**May’s Theme: Awakening Curiosity**

**Worship Services Sundays at 10 a.m. EST:**
May 3rd: **The Work of Our Hands, The Hope of Our Hearts** with Rev. Lori & Kelsey
May 10th: **Mother’s Day and The Love the Grows Us** with Rev. Lori & Teague
May 17th: **What Does Your Inner Voice Have to Say?** with Rev. Niki & Jane P.
May 24th: **Lead with Curiosity** with Rev. Myra and Charlie
May 31st: **New Member Sunday-Gratitude for New Beginnings** with Rev. Lori
If you can’t join us in person, please tune in via our YouTube Channel: https://www.youtube.com/@uucsb

Happy May Friends!

May is a month of change. Planting, budding, sprouting are all words of change that symbolize the spring and symbolize our time now at UUCSB. New life abounds in the activities and new faces we are seeing in our halls and sanctuary. Awakening curiosity is our theme for the month of May. It is a beautiful and apt theme for this month with all the vibrant activity we have planned! We have an intergenerational event, our canvas begins, we have a mother’s day celebration, coffee house, and a new member celebration. All symbols of new life and growth and challenge. We all experience growing pains differently. Luckily we have principles and values to guide us on how we show up through it all. One joyful and joy filled way it to show up with curiosity. With so many new faces and new needs and wants and likes, we are rolling up our sleeves in May to approach all things with curiosity as we build our programs for next year and our budget for next year.

Change often begins not with certainty, but with curiosity. Something unsettles us; a question, a contradiction, a change,a quiet sense that the world could be different than we imagined. If we can resist the urge to turn away or in fact to resist resisting, curiosity becomes a doorway. It invites us to listen more deeply, to notice what we had overlooked, and to imagine new ways of living and relating. Awakening curiosity is an act of courage. It loosens the grip of fear and opens space for growth, compassion, and possibility. When we stay curious about ourselves, about one another, about the changing world we make room for transformation to find us and gently lead us forward. Hopefully in love. That is what we most want to plant and bud and sprout right now. That is clearly what our world needs from us right now. When we live it at UUCSB, we model it for our community and the world.

When I think of May and our call to curiosity in the midst of change, I think of a poem by Danusha Laméris, poet lauriete of Santa Cruz, California:

I’ve been thinking about the way, when you walk

down a crowded aisle, people pull in their legs

to let you by. Or how strangers still say “bless you”

when someone sneezes, a leftover

from the Bubonic plague. “Don’t die,” we are saying.

And sometimes, when you spill lemons

from your grocery bag, someone else will help you

pick them up. Mostly, we don’t want to harm each other.

We want to be handed our cup of coffee hot,

and to say thank you to the person handing it. To smile

at them and for them to smile back. For the waitress

to call us honey when she sets down the bowl of clam chowder,

and for the driver in the red pick-up truck to let us pass.

We have so little of each other, now. So far

from tribe and fire. Only these brief moments of exchange.

What if they are the true dwelling of the holy, these

fleeting temples we make together when we say, “Here,

have my seat,” “Go ahead—you first,” “I like your hat.”

Let’s be curious this month! And let’s like each other’s hats!

Peace and Blessings,

Rev. Lori

(She/Her/Hers)

Ellie in a red sweater with a salmon colored shawl sits beaming at the piano.

“Music produces a kind of pleasure which human nature cannot do without.” – Confucius, c. 500 B.C.

Our monthly theme for May is ‘Awakening Curiosity’ which reminds me of my Aunt Bella. In her 100 years Bella remained curious. Her mantra was, ‘I’m old - I can ask whatever I want’. She could and she would. People were too surprised to be offended. If I’m curious, I often say, ‘tell me more about that’, doing best to listen without judgement and actually hear what they are telling me. This leads to wonderful conversations with more curiosities! Alas, Bella was a rare bird as I recently read that as we age we get less curious and find comfort in the familiar. Change and newness can irritate our brain pathways (in a good way if we let the change begin). Here’s the music spin on this: think of the familiar songs we sing in our services or even your favorite songs you listen to at home – could you be curious about what others might sound like or feel like? I could listen to my favorite and familiar artists for hours on end but then I get curious and turn on the radio. To my surprise I’ll often discover my new favorite song – creating new pathways in my brain and working those wonderful memory neurons that keep my brain healthier.

Rehearsals: Pick Up Choir typically rehearses on the 2nd and 4th Sundays of each month followed by singing in church on that day. We gather in the Parish Hall at 8:45 to start. Want to help with set-up? Arrive at 8:30.

May 3*, 24
June 21*

*= Not a 2nd or 4th Sunday.

Participation: ‘Pick up Choir’ means that you do not need to commit to every Sunday that we sing but if I can know in advance that you’ll be there it helps me plan for appropriate music.

Special Music: Do you like to sing solo or play an instrument? Special music is always a welcome addition to a service.

All are welcome who love to sing or who want to be involved with our Music Ministry!‍ ‍

Email Ellie for more information

Special Music for April

May 3rd & 24th: UUCSB Pick-Up Choir

The UUCSB Pick Up Choir – Our choir, directed by Ellie Rolnick, will offer special music and often supports the congregational singing. Make a joyful noise with us!

May 10th: Elisha Cicio

Elisha is a Maine native and life-long musician and creative artist who is often found creating, volunteering, or performing around Southern Maine in a variety of local businesses, choirs, or community theaters. She finds contentment and joy in service to others and is grateful to have found such a welcoming church community here at UUCSB.

May 31st: Ellie Rolnick

Ellie has served as choir director at UUCSB since 2008. She was called to music ministry and choral leading while attending the very first ChoralFest at Ferry Beach in 2007. In 2008 she helped create “The Harbor Singers,” a bedside choir for end of life. No longer at its helm, the group continues to fulfill its mission. Ellie received her Music Leadership Credentialing through the Unitarian Universalist Association in 2014 to help her be a stronger music leader. She has been a chiropractor for over 45 years and is retiring in place gradually reducing her days and hours. She is taking this extra time honing her music writing skills and bringing more of her original songs to life. Ellie and her husband Ben Caron live in Biddeford with their yellow lab Poco, while their 2 grown sons and young grandsons live nearby. Ellie’s personal mission statement is to “bring love, light and healing to the world through chiropractic and music.”

It’s that time again—our annual UUCSB pledge drive is here! This is the magic that keeps our wonderful community humming along (on *all* cylinders!).

You’ll spot a shiny new tab in the navigation bar that leads to everything you need to know about this year’s campaign—what it’s all about, why it matters, and how you can chip in to keep UUCSB thriving.
Mark your calendar for May 3, when we’ll celebrate the spirit that makes this community so special—and answer any questions you might have about pledging this year.
Let’s keep the good vibes (and the lights!) going!

In April we hosted 2 discussion forums. In the first we discussed the proposed Mission Statement that we will be voting on in June and we tried a meeting structure to enhance connections while doing the work of the church. In the second we used the meeting structure again to touch again on the mission statement and to focus on communication, a perennial challenge in a community such as ours. Here is some feedback:

Meeting structure: We loved it! A chalice lighting reminded centered us on our covenant, the "Listening Circle" allowed everyone to speak, and the "Sacred Pause" was called twice to chill out and get our thoughts together before continuing. An agenda helped us to focus and we assigned responsible person for every priority action. "Like and Wishes" about the meeting process will inform us of any adjustments to strengthen trust and efficiency! Folks wished more people would attend and we'll try some different options in the future.

Mission Statement:

We are a welcoming spiritual home.
We serve our community and our world with Love
and act boldly for Justice and Peace.

Feedback on Mission Statement: Most agreed that it's "Safe enough to try and good enough for now". Some would like to incorporate "Joy" and/or "Celebrate". Some thought "our world" was too broad and some thought it should go broader. Some would like to see it have a more directive focus to guide our steps. Some didn't see why we don't just keep the one we've had for years.

Feedback on Communication: Please get the Directory updated! (It's in the works!) Use BoT liaisons more effectively. Not all decisions seem to follow proper channels or are communicated to those who need to know. Some feel critiqued for not using the website and some have questions about the website. Post notices prominently in hallway or Parish Hall: "What is happening TODAY"

Board of Trustees Action Points Going Forward

Working on Our Communication

On the Bulletin Boards on both sides of the Parish hall entrance

Share your feedback about our proposed mission Statement
Jot down ideas/wishes for summer programming (light on planning, heavy on fun and fellowship)
Ask questions and drop general ideas.

Or share your thoughts or questions with any Board member.

May Budget Forums

After Church on May 17 and 24. (Space TBD)

Ask for a copy of the proposed budget in advance

If these times won't work for you and you would like to participate in conversation, we are considering other times and a Zoom option. Please contact Randa T. if you're interested.

Save the Date: Annual Meeting

Our Annual Meeting will be held in the Parish Hall immediately after the worship service on June 14. Agenda will be announced next week. Note: in order to vote, one must have been a member for at least 30 days before the meeting.

Budget Update

Board meetings are the 1st Wednesday of the month. You are welcome. As always, feel free to contact any Board member if you have questions or suggestions.

Learn more about your Board of Trustees

Caring Connections

This spring we are cherishing our time with Pat S. before she moves to Ohio this summer. Before she goes, we are looking for someone available on a weekday to shadow Pat and eventually take over her task of picking up goods at the Saco Food Pantry and stocking and maintaining the little free pantry in the church’s front yard.
Our committee work is rolling along and the Circle Suppers Subcommittee is looking forward to the gatherings coming up on May 30!
For help, meals, or some cheering up, get in touch with us in person, by phone or email, or online at https://www.uuchurchsacobiddeford.org/the-caring-connection-requests. Our church community loves to support each other and our committee is here to help organize!
~Marilyn, Pat S, Rosemary, Paula, Birdie, and Anna

Hello!

As we embark on the annual Pledge Drive for UUCSB, I thought I’d take a moment to tell you a little bit about Zeffy, the online platform UUCSB began using last fall for many electronic transactions.

From their website: Zeffy is a 100% free, North American fundraising platform designed specifically for nonprofits, allowing them to keep 100% of donations by charging no transaction or platform fees. It supports online donations, event ticketing, raffles, auctions, and peer-to-peer campaigns, funded entirely by optional donor tips.

In addition to being free to use, the platform issues tax-donation reciepts for all appropriate transactions therefore helping with the paperwork on our end.

Should you choose to make your pledge donations through Zeffy, it will be a regularly scheduled debit or credit transaction so you can set it and leave it to do its work and it will send you a reciept. Bing, Bang, Bosh!

If you choose to pledge through zeffy (follow this link), this is what you’ll find. We’ve filled in a few ideas of monthly donations, but you can always write in your own amount. And, of course, you can pledge the traditional way by filling out the card on Stewardship Sunday, May 3rd, or anytime this month!

Other ways we use Zeffy include:

General Donations: https://www.zeffy.com/en-US/donation-form/pass-the-plate
Share the Plate Donations: https://www.zeffy.com/en-US/donation-form/uucsb-ministers-discretionary-fund
Tickets to Coffeehouse Events, like the Open-Mic Nights.
Raising funds for unexpected expenses like repairs for the church organ.
Our Temporary T-Shirt Store, now closed.
Next Month’s Yard Sale.

That’s Right, We are Having A Yard Sale on June 6 from 8-2!

We are accepting donations now of all things except for large furniture and sports equipment. There will be a clothing sale also so any and all clean clothes will be accepted. Donations may be brought to the narthex of the church (front entryway) and left behind the pews not blocking the doors or you may leave items in the basement on the pallets. **Do not leave in the hallway!**
For more information and to volunteer your services to help make this happen, please contact Patrick Freeman at freemanp40@gmail.com.

Upcoming UUCSB Dates To Take Notice Of

In addition to May 3rd’s Stewardship Sunday Potluck, there are many exciting things happening this month! On the 1st, we have Brown Bag Lunch at noon followed by Sam Robbins playing the School Street Coffeehouse at 6:30! Other highlights are below along with a full “scroll” of upcoming events! For the calendar view, click here.

May 17th: RE Exploration Committee Meeting

We’re excited to invite you to the next Religious Exploration Committee meeting on **Sunday, May 17th from 12:30–2:00 PM in the Parlor**! This is a wonderful opportunity to connect, share ideas, and help shape the future of our RE program. We’ll be talking about upcoming events and dreaming together about what’s ahead for our growing committee. All are warmly welcome—come lend your voice and be part of the conversation!

New Member Sunday: May 31st!

Join us after our Sunday Service in getting to know the newest members of our UUCSB congregation!

Scroll through to see other upcoming UUCSB meetings and events. Click on an event to learn more about it.

Community Events

Other May Outreach

Share the Plate: May 2026

Each month, UUCSB chooses an organization to split weekly donations made by congregants during the course of Sunday services. As many of you attend virtually, we are providing an online venue for these donations.
This month, we ask for donations to be split between UUCSB's general fund and The Minister's Discretionary Fund which allows Rev. Lori to minister to people in our community, primarily within the UUCSB congregation, who find themselves in financial need.

Donate Now to Support both UUCSB & The Distrectionary Fund

SURJ Biddeford Saco Social Justice Demonstration

Join others in **ongoing** demonstrations supporting social justice! Every Friday 4-5:30pm at Mechanics Park at corner of Main and Water St. in Biddeford while construction is happening near the Saco Transportation Center.

Other Ways to Support UUCSB’s Bottom Line

Make a Donation online to our General Operating Fund

By Mail: Send donations and pledge payments to: UU Church of Saco & Biddeford, 60 School Street, Saco, ME 04072

Two Ways to Donate to the General Operating Fund Without Spending an Extra Dime!

Are You Thinking About Becoming a Member of UUCSB?

To learn more about our congregation:

Please speak to any member or someone from the Membership Welcoming Committee. Plan to attend a Sharing Your Spiritual Journey orientation.

To learn more about our faith and practice:

Various aspects of Unitarian Universalism are explained in brochures kept in a rack as you enter the sanctuary. You are welcome to take these home. You can also talk with members of our congregation.

Our Church:

We are a voluntary association of those committed to this special religious community. We share common values, but we do not require or expect conformity to any specific religious beliefs. We welcome each person’s spiritual exploration and expression.