October 23, 2026

Dear Ones,

As October ends so does the Woven Faith theme of Living the Questions. November brings a new theme, Covenant. People define covenant in many different ways. For Unitarian Universalists, covenant, or the collective promises we make to each other about how we are going to be with each other and in the world, is the glue that holds us together. I have some words for reflection that I want to share with you that are the perfect bridge between the two themes. It is an adaptation of words by Howard Thurman,

There are two questions that [a person] must ask [themselves]. The first is “Where am I going?” and the second is “Who will go with me?” If you ever get these questions in the wrong order, you are in trouble.

We should always be asking ourselves:  Where are we are going? Who will go with us? And before YOU decide to go with someone, they and you should know where THEY are going. You could say that the people we go with are the people with whom we are in covenant. How strong is that covenant? Take some time to think about where you are going, and who the people are who are going with you. Not just at church, but in all walks of your life. Right now we need to have a lot of clarity about the direction in which we are traveling, who is going with us, and who is not. It might be a good time to re-examine the covenants we share and perhaps renew them.

This coming Sunday, Wayne Cochran, a board member and Worship Associate will be leading the service. The topic is “Two Spiritual Journeys.” You can attend in person at Wilson Chapel on the Skidmore campus, or in Zoom.

There are two more ‘Round and About with Rev. Vee events scheduled. The first consists of a tour of 404 Loudon, Rd., our new home construction site, after the service on Nov. 22^nd. It is your opportunity to see the progress on the construction of the new meeting house. Bast Hatfield will be leading the tour. You can register for that HERE. On Dec. 6^th, we will be going bowing at the Saratoga Strike Zone on 32 Ballston Ave.  They require a count so that they can make sure they are able to reserve enough lanes for us, so the deadline to register is Dec. 3^rd.  You can register by clicking HERE.

Ongoing reminders:

• On the first Sunday of each month, through GATP, UUCSS donates all the money received during the offering to one of twelve organizations selected for the year. Right now, our Social Justice Task Force (SJTF) is collecting recommendations for recipients in the 2027 year. If you have ideas about an organization that should be included, please fill out the form HERE by Oct. 26.  This gives the SJTF enough time to go through the recommendations and make a presentation to the UUCSS Board for approval.

• If you would like to help with the Faith Development needs of our children, youth and adults, please send me an email so that we can start planning some things. So far, I have heard from one person, but we all know that the more the merrier and many hands make light work. In the meantime, everyone is invited to make all the children and youth who attend our services feel loved, welcomed, and appreciated. In fact, you may have noticed that there are activities for the children (and the young at heart) on the back of the order of service each week.
• A Faith Development resource we are using is curriculum put out by the Unitarian Universalist Association called Woven Faith. Woven Faith is considered a “whole church” curriculum in that it also provides us with material for worship, small group ministry, justice work, and leadership development that is grounded in our values.  If you want to learn more about it, you can watch an informative video if you CLICK HERE. You are also invited to register to use the resources yourself.
• Many people have already taken advantage of this opportunity, but if you have not already done so, I invite you to set up a meeting with me in Zoom to say “hello” and introduce or re-introduce yourself, or you can just let me know how you are doing. You can do that by visiting my Calendly link here https://tinyurl.com/SS-Mtg-w-RevVee. I look forward to seeing you in my Zoom room!

And, in finishing up this month’s exploration of the theme Living the Questions, I close this week with the song “Questions” by Manfred Mann. To listen, CLICK HERE.

In peace and love,

Rev. Viola

Rev. Viola observes Monday as her personal sabbath, but if you want to make an appointment with her on a Wednesday, Thursday or Friday, you can do so by visiting her Calendly page at https://tinyurl.com/SS-Mtg-w-RevVee.

October 16, 2026

Dear Ones,

Last Sunday, we held the very first ‘Roun and About with Rev. Vee event and it was a lot of fun. We had a great time hiking around in the North Woods on the Skidmore campus, and we learned a lot.  In November, we will be visiting the construction site for our new home, and on Dec. 6^th, we will be going bowing!  I haven’t been bowling in years.  It might be another opportunity for me to embarrass myself, but I still think that bowling (or watching people bowl) is a lot of fun!  The next event will take place at the Saratoga Strike Zone on 32 Ballston Ave.  They do require a count however, so the deadline to register is Dec. 3^rd.  You can register by clicking HERE.

This coming Sunday, Oct. 18^th, the sermon topic is “Embracing the Unknown.” What exactly does that mean to Unitarian Universalists? Is that a choice or an imperative? I hope that you join us at UUCSS at Wilson Chapel or in the Zoom room so that we can explore these concepts together. We will also be having our New Member Sunday. It is always a wonderful time when new people join our community! So, come and welcome them.  If you are not a member and are thinking about becoming one, please reach out to me.

We can think about the “Unknown” in a spiritual context or in a more existential one. Hopefully, UUCSS helps people with the former, but there are definitely times when we help people with the latter. And one way we do that is through our Give Away The Plate (GATP) ministry. On the first Sunday of each month, through GATP, UUCSS donates all the money received during the offering to one of twelve organizations selected for the year. Right now, our Social Justice Task Force (SJTF) is collecting recommendations for recipients in the 2027 year. If you have ideas about an organization that should be included, please fill out the form HERE by Oct. 26.  This gives the SJTF enough time to go through the recommendations and make a presentation to the UUCSS Board for approval.

Ongoing reminders:

• If you would like to help with the Faith Development needs of our children, youth and adults, please send me an email so that we can start planning some things. So far, I have heard from one person, but we all know that the more the merrier and many hands make light work. In the meantime, everyone is invited to make all the children and youth who attend our services feel loved, welcomed, and appreciated. In fact, you may have noticed that there are activities for the children (and the young at heart) on the back of the order of service each week.
• A Faith Development resource we are using is curriculum put out by the Unitarian Universalist Association called Woven Faith. Woven Faith is considered a “whole church” curriculum in that it also provides us with material for worship, small group ministry, justice work, and leadership development that is grounded in our values.  If you want to learn more about it, you can watch an informative video if you CLICK HERE. You are also invited to register to use the resources yourself.
• Many people have already taken advantage of this opportunity, but if you have not already done so, I invite you to set up at least a 15-minute meeting with me (you can choose more time if you like) in Zoom to say “hello” and introduce or re-introduce yourself, or you can just let me know how you are doing. You can do that by visiting my Calendly link here https://tinyurl.com/SS-Mtg-w-RevVee. I look forward to seeing you in my Zoom room!

Because UUCSS is welcoming new members this Sunday, I close this week with “Chosen Family” as sung by Rina Sawayama and Elton John. To listen, CLICK HERE.

In peace and love,

Rev. Viola

October 9, 2026

Dear Ones,

This coming Sunday will be my first time delivering a sermon in Wilson Chapel. I have heard that the acoustics there are great. Even if it is for only a short time, it will be nice to be in the space that brings back good memories for many people in the congregation. I am sure that we will also create our own wonderful memories in that liminal space. My sermon title this week is “How Did We Get Here?” It is important to take stock of who we are at any given point in time, but it is equally important to think about what got us there . . . the good and the bad. What is your origin story, and can you think of any one thing that contributed, more than anything else, to you being the person you are today? When you ask that question about UUCSS, what is the answer that you come up with? How did we get here to Wilson Chapel?

Don’t forget! After the service will be the first ‘Round and About with Rev. Vee event. It will consist of a short all-ages and all-weather hike in Skidmore’s North Woods. We aren’t supposed to have any rain, but please make sure that you dress appropriately, and with comfortable shoes. If there are other activities that you think might be fun to do in the coming months, and until we are able to engage in activities in our new home, please let me know.

Next Sunday, Oct. 18^th, we will be having our New Member Sunday. Please make sure that you come and welcome all these wonderful new people to the UUCSS community!

This weekend, I will be participating in the UU Weekend at Silver Bay (UUWSB). If you don’t know what that is, it is an annual event that usually takes place on the second weekend in October at the YMCA retreat and conference center on Lake George.  I believe that it was originally started by the Unitarian Universalist Church in Albany many years ago, and over the years, people from other congregations began participating. It is a great opportunity to connect with other UUs and engage in fun and educational opportunities. If you are going, please look for me! Next year, perhaps we can get a group of folks from UUCSS to attend.

What will also be happening at Silver Bay at the same time is the annual meeting of the New York State Convention of Universalists (NYSCU). Because the Unitarian Universalist Congregation in Glens Falls (UUCGF) is a member of the NYSCU, and since I am the minister there, too, I am also able to participate in that meeting, as well.  There are two reasons why the NYSCU should be familiar to the folks at UUCSS, even though our church is not a member congregation. We received a grant to help pay for assistive listening devices to be used in our services, and for those of you who have been around long enough, UUCSS was the host for NYSCU’s annual meeting in 2012.

If you would like to help with the Faith Development needs of our children, youth and adults, please send me an email so that we can start planning some things. So far, I have heard from one person, but we all know that the more the merrier and many hands make light work. In the meantime, everyone is invited to make all the children and youth who attend our services feel loved, welcomed, and appreciated. In fact, you may have noticed that there are activities for the children (and the young at heart) on the back of the order of service each week.

And, speaking of Faith Development, a resource we are using is curriculum put out by the Unitarian Universalist Association called Woven Faith. Woven Faith is considered a “whole church” curriculum in that it also provides us with material for worship, small group ministry, justice work, and leadership development that is grounded in our values.  If you want to learn more about it, you can watch an informative video if you CLICK HERE.

If you have not already done so, I invite you to set up at least a 15-minute meeting with me (you can choose more time if you like) in Zoom to say “hello” and introduce or re-introduce yourself, or you can just let me know how you are doing. You can do that by visiting my Calendly link here https://tinyurl.com/SS-Mtg-w-RevVee. I look forward to seeing you in my Zoom room!

Last but not least, Monday, Oct. 12 is Indigenous Peoples’ Day, and so, I close this week with “One World (We Are One)” by Taboo. To listen, CLICK HERE.

In peace and love,

Rev. Viola

September 25, 2026

Dear Ones,

Wow! It seems like fall has rapidly descended upon us. The autumnal equinox happened just this past Tuesday, and I guess it wasn’t fooling around!

This coming Sunday is a very big Sunday in the life of the Unitarian Universalist Congregation of Saratoga Springs.  On Sunday, September 27^th, 2026, the last worship service will be held at 624 North Broadway. Because my Sundays in the pulpit were scheduled before the date for the move was set, unfortunately, I will not be there. I am sad about that, but I know you will be in good hands. Rev. Sam Trumbore will be leading the service, and he has created a service which will have deep meaning for all of you. He is a member of the congregation, but he is also my colleague, and I owe him a debt of gratitude.

We had great participation in the “Rose, Bud, Thorn” exercise after the service last Sunday. “Thank you” to the forty-two people who stayed and shared their roses, buds and thorns. The Transition Team, which consists of Bill Boehmke, Kerry Nelson and Laurie Singer, and I will use this information to help UUCSS move into the future.

If you would like to help with the Faith Development needs of our children, youth and adults, please send me an email so that we can start planning some things. So far, I have heard from one person, but we all know that the more the merrier and many hands make light work. In the meantime, everyone is invited to make all the children and youth who attend our services feel loved, welcomed, and appreciated.

Here’s a reminder that the next time I will be in the pulpit at UUCSS is on October 11^th. That will be the second Sunday that we will be in our temporary space in Wilson Chapel. Another reminder is that after that service, I will host the first ‘Round and About with Rev. Vee event. That will consist of a short all-ages and all-weather hike in Skidmore’s North Woods. Please make sure that you dress appropriately. If there are other activities that you think might be fun to do in the coming months while we wait to move into our new home, please let me know.

If you have not already done so, please set up at least a 15-minute meeting with me (you can choose more time if you like) in Zoom to say “hello” and introduce or re-introduce yourself. You can do that by visiting my Calendly link here https://tinyurl.com/SS-Mtg-w-RevVee. I look forward to seeing you in my Zoom room!

In celebration of fall, I close this week with “Autumn Song” by Van Morrison CLICK HERE.

In peace and love,

Rev. Viola

September 19, 2026

Dear Ones,

Good Saturday morning to everyone! It definitely feels like fall today! And, no wonder, because fall officially starts this coming Tuesday, September 22nd at 8:05pm. It is when the length of the day is equal to the length of the night. It is the midpoint between summer and winter, and our days will grow pr

ogressively longer. Most living creatures in the Northern Hemisphere have already begun preparing for the stillness of winter. Preparation for everyone at UUCSS will be different this year. We won’t have the meeting house to gather in when the

days get colder and the nights grow longer. Our preparation is not just getting ready for the move but finding ways to stay connected.  That is one reason

why I plan on leading a once-a-month activity aimed at maintaining those connections, which I talk about below.  I invite all of you to think about ways for us to maintain connection in the coming months.

UUCSS needs people who would like to help with the Faith Development needs of our children, youth and adults. If you think that might be you, please send me an email so that we can start planning some things. In the meantime, everyone is invited to make all the children and youth who attend our services feel loved, welcomed and appreciated.

Our Ingathering and Water Communion is tomorrow, Sept. 20th.  Please remember to bring a very small bit of water with you to co-mingle with the other water people will bring that morning. After the service, the Transition Team, which consists of Bill Boehmke, Kerry Nelson, Laurie Singer and me, have planned a special activity for our next to the last Sunday in the worship space at the meeting house.

After tomorrow, the next time I will be in the pulpit at UUCSS is on October 11th, when we are in our temporary space on the Skidmore campus, Wilson Chapel. Don’t forget, after that service will be the first ‘Round and About with Rev. Vee event that I alluded to above. I will lead a short all-ages and all-weather hike in Skidmore’s North Woods. So, please make sure that you dress appropriately. Please let me know if there are other activities that you think might be fun to do in the coming months while we wait to move into our new home.

A reminder . . . if you have not already done so, please set up at least a 15-minute meeting with me (you can choose more time if you like) in Zoom to say “hello” and introduce or re-introduce yourself. You can do that by visiting my Calendly link here https://tinyurl.com/SS-Mtg-w-RevVee. I look forward to seeing you in my Zoom room!

I close this week with the song “The Water is Wide” as sung by Karla Bonoff CLICK HERE.

In peace and love,

Rev. Viola

Rev. Viola observes Monday as her personal sabbath, but if you want to make an appointment with her on a Wednesday, Thursday or Friday, you can do so by visiting her Calendly page at https://tinyurl.com/SS-Mtg-w-RevVee.

September 12, 2026

Dear Ones,

I had a much different post planned for yesterday, the twenty-fifth anniversary of the day we call September 11th, one of the most sorrowful days in the recent history of the United States. Every year on that day, many people ask the question, “Where were you when it happened?”  and people tell their stories. I was initially moved to tell my story here, as I worked roughly two blocks from what is known as Ground Zero. I was on the street looking up at the first tower burn when the second plane hit. And when the powers that be deemed it safe to return, I, along with so many others, continued to work there months afterward while we all tried to find a new normal.

When we think of our Unitarian Universalist value of Interdependence, what often comes to mind are the connections between living creatures and the environment. But the interdependent web of all existence not only connects that which exists in the natural world but also places and all the events that occur within the span of time.

September 11th was one such event, as were the places where the most immediate devastation took place. What happened was horrifying, but it demonstrated how connected we really were to each other, and how important those connections were when we needed one another most. The web is what got everyone through a very difficult time. It got us from there to here, from then to now. The defining characteristic of the interdependent web is not that it is static, but that it is dynamic, and that it can have a positive effect on us when we keep love at the center.

UUCSS needs people who would like to help with the Faith Development needs of our children, youth and adults. If you think that might be you, please send me an email so that we can start planning some things.

This Sunday is the kick-off for our stewardship. There is so much on the horizon for everyone at UUCSS, so please give serious consideration to your pledge for the coming year.

Our Ingathering and Water Communion will be on Sunday, September 20th.  Please mark your calendars so that you will remember to bring a very small bit of water with you to co-mingle with the other water people will bring that morning. After the service, the Transition Team, which consists of Bill Boehmke, Kerry Nelson, Laurie Singer and me, have planned a special activity for our next to the last Sunday in the worship space at the meeting house.

After September 20th, the next time I will be in the pulpit at UUCSS is on October 11th, when we are in our temporary space, Wilson Chapel on the Skidmore campus. I spoke about connections earlier in this blog. Connections aren’t just there; they must be cultivated and tended. So, during the time that we will be in our transitional space, once a month I will be leading an activity after the Sunday service that I am calling ‘Round and About with Rev. Vee.” On Oct. 11th, the activity will be an all-ages hike in Skidmore’s North Woods. I am not sure what the weather will be like, but please make sure that you, dress appropriately. If there are other activities that you think might be fun to do in the coming months before we are able to move into our new home.

My invitation to connection is a standing one. If you have not already done so, please set up at least a 15-minute meeting with me (you can choose more time if you like) in Zoom to say “hello” and introduce or re-introduce yourself. You can do that by visiting my Calendly link here https://tinyurl.com/SS-Mtg-w-RevVee. I look forward to seeing you in my Zoom room!

I close this week with the song “Connection” by OneRepublic! CLICK HERE.

In peace and love,

Rev. Viola

September 4, 2026

Dear Ones,

There are many things I enjoy about the onset of fall. The feel of the cool nights and the beauty of the changing foliage are just two. But sounds are also a magical part of fall for me. One of the sounds that I actually find comforting is the loud call of the blue jay. Some people consider it noisy, but it was the “back-to-school” soundtrack for me for many years. It reminds me of a simpler time. I think we are all in need of simpler times and we should take moments to embrace simplicity, or at least the thought of it, in between all of the things that fill up our days whenever we can.  I like to think of it as a spiritual practice

Yes. Fall is back-to-school time. May this school year be a wonderful one for all the returning students and educators everywhere.

The unofficial start of fall is Labor Day. It is the last holiday of the summer, and people take advantage of it to get that last bit of fun and travel in before it’s “back to business” for everyone. Labor Day is more than a day to have fun, it is a day to celebrate and honor those who are among the class of people we call workers. This coming Sunday I will be in the pulpit at UUCSS, and the title of my sermon is “Work to Do.” Together I plan to explore with you the different kinds of work that we do. Please join me in person at the church at 624 N. Broadwayor in the Zoom room.

Another reminder that the Ingathering and Water Communion will be on Sunday, September 20th.  Please mark your calendars so that you will remember to bring a very small bit of water with you to co-mingle with the other water people will bring that morning. After the service, the Transition Team, which consists of Bill Boehmke, Kerry Nelson, Laurie Singer and myself, have planned a special activity for our next to the last Sunday in the worship space at the meeting house.

My invitation to connection is a standing one. If you have not already done so, please set up at least a 15-minute meeting with me (you can choose more time if you like) in Zoom to say “hello” and introduce or re-introduce yourself. You can do that by visiting my Calendly link here https://tinyurl.com/SS-Mtg-w-RevVee. I look forward to seeing you in my Zoom room!

In celebration of workers everywhere, I close with the song “Work To Do” as sung by Brent Carter & friends. Enjoy! CLICK HERE.

In peace and love,

Rev. Viola

August 28, 2026

Dear Ones,

Wow! This coming Sunday is the last Sunday in August. Where did the time go? Summer is trying to put in some earnest work before it is no more.  I hope you are enjoying the weather (except for yesterday) as much as I am. I really love the mildness of the summers here. But now that summer is preparing to end, I am looking forward to what will be my first time (in a long time) experiencing the full splendor of a Northeast fall, from start to finish. I am already watching the colors begin to change with excitement!

Change is on our horizon in more ways than the change we anticipate with the shifting seasons.  The groundbreaking ceremony that many of us attended at the construction site of our new building on Wednesday was a pivotal point with respect to the change that will come for all of us. Not just because of the eventual physical move to the new building, but because of all the new and different things we will experience once we are there. Change is difficult and sometimes painful, even change for the good. I am looking forward to all the wonderful change that comes next on this journey we are taking together.

This coming Sunday I will be in the pulpit at UUCSS, and the title of my sermon is “Who Are (Y)Our People?” Take some time to think about what a Unitarian Universalist is and ask yourself, how does that inform who I am and who I consider part of my community? Being clear about who we are is important with respect to every day that we live, but it is particularly crucial to have this awareness as we move into the future. We cannot effectively build community without this understanding.

The Ingathering and Water Communion will be on Sunday, September 20th.  Please mark your calendars so that you will remember to bring a small bit of water with you to co-mingle with the other water people will bring that morning. This service and the Flower Communion are two of my favorite services of the church year, and they are rituals that Unitarian Universalists can completely claim as their own. I think that’s what makes them so special for me.And, in anticipation of September, I close with “September Song,” as sung by Nat King Cole. CLICK HERE

In peace and love,

Rev. Viola

August 21, 2026

Dear Ones,

This coming week I will not be in the pulpit at Saratoga, but you will be blessed to have Tena Bunnell deliver the morning message. It promises to be uplifting.

I am so excited about the upcoming ground-breaking ceremony at the construction site for the new meeting house. It will be on Wednesday, Aug. 25th at 10am. Whether you can be there or not, please hold UUCSS in your hearts at the appointed hour and send all your love and positive thoughts to 400-404 Loudon Avenue. Let us all hope and pray that the construction will be completed on time, and that once the building and grounds are finished, our new church home will be all that we want and need it to be.

On the late evening and early morning of Aug. 27th and 28th, respectively, people living in our part of the world will be given the gift of being able to witness a near total lunar eclipse. So, this coming Thursday night, look to the sky at around 9:24pm. If it is clear, you will be able to see the penumbra which heralds the eclipse’s beginning. Don’t forget to take a nap first, though. This celestial event will not be over until around 3:00am, and I do not want anyone tired for work or school in the morning because Rev. Vee asked them to stay up. If you do get to see the eclipse, try to imagine the hearts and minds of those who witnessed celestial events like this in the past. An eclipse would have defied reason in certain eras. But people would have tried to explain this scientific phenomenon without an understanding of the science that would have truly allowed them to do so. They would have created their own narrative. A good question to ask ourselves is how many times we create narratives about things that we do not completely understand, and yet still hold onto them as truths.

In honor of the lunar eclipse that we are going to have this week, I close with “Lunar Eclipse,” by Fulton Lee.  CLICK HERE

In peace and love,

Rev. Viola

August 14, 2026

Dear Ones,

We are in the middle of August. The second and last full month of summer. And it is the end of my first week as your Minister. And while it might feel as if summer is beginning to wind down, the work that we will be doing together in this new ministry is just getting started. And another thing that is getting started is the construction of UUCSS’s new home at 404 Loudon Rd.! This is great news and a wonderful way to celebrate the impending end of summer!

My first official sermon as your minister will be this coming Sunday, August 16th.  The title is “Returning.” Together we will explore the meaning of home, what it means to leave, which is particularly relevant to UUCSS in this moment, and what it can mean if you try to find your way back. The place that we call “home” is often a complicated container holding varying parts of joy and sadness, but it is so very important in making us who we are.

Some of you know me from BTR (Before The Rev), and some of you don’t. Either way, I invite you to set up at least a 15-minute meeting with me in Zoom to say “hello” and introduce or re-introduce yourself. You can do that by visiting my Calendly link here https://tinyurl.com/SS-Mtg-w-RevVee. I look forward to seeing you in my Zoom room!

As we think about the recent ground-breaking at Loudon Road and the new home that we will find there, I close this week with the song, “Home,” by Phillip Phillips. CLICK HERE

In peace and love,

Rev. Viola

August 7, 2026

Dear Ones,

I made it through my first week at UUCSS! Wow! There is so much that I have to learn and so many of you that I want to get to know. Unfortunately, I cannot get all of that done in “Week 1” so this will be a process. But it is a process that I am looking forward to. I hope you are, too.

I had a great meeting this week with the wonderful people who have been foundational for UUCSS’s Faith Development / Religious Education (FD/RE) program, and we came up with a couple of ideas. This coming Sunday, we are going to try something new to make sure that any child who finds themselves in the service knows that we are thinking of them and that we want them here. And so, beginning this week, there will be a coloring activity on the back of the Sunday bulletin, and we will also be making colored pencils or crayons available. This is a small effort, but I think it will be the first of many.

The other thing we would like to do for our children and youth is to start a task force, not a committee, that will be limited in duration and that will look at and recommend options for FD/RE when fall starts, when we move to our temporary home in Wilson Chapel, and lastly when we move to Loudon Rd. What we do with this important aspect of UUCSS programming is important for our growth and crucial to our long-term health, not just for our congregation, but also for our denomination. We must do what we can to meet the needs of those who have children and youth and who choose to be a part of this community.

I truly believe there are great things in store for UUCSS. I am happy to be a part of it. and I look forward to working with all of you. And so, as we begin our journey, I close my Reverie this week with a musical acknowledgment that “We’re All in This Together,” sung by Ben Lee. CLICK HERE.

In peace and love,

Rev. Viola