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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June 16 “Thriving Amidst New Abnormal,” Rev. Chris Antal
Faced with a disturbing reality in which things are not getting better, what value might spiritual disciplines bring to our lives?
Rev. Antal was ordained by Albany UU in 2011. Since then, he served a tour as an Army chaplain in Afghanistan, and earned a doctorate from Hartford Seminary.
Music:
Ann Brandon
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Sunday Services
10:00 am
The summer schedule begins this Sunday, June 16
Summer at Albany UU
Our summer services begin on Sunday, June 16 and continue through Sunday, September 1.
How is a summer Sunday at Albany UU different from other Sundays?
--The 9:00 a.m.
Meditation
continues.
--We have
Service
at 10:00 AM. Summer services are coordinated by Randy Rosette, with a delightful list of guests in the pulpit.
--
Children are invited
to meet for activities in Room 24/25, youth are invited to help or attend service. The nursery/toddler room will still be open at 9:45 with paid childcare staff.
--
Coffee Hour
becomes Iced Tea and Lemonade (in Community Hall Alcove.)
--The
people
you’ve enjoyed all year are still here, plus it’s a time we often have visitors who are on their summer voyages from elsewhere.
--Contributions of
flowers from your garden
for the service are welcome!
--
If you can volunteer to help
on a Sunday, we have openings for Greeters and Ushers. Call the office, 518-463-7135, or sign up
here
!
June 23 “Should there be Limits on Religious Freedom?” Rev. Dick Gilbert
Today religious freedom is being increasingly invoked in problematic moral situations: parents who refuse to have their children vaccinated; merchants who won’t serve same sex couples; congregations which want to endorse political candidates. What is the meaning of church-state separation in this context? What does this say about Unitarian Universalism as we know it?
Rev. Dick Gilbert, retired UU minister, has published books on faith development, social justice and meditations, including In the Holy Quiet and Thanks Be for These.
Music:
Randy Rosette
June 30 “Life is a Labyrinth,” Rev. Amanda Poppei
So often we imagine that life is like a straight line--but in reality our lives are much more like a spiral, including those lessons that repeat over and over again when we think we should get a break from them already! Using the image of a labyrinth as a starting place, Rev. Amanda will explore the constancy of change, and how we can find ourselves transformed...even when we feel like we are facing the same darn thing.
Rev. Poppei is a Unitarian Universalist minister as well as a certified Ethical Culture Leader, and has a strong background in interfaith work. Serving as President of the Unitarian Universalist Humanist Association, Amanda is also a co-founder of the Humanist Clergy Collaboratory.
Music:
Alyssa Yeager
Announcements
Community Breakfast - don’t miss out!
Our next community breakfast is this Saturday, June 15! Help is needed with set up on Friday, June 14 beginning at 6:30 pm. There’s always lots of room for helpers on the morning of the breakfast, beginning at 7:00 am. If you're willing, call Carol Butt as soon as you are able (518.439.6629). If you would like to contribute some fruit or other tasty food item to the breakfast such as coffee cake, muffins, banana bread, etc., please label it, “community breakfast” and leave it in the kitchen by 8:00 AM Saturday, June 15. Don’t miss this wonderful opportunity to help with this important community event here at Albany UU!
A reminder that this outreach opportunity was put into action as a result of the Albany UU Board asking the congregation the open question, “What would it look like for Albany UU to be a good neighbor?” A proposal from Carol Butt was approved by the Board to provide a free public community breakfast once a month in Channing Hall.
Memorial service for Teddy Archer - Save the date
A memorial service will be held for Teddy on Sunday afternoon, September 29. The date of the service has been set to also honor her 100th birthday, and there will be cake to celebrate a vibrant life well lived!
Sheridan Prep Volunteer Training
Whether you are currently volunteering, waiting to volunteer, or want to start next fall. Please come to an end-of-school-year training at Eagle Point Elementary Wednesday June 19 at 3:45 pm
Your reply would be appreciated so we can gauge the number to expect.
Location and parking:
Eagle Point Elementary is on Western Avenue across from the Harriman State Office Campus.
There should be parking in lots on both sides of the school and in the street at that time as the school closes well before our meeting time.
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Sunday Schedule
9:00 AM
- Mindfulness Meditation, Sanctuary
9:45 AM
- Nursery/Toddler Rooms open
10:00 AM
- Summer Service, Community Hall
11:00 AM
- Fellowship, Community Hall Alcove
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 recorded and acknowledged in writing for tax purposes at the end of the calendar year, please use and write your name on 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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Strategic Plan Accomplishments
At our last Board meeting we came up with a list of tasks, committees, events, etc that the congregation has accomplished or started since adopting the Strategic Plan. As a new member of the congregation I was quite impressed with this. Many of the activities were intentional and line up with the goals of the Strategic Plan.
Following is the list of events, committees, etc.
Congregational Covenant Team
Inclusivity Team
Adoption of Sheridan Preparatory Academy as our neighborhood public school and fundraising and organizing to build Sheridan Prep playground
Growth Through Service
Wellspring and Meaning Matters
Governance Task Force
Community and Connection Committee(no longer in existence but a couple of years were spent reaching out
Friday Night Multi-generational Potlucks
Pastoral Care Associates
Increased connection to local UU churches through Hudson Mohawk UUs (HMUU)
Participation in, and fundraising for a new congregation in Clifton Park (ultimately unsuccessful)
Green Sanctuary Committee
Monthly Free Breakfast for our neighbors
Team rehabbing houses in our neighborhood and around Sheridan Prep
UU Young Adult Group
Supporting Urban Grief, SNUG, SURJ
Declaring ourselves a sanctuary congregation and signing a formal agreement with three other churches to provide sanctuary to those in need
Lobbying to repeal the Rockefeller Drug Laws and, most recently, to pass the Aid in Dying Act
Involvement of our youth in Youth Service Opportunities Project
Adult education offerings in the areas of theology and philosophy
Thandeka’s year of consulting resulting in more joint planning of, and emotional shaping of, services
The presence of a long-time minister providing continuity and stability
I was not familiar with the Strategic Plan. How would I know about something done ten years ago had I not been directed to it?
I am proud to be a member of this congregation and Board. The list of accomplishments that were intentional and directly associated to the Strategic Plan is quite amazing.
Nancy Shay
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.
Memorial Service for Margrit Pfluger:
Please join us on Sunday, June 30 at 2:00pm in the Sanctuary for a memorial service to celebrate the life of
member Annika
and Danny Pfluger's beloved mother and grandmother, Margrit Pfluger. Afterwards, we will continue our celebration and conversations with "Coffee and Kuchen" in Channing Hall.
We are sad to announce that
Renee Howard
died last week. Cards may be sent to her son Dean Howard: 153 Colonial Avenue, Albany, NY 12208.
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.
Albany UU Caring Network
The Caring Network (CN) reflects the words of the Albany UU chalice lighting - “to sustain a vital and nurturing religious community.” The CN provide encouragement and short term support to Albany UU members who, due to hospitalization, sickness, loss, or isolation, need assistance. Services typically include transportation to medical appointments, meals and shopping during recovery, and friendly visits and “check in’s” from Caring Network members. Please reach out to the
Caring Network
if you need.
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Homecoming Sunday - September 8
It's never too early to plan!
Bring water
(real or virtual) gathered during your summer (at home or away) to symbolize the regathering of our community.
Send a couple photos
of your summer for inclusion in the slideshow to office@albanyuu.org by Sunday, Sept. 1.
Plan on lunch after the service!
Everyone is invited to a light lunch in Channing hall right after the service and bring a “finger food” if you're willing and able.
UU Weekend: Put it on your calendar now!
Have you registered for UU Weekend at Silver Bay from October 18-20, 2019? First-timers will receive an additional 10% discount! Children under 6 are free and there are substantial discounts for older children and youth. Sign up today!
Learn more
here
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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!
Gardening Volunteers
Do you have two hours to contribute to maintaining the gardens surrounding Albany UU? The Gardening Committee welcomes you to
sign up here
, where you can select which week(s) you'd like to help. Volunteers often work in pairs. No experience necessary. For more information or to receive e-mail updates, please contact
Donna Meixne
r or 518/439-5947.
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RELIGIOUS EXPLORATION
It's now Summer Session of RE!
Nursery/Toddler
Rooms open at 9:45 AM.
Children and youth
are welcome to stay with their families for the service. Or they can come upstairs for childcare. Volunteers and our childcare workers staff the nursery/toddler room for our youngest ones; and room 24/25 with activities for those in preschool and older. Middle school and high schoolers are welcome to help out. We start shortly before 10:00; pick up directly after the service. Please be sure to sign your child in and out with one of the staff. Everyone is invited for cookies and lemonade in the back of Community Hall after the service.
It’s all for fun! Come Volunteer!
Summer session of RE is a great time for me to get out some art projects. And the children of all ages also enjoy free play with our unit blocks and other materials. We staff summer session with three volunteers or staff: one person (youth or adult) in the nursery/toddler room; one person (youth or adult) in room 24/25 with the multi-age-children’s activities; and one adult "floater" to check on both rooms and fill in as needed. Are you ready for some summer fun with our children? You can volunteer just one Sunday or as many as you like June 16 – Sept 1. Contact Leah Purcell at
dre@albanyuu.org
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SOCIAL RESPONSIBILITIES COUNCIL (SRC)
-Matt Lesniak, SRC Chair,
email
SRC recommends the following:
Annual Juneteenth Celebration at the Hamilton Hill Arts Center.
Saturday, June 15, 9am-12pm, 409 Schenectady Street, Schenectady
#HALTsolitary People's Tribunal, Tuesday, June 18
- HALTsolitary is sponsoring a People's Tribunal on solitary confinement, with opportunities for survivors of solitary, family members, and other experts and community members to testify at a People's Forum. Sign up at
http://bit.ly/HALTsolitaryPeoplesForum
.
Juneteenth Speak Out in front of Schenectady County Jail.
Wednesday, June 19, 6pm-7pm, 320 Veeder Avenue, Schenectady
‘Sit, Stand, and Sing’ tour by Sane Energy Project and
350.org
,
Saturday, June 22
- As part of a series of events across New York State calling attention to fracking infrastructure, the ‘Sit, Stand, and Sing’ tour will stop in Oneonta next Saturday. The goal is to connect communities across the state to build a sustainable and renewable world. Oneonta, NY
Juneteenth: A South Pearl Street Festival. Saturday, June 22, 12pm-5pm
- Commemorating slavery’s abolition in the US, and highlighting businesses and cultural institutions on South Pearl Street. - South Pearl St (between Madison Ave and Arch Street), Albany
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Raise Your Voice for End of Life Choice
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Medical aid in dying is a practice that permits mentally capable, terminally ill adults to obtain medication that they can take to have a peaceful death. By August, it will be legal in eight states (CA, CO, HI, MT, NJ, OR, VT, WA) and the District of Columbia, making it available to one in five Americans. It was first legalized in Oregon more than 20 years ago, thanks to UU activists in Portland.
Medical aid in dying is not yet legal in New York. Many Albany UUs have supported passage of New York’s Medical Aid in Dying Act with their presence at the Capitol, in meetings with lawmakers, by phone banking from home, and other efforts. Under the leadership of Compassion and Choices – an organization founded by a UU – the New York campaign made excellent progress in 2019. It documented the support of New York’s physicians; gained the support of Governor Cuomo and many new co-sponsors in the Assembly and Senate; and helped line up enough votes for the bill to pass in the Senate Health Committee, although that Committee’s vote was postponed until next year to wait for enough votes in the Assembly Health Committee too. Late in June, Albany UU constituents of local Assembly Member Jake Ashby will be meeting with him at his East Greenbush office because he is a member of the Assembly Health Committee and his vote is essential.
There will be plenty of opportunities for advocacy in the 2020 legislative session. If you are not already on the End of Life Choice e-group and would like to be added to get early news of educational and advocacy opportunities, please email n.willie.schiff@gmail.com.
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Our 2019 General Assembly Albany UU Delegates are**
Dawn Dana
Kathy Harris
Tammy Hathaway
Amy Lent
Jan McCracken
Jean Poppei
John Sherman
Peggy Sherman
Other important info:
Rev. Trumbore will be away attending UUMA Ministry Days and UUA General Assembly in Spokane, Washington, from Sunday June 16 through Sunday, June 23. He will be back in the office Monday morning, June 24.
Office Administrator, Tammy Hathaway will be away attending AUUA Admin Days and UUA General Assembly from Monday, June 17 through Monday, June 24. She will be back in the office Tuesday afternoon, June 25.
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Regular events and meetings
Many of these events and meetings take a hiatus in the summer, check with the church office before coming in.
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
).
Photo credit: Kathy Hodges
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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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