A Blessing for the Future: Honoring the Land at 400 Louden Road

Yesterday — January 23, 2025 — was a milestone moment in the history of our congregation. We gathered at 400 Louden Road—the site of our future meeting house—for a heartfelt “Tree and Land Blessing.” As Board Secretary, I felt it my responsibility to document this occasion, a poignant blend of gratitude and farewell, as we honored the land that will soon cradle our spiritual home.


Our small procession began on a faint trail—a path we envision will one day be our driveway. We walked until we reached a point that will soon mark the northeast corner of our new meeting house. From there, we took in the view of three acres of forest that will remain untouched, protected as a sanctuary for nature. We hope this land, preserved for future generations, may eventually connect to five more acres in the neighborhood that the builder has also committed to conserving.

Heading in to the center of the property where our new meeting house will be.

Rev. Joe led a simple ceremony, offering gratitude to the land and the trees. We acknowledged the balance we must strike—asking much of this land to build our new home, while promising to disturb it as little as possible. With care and reverence, we committed to protecting and honoring what remains.

We formed a circle around Rev. Joe as he started his reading. That’s Julie Holmberg to his left, a member of the New Home Task Force. 

As part of the blessing, Rev. Joe read a passage from Henry David Thoreau’s writings on trees:

“I have been into the lumber-yard, and the carpenter’s shop, and the tannery, and the lampblack factory, and the turpentine clearing; but when at length I saw the tops of the pines waving and reflecting the light at a distance high over all the rest of the forest, I realized that the former were not the highest use of the pine. It is not their bones or hide or tallow that I love most. It is the living spirit of the tree, not its spirit of turpentine, with which I sympathize, and which heals my cuts. It is as immortal as I am, and perchance will go 

to as high a heaven, there to tower above me still.”

We also recited a prayer, acknowledging the original caretakers of this land: the Mohican, Kanienʼkehá:ka (Mohawk), and Abenaki people. As a symbol of our promise to protect and nurture this place, Laurie Singer poured water onto the earth—a small act of commitment to living in harmony with this land.

This ceremony was a way to honor the trees and soil that will make way for our new home. In December 2022, our congregation voted to leave our current home at 624 North Broadway and move to this site. While our North Broadway building has served us well, the new meeting house will better reflect our mission and serve our community. The new space will be fully accessible, equipped with modern technologies for hearing and online participation, and designed to inspire creativity, curiosity, and reverence. It will also include walking and birding trails open to the public—a living example of our commitment to sustainability and connection.

Our capital campaign has already raised more than $900,000.  A key next step is finalizing the sale of our current building to a buy whose plan is to build four to six condos consistent with the architecture of the grand homes on North Broadway.

The video I recorded yesterday will be the first of many we will want to shoot in the coming year for interment in the UU Saratoga Time Capsule that we plan to bury upon our move into the new building. This particular video will serve as the final record of the land before Joe Pita Excavating begins their work with their huge excavator to clear the site. We’ve marked seven trees with bright green ribbons to ensure they’re left unscathed. By May, the work should be complete, and if all goes to plan, we’ll move into our new meeting house that we hope to move into in early 2026.

Our congregation stands on the brink of a new era rooted in our shared commitment to love, justice, and peace. Together, we are creating a space that will nurture connection, inclusivity, and spiritual growth. This blessing marks the beginning of that journey, and we are ready to embrace it with open hearts.