Greetings,
Welcome to Windows Weekly, Albany UU's central source for news and updates. Enjoy!
-Blessings
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W
e welcome everyone. Our Unitarian Universalist community seeks truth and deeper meaning, pursues justice through inspired action, and cultivates compassion and love for all connected by the web of life
.
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April 7, 11th Annual Hudson-Mohawk Unitarian Universalist Cluster
Sunday Worship Service
11:00 AM
at Doane Stuart
“Is It Too Late? Healing the Earth and Our Spirits”
What does it mean to engage climate justice as individuals, families, congregations, and a region? Through story, music, poetry, reflections and visual arts, we will explore what it means when resources are depleted, and how to reclaim hope in ourselves, our communities, and the planet.
Nursery care provided, plus service-related activities for elementary-age children.
Join for us for lunch after the service
—bring a dish to share (finger foods preferred),
plus place settings for you and a friend
. We’ll enjoy a time of kinship and have opportunities for deeper conversations about various aspects of climate justice.
This service will begin at
11:00 AM
at Doane Stuart School
, 199 Washington Ave., Rensselaer
There will be NO service or meetings at Albany UU on April 7.
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Sunday Services
10:00 am
April's theme: Wholeness
April 14, “Stuck in Brokenness,” Rev. Sam Trumbore
When Jesus first looks out over the city of Jerusalem, he weeps. This is the opposite experience most would have. They would be awed by the magnificent Temple and the grandeur of the city, the center of the Jewish universe. Why did Jesus weep? What was likely going on that would have stimulated such a reaction?
Music:
Richard Porterfield
April 21, “Finding Wholeness,” Rev. Sam Trumbore
We will celebrate Easter by celebrating the sense of wholeness that it represents. The attempt to eliminate Jesus by killing him failed. His vision of wholeness, of Beloved Community could not be killed. That vision lives on in us, and many other faith traditions. It hasn’t been fully realized, but neither has it died. It continues to call us on.
Music:
Albany UU Choir with music of Mozart
April 28, “The Spiritual Significance of Flowers,” Sigrin Newell
Archeologists have found flowers and seeds in graves as far back as the earliest traces of humanity. From the beginning, people have attributed spiritual significance to flowers. The Iris, the Lily and the Rose in particular have carried great meaning. Exploring this symbolism puts us in touch with the ways in which flowers bring spirit into our lives.
Dr. Sigrin Newell has been active with the First Unitarian Universalist Society of Albany NY for nearly 30 years. During this time she has given many sermons, most recently on the intelligence of plants. She sings in the choir and is the music librarian.
Music:
Helderberg Madrigal Singers with Randy Rosette,
piano
Announcements
Annual reports due Apr. 22
Here’s your chance to document what your Albany UU group is doing this year!
The deadline for reports is Monday, April 22
. if you have any questions about the annual report process, contact Church Administrator Tammy Hathaway at the office (518-463-7135) or by email at
admin@albanyuu.org
.
Mary Reich Memorial Service
A Celebration of Mary's Life will be held at Albany UU on
Sunday, April 7 at 3:00 pm
in the Sanctuary followed by a reception in Channing Hall. Contributions of finger foods for the reception are welcomed and encouraged. Parking is allowed in the UAlbany Hawley Lot for this event.
The board has approved the free monthly breakfast!
We can start planning and getting supplies. Many people expressed an interest in participating. Please sign up on the sheets on the bulletin board in Channing if you would like to participate and tell us the role you might like to take (co-coordinator, shopper, cook, set up, clean up, coffee maker, table host, etc.) and if you feel you could be a
regular (R)
or
intermittent (I)
volunteer. Let’s aim for the third Saturday in May. One or two coordinating meetings prior to that will help us get better organized and anyone who can attend one or both will help us make this operate more smoothly. Thanks, Carol Butt
Signs of spring abound
Soon the serviceberry trees will bloom. Feel like a good spring clean up? Don't forget to bring recyclables to the recycle center in the coatroom at Albany UU. Terracycle (where we mail our recyclables) has a new program, so please collect and place discarded razors of any variety in the personal products bin.
Registration for Young Peacemakers Week is Open! And there are jobs to fill, too!
Needed: Teacher Assistants, Teen Interns, and part-time Child Care Providers. This August 19-23 urban day camp at the Albany Friends Meeting House is for up to 35 children, entering grades 2-8. For job applications or to register for camp, visit
youngpeacemakersweek.weebly.com
or contact Jan at 518-275-8709 or
janmccracken56@gma
il.com.
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Sunday Schedule
11:00 AM
- Joint service at Doane Stuart followed by a potluck -
be sure to bring place settings for you AND a friend!
3:00 PM
- Mary Reich memorial service
Quick Links
Denominational Affairs Links
Sign up for a class or event
- Sign up at the Sign Up Site in Channing Hall
OR
- Call the church office, 518.463.7135
If childcare is offered for the event, please let us know you need it when you register, including names and ages of children.
Offering envelopes
We appreciate donations of cash during the offering that occurs as part of our Sunday service. If you would like to have cash contributions acknowledged and recorded, please use one of the envelopes that are available on the table in the Community Hall lobby. Thank you very much for your generosity.
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Upstate New York Seaway Gathering
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Draw the Circle Wide: Learn and Connect at the Upstate New York Seaway Gathering
You are invited to the annual Seaway Spring Gathering of the congregations of the former St. Lawrence District, to be held in Ithaca on May 3 and 4.
On Friday evening, May 3, Rev. Frances May will give the Gould Discourse:
Kids These Days: How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Hope Again.
On Saturday, May 4, you ca participate in workshops for varied interests. CB Beal, the keynote speaker, will discuss Pre-Emptive Radical Inclusion. More information and registration for one or both days may be found here:
https://
tinyurl.com/seaway2019
.
Child care is available, and our denominational affairs budget can reimburse your registration fee.
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Religious Exploration: Chop Wood; Carry Water
I write this the afternoon of my last day of work before my sabbatical, Sunday March 31. What a wonderful send off this morning! I’ll treasure gifts from the Religious Education Council – the gift card to Kripalu; the beautiful journal and very cool pen; memories of very chocolate cake – and also the kind, sweet and heartfelt messages in the journal from you, the congregation, to wish me well and to bless my sabbatical. Thank you. I appreciate all of you.
I am so looking forward to these next two months. As I’ve been wrapping preparations up at Albany UU, I was also thinking of what I had to do at home. “Clean out the fridge,” a voice in my head said. “And start packing!” as if I’m heading out on vacation. But then I would think again, because I’ll be at home about half the time, and my first trip isn’t until the first weekend in April. Like many of us, I am so used to go, go, go! And that’s not always a bad thing; I love my work. But the next two months will include different kinds of work, with different kinds of “go-go-going”.
As I’ve been sharing with folks, I’ll be visiting four UU congregations to see how they do things and what innovations they have made: Jefferson Unitarian Church, in in Golden, CO; Emerson Unitarian Universalist Congregation in Marietta, GA; and the two UU congregations in Rochester NY: Rochester Unitarian (with 742 adult members and 205 children in RE) and First Universalist Church of Rochester (163 adult members and 20 children in RE). I expect that each congregation will have a lesson or two for me; I’ll strive to be open to it all. And I’ll be attending three or four weekend retreats/programs at Kripalu, the Buddhist Retreat Center in Stockbridge, MA. My first weekend program is “The Natural Singer: Find Your True Voice.” I’ll also have time at home or day trips to do some things I’ve been longing to do. I want to experience beauty more, create with my hands, take time to be with old friends, read; and treat my body with care. On sabbatical, all of these things are soul work and spiritual work. Or instead of “work”, perhaps “explore” and “experience” are more apt words.
I’ll share a bit of my experiences on Face Book the next two months; and in the May
Windows
. At the service on June 2nd I’ll be able to give you a fuller story, so, I hope you’ll come; it also RE Sundae Sunday! I’ll write up my learnings for the Religious Education Council, the Board and Rev Sam.
It really is something special for a congregation to send their religious educator on sabbatical. It shows how much you value the Religious Education program and ways the religious educator works in other aspects of the congregation. And it shows the importance you place on supporting the religious educator and offer care to that person.
To prepare for my sabbatical I created a spread sheet of all my DREFM tasks. The Religious Education Council, Rev Sam and I considered which ones were essential and which ones would be would “let go”. Many thanks go to Elizabeth Baldes, our RE Program assistant; Jim Hutchins, our RE Council Chair, members of the REC; and Rev Sam for pitching in to cover for me. The RE volunteers and the families will continue to be supported. But you will notice some differences while I’m away: parents/caretakers and the RE volunteers won’t receive my weekly emails; no Sunday Sparkler (the printed RE weekly newsletter); you’ll see other people besides me presenting the Wisdom Tale in the service; and I won’t be part the multigenerational services. The REC will run their meetings and business without me and I won’t be active other committees in the congregation I’m part of or following.
My sabbatical will give you opportunities for different experiences. You might gain new perspectives; and clarification about what’s valuable to you. So, I hope you’ll note what you’re experiencing while I’m away from Albany UU. When I’m back in June, I’ll look forward to hearing from you on what it was like.
You may know the Zen teaching, "Before enlightenment, chop wood, carry water. After enlightenment, chop wood, carry water." The idea, as I understand it, is that the work one does for enlightenment, (or your life’s goal or perhaps your work goal), does not go away afterwards. The way you do your work is part of the fulfillment.
When we are able to be in the moment, we no longer feel compelled to watch the clock. Whatever your work might be, bring all of yourself to it. When you are fully present, you may find that your labor is no longer a burden. Wood is chopped. Water is carried. Life happens.
Easy for me to say; my work burdens have been removed for two months! And many of you are taking some of them on! But I hope that when I return, all of us can find at least a little more peace in the moment; fulfillment in our work together; and just maybe, a more enlightened way of chopping the wood and carrying the water. Our life as a community will happen.
YoUUrs in service,
Leah
More from our blogs:
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To share your Joy or Sorrow
with our Albany UU community, you may submit it on a yellow card during the service or by using our
online form.
Calling hours for Ed Ryman will be today, Thursday, April 4, form 4:00-7:00 pm at McVeigh funeral home.
A memorial service will be held at Albany UU on Sunday, April 28 at 3:00 pm in the Sanctuary followed by a reception in Channing Hall.
Need to Talk? Albany UU Pastoral Care Associates are here to listen!
Our Pastoral Care Associates have been trained in compassionate listening skills and are available to all members and friends of our congregation. To contact a Pastoral Care Associate, email:
listeners@albanyuu.org
, contact
Rev. Sam Trumbore
, the Albany UU office at 518.463.7135, or one of them personally. They are: Chuck Manning, Phil Rich, Randy Rosette, Sandy Stone, Lisa Barron, Donna Meixner, Dee VanRiper and Sharon Babala.
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Help Evaluate our Professional Ministry
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The Board of Trustees and Rev. Sam Trumbore would like to hear from the congregation in order to plan for the future of our shared professional and lay ministry. Here are their key questions:
- What are the most important things the congregation wants our professional minister to do?
- How well is Rev. Sam doing at what he does? Where does he excel? Where might improvement be made? Are there other things you would like to see him do?
- What are the needs, if any, that our shared professional and lay ministry is not meeting?
To answer these questions, we invite everyone at Albany UU to complete a questionnaire, and we are also planning to conduct about 40 interviews. You can get the questionnaire:
- In print in the church office;
- As an online form, here, which you can submit online;
- As a PDF document that you can download, print and complete by hand; and
- As a Word document that you can download and fill out on your computer.
We will need your completed questionnaire by April 28 in order to include it in our analysis for a report to the Board. If you use a printed questionnaire, you can return it by:
- Handing it to one of us;
- Scanning and emailing it to EVALUATION@albanyUU.org;
- Mailing it to EVALUATION, First UU of Albany, 405 Washington Avenue, Albany, NY 12206; or
- Placing it in a sealed envelope addressed to EVALUATION in the box labeled “Treasurer” in the Copy Room.
If you prefer to respond orally to the questionnaire, please call the office at 518-263-7135 or email us at
evaluation@albanyuu.org
.
We hope you will join us in this important effort and look forward to hearing from you!
Meredith Andrews, Bruce Rodgers, Reese Satin, Nancy Willie-Schiff
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Getting to Know UU
It's not too late to sign up - or just show up! We invite you to join us
Saturday, April 6
for “Getting to Know UU”. This orientation for newcomers is from 8:45 a.m. to noon. Find more
here
.
Walker Book Group
Join the Walker Book Group for a potluck and discussion on
Sunday, April 14 at 5:30 pm
in Channing Hall. We will discuss
The Fish That Ate the Whale
:
Life and Times of America's Banana King
by Rich Cohen. Learn more
here
.
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John Cross Legacy Society
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Have you considered putting Albany UU into your will or estate planning process?
The John Cross Legacy Society was established by the Endowment Trust in 2016 as a way to give members and friends a way to contribute to our future sustainability. A legacy gift to is a planned future donation given through a will or other form of designation. It is a decision that each person makes in their own financial planning process, taking into account various wishes and values about charitable giving.
Every legacy gift, regardless of the amount, is important and cherished. What better way to appreciate the impact of Albany UU on your life, or the life of someone you love, than by making a bequest from your estate? Please take some time to consider your options in consultation with your family, lawyer or financial and/or tax adviser.
To become a member of the John Cross Legacy Society, there is a simple
application
to fill out and return to the church office, or feel free to contact any member of the Endowment Trust (Tom Mercer, John Cooley, Jeff English, Jan McCracken, Jon Newell, Reese Satin).
Invitations to a wine & cheese appreciation reception on June 14 will soon be sent to all members of the Legacy Society. We hope to increase the membership with your name added to it. Imagine the impact of our gits 50, 100, 150 years form now!
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Sunday Volunteers
Would you like to be involved in the Sunday service in a more meaningful way?
Visit
Sunday Hospitality Sign Up
to find out about the ways you can volunteer on Sunday morning. We thank you and could not do what we do without YOU!
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RELIGIOUS EXPLORATION
-Leah Purcell, Director of Religious Education (RE) and Family Ministry,
dre@albanyuu.org;
Elizabeth Baldes, RE Assistant, reassist@albanyuu.org
Find information on Leah's Sabbatical
here
.
Reminder to families: This Sunday, April 7, there will not be any services, RE programs or activities at Albany UU. The HMUU Joint Service is at Doane Stuart at 11:00 AM. There will be childcare and activities for elementary age children. Click
here
for more information.
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SOCIAL RESPONSIBILITIES COUNCIL (SRC)
-Matt Lesniak, SRC Chair,
email
SRC recommends the following:
Rally Buttons now available!
Our UU office staff have made some metal buttons that will identify the wearer as an Albany Unitarian Universalist. They come in a variety of colors, show the chalice, cost $1.00, and are available for purchase at the SRC Fair Trade Table on Sundays. Get yours before they are gone!
Women Against War’s Annual Gathering - Thursday, April 4, 5:30 pm
, First Lutheran Church, 181 Western Ave. Bring savory or sweet finger food to share, and honor our 2019 Woman of Peace awardee, Marcia Hopple. Donation suggested.
Day of Action in the Capitol for the Climate and Community Protection Act, Tuesday, April 9, all day in Albany.
Sign up for the #ClimateJusticeCountdown day of action! The Climate and Community Protection Act has a growing number of sponsors in the NY Senate and Assembly – no more delays! RSVP with Citizen Action.
Lecture and Workshop: Environmental & Climate Justice from Puerto Rico to Albany, Saturday, April 13, 10 – 2pm
, 160 Central Ave. The keynote address and afternoon workshops will look at grassroots and statewide campaigns to combat environmental racism and protect our climate.
Raise Your Voice for End of Life Choice
One more state!
New Jersey is the 9
th
jurisdiction in the U.S. to permit medical aid in dying. It joins Oregon, Washington, California, Montana, Colorado, Vermont, Hawaii and the District of Columbia.
What is medical aid in dying?
It is practice that enables mentally capable adults with a prognosis of six months or less to live to request from their doctor a prescription for medication that they may self-ingest to bring about a peaceful death. It supplements other options, such as hospice, palliative care, and voluntarily stopping eating and drinking (VSED).
New York’s Medical Aid in Dying Act (S3947/A2694) calls for safe, effective practices.
As in other states, the Act would require patients to meet four eligibility requirements: (1) be 18 years or older; (2) have a terminal illness with prognosis of six months or less to live; (3) be mentally capable of making healthcare decisions and acting voluntarily; and (4) be able to self-ingest the medication. Similarly, the Act has multiple safeguards to protect patients, health professionals, and health facilities.
Advocate for medical aid in dying at the Capitol
. Join advocates from across New York State on
April 9
,
April 30
, and, most importantly, on
May 14
for Lobby Day
. We need to inform new and returning lawmakers about the urgency of giving terminally ill New Yorkers the choices they seek. Please tell Nancy Willie-Schiff
(
n.willie.schiff@gmail.com)
the dates you plan to attend so you can be scheduled for a team visit with lawmakers.
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Green Sanctuary's Tip of the Week
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Living our 7th principle
Eating out at restaurants is an enjoyable way to have a breakfast, lunch, or dinner. Many times the amount of food that is served, although delicious, is more than you can eat at one sitting. Especially, if you are trying to save room for a delectable dessert. Restaurants supply "doggie bags" for the leftovers. These "bags" come in a variety of materials but most of them are throw away containers. Instead of using the restaurant "bags" you can bring your own re-usable containers from home for the left overs and take a small step to reducing waste.
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Regular events and meetings
Check Windows Weekly for changes to date, time and location.
Sundays
11:45 AM Inclusivity Team (1st)
5:30 PM Walker Book Group (2nd)
11:45 AM Social Responsibilities Council (3rd)
11:45 AM Green Sanctuary Committee (4th)
Mondays
6:15 PM Religious Education Council (1st)
Tuesdays
10:00 AM Philosophy Discussion (weekly)
1:00 PM Bridge (weekly)
7:00 PM UU Humanists (3rd)
Wednesdays
10:00 AM Projects & Quilts (weekly)
7:00 PM Choir Rehearsal (almost weekly)
Thursdays
1:00 PM All Sides Considered (1st & 3rd)
7:00 PM Program Coordinating Council (2nd)
6:15 PM Board of Trustees (4th)
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Going to miss a Sunday?
You can listen to the entire Albany UU Sunday service at home or on your mobile device. The two most recent services are available as MP3 files on the Albany UU member resource website. Here is how to access:
username: AlbanyUU
password: EEthelredBrown405
Our sermon archive (select Ministry/Sermon Archive on the left website menu) has pdf files of sermons texts (when available) and audio files of sermons. You can also request the office put a service on a CD.
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First Unitarian Universalist Society of Albany
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Parking:
Parking is available on the street. On Sundays (and for some special events) Albany UU has permission to use the University at Albany’s Hawley Parking Lot on Robin Street at Washington Avenue.
Office hours (unless otherwise posted)
September-June:
Monday-Friday, 9:00-3:00
July-August:
Monday–Thursday 9:00-1:00
Websites
Building use
To
reserve a room
for an Albany UU activity
or to rent a hall or classroom space
, for a personal or non-Albany UU activity, contact Administrative Assistant Sapphire Correa (518.463.7135 or
office@albanyuu.org
).
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First Unitarian Universalist Society of Albany | 518.463.7135| 518.463.1429 | Admin@AlbanyUU.org | AlbanyUU.org
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