WINDOWS WEEKLY September 23, 2021
Greetings Friends,

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

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-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


Sept 26 "The Art of Listening" with Rev. Trumbore & Philomena Moriarty
Deep listening requires focused attention. Focused attention is open, interested and curious. It requires an external focus connected to an inner emotional sensitivity. Deep listening is a skill that will benefit all our relationships. (Note: this will be followed up by a "Deep Listening" workshop led by Philomena Saturday, October 2, learn more here.)

Music: Ann Brandon


Multi-platform 10:00 AM Sunday Services

What does this mean? It means you have choices. We provide distanced "pod" seating for 50 people in Community Hall. Those interested in coming to service in-person must RSVP by noon on Fridays, 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.

Your Order of Service will be available using the QR code at the end of this email. This code will be available at the church on Sunday mornings for those in-person. There will be a limited supply of a simple OOS available in print for those who request one.

Currently, in-person congregational singing is restricted even when wearing masks. Hymnals are available in the lobby outside Community Hall for you to follow along with the words sung by the song leader. Words will be projected in Community Hall and on your Zoom screen for those attending remotely.

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.

Weather permitting, socializing before or after service is encouraged outdoors.

Those who wish to remain online for service, can do so by using this link to join:

To dial in by phone: 1-929-436-2866
Meeting ID: 299 018 7785
Password: 0000

Those who attend online via Zoom will still have the ability to interact during the service by sharing Joys and Sorrows, greeting in breakout rooms, etc.
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!
OCTOBER SUNDAY SERVICE INFORMATION

SAM'S OUTLOOK

Make Friends with the Spirit of Life

I would not have used the language “Spirit of Life” in the fall of 1977. As a 20 year-old reasonable atheist, I rejected anything touchy feely that smelled like spirituality. I followed the path of self-reliance I’d learned in my Unitarian Universalist Fellowship in Newark, Delaware. I could take care of myself, thank you, and didn’t need any supernatural assistance. I didn’t need or want some personal God meddling in my life and directing me. I had the surety common in 20 year-olds. I had all the answers I needed about religion and ultimate concerns.

Yet, I had taken a train ride across the country without a fixed destination based on an inner sense that it was time to leave home and “find myself.” I decided to stop my travels and look for a job in Palo Alto, California. Since I had been a summer hire for Hewlett Packard in Avondale, Pennsylvania, I thought I might be able to get a job with them. Palo Alto was their world headquarters, so I applied with them and other companies looking for an electronic technician position.

I stayed at a residential hotel next to the railroad tracks with some unusual, less fortunate folks. I didn’t know anyone in the San Francisco Bay Area. Remember, 1977 was long before GPS, email, home computers, cell phones and social media.

When my first Sunday came around, I took the bus to the Palo Alto Unitarian Church. I immediately felt at home with the friendly people I met. Those of you who’ve gone to our yearly General Assembly that gathers UUs from around the country may have had this experience of easy familiarity with other UUs. During the service, I recognized the hymns that were sung. They had a lovely choir. The minister gave a message that resonated with me. They had a bookstore with the kind of books, especially the latest Beacon Press books, I expected to see for sale in a UU congregation.

And then there was the smiling face of Peggy Polk at the outdoor welcome table. She expressed an immediate interest in me and took me under her wing. We went out to lunch with a few others, and one of them drove me back to my hotel. Eventually, I rented a room from her as I saved money for finishing my engineering degree at UC Berkeley. The rent on my one bedroom apartment had been raised from $200 to $240! A 20% increase in one year! I shudder to think what it would cost now!

Happily though, on the other side of the country, I found my people. I plugged into the Spirit of Life, the beating heart of the religious community of the Palo Alto Unitarian Church.

This early experience of religious community in Unitarian Universalist congregations has happened for me in the other UU congregations in which I’ve participated. The Oakland Unitarian Church just south of Berkeley was another congregation I felt a powerful sense of connection, especially to the young dynamic minister, the Rev. Rob Eller-Isaacs. This time I sang in the choir and got involved in chairing the Finance Committee. My internship at the Unitarian Church in Rochester, New York was an even deeper and wider sense of community. And the congregations I’ve served in Port Charlotte, Florida and here in Albany continued that expansion of my sense of religious community. Serving as a minister opened an even bigger web of religious community with professional colleagues of ministers, religious educators and music directors.

This wide web of religious community in which I’ve had the privilege of participating has allowed me to witness and grow familiar with the Spirit of Life among us. The relationships among congregants are a little different than friendships or romantic partnerships. There is a sense of connection and shared values but there may also be significant differences. There may be significant cultural, economic, professional, racial, class, and other differences that might have interfered with even meeting. Yet the shared commitment to a common religious tradition can overcome those barriers. There is a kind of elixir, an alchemical agent, present when people meet and connect in religious community. The Spirit of Life can transform what might be a more casual friendship into one that is infused with something deeper that serving a common transcendent purpose together can activate.

I wish I could promise this Spirit of Life will consistently appear in every relationship of every individual in our congregation. I can’t. But I hope those who’ve been here many years will testify to the quality and the power of relationships formed through religious community. Unitarian Universalism does not exist to serve our self-interests, though at times it does. Our purposes and principles and core values are much greater than any one of us. I am very clear I serve the Spirit of Life moving in this congregation embodied in its membership. We try to name it with lofty phrases, visions and missions but it is much greater than that. It is the self-aware presence that animates our being. And it is nourished by religious community, just as religious community can bring us to life.

The Spirit of Life is here among us at Albany UU. It can be shy and quiet at times, and at others loud, insistent and penetrating.  May this be a place for you to befriend it and, in turn, may it bring you to life.
                                                                                                               Rev. Sam
RELIGIOUS EDUCATION for
CHILDREN and YOUTH

UPCOMING WAYS to CONNECT

Board of Trustees
Meets tonight, 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


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


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


Ministries and Operations Team Open House
Join your Ministries and Operations Team this Sunday, Sept 26 following service at 11:30 AM. This will be an opportunity for informal discussion and Q&A about our ministries and operations or specific topics that the MOT is working on. Learn more here.

Use the service link to join:

To dial in by phone: 1-929-436-2866:
Meeting ID: 299 018 7785
Password: 0000


The Green Sanctuary Committee will be meeting this Sunday, Sept 26 at 11:30 on zoom. To join the meeting, use the following link:



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


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.
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


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


A Virtual Orientation for Newcomers on Zoom
Getting to Know UU
Saturday, Oct 23, is a great chance for some of us at Albany UU to get to know YOU -- but it's also a perfect opportunity for you to learn about this Unitarian Universalist congregation, explore the roots of "UUism," and begin to figure out how participating in congregational life can enhance your personal journey.

Please join us:
10:00 AM to noon
Saturday, Oct 23

Use this link to join:

To dial in by phone: 1-929-436-2866:
Meeting ID: 299 018 7785
Password: 0000

Signing up is preferred, but logins the day of are welcome, come as you are!
To sign up: Send an email to Registration@AlbanyUU.org.
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


A Concern: Member, Sigrin Newell's brother Thor fell and broke his jaw. Surgeons were able to fix it but he's got his mouth wired shut for 10 days while it heals. He's eating through a syringe. You can honor his struggle by taking a minute to be grateful for the simple acts of eating and talking.
SOCIAL ACTION

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.


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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