This Thursday,

there will be no weekly email because all of the information is provided in the newsletter below.

Our Mission Statement

As a welcoming congregation, we work and worship together to become people of open minds, loving hearts, and helping hands.

We honor the transformative power of love in our individual lives and broader communities.

APRIL 2026

April 5

"The Passion of the Oppressed"

Clint Tawes

What happens when we see the cross not only as a religious symbol but as a reminder of how societies treat the vulnerable? This sermon explores how the story of the crucifixion—and the hope that follows it—speaks to justice, compassion, and the dignity of every human life.

April 12

"The Small Hands that Carry Us"

Mortimer MacArthur

What does it mean to minister to ourselves as members of a faith that highlights pluralism and interdependence side-by-side? What is beloved community, anyway? How do we encourage love at the center of all we do when we may have different ideas of what that means? Maybe the answer is in the heart of doing the next right thing.

April 19

"Taking Joy In: A Necessary Practice for Our Time"

Rev. Samara Powers

The soul of the world is made to ebb and flow: Seasons, Power, Relationships, Emotions. This sermon uses the example of seasonal change as wisdom text for finding our balance amid the changing tides of our times.

April 26

"Recovering from Religious Trauma, Reclaiming Agency AND Spiritual Community"

Rev. Samara Powers

This gentle, no-indoctrination service will offer an invitational space to reconnect to what is sacred in your life. It will explore the concept of religious trauma, and how and why it is shaping so many of our modern church experiences. Opportunities for shared reflection and suggested resources for beginning or continuing your own healing journey will be shared.

WE ARE NOW LIVESTREAMING OUR SERVICE ON OUR FACEBOOK PAGE

You will be able to access our service online here at: https://www.facebook.com/UUStatesboro/

NOTE: If a box pops up requesting that you log into Facebook and you do not want to log in, you can click the X in the top right corner of the box. You will then be able to access the live stream without logging into Facebook.

CLICK LINK ABOVE TO ACCESS VIDEOS OF PAST SERVICES.

Also, this link is available on the UUFS website on both the HOME page and

THIS MONTH'S SERVICES page.

Maybe it’s a vocational hazard (or maybe it’s the time of year), but I end up thinking a lot about beginnings and endings. Whether in our personal lives, in our community, or in our nation and world, beginnings and endings are everywhere. They are a simple fact of life.

That means the transitional spaces between them are there, too, the processes move from beginnings to endings to new beginnings again. The early excitement of a new project or relationship amplifies excitement in a way we hope will last forever, or a painful conclusion breaks your heart in a way that feels like it will take forever to get past. Like the saying “This, too, shall pass,” taking a moment to reflect on the bigger picture may offer some valuable steadiness to your spirit.

Nervous system regulation can be a valuable tool to accomplish this, especially in an era of rising global authoritarianism that weaponizes our own nervous systems against us to keep us off balance, anxious, and reactive….and feeling isolated. To reclaim your sense of Self, either to reject this weaponization, or even just to navigate the ups and downs of life, is a liberatory act. Grounding yourself even for a moment – in awareness of the Earth beneath you, or the peaceful swaying of a tree line, or taking a few conscious, slow breaths – improves your resilience and your capacity to connect with yourself and others meaningfully. It can also help you live more deeply into your values (rather than in reactivity), and it might even help you trust the processes that are unfolding, always unfolding in our lives. Rest and restoration are huge parts of this, the ebb part of any tide. Finding courage to move through necessary pain or uncertainty. Finding moments of joy and connection are, too.

What tools do you use to reclaim a sense of your Self in times of stress and change? (When’s the last time you used them?) Whether you think of it in terms of nervous system regulation, or mindfulness, or whatever, these practices help us come back to the sense that, whatever comes, we’ve got this, because we’ve got each other.

Yours in witness and with-ness,

Rev. Samara

Samara Powers (they/none)

Unitarian Universalist Minister

UUFS Phone#: 912.208.9917 (Option 2)

"Justice is what love looks like in public." Dr. Cornel West

*Generally, if someone indicates “none” here it means to use a name instead of a pronoun for that person. For example, “Fenwick wants you to refer to Fenwick by name instead of using any pronouns when speaking about Fenwick.” If someone indicates more than one type of pronouns choice here, usually that means either way is suitable/welcomed.

Some of you may be aware that, last month, we received Logan Josey's regrets about no longer being able to serve in his capacity as board treasurer. We were sad to hear this, grateful for the time that he did serve, and applaud his courage in making the hard decision to resign to be able to fulfill his other life commitments. We wish you the best of luck, Logan!

In the meantime, we are happy to announce that, since then, May Armstrong has agreed to serve as our interim treasurer instead, and, with the rest of the board's full approval and gratitude, resigned as vice president to immediately transition into the treasurer role. Teresa Winn has also kindly offered to continue for a time as support person until May can get situated into her new role, to ensure a smooth transition in the financial stewardship of the church. This is really going above and beyond, and we are so grateful to Teresa for her commitment to the well-being of our community!

Then, to fill the recently vacated vice president role, we invited and received the agreement for Mary Angelo to join the board as interim vice president. (These positions are called "interim" because the board has executive power to fill any board positions that may become vacant mid-term, between congregational elections. Both May and Mary are fully authorized to complete the remaining length of their respective terms). Thank you so much, Mary! We're looking forward to working with you.

If you have any treasurer or finance related questions, please direct them to our UUFStreasurer@gmail.com email address, as both May and Teresa have access to it and can respond. It will also allow for more continuity in financial matters long-term, as that email address provides a helpful record of financial communications for all treasurers moving forward. For any other church or board-related matters that are not financial, you can reach out to us at the usual StatesboroUU@gmail.com address. Thank you in advance for helping us keep things organized!

With gratitude for all who are serving to support our church in ways big and small,

Board President, on behalf of Mary, Kathy, May, and Al

Come for Fun and Fundraising!!

We will share our parking lot Saturday April 11 with members of a local Moms' group for a Community Yard Sale event. Mark the date and save your still useful, unwanted items to sell from 8am-12noon that day. Our guests and UU members are invited to contribute a portion of their proceeds back to UUFS.

Contact Kathy Smith for more info.

kamas1950@gmail.com

912-865-5360

MINISTERIAL LEADERSHIP ANNOUNCEMENT

On February 22, the Board and Rev. Samara announced that, after a good faith effort and a meaningful discernment process, they both decided that there will not be a contract renewal with Rev. Samara for next year, as it became clear that our ministry paths would diverge. This is a poignant but honest evaluation, and we will surely miss each other next year! Rev. Samara will complete their one-year contract at the end of July. Between now and then, the community will work with Rev. Samara's support and guidance to prepare for the next stage of UUFS's ministry. Please contact the Board or Samara if you have questions, or feel free to view the FB post announcement for additional details (you can ask to join the FB group if you haven't already).

DEVELOPMENTAL OFFICE HOURS

WITH REV. SAMARA

Are you part of a team (or want to be!), but need a little help getting organized or figuring out your next moves?

Rev. Samara will be hosting weekly Strategy Session office hours on Tuesday nights from 7-8:30pm on their personal Zoom Room: www.tinyurl.com/rev-samara-meeting - Feel free to drop in anytime in that window!

Note: These are not pastoral office hours. Please contact the Samara, Shari or Michael to schedule an individual pastoral care appointment.

PASTORAL CARE

To leave a message for one of our

Pastoral Care Associates,

please call

(912) 208-9917, Ext 1 or 2

Shari Barr (Ext 1)

Pastoral Care Associate

sharirb@aol.com

Michael Williams (Ext 1)

Pastoral Care Associate

mwilliams1220@gmail.com

Rev. Samara Powers (Ext 2)

spowers@uuma.org

What Is Pastoral Care
(and Do I Need It)?

Pastoral Care is spiritual companionship or compassionate, non-judgmental presence given by one person (a care-giver) to another (care-seeker). It is not the same as therapy. Folks may find it valuable in times of challenge or transition, spiritual discernment, or during seasons of life stress. It may help you feel more connected and spiritually centered, and it's available free of charge for Members and Committed Friends of UUFS!

Simply reach out to Rev. Samara, Shari Barr or Mike Williams, to ask questions or schedule a session by phone, zoom, or in-person (as schedules allow). They can also assist you with scheduling an individual pastoral care appointment.

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