Greetings Friends,
Good afternoon everyone and 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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MULTIPLATFORM SUNDAY SERVICE
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SUNDAY SERVICE at 10:00 AM
Begin your Sunday morning with an 8:30 Multiplatform (both in-person and via Zoom) Meditation session until 9:20
Multiplatform service begins at 10:00 each Sunday
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Masks are required
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May 29 “Nurturing Beauty - Goosebump Moments” with
Rev. Steve Anderson
What is beauty? How can we nurture it? In the presence of beauty, why do we sometimes have goosebumps? How can those moments impact our lives? Join us for an interspiritual exploration of beauty.
Rev. Steve Andersen grew up UU, and explored paths of Christianity and Sufism. Retired from the corporate world, he is now an ordained Interspiritual Minister, a chaplain at Albany Medical Center, and is currently studying to become a Spiritual Director.
Recorded Music: Elena Karpoff
COFFEE HOUR IS BACK! SEE BELOW FOR DETAILS
Use this link to join the service remotely:
To dial in by phone: 1-929-436-2866:
Meeting ID: 299 018 7785
Password: 0000
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”.
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JUNE MULTIPLATFORM
SUNDAY SERVICE INFORMATION
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June 5 “Blessing of the Animals” with
Rev. Sam Trumbore
For the first time in recent memory we will bless our furry and feathered friends in Community Hall. If you have an animal companion you’d like to bring to this service for a blessing, please do—if—it can (1) peacefully be in the presence of other animals and humans and (2) not leave traces of its visit behind on our floors or chairs. If this might be a problem, please bring a picture of them instead, or introduce them to us on Zoom. We will also remember the ones who have died in this past 12 months.
June 12 “The Blessing of Chronic Illness” with Rev. Sam Trumbore and Erik VonHausen
No one wishes for a chronic illness. Yet paradoxically, having one can help us lead healthier lives. Chronic illness causes us to pay more attention to our bodies that can alert us to healthier choices that decrease our physical suffering and can extend our lives. Erik and Rev. Sam will reflect on what they have learned from their chronic conditions.
Note: June 12 is also the sixth anniversary of the horrific Pulse Shootings in Orlando. The One Orlando Alliance has encouraged people to remember those who were killed through acts of love and kindness. Learn more about this memorial here: https://oneorlandoalliance.org/acts-of-love-and-kindness/
The Albany UU Service year continues
through June 12
Summer Services begin Sunday,
June 19, 10:00 AM
Use this link to join Sunday service remotely
To dial in by phone:
1-929-436-2866
Meeting ID: 299 018 7785
Password: 0000
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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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RESPONDING TO THE ROBB ELEMENTARY SCHOOL GUN VIOLENCE
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These are difficult times to find words for the grief and sorrow so many of us are experiencing remembering the gun violence at the Buffalo Tops less than two weeks ago, the terrible loss of young life in Uvalde, Texas at Robb Elementary School and passing the second anniversary of the death of George Floyd. Three horrendous examples of the capacity for violence by individuals acting alone, especially men, here, in Ukrainian war crimes, and around the world.
There just aren’t words to express the many levels and layers of grief and anger these events bring up for us as memorial services begin for those who have died in Buffalo began this week and the services that will follow for the children in Texas whose lives were taken almost before they had a chance to begin.
Each of us responds differently to these events. For some of us, these events will trigger deep, even paralyzing trauma from previous experiences of violence. Tears and anger can mix with immobilizing fear. For some, their hearts will ache in their chests thinking about the terrible grief of being the parent of one of those children that were killed. The Sandy Hook parents who lost their children know a kind of crippling grief few of us can comprehend, let alone feel, a grief that will never go away. For yet others the reactions will be more cynicism, disgust, and a sense of powerlessness to prevent future violence. No 18-year-olds should be walking around with military grade automatic rifles when they are not on the battlefield. Yet the chance of banning such weapons right now is slim to none.
May we be willing to open our hearts to the incomprehensible grief of those who have lost loved ones to gun violence. May we never become desensitized to the violence that happens again and again to disrupt the lives of community after community around the country. May each such event energize our refusal to live in a world dominated by paranoid gun owner’s lobbyists who block gun control legislation. May we hold the vision of creating ways to solve our problems without violence May we resist the polarization that sees violence as the only solution to difference.
While stopping violence may at times require strong interventions that may cause harm, it cannot be the solution we seek in the world or in our relationships. The Beloved Community we envision supports compassion, equity, justice and peace between people. That goal may seem far away in moments like this. However, holding to the vision and working towards it is a path that gives meaning and purpose to our lives. It also honors and memorializes those who have died unjustly and unfairly.
May that be the faith in our values and principles we bring to life.
-Rev. Sam
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RELIGIOUS EDUCATION FOR
CHILDREN and YOUTH
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Congratulations and many thanks to Meagan Strong, Katie Myers, Lewis Hood, Sarah Hickman, Lucy Edvalson, Rose Beberwyck, Anna Baldes, and Isaac Allen for their amazing Youth Service on 5/22! The words, ideas, and memories shared by the congregation at service will be compiled into a bulletin board in Channing Hall in the near future.
Quick survey about this year's Religious Education experience is available here, please take a moment to provide your feedback about what is working for you and what isn't.
Resources for talking about gun violence with children have been compiled by the Brooklyn Public Library here. Everytown for Gun Safety is a gun violence prevention organization you can learn more about here. While I regret the necessity of sharing this kind of information, I do take heart at being in community with people who recognize the inherent worth of every person. Much caring and support to everyone struggling in the aftermath of the events in Uvalde and Buffalo.
Photo by Ana Cruz on Unsplash
Elizabeth Baldes
Acting Director of Religious Education
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Flowering From Within
“The bud
stands for all things,
even for those things that don’t flower,
for everything flowers, from within, of self-blessing;
though sometimes it is necessary
to reteach a thing its loveliness,
to put a hand on its brow
of the flower
and retell it in words and in touch
it is lovely
until it flowers again from within, of self-blessing” - Galway Kinnell
The word “blessing” can be controversial in UU settings. I’ve heard complaints about it by atheist Unitarian Universalists for many years. The first definition of many religious terms like prayer, faith, belief, spiritual, etc. are all understood to be references to God. The first definition of blessing is “God’s help and protection.” It assumes an understanding of God that knows who I am and chooses to intervene in my life to offer me help and protection. Yet that same deity is not offering help and protection to many others who are far more worthy of it than I am, worthy as I may be for a little divine boost. Sorting out the blessed from the unblessed and why God might want to bless some and not others, like an elementary school classmate of mine who died of leukemia, can be a little disturbing.
Even the second definition is a little suspect: “approval or permission for something.” This assumes an authoritarian stand-in for God such as a governing body, a leader, or a family head. The planning board blessed the design for the house so now it can be built. The mayor crowned the tulip queens and gave them a blessing. The father met the young person who proposed to his child and gave his blessing to the marriage. The hierarchical structure of blessing with the second definition still isn’t very appealing to Unitarian Universalist belief and practice.
I’ve been looking carefully at how my Unitarian Universalist ministerial colleagues like to use the term. I notice most of them like to use the word, but they are not using the first or second definition. They certainly are not seeing themselves as the source of the blessing. So what is going on?
Thankfully there is a third definition of blessing: something that is good or helpful. Instead of focusing on the source of the blessing, be it divine or an authority figure, most of my colleagues are paying attention to the experience of blessing itself which follows from the third definition. It reminds me of our UU Principles. They are statements of our values that can be supported through multiple belief statements. We covenant to affirm and promote, to value, the inherent worth and dignity of all people. We could value people because they are made in the image of God. We could value them because of the preciousness of human birth. We could value each person because Jesus loves all of us without exception. We could value people because we embrace a Utilitarian philosophy. We could value people because it is an optimal way to create a just and peaceful social order.
We could take the same approach with the word blessing, allowing people to bring their own theological or atheistic understanding to the word.
Another observation I have about how Unitarian Universalists use the word is we can be both the receiver of blessing as well as the source. UU’s like to frame blessing as being shared from one person to another. This crosses the boundaries for all three definitions. God might use us as agents of blessing to each other. By being good and helpful we can offer something that another person experiences as good and helpful independent of our social status in the social hierarchy.
What appeals to me the most however is how Galway Kinnell uses blessing. The blessing doesn’t come from any person or deity but is a quality that already exists in us, and may extend beyond us. The offertory music from the service on May 15 had the lyric, “This joy that I have, the world didn’t give it to me.” As a meditator, I’m very attuned to being with the present moment and paying close attention to my inner landscape. What arises within, often spontaneously, may use the words, sensations, and images of the world … but may not be of the world. And in the stillness of sense experience, there is access to knowing a taste of what is not of this world … that is profoundly satisfying … and that blesses us.
That’s the blessing I’m seeking, a blessing to share with the world.
-Rev. Sam
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UPCOMING WAYS to CONNECT
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Board of Trustees
Meets in-person and online, Thursday, May 26, 6:30 PM. Albany UU members are welcome to attend. Find the agenda here.
Use this link to join (Note: this is a unique link, not the same as the service link)
By phone: 1-929-436-2866
Meeting ID: 988 1049 6531
Passcode: 0000
Start your Sunday Morning with Multiplatform Meditation
8:30 - 9:15 AM
We will sit together virtually 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
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.
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Albany UU Sings
Join your friends on Wednesday, June 8 at 7:00 PM and sing your heart out in Virtual Community! We will supply the music and the lyrics.
Hope to see you there.
Use this link to join:
By phone: 1-929-436-2866
Meeting ID: 979 5961 1765
Passcode: 0000
Join an Orientation for Newcomers
Getting to Know UU
Saturday, June 4, 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 either in-person in Room B-8 or via Zoom:
9:00 AM to noon
Saturday, June 4
Use this link to join remotely:
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!
Walker Book Group
Join the Walker Book Group for a Zoom discussion on Sunday, June 12 at 6:30 pm. Join at 6:15 for additional time to socialize. We will discuss Jen Gish’s collection, Thank you, Mr. Nixon: Stories. Learn more here.
Use this link to join:
By phone: 929-436-2866
Meeting ID: 299 018 7785
Password: 0000
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2022 Albany UU Annual Meeting Results:
Uncontested Election Results:
Board of Trustees
Officers:
President.............................. Molly Daniels
Vice-President..................... Jan McCracken
Secretary.............................. Kate Pierce
Treasurer.............................. Maria Phillips
Ass’t. Treasurer................... Karen Kaufmann (not a member of the Board)
Trustees:
Trustee................................. Mike Myers
Trustee................................. Chuck Manning
(Continuing Trustees: Geoff Abbas and Heidi Newberg)
Endowment Trust
Barb Manning
(Continuing Endowment Trust members: Kristen Abbas. Jeff English, Steve Moskowitz and Jon Newell)
Contested Election Results:
Nominating Committee
Kathy Hodges
Reese Satin
Kelly Smith
(Continuing Nominating Committee members: Elizabeth Berberian, Liz Richards and Todd Thomas
The two resolutions and the 2022-23 Budget passed with no changes. More info about each below:
Rev. Sam Requests Important Feedback
Every year, staff members are evaluated. Part of that evaluation process is collecting feedback from members of the congregation on their employee satisfaction along with comments about the work of employees. This is a great opportunity to show appreciation of them by giving specific feedback about what they have done well. It is VERY MEANINGFUL for the staff to receive this feedback. Your praise matters! And there may be a problem that you’d like to alert us about too. That may also be done on the feedback form.
PLEASE, PLEASE take a moment to use this form to leave feedback for individual employees. Use the form multiple times, once for each employee for whom you’d like to leave feedback.
Thanks in advance for your participation in this yearly cycle of appreciation and support for the good work our staff does.
Mark your calendars for a Congregational Picnic on Saturday, July 30 - Volunteers needed!
Everyone is invited to join Rev. Sam and Elizabeth Baldes for a picnic at Horseshoe I Pavilion at Thacher Park on Saturday, July 30. We have the pavilion from 8:00 AM through sunset and are calling for volunteers who would like to participate in planning the fun. Once we have a team of volunteers and a plan for the day, we will announce the exact time it starts. All are welcome! Please contact Rev Sam: minister@albanyuu.org or Elizabeth: dre@albanyuu.org to express your interest.
Albany UU Online 2022 Auction
Our new Albany UU auction is blooming! Items are ready for purchase and going fast! More items are being added almost daily so check back often. Go to this website to see the exciting donations and select those you wish to buy: https://www.32auctions.com/albanyuu2022onlineauction. On the site you may choose from many delightful items and events. Remember that all items are fixed price and the first person to select an item wins it. It is important to go online quickly to get your preferred items and events. Find more information and how to pay for your purchases here.
Endowment Trust Announces 2022 Annual Granting Capacity
Each calendar year the Endowment Trustees use a prescribed formula based on income from trust investments to calculate the amount of money available for Albany UU Special Projects grants. The 2022 granting capacity is $31,281.
If you have an idea for a special project consistent with the congregation’s mission, please apply. More information about the projects we are looking to support and the application for grants can be found on the Albany UU website at: http://albanyuu.org/endowment-trust-grant-form/
Looking for a little income?
Are you--or a friend--looking to make some money occasionally? And, are you able to work on Sundays?
Albany UU needs a ‘backup’ Sunday custodian. The job is from 8:00-1:00 on Sunday mornings and entails a multitude of small tasks that that enable our service and classes to go smoothly. Some lifting is required. The pay is $15 per hour.
If you are interested in finding out more, contact Tammy Goddard, Church Administrator at 518-463-7135 or admin@albanyuu.org. And pass this on to anyone who might be interested!
Also available: occasional “gigs” as Building Host and Dishwasher. Contact Tammy if you’re interested in either of these. We really need more people to add to our list!
Activities Abound at the UU Weekend at Silver Bay (October 14-16, 2022)
It all starts with driving through the mountains with those vibrant fall colors. What a great way to begin a weekend! Add in making Star Island beads and staying up until 1 AM working on those annoyingly addictive jigsaw puzzles, and there you are.
-Bob Franklin
Adults can enjoy workshops focusing on creativity, physical activity, social justice, and spirituality interspersed with relaxation and conversation. Children can look forward to a full array of age-appropriate activities.
Access additional information about Silver Bay and the UU weekend, including a registration form, at http://albanyuu.org/uu-weekend-at-silver-bay/ A preliminary schedule will be posted in the coming weeks. Rooms will be assigned on a first-come, first-served basis based on receipt of the completed registration form and accompanying deposit.
Note: Adaptions will be made to accommodate the status of the pandemic, if needed.
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AN OPPORTUNITY FROM THE YOUNG ADULT ORGANIZING CENTER
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SOCIAL ACTION and INCLUSIVITY
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Delmar Vigil participants: Mary Baker, Deborah Vogel, Dawn Dana, Carol Butt, Barb Manning, Chuck Manning, Ed Hancock
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Join us on Friday, June 3 at 7:00 PM for an exciting, exclusive screening of Outta the Muck, a film written and directed by Ira Mckinley. Family, football and history come to life in an intimate portrait of the Dean family, longtime residents of the historic town of Pahokee, Florida. As we take a journey back home, with filmmaker Ira McKinley, to the land of sugarcane, he reconnects with his niece Bridget and nephew Alvin and explores their shared family history that spans seven generations. Told through stories that transcend space and time, Outta The Muck presents an intimate portrait of a community that resists despair with love, remaining fiercely self-determined, while forging its own unique narrative of Black achievement. This event will be both in Albany UU's Community Hall and on Zoom. If you plan to attend via Zoom, you must email Tammy for the link: admin@albanyuu.org. $10.00 suggestion donation. Watch the trailer here.
Stand Against Racism Vigil in Delmar
Join Albany UUs each Saturday to Stand Against Racism, in front of the Delmar Farmers Market at the middle school, 332 Kenwood Avenue, from 9:30 to 10 AM. Welcoming all - whether you live in Delmar, Albany, or anywhere nearby!
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
Inclusivity Team recommends Youth In Front: Understanding and Supporting Youth-Led Activism. This is a free course, designed and supported by Harvard Graduate School of Education, among others. It's asynchronous learning that you can do at your own pace and complete as much or as little as you would like. There are videos, reading, and chat boards. There are resources for deeper learning.
From the web site:
All around the country, inspired by activists from Ferguson to Parkland, a generation of young people are considering participating in their first political action or protest. They have questions. What’s the point of a walkout? Will I get in trouble? What happens after a march?
and
This is an online course designed around promoting and discussing student-led voice in civic engagement. Our aim is to provide all educators with a historical lens as well as tools and frameworks to equip adults as allies and supporters in the development of youth voice and activism. We aim to promote dialogue around activism and equip educators with actionable resources they can use in their current contexts. In the course, students will visit numerous youth activists, educators and schools to navigate and learn from the complexities in promoting youth voice and activism.
Whether you are a parent, a teacher, or otherwise working with kids, there is something here for you. You will have to register and create a login and password. There is no cost at this time.
The Inclusivity Team Recommends the following book:
For adults and youth:
We Who Believe in Freedom: Activism and the struggle for social justice, by Dr. Alice Green. (2021). In this memoir, Dr. Green reflects back on her childhood and brings us through past decades in Albany right up to current events. Read about her formative experiences with racism, her drive to engage in antiracism activism and advocacy work, and her hopes for the future. This work is as much a history of Albany as it is a memoir. Available in hardcopy at the Upper Hudson Library System. Not available in audiobook or braille formats at this time.
Click here to see a 4-minute video that Dr. Green showed at her visit to Albany UU on 5/23/22. It's the Resistance Revival Chorus singing Ella's Song, by Bernice Johnson Reagon:
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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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