End Poverty Schenectady

I remember vividly the morning last fall when I opened the local newspaper to learn that in the city of Schenectady 50.8% of its children live in poverty. Schenectady ranks 13th in the nation for highest childhood poverty rates among cities over 65,000 people. Most of the children in our city live in poverty. Most...of...them. Such is my privilege that biking and driving in and around this city, I did not realize the extent to which this is the experience of most of the children around me. Since then, this has been like a drumbeat for me, always there, reminding me what we are called to do NOW. 

While I believe we have an obligation to be part of solving this problem, I do not believe we have the answers. How could we? The answers come from the ground up. The answers, what to do, comes from working together with those who care in this community. Lots of people care. Importantly we need to work together, rich and poor, all races, all religions, together. This is interfaith work.

Recently I attended  an event by the Schenectady County Human Rights initiative, End Poverty Schenectady. End Poverty Schenectady hosted a panel of youth and young adults from Schenectady to share their insights on poverty. It was very eye-opening. First, I appreciated that End Poverty Schenectady realized the importance of a youth perspective. The youth and young adults talked about a culture of hopelessness that helps create drug dealers and prostitutes at a young age. They talked about how we needed to discus race, because that was part of it. They talked about how much quicker people are to offer sports to low income youth rather than innovative, more academically- oriented programs. End Poverty Schenectady will next meet on Saturday, September 21. They have a Facebook page that has information on their upcoming meeting dates too.

FUSS will host one of their upcoming meetings. I want to encourage all of us to be part of this current conversation at all the meetings. What might we do in this community together? 

Mission trip to Guatemala

Our fabulous youth and adult advisors left last night for their mission trip to Guatemala! In Guatemala City they will work with the organization Safe Passage for a week. Safe Passage is located in the slums adjacent to the Guatemala City garbage dump. It's mission is to provide a way out of poverty through education. Safe Passage is not a school, it is a support center that helps children with their schooling and works with parents as well.

The group of 17 have spent nearly a year preparing. Meeting monthly they: created a covenant, learned about Guatemala, raised funds, and planned lessons for their time in the children's classes. They are being led by a really wonderful group of adults: Mindy Whisenhunt, Randy Jennings, Roz Dahl, Dan Mackay, and Jon Marr. Mindy, Randy, Roz and Dan are also senior youth advisors, so they really know the youth they are traveling with well. Mindy, Roz and Jon traveled with the group on their last mission trip to Guatemala two years ago.




They are all representing FUSS (soon UUSS) and our Unitarian Universalist faith out in the world. I have no doubt that they will represent us with joy, kindness and compassion. They will be changed by this trip and they will change others too; this I know from personal experience.

A little history: This is the third time our congregation has helped send youth on a mission trip to Guatemala. Our connection began on a beach in Maine, UU retreat center Ferry Beach, when Mindy Whisenhunt learned about Safe Passage. Mindy has worked tirelessly maintaining a connection to Safe Passage, traveling there on her own and leading these three trips.

KIRTAN comes to the Great Hall

July 21, we worshiped all together with the Albany Kirtan Band! There was drumming and chanting and singing. There was a labyrinth in the back people could walk. There were mandalas that could be colored. Kelly Jennings led a wonderful version of the bond of union. We shared blessings.

Interfaith work

I have been working with a group of Native Americans and allies since January on an event that happens Saturday, July 27! I have loved every minute of it. Our local radio show, WAMC, had a great piece on it.

Between Idle No More, the Unity Riders and Honor the Two Row, I am ready to follow the lead of Native peoples saying we need to work together to heal ourselves and this land. Violence, oppression and racism, which Native peoples know and have experienced, damages EVERYONE. Which is why Onondaga Chief Jake Edwards has said that healing needs to happen on all sides

Healing Gardens

Last Sunday was our first day of summer Religious Education for children!

We started preparing an outdoor space for an herbal garden. We will plant lemon balm, aloe, calendula, nasturtium. Maybe even sunflowers!

Lemon Balm

We made lemon balm lip balm using these ingredients: 

fresh lemon balm infused in almond oil

shea butter,

local beeswax,

 local honey,

 wheat germ, 

  essential oil of lemon.

I found the lip balm recipe for this online at "Herbal Roots Zine." The magazine is geared towards children; you can download an entire issue about lemon balm.  

Summer Religious Education Classes Begin Sunday

Religious Education classes for children start this Sunday from 10:30-11:15 AM. Classes are structured for children ages 5-10 years.  Older children are welcome to help with the class. A nursery is available for children birth to age 4.

This summer will be similar to last in structure. We will explore our seventh principle; acknowledgement of the interdependent web of existence. We will do this with games, art, story and explorations of the gardens and area around FUSS.

We will again work on an outdoor garden. This year's will be a plant medicine garden. We will grow aloe, calendula, lemon balm and nasturtium. Throughout the summer children will have a chance to work on a children's herbal kit.

Similar to Maria Montessori teaching methods, after a gathering time, chalice lighting and story, children can choose which activities they would like to explore for the remainder of the morning. Many activities will remain the entire time, others will change weekly.

The books the activities and stories are drawn from include:  The Kid's Herbal Book, by Lesley Tierra, Planting Seeds, by Thich Nhat Hahn, Roots, Shoots, Buckets and Boots: Activities To Do in the Garden, by Sharon Lovejoy, and  Native American Gardening, by Michael Caduto and Joseph Bruchac.

Dinner & Bikes arrives May 15

I am thrilled that Religious Education and Green Sanctuary are hosting a Dinner and Bikes event next Wednesday, May 15! It's a multimedia roadshow of food and bicycle activism with Portland, Oregon bicycle advocate and writer Elly Blue, filmmaker Joe Biel and chef Joshua Ploeg.

You can read more about it and register here. I am hoping to have tickets for sale at the Green Sanctuary table this Sunday too.

I have been a fan of Elly Blue's since she wrote a series called "Bikenomics" for Grist (online) Magazine a couple of years ago. I followed their last two tours and waited, patiently, for them to travel this way. I think it will be a really fabulous event! I hope you will join us and let others know about it as well!