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.
Click HERE for more information about our upcoming service.
Find the archive of previous sermons (text files as available) here.
Click the button below to sign up for our weekly e-mail newsletter for details about upcoming and ongoing events at Albany UU.
Click HERE for a calendar of ALL events happening at Albany UU.
Click HERE to find out more information about upcoming Albany UU events.
Sunday, May 20
10:00-11:00: Service
11:00-11:45: Coffee Hour
11:30-11:45: Parents who have requested childcare, take their children to assigned rooms and sign them in with caregivers.
11:45: Annual Meeting starts in Community Hall
Copies of the proposed budget, and any resolutions to be presented at the meeting, may be picked up in the lobby. These can also be read online HERE and HERE. Additional information about the resolution, including a link to the text of the resolution, can be found below.
Absentee ballots are available for members who cannot attend the meeting. Request a ballot from the church office. Ballots will be available from Sunday, May 6 to Friday, May 18. Completed ballots, sealed in an envelope, must be received in the church office on or before 11:00 AM on Friday, May 18.
Read about our candidates in the May edition of Windows—And meet them in person at a Meet the Candidates reception after the service Sunday, May 6.
*****************************************************************************
SHALL WE BE A SANCTUARY CONGREGATION AGAIN?
Congregational Vote on May 20
In 1984, the Times-Union reported that the First Unitarian Society of Albany (as we were then known) had publicly declared ourselves to be a Sanctuary Congregation, had partnered with the Albany Friends Meeting (Quakers), and were risking civil disobedience to offer sheltering to Central American refugees who were at risk for deportation back to the violence in their war-torn home countries.
Today we are again witnessing the enforcement of immigration policies that many of us view as unjust and inhumane, whereby certain ethnic groups are targeted, families face being torn apart, and long-term and productive community members face deportation to home countries where they are virtual strangers. This situation calls us to consider acting upon our Unitarian Universalist Principles by again invoking the concept of Sanctuary Congregation, which includes many forms of support to, and solidarity with, undocumented people.
Following an informational forum this past January presented by Terry Diggory of the Saratoga Presbyterian congregation, a Sanctuary Team began meeting and researching the issues surrounding the concept of Sanctuary Congregation, including consulting with experts in immigration law. The Team developed a draft Congregational Resolution, conducted three Congregational Conversations, and refined the Resolution for presentation to our Board of Trustees, which on April 19 endorsed the Resolution for consideration by the full congregation at our Annual Meeting on May 20. The text of the Resolution is available online HERE or in May Windows. A legal analysis can be found HERE.
Please read and reflect upon the Resolution in preparation for the vote at our Annual Meeting. If you have questions or want more information about this issue, feel free to speak with a member of the Sanctuary Team: Eileen Casey-Campbell, Matt Lesniak, Jean Poppei, Dave Munro, Elizabeth Berberian, Arlene Gilbert, Jerry Deighan, Winston Hagborg, Deb Dewey, Zack Cunningham and Karen Kaufmann.
*****************************************************************************
UUA General Assembly 2018
Would you like to represent Albany UU at the 2018 General Assembly in Kansas City, Missouri, June 20-24? Thousands of UUs from congregations across the country will meet to worship, witness, learn, connect, and make policy through democratic process.
Youth, young adults and families can participate, and Albany UU will pay the registration fee for members who serve as delegates. This year, thanks to an Endowment Trust grant, travel stipends are available for young adults and emerging congregational leaders. Let the Board of Trustees know that you are interested by completing a quick form below. Registration for GA and GA housing opened March 1.
Click HERE for a printable 2018 General Assembly interest form.
Click HERE for a fillable 2018 General Assembly interest form.
Sunday Hospitality: sign up here to volunteer
Albany UU Gardening: sign up here to volunteer (May – September)
Three types of small groups: seeking truth and deeper meaning
Three ways to sign up for a class or event:
—Send an email to Registration@AlbanyUU.org
—Sign up at the Sign Up Site in Channing Hall
—Call the church office, 463-7135
If childcare is offered, please let us know you need it when you register. (Include names and ages of children.)
More information on Lifespan Learning at Albany UU can be found here.
