Hudson Valley Storytelling Alliance
Stories all year long, up and down the river

Organizations Hudson River Storytellers Interfaith Story Circle (Tri-City Area, Capital District) Interfaith Story Circle (Dutchess County) Story Circle of the Capital District

Interfaith Story Circle of the Tri-City Area
2010-2011 Programs

Thursday, Sept. 23, 7:00-9:00 p.m.

Theme: Stories of Change

Eastern Parkway United Methodist Church
corner of Eastern Parkway and Palmer Ave., Schenectady, just off upper Union Street near the Niskayuna town line.

our long time story circle member and good friend Judy Lott will lead "Stories of Change."

Judy writes: "The seasons change, summer ends and fall begins, followed by winter which ends with the coming of spring. We change also. We journey from infancy to adulthood. There are stories, and wisdom tales to be told about the changes observed in the world around us, and those lived by ourselves and others. Stories of challenges, of sorrows, and joys, of faith, and fears and more. Come share a story, or come and listen."

The entrance to the parking lot is on Eastern Parkway. There is a handicapped entrance from the parking lot which leads to an elevator.


Sunday and Monday, Oct. 10 and 11


A Day of Inspiration … Join Us!

 

Internationally renowned storyteller Noa Baum will present

“A Land Twice Promised”

Sunday, October 10th, 4:30 PM, St. Joseph’s Hall 985 Madison Ave., College of St. Rose, Albany

Noa’s performance will be part of the Interfaith Alliance of New York State’s one day conference, which starts at 12 noon:

United States Policy on Israel/Palestine: An Examination and Discussion

 

Admission to performance included with admission to the conference

Tickets (at $10) available for “Land Twice Promised” for those who will not be attending the conference. 

 

Students admitted free with ID to conference and performance

 

“Risking Peace” workshop with Noa Baum, Monday, October 11th, 11 AM

Hubbard Interfaith Sanctuary, 959 Madison Ave., College of St. Rose

We will gather at 10:30 for a light breakfast

Admission to workshop, $25    Students with ID, $5

 

Noa’s performance will be co-sponsored by the Interfaith Story Circle of the Tri-City Area and the Interfaith Alliance of New York State.

The workshop will be sponsored by the Interfaith Story Circle alone.

Click here for more information.

Wednesday, Nov. 10, 6:00-8:45 p.m.

Theme: Stories of Jerusalem and Other Sacred Places

Islamic Center of the Capital District
21 Lansing Road N., Schenectady, NY

The program will begin at 6 p.m. with a vegetarian pot-luck meal, and storytelling will run from 7:15 to 8:45. Admission is free and all storytellers and listeners are welcome.

Dr. Mussarat Chaudhry, Nancy Marie Payne and Audrey Seidman will start the telling with stories of Jerusalem from their respective faith traditions, and others will be invited to add their own stories of Jerusalem or other sacred places. The annual “Tent of Abraham, Sarah and Hagar” program was initiated in 2006 as a way to celebrate the confluence holy days at that time, and continues as a way to build interfaith bridges.

Click here for a flyer about this event.


Thursday, Dec. 16, 7:00-9:00 p.m.

Theme: Trust, Leaps of Faith and Courage

Hubbard Interfaith Sanctuary
College of St. Rose, 959 Madison Avenue, Albany, NY

Facilitator: Pamela Mertz

There are moments in our lives that have the power to defeat us or transform us. Very often, we have no choice in those matters presented to us. However, we always have a choice in how we choose to react.

When we summon the courage to walk through painful times, we often experience profound change. Change that can and should be shared. Join us for stories of change that comes from trust, courage and the willingness to take risks.

After the presentation, there will be time for open telling. You may be inspired to tell a story of your own or simply enjoy listening to others' stories.

Pamela Mertz is a person who stutters who overcame the fear of stuttering publicly. She is a member of two Toastmasters clubs in the Capital Region and recently earned Advanced Communicator Gold status in Toastmasters. Pam writes a blog about her journey with stuttering and recently started a podcast called "Women Who Stutter: Our Stories", inviting women from all over the world to tell their stories. Women who stutter are often veiled in silence and stigma, but are discovering that when simply invited to tell, they can.

Directions to the Hubbard Interfaith Sanctuary:
The Sanctuary is located on Madison Ave. about a block and a half east of N. Main Ave. on the left. You can look along the street nearby, but parking is not usually available when classes are in session and they will be on Dec. 16th.

However, we have permission from La Salle School to park in their front parking lot the night of the circle. The school is located on the western side of the campus at 391 Western Avenue. If you use this parking, you will walk across Western Ave onto the campus grounds and cross the campus to the rear entrance of the sanctuary.

* Parking in any of the St. Rose Campus lots is prohibited! (You will be towed.)

For any further information, please call Anne Snyder at (518) 869-5247.


Image of a lit candle Sunday, January 16, 2:00 p.m.

Winter Lights: An Intergenerational Sharing

Stories, Song and Dance from a Variety of Religious Traditions

Great for families with school age children!

St. Helen's Church, 1803 Union Street, Schenectady (1 ½ blocks west of Balltown Road)

A Benefit for Children at the Well, an Interfaith Storytelling Venture to involve youth in learning the art of storytelling

Refreshments served

Suggested Donation: Individuals: $10.00;     Families: $15.00

Call 374-0637 for further information

Click here for a copy of the flyer for this event


Wednesday, Feb. 23, 7:00-9:00 p.m.

Theme: Heroic Stories of Faith

Baha'i Reading Room
138 Jay Street Schenectady (518) 382-2424

Facilitator: JoAnn Arcos

JoAnn's stories from Baha'i history will be about heroic Baha'i women and men who sacrificed their lives in order that their faith could be spread to all humanity. After JoAnn's telling, all are welcome to share a story of heroism from their own faith tradition or personal experience.You are also most welcome to come and listen to the story sharing (stories need listeners).

Directions:

The Baha'i Reading Room is located at 138 Jay Street, Schenectady Parking is available in back of the Reading Room which can be accessed from Franklin Street. If you mapquest directions from your home to 427 Franklin Street (the old St. John the Baptist Church and new home of the Schenectady Light Opera Company), you will go past the parking lot on Franklin Street that is behind the Reading Room. You just need to walk round the corner, take a right onto Jay St. and look for the Reading Room on the right. Jay Street itself is a pedestrian street. The Open Door Bookstore is on the corner of Jay and Franklin Streets and the Reading Room is just a few doors down on the same side of the street.

For further information, call Anne Snyder at 869-5247.


Wednesday, Mar. 23, 7:00-9:00 p.m.

Theme: Stories of Friendship

Hindu Temple Cultural Center
450 Albany Shaker Road, Loudonville, NY (518) 421-9301

Facilitators: Suman Joshi, Ritam Mehta and Gauri Mehta

This is an invitation to our interfaith friends to come share wisdom tales from your culture about friendship. We will ignite the topic by telling Hindu friendship stories about mutual respect and unity in diversity.

For more information: pratibhagauri@gmail.com


 

Interfaith Youth Storytelling Program     Sunday, April 3, 2 p.m.

Listen to youth of the community tell stories from their faith traditions!

Christ Church United Methodist, 35 State Street (corner of State and 5th Ave), Troy, NY

All Welcome ~ Family, Friends, and Community! To be followed by an interfaith mixer and vegetarian pot-luck.

Donations to benefit our youth program. Proudly presented by the Interfaith Story Circle of the Tri-City Area

Note: There is plenty of free parking in the hi-rise parking lot adjacent to the church.

Contact: 518-785-7842, paulabweiss@gmail.com

 


Thursday, April 14, 6:30 - 8:30 p.m.

Theme: Children at the Well Interns Share Wisdom Tales

Hubbard Interfaith Sanctuary
College of St. Rose, 959 Madison Avenue, Albany, NY

Our more experienced CATW students have been working hard to prepare and polish their stories to share with you on Thursday night, to take their place as the next generation of interfaith storytellers. They are wonderfully delightful to hear! Your presence and affirmation of them will be a gift and a blessing. Hoping that many of you can join us.

Directions:Please read carefully.

We are not allowed to park in any of the St. Rose parking lots. Doing so may result in your car being towed and incurring a fine of $125. This includes the lot of St. Vincent de Paul (now entirely rented to St. Rose) and the LaSalle School lot as it is not adequate for our needs this time and we do not have permission.

Please park in the lot at the Albany Diocesan Pastoral Center which is located at 40 North Main Avenue. Park as far back in the lot as possible and then walk through the adjacent lot, cross Western Avenue onto the college campus and then cross the quad to the back of the Interfaith Sanctuary. You can ask someone to identify the building for you once you are on campus.

If you need handicap access, it would be good to have someone let you off in front of the sanctuary at 959 Madison Avenue. You can then walk around the sidewalk to the right of the building and enter the back of the sanctuary where there is an elevator to take you upstairs to where we will be meeting.

For any further information, please call Gert Johnson at (518) 374-0637.


Tuesday, May 24, 7:00 - 9:00 p.m.

Theme: Kindness Great and Small, Hidden and Revealed

Congregation Ohav Shalom, 113 New Krumkill Road, Albany, NY

Facilitator: Rabbi Dan Ornstein, Congregation Ohav Shalom

Sometimes, the greatest kindnesses that people do for each other are the ones we never see, or that we only know about a long time after they have been performed. All of our spiritual traditions contain wonderful stories about the "quiet heroes" who operate behind the scenes modestly and faithfully to bring healing to the world, or at least a small piece of it. They are what Jewish tradition calls baalei hesed, "experts at kindness."

Rabbi Dan Ornstein and Congregation Ohav Shalom are happy to host this May Interfaith Story Circle where we will tell inspiring stories about these hidden healers of our world.


Saturday, June 4, 12:30 p.m.

23rd Annual Freihofer Community Walk

Interfaith Story Circle is presently recruiting volunteers to participate in as well as sponsors for the 23rd annual Freihofer’s Community Walk. For more information, please click here.


Thursday, June 9, 6:00 - 9:00 p.m.

Theme: Sisterships / Brotherships

Blessed Hope Worship Center, 193 Central Avenue, Albany, NY

6:00 for a tour of the Sanctuary before the Story Circle begins at 7:00.

Facilitator: Barbara Howard

This story circles deals with how our relationships with sisterfriends and brotherfriends keep us grounded and strengthened through our transitions in life.

Directions
The church was formerly the home of Our Lady of Angels (Catholic Parish). (A block past the former St Patrick's Church.) We are located on the corner of Robin St. and Central Ave. directly across from Firestone. If you are coming from I-90, take the Henry Johnson Blvd Exit. Continue on Henry Johnson Blvd for about ½ mile, then take a right onto Central Avenue. The Church sits on the corner at the third traffic light on the right.

On street parking should be readily available


Click here to read about our 2009-2010 programs. Click here to read about our 2008-2009 programs. Click here to read about our 2007-2008 programs.