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Unfortunately, email scams targeting churches and faith communities have become increasingly common. In many cases, scammers create email accounts that appear to be from ministers, staff members, or church leaders and then send messages asking for a favor, gift cards, money, or other assistance. Please remember: Rev. Chris and other First Church leaders will never email you asking for a vague or urgent favor, gift cards, cash, wire transfers, or sensitive personal information, especially without context. Scammers often rely on creating a sense of urgency. They may ask you to reply quickly, keep the request confidential, or purchase something on behalf of the church. These messages can look convincing and may even include a leader's name or photo. If you receive an unexpected email that seems unusual: Do not click any links or open attachments. Do not reply to the email, even to ask if it is legitimate. Do not send money, gift card numbers, passwords, or personal information. Check the sender's email address carefully. Contact the church office or the person directly using contact information you already know, not information provided in the suspicious email. When in doubt, assume the message may be fraudulent until confirmed otherwise. Replying to a scam email can let scammers know that your email address is active and may lead to additional scam attempts. If you receive a suspicious message claiming to be from Rev. Chris or another church leader, please contact the church directly for verification: office@uubelmont.org tsummerhayes@uubelmont.org cjablonski@uubelmont.org Our church community thrives because we trust one another. Scammers know this and try to take advantage of that trust. A healthy dose of caution helps protect both you and our congregation. In community, Raeann

Thanks to all for a successful FY26 Annual Meeting! Our FY27 budget was approved, the slate of candidates was approved, and we're well-positioned for an exciting FY27! Here's a link to the slides presented at the meeting: 2026 FCB Annual Meeting.pdf

The form to register young people for next school year's Religious Exploration Program is open! This form is also used to sign up for the Children's Choir. Sign up here: tinyurl.com/BelmontRE26

Join us from September 18-20 for an intergenerational weekend on Lake Winnipesaukee, NH. Families and individuals travel by ferry and stay in cabins lakeside. Meals are in the Dining Hall, and activities abound-water sports, field games, campfire with songs and stories, worship service on Sunday, arts and crafts! Register today at https://tinyurl.com/SI-Registrations-2026

Hello Families, This Sunday, June 7th, we have Outdoor Multigenerational Worship! Children can participate in worship outdoors with the rest of the congregation, or they can go downstairs to the RE rooms where there will be childcare offered. Special Announcement: Sign up for next year's program! The school year is approaching its end, and it's time to look forward to next year. I am excited to announce that registration is open for next year's Religious Education program! For information on next year's programs, check out our website. We are launching a new combined registration form with the Music Program. You have one form to fill out to sign your kids up for BOTH the Children's Choir and Religious Education. Here is the link to register. Upcoming Events June 14th -- Credo Celebration Sunday and Church Picnic. Our 9th Graders have spent this year completing our Coming Of Age Program. Join us to hear their Credo Statements and celebrate them as they come of age! Worship is multigenerational and childcare will be offered. We invite you to stay after for our end-of-year celebration with burgers, hot dogs, salads, and a raffle! Sign up to help with the pinic here. Volunteering opportunities Bring a snack for coffee hour! The sign-up is here. Volunteer or bring food for the end-of-year picnic! Sign up here. Schedule of upcoming RE Sundays: June 14th -- Credo Celebration Multigenerational Service at 10:30am June 21st -- “Meeting the Shadow” with Rachel Greenberger at 10am June 28th -- “Sound Faith and a Becoming Zeal” with Louise Smith-Erb at 10am July 5th -- “How Can I Keep From Singing” with Valentin Frank at 10am As always, your RE staff are here to support your family. If there is anything we can do for you, don't hesitate to reach out.

We are so excited to be launching new Small Group Ministries this Fall! This program will run from October through May. Small groups will meet every two weeks for 8 months for a total of 15 sessions (eg: first/third Mondays, second/fourth Wednesdays). Groups will naturally sunset at the end of the year. If a group would like to continue to meet after the program year, that may be an option, depending on the group and the facilitator. This is an option, but not an expectation. Participating in a Small Group Ministry is a beautiful way to meet and connect with other community members, reflect on your spirituality, wrestle with big questions, share from your heart, receive support, and listen to others. Groups will meet for 90 minutes and have a covenant. Each meeting will have a specific topic and will begin with a check-in (such as "How have you been doing since we last met?"), a series of readings or poems, then members are invited to share their thoughts or reflections on the topic. These groups focus on deep listening and humble sharing. We will coordinate groups that meet in person and over Zoom. And at various times of the day. Groups will be formed based on day/week availability. We are also looking for facilitators! Facilitation is easy, lateral, and fun. Rev Martha will provide a full packet of facilitation guides. Additionally, our Small Group Ministry team will host a facilitator training in September for anyone who is interested. We encourage you to consider facilitating a group, it is a joyful way to volunteer. Registration is open from June to August and will close in September. After you register, please be patient as you wait to be connected with a Small Group. Matching will begin in August and groups will be announced in September and launch in October. Contact Rev Martha with additional questions about the program.

Many Grow Clinic families experience food insecurity during the summer months when children are not receiving food assistance in school. Our food drive helps Grow Clinic families so they can focus on caring for their newborn infants with failure to thrive. A cash donation on June 7, at the Grow Clinic table is also welcome! Top family food items: PediaSure (with fiber) Canned beans (black, red, white) Canned tuna, salmon, chicken, beef Dried fruit (craisins, apricots, raisons, dates) Canned fruit Fruit jelly or preserves High fiber pasta Most needed baby supplies: Fortini formula – top needed item Gerber graduate meals Stage 3 and 4 baby foods Flintstones complete chewable vitamins with iron and zinc Poly-vi-sol with iron- liquid Tri-vi-sol with iron- liquid Diapers, Sizes 2 & 3 in greatest demand. But all sizes welcome Pull Ups - all sizes Wipes (non-scented) Spoons for babies, spoons and forks for toddlers Feel free to drop supplies off with Gloria the Giraffe in the Lower Gathering Hall between now and June 7th!

Hello Families, This Sunday, May 31st, we have Multigenerational Worship! Children can participate in worship with the rest of the congregation, or they can go downstairs to the RE rooms where there will be childcare offered. Special Announcement: Sign up for next year's program! The school year is approaching its end, and it's time to look forward to next year. I am excited to announce that registration is open for next year's Religious Education program! For information on next year's programs, check out our website. We are launching a new combined registration form with the Music Program. You have one form to fill out to sign your kids up for BOTH the Children's Choir and Religious Education. Here is the link to register. Upcoming Events May 31st -- Belmont PRIDE. Join us for the Belmont Pride Parade and 25th Anniversary Celebration! The parade will be short route down Concord Avenue and through Belmont Center, followed by live music by the Freedom Trail Band, children's activities, community group tables, and cake and ice cream. Sunday, May 31st at 12:45 pm on the Town Green next to First Church. The parade starts at 1:00 pm. Click here for more information or to donate. May 31st at 4:00PM -- Ordination of Kyle Belmont! In Unitarian Universalism, only the congregation can ordain a minister. On this day, along with the Watertown UU Church we have the opportunity to bless Kyle and acknowledge his call to ministry. June 14th -- Credo Celebration Sunday and Church Picnic. Our 9th Graders have spent this year completing our Coming Of Age Program. Join us to hear their Credo Statements and celebrate them as they come of age! Worship is multigenerational and childcare will be offered. We invite you to stay after for our end-of-year celebration with burgers, hot dogs, salads, and a raffle! Sign up to help with the pinic here. Volunteering opportunities Bring a snack for coffee hour! The sign-up is here. Volunteer or bring food for the end-of-year picnic! Sign up here. Schedule of upcoming RE Sundays: June 7th -- Outdoor Multigenerational Service at 10:30 June 14th -- Credo Celebration Multigenerational Service at 10:30 As always, your RE staff are here to support your family. If there is anything we can do for you, don't hesitate to reach out.

Hello Families, This Sunday, May 24th, we have Multigenerational Worship! Children can participate in worship with the rest of the congregation, or they can go downstairs to the RE rooms where there will be childcare offered. Special Announcement: Sign up for next year's program! The school year is approaching its end, and it's time to look forward to next year. I am excited to announce that registration is open for next year's Religious Education program! For information on next year's programs, check out our website. We are launching a new combined registration form with the Music Program. You have one form to fill out to sign your kids up for BOTH the Children's Choir and Religious Education. Here is the link to register. Upcoming Events May 31st -- Belmont PRIDE. Join us for the Belmont Pride Parade and 25th Anniversary Celebration! The parade will be short route down Concord Avenue and through Belmont Center, followed by live music by the Freedom Trail Band, children's activities, community group tables, and cake and ice cream. Sunday, May 31st at 12:45 pm on the Town Green next to First Church. The parade starts at 1:00 pm. Click here for more information or to donate. Volunteering opportunities Bring a snack for coffee hour! The sign-up is here. Schedule of upcoming RE Sundays: May 31st -- Multigenerational Service at 10:30 June 7th -- Multigenerational Service at 10:30 June 14th -- Multigenerational Service at 10:30 As always, your RE staff are here to support your family. If there is anything we can do for you, don't hesitate to reach out.

Welcome to the monthly feature: a brief report on what your Parish Board is thinking and talking about: For this month’s “deep dive,” Tracey shared an overview/update of the myriad operational and administrative areas she touches in her role, and how she is carefully tending to responsiveness, efficiency, and consistency. And she mentioned that attendance at our services continues to grow! Heard a thorough overview from Ian regarding the music program’s finances, including sources of revenue (there are six distinct funds!) and expenses, including where increases are projected, and savings are being achieved. Treasurer Roger Gallagher reviewed the monthly financial report with specific attention paid to where costs increased (snow removal!) and led a discussion of the proposed FY2027 budget, which is balanced thanks in large part to a robust stewardship campaign as well as a recommendation from the Finance Committee for a modest increase of the endowment contribution, which the Board then approved. Also discussed preparations for the May 17 Financial Town Hall at which many more financial details will be shared. Rev. Chris shared a quick update on pending grant applications: Lilly Endowment decision expected on August 28 and UUA decision early summer on his sabbatical plans, and UUA decision also early summer on the Legacy of Slavery project. Touched on preparations for the June 7 annual meeting, including the formal call, which you can expect to hear soon! Discussed the status of plans for the community fridge, which are continuing, and the team’s need for some last-minute financial admin support, which First Church had to decline due to the lack of lead time. Approved the proposed creation of an ad hoc subcommittee to develop and document policies when needed, and affirmed the need for discretion so as not to overdo it on the development of policies that are not essential and not likely to be consistently followed. Approved proposed changes to our Safe Congregations Policy to bring us into compliance with insurance requirements, with a commitment to develop and implement timely plans for operationalizing the changes. With appreciation to all, Bruce Kozuma, President; Nicole Griffin, Vice President; Roger Gallagher, Treasurer; Peter Whitmer, Clerk; Laura Caputo, Gabby Garschina-Bobrow, Eleanor Hobbs, John Howe, Sara Oaklander, Heather Quay, Donna Ruvolo, and Laurie Graham (ex-officio)

Our Lost & Found is full of water bottles, winter layers, glasses, and even a key fob. Please check for missing items by Sunday, June 14. All unclaimed items will be donated after that date. The Lost & Found is located just outside the church office on the lower level.

Beginning the week of June 14, summer drop-in office hours will be Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday from 10:00 am - 1:00 pm. Appointments are also available outside of those hours. Please reach out to your Congregational Administrator, Tracey Summerhayes, at office@uubelmont.org if you would like to schedule a time to meet.