Greetings,
Welcome to Windows Weekly, Albany UU's central source for news and updates. Please stay safe and stay connected to your Albany UU Community during this uncertain time in the many ways provided online - all described below.
-Blessings and Be Well
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We 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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VIRTUAL SUNDAY SERVICE VIA ZOOM
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May 10, “
So Close, Yet So Far -Figuring Out What Beliefs Carry Us Through in Uncertain Times”
Traditionally our Rite of Passage youth present their belief statements orally in front of the congregation in an in-person Sunday service. These statements are not meant to be a “check list” of theological believes/non-believes; instead we have encouraged the youth to share what they are passionate about and what it is that guides them in their lives. In this time of the Corona pandemic, this online service will be unique in our 27-year history of offering Rite of Passage and the post-service celebration will be unique to theses times too!
Music Provided by Elena Karpoff, Randy Rosette
Use this link and password to join the service:
To dial in by phone: 1-929-436-2866:
Meeting ID: 299 018 7785
Password: 0000
Appreciation of Rite of Passage Youth
This will be the first Rite of Passage Service to be held via Zoom in its 27-year history in our congregation. In normal times, you, the congregation would be able to congratulate them after their service in the receiving line. If you feel moved, please send a note in the US mail to our Rite of Passage youth after the service to express your thanks and best wishes. This way, they will have something to remember the day.
Rite of Passage Youth presenting this Sunday, May 10:
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Elyse Roepe
17 Cardinal Ave.
Albany, NY 12208
Cada Tell-Drake
9 Game Farm Rd.
New Scotland, NY 12054
Amy Newberg
118 S. Pine Avenue
Albany, NY 12208
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Michelle Chan
402 Pinkster Lane
Slingerlands, NY 12159
Paula Parsons
402 Pinkster Lane
Slingerlands, NY 12159
Scarlett Carrera
18 Elm St.
Albany, NY 12202
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VIRTUAL SUNDAY SERVICES - 10:00 AM
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May 17, “This I Believe”
This is the Sunday Service when we hear from members of the congregation who will share their own personal religious perspective. Our presenters this year we will be Luchia Hornsby and Albert Desalvo. This has been a perennially popular service. We appreciate our presenters' willingness to participate this year and look forward to hearing from them.
Music Provided by Elena Karpoff, Chris Jensen and Randy Rosette
NOTE: The Albany UU Annual Meeting will immediately follow this service - see announcement below.
May 24, “Moral Revival In the Time of COVID-19,” Rev. Emily McNeill
The COVID-19 pandemic has exposed and deepened political and economic crises that were already devastating our communities before the virus arrived. Behind these crises is also a moral crisis - the distorted values and norms that uphold and justify our society's deeply unjust structures. How can people of faith and conscience confront these distorted moral narratives? How do we claim and lift up our values in a way that can bring change?
Rev. Emily McNeill is co-chair of the NYS Poor People's Campaign: A National Call for Moral Revival and executive director of the Labor-Religion Coalition of NYS. Emily is an ordained minister in the United Church of Christ and holds an M.Div. from Union Theological Seminary in New York City. Prior to joining Labor-Religion Coalition in 2014, she was pastor of Parkland United Methodist Church in Tacoma, WA. She lives in Rotterdam with her wife, Emily, and their two dogs.
Music Provided by Elena Karpoff, Mark Abendroth, John and Barbara Metz
May 31, “High School Youth Service: Imagine”
In this time of isolation due to the Corona pandemic, what things do we wish we could forget? What do we not want to forget when the time comes when we can start to get together? What might the world look like then? What would we long for it to be? Come join with our high school YoUUth Group to imagine a post-lock down world.
Music Provided by Elena Karpoff, Chris Jensen and Randy Rosette
Joys and Concerns for Online Services
We have three ways that you can share your joys and concerns.
- One: Use the online form. If you use this form, you can indicate if you would like to have your joys and concerns shared at the Sunday service, and you can leave contact info if you would like a Pastoral Care Associate to follow up with you.
- Two: Email your joy or sorrow to joysandsorrows@albanyuu.org before Sunday morning to have them read aloud during the service
- Three: We will be giving you instructions during the Sunday service about how to share your joys and concerns then.
Sunday Collection
If you would like to make a contribution to the Sunday Offering "Plate", click
https://tinyurl.com/albanyuu-donate
or send your check, with Sunday Offering on the memo line, to the church: 405 Washington Ave., Albany, NY 12206. Mail is still being processed while the building is closed.
NEW Way to Give
We launched our new text to give option on Sunday. If you'd like to try, simply text the amount and fund (for example: 20 offering or 20 pledge) to
844-976-2618
. There's a
helpful video
to watch with step by step instructions and a informative
written guide
with visuals. It's pretty slick!
Sunday services will be online via Zoom at 10:00 AM EST. There will be no service, religious education or other activities in the church building until further notice.
Helpful hints:
-PLEASE
, as a matter of security,
change your name when you enter the zoom service.
To do this, bring our cursor to our picture window, you will see "mute" and three dots in the upper right corner. Click the three dots and and dropdown box will appear. Select "Change Name". A window will pop up to allow you to type your first and last name.
-From your phone, *9 will allow you to raise your hand.
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Building Justice, Equity and Compassion in Human Relations: A Trauma-Informed Perspective
Sunday, May 17, 2:00 pm
Each of us is shaped by the experiences in our lives. Exposure to toxic levels of stress at any age can impact our self-image and our world view. Our foundational relationships as children can have a profound influence on how we are able to build loving, trusting connections with others. Trauma takes a toll on our physical and mental health. The UU 2
nd
Principle points to the need to build a community that supports justice, equity and compassion. We have a collective responsibility to support one another on our journeys toward healing.
Join Jaye Holly and Danisha Burnett-Bonner for a discussion on the impact that trauma has on individuals and communities. Shifting our viewpoint from “
What’s wrong with you?
”, which is about blame and shame, to a perspective of “
What happened to you?
” helps to foster compassion. Join us to talk about how a trauma-informed approach as a church helps to support the inherent dignity and worth of every person.
Jaye Holly
has been designing and delivering training for more than 20 years on a wide array of topics, including leadership development, adult learning, and diversity. Her career includes working in an eclectic mix of settings, from human services to academia to government. In 2010, Jaye began working with the Sanctuary Model by leading the implementation of trauma-informed care for a child welfare agency serving communities across New York State. Since then, she has worked across the country and around the world to help build trauma-informed communities. She has a B.A in Psychology from Marist College and an M.S. in Human Resources Development from McDaniel College. She lives with her wife and their furry children in Delmar, NY.
Danisha M. Burnett-Bonner
graduated with a Bachelor of Arts Degree in English with a minor in Professional Education from Xavier University in Cincinnati, OH. She continued on to study and complete a Masters of Arts Degree in Clinical Counseling, also from Xavier University. She has worked as a licensed counselor through the state of Ohio for over fifteen years. Her career has taken her to elementary, middle and high schools, residential group homes and correctional facilities, and the campuses of colleges and universities. She has had the privilege of working with individuals and families to assist with servicing their mental health needs and to provide stability in their lives. She continues this work in her private practice in Mason, OH.
Her services to the community locally and across the country include establishing and facilitating programs geared towards youth and young adults, and programs with specific focuses on pre-teen and adolescent girls, and women. Her training as a Licensed Professional Clinical Counselor and Training Supervisor, and her passion to see people live balanced and successful lives, has been displayed in her professional and personal endeavors.
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JOIN A CONGREGATIONAL CONVERSATION...
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The Albany UU Finance Committee hold a Zoom Congregational Conversation on the 2020-21 budget:
TONIGHT,
Thursday, May 7, 7:00 PM
.
Use this link to join:
To dial in by phone call: 1-929-436-2866 and enter
Meeting ID: 299 018 7785
Password: 0000
If you have any questions
please contact Finance Committee Chair, Dick Brewer:
rwbrewerjr@gmail.com
or 518-524-2942.
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Annual Meeting
Sunday, May 17, 2020
The Albany UU Annual Meeting will be hosted via Zoom on Sunday, May 17, immediately after the service. In addition to the presentation of reports, the primary business is the presentation and adoption of the 2020-21 budget. Ballots for all elections, both contested and uncontested, will be handled by mail. Active members eligible to vote will receive a ballot by mail, along with a self-addressed stamped envelope.
Learn about the election and the candidates
here
.
Since this will be our first Annual Meeting conducted via Zoom, we will host a practice session on the Sunday previous, May 10, also immediately after the service.
Ballots
were mailed to every eligible voting member on Friday, May 1. Note that there was a minor error in the uncontested portion of the ballot: Kathy Lloyd will be filling resigning Board Trustee, Fred Eames' final year of his term, therefore Kathy's term will be one year and not three.
Completed ballots must be received on or before 11:00 AM on Friday, May 15
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ANNUAL MEETING: IMPORTANT INFORMATION:
Voting at the Annual Meeting can only be accomplished by one person per screen, whether a computer, laptop, tablet or smart phone. If you have more than one eligible voter in your household, you will need to vote on separate devices, even if you view the meeting together using one screen. If you do not have separate devices that feature screens, separate votes can be tallied using a regular cell phone or house phone. And if you do not have any device that features a screen, you can still participate in, and vote during, the annual meeting on a regular cell phone or house phone.
We will host a practice session on this Sunday, May 10
, immediately after the service. This will enable all of us to be better acquainted with the technology so we can have as smooth a meeting as possible.
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Congregation Zoom Check Ins
Get connected during the week with other Albany UU members and friends by coming to a Zoom checkin led by Rev. Sam
.
Friday, May 8
: Takeout Dinner 6-7pm - Order something takeout to support your local restaurants and we can have dinner together!
Tuesday, May 12, 4-5pm;
Wednesday, May 13, 2-3pm;
Thursday, May 14, 11am-12noon
Use this link to join:
Meeting ID: 518-366-4532
Password: 4051842
Start your Sunday Morning with Meditation - 8:30 - 9:15 AM
Sunday morning meditation, led by Rev. Sam, begins with a ten-minute talk by Sharon Salzberg or Joseph Goldstein from their course on Insight Meditation. 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:
To dial in by phone call: 1-929-436-2866 and enter
Meeting ID: 299 018 7785
Password: 0000
Walker Book Group
Join the Walker Book Group for a Zoom discussion on
Sunday, May 10 at 6:00 pm
. We will discuss a historical novel
The Return of the Native,
by Thomas Hardy. Learn more
here
.
Use this link to join:
To dial in by phone: 1-929-436-2866:
Meeting ID: 299 018 7785
Password: 0000
Adult RE UU History Class
Dan Miyake will be leading a new Adult RE class on UU History during the Month of May! The class will be on
Mondays in May from 3:00 to 4:30
. The first session will be a general overview of our UU history. This is a great opportunity to learn more about our denomination and our spiritual ancestors. Everyone is welcome to attend via Zoom.
Require meeting password: 295114
Philosophy Group
At 10:00 AM every Tuesday
, the Albany UU Philosophy Group will meet via zoom and discuss their topic of the day. All are welcome.
Use this link to join:
To dial in by phone: 1-929-436-2866 Meeting ID: 845673781
Developing Coping Strategies with Tara Brach
Tuesday evenings at 6:30 – 7:30pm, May 12 and 7pm on May 19
Tara Brach is a widely respected mindfulness meditation teacher and psychologist who works out of the Washington DC metro area. She has developed a mindfulness tool called RAIN that is very effective to help people who are experiencing emotional distress deescalate out of emotional reactivity and into a coping/adaptive/responsive headspace. She describes it in detail in her 2019 book titled, “Radical Compassion.” The class will work with videos of Tara explaining RAIN and guided meditations by her as well as content from her book.
RAIN is an excellent tool to help us with the stresses of dealing with the impacts of COVID-19 – many of them unpleasant, hurtful, even traumatizing. The RAIN method has worked with hundreds of thousands of people and may be useful for members of our congregation as well.
Use this link to join:
Meeting ID: 518-366-4532
Password: 405184
Albany UU Sings
Do You Like to Sing? Join your friends and sing your heart out
every Wednesday evening at 7:00 PM
! We will supply the music and the lyrics. Sing along in Virtual Community. Contact Randy with any questions:
rosette_jensen@juno.com
Use this link to join:
By phone: 1-929-436-2866 Meeting ID: 935725639
Spirit of Life Check In
All are welcome to join Dan Miyake for a Zoom check-in with a spiritual tone on
Thursdays at 11:00.
There will be a chalice lighting, readings, music, meditation, and time for deep check-in.
If you would like to contribute a reading or other element, please contact Dan directly at
intern@albanyuu.org
.
Use this link to join:
Meeting ID: 979 5043 0812
Password: 234155
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Thank you!
Thank you to Cindee Herrick and to the Albany UU Gardeners for making our grounds and gardens look beautiful! The gardens are clean and ready for the season. Feel free to stop by to see the bleeding hearts in the Memorial Garden in bloom (following all physical distancing and safety protocols of course).
Warning!
Please be aware
, that the trolls, scammers and hackers are out there in force more than ever. If someone asks you by phone, email, FB, Messenger or any other platform, to give them or anyone else money, gift cards, personal or financial information of any kind, DON'T DO IT!!!
Whitwashed
For those who were not able to watch,
Exerpts from Whitewashed: The racism project
streamed live from the YWCA-GCR facebook page, you can
watch the recording.
Please donate to the YWCA as you are able. If you are unable to donate at this time, please watch anyway. Note that Archie, of Albany UU, is one of the actors.
Survey Time
Corks and Tabs
Although we can't meet, keep collecting those corks, natural or plastic, for reuse by the Green Sanctuary Committee. If we have too many to use in crafts, we can sell them online with the funds to benefit GSC. Also, continue to save the tabs on aluminum beverage cans for The Ronald Macdonald House.
Scheduling Zoom Meetings
We currently have two zoom accounts that we can use for meetings. To request a Zoom meeting, please do so just as you would when requesting a room to use in our building - using Church Database. When you choose your resources, or "room", choose between Zoom 1 and Zoom 3. There are links to instructions below. This is the preferred method but requests can also be sent via email to Sapphire: office@albanyuu.org.
When you send an email, please have a few dates and times that will work for your meeting to minimize a lot of time consuming negotiating. Thank you!
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THRESHOLDS: STEPPING INTO A NEW FAMILIAR PLACE
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This month’s theme of Thresholds seems so timely to me, as my family shelters at home and carefully considers each trip in and out of our house. Some people my family knows leave home daily due to essential work, some do not step out at all, most fall somewhere in between. For many of us our homes were turned, overnight, into the only available place to work and learn, with none of the physical or social circumstances usually associated with those activities. It’s been a big transition.
One thing regularly popping up in social media feeds in the early days was the subject of homeschooling, which in this context means the sudden need for many parents and caregivers to take on new responsibilities related to their child(ren)’s education. Responsibilities that had previously been handled by professional educators, in a setting explicitly designated for that purpose, now needed to be met from home, with whatever resources were available, possibly while also doing one’s own job at the same time. Parents and caregivers were scrambling, experienced homeschoolers (who had chosen homeschooling prior to, and independent of, pandemic) were offering advice, and there were tons of opinions on how to do it, when to do it, how much to do it, how to give up on doing it...there was a lot to process.
And yet, very few of these well-intentioned communications addressed all the learning taking place just by living daily life during Covid-19. As a teacher and a mom, I saw my students and my daughters learning so much. They were learning they could handle big change. They were learning which of their communities did not let them go, just because the building was closed. They learned how their family and those close to them navigated stressful circumstances and pressure and fear. They learned fun things too, like baking a cake, finding things on a scavenger hunt, making a great rainbow or leveling up on a video game.
There were (are) more lessons. On negotiating space and time. On what classmates’ houses, pets and family members look like, and the ups and downs of teleconference. Kids old enough to notice are learning about public health, the value of science, and why politics and governmental policies matter. About economics, ethics, and psychology with regard to hoarding. About the protective application of privilege, about resourcefulness, about the many forms of vulnerability. One night my daughter asked “Mom, what about the kids who don’t have homes?” What, indeed.
So maybe, for now, it can be enough to notice how much learning is going on, and be encouraged by it, and reminded that as adults we are modeling it. Like many parents I am learning new ways to do my job and manage home and family life, and what my household needs to hold onto and what has to be let go. Maybe, like me, you’ve made a mistake or two, and learned from that, too. Maybe it helps to realize that all of that accumulated knowledge comes with us as we cross the threshold into a new reality, which, much like our homes these days, can look and feel both very familiar and starkly different all at the same time. May we all be fortunate enough to encounter strength, comfort, and forbearance as we find our way in this new yet familiar place.
-Elizabeth Baldes, Religious Education Assistant
More from our blogs:
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Unitarian Universalist Service Committee Fair Trade Coffee Hour
Come and meet other Unitarian Universalists who work toward justice for small-scale farmers at a special virtual Equal Exchange Coffee Hour,
Thursday, May 14, 11:00 AM EST
This virtual Coffee Hour will be a place where you can hear what others have been doing to support the alternative supply chain for farmers and consumers during the pandemic. It’s a critical time to keep the UUSC Fair Trade Project strong.
Please join us to discuss how we can keep the momentum of the UUSC Fair Trade Project going to support an alternative economic network. As Rink Dickinson, President of Equal Exchange, put it recently, “During this somber time of the COVID pandemic our work is as meaningful as it has ever been.” We look forward to seeing you at the Equal Exchange/UU mini-convention next Thursday.
Join online for the 2020 Gould Lecture Presented by our very own,
Leah Purcell, Friday, May 15, 7:00 pm EDT
"Growing Souls in Congregations – Lessons from Nature and the Pandemic"
We’ll look at an ecocentric model of human development and also consider how we are responding to the pandemic to think about new ways of faith development in our congregations. This first-ever Gould Discourse presented via Zoom will allow us to create break out groups. So, you will have opportunities to talk briefly with other Upstate New York Unitarian Universalists about how you, personally, are responding to being in isolation; and also, to consider the implications of how your congregation is responding to the pandemic. Bring handicrafts or materials to doodle if you like; these activities often help people focus better when listening.
There is no cost for this event but you must register by noon May 15th to receive the log information.
Learn more and register
here.
Religion, Sex and Politics: A Conversation for Polite Company
Rabbi Dennis Ross, director of Concerned Clergy for Choice at Planned Parenthood Empire State Acts, and author of
All Politics Is Religious
, will discuss "Religion, Sex, and Politics: A Conversation for Polite Company,"
Sunday, May 31, at 3 PM
. Rabbi Ross will provide a faith perspective on recent developments and opportunities in access to reproductive health care and the so-called "religious liberty" arguments in Washington and New York State during this time of national challenge.
Meeting ID: 518 366 4532
Password: 4051842
Telephone access number: +1 929 205 6099
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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.
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 provides 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 friendsly “check in’s” from Caring Network members. Please reach out to the
Caring Network
if you need.
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Short Family Chapel Zoom
This is a time for children, youth, parents/caretakers and RE volunteers to gather for 10 -15 minutes while the first part of the Sunday service is happening. It will be a chance for us to see each other and check in. We’ll also have a chalice lighting and a meditation. The Zoom Family Chapel will be a separate Zoom meeting from the regular service. We’ll start at 10:05 and finish around 10:20. At that time you can join the Zoom meeting for the service or just move on with your day. If you join the service, you’ll be in time for joys and sorrows and the meditation, the story and the sermon. You might want to settle your children in with some quiet activity nearby if you want to hear the sermon.
Zoom Meeting for Family Chapel
Password: 4051842 (our address and the year the congregation was founded)
Dial in: 1 929 436 2866 Meeting ID: 931 0179 4118
Rite of Passage Rehearsal at 9:30am this Sunday
Password 0000
Parent/Caretaker Support Group
Postponed. New date to be determined. Watch for new upcoming events for children and families later in May.
Story Time
Tracey Hickey and Leah Purcell are taking turns readings chapter book. It's a great time for your child to jump on line with other children from Albany UU and start listening. We start with an opportunity for the children to check-in which how things are going for them; that has been really nice for the children too.
Chapter books 7:00 pm Mondays, Fridays and Saturdays
- geared for children in 2nd-6th grade. Tracey is reading
Wayside School Stories
until May 8th, when she will start
The One and Only Bob.
Open to people of all ages. Supervise your kids as you would at Coffee Hours; keep an eye on them, but you don't have to be right there all the time.
Zoom link to join:
Dial in: 1 929 436 2866
Meeting ID: 801 480 305
Password: 4051842 (our address and the year the congregation was founded)
Dance Party Fridays
Postponed. New date to be determined. Watch for new upcoming events for children and families later in May.
7th and 8th Grade Check In - Sunday at Noon
This will be an informal time for the youth with 2 OWL facilitators (or 1 facilitator and me). No OWL content is being offered on line.
Password: 4051842
By phone:
1 929 436 2866
Meeting ID: 183 771 517
YoUUth Group Check Ins
Tracey Hickey and Leah host: ALBANY YOUUTH GROUP VIDEO CHATS. We are live at 8:00pm each Thursday and Sunday. If you have a Youth, please ask them to check their Gmail and tune in! The group is planning their worship service and everyone’s input is valued.
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Many of us are in the position to take advantage of a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity - we are receiving a financial windfall in the form of the federal stimulus payout, at the same time as there is a great need for charitable donations in our community. The SRC chose four Capital District organizations that are doing great work right now, and can convert cash into services.
Regional Food Bank of Northeastern New York/Sister Maureen Joyce Center
The Sister Maureen Joyce Center Food Pantry is the closest pantry to Sheridan Preparatory Academy (the center is at 315 Sheridan Avenue, Albany). The Center also has a soup kitchen at 369 Livingston Avenue. The Center serves about 800 low-income or homeless people each month. The food pantry and soup kitchen are supported agencies of the Regional Food Bank of Northeastern New York. The Food Bank supplies $8 to $10 of food for each $1 donated.
The online form allows donations to be targeted to particular programs of the Food Bank, but not directly to its supported agencies. The Sister Maureen Joyce Center is administered by Catholic Charities, Tri-County Services. The information here supports the Center through the Food Bank, not through Catholic Charities.
By check: mail your donation check to the Regional Food Bank of Northeastern New York at 965 Albany-Shaker Road, Latham, New York 12110. You can donate as a Gift Alternative for someone’s birthday or event, and the Food Bank will send a card with your message to the recipient.
USCRI Albany Neighbor Relief Fund
The U S Committee for Refugees and Immigrants Albany Neighbor Relief Fund provides cash assistance to refugee and immigrant families caught in an emergency related to recent lost wages or employment. Donations of any amount will make a difference.
In a recent appeal for the Fund, Jill Peckenpaugh wrote:
“We are already seeing that our clients are being hit hard as this crisis unfolds. Many refugees and immigrants are employed as hourly or temporary workers and often within the service industry at hotels and restaurants. As families experience lost work hours, unpaid sick leave, and hospital bills, we know that the need for emergency funding to stop evictions, provide basic necessities, and protect access to medical care is going to escalate. We must start now to be prepared for the long-term consequences.
“Your gift can provide:
• Assistance to families for household necessities or bills after a sudden loss of income;
• Medical attention and/or necessary medical supplies for an individual who is under or uninsured;
• Care packages of non-perishable food, toiletries, child-care supplies, and cleaning products;
• Assistance maintaining critical programming.
“Assistance to an individual family is typically small – a couple hundred dollars – but the impacts can be tremendous. Families are able to weather a temporary setback without losing precious progress toward self-sufficiency.”
Check with the Albany office at 459-1790 to ask about donating by check.
Feed Albany – Covid-19 Relief
Feed Albany provides at-risk and in-need individuals in Albany and the Greater Capital Region with prepared & packaged meals, using commercial kitchens, unemployed restaurant workers, volunteers, and donated vehicles.
Feed Albany works with Albany County, the City of Albany, The Food Pantries, The Regional Food Bank, the Albany County Sheriff and various other local organizations and service providers to identify those at-risk and in-need. Through their resources & partnerships, they facilitate delivery of both prepared meals and food items to these individuals and organizations.
Capital City Rescue Mission / Joseph’s House
Both of these groups are standbys in their communities, and both have been stepping up to the current crisis by providing even more services. Joseph’s House has traditionally had a Troy focus, although recently they expanded into Albany by taking on Homeless Action Committee (HAC) with its outreach van and low-demand housing. Joseph’s House has also always been non-denominational, while the Mission has a Christian aspect in its programs.
The Mission says it can provide a meal to a homeless person for only $2.17. Before the Covid-19 crisis, the Mission was providing about 800 meals each day, and 250 available beds. The Mission also runs a free clothing store at Trinity Place.
Joseph’s House and Shelter in downtown Troy offers single adults and families with children a warm and safe place to rest, hot nutritious meals, medical care, personal items and laundry facilities. Advocates work with guests to identify housing and services in accordance with goals guests set themselves.
The SRC hopes you will consider donating to one, a couple, or all of these groups.
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Make Musical Memories during
UU Weekend at Silver Bay
October 16-18
Do you like live music?
Here is a sneak peek at some already scheduled events throughout the weekend. The always popular sing-along will return. The 5-piece band Enjoyous, featuring our own Debbie Reep MacLeod and David MacLeod, will play at the social/auction. Saturday evening entertainment will feature an intergenerational music and movement program
BeWellSing
with Roberta KIrn.
Registration
is now open.
Register by June 7, 2020 to receive the lowest rates! Children under 6 are free with substantial discounts for older children and youth. Access the registration form
here.
Note:
We are currently experiencing a time of physical distancing and cancellations of group gatherings due to Covid-19. If the UU Weekend at Silver Bay is cancelled because of continued or reinstated restrictions, registered participants will receive a full refund. Learn more
here
.
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Virtual Service Security
There's a new opportunity to volunteer!
We've add a Zoom Waiting Room feature to our Sunday services as an extra layer of protection from the dreaded "zoombomber." W
e need folks who would be willing to volunteer to help us provide virtual security on Sunday mornings. Tammy will provide a quick and simple training. Contact her if you'd like to learn more:
admin@albanyuu.org.
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.
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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Quick Links
Denominational Affairs Links
Helpful Local Links
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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.
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Regular events and meetings
Many of these events and meetings will continue online, however dates and times may vary. Please contact the Team or Group Leader or email
admin@albanyuu.org
if you have questions.
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)
Thursdays
1:00 PM All Sides Considered (1st & 3rd)
6:30 PM Board of Trustees (4th)
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Going to miss a Sunday?
Online service are generally recorded
HMUU Join Service with Paula Cole Jones, Sunday, April 5,
watch it here
Community of Communities workshop with Paula Cole Jones,
watch it here
For previous services:
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 - when the building reopens:
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:
The Albany UU Office is closed during this time of physical distancing. Sam, Leah, Tammy and Sapphire have their messages forwarded to their personal cell phones and are available by email.
Websites
Zoom use
To
reserve Zoom
for an Albany UU online meeting, 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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