December Services | Minister’s Message | Lifelong Spiritual Formation | Music Director | Board of Trustees |  Growth Task Force | COMMUNITY HAPPENINGS: | Holiday Events | Newcomers Chat | Poinsetta Order Form | Holiday Fair |  Concerts for a Cause |  Side Door Coffeehouse | Partner Fair | WORKING FOR JUSTICE: |  Charities with Soul | Immigrant Justice | MUUSAN | Wabanaki Awareness | Brunswick Teen Center | LGBTQIA+ |Gun Violence | Housing | ART GALLERY | Parish Messenger Deadline |

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December Services: Choosing Hope

Sunday, December 7th- The Gritty Side of Hope
Led by Rev. Dr. Kharma Amos; Music by Will Bristol 

Sunday, December 14th – Choosing Hope Together
Led by Rev. Dr. Kharma Amos; Music by Will Bristol 

Hope can be hard to sustain in isolation, and can become more alive when shared, tended, and supported in community. As we hold our annual Mitten Tree ritual, which invites us to be in generous solidarity with others in our community, we’ll consider the kind of Hope that comes alive when we choose to nurture and practice it together.

Tuesday, December 16th- Blue Christmas
Led by Rev. Dr. Kharma Amos and the Pastoral Care Associates; Music by Louise Gephart and Jill Sherer

Blue Holidays is a gentle, contemplative service for those who are having a difficult time getting to the “joy” that is such a hallmark (pun intended) of this season. If you are carrying pain or grief during this season of celebration, if you find this to be a difficult season or a reminder of loss or challenging times, or if you are simply burdened by the weight of the world’s grief, this service is for you.  Hosted and led by the Pastoral Care Associates, our service will include readings, songs, a candle lighting liturgy, and opportunities for reflection on how to manage the feelings that arise during this busy and often complicated time. Music provided by Louise Gephart and Jill Sherer (harp). The service will be followed by time to share cookies, coffee, tea, and cocoa, as well as to engage in conversation with pastoral care associates and others in a relaxed fashion.

Sunday, December 21st- Light & Hope for the World
Led by Rev. Dr. Kharma Amos; Music by Will Bristol and the UUCB Intergenerational Orchestra

Our worship today will be full of the sounds of our Intergenerational Orchestra, and will draw our attention to the wisdom of Winter Solstice. What might the earth be teaching us about how we can consciously choose light and hope for ourselves and the world?

Wednesday, December 24th, 5 pm- Christmas Eve Service
Led by Rev. Dr. Kharma Amos

Join us for our early Christmas Eve service designed for children and families (featuring a no-rehearsal pageant)

Wednesday, December 24th, 7 pm- Christmas Eve Service
Led by Rev. Dr. Kharma Amos; Music by Will Bristol and the UUCB Choir

A traditional service (featuring the choir). As we hear again the well-known story of the birth of Jesus — an incarnation of divine love, let us ponder how we can ready ourselves to receive the new incarnations of hope and love so desperately needed in our world today.

Join us as the Worship Committee shares observations and “thoughts to ponder” as we move into 2026.

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Minister’s Message

Choosing Hope?

Friends, I’m not sure how it got to be December already! These days, something about the pace of change and the frequency of “curve balls” has made it feel to me like the world is spinning more quickly and more out of control than “normal” (whatever that is). Many of you are limiting your news intake for similar reasons, trying to find a workable balance between wanting to stay aware of what’s happening; and needing to protect your heart and guard your courage from overwhelm, depression, anxiety, spiraling negativity, etc.

What does it mean, in this context, to Choose Hope?  I can share that in our Worship Committee meeting in which we discussed this theme, no one neat-and-tidy answer emerged. And, that was both beautiful and real! I’m so grateful for the people on this committee who are willing, month after month, to converse deeply about both the promises and the challenges of our themes. This month, we had some deep discussions about realism vs. hope; hoping vs. wishing; and whether or not it is even responsible to choose hope these days.  We noted that choosing hope makes us vulnerable to disappointment and hurt. We also noted that this is no reason not to actively, intentionally, choose hope and work towards making it real.

To get you into the reflective spirit, here are some questions to ponder:

• Where are you finding hope these days?  
• What creative ways might you make a choice to nurture hope in someone else?  
• What might Hope be an antidote for?  Despair?  Pessimism? Dread? Something else?
• What are the places inside you that most need an infusion of hope right now? What choices might you make to allow hopefulness room to emerge?

This is an extremely busy time of year for many of us, and certainly for our church community.  May we all find the time and space to breathe, to nurture awareness and gratitude, and to choose moving in the direction of hope.

.Blessings,
Kharma

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Lifelong Spiritual Formation

Children’s Spiritual Formation

Winter Fun Night!

The Children’s Spiritual Formation Committee invites families to take part in our fifth annual Winter Fun Night! Get your last minute shopping done, go out to dinner, or just have some time to yourself while your kids make crafts, eat pizza, and watch a short winter themed movie. This child care event is free and is offered to all UUCB families with children age 3 and up. There is no pre-registration required for this event. Email Toben Cooney-Callnan at for more information.

Adult Faith Formation

Chalice Circles Winter Session – Register Soon!

Chalice Circles are small groups that meet six times per session, offering a space to make connections, learn, and grow through open-hearted listening and honest personal reflection.

Registration opens December 8th for the Winter Session (December 28-March 14). Contact Toben at
to sign up or for more information.

Music Director

Happy December everyone! I wish for this month to be a hopeful and peaceful time for all. 

• Starting in January our congregation will begin subscribing to the UUA’s new virtual hymnal Sing Out Love. Read more about Sing Out Love here in my article for last month’s parish messenger and via UUWorld here. There are many ways to interface with this hymnal including having access yourself via one your own digital devices, and that will be possible once our subscription begins. If you would like that, please just enter your email address via this online form and I will send you an access link once the time comes. If you are in the choir or pop-up choir, you will already be receiving the link since I already have your emails at hand, so no need to fill out the form.
  

• The Intergenerational Orchestra is scheduled to appear on December 21st this year and it’s not too late to join! We will perform several times throughout the service, playing some original arrangements of holiday tunes as well as a few published carols. There will be two Sunday rehearsals: December 7th and December 14th. Rehearsals will be in the sanctuary, right after the service for about 45 minutes. Try to attend both rehearsals, but if you can only make one—that is OK. We will also warm up the morning of December 21st, so everyone participating should plan on arriving by 9am that morning. The Christmas carols we will play are written to be easy for most players. Those of you who have been a part of this in the past will know them. The other arranged pieces will also be a little less easy but I can write “customized” parts if needed to match a player’s experience. If you did not participate last year but would like to this year, send me an email and let me know of your instrument of choice @ All ages and abilities are welcome!
  

• Coming December 14th at 2pm: A Seasonal Sing-Along  

Make your holiday themed group karaoke dreams come true! This festive, all ages event will be led by UUCB Music Director, Will Bristol in collaboration with Brunswick Pride. Healthy snacks and hot cocoa will be provided. “Ugly” x-mas sweaters are encouraged but not necessary. Please register here if you are able. For more information email

Will Bristol, Music Director

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Board of Trustees

Greetings all!

For those of you I have not yet had the pleasure of meeting, my name is Ann Butenhof, and I am a new member of UUCB’s Board of Trustees.  My husband Ken and I are relatively recent Mainers, Brunswick residents and UUCB members.  After living in Manchester, NH for nearly 30 years, we moved to Maine in the Spring of 2022, and into our house in Brunswick in March 2023.  While the primary reason for moving to Maine was to be closer to one of children and our two grandchildren, we love everything about living in Maine! 

I was raised a Unitarian (in Oak Ridge, TN), and had been a very active member of the UU church in Manchester, NH.  What immediately impressed me about UUCB, was not only the quality of Sunday sermons, music and youth programing – which are fantastic! – but the vibrancy, energy and level of engagement of the congregation!   I feel so incredibly fortunate to have found this home.

Holiday Fair:  If you are looking for a way to contribute your talents and strengthen your relationships with other congregants, I strongly encourage you to participate in the Holiday Fair.  As explained in much more detail elsewhere, there are many ways to help out, whether in advance or on the day of the Fair.  Not only would you be helping with UUCB’s largest fundraising event, I feel safe in guaranteeing that you will have great fun while doing so!

Attend a Service Offsite:  Over the next few weeks, please consider attending a Sunday service at the Eveningstar (perhaps while enjoying popcorn!), or the Highlands (if you happen to live there), and then please let us know about your experience as we continue investigating options for addressing our continued growth.

Leadership Retreats:  In early November, a half-day retreat was held at the Allen Avenue UU Church in Portland, attended by leaders from several UU congregations in the region.  UUCB was extremely well represented at the retreat — Kharma, Toben and Will all attended, as did multiple members of the Board of Trustees and Committee on Ministry!  It was a well-run, facilitated event which focused primarily on communication and conflict resolution.  

The UUCB Board then held its own half-day retreat on November 15th.  I have included two photos with this article – one which shows an altar holding objects we had brought from our homes to represent what UUCB means to us, and the other which reveals the “web” we created by tossing a ball of yarn around the circle when we shared one thing we appreciated about another member of the Board.  We got to know each other much better through these effective team building exercises.  We also spent considerable time reviewing lessons we had learned at the recent regional leadership retreat, and how we might use this information to enhance our own communication skills.  I truly feel lucky and honored to be serving on this Board with so many hard working and caring individuals.

I look forward to meeting more of you over the coming months.

In friendship,
Ann Butenhof on behalf of the Board of Trustees

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A Reminder from the Growth Task Force

To ease crowding in the sanctuary on Sunday mornings, we’ll be streaming the service from the Eveningstar Cinema in the Tontine Mall and would love for some of you to join us on the dates below. There will be some things that are the same as the sanctuary, but a lot that are different. 

At the Eveningstar: 

• The service will be at the same 10:00am time that you are used to.
• Popcorn will be available!!
•  You’re welcome to drink coffee or eat your breakfast during the service (coffee provided)
• There will be a volunteer host to welcome you and answer any question you have.
• Live audio and video of the service will be projected on the big screen.

The Eveningstar will be open for services on November 23, December 7,14,21 and on January 11, 18, and 25. (Every Sunday through the end of January with the exception of those following holidays as we expect attendance to be less) The theater can accommodate about 60 people.

From David Kew

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Community Happenings

Holiday Events

Visitors and Newcomers Chat

Visitors and Newcomers to UUCB are invited to stay after the service on the first Sunday of each month for an informal gathering in the May Sarton Room. Bring your coffee and meet with representatives of the Membership Committee. Perhaps you have questions about UUCB and all of the ways that you can be involved, or perhaps you would like to learn about Unitarian Universalism. All are welcome.

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Poinsettia Order Form

It is a UUCB tradition to for members and friends to purchase poinsettia plants to grace the sanctuary for our Christmas Eve service.  Poinsettias are often given in memory of or in honor special people or life events.  These statements are printed in the Order of Service on Christmas Eve.

We will order and pick up the plants, and decorate the sanctuary.  You can take your poinsettias home with you after the Christmas Eve service to grace your home.

Note:  Please take your poinsettias with you after the Christmas Eve service, or have a friend take it for you if you won’t be there.  Due to the difficulty of caring for these plants, all poinsettias left in the church after the Christmas Eve service will be donated to a local health care facility.

Concerts for a Cause

The mission of Concerts for a Cause is to hold a series of concerts to raise money for the church and local charities while sharing a variety of quality music with the Brunswick area community. This season’s charities will be Oasis Free Clinics and Immigration Legal Advocacy Project.

Fred Small

On Saturday, November 8th Concerts for a Cause held another full house for the Fred Small concert. His many fans who saw him many times in Cambridge before he became a UU minister were so excited to see him singing again, and they sang along with many of his songs. It was a special night, and we raised another $1,241 for our charities.  As an added bonus, he led a really meaningful church service the next day.

Save the Dates

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Side Door Coffeehouse

The Side Door Coffeehouse is a venue for local musicians and others (professional and amateur) to share their talents, and for residents and visitors of the Midcoast community to enjoy great entertainment and conversation in a relaxed setting. A fundraiser for the church, the “Side Door” is organized by UUCB’s Music Director, Will Bristol, with a group of volunteers to help make the evening run smoothly. The Side Door Coffeehouse operates on the second Friday of every month except August.

Admission is $12 for adults and free for children 17 and under.

Follow the Side Door Coffeehouse on instagram and Facebook to help spread the word. 

The December Coffeehouse has been cancelled.

Save the Date: 

January 9, 2026
Featured Performer: Kat Logan

Kat Logan is a singer songwriter with influences from folk, americana, Celtic, blues and jazz accompaniment. Kat has been playing for a few years and has played with many different groups such as Driftwood and Meteora. But now, she is working as a solo musician, and plays on piano and guitar, accompanying her own tunes and favorites.

• Open Mic signup at 6:45 pm
• Open Mic at 7:00
• Kat Logan at 8:30-9:30 pm.

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Partner Fair

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Working for Justice

December’s Charity with Soul:
Big Brothers Big Sister of Bath/Brunswick

Contact: Stephen Wood

They Have the Potential to Change the World 

We don’t need to create potential; instead, we must defend it. Our community’s children are waiting for Bigs to stand with them and inspire them to become their best selves. Since 1981, Big Brothers Big Sisters of Bath/Brunswick has operated under the belief that every child possesses incredible potential. By partnering with parents, guardians, volunteers, and others in the community, we ensure that each child in our program achieves higher aspirations, greater confidence, and stronger relationships.

Our programs pair at-risk and under-resourced children, “Littles,” with adult and high school-aged mentors, “Bigs,” who provide friendship, support, and guidance during the child’s vital childhood and adolescent years. These relationships have the power to change lives, and the following outcomes show it:

• 100% improved emotional regulation
• 83% improved grades
• 79% improved mental well-being
• 100% greater social competence
• 78% decline in risky behaviors

We provide our services free of charge to families in Brunswick, Harpswell, and throughout Sagadahoc County. Every contribution, regardless of size, assists us in creating a brighter future for our children. We hope you will join us to provide Littles with stability, connection, and a pathway to a bright future.

WILL YOU STAND WITH THEM?

Big Brothers Big Sisters of Bath/Brunswick
Carol Marquis Executive Director
85 Maine Street Office, Brunswick, ME 04011
bbbsbathbrunswick.org, 207.729.7736

Reach Out to Us!

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Immigrant Justice

Contact: Faith Barnes,

Mid Coast New Mainers Group (MCNMG)

Drivers Needed!  Drivers Needed! Drivers Needed!

Mid Coast New Mainers Group is looking for volunteers to assist members of the new Mainer community with transportation to English classes, medical appointments, and job training. Sign up for one ride per week or several depending on your schedule. We have found that putting together small groups that work together and cover for each other, if needed, are most beneficial to the driver and passenger as they develop trust and friendship. If you have any questions or are interested in volunteering, please contact Faith Barnes at or (207) 751-2892.

Maine Immigrant Rights Coalition
The Maine ICE Watch Hotline

The Maine ICE Watch Hotline  is a new statewide tool created to verify reports of immigration enforcement activity and connect immigrant families with resources and support.

The hotline — (207) 544-9989 — is a project of the Maine Immigrants’ Rights Coalition, the People’s Coalition for Safety & Justice, and other community partners. Organizers say the goal is to provide accurate, real-time information about ICE and Border Patrol operations in Maine and to help families stay safe amid a period of heightened enforcement and fear.

Over 100 community volunteers have already been trained to support the hotline, serving as either operators who take calls, or “verifiers” who are dispatched to confirm or refute reported sightings of immigration enforcement activity. Verifiers are community members who document enforcement actions and help prevent misinformation from spreading. 

Last week the hotline received reports ranging from Lewiston, Portland, Augusta, New Sharon, Bangor, Mount Desert Island… so we anticipate a need for trained verifiers in our area. 

ICE Verifier Training Rescheduled to January

Cat Whitaker and Janet Ostrov are offering the two-hour verifier training in Brunswick in January. They will be in touch in early January with potential dates and times to accommodate as many people as possible. 

Please contact Janet Osterov at 518-265-5643 or if you have questions, or if you would like to be added to our list for the January training. 

 

Thanks for all you do! 

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Maine UU State Action Network (MUUSAN)

Mid Coast New Mainers Group is looking for volunteers to assist members of the new Mainer community with transportation to English classes, medical appointments, and job training. Sign up for one ride per week or several depending on your schedule. We have found that putting together small groups that work together and cover for each other, if needed, are most beneficial to the driver and passenger as they develop trust and friendship. If you have any questions or are interested in volunteering, please contact Faith Barnes at or (207) 751-2892.

Betsy Williams

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Wabanaki Awareness

Contact: Cathey Cyrus,

Check out the WFJ Wabanaki Awareness Group’s new bulletin board in the vestibule! We hope the information there will help deepen our understanding of our shared colonial history and its impact on all of us as we continue to live in community with our Wabanaki neighbors.

Each month a new question will be posted, and the answer to the question can be found in the displayed poster from the Pejepscot Portage Mapping Project.

To find out the answer, click here.

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Brunswick Area Teen Center

New Faces and Teen Center Traditions

With each new school year, we welcome wave after wave of newcomers, as friends of current members spread the word about our center. Sometimes it feels like a dozen new students are filling out paperwork every other day. Fortunately, our Teen Center veterans are always ready to help. Many teens have taken on the role of tour guide,
enthusiastically showing the newbies around and explaining the rules and registration forms. Next year, we may need to provide some formal training for our tour guides, as several of their tours seem to focus mainly on where to find the food!

Looking Ahead: Friendsgiving

As the holiday season gets underway, we’re getting ready for one of our favorite traditions: Friendsgiving. On this special day, we invite as many kids as possible to join us in the kitchen for cooking and baking, then gather to share a meal together. This year, it’s been a pleasant surprise to see the kids asking about Friendsgiving so early
and offering suggestions for improvement. While everyone has different ideas about side dishes and desserts, one thing is clear—they’re unanimous in wanting perogies as the main course again. Although it’s uncertain how many years it takes for a dish to become a tradition, perogies seem well on their way to earning that status at the Teen
Center. Hopefully, last year’s extensive cleanup won’t become a recurring tradition!

Holiday Party and Community Support

No discussion of the holiday season would be complete without mentioning our annual holiday party. The kids are already excited about the prospect of receiving gift bags again this year, and we’re happy to say it’s a definite yes! We’re still gathering ideas for what to include, but there will certainly be fun socks, fidget toys, candy, and a gift card in each bag. Our goal is to hand out another 100 bags this year, and we’ll need plenty of support to make it happen. If you’d like to help, we’re accepting donations of the mentioned items or monetary contributions to support the holiday party shopping. For questions or to get involved, please contact us at .

Taylor and the Teens

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LGBTQIA+ Focus Groups

Contact: Kathy Glennon,

The LGBTQI+ focus group is looking for new members. We welcome any and all members of the congregation who want to support in whatever ways possible members of our LGBTQI+ communities. Email  if you are interested.

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Gun Violence Safety and Awareness

Contact: Lynn Ellis,

The Gun Violence Education and Awareness focus group of WFJSG has been tirelessly advocating for gun safety legislation and providing gun violence prevention education for over ten years. Efforts have garnered a few favorable bills. Over the past 5 years, the group has partnered with Maine Gun Safety Coalition with active involvement by UUCB members as well as a dedicated group of MUUSAN members. This past year the focus became a Referendum to pass a true Red Flag/ERPO measure. And WE did! On November 4 Mainers voted in favor of Question 2 by 63%. There continues to be an ongoing need to pursue more legislation, however, right now we are celebrating a resounding success in the passage of this referendum. Thank you to everyone who was involved. — Lynn Ellis

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Housing
WFJSG Welcomes New Focus Group

Contact: Jaki Ellis,

Working for Justice Steering Group is happy to welcome a new Housing focus group to our circle. This group will be led by Jaki Ellis, who is the liaison between UUCB and the Southern Maine Housing Collaborative. The new Housing focus group will encompass Tedford Housing and Habitat for Humanity. Jaki is one of two representatives of Tedford Housing on the Housing Collaborative team. There will be more information in the January Parish Messenger including a report on what has been accomplished locally this past year and recent housing initiatives approved by Governor Mills.

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December Art Show:  Marli Thibodeau

Marli Thibodeau (b. 1964) is a contemporary artist born in the Hudson Valley in New York, where she began her love affair with art, nature, and dance.  Influenced by the natural world and the lineage of Abstract Expressionism, she informed her direction towards non-objective paintings.

Mostly self-taught, her study of art and movement creates a colorful choreography in her work.  In 2015, with photographer Karen Divine, she conceived the ‘Being Set Free’ project, a global multidisciplinary collaboration of artist.

She immerses in the beauty of the world around her and makes an inquiry into self-discovery through movement and visual art; curious about how our interior world informs outward expression.

Thibodeau maintains a year-round studio in Rockland, Maine.  Her work has been exhibited in the Northeast and is held in private collections in U.S. and Europe.

Contemporary art by Marli Thibodeau

Please take some time to enjoy the artwork in Fellowship Hall. Each month the Gallery Committee installs a new exhibit.  FMI: contact Joanne Allen,

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Deadline for January Parish Messenger

Please send your content to: on or before Sat, December 20. Thanks!