Greetings Friends,
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.
Please note, the Daily Reminder was not sent out this morning since there were no events to remind folks about today. Everything you need to know is right here in the Weekly. Daily Reminders will continue tomorrow morning. Thank you!
If this email was forwarded to you, and you would like to receive it directly, please
Learn more about what's happening with UU Kids and Families by reading the Religious Education publication, RE Roundup.
-Blessings and Be Well
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VIRTUAL SUNDAY SERVICE
LIVE on ZOOM
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Main Service at 10:00 AM, Children's Service at 11:30 AM
Begin your Sunday morning with Rev. Sam guiding an 8:30 Virtual Meditation session until 9:15. We then have Virtual Service beginning at 10:00 each Sunday and a chance to stay online for virtual "Coffee Hour" followed by RE for ALL, at 11:30.
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May 23, “No Last Chapter in Our UU Story,” Rev. Sam Trumbore
Over and over again, our ministers strive to articulate the core of our religious tradition, seeking unchanging dimension of our faith. And the outward expression of UUism keeps changing in new language, expression, symbols, and story. This can be confusing without recognizing the connections to our past, the evolution in the present and the vision drawing us into the future.
Music provided by Elena Karpoff
Focus Food Pantry
Those wishing to access closed captioning/live transcript can turn on the function in their 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:
To dial in by phone: 1-929-436-2866:
Meeting ID: 299 018 7785
Password: 0000
Join us for Family Chapel for Children and Families at 11:30 AM
We’ll meet as usual at 11:30 for this year’s last Family Chapel and RE sessions for grades 8 and younger.
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MAY SUNDAY SERVICE INFORMATION
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May 30, “Flower Communion,” Leah Purcell and Elizabeth Baldes
Join us for our annual Multigenerational Flower Ceremony service at 10:00. Bring a real flower with you when you join the service. We’ll hear the story of the first UU flower ceremony and explore its meaning for us today. The children will have a way for us to virtually share the flowers we have gathered.
Music provided by Elena Karpoff, Randy Rosette, Chris Jensen
Adult RE for ALL, Sunday Offering
and other Information
The Albany UU Service year continues
through June 13
Summer Services begin Sunday,
June 20, 10:00 AM
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Joys and Concerns for Online Services
Need to Talk? Albany UU Pastoral Care Associates are here to listen!
Archives
Past service video recordings can be found here and past sermons can be read here.
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YOU'RE INVITED! REMEMBER TO RSVP!
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We're busy getting ready for Leah's Retirement Party!
Yes, PARTY!
See details below.
RSVP with the number in your family attending to reserve your spot.
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Make checks out to Albany UU with Leah's Retirement on the memo line! |
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UPCOMING WAYS to CONNECT
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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:
By phone: 1-929-436-2866
Meeting ID: 299 018 7785
Password: 0000
Green Sanctuary Team Meeting
Sunday, May 23, 11:30 AM on Zoom 2. All are welcome to attend.
Use this link to join:
Meeting ID: 518-366-4532
Password: 4051842
Philosophy Group
At 10:15 AM every Tuesday, the Albany UU Philosophy Group will meet via zoom. Topic for Tuesday, May 25, "How do we resolve the immigrations issues at the southern border?” All are welcome.
Use this link to join:
By phone: 1-929-436-2866
Meeting ID: 987 7102 4708
Password: 0000
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Albany UU Sings
Join your friends and sing your heart out in Virtual Community! We will supply the music and the lyrics.
Save these Wednesday dates at 7:00 PM for the rest of the the service year:
May 26; June 9
Hope to see you there.
Use this link to join:
By phone: 1-929-436-2866
Meeting ID: 979 5961 1765
Passcode: 0000
Board of Trustees Meeting
Thursday, May 27, 6:30 PM the Board of Trustees holds their monthly meeting. Board meetings are open to all Albany UU members.
Use the service link to join:
To dial in by phone: 1-929-436-2866:
Meeting ID: 299 018 7785
Password: 0000
Ps and Qs
Projects and Quilts (Ps and Qs) will zoom next on Wednesday, June 2 at 10:00 AM.
Use this link to join:
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, June 13 at 6:30 pm. Join at 6:15 for additional time to socialize. We will discuss Viet Thanh Nguyen’s The Refugees. Learn more here.
Use this link to join:
By phone: 929-436-2866
Meeting ID: 299 018 7785
Password: 0000
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IMPORTANT ANNOUNCEMENTS!
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Building Use Guidelines
The Board and MOT would like you to know that we are in the process of reassessing our guidelines for the use of our building. As pandemic restrictions are loosened and more people are vaccinated, it makes sense for us to review the status of our building. We will conduct that review with the needs of both congregants and potential renters in mind. We expect to update those guidelines in the next week or so and thank you for your patience in this important matter.
We're hiring!
Albany UU is now accepting applications for:
Manage building use and rentals, assist with communications, social media, virtual service slides and general clerical support. When we are back in our sacred space, s/he is the face of Albany UU for callers, visitors and members. Computer skills needed include page layout and ability to use a church database; good verbal and telephone skills; comfortable working with people from all walks of life. 20 hours/week, starts July 1, 2021, $15-16/hour.
Racial Healing Monthly Group
The first round of the "Racial Healing Workshop" has finished, and one of the many wonderful outcomes of the group was creating a space specifically for BIPOC members for discussion and connection. We would like to continue that space and open it up to other BIPOC members of Albany UU. We'll meet on the second Monday of the month from 7:00 to 8:00 pm via Zoom. If interested or to get more info, please reach out to Jaye Holly jholly63@gmail.com.
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Albany UU
Library Chair needed
If you are interested in becoming a steward of these resources, please check out the volunteer job descriptions HERE and HERE, and contact Church Administrator, Tammy Hathaway to express your interest: admin@albanyuu.org
Endowment Trust Grants
Each calendar year the endowment trustees use a prescribed formula based on income from its investments to calculate the amount of money available for special project grants. The 2021 granting capacity is $20,000.
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Thank you AGAIN to our Gardening Team! |
On Saturday morning, May 15, a crew of volunteers put 1 1/2 yds. of mulch around in all of the gardens at Albany UU. Thanks to Michael Crowell, Michael Braunstein, Kabel Stanwicks, Linda Way, Donna Meixner and Barb Manning for weeding and spreading the mulch. A special Thanks to Bob Franklin who went to the Albany Port with his pickup truck to get the mulch, bring it to the church and shovel it into pails. Stop by and see how nice they all look now! |
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The Albany UU Social Responsibilities Council (SRC) and Inclusivity Team recommend a Black Lives Matter vigil in Troy:
When: Saturdays,10:30-11:15 am
Where: Troy - corner of River Street at the intersection of Fulton and Third Streets, 12180
- physical distance, masks
- signs only, no chanting (except for meditative religious practice)
- the vigil will automatically be canceled if the temperature is 20 or below OR if the wind chill is below 10 degrees Fahrenheit
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The Albany UU Inclusivity Team recommends:
BRUTAL IMAGINATION ORIGINAL CAST READING - Stream on Demand May 20 - June 3
"Oppenheimer Award-winning playwright and poet Cornelius Eady, and renowned actors Joe Morton and Sally Murphy, reunite for Eady’s play Brutal Imagination, twenty years after first premiering at The Vineyard in 2001. A potent examination of racial attitudes in America, Brutal Imagination is based on Eady’s poem cycle exploring the notorious 1994 incident in which a white woman, Susan Smith, from South Carolina, claimed that a Black man had kidnapped her children. The FBI searched for the man until Smith confessed that she had invented the Black man and had drowned her children. Brutal Imagination, two voices inside one consciousness, brings this invented man to life."
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For adults:
How We Show Up: Reclaiming family, friendship, and community, by Mia Birdsong. (2020).
American culture values independence, self-sufficiency, and privacy. How to we build caring and nurturing connections to immerse ourselves in Beloved Community and collective vitality? Not available in the Upper Hudson Library System (UHLS) at this time. Available for purchase in hard copy and audiobook.
For children and all:
I Affirm Me: The ABCs of inspiration for Black kids, by Nyasha Williams. (2021). This book uses strong, affirming words to exercise the alphabet. "A is for Afro. I am proud of my textured halo. It shows pride in my roots. Each coil creates my crown." The beautiful illustrations have messages tied to current events and will challenge and engage older youth and adults. Several copies are on order for UHLS. Not available in audiobook at this time.
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Family Chapel and RE Sessions May 23: We’ll meet as usual at 11:30 for this year’s last Family Chapel and RE sessions for grades 8 and younger.
Meeting ID: 867 9876 7127
Passcode: 4051842
Dial by phone: 1-929-436-2866
Leah Purcell would like to hear from families with children and youth
Leah is checking in with families in the coming weeks. How has the online RE program been working for and your family? How about the online resources and occasional zoom supports? What do you need? How can the RE program and our family ministry make a difference in your lives? Please fill out this form now to help Leah get started with scheduling. Thanks!
The Treehouse is our own multigenerational community for Religious Education for Children and Youth. Families can find resources to practice UU-ism at home and supplementary materials for RE groups. Everyone - parents/caretakers, children and youth can share their written thoughts, pictures, videos they make. Click here to join: https://tinyurl.com/Albany-Treehouse
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Coming of Age meets Sunday May 23 at 12:30
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UU WEEKEND AT SILVER BAY
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The Hills will be Alive with the Sound of Music at Silver Bay
It’s a thoroughly luscious retreat.
-Karen Kaufmann
Have you Missed Live Music During the Pandemic?
Great news: You will have many opportunities to catch some live music during the UU Weekend at Silver Bay on Lake George from October 15-17, 2021. These include: a sing-along; campfire music fests; drumming circle; music performances; singing and rhythm games with Roberta Kirn of BeWellSing; and an open mike.
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Essential Building Use Guidelines:
The Board and MOT are in the process of reassessing our guidelines for the use of our building. As pandemic restrictions are loosened and more people are vaccinated, it makes sense for us to review the status of our building. We will conduct that review with the needs of both congregants and potential renters in mind. We expect to update those guidelines in the next week or so and thank you for your patience in this important matter.
Learn about submitting announcements to for our virtual Sunday service and how to reserve a Zoom room for meetings and events 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.
Sign up for an online class
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First Unitarian Universalist Society of Albany
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Office hours:
The Albany UU Office is closed during this time of physical distancing. Sam, Leah and Tammy have their messages forwarded to their personal cell phones and are available by email.
Our Website:
Zoom use
To reserve Zoom for an Albany UU online meeting, contact the virtual church office (518.463.7135 or admin@albanyuu.org).
Photo credit: Rev. Sam Trumbore
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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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