serving 26 years, he was released during the COVID-19 pandemic. He quickly began working with the City through the Youth Advocate Programs Inc.’s Dallas CRED violence interruption team, later becoming the director in 2022.
“I had only been home a year, and that’s when I met a couple of Muslim brothers, and I was telling them what I was doing,” he says. “I said that there are some Muslims throughout the city who want to be proactive and go into some of these disadvantaged communities. And that’s how we started on the work.”
He connected with Dallas members of the Islamic Circle of North America. They believed in his idea and helped him gather funds to start a space for prioritizing nonviolence and assistance.
Navaid Barney, a member of ICNA who discovered the empowerment center in January, says he felt that he wanted to do more for social justice issues than what felt to him to be superficial.
“Eventually, somehow, someone told me about the Oak Cliff Empowerment Center. So I started coming here once or twice a week and I saw the actual work that was being done,” Barney says. “They’re going up to the community. They’re talking to the community. They don’t care to make someone Muslim, they’re just trying to do the right thing.”
On this Monday, Washington and Alvelais pile into a van and head for the government-subsidized apartment complex Peoples El Shaddai Village, also known as “Butter Beans.” There, they greet some kids out bouncing a basketball around without a goal to shoot at. A woman and her family drove up beside them, asking if the pair had a food bag.
“We took them up to the park yesterday,” Alvelais says to her. “I give you my word. Yes, they’ll bring something. Don’t let me forget sister. I got you sister.”
After he daps up the children for a farewell, the two head back to the center for the sunset prayer prior to the Men’s Taaleem.
Abdul Ibrahin Hammid, who joined the center after his release from incarceration earlier this year, leads the Maghrib Prayer, a prayer specifically said from sunset to dawn, for the five men that join him for tonight’s taaleem.
They don’t care to make someone Muslim, they’re just trying to do the right thing.
Washington joins in the back on her own individual prayer mat while the men in front of her share a long running one with multiple spots. The six face qibla, which is toward Islam’s most sacred building, the Kaaba, located in Mecca.
Hammid later explains the practice of prayer is called salat in Arabic and is one of the Five Pillars of Islam. The other four include the profession of faith (shahada), alms (zakat), fasting (sawm) and pilgrimage (hajj).
The prayers are in Arabic, which is essential to learn to understand the Quran. Unlike other religious texts, the words aren’t up for interpretation between different versions.
The Monday Men’s Taaleem is just one of many programs at the center. Tuesdays they host the Women’s Support Group followed by the Sister’s Circle on Wednesdays for Muslim learning. The Men’s Support Group takes place Thursdays.
Alvelais says their Fridays are like a typical Sunday service. Jumuah (“gathering” in Arabic) includes a sermon and prayer open for Muslims and non-Muslims alike. Sundays host programs dedicated to local youth with a Kids Islamic School and a community program called Helping the Kids Succeed. Each fourth Sunday of the month, the empowerment center hosts an open house with free food, medical screenings and games for kids.
The Oak Cliff Empowerment Center continues to grow with goals to open local re-entry housing for Muslims leaving prison, establishing a job training program and Oak Cliff Muslims Chamber of Commerce, and roll out internship opportunities for Muslim youth in 2026.
“We believe in this corner, this little slice of heaven in southern Dallas,” Alvelais says. “I would like our other brothers and sisters, socially conscious individuals, Muslim or not, to take a look at being here and helping it transform this part of the city.”
The Labyrinth was added to the grounds in 1999. Today, it is used as a space for meditation.
a church as old as the faith
Unitarian Universalist Church of Oak Cliff creates a space to worship without a binding doctrine
Story by VICTORIA HERNANDEZ | Photography by LAUREN ALLEN
On the second day of May 1961, four newly formed congregations came together to combine the practices of Unitarianism and Universalism. And on top of the stack of charters was a church from Oak Cliff.
“Literally, we were the first ever Unitarian Universalist Church to be chartered as such in the world,” worship ministry cochair Ian Grey says. “Because we happened to be the one on the top, of the four papers that were there that got signed that day. We were the top of the stack.”
Thirty congregation members signed the charter application for the Unitarian Universalist Fellowship of Dallas (also called Oak Cliff UU Fellowship). Today, 33 individuals are voting members on the board for what is now called Unitarian Universalist Church of Oak Cliff (UUCOC).
The formation of Unitarian Universalism derives from the consolidation of the two religions through the Unitarian Universalist Association.
Unitarianism, founded in 1793, came out of the first schism of Christianity. American Unitarians abandoned the doctrine of the Trinity (the three-part God, Jesus and the Holy Spirit) to instead move to adopt a hopeful view of humanity rather than a focus on sin, according to an article by BBC News
“The Unitarians believed in a combination of having a unified congregation, so people of different traditions gathering together, in questions, very humanist in its
approach still with a Christian aspect to it,” Ian Grey says.
Universalism developed following dissent from the Baptist and Congregational churches, according to Britannica . Universalists argued against the understanding that only a small, elected number of people would be saved, emphasizing that scripture does not teach eternal torment in Hell.
“Then you have a lot of young people in the late ’50s and ’60s with the Universalists who wanted to do social justice work,” Ian Grey says. “And so then, in the ’60s, they got together, and they were like, ‘You have church spaces. We have young people doing civil rights stuff. Let’s get together.’”
The Unitarian Universalist practice involves everyone, regardless of religious affiliation. Members of this congregation include agnostics, non-Pagans that take comfort in the rituals, liberal Jews, Christians that are also kind of Buddhist and many other faiths. Others don’t even identify with one faith or another, but simply “UU.”
On five acres of land off of West Kiest Boulevard between South Cockrell Hill and South Westmoreland Roads, three buildings sit nestled into an array of trees. Nicknamed as Hope, Faith and Charity, the three buildings serve as places of sanctuary and resource for the congregation.
The community continues to meet at the same address where the first few years of service took place in the mid-1960s. Although the very first service was at 1029 N. Zang Blvd., the first service at today’s 3839 W. Kiest Blvd. address took place in Hope on Sept. 13, 1964.
A sculpture called The Prophet, gifted by one of the first church supporters Major Alexander Bujalsky in 1964 for the building dedication, sits between the buildings Hope and Faith.
UUCOC has several outdoor pockets to explore. There’s the community garden that was brought up in collaboration with the Oak Cliff Veggie Project, currently growing pomegranates and thin cayenne peppers.
Along the tree line lies the memorial garden, a space with stones and seedlings placed to remember loved ones, with some members having their ashes put there. Recently, a tree was planted in honor of a young man who passed at 23.
Further into the trees is The Labyrinth, added to the property in 1999. Redone in 2017, the circling paths are now wide enough to be wheelchair or walker accessible and are used for meditation.
A winding trail through the trees leads back to Charity, where cat condos sit beside a mural created in 2001. Children of the congregation completed a study of world religion, selecting images and phrases that represent them for the piece. An angel is depicted in the center of the sky with mountains, animals and people below. The piece’s border lists the names of important religious figures such as Jehovah and Buddha.
Charity is now primarily a rental space, typically hosting everything from gender reveals to quinceañeras. Hope hosts child care rooms and the library. Faith is where the service happens.
“When I first came here, this building was not here,” Donna Leach says. She first visited UUCOC when all church services took place between Charity and Hope. Faith was built in the fall of 1983.
Inside, the lobby walls host photos of the congregation’s history. The actual sanctuary is a grand space, on the left The Seven Principles adopted by the Unitarian Universalist Association in 1985 hang.
Though the principles held strong meaning earlier in the congregation, there have been recent changes nationwide to instead adopt one word values.
“It’s the same idea, just simplified language, making it more of an active voice,” Kathy Grey says. She brings in a small paper circle, which can be planted to grow wildflowers, that lists seven words in between stretched oval lines that mimic an atom: equity, generosity, interdependence, justice, pluralism, transformation and at the center over a chalice symbol “love” bolded in all caps.
“You can get into the history and the purposes and all of it, but really, it is a living faith tradition. It’s covenantal, so it’s
relationship-based, and it’s active in both its participation and its evolving status,” Ian Grey says. “It’s not one fixed doctrine. It’s not one fixed creed. It is not one set of answers to all the questions. It is all the questions and it is coming together and figuring out and being together in community and worship and shared value for each other, but those are defined and encouraged amongst each other and the community.”
The navy wall in the center holds a larger than life sign with the UUCOC name and massive flaming chalice, which is known to Unitarian Universalists to reference a light of reason, the warmth of community or as a flame of hope.
“There are several origin stories behind it,” Scott Grey says. “One of them goes back to World War II, where they had candles and chalices as a symbol of safety.”
Before and after each Sunday service, a chalice is lit to celebrate the community coming together and the flame is extinguished at the conclusion. Generally, speakers include poems and songs as they share joy and sorrows of how the community is doing.
Behind the chalice, the oak leaf represents Oak Cliff as a part of their community.
Scott and Kathy Grey came to UUCOC in 2003 with their children. Their oldest son Ian Grey was 10 years old at the time and returned in a more active role following college. Kathy, serves on a plethora of committees and as vice president of the board.
Just a couple years later from the family’s first visit, UUCOC became recognized as a Welcoming Congregation, undergoing a voluntary effort to become a more welcoming place to the LGBTQ+ community through educational events, organizational assessment and community outreach. That welcoming identification reigns true 20 years later.
Topics of sermons range from sharing personal stories for National Coming Out Day to exploring world religions and patriotism. UUCOC service is not led by one full-time minister, but anyone in their congregation with an idea and a desire to speak. They also follow Sunday service with a “talk back” aspect where folks gather in reflection circles after service to go more in depth on the day’s discussion.
Leach says she doesn’t know of any other church that does talk back, calling the opportunity a wonderful thing to include each Sunday.
“I feel like there’s so much good both in the space and the community and the place,” Ian says. “When people are aware of what we’re doing and why we’re doing it, and the special place that we have people come.”
“Trust me, you haven’t seen a church like this.”
A portion of the mural painted on Charity in 2001. The children of the congregation were learning about world religions and selected pictures and phrases to represent them.
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ALEXANDER HOME REPAIR. AC/HEAT Repair & Install. LIC#28052 469-226-9642 TA CLA67136C
ASK ABOUT DISCOUNTS!
214-710-2515 dallasheatingac.com
APPLIANCE REPAIR
JESSE’S A/C & APPLIANCE SERVICE
TACLB13304C All Makes/Models. 214-660-8898
BUY
SELL TRADE
!!OLD GUITARS WANTED!! Gibson, Fender, Martin, Etc. 1930’s to 1980’s. Top Dollar Paid.1-866 -433-8277
CABINETRY & FURNITURE
JD’S TREE SERVICE Mantels, Headboards, Kitchen Islands, Dining tables. Made from Local Trees. www.jdtreeservice.com 214-946-7138
CONFUSED? FRUSTRATED? Let a seasoned pro be the interface between you & that pesky Windows computer. Hardware/Software Installation, Troubleshooting, Training. $100/hr. 1 hr min. Dan 972-639-6413 / stykidan@sbcglobal.net
FENN CONSTRUCTION Kitchens And Baths. Call Us For Your Remodeling Needs. 214-343-4645. dallastileman.com
RENOVATE DALLAS renovatedallas.com 214-403-7247
S&L CONSTRUCTION All Home Services & Repairs. 214-918-8427
ROOFING & GUTTERS
BERT ROOFING INC.
Family owned and operated for over 40 years • Residential/Commercial • Over 30,000 roofs completed • Seven NTRCA “Golden Hammer” Awards • Free Estimates www.bertroofing.com 214.321.9341
SERVICES FOR YOU
AGING ROOF? New Homeowner? Got Storm Damage? You need a local expert provider that proudly stands behind their work. Fast, free estimate. Financing Available.1-888-878-9091.
BATH & SHOWER UPDATES in as little as ONE DAY! Affordable prices - No payments for 18 months! Lifetime warranty & professional installs. Senior & Military Discounts available. Call: 877-543-9189
WHERE CAN I FIND LOCAL ...?
SERVICES FOR YOU
BECOME A PUBLISHED AUTHOR. We want to read your book! Dorrance Publishing trusted since 1920. Consultation,production, promotion & distribution. Call for free author’s guide 1-877-729-4998 or visit dorranceinfo.com/ads
DENTAL INSURANCE-Physicians Mutual Insurance Company. Covers 350 procedures. Real insurance -not a discount plan. Get your free dental info kit! 1-888-623-3036 www.dental50plus.com/58 #6258
DIRECTV STREAM - Carries the most local MLB Games! ChoicePackage $89.99/mo for 12 mos Stream on 20 devices at once.HBO Max included for 3 mos (w/Choice Package or higher.)No contract or hidden fees! Some restrictions apply. Call IVS 1-866-859-0405
DONATE YOUR CARS TO VETERANS TODAY. Help and Support our Veterans. Fast - FREE pick up. 100% tax deductible. Call 1-800 -245-0398
SERVICES FOR YOU
HUGHESNET Finally, super-fast internet no matter where you live.25 Mbps just $59.99/mo! Unlimited Data is Here. Stream Video. Bundle TV & Internet. Free Installation. Call 866-499 -0141
INFLATION is at 40 year highs. Interest rates are way up.CreditCards. Medical Bills. Car Loans. Do you have $10k or more in debt? Call National Debt Relief to find out how to pay off your debt for significantly less than what you owe! Free quote.1-877-592-3616
PROFESSIONAL LAWN SERVICE: Fertilization, weed control, seeding, aeration & mosquito control. Call now for a free quote. Ask about our first application special! 1-833-606-6777
REPLACE your roof with the best looking & longest lasting material steel from Erie Metal Roofs! 3 styles & multiple colors available. Guaranteed to last a lifetime! Limited Time Offer up to 50% off install + Additional 10% off install. (military, health &1st responders.) 1-833-370-1234
Kitchens, Bathrooms, Windows, Doors, Siding, Decks, Fences, Retaining Walls, New Construction
New Construction & Remodels FiferCustomHomes.com• 214-727-7075
TK REMODELING
KITCHEN • BATHS
Complete Remodeling and Restoration Design Build • Detailed Professionals
TKREMODELINGTX.COM 972 533-2872
ELIMINATE GUTTER CLEANING FOREVER! LeafFilter, the most advanced debris-blocking gutter protection. Schedule a FREE LeafFilter estimate today. 15% off Entire Purchase. 10% Senior & Military Discounts. Call 1-855-402-0373
GENERAC Prepare for power outages today with a GENERAC home standby generator $0 Down + Low Monthly Pmt. Request a free Quote. Call before the next power outage: 1-844-334 -8353
GET DISH SATELLITE TV +INTERNET
Free Install, Free HD-DVR Upgrade, 80,000 On-Demand Movies, Plus Limited Time Up To $600 In Gift Cards. Call Today! 1-866-479-1516
SAFE STEP North America's #1 Walk-in tub. Comprehensive lifetime warranty. Top-of-the-line installation and service. Now featuring our free shower package & $1600 off - limited time! Financing available. 1-855-417-1306
THE GENERAC PWRCELL, a solar plus battery storage system. SAVE money, reduce your reliance on the grid, prepare for power outages and power your home. Full installation services WATER DAMAGE
cleanup & restoration: A small amount of water can lead to major damage and mold growth in your home. Our trusted professionals do complete repairs to protect your family and your home's value! Call 24/7: 1-888-872-2809
TUTORING/ LESSONS
GARTH ORR - TUTOR Math & Physics grade 8-12. Private Tutoring that works! garthorr.com
