Greetings Friends,
Welcome to Windows Weekly, Albany UU's central source for news and updates.
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-Blessings and Be Well
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MULTI-PLATFORM SUNDAY SERVICE
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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
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Oct 3 “Communal Aspirations” with Rev. Sam Trumbore
Community is very important to our congregation. Vibrant communities are very hard to create and sustain. While we do it well, we may not do it well as widely and inclusively as we’d like. We’ve identified our aspirations for community in our congregational covenant. How do we live into it?
Music: Elena Karpoff
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, please RSVP by 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.
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USE THIS QR CODE TO VIEW YOUR ORDER OF SERVICE EACH SUNDAY |
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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! |
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OCTOBER SUNDAY SERVICE INFORMATION
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Oct 10 “Pipelines, Climate Change and Indigenous People” with Rev. Sam Trumbore
Not building fossil fuel infrastructure is one important way to slow down climate change. We don’t need to make it easier to move dirty Canadian Tar Sand Oil to market and increase production. And pipelines endanger lands and health of Indigenous People. Let us use Indigenous People’s day to dedicate ourselves to being better neighbors to people, plants, animals, soils and waterways.
Music: Bruce Holden
Oct 17 “Called to be a Peacemaker” with Erik vonHausen
I grew up with an obsession to find out "what was I going to do and who I was going to be." This was a question posed throughout my father's life to him by my grandfather, and repeatedly asked of me. The only thing I figured out early in my life, is that I am called to be a Peacemaker.
Erik vonHausen is living his best life with his husband Todd, dog Rocco, and 2 cats Gala and Squirrelly Girl. He has a bachelor's degree from Gordon College in Theology and Psychology; but the best lessons he has learned has come from 51 years of constantly screwing up and trying to learn from his mistakes.
Music: Randy Rosette
Oct 24 “Impasse” with Rev. Sam Trumbore
We live in very polarized times. The Red and Blue gulf seems wider than ever. Many of us cannot talk about politics or religion with our families without horrible outcomes and hostile feelings. Are there ways of working with being at an impasse with others that can deescalate tensions and move toward better understanding and appreciation even without agreement?
Music: Ann Brandon
Oct 31 “Great Pumpkin Day” with Rev. Sam Trumbore and Elizabeth Baldes
Come celebrate Halloween safely in our multigenerational service.
Music: Elena Karpoff
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In-person Sunday Volunteers
This includes providing flowers
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!
In-person Ushers needed
Are you looking for a way to be more involved in what happens on Sunday mornings? Now is your chance! We are looking to deepen our Usher pool and would love for YOU to join. It’s a very simple but very necessary volunteer opportunity. If you’re interested in learning more about being an Usher on Sunday mornings, please contact Dawn Dana: ddana1@nycap.rr.com. Thank you!
Virtual Ushers are needed, too!
If you are interested in helping with our online services, please reach out to Tammy: admin@albanyuu.org
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 appreciate your cooperation to keep our people safe. If you have questions, please call the church office.
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Join us in
Community Hall
Use this link to join Sunday service virtually:
To dial in by phone: 1-929-436-2866:
Meeting ID: 299 018 7785
Password: 0000
Community Message
On a regular basis, we’ll have a member of the congregation bring you a short, inspirational, personal message about some aspect of our congregational life. These messages will be a way to connect with our community and help us live out our mission and vision in the world. To find out more, contact Tammy Hathaway: admin@albanyuu.org.
Sunday Offering
and other service information
Sharing Joys and Concerns during Service
Need to Talk? Albany UU Pastoral Care Associates are here to listen!
Archives
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OCTOBER ONLINE WORKSHOPS WITH RE CONSULTANT MICHELE GROVE
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Who are we Now? Our Religious Education Identity
You are invited to join Dr. Michele Grove for a series of workshops on our religious education identity. Your participation in one or more of these workshops will inform the future of the First Unitarian Universalist Society of Albany, New York’s lifespan religious education program.
Here are the dates:
Sunday 10/3 6pm "Where Are We Now"- special introductory session particularly focused on voices of children and youth
Thursday 10/14 7pm "Where Are We Now?" workshop #2
Wednesday 10/20 7pm "Where Are We Now?" workshop #3
Tuesday 10/26 7 pm "Where Are We Now?" workshop #4
In these sessions,
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Children and young people are invited to come on Sunday, October 3rd to share their stories and ideas.
- We will look at who we are now as a Unitarian Universalist learning people
- We will look at our connections to the denomination and the wider Albany community
- Our conversations will inform the future religious education program design including staffing
- We will also have fun and laugh together!
Anyone from the congregation is invited to be a part of these online opportunities. Religious Education Council, Board Members, Ministry Operations Team Members, Staff, Parents and Religious Education Volunteer Leadership are especially encouraged to attend.
We will send a video conference zoom link to everyone registered on the day of the event.
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RELIGIOUS EDUCATION for
CHILDREN and YOUTH
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October is almost here, bringing many opportunities to cultivate our RE relationships at Albany UU. The final two September RE Heritage workshops with Interim RE Consultant Dr. Michele Grove close out the month on 9/29 and 9/30, in-person Sunday morning RE groups begin 10/3, the October series of "Where Are We Now" Interim RE Workshops kicks off on 10/3 at 6PM with a special session for children and youth, our monthly outdoor meetup for October is 10/10 at 10AM at Five Rivers, online Sunday evening Family Chapel begins at 6:30 pm on 10/10, and we have a special multi-generational service on Sunday 10/31, followed by a fun and not-too-scary Halloween happening at church hosted by Youth Group. Check out the details here!
Elizabeth Baldes
She/her/hers
Acting Director of Religious Education
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UPCOMING WAYS to CONNECT
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Telling Our Religious Education Stories!
You are invited to join Dr. Michele Grove this evening for Telling Our Religious Education Stories.
TONIGHT - Thursday, September 30, 7-9 PM
In this session,
- Children and young people are invited to come between 7:00-7:30 to share their stories.
- We will dig beyond our stories to discern what are the stories that are NOT present in the First Unitarian Universalist Society of Albany, NY. Who and what is absent from the history?
- We will also have fun and laugh together!
Anyone from the congregation is invited to be a part of these online opportunities. Religious Education Council, Board Members, Ministry Operations Team Members, Staff, Parents and Religious Education Volunteer Leadership are especially encouraged to attend.
Use this link to join remotely:
By phone: 1 929 205 6099
Meeting ID: 963 886 2931
Passcode: 2222
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
Philosophy Group
At 10:15 AM every Tuesday, the Albany UU Philosophy Group will meet via zoom to discuss the topic of the day which on Tuesday will be An Alternative to the Abortion Wars. All are welcome.
Use this link to join:
By phone: 1-929-436-2866
Meeting ID: 987 7102 4708
Password: 0000
Ministries and Operations Team
The MOT will meet on Tuesday, Oct 5 at 12N. MOT meetings are open to all Albany UU members.
Use this link to join remotely:
By phone: 1 929 205 6099
Meeting ID: 963 886 2931
Passcode: 2222
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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!
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Reading Octavia Butler’s Novel “Parable of the Sower”
Rev. Sam is organizing a book study class to introduce the deep theology and cultural analysis found in Octavia Butler’s Afro-Futurism novels. The source for the class is a podcast called Octavia’s Parables by Adrienne Maree Brown and Toshi Reagon. Both are deeply devoted to her as a writer and a source of inspiration for their activism and their artistic work.
There is one episode of the podcast for each chapter of Butler’s book “Parable of the Sower.” In each episode, the chapter is briefly summarized and discussed. Themes are identified and become the source for discussion questions. We will read (or reread) each chapter and listen to that chapter’s podcast before the class. We’ll discuss the chapter and their podcast for the first part of the class. The second part of the class will be broken into smaller groups to discuss the questions identified in the podcast. We’ll come back together after the discussion time to share highlights from our group discussions.
The class will meet from 7-8pm on Sunday nights on Zoom beginning October 24. Please invite your friends! I’m hoping to identify some guest speakers who are Butler scholars to speak with us and share their analysis. The goal of the class is to grow and develop our own theology through engaging with Butler’s text and the questions that come from the podcast as well as be influenced by Butler, Brown and Reagon’s social and cultural critiques.
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Conflict Transformation Workgroup
We are a group who is exploring how the congregation holds space for conflict. We want to be a resource of resources, building Albany UU's collective capacity for creating space where everyone is heard and know they matter. We hope to stimulate ways of thinking about conflict as something that transforms our community and brings us closer to our vision of being in Beloved Community. Here is the Community Message we delivered in the service on September 26.
The members of the group are Jan McCracken (Facilitator), Sharon Babala, Paula Brewer, Anne Marie Haber, Michael Hornsby, Jean Poppei, Deborah Vogel, Sam Trumbore, We welcome your input and questions!
Please join us for a Virtual Circle Dinner!
The Delta variant continues to keep us physically distanced and the evening chill makes outdoor gatherings uncomfortable, but we still need to keep in touch with one another.
Sign up for warm conversation with a small group on a chilly Autumn night! All are welcome at the next Albany UU Virtual Circle Dinner Friday, October 8 from 6:30 to 8:00 PM. We'll send you a zoom link and assign you to a virtual "table" of 6 to 8 UUs. Get to know longtime and new friends while you enjoy your dinner or favorite beverage. We hope you will join us. Sign up by emailing John at johnssherman@gmail.com by Wednesday, Oct 6.
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 TODAY, Sept 30. 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.
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Miki Conn presents: Integrating Delmar 1957: The Story of a Friendship
Join us for a unique opportunity with a local artist with many connections to Albany UU. On October 21 at 4:30 pm, the Inclusivity Team brings to Albany UU's Community Hall (and on Zoom) local artist and poet, Miki Conn, who will present a very unique memoir. Integrating Delmar 1957: The Story of a Friendship chronicles a middle class African American family’s search for housing during the summer of 1957 and the results of they decision by a white couple, long-time UU Arlen Westbrook and her husband, to rent their house to the Cunningham family.
The lasting friendship that developed between Arlen Westbrook and Margaret Cunningham is a very important part of this story. Miki Conn , the Cunningham’s elder daughter, also will share other fascinating details that lead to the publication of this memoir in 2011 and its recent republication. Coincidentally, a new member of Albany UU has an interesting personal connection to the Cunningham family and how this memoir was saved from obscurity.
This book is currently available from Amazon in various forms, including paperback and Kindle. One copy is available from Albany UU’s Joy Library. The Upper Hudson Library System has some copies of the original 2011 book. Register early to get a socially distanced in-person seat at Albany UU or to participate via Zoom if that is your choice.
Use the service link to join remotely:
To dial in by phone: 1-929-436-2866
Meeting ID: 299 018 7785
Password: 0000
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
-pandemic concerns: Please remember that if you are vaccinated, you are still susceptible to being an asymptomatic carrier of Covid-19. Taking precautions is encouraged
-signs only, no chanting (except for meditative religious practice)
-the vigil will automatically be canceled due to threat of thunderstorms or other severe weather
The Inclusivity Team Recommends:
For children and others:
The Proudest Blue: A story of hijab and family, by Ibtihaj Muhammad and illustrated by Hatam Aly. (2019). Today is the first day of school for two sisters: how will wearing hijab effect perception by others, feeling of self, and position in the family? Available in the Upper Hudson Library System in hardcopy, audiobook, and downloadable e- and audio-book formats.
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UU WEEKEND AT SILVER BAY
October 15-17
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Enjoy Silver Bay with your Family
Three generations of my family love attending UU weekend. It's a time for family in a beautiful setting. ~Ann D'Attilio
Sign up today! Children under 6 are free and there are substantial discounts for older children and youth.
Children’s adult-guided activities will be held primarily outdoors or under the covered deck of the boathouse. A family movie night will also be held.
Check out http://members.albanyuu.org/wp/uu-weekend-at-silver-bay/ for more information. Day trip registrations and payment are due by October 11. The deadline for registrations for weekend stays will be based on room availability. Payments must be made prior to your arrival. A late registration fee of $25 will be applied for overnight stays.
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.
A full refund will be provide to anyone requesting cancellation by September 30 - that's today!
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Learn about submitting announcements to for Sunday service and how to reserve a Zoom room for meetings and events here.
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Quick Links
Denominational Affairs 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 Albany UU class or event
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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:
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).
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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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