WINDOWS WEEKLY September 16, 2021
Greetings Friends,

Welcome to Windows Weekly, Albany UU's central source for news and updates.

Important Note: We will begin multi-platform services this Sunday, Sept 19 at 10:00 AM. All information about how that will look is below.

You may be seeing a "clipped" version of this. To view this entire newsletter, be sure to scroll down to the "See entire message" link and click that. To change the view and make it larger and easier to read, click on the three vertical dots on the upper right of your page to the right of your profile avatar. In the dropdown box, you'll see "zoom" and you can click the "plus sign" as many times as you like to make it as large as is comfortable for you.

If this email was forwarded to you, and you would like to receive it directly, please


-Blessings and Be Well
MULTI-PLATFORM SUNDAY SERVICE


SUNDAY SERVICE at 10:00 AM

Begin your Sunday morning with an 8:30 Meditation session until 9:20.
Service begins at 10:00 each Sunday

Welcome to the first Sunday of multi-platform services!

Sept 19, "REconnection and REsilience," Dr. Michele Townsend Grove
Learning is a vital component of congregation transitions. Albany Unitarian Universalist Society has experienced a great deal of change including a transition in professional religious education leadership which means you now have the chance to embrace the opportunities embedded in these transitions. This is a great time to reflect, celebrate, converse and dream! Join Dr. Michele Townsend Grove, our worship leader and religious education consultant at we look at the possibilities and opportunities embedded in religious education transitions.  

With more than 30 years of experience in Lifespan Religious Education and Program Development for the United Methodist and the Unitarian Universalist Church, Michele Grove will be our Interim RE Consultant. The interim work Dr. Grove will do with us will be three programs for September, October and November to help us reflect on the history and heritage of our RE program, clarify its current identity, and finally vision where we would like the program to go in the future. 


Music: Chris Bystroff, Randy Rosette, Chris Jensen


Welcome to multi-platform Sunday service.
What does that mean?
It means you have choices. Service will be offered both in-person with limited seating and live online via Zoom each Sunday at 10:00 AM.
 
We will provide in-person distanced “pod” seating for 50 people in Community Hall. Those interested in coming to service in-person will need to RSVP by Friday at noon, using this link: https://rsvp.church/r/FQ4SoJA9
 
Face masks are required. To protect our children ineligible for vaccination; eligible youth and adults are strongly encouraged to be vaccinated to attend.
 
Mindfulness Meditation will also be Multiplatform beginning at 8:30 AM – no signup required.
 
There will be no food or beverage after the service. Access to Channing Hall will be limited, however there is a member art show that we encourage folks to view in small groups.
 
Socializing before or after service is encouraged outdoors.


For those online and wishing to access closed captioning/live transcript, turn on the function in your Zoom toolbar. To update to the latest version of Zoom, please do that within the software by finding the menu link and "check for updates".

Use this link to join Sunday service remotely:

To dial in by phone: 1-929-436-2866:
Meeting ID: 299 018 7785
Password: 0000 
USE THIS QR CODE TO VIEW YOUR ORDER OF SERVICE EACH SUNDAY
No special app or software needed. Simply point your smart phone's camera at this on-screen now or at the church on Sunday morning and voila! your order of service will appear like magic on your device. You may need to click "open with Google or Chrome" but it's that simple. No, seriously, give it a try, now!
SEPTEMBER SUNDAY SERVICE INFORMATION

SPECIAL MESSAGE FROM OUR PRESIDENT

As you’re likely aware, we will have in-person options for congregational events this weekend. This includes the Religious Education events on Saturday and Sunday with our RE consultant, Michele Grove, and the service on Sunday, which she will lead. These multi-platform events will also include virtual options via Zoom.

As we are still in the pandemic there will be risk associated with in-person gatherings. Members and friends will need to determine for themselves and their families what level of risk is acceptable. To aid in that discernment, the Board recommends that members and friends proceed with caution. And that cautionary designation means that the following conditions will be required:

Sunday Services:
  • Attendance for the Sunday service in Community Hall is limited to 50 persons. A link to RSVP to attend in-person is here: https://rsvp.church/r/FQ4SoJA9
  • Seating will be arranged in socially distanced pods/family units.
  • Masks are required for all individuals over the age of two, regardless of vaccination status. Those speaking from the pulpit may temporarily remove their masks.
  • Attendees must sign in to facilitate contact tracing.
  • There will be no coffee/social hour in Channing Hall. Weather permitting, socializing can occur outside the building. No food or drink will be provided.
  • Twenty people at a time will be permitted to access Channing Hall to view the art show and the notices on the bulletin boards.
  • Staffed nursery care will not be available. However, alternative space for viewing the service will be available for families with children and infants. The same requirement for masks applies.
  • Requirements regarding Religious Education can be found below.

As a matter of responsible participation in the human community in the face of a global pandemic, Albany UU encourages all those who are able to do so to get the COVID vaccination. However, vaccination is not available to all in our congregation, including children under 12 and those with certain health conditions. And we now know that vaccinated people can also spread the Delta variant. So, while proof of vaccination is not required at Albany UU events, protective measures such as masking and distancing will be.

Please remember to check communication resources from the congregation to make sure you have the most current requirements.

May you and yours be well.
RELIGIOUS EDUCATION for
CHILDREN and YOUTH

UPCOMING WAYS to CONNECT

Start your Sunday Morning with Meditation 8:30 - 9:15 AM
We will sit together for twenty minutes then have some conversation about the talk, meditation methods or experiences followed by a live loving kindness meditation. 

Use this link to join remotely:

By phone: 1-929-436-2866
Meeting ID: 299 018 7785
Password: 0000


RE Washington Park Meetup! Children, families, RE volunteers and Religious Education Council members are invited to the annual RE Washington Park Meetup just after service on Sunday, Sept 19, 11:30ish-1:30. This is a chance to renew and form connections with people in the RE Community, welcome Paula Brewer to the Albany UU RE Staff, socialize, register your child for RE, sign your ethics form if you are a volunteer, and have some fun!


Inclusivity Team
Meets virtually, Sunday, Sept 19, 12:00N. All are invited to attend. 

Use this link to join:
https://tinyurl.com/AlbanyUU-Staff-3

By phone: 1- 929-205-6099
Meeting ID: 571 407 8100
Passcode: 3333


Philosophy Group
At 10:15 AM every Tuesday, the Albany UU Philosophy Group will meet via zoom to discuss the topic of the day. All are welcome.

Use this link to join:

By phone: 1-929-436-2866 
Meeting ID: 987 7102 4708
Password: 0000


Bridge Group
Tuesdays, 1:00-3:00 PM, Room B-8 at Albany UU. No matter how many people come, all are fitted into play. All are welcome and assumed vaccinated. Due to the nature of this group, there will not be an online option offered.


Ps and Qs
At 10:00 AM each Wednesday, Projects and Quilts (Ps and Qs) will meet in Room B-8 at Albany UU.

To join remotely, use this link:

By phone: 929-436-2866
Meeting ID: 299 018 7785
Password: 0000


Board of Trustees
Meets Thursday, Sept 23, 6:30 PM. Albany UU members are welcome to attend. 

Use the service link to join:

To dial in by phone: 1-929-436-2866:
Meeting ID: 299 018 7785
Password: 0000
Exploring Our Religious Education Heritage with Michele Townsend Grove
Part 1 
Saturday, Sept 18, 9-12N (fully virtual). Open to all congregants. This is a time to celebrate! It is a time to reflect and tell stories. Understanding your congregation’s religious education heritage is a vital component of understanding your current lifespan religious education identity and vision for the future. Learn more here.

Use this link to join:

By phone: 929-436-2866
Meeting ID: 299 018 7785
Passcode: 0000


Exploring Our Religious Education Heritage with Michele Townsend Grove
Part 2 
Sunday, Sept 19, 2-5PM (multi-platform). This is specifically for AUU staff, religious education leaders, board members, and the parents and care givers of children and youth, and anyone who participates in religious education programs. Learn more here.

Use this link to join remotely:

By phone: 929-436-2866
Meeting ID: 299 018 7785
Passcode: 0000


Albany UU Sings
Join your friends on these fall Wednesdays at 7:00 PM and sing your heart out in Virtual Community! We will supply the music and the lyrics.
Sept 22
Oct 6, 20
Nov 3, 17
Dec 1, 15

Hope to see you there.

Use this link to join:

By phone: 1-929-436-2866
Meeting ID: 979 5961 1765
Passcode: 0000


Susan Thompson Memorial Service
A memorial service for member, Susan Thompson, wife of Al De Salvo, will be held on Saturday, Sept 25 at 10:30 AM in Community Hall. Due to pandemic concerns, food will not be served. We do have permission to use the UAlbany Hawley Lot for this event. Read more about Susan here. Please note that the Freihofer's Run is taking place on this day and may impact normal traffic patterns. Find more info about the course map here.

Use this link to join remotely:
 
By phone: 929-436-2866
Meeting ID: 299 018 7785
Password: 0000

Walker Book Group
Join the Walker Book Group for a Zoom discussion on Sunday, October 10 at 6:30 pm. Join at 6:15 for additional time to socialize. We will discuss Louise Erdrich’s The Night Watchman. Learn more here.

Use this link to join:
 
By phone: 929-436-2866
Meeting ID: 299 018 7785
Password: 0000
DEEP LISTENING WORKSHOP

Deep Listening with Philomena Moriarty
“We keep missing each other”

This long long year of the Corona virus finds us all grieving our in person gathering and the energy of community. We keep missing each other over and over. There is an unspoken, intangible connection that occurs when we meet together face to face.

We also keep missing each other in another way. Before the Corona virus up ended all of our lives we met with each other but many times didn’t really see or hear the other, or even ourselves. We develop habits of communication which prevent us from really being present in those moments of conversation.

On October 2nd Philomena will be giving a workshop focusing on Deep Listening. There will be a morning and afternoon session. The morning session is from 10am-12pm and the afternoon from 2pm - 4pm. These sessions will not be focused on our distress (unless you want them to) but a way to move beyond our distress to genuine joy and hopefulness. The rewards will be a sense of community and intimacy.

We thought through doing this in person and the vision of being six feet apart with masks on didn’t work. So, it will be on Zoom and there will not be a limit on the number of people who can attend. Hope you can come. You can email Philomena at philmor57rock@gmail.com or call or text at 518 788-7007. RSVP by October 1st. There is no cost but if you care to donate to First Unitarian Universalist Society of Albany or the Regional Food Bank that is welcomed. 
JOYS & CARING CORNER


We light a candle of joy and of concern for Members, Linda Hunt and Larry Gambino. They were hit by a car crossing New Scotland Avenue. Their joy is that they are alive and that Larry is fine. Their sorrow is that Linda took one for the team and got to spend 24 hours in Albany Med’s orthopedic/trauma unit with some broken ribs and back fractures, along with internal and external bruising and a big gap in my memory. Linda is recovering.
SOCIAL ACTION

WELCOME PAULA BREWER TO THE ALBANY UU STAFF TEAM!
Paula Brewer has joined the RE team as the RE Program Assistant. She’ll be working approximately 10 hours/week to support RE activities. Paula’s many years of experience as a volunteer in the program and as an RE Council member make her a strong addition to the team, we are so glad she is here. You may reach Paula by emailing: pbrewer@albanyuu.org. Welcome, Paula!

Paula Brewer moved to Albany NY in 1991, and shortly thereafter began to attend Albany UU (AUU). She became more active in AUU after the birth of her daughter, Anna, in 1996, focusing her activity on the Religious Education Program. Her volunteer AUU RE activities followed Anna as she grew, beginning with her coordination of a monthly Parent Group potluck and discussion group. Being older parents, Richard and Paula found comradery with other similar parents in this group. Paula followed Anna through the RE program volunteering in the Toddler Room and into other grades as Anna got older. She moved to being a youth group advisor, so that she could learn how to deal with her soon to be young adult child. Paula’s commitment to RE included 3 terms on the RE Council and one term as RE Council Chair. She most recently assisted with the 8th Grade Reading Group. Richard and Paula are grateful for the Albany UU ‘village’ and its excellent RE program, which helped them to raise their daughter into a responsible adult UU. She is excited to assist Elizabeth Baldes and Albany UU in continuing its excellent RE program and working with Michele Townsend Grove to ensure that RE continues to meet the needs of the next generation of UUs. 
UU WEEKEND AT SILVER BAY
October 15-17
Natural Beauty Awaits You at Silver Bay
 
"There is always something to do -- or not -- as you wish, but I always look forward to the hike up Sunrise Mountain. Great exercise, culminating in breathtaking views." David MacLeod
 
The UU Weekend at Silver Bay on Lake George from October 15-17, 2021 is a perfect time to commune with nature. Experience a hike, a bird or nature walk, a boat ride, canoeing, kayaking, foliage viewing, or relaxing on the porch overlooking the lake.
 
 
Note: Guidelines related to COVID safety and attendance at this event have been developed and will continue to be refined and updated in accordance with the status of the pandemic. To ensure the protection of attendees, all County, State and Silver Bay COVID guidelines will be followed, as they were during last year’s event.  Final guidelines will be provided to all participants.
IMPORTANT INFORMATION

Learn about submitting announcements to for Sunday service and how to reserve a Zoom room for meetings and events here.


Other important resources, our file cabinet, archives, guidelines and information can be found on the Resource Page of our website, here.


If this email was forwarded to you, and you would like to receive it directly, please
CONNECTIONS







Publication deadlines
This is an important reminder that the news and article deadline for Windows Weekly is 9:00 AM on Monday. Thank you for your cooperation.


Sign up for an Albany UU class or event

- Send an email to: registration@albanyuu.org
First Unitarian Universalist Society of Albany
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:
By appointment

Our Website:
General: www.AlbanyUU.org

Zoom use:
To reserve Zoom for an Albany UU meeting, contact the church office (518.463.7135 or office@albanyuu.org).

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 Patience Pechette (518.463.7135 or office@albanyuu.org).

Photo credit: Rev. Sam Trumbore
First Unitarian Universalist Society of Albany | 518.463.7135 | 518.463.1429 Admin@AlbanyUU.org | AlbanyUU.org