BANGOR – A handful of Bangor-area singers will join forces to support central Maine’s unique voice – WERU-FM (89.9 in Blue Hill and 102.9 in Bangor).

Larry Milder, Larry Latour and Kathryn King and the duo Jade will combine in a benefit concert for community radio station WERU, to be held at 7:30 p.m. Saturday at the Brick Church, 126 Union St.

Milder’s day job is as rabbi at Congregation Beth El in Bangor. But for the past 20 years, he’s also been a performer, first for a decade with the Boston-based Jewish rock band Elijah Rock, then for the past 10 years as a solo folk performer. He’s also an accomplished guitarist, who studied with champion flat-picking guitarist Orrin Star.

His music falls into the new Jewish music category, which is markedly different from klezmer, the Jewish music of which most are aware.

“Musicians [in new Jewish music] are recording songs that speak to them as Jews, whether it’s drawn from traditional text or from their own personal experiences, and they’re likely to draw on the type of music that they like to listen to.”

He added that mainstream musicians, such as ex-Steve Miller Band member Ben Sidran and ex-Jane’s Addiction front man Perry Farrell, also are exploring Jewish music.

Milder, 45, is realistic about his style of music.

“I have a strong bluegrass background, so the stuff I play is acoustic, with a strong focus on instrumental technique,” he said. “Also I tend to focus on more humorous material. I don’t take myself too seriously. There’s nothing esoteric or arty about [his music]. It’s immediately accessible and enjoyable.”

A glance at “Bible and Beyond,” his third album, illustrates this point well. There’s humorist Tom Lehrer’s “Hanukkah in Santa Monica” and the chestnut “Ac-cen-tu-ate the Positive.” Then there’s “Stairway to Shabbos,” an instrumental which mixes a well-known Hasidic melody with a Led Zeppelin classic.

Milder hesitated to speculate how his congregation felt about having a performing rabbi, then added, “For the congregation, it’s nice to see that their rabbi has a hobby, and a diverse range of interests. Otherwise I would be a duller rabbi. Also music is central to what I do in the congregation. I play guitar every week, and our worship is accessible, warm and friendly as a result. It’s a communal experience, quite different than when I’m performing.”

Milder estimated that he plays a dozen concerts a year. As an example, he recently played for the Union of American Hebrew Congregations national convention in Boston, followed by a set for New Year’s by the Bay in Belfast.

He tries to find time to write original songs, and often he writes while focusing on a specific task. An example is “My Hebrew Name,” from “Bible and Beyond,” which Milder wrote when he discovered that there was no song that provided a vehicle for children to declare their Hebrew names. That song is now circulating at Jewish religious schools around the country.

He also looks for cover songs that he can make his own.

“I’m picking up unusual material that other people wouldn’t think of,” he said. “My shows defy any category of what people would think of as Jewish music.”

Milder is happy to use his talents to help out WERU.

“Community radio deserves community support, because they do a huge service for the community at large,” he said. “They have such diverse programming, and put out music that wouldn’t otherwise get heard anywhere.”

Larry Latour and Kathryn King have been performing their acoustic harmonies together for the past six months. They feature original works along with the songs of Woody Guthrie, Pete Seeger and other folk musicians.

Latour has been performing his brand of contemporary folk in the mid-Maine area since 1985. King has recently begun playing her interpretations of traditional folk music.

Jade was formed in 2000 when two former high school classmates, Adele St. Pierre and Jason Mancine, discovered their mutual desire for creating and performing acoustic music.

Doors for the WERU benefit concert open at 6:30 p.m. Tickets are $5 for WERU members and $10 for the general public. The Union Street Brick Church is located next to the Penobscot Theatre, and is handicapped-accessible.