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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March 1
,
“An Emerging Vision Through the Lens of Governance and Ministry,” Patti Jo Newell and Rev. Sam Trumbore
This service will make visible the evolving partnership in our new system of governance in partnership with ministry. The governance side envisions and the ministry side implements. Come see how President Newell and Rev. Trumbore demonstrate that partnership and how you can participate in it and support it.
Music:
Albany UU Choir with Elena Karpoff
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SUNDAY SERVICES
10:00 am
March 8, “Valuing Truth More Than Power,” Rev. Sam Trumbore
Lies are incompatible with seeking truth and developing wisdom. Many Trump supporters are willing to overlook his lying because they like his use of power. Let us examine the belief that “the ends justify the means.” Is making lying excusable good for democracy?
Music:
Elena Karpoff with Joseph Benevento, bass
March 15, "From You I Receive," Dan Miyake, Intern Minister
Graceful receiving is hard. How can we receive from others without feeling guilty, embarrassed, or obligated? What can we receive from each other and this congregation?
Music:
Hand bell choir
March 22, “Helping the Ones Who Don't Get Recognized - Celebrating the UUSC at 80,” Rev. Sam Trumbore
The Unitarian Universalist Service Committee acts on our behalf in the service of those in need and in crisis situations at home and around the world. The specialize in helping those who get left out and behind by other aid organization. Come hear about their good work on our behalf and ways we can be part of that work.
Music:
Elena Karpoff
March 29, “Scriptural Wisdom,” Rev. Sam Trumbore
In an age of quantum physics and gene splicing, ancient holy books can still guide our hearts. As Easter approaches on April 12, come hear inspiring Biblical stories that can transmit wisdom across thousands of years. We need not believe them literally to get great metaphorical meaning from them.
Music:
Albany UU Choir with Elena Karpoff, piano
ANNOUNCEMENTS
Building access during Youth Con - Plan ahead
Often volunteers come to the building “off hours” to attend to business. Our youth are holding a District Youth Conference at Albany UU from
5:00 pm on Friday, Feb. 28 to 9:00 am on Sunday, March 1
. As we work to provide a safe and secure environment for the youth and their advisors, please plan your work so that you don’t need to be in the building during any part of the Con. If it is something unavoidable, please contact Leah Purcell in advance: dre@albanyuu.
Need Cookies?
You can place your order for Girl Scout cookies during coffee hour in Channing Hall this
Sunday, March 1
. Order some boxes and support local Girl Scout troops! Cookies will be delivered at church in late
March.
On a diet? Buy a box to be donated to a local food pantry. And if your family has a Girl Scout who might be interested in taking part and you haven't already been in touch with Marshall Miller, email him at
marshall@bluehattery.com
.
New Art on Our Walls
Photography Exhibit currently on display in Channing Hall features work by Shannon Simpson. Join us for an Artist Reception on
Sunday, March 8
during Coffee Hour.
Peggy Slocum Memorial Service
A memorial service will be held for Peggy on
Sunday, March 29 at 2:00 pm
in the Sanctuary, followed by a reception in Channing Hall. Contributions of finger foods for the reception are welcomed and encouraged. We do have permission to park in the UAlbany Hawley Lot for this event.
UUA Central Region East Sources of Hope: Seaway Spring Gathering
Join our regional gathering on
Friday, April 17 and Saturday, April 18
at the May Memorial UU Society in Syracuse. Our world needs hope in these troubled times. We will spend the day building resilience and interconnection in ourselves, our faith communities, and beyond.
Friday, 7:00 pm Gould Discourse: Growing Souls in Congregations, presented by our very own, Leah Purcell, CRE.
Saturday Gathering: Rooted for this World: Building Safety in the Body, presented by Rev. Megan Visser, MA, PhD(c). Find more information
here
.
Harvest the wisdom of your life experience!
Join us for the AGE-ING to SAGE-ING® Workshop series led by Audrey Seidman with Rev. Sam Trumbore,
Wednesdays, 2:00pm - 4:30pm, April 22, May 6, 20, June 3 and 17.
In five Wednesday afternoon sessions, learn powerful tools for gathering and giving expression to the wisdom of your own ripening life and find inspiration through the gift of mortality. Based on the teachings of Rabbi Zalman Schachter-Shalomi and other spiritual wisdom leaders.
All who seek to find meaning in the aging process are welcome.
Albany UU Members: $120
If space remains after April 1, Non-Members, $150
Seats are limited. RSVP to the church office. Learn more
here.
Ruth Salter Memorial Service
A memorial service will be held for Ruth Salter on
Saturday, April 25 at 11:00 am
in the Sanctuary, followed by a reception in Channing Hall. Contributions of finger foods for the reception are welcomed and encouraged.
Financial Aid for GA 2020 in Providence
General Assembly is an immersive, inspirational experience that is open to everyone, whether you are a lifelong UU or just getting to know our congregation. GA will take place in
Providence, RI from June 24-28
. Apply now for Albany UU travel stipends using
this form
. Additionally, the UUA offers financial aid; information and applications are at
uua.org/ga
and due by March 31.
Are you--or a friend--looking to make some money occasionally?
Albany UU MUST build a larger pool of Building Hosts and Dishwashers. These are occasional gigs that are needed for rental events. Building Hosts ensure events go smoothly and dishwashers help when food is being served. The pay is $15.00 per hour.
I've got one additional person interested, I could use several more!
If you are interested in hearing more about this opportunity, contact Tammy Hathaway, Church Administrator at 518-463-7135 or
admin@albanyuu.org
. And pass this on to anyone who might be interested!
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Sunday Schedule
9:00 AM
- Mindfulness Meditation, Sanctuary
9:45 AM
- Nursery/Toddler Rooms open
10:00 AM
- Service, Community Hall
- Family Chapel for Children
- Programs for Youth
11:00 AM
- Coffee Hour, Channing Hall
11:30 AM
- Annual Dinner Skit Rehearsal, Community Hall
Quick Links
Denominational Affairs Links
Helpful Local 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.
Albany UU Safety
A reminder that the West St. door will remain locked on Sunday mornings. Though it will be locked from the outside, the West St. door may still be used to exit the building at any time. The Washington Ave. lobby doors will be locked 15 minutes after service begins and reopened again from 11-noon. A Welcome Table or Greeter volunteer will remain in the Lobby for the duration of the morning to monitor doors. We continue to appreciate your patience as we make this transition. If you have questions, please call the church office
.
Planning for Weather Emergencies
In the event of severe weather, a decision to cancel Sunday morning RE classes will be publicized by 9:00 PM Saturday.
A decision to cancel Sunday meditation and the service will be publicized by 8:00 AM Sunday.
The cancellation of all other classes, programs and meetings depends on a decision by the chairperson. We hope to receive information enabling a cancellation announcement two hours before the event start time.
Notice of all cancellations will be posted on our website and Facebook and by email sent through Constant Contact. Sunday service and programs will also be announced on local TV and radio stations through the “School Closing Network”.
Publication deadlines
This is an important reminder that the news and article deadline for Windows Weekly is
9:00 AM on Monday
and submissions to the OOS is
9:00 AM on Tuesday
. The office has been pretty soft on holding folks to these deadlines. We need to tighten this up, making these deadlines more firm in order to be more effective in our work. We thank you for your cooperation and understanding.
Warmth for the Homeless
Please gather blankets, sleeping bags, warm coats, etc. for those experiencing homelessness and put them in the bin in the coatroom. Thanks you!
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“The Mountaintop
,”
Feb. 28 and 29 at 7:30 PM; 3 pm on Sunday, March 1
- a play about Martin Luther King in Memphis in 1968, presented by Confetti Stage. The Linda WAMC’s Performing Arts Studio, 339 Central Ave, Albany. Learn more
here
.
African American Cultural Center of the Capital District.
Friday, February 28,
Teaching Black History Through Theater 6 PM. 135 S. Pearl St., Albany. See events
here.
“Celebrating Toni Morrison”
- An exhibit featuring the world-renowned novelist, a powerful voice of the African-American experience, recipient of the Pulitzer and Nobel prizes, and former Albert Schweitzer Chair in the Humanities at the University at Albany from 1984 to 1989. Science Library Atrium, University at Albany, 1400 Washington Avenue, Albany - through March 1.
“Black Capital: Harlem in the 1920’s”
- Exhibition celebrating the rich and diverse culture of Harlem and its role in the African American struggle for civil and economic equality, while emerging as a flourishing center of black culture, art and music. New York State Museum, 222 Madison Ave, Albany. Learn more
here.
Continue learning about Black History all year long
– books
recommended by Beacon Press:
here
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Knowledge, Wisdom and Moral Action
I love learning. The World Wide Web is like a candy store for my brain. There is so much at my fingertips laid out virtually in front of me. I could browse through Wikipedia endlessly discovering new sites and learning new ideas and skills. Interesting links from one web page lead to another and another. I’m also aware of the ever-expanding knowledge – much of it now available online. What we know about expands at an exponential rate along with the digitization of what we already know. Young people need to know so much more than I did at their age to function in today’s workplace.
Knowledge is power. I remember a large sign I saw on the side of a building in inner city Oakland. It said, “Knowledge is power. Stay in school.” Knowledge has given us incredible power to manipulate and control the world. Information systems, technology, engineering and scientific developments allow us to be creative at the scale from nanometers to kilometers. We are the verge of developing quantum computing that depends on quantum effects at the subatomic level. In China, they can build an entire hospital in a matter of weeks. Diseases are cured and crops changed to protect against pests by directly manipulating the genome of organisms. We have amazing capacity for transformation and change.
What I worry about is the lag in wisdom to keep up with our advance in understanding.
The difference between knowledge and wisdom is very important. Knowledge describes the facts, information and skills one accumulates through experience and education be it theoretical or practical. This kind of knowing is independent of the knower or the application. Energy being equal to mass times acceleration squared is an abstract bit of knowing independent of what can be done with it. The entire sequence of the human genome is just a long sequence of a set of four amino acids stored in a database. The chemical formula for explosive material is just a fact. So is what it takes to initiate nuclear fission.
What we do with that knowledge is something else. That’s where wisdom comes in.
Wisdom goes beyond knowledge to judgement about how that knowledge is used. Wisdom guides the decision making and action based on adding a moral dimension. Is this decision or action good, right, useful or appropriate? What will the consequences be? What is the value, or reason for that decision or action? Wisdom asks, “What does the decision or action mean for my life and for yours?”
The Internet and the World Wide Web has facilitated the widespread distribution of knowledge. What they haven’t done good a job of is making us wise. Early on, those of us promoting the electronic communication revolution thought that the more we knew about each other the more we’d see our commonalities and the result would be a more peaceful world. We didn’t anticipate the ability of people to create silos and echo chambers to have their current biases validated. The wisdom of how to use all the knowledge available is out of balance with the power the knowledge offers us.
And that is profoundly dangerous to the future of humanity on this planet.
The question I’m focused on is how we can encourage people to be and become wise and increase the wisdom in the world population. Older people tend to be wiser through life experience. Younger people have the most knowledge as their access to the Internet is the widest. I’m wondering if building cross generational connections can help in the transfer of wisdom from the old to the young.
One place that happens is in congregations like ours. Religious communities are great places for the old and the young to be together and share what they know and share their wisdom together. There aren’t that many non-hierarchical, egalitarian spaces for people to meet and learn from each other.
May our congregation be a place where we can all become wiser together. It is worthy of your support!
- Rev. Sam
More from our blogs:
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Break out of the Winter Blues on March 21 at our Springing in the Rain Auction!
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Ten Top Reasons
YOU
Should Come
1. Fill your stomach with tasty tidbits and beverages to “feed your cold”!
2. It costs only $5 if you sign up and prepay.
3. Who knows? You might win one of four great door prizes.
4. There’s FREE BABYSITTING for your little ones.
5. You can fill your calendar chockful of fun activities and events.
6. Dream Big--The Auction is the single annual Albany UU FUNdraiser making over $20,000 to help support our community.
7. Many of your fellow Albany UUs will be there.
8. You can buy
affordable
items to make your life a little easier (ie. babysitting, gift certificates, take home homemade foods) or more fun (dinners out, entertainment tickets or happenings, hikes, musical occasions) and much more!
9. You can dress comfy. Leave your four walls behind. Come and have a great time.
10. We will appreciate your patronage and share a big smile when you participate!
We look forward to seeing you at the
Springing in the Rain
Goods and Services Auction on
March 21
at 6:15 pm. A special night awaits your presence. Don’t wait! Sign up in Channing Hall on Sundays March 1, 8, and 15, or contact Randy or Chris at rosette_jensen@juno.com or 518-630-6930 to reserve your place.
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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.
Join us in keeping our members and friends in your thoughts as they share their joys and concerns.
John Morse
thanks the congregation for sympathy notes and cards when his father died last November.
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: Sharon Babala, Chuck Manning, Donna Meixner, Dan Miyake, Phil Rich, Randy Rosette, Dee VanRiper and Erik F. vonHausen.
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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Intergenerational Potluck - Sponsored by SRC
Bring a dish or dessert for a relaxing evening in Channing Hall on
Friday, March 6, 6 to 9 PM
. We will have some short films from Young Voices for the Planet. Find out more
here
Wine and Cheese!
It's the 15th Annual Wine and Cheese tasting event on
Saturday, March 7, 7:00 pm
. Raffle tickets will be sold during Coffee Hour starting Sunday, Feb. 2. Find out more
here
.
Walker Book Group
Join the Walker Book Group on
Sunday, March 8 at 5:30 pm
in Channing Hall. We will begin with a potluck supper followed by a lively book discussion. Newcomers are always welcome. Find out more
here
.
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RELIGIOUS EXPLORATION
For the Faith Development of children and youth this Sunday
The Nursery/Toddler Room
opens at 9:45.
Children in pre-k through 6th grade
start the morning with Family Chapel in the Sanctuary at 10:00 with their families. The story in Chapel is
The Emperor’s New Clothes
by Hans Christian Andersen After the story (at about 10:20) the children leave for their Sunday school groups. Parents/caretakers are welcome to escort them to their rooms and also to visit the groups.
7th/8th Grade OWL
starts at 10:00 in Room B-3/4.
High School YoUUth Group
will not meet because of the youth con.
Children and youth are welcome to attend the service with their families instead of RE groups.
Parent/Caretaker Support Group
meets this Sunday from 10:30 – 11:15 in Room 23. Everyone with children at home is welcome. Grab a cup of coffee from Channing and join us.
Our youth group is hosting 45 UU youth and youth advisers from Upstate New York
to stay in our building, Feb. 28-March 1, for a weekend of UU Youth worship, workshops and fun.
Thanks to all the support of the yoUUth group from parents and other adults in the congregation, we have all the bases covered for the con this weekend. Tracey Hickey will be one adviser for the weekend; Eileen Roepe and Leah Purcell are splitting the other position; Leah from Friday night to Saturday at 4 pm; Eileen Roepe from 4 pm Saturday to Sunday morning.
Thanks to everyone who signed up to be Night Knights - awake overnight chaperones: Mike Myers; Michael Hornsby; Paula Brewer; Christine Carrera; Molly Daniels, Debra Vogel; Cindee Herrick and Brian Frank.
Many thanks also to everyone involved in prepping, serving and cleaning up meals: Kelly Smith, Astrid Pettersen; Molly Daniels; Carol Butt, Angie Miklie-Stokes; Andy Keier; David Pynchon and also to Erik vonHausen and his crew of volunteers.
No YoUUth group meeting this Sunday. I’m looking for adults to staff B-8 as a napping room for con attendees. Stay tuned on that.
Pot Luck and Family Circle Training,
Friday, Mar. 13
–
Pot Luck and Family Circle Training
–
We’ll gather to learn a tool for you to use as families, to strengthen your connections and communications at home. Learn more
here
.
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SOCIAL RESPONSIBILITIES COUNCIL (SRC)
-Matt Lesniak, SRC Chair,
email
February is Black History Month!
SRC Recommends:
FLEX AVE dance performance, Friday, Feb. 28, 7:30pm
,
The Egg at Empire State Plaza. "FLEX AVE" features 10 dancers presenting solo and group improvisational works set to a live DJ mix of reggae, hip-hop and pop music. Performers use movement to express personal stories of injustice, inequality and struggle through a dance style known as flexn. While the concert is free to those who mention Albany City Schools at the box office, donations will be gratefully accepted.
Film Festival – Climate Action Film Fest (CAFF) 2020 - Wednesday March 4
, 7 - 9 PM, Landmark Spectrum 8 Cinema, 290 Delaware Ave, Albany. CAFF 2020 is a touring, single-night event featuring a 90- to 120-minute presentation of short films from around the world. This showing will include
Words Have Power
, directed by Lynne Cherry and featuring Jaysa Mellers, a girl on the front lines of climate change who stands up to a power plant and wins. Donations are suggested (proceeds to go to Community Advocates for a Sustainable Environment).
“Invitation to Participate in Democracy"
The "Pop-up Postcard Writing Program" for February 9 and 16 produced more than 50 postcards. Each postcard contained an individual message from the writer's heart. The pop-up program will continue from time to time -- sometimes without prior notice. Please watch for it and participate -- or spend some time writing letters, postcards, e-mails, or making calls to your politicians. Find addresses at
www.house.gov
and
www.senate.gov
.
Reminder
- Single use plastic bags will be banned in NYS beginning March 1. Keep in mind as this day fast approaches, many second hand shops have supplies of reusable bags - cheap.
Raise Your Voice for End of Life Choice
GET INVOLVED.
Compassion and Choices staff are urging supporters of the Medical Aid in Dying Act to join them at the Capitol. They attribute enactment of New Jersey’s end of life choice legislation to the constant presence of volunteer advocates in Trenton and want to replicate that presence in Albany. Try it; you’ll like it! Session days include March 2, 3, 4, 10, 11, 16, 17, 18, 23, 24, 25, 26, 27, 30 and 31. Get details from Amanda at
acavanaugh@compassionandchoices.org
.
Save The Date.
On Thursday, March 19, from 12:15-2:00 at the Colonie Library,
Death with Dignity - Albany
presents "An Insider’s View of the Medical Aid in Dying Legislation - What You Need to Know,” featuring Amanda Cavanaugh, Campaign Organizer for Compassion & Choices NY, and David Pratt, MD. They will review key elements of NY’s bill, the bill’s status, and how similar laws have been implemented in other states.
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MINDFULNESS MEDITATION WORKSHOP
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March 27-28
This meditation training and practice workshop will be led by Rev. Trumbore, on
Friday 6:00pm to 9:00pm, and Saturday 8:00am to 3:00pm.
It gives the participants an opportunity to learn Buddhist mindfulness meditation techniques and/or refresh and deepen their meditation practice. All are welcome from first timers to experts. There will be a vegan potluck lunch on Saturday and all are encouraged to bring something to share. Please register with the office (call 463-7135) if you would like to participate. (A voluntary donation can be offered at the end to the Minister’s Discretionary Fund for charitable purposes)
Rev. Trumbore has practiced Buddhist
Vipassana
or insight meditation for over 35 years and is Past President of the Unitarian Universalist Buddhist Fellowship. This meditation technique is one of the best for Unitarian Universalists. It helps people train their minds to strengthen concentration and intensify moment-to-moment awareness. Regular practice of this technique quiets and sharpens the mind, opens the heart and can improve one's physical and mental health.
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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!
YOU can make a difference!
We at Albany UU are making an effort to increase our visibility and connectivity online. YOU can help, and it's quick and easy! Simply like, follow and share pages and posts on any of our social media platforms, or leave a positive Facebook or Google review. Google Albany UU or find us here:
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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 (2nd)
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, Nov., Feb., May)
Tuesdays
10:00 AM Philosophy Discussion (weekly)
1:00 PM Bridge (weekly)
Wednesdays
10:00 AM Projects & Quilts (weekly)
7:00 PM Choir Rehearsal (almost weekly)
Thursdays
1:00 PM All Sides Considered (1st & 3rd)
6:30 PM Board of Trustees (4th)
Saturdays
9:00 AM Community Breakfast (3rd)
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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: Jeannie Thompson
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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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