On Sunday the hall was humming with energy. The ushers counted about 300 people from all five congregations in the Hudson Mohawk cluster, plus 35 screens on Zoom, who were gathered for worship and connection. Thanks to all those who volunteered, and/or attended. The choir was fabulous! Rev. Mary Katherine Morn’s message was powerful. We are grateful for the relationships that already existed that supported this service to unfold, and the possibilities that exist for the future, too!

Just as our relationships across congregations require energy and care, our connections and relationships within UUSS do, too. We have heard from many of you that you appreciated the personal stories that were shared during Stewardship testimonials. We all have meaningful stories, stories of our journeys, worries, and hopes. Whether you are a long-time member or a new visitor, your participation at UUSS makes a difference.

As Rev. Mary Katherine shared on Sunday, creating division is part of authoritarianism. In these very challenging days, connecting with one another, sharing our stories and listening together are acts of resistance. Let’s keep connecting meaningfully with one another, with joy, beauty, and music. And let’s keep resisting anything that seeks to destroy our government and nation!

Contact your officials and demand protections of the first amendment, of social security and medicaid, of government workers and the rule of law, due process and the three branches of government. So much is at stake.

If you missed the service, you can give to the recipient of this year’s cluster service-the UU Service Committee directly at this link. Please put HudMo in the memo if possible.

In faith~ Rev. Lynn & Rev. Wendy

On Sunday afternoon, after the wonderful Coffeehouse and Dessert Auction, we had the gift of attending Albany ProMusica’s production of Considering Matthew Shepard, with powerful and poignant music weaving the heartbreaking story of his murder and the community responses afterwards.

The stories we choose to tell and how we share them, matters. How we listen matters. The meaning that we make of what we hear, and what we feel, matters. The stories we lift up or the ones we forget tell us something. We have been hearing your stories, your struggles in these tumultuous times, and also how many of you have found hope at UUSS by gathering, by taking action. Let us keep sharing and listening.

And consider being part of the larger story:

Protect our first amendment rights- we need to protect the right to assemble, to protest to prevent a complete ‘hostile government takeover’

Learn about the detention of a US citizen and the terrible so-called SAVE act, and so much more…… Take action. More here.

Be part of the story.

Rev. Lynn & Rev. Wendy

This past Sunday we were grateful to hear stories of hope, and just a few of the ways that UUSS has been a community that supports people in difficult times, gathers to celebrate joyful and momentous occasions, and holds space for transformation, and inspiration and tools for creating justice together! Like so many of you, we are heartbroken, outraged, and worried about the direction that this country has shifted in the past seven weeks. We want to be part of a story of those who resist fascism, and work for democracy! We will be at Schenectady City Hall this evening at 8:30 pm for a Lights for Our Democracy vigil, hosted by the League of Women Voters. (There are similar events happening at other locations, too.) Let’s keep showing up, and sharing stories of hope. In faith~ Rev. Lynn and Rev. Wendy

In the past couple of weeks when we have checked in with folks at meetings, or just in conversations, we have heard from so many of you that being connected to UUSS is helping you face the tender and tumultuous times that we are in. There’s a good reason the Stewardship Team chose “A Home for Hope” as this year’s theme for the pledge campaign. So many of you have expressed feeling more hopeful after worship or after a religious education class or in listening to one another’s commitments to put Love at the Center. Hope can be hard to find but when we witness someone making a difference, offering compassion, being a welcoming place that celebrates diversity, equity, justice, inclusion, and a sense of belonging, hope emerges. Let this be a Home for Hope for one another!

This Sunday we’ll gather for worship, followed by a delicious lunch, served family style. Chair of the Stewardship Team-Kevin O’Connor will explain this year’s campaign which is unlike any other we have engaged in. We’ll join together around tables, sharing food, and being nourished by the hope experienced in the company of one another. We hope to see you Sunday!

In faith ~ Rev. Lynn & Rev. Wendy

• Nursery for children 5 and under.
• K/1/2: After attending worship in the Great Hall through the Time for All Ages, meet in the K/1/2 room.
• 3/4/5/6: After attending worship in the Great Hall through the Time for All Ages, head over to Waters House.
• Coming of Age: Go straight to Waters House at 10:30.
• yoUUth 360: From 6:30-8:30 PM on Sunday night, meet in Waters House. This week: All About Us.
• All children always welcome in the Great Hall for worship.

For more information, contact HB, the UUSS Director of Lifespan Religious Education, at dlre at uuschenectady.org.

This month, as we explore our theme, We are Many, We are One, we are reminded that it is so very human to need joy, beauty, and connection. Sometimes beauty just breaks through the muck that may be around us. This week, terrible things have continued to happen. We won’t name them. There are plenty of places to read about them this week.

And still, two amaryllis started blooming at our home. One of them was a gift from members at UUSS -whose kindness is also worth appreciating. These large blossoms seem to call out, “we are here! notice beauty! it will soothe your weary spirit!”

We hope that some audacious beauty has broken through into your week, too. And, if not, we hope you can drink in a little beauty from this photo. “We are here! We are here! Notice beauty! It will soothe your weary spirit!” And also come to worship and plan to come to the Stewardship Launch Luncheon on Mar. 2 and the Music Team’s Lunch, Coffeehouse, and Dessert Auction on Mar. 9 – because UUSS is here! and this diverse and intentionally inclusive community can be a beautiful thing that provides opportunities for connection and joy.

Rev. Wendy and Rev. Lynn

This week, as we reflect on February’s theme, “We are Many, We are One” and consider the onslaught of federal decisions and actions, we are clear that many, many of us are being impacted, and that we, as your ministers and as part of the community of UUSS, are committed to responding with care and in solidarity whenever possible.

At UUSS, we are many: we are teachers, immigrants, and people receiving social security benefits. We are worried about our families, our neighbors, and those most vulnerable in the world. We are cisgender, transgender, gender queer, and non-binary people. We have folks who are state and federal employees, or who have family members recently let go from their federal positions. We have a variety of philosophical and spiritual perspectives and beliefs.

And, we are one, in that we know that that which harms any of us, hurts us as a whole. We are interdependent. We might not feel it as much as the people most directly impacted. But it ripples whether we are cognizant of it or not.

We are grateful to those of you who have asked for some support as you face personal losses, as well as the worries, hardships, migration, and challenges brought on by the new regime. We can’t help one another if we don’t know what is needed. Thank you, to folks who have been doing big and small acts to speak out, to resist, and to care for one another. Keep doing them. They are having an impact. And remember to Breathe.

Breathe. Act. Breathe.

Stay connected to what sustains you.

Breathe. Ask for help when needed.

Breathe. We can overcome this if we listen, learn, and act together.

With care and in faith~ Rev. Lynn and Rev. Wendy

Dear ones,

Breathing in… I know I am breathing in….Breathing out…I know I am breathing out… Buddhist monk Thích Nhất Hạnh faced deeply troubling times during the Vietnam war. We can learn from his wisdom even as he is now with the ancestors. Breathe in this present moment.

Once we are even a tiny bit more centered, we can act and reflect more effectively.

Here are some things you can do:

Check out the UUA Resilience Hub.

See the 30 Days of Love resources listed below.

Read/listen to Heather Cox Richardson, Rebecca Solnit, Robert Reich, adrienne maree brown, and others who are giving you truth, strength, and direction.

Consider connecting to Progressive Schenectady, the local Indivisible Chapter, and learn what they are doing during this horrific time.

Call and write to Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand, Sen. Chuck Schumer, and Rep. Paul Tonko. Thank them for what good they are doing and ask them to get much more vocal and much more resistant to all the evil that is happening. The Constitutional Crisis is a coup attempt. It must be stopped. Musk is engaging in illegal activity and must be stopped. Most of the appointees are incompetent and should not be approved. They must use all their power to stall and slow the process down and confirm as few as possible, articulating clearly and often to the American people that these people are unfit for office or unfit for the position. Tell them you are a person of faith and that you value integrity, justice, equity, and so forth…

Consider calling Congressional leaders in other places too if you have the time. If you don’t get through or can’t leave a message, call after hours, too.

Engage in your spiritual practice(s) with intention, attention, and repetition. Need some ideas? Ask!

And come to worship. Bring your friends. We need one another and we need to embolden our networks, focus our efforts, and strengthen our resolve.

With care,

Rev. Wendy and Rev. Lynn

Breathe in…………

Breathe out………….

Overwhelm is their goal. Pause. Feel your body. Breathe.

What is 1 thing you can do right now to attempt to stop the fear and overwhelm? You can reach out to someone you love and tell them. You can send a thank you note to someone doing something useful, kind, and/or brave. You might also consider the following:

Can you learn more about what your rights are regarding ICE raids? Try this page for many resources.

Are you upset that the US House of Representatives is trying to censor and punish Bishop Budde? Learn more here and then consider calling the House of Representatives.

You can contact Rep. Paul Tonko at Washington D.C. Office Phone: (202) 225-5076; Albany Office Phone: (518) 465-0700 or Saratoga Springs Office Phone: (518) 374-4547.   Or if Rep. Elise Stefanik is your rep, you can call her Greenbush office Phone: (518) 242-4707. Tell them to get their noses out of religious business. Or Tell them that this service is to remind everyone of UNITY for the country and Christianity teaches mercy and so do just about all the religions.

Or maybe you’re worried about this freeze of funding and the wildly inappropriate overreach of the Executive Branch into the Legislative Branch. Contact Rep. Tonko, Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand (202) 224-4451, and Sen. Chuck Schumer (202) 224-6542 and tell them to stop the Administrative Coup and stop the freeze on those funds.

And if you are seeing this message and live someplace else, look up your representatives and contact them.

If calling makes you nervous-write down what you want to say and then just read that into the phone. And if that feels like too much, pass this info on to the extroverts in your life. And put those numbers in your cell phone for the next time we’ll all need to call them.

Keep breathing. Rest and take a break from scrolling when you can. Center yourself in Love. Remember our UU values-of justice and equity and practice whatever you can do this week to help your voice, as a person of faith, be heard.

We’re breathing with you. And hope to see you tonight at the Good Trouble Congregation designation celebration!!!!!!!

Rev. Wendy and Rev. Lynn

Breathe.
It’s bad. We knew that.
The bad is swift. We knew that.
Knowing doesn’t make it any better.

Breathe.
Do the next right thing.
Do the next right thing to take care of yourself and your family.
Come to church. Invite friends who are scared right now.
Offer one another patience, grace, and mercy.

Breathe.
Choose wisely where to place your attention.
Actively withdraw your attention from clickbait.
Don’t be distracted from your values, from the world you want to create.

Breathe.
Stay connected to what buoys your spirit.
Engage in what increases your resilience.
Find your courage to speak truth to power as kindly and clearly
as Rt. Rev. Bishop Mariann Edgar Budde.

Breathe.
with care and in faith~ Rev. Wendy & Rev. Lynn