The Messenger: September 2026
This month’s edition is packed with goodies:
Regular Features:
Sunday Service Information
Rev. Lori’s Message to the Congregation & a Special Share the Plate Announcement
Music Notes from Ellie R.
News from the Board of Trustees
(A new monthly message) The Wonder Box, Religious Exploration Notes for upcoming Sunday RE events
Calendar Highlights for the Month and a look ahead to the fall/winter Coffeehouse offerings
Lots of special news to kick off the new church year:
Introducing Cricket, our new Religious Exploration Coordinator
Membership Punch Cards
The UUCSB Pop-Up Shop, a fantastic, fun way to support UUCSB
And more!
September’s Theme: Beginnings
Worship Services Sundays at 10 a.m. EST:
September 6th: NO SERVICE
September 13th: Back in the Flow: Water Communion with Rev. Lori & Rev. Niki
September 20th: Things With Wings with Rev. Lori & Sam R.
September 27th: Ok, Where Do We Start? with Rev. Niki
If you can’t join us in person, please tune in via our YouTube Channel: https://www.youtube.com/@uucsb
Welcome again Good People,
Here we are at the beginning of our next church year. Hard to believe it is time to start up again. There is something hopeful about starting up again. Not starting over, exactly—we bring with us everything we have learned, everything we have experienced, and all the ways we have changed along the way. Starting up again means returning to one another with fresh energy and perhaps fresh questions. It means remembering that community is something we continually create: each time we show up, each time we welcome someone new, each time we offer our gifts and make room for the gifts of others. We do not need to know exactly what the coming season will bring. We only need the courage to begin. To light the chalice again. To sing together again. To listen, laugh, work, wonder, and care for one another again. Our living faith is never finished, it is always becoming.
The theme of this year is Holy Listening/Wholly Listening. In one of my sermon’s last year I talked about full attention to another being the most holy thing someone can do. It is a perfect act of love. To see someone in their fullness. That is our theme and our task this next year. Listen more, listen deeply, acknowledge what you have heard. Sit with it, make space for the person you are with, and for what you have heard. Don't deny what is shared, dont fix a problem that has been presented. Listen. Listen fully. It is a Holy task to be undertaken. This also comes with the responsibility of sharing when you feel you haven’t been listened to. Call people out, kindly, who are not listening or hearing what you have to say. Part of returning to the flow that is symbolized in our water communion is joining our journeys. That sharing of journeys is just that. A sharing. A give and take. Listening, seeing, understanding. So, in addition to putting love at the center, asking what love would have you do in a situation, I will invite you to take a breath and LISTEN for the answer. Listen to it in your silence. Listen for it in the music or in the words of others. Listen for the spirit.
Much has happened in our community this summer. The building has gotten some attention. We have had musical events, lovely summer worship, we have supported our community in the wake of an ICE killing by opening our doors to our interfaith friends, and even had a wedding. Things have been cleaned, refinished, rewired, reorganized, rehung. Committees, ministries, and teams have been meeting and planning for a wonderful year ahead. On September 13 we will begin again with our traditional water communion. Remember to bring water with you. It could be from a river or the ocean or a pool or your tap. It can be from somewhere you have travelled or somewhere that is really meaningful to you. We combine our waters at water communion to symbolize our returning the common stream of our faith together. Returning to become an inextricable part of the life of this community. When our water is poured in together all that we have and are dissolves into our common life and the state of becoming. We consecrate it with a common blessing and we preserve it for the special occasions of blessings babies or blessing spaces or animals. Our common water, boiled and blessed by all of us is the Holiest Water I can think of.
We have begun setting our priorities for the year and reimagining how to approach the work as our resources shift. The BOT is reviewing governance and organization. Committees are thinking about what they will take on this year and contemplate how to do the work. We have a new song book that we hope to draw some new music from this upcoming year. There will also be a lot more inclusion and interaction of our youth. School Street Coffee House is blooming and booming. Wellness events, kit making, and song writing are just a few things going on in our community. And we have a new punch card process for folks considering our community. It shares about UUism, UUCSB and about our members. It has been so much fun putting together, we will likely invite everyone to check it out.
We have what the world needs most right now. We have joy, and hope and we have love. We will not be separated and isolated and we wont despair. We have each other! Get out your Sunday suit, polish your shoes off, Invite your friends and neighbors, and join us for water communion on September 13. Dont forget your water! I can’t wait to see you all there!
With Peace and Many Blessings,
Rev. Lori
(She/Her/Hers)
A Very Special Share The Plate
September & October 2026
These next 2 months we will be sharing our plate with Seeds of Hope, one of the only remaining centers to provide shelter for our unhoused citizens.
When the County shelters closed in Alfred, York County was left in a difficult situation. Seeds has stepped in and stepped up to take over these spaces and run them with little to no federal funding. They recently assumed full operation of the Family Center, the only shelter in york County dedicated to families with children and recently gotten involved with the Maine Way.
We support them every year with between $500-$800 in a share the plate.
This year their board has asked us to offer a leadership donation to the efforts to create viable shelter options for families and warming options for others. The ask to us is for $2,000-$4,000. Our stretch goal is between $1500-$2,000 for September - October.
Help us support an organization that is responsibly, thoughtfully and lovingly supporting our most vulnerable citizens right now!
“ Happy endings don’t exist
But here’s a pearl you may have missed
Every day can be a happy beginning
A happy beginning.”
–From Schmicago
Our theme for September is ‘Beginnings’. I just finished watching Schmigadoon and Schmicago, 2 delightful parodies of Broadway musicals on Apple TV. I tend to see the world through rose-colored glasses so the words of the closing song resonated for me and segue nicely into our gathering together again in September.
Music in UU churches has been varied over the years from the folk music in the 60s to the reworking of words for traditional hymns to more recent songs and hymns by modern UU composers. The last introduction to new music was our teal hymnal, Singing the Journey. People were hesitant when it was published in 2005 but we have used many of the songs from that hymnal over the past 20 years with 1064, Blue Boat Home, being a congregational favorite. Here we are in 2026 and the UUA has now created a virtual hymnal called Sing Out Love. Every week new songs by UU composers are being added. It is extremely accessible with every member of our congregation able to log into the program to see and hear the music. Starting in September Iwill be introducing some of these new songs as choir songs and congregational pieces while still singing many of our favorites from our 2 other hymnals.
To paraphrase the above lyric ‘Every day can be a happy beginning, beginning a new song or two’. I’ll look forward to your feedback!
Rehearsals: Pick Up Choir typically rehearses on the 2nd and 4th Sundays of each month followed by singing in church on that day. Upcoming Dates: September 13 and September 27.
Time: 8:45 – 9:45 We meet in the Parish Hall to start and we begin on time. Helpers arriving at 8:30 are appreciated.
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.
For more information please contact me directly at uucsbchoir@gmail.com
Special Music for September
Sept 13th & 27th
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!
Sept 20th
To be determined.
Beloved Congregation,
In June our church adopted a new Mission Statement:
We are a welcoming spiritual home.
We serve our community and our world with Love,
And we act boldly for Justice and Peace.
The statement's purpose is to remind us of who we are, what we do, and how we do it. As a congregation we will keep this mission in front of us and let it guide us in our choices. For additional guideposts, the Board has named priorities for this year.
At our Board retreat on August 1, facilitator wren bellevance-grace [Morgan- No caps] of the UUA's New England Region (NER) led us into clarifying conversations to help us Meet the Moment, establishing our priorities for the church year. These are the priorities we named:
• Clarify our commitment to "serve our community and world with Love"
• Assess leadership and committee structures towards better matching of our congregation's capacity
• Promote fiscal responsibility by developing systems for Financial Review sustainable fundraising
• Enhance opportunities for connection among our congregation
To get us all on the same page and to keep communication channels open, the Board has scheduled monthly Congregational Forums to be held after Sunday services on the 3rd Sunday of each month. In the first forum on September 20 we will tell more about our plans for this church year and have a conversation about what you all think should be our community priorities at this time.
Will we:
• continue to address the immediate needs of our unhoused neighbors?
• participate in support our immigrant friends facing the realities of detention and racial profiling?
• get involved with UU the Vote to strengthen democracy in this country?
• find ways to support trans and LGBTQ youth in our community?
• do all of this and more?
In the forums we will continue to model some elements for "meetings as ministry" that we learned about last year.
Please come to these forums or contact a member of the Board to share your thoughts.
Having someone facilitate our retreat who is not the usual "us" brought new eyes, new perspectives, and stronger connection with the UUA that offers us support, guidance and inspiration when we need it. May we stay open to the wisdom of others and know when to seek it!
Love,
Randa T.
Introducing Cricket Conant
Our New Religious Exploration Coordinator
Cricket Conant is delighted to serve as the Religious Exploration Coordinator at the Unitarian Universalist Church of Saco & Biddeford. A Unitarian Universalist since 2004, Cricket first found UU community while living in Oklahoma and has served in a variety of Religious Exploration roles in several UU congregations. Her path has included many kinds of mission-driven work, from women’s issues and reproductive health to homelessness, animal welfare, literacy, ESOL, and ASL interpretation. While the work has taken many forms, Cricket has always been drawn to the “why” behind what she does: listening to people’s stories, understanding what matters to them, and using her voice, skills, and energy in ways that can make a difference. She holds a degree in Women’s Studies and considers herself a nonprofit worker at heart.
At the center of Cricket’s life is compassion—not simply as an idea, but as a way of moving through the world. She believes meaningful change can begin with a big decision and unfold through baby steps: listening, learning, paying attention, and continuing to move forward. One idea that especially stays with her comes from Toni Morrison, who asked whether a child’s face lights up when they walk into the room. Cricket carries that question into her work with children: Can they feel, simply by the way we look at them, that we are glad they are here? She is committed to creating an RE program where children and adults feel welcomed, valued, curious, and free to ask questions, explore what they believe, discover new possibilities, and find joy in learning together.
Cricket lives in Saco with her partner, Doug Kolmar, their canine family member, Winnie, and their feline adventurer, Ms. Rae Rae. Rae Rae enjoys going on hikes in her backpack, and Cricket is quite happy to be her chauffeur. Cricket loves to sing and write songs, is happily learning to play the drums, and is always curious about what she might learn next.
Every month, Cricket will be sharing RE News for the month ahead in the monthly Messenger. You can keep up with weekly RE offerings in the Friday Flyers. So, introducing The Wonder Box:
Congregational News and Requests
Anne W. has been working diligently to create the new UUCSB Pop-Up Shop! This unique venture is a unique way to support UUCSB’s bottom line while also having a bespoke boutique at your fingertips. This is a place to look for those hard to buy for friends or the hostesses with the mostesses when you’d rather not bring flowers or wine! The aim is to keep this store refreshing and growing so that it’s less “Pop-up” and more “favored standby” so, if you have some wonderful, gently used treasures that are ready for a change of scenery, you can contact Anne W. and she will gladly collect them and add them to the inventory.
The link check out what’s currently on sale is: https://www.zeffy.com/en-US/ticketing/unitarian-universalist-church-of-saco-and-biddefords-shop-2
ARRIVING SEPTEMBER 13TH:
THE PUNCH CARD FOR NEWCOMERS AND LONG TIMERS ALIKE
The Membership Team has created a fun punch card adventure for folks who are considering joining our church! It will come with a booklet featuring facts about UUism, fun facts about our church, a treasure hunt to discover special places around the church, and activities designed to help newcomers connect with members.
Along the way, participants might meet someone for coffee, take a selfie, join in a church activity, or complete other fun challenges. Think of it as a treasure hunt that helps people get to know our church—and each other—more deeply before they sign on the dotted line.
We’ll roll it out at our first church service of the year, and it will be available for anyone who wants to take a look. You may even be called upon to help a newcomer with their quest! It’s a fun opportunity for all of us to get to know one another better.
As with any new project, this will be a work in progress, so we welcome your thoughts and feedback as it gets underway.
Stay tuned—and get ready for the adventure!
When’s Your Birthday?
There is a movement afoot to start including birthdays in the messenger. Not the year, unless you would like to share. Each month we can highlight peoples birthdays. Folks will be collecting that information in September to put into our database. However, if you would like to give us a head start, please send your birthdate to Rev. Lori. Our goal is to have it mostly done by the end of September!
Sign Up To Bring Flowers For Sunday Services
We want to encourage folks to sign up to bring flowers this year, or other interesting centerpieces for our altar! This is a great way to thank someone, commemorate a birthday or anniversary, mark a huge blessing all while supporting our worship experience and the beauty of our sanctuary! The sign up sheet will be on the newly covered green bulletin board by the office! Find your Sunday to help create our sacred space!
September Special Events at UUCSB
Sept. 13: Water Communion
Please join us on September 13th for our annual Water Communion/ingathering. This intergenerational service will be co-led by Rev. Lori and Rev. Niki with the assistance of our youth and youth leadership. Bring a small container of water with you to add to our shared container. You can bring it from your favorite beach or river, your birdbath or faucet. Bring water that you are grateful for and that represents your journey. At water communion, we blend our waters representing the blending of ourselves into a community fully and inextricably. It represents us joining in a source of life and blessing and flow. We bless the water and consecrate it so that we may use the water for blessing and marking special events or people even. Mostly this represents a UU traditions of joining back together after a couple months apart and bringing ourselves back into sacred space and sacred relationship. I can’t wait to see you all and hear where your life giving water comes from!
September 20th: DEDICATION OF OUR KINDNESS GARDEN FOR JEANNINE
Join us for the dedication of the Jeannine Wilson Memorial Kindness Garden! We will wrap up church at 10:50 and go out to the area where the garden is being constructed. Cricket and Marilyn will share about the garden and Jeannine and Rev. Lori will bless it! We are hoping that Jeannine’s daughter Natalie and husband David can join us that day as well. If you have not had the chance to paint a kindness rock, please stop by the Parish hall and do so. Our young ones will help place them as we remember Jeannine and her kind leadership of our youth and our whole community!
September 14th: Kit Making for the Unhoused from 5:30 - 7 PM
September 22nd: Women’s Songwriting Circle
6:30 - 9 PM
School Street Coffeehouse: Upcoming Shows
The School Street Coffeehouse team has been busy putting together an incredible line-up for Fall in Winter 2027! Read more about upcoming shows below, click on an event to learn more and help keep the energy and momentum growing by getting your tickets now and saving the dates on your calendars!
Scroll through to see other upcoming UUCSB meetings and events.
Click on an event to learn more about it. For the calendar view, click here.
Support UUCSB’s Bottom Line
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.
Our Church Administrator is Brian Dustin
Hours: Monday, Wednesday, and Friday
8 to 10 am
Brian will be on vacation July 18th to the 26th!
(207) 282-0062 or (207) 632-4512
Congregants of UUCSB can find forms to add, change, or recommend items on the website in the Congregant Portal found in the footer of our website. Stop by and see Brian if you need the password.