Part service, part concert, this transition to our time at Caffe Lena is led by Dan Berggren. Dan is a SUNY professor emeritus, a folksinger/songwriter for over 50 years, a recent inductee to the Capital Region Thomas Edison Music Hall of Fame, a founding member of the Unitarian Universalist Society of Northern Chautauqua in Fredonia, … Continue reading A UU Gospel According to Dan: Our First Service at Caffe Lena
This is it folks, the day we looked forward to (or dreaded!) for a long time. Our last service at 624 North Broadway was a most special one, as we took time to honor the building that has been witness to joys, sorrows, celebrations, and more than a few pot lucks for 24 years. We … Continue reading We Say Goodbye: The Last Service at 624 N. Broadway
This morning we present a humorous perspective on community spirit, teamwork, and rooting for the home team. It is a recollection of a sermon delivered in July 2007 by a beloved former congregant, Board member, and President of the Congregation, Brent Wilkes. Brent had been a strong advocate of growing this congregation and moving to … Continue reading The Spirituality of Baseball
Melissa grew up in Saratoga Springs, went to Lake Ave Elementary, had her senior portrait taken by George Bolster, has ridden her bike down every alley, remembers when Mrs. London’s was on Phila Street and Mabou was on Broadway, worked at the Adelphi long before it was transformed, snuck into concerts at SPAC, spent Sunday … Continue reading To Everything There Is a Season
Liberal religious congregations across the country are reeling from the cascading changes being brought about by our current conservative political functionaries. There is no need to list the issues created by these politicians, but there is a need to step back, continue to connect with each other, and to find joy in our ever-changing world. … Continue reading Time for Joy
On Sunday August 3rd, there will be a special service that focuses on our New Home. Sue Davis, SD Atelier architect, will present the most current information about our new home. Members of the Task Force will take part in the service and be available for questions after service coffee chat. We hope you will … Continue reading An Audacious Bouquet: Congregational Service with Our New Home Task Force
The beauty of nature is for many of us a constant source of wonder and renewal. Today we explore how the plant world provides us with a living metaphor for how to conduct our lives meaningfully. The serviceberry and beech and maple trees all teach us that we can only flourish when our neighbors do … Continue reading All Flourishing Is Mutual
According to Chaucer in The Parson’s Tale, “Envy is the gravest sin there is. For truly all other sins are against a single virtue, but certainly envy is against all virtue and all goodness.” Rev. John Fisher speaks to us on the subject of misogyny, how it can be understood as a projection of unconscious … Continue reading Misogyny and Envy
We welcome Terry Diggory to the pulpit for a timely and important conversation about immigration in America. He reflects on what it means—ethically, spiritually, and practically—to “welcome the stranger.” Drawing on his leadership in interfaith efforts since 2017, Diggory explores the sacred obligation of hospitality in an era of contested borders and rising fear. Diggory’s … Continue reading Leading in the Spirit of Welcome
This sermon invites us to examine our relationship with animals through the lens of Unitarian Universalism’s 7th Principle—honoring the interdependent web of all existence. Drawing from Indigenous wisdom and scientific knowledge, it challenges the dominant worldview that treats animals as property. Themes from anthropology, evolutionary biology and psychology support the idea that our bond with … Continue reading What Do Animals Ask of Us? The Blessing of the Animals