Rev Steve Colladay’s Celebration of Life was held at Unity Village’s Atrium Chapel on Sunday, April 14. Here is the archived video of the service. NOTE: The Service begins at about 50:45. The video on this page should be cued to begin then. It is preceded by a slide show of photos and memorabilia from Steve’s life. Rev Steve’s obituary may be found here. Read Roger Mock’s reflection on Steve’s time with us here.The post Rev Steve Colladay – Celebration of Life first appeared on Unity of Albany ..read more

We were deeply saddened to hear of Rev Steve Colladay’s passing in late February 2024. Steve’s obituary begins, With profound sadness and a gentle embrace of memory, we share the heart-wrenching news of Rev. Dr. James Stephen “Steve” Colladay’s departure from this world. On the serene morning of Friday, February 23, 2024, he softly transitioned into a realm of eternal peace and solace. He has found his rest after a brief illness. It is not surprising to learn that Steve’s transition was gentle and serene. He was, after all, a transition specialist! For those who are newer to our ministry, R ..read more

Sunday, March 24, 10:00 AM We celebrate an unusual and intriguing Palm Sunday this year with special guest speaker, spiritual author and scholar Philip Goldberg. Phil brings an interreligious perspective to the Jesus story. Calling his talk “Jai Guru Jesus“, he writes: “On this Palm Sunday, we’ll celebrate the holy man of Nazareth as a mystic, yogi, and master teacher of perennial wisdom who transcends religions, denominations, cultures, and beliefs.” In person and live-streamed. Go to youtube.com/@unityalbany to view. Thursday, March 28, 6:00 PM In person and live-streamed. Go to unityalban ..read more

Cardinal Easter, 2023 A slash of blood against the snow, against the black, barren trees of grief, this regal being in red robes comes with black moustache and beard– his consort nearby flitting in pink petticoats and pale lipstick–to tell you what you loved has not died, but is only sleeping, in another form and will return to you in the season of new growth, will take root in your heart to flower again. Cardinal: basic, fundamental, of highest importance, spirit’s great gift winged to you in the body of a bird. —Susan Oringel about Susan Oringel I am a local poet, writer, and psychologist w ..read more

by Dave Ferrill I went to the cemetery on Christmas morning to leave some flowers for Stephanie and have a conversation with her. As I was leaving, I noticed a solitary woman standing over a grave nearby. Our paths crossed on the way out and I rolled down my window and asked if she was there for her husband. She said no, she was there for her daughter. By then I was out of the car and she asked for a hug. We stood face to face for maybe 15 or 20 minutes. She told me about her daughter and I told her about Stephanie. We hugged again and said Merry Christmas and goodbye. It was a Christmas ble ..read more

by Natalie Smarro Kindness is doing what you can, where you are, with what you have.– ractivist For more than 20 years I intentionally chose professions that allowed me to be of service and offer kindness. The first half of those years I was fortunate to work for a generous businessman who always provided a supportive ‘YES!’ to the ideas I offered regarding ways we could financially bless the thousands of families we worked with.  When I left that company to go into business for myself, I knew I was giving up the unique position to give so freely financially. My limited resources made ..read more

Cultivating Joy! From Advent to Christmas! Sunday, Dec. 24, 10:00 am Yes, the fourth Sunday of Advent lands on Christmas Eve this year! Our morning celebration will have one foot in Advent and the other firmly planted in Christmas!  Please join us to celebrate the birthing of the Christ in all of us! Christmas Eve Service Sunday, Dec. 24, 5:30 pm Rekindle the Christ light in your heart this Christmas. Join Reverend Crystal and our Unity musicians as we sing and celebrate the birth of Christ Consciousness into our world. Join us as we listen to the Christmas story, share prayers, songs, an ..read more

    by Ashley Schoborg MA CPT Ashley’s Background: Ashley has a master’s degree exercise physiologist and is a personal trainer with 18 years of experience in the fitness industry. She works with many clients aged 50+ and felt compelled to write this article for the Unity community to shed light on this very popular fitness myth. Ashley discovered Unity of Albany through the hiking group, and has been a leader and active member of that group, and for the past 9 months has been Chair of Unity’s marketing team. A question I’m asked frequently is: “I really want to work out regularly ..read more

Living Fully with the End in Mind Recently, Ramananda John Welshons joined us for a day of “Honoring the Seasons of Our Lives.” During his talk and workshop, John invited us to embrace the inevitability of change as a blessing in which we can unveil Love in every circumstance during the ongoing cycles of life. Over the course of many months a team composed of Rev Brigid, Mary Myers, Deb Sigrist and Pat Anene have worked to create Living Fully with the End in Mind, a series of workshops designed to support and inform the conversations and decisions that bring peace of mind to our “fourth quarte ..read more

The information below was shared with us by our friend Patricia Pearce Peace Troubadour Fr. James Twyman will travel to Israel for a worldwide peace meditation on Saturday, Oct. 14 at noon New York time. Millions of people will join as ONE voice for peace in Israel and Palestine Fr. James Twyman, also known as the Peace Troubadour, is no stranger to war zones. Over the last 25 years he has traveled to many countries engaged in conflict or war to share his peace concert, and to invite people to join in massive worldwide peace meditations. “We’ve seen wars stopped in their tracks when millions ..read more