The Messenger: January 2026
Please Note: This PDF is a representation of a live webpage and is therefore wonky in layout. It also contains links which will not be live offline. You can read it in it’s intended layout with live links via the website.
January’s Theme: Practicing Resistance
Worship Services Sundays at 10 a.m. EST:
January 4th: Gird Your Loins For The New Year with Rev. Lori & Teague
January 11th: Those Who Came Before with Rev. Lori & Sam R.
January 18th: MLK-I Still Have A Dream with Rev. Niki & Jane P.
January 25th: Don’t Stay In Your Seat-Civil Disobedience with Rev. Lori & Charlie
If you can’t join us in person, please tune in via our YouTube Channel: https://www.youtube.com/@uucsb
Happy New Year Wonderful People,
January is here and the theme for January is practicing resistance. We will explore and highlight our history and focus on the ways resistance shows up for us in in our lives and the life of the community right now. Resistance is often imagined as loud, confrontational, or defiant. And sometimes it must be. But more often, the most enduring form of resistance is quieter, steadier, and rooted in love. That is our mantra after all. What is love calling us to do in this moment and in all things.? To practice resistance through love is to refuse the stories that tell us we are alone, powerless, or disposable. It is to stand beside one another when fear would have us turn away. It is to show up—again and again—for those whose voices are dismissed, whose lives are made harder by systems that prize profit or power over people.
Supporting others is not a side project to justice work; it *is* the work. Every meal shared, every ride offered, every hand held in grief or celebration becomes an act of peaceful defiance against a world that tells us to look out only for ourselves. Love, practiced this way, is not passive. It is courageous. It is persistent. It is a choice we make daily. Peaceful resistance asks us to meet cruelty without becoming cruel, to oppose injustice without surrendering our humanity. Even those who we suppose to be our enemies. As Martin Luther King, jr said to elequently, “Darkness doesn’t drive our darkness, only light can do that.” When we give into hate and vitriol towards those we disagree with, we perpetuate the darkness. Let’s help each other never do that!
Love asks us to listen deeply, to speak truth with care, and to remember that dignity is not something we earn—it is something we protect in one another, especially in the face of hateful, undignified systems and behaviors. When we practice resistance through love, we widen the circle of belonging. We become living reminders that justice is not only built in marches and movements, but in kitchens, classrooms, congregations, and quiet acts of solidarity. This is how change endures: not through force alone, but through love made visible in action.
Interestingly that in this moment of time, we are becoming more engaged in the unhoused situation in our local community. We have begun building contacts and relationships with organizations that are working with the population in order to support what they do and amplify the established responses in our community. We have already begin making kits for the unhoused and offering storage or the Saco PD for storing their kits for the unhoused as well as he Biddeford Outreach Coordinator for the unhoused. This month we are sharing our plate with Seeds of Hope which is only 1 of 2 shelters left in York County. These activities are loving acts of resistance to the systems that oppress and hold the flame of our chalice high for all to find light.
Vassie Fowler from Seeds of Hope will join us on the 4th to help us Gird Our Loins for what is and what is to come. We will soon have Britt LaShier from the City of Biddeford outreach coordinator join us to share about her witness and talk about our blossoming partnership. There is a a huge need for the kits we are making and it is my hope that we can continue this by making kits 2x per month, pivoting for the changing seasons and needs. I have been told that what we have made is perfect. So continued collection of:
Socks
Coats
Blankets
Gloves
Hats
Hand Warmers
Soft Snacks
Chapsticks
Gift Cards
Please bring those in on Sundays and during office hours and of course for the nights we are making kits. This month we are going to make kits on the 11th and 25th at 5:00 in the Green Room. The 26th is the physical homeless count where teams go out to encampments all over York County to do a Census of the unhoused. It is the the Homeless Hub Coordinator’s hope that they can have kits to hand to everyone they count. Sadly this includes families, so think about smaller socks and gloves and hats. We have had an anonymous donation to begin this ministry. I am hoping a group of interested folks will begin conversations about our ongoing participation.
Ellie Lockwood shared a book of reflections by Rev. Angela Tarbox who served Massachusetts congregations. The opening preface spoke to me deeply as a call to me personally and to our community right now. I share it with you for your consideration:
"I thought I heard the voice of spirit cry: Come and find me. Your won’t have to look hard. Come to where the ocean touches the shore, find me in the bright light promise of morning on the waves; look carefully at the bubbles breaking on the wet sand-there I am. Turn over the glistening rock, slippery with the cushion of sea weed-here I am. Here the gulls crying news of the endless ocean-that is my news, my voice. Lie with me in the tall, green marsh grass; see my footprints in the sand you walked upon. Do not say I am lost, you have found me. I am here."
We live in a beautiful place both in geography and community(s). As we begin this month and year, let us reflect on gratitude for those things as we prepare ourselves for loving resistance, this month and the whole year through! Let us be grounded in peace and gratitude and love and light.
And may it be so.
OUTREACH AND COMMUNICATIONS MINISTRY
We enter 2026 ramping up our communications and outreach ministry. What does that mean exactly? It means that we will professionalizing our message to the world and spreading it farther and wider! I have said that “what we have is what the world needs right now.” We are entering 2026 in recognition of this fact and meeting that need.
Rev. Morgan Rowe is taking on this ministry in an intentional way. As web chaplain, she designed our website. In 2026, she will be integrating all of our media to flow seamlessly from and to it. Messenger’s and Friday Fliers will post on the website and go out to all. In fact a few years back I preached a sermon drawing from contemporary ministry resources that stated clearly that social media and communications ministry is as important as pulpit ministry in this day and age. And so we dip toes more deeply into the water.
Elisha C., a new face and voice in our church, has taken on the role of social media poster. We will be advertising our activities regularly and integrating them with local organizations, like town facebook pages and chamber of commerce web sites. She will be getting all of our activities on facebook and instagram.
We also have a new graphics account, free for nonprofits, that will allow anyone creating electronic graphics to access tools and templates that we are generating for our account as well as store and share what has been created. Posters for wellness events and Christmas fairs will have access to professional graphics tools and be saved, duplicated and modified for future events. We are hoping to develop a UUCSB logo and new shirts and ball caps this spring that we can wear when we go out in public to do things like a spring clean up or march at a rally.
This is not just about growing our church. Which I believe it will inevitably do. This is a critical part of ministry in the world today. The community needs to know that there is a loving, supportive, intergenerational community that is inclusive. And we are telling them that. Anyone with experience in graphics, design, and content creation is most welcome to help us continue to build this important and exciting presence for an in our community! Please contact Rev. Lori.
A MEDITATION ROOM/CHAPEL
As we do some cleaning out and rearranging, discussion has begun about turning the office next to the Sanctuary into a “softer” space, more in line with a meditation room or chapel.
We are removing some of the bigger, less useful pieces of furniture. We are putting some storage cabinets in that committees can store some of their frequently access items. And we are rearranging and redecorating and feng shui-ing it to create a more contemplative feel.
It will still be available for meetings and storage and movie nights. We hope this change will expand its use for folks who are seeking some quiet, reflective space in a more intimate setting. Anyone with design skills or interest in helping us make a spiritual space available to all, please contact Randa or Rev. Lori.
“This machine surrounds hate and forces it to surrender.”
–Inscription on Pete Seeger’s Banjo
This month’s theme is ‘Practicing Resistance’. I think the words inscribed on Pete Seeger’s Banjo is a great example of how music is used to practice resistance. Throughout recent history, music has been a durable instrument of resistance, carrying courage where speech alone could not. In the 1800s, songs born in slavery encoded survival, hope, and defiance; in the 1960s, anti-war and civil rights anthems braided protest with communal resolve; today, hip-hop and rap translate lived injustice into rhythm, testimony, and challenge. These songs do more than reflect struggle, they organize it, turning private pain into public witness. And the work is not finished by singing alone. Resistance asks that we sing strongly enough to be heard with clarity, conviction, and the steady force that moves hearts, sharpens conscience, and refuses erasure.
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.
Our January date is different because of my time off. *= Not a 2nd or 4th Sunday.
January 18*
February 8, 22
March 8, 22
April 5* (Easter), 26
May 3*, 24
June 21*
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!
Special Music for January
Jan. 4th: Patrick Freeman
Patrick was born in Fort Kent, Maine in 1948. He lived with foster care from the ages 3 to 18. He had some music lessons when he was young but at about the age of 9 he did not have a piano at the house so had to discontinue the lessons. Around age 20 he had private music lessons for about a year. In his late twenties he moved to Bangor and found employment selling organs, receiving free music lessons from the owner for a year. He continued to play organs and became self-taught. Patrick graduated from UMaine in 1976 with a teaching degree. After several teaching and other jobs he settled in Portland working at Maine Medical Center for 16 years. He continued playing the organ and keyboard during those times. He retired from MMC in 2013 and started playing music in Nursing Homes throughout Southern Maine. He usually plays music from way back in early 1900 to the present day. He has started a music recording studio in his apartment which continues to be a learning process. Patrick says “I enjoy playing music. I have been playing music by ear for many years. I guess that is a God gift.”
Jan. 11th: Doug Kolmar
With a voice as warm and inviting as your favorite old flannel shirt, Singer/Songwriter, Doug Kolmar, explores the light and dark of humanity through a lens of compassion with an insightful observation. He has released five full-length solo albums and his songs have been recognized with awards from The Music to Life Foundation, International Acoustic Music Awards, American Songwriter and Maine Songwriters Association. His lates record, “We’ll Be Fine”, was released in October 2025.
Jan. 18th: 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!
Jan. 25th: Rev. Niki Norman
I can't remember a time that I wasn't interested in music! My mother says that I was singing before I could talk. Born in Austin, TX, I grew up in the Pacific Northwest. I attended Mt Hood Community college, majoring in music. These days I play the piano and African drums and I'm the percussionist with Renaissance Voices in Portland. I'm a gradute of ChIME and I'm part of the clergy team here at the UUCSB.”
January Outreach
Share the Plate: January
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 Seeds of Hope Neighborhood Center in Biddeford, Maine. From their website, https://www.seedsofhope4me.org/
At Seeds of Hope, we believe in the power of community and compassion. Our mission is to provide support, resources, and hope to those in need. Join us in making a difference, one seed at a time.
Collection Drive
We need: Socks, Coats, Blankets, Gloves, Hats, Hand Warmers, Soft Snacks, Chapsticks, Gift Cards. Gently used or new welcome. A drop box will be available at the church. And we will be making kits at 5:00 pm on January 11th and 25th.
Ways to Support Our Vibrant UUCSB Community
Coffee Hour Help!
Hello friends!
It's time to sign up to host Coffee Hour for 2026. Many of you have hosted in the fall, but it would be great if you could host again.
Please let me know what Sunday would work for you and I will put it in the Church Calendar. If you are a single person I will find someone to host with you, and if you would like to host more than once give me all your dates and I will gratefully add them to the schedule.
Thank you!
Anne W., Coffee Hour Coordinator
207-229-5643
Many Hands: Some things that need doing:
Hang drapes in Parish Hall
See if the Green Room TV can project from a computer
Bake for Coffeehouse
Review By-laws and church Policies
Declutter the upstairs “Teen Room”
Represent UUCSB at MUUSAN
Research reusable food packaging options
Help folks use Google Docs
Help with Children’s Worship
Please complete this interest survey so we can match your talents with our needs
Upcoming Dates To Take Notice Of
Ministry of Faith in Action (MoFA)
MoFA is the social justice team at UUCSB.
As UU’s we are really all on the social justice team. We have causes we support as individuals or families. MoFA attempts to gather us all together to use our collective strength and vision for meaningful action.
Support for The Unhoused
Last summer and again recently, a local woman had taken shelter on our front steps. We offered her limited access to our building to wash up, microwave food or to get out of the weather for a short time. Her presence on our steps has invited us to examine our capacity to meet community needs. With Lori’s leadership, we have begun to expand our relationships with other community service providers and to discern what we can offer. So far that has included donating winter gear for Maine Needs and Saco Police Department, making peanut butter sandwiches and basic needs kits to be distributed by the Hope Squad in Portland and by Saco PD to local homeless encampments. We are storing some winter gear for the Saco PD as well and will have shared our weekly offering plate for 3 months to support unhoused people or those affected by the government shutdown in November.
The work that many of us have taken on to address the needs of those unhoused or living in poverty is part of the work of creating Climate Justice.
Our work, collecting and distributing needed money and goods to frontline organizations like Hope Squad, Seeds of Peace and the Saco PD builds Community Resilience, creates Justice and transforms our congregation 3 of the 4 Essentials required for our annual recognition as participants in the GS2030 process.
The fourth Essential is Mitigation. This, of course, is using less to emit less, moving away from an extractive age with every choice we make.
In June we voted to develop and implement a policy to reduce our consumption of plastics in our building. This will require us to think before we reach for the cling wrap or Ziplock bag, purchasing reusable containers for our church leftovers, and (re)learning about food packaging options. We will need to find and use cleaning products that do not come in single-use plastic containers.
How does Plastic Contribute to Climate Change?
Plastic production starts with fossil fuel extraction, releasing greenhouse gases like carbon dioxide and methane
Clearing forests for fossil fuel access releases stored carbon, reducing the Earth's carbon absorption capacity.
The refining and processing of fossil fuels into plastic consumes significant energy, primarily from burning fossil fuels.
Manufacturing plastic accounts for approximately 76% of emissions before plastic is even produced!
Can you help?
Research replacement products
Share recipes for some products
Develop educational signage for use in our kitchen
Reduce plastics consumption at your home or workplace
Join MoFA!
Where are we going and how do we get there?
Happy New Year!
After a whirlwind of a start to the Board’s term, with jam-packed monthly meetings, we all agreed that it would be good and healthy for us to slow down the pace. We watched a short video explaining “Over-functioning,” something with which many of us, yours truly included, are afflicted. (Over-functioning: thinking, feeling, or acting for another person [or group] in a way that erodes that person’s [or group’s] capacity for ownership or effective action.) We decided to invest time in the remainder of this church year to understand and practice leadership differently by participating in UU Board Foundations 105, a 6-part on-line training presented by the UUA Congregational Life Staff. Topics include "Spiritual Grounding,” “Meetings as Ministry,” “Communication as Relationship,” “Leading Our Congregation as a System,” and “Governance as Stewardship."
Four of us met to complete the first module together. We set aside 2 hours but our rich conversation could have filled an entire day! Among many other things, we were reminded of the importance of covenants for congregations and that all of our work together is spiritual work and faith formation. As we discuss the sessions, we will decide together if there are elements that we want to introduce into the life of this congregation. (I am pretty sure that there are!) There are 5 more modules to go and I’m so excited for the opportunity to learn and grow together!
Board Transitions
In the midst of this excitement, finding herself in the midst of too many life transitions right now, Cathy V. has tendered her resignation from the Board of Trustees. In her time with us, Cathy brought love, insight and energy that we appreciated and will miss. The Board is charged with replacing her and we will let you know as soon as that is accomplished.
We welcome your questions and answers! Contact any Board member (listed above and wearing green nametags on Sundays). BoT Meetings are the 1st Wednesday of each month at 10 a.m. in the Green Room. You are welcome!
Love, Randa Thomas
President, Board of Trustees
Happy New Year!
I’m thrilled to be joining you more formally as UUCSB Staff Position! While I’m not there in person, I am very much with you in spirit!
With this new year, the Friday Flyer and Messenger come into my domain and will now arrive to you at first as a link from Brian and, as we settle in, as a more visually compelling email with interactive links to your hardworking website. For those of you who prefer a PDF, I will be including a link to a readable PDF. BE WARNED: it may frustrate slightly as any links to emails or other interactive links will not be live in the PDF.
I’ve been thinking about how this upgrade in communications that UUCSB is taking on this year meets the month’s theme of Practicing Resistance. I think, for me, the act of creating online spaces that cultivate community, joy, and great good work pushing aside commercialism, online trolls, and the cult of algorithmic connectivity is a huge act of resistance! Being able to amplify voices of compassion and using online tools to organize and collect people and resources which will help make the world a better place is a beautiful, rather subversive, way to practice UU principles of Interdepence, Justice, Transformation, Equity, Pluralism not to mention Love and Generosity.
With appreciation,
Rev. Morgan Rowe
UUCSB Web Chaplain
Ways to Support UUCSB’s Bottom Line
By Mail: Send donations and pledge payments to: UU Church of Saco & Biddeford, 60 School Street, Saco, ME 04072
Help UUCBS by returning your bottles and cans through the CLYNK service at Hannaford.
Green bags may be picked up at the welcome table when you come to church on Sundays. Please remember that Market Basket labeled bottles and cans are not accepted by CLYNK.
Would you like to donate to the church in a way that doesn’t cost you anything? If you buy your weekly groceries with a Hannaford gift card purchased from UUCSB, the church gets 5%. Our church depends on this fundraiser to contribute to its operating budget. Cards are available in $100 or $50 denominations. Gift cards are for sale in the Parish Hall every Sunday after the worship service. If you are worshiping virtually, just call or email Jane P. and make arrangements to pick them up at another time. Thank you for participating in this fundraiser in support of our church.
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
(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.