Read our latest announcement.
Unitarian Universalist Society of Mill Creek
We are a community that invites you to awaken to love.
IN THIS ISSUE
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Here’s what’s happening at Mill Creek:
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** Congregational Life
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** Upcoming events, meetings and news to know
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** Sunday Worship Service Information
September 1, 2024
10:30 am
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Join us this Sunday when we welcome guest speaker Sister Teresa Muhammad. Teresa’s message, “The Time to Be Born” is a brief look at the process of birth from conception to new life, the role of the midwife, and the community as a whole, with the intention of bringing a special understanding of the gift of life to everyone.
Sister Teresa Muhammad is a Traditional Doula who is committed to connecting black and indigenous families to the roots of their cultures and traditions, supporting families with compassionate care throughout the full circle of life from birth to the end of life and everything in between. Co-founder of Black & Indigenous Birthworkers of Delaware (BIBDE), a birth worker collective, providing full home birth midwifery support, hospital and birth center doula support. BIBDE provides community resources in collaboration with Ubuntu Black Family Wellness Collective where Sister Teresa sits on the Board of Directors as Vice President and Community Doula Program Coordinator.
Beyond her self-study, Teresa Muhammad has been professionally trained in several areas as a Doula, Maternal Health Consultant, Community Health Worker, Master Gardener, Ethnobotanist, PAIL Advocate (Pregnancy And Infancy Loss), Diaspora Death Doula, and currently an apprenticing and matriculating Midwife. She is also the visionary and creator of The Womb Centre, a self-care healing space that provides traditional and natural modalities of care in an environment that supports mental wellbeing. The Womb Centre offers workshops and training on a wide range of areas including doula training, nutrition kitchen, gardening and food preservation, maternal health, childbirth education, teen girls’ hygiene and etiquette, and more. Whether in the office or at her client’s home, The Centre’s services include womb steam, foot detox, bone closing ceremony, grounding and meditation, and natural wellness.
Music for this service will be performed by returning guest musician, composer, and guitarist Kevin J. Cope. Kevin has been the recipient of the Emerging and Established Professional Awards for Music Composition as well as the Emerging Professional Award for Music: Solo Recital from the Delaware Division of the Arts and was featured on the cover of Soundboard Magazine in their 40th Anniversary Edition with a focus on composition for the guitar. He is a University of Delaware graduate with master’s degrees in composition and guitar performance and has served as the president of the Philadelphia Classical Guitar Society, having recently ended his eight-year tenure. Kevin’s many compositions and two full recordings can be purchased at www.kevinjcope.com.
Connect with Us In-Person
* Service begins at 10:30 am
* Children’s RE programming is available for ages 4 and up
* Child Care available (infant/toddler, ages birth to 3)
Connect with Us Virtually
Here’s how to get the Zoom link for livestreaming the service:
* Click the link below: ‘Sunday Livestream’ (bookmark it on your preferred device for quick and easy access on Sunday morning); OR
* Get the link by accessing the church calendar (https://www.uusmc.org/news/calendar/) (https://www.uusmc.org/news/calendar (https://www.uusmc.org/news/calendar/) )
Sunday Livestream – CLICK HERE (https://zoom.us/j/97806427419)
** William (Bill) Headley Memorial Service this Sunday
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Everyone is welcome to attend a memorial service to remember and celebrate the life of Bill Headley, devoted husband of Mill Creek member Roberta Headley and loving father to member Diana Saunders (the full obituary can be read HERE (https://www.chandlerfuneralhome.com/obituaries/william-edward-headley/) .). The service will take place on Sunday, September 1, at 1pm followed by an informal reception.
** Office Closure
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The church office will be closed on Monday, September 2 for Labor Day.
** Habitat Presentation and Meadow Tour
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Natives Nurture: Supporting Heath, Wildlife, and Combat Climate Change, One Garden at a Time
Habitat Presentation and Meadow Tour
Saturday, September 7, 9 -11 am
Join us in the Mill Creek Meadow!
This family and kid friendly event is presented by the Delaware Nature Society and the Newark Interfaith Green Team. Native plants have been growing in popularity in recent years. Learn about why there is a call to action to garden with native plants and how you can make a difference by creating a wildlife habitat. Hear about the function and application of native plants in our environment and in various scenarios from urban pollinator gardens to schoolyards and the certified wildlife habitat program. Discuss practical ways to begin and maintain a native garden and expand the habitat over time.
Let us know you’ll be there by clicking the email link below to RSVP
(not required to attend, but very helpful – thank you!)
RSVP here (mailto:newarkinterfaithgreenteam@gmail.com)
** Mill Creek School Supplies Drive
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For our annual school supplies drive this year, we are partnering with Breaking Barriers, a nonprofit organization in Newark serving youth, adults, children with physical disabilities, senior citizens, and athletes. Our supplies collection and donation will benefit their partnership with local school districts and community-based organizations. Learn more about this organization HERE (https://breakingbarriersde.org/) .
We are collecting the following basic supplies: loose leaf paper, composition books, spiral notebooks, lead & color pencils, pens, markers, pencil boxes, pocket folders, and binders.
Supply lists are located in the gathering space.
Last day for collection: Sunday, September 8
Thank you for your support!
** Ways to Get More Involved at Church
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The Board of Trustees is actively searching for people to coordinate and/or participate in two very important areas of church life: Membership Committee, and the 2025 Generosity Campaign.
The Membership Committee plays an important role in welcoming visitors and new members, helping them feel involved, and promoting participation. Committee members greet visitors each Sunday and follow up, hold New Unitarian Universalist (UU) classes as well as membership ceremonies at least twice a year, help visitors and members find places to connect within the congregation, and maintain contact with friends and members who come irregularly.
Participation in the Membership Committee is an ongoing effort, whereas participation in the 2025 Generosity Campaign, the annual church pledge drive, requires a limited investment of time. It involves setting a goal and creating a plan for the campaign, promoting the drive, creatively engaging members and friends to make a pledge of support, and developing a plan for follow-up.
If you have an interest in either of these areas, or have questions, please see any board member, or send an email to board@uusmc.org (mailto:board@uusmc.org)
Why does the church need volunteers?
* volunteers are crucial to the operation and development of church communities
* volunteers provide essential support for many church operations
* they help maintain a welcoming and dynamic church atmosphere
* they promote spiritual growth
* they ensure the church lives its mission, AND…
* they meet the needs of the congregation
What will volunteering do for you?
* help boost your self esteem
* expand your connections with others
* teach new skills or allow you to use and sharpen the skills you already have
* set a good example by encouraging others to volunteer, AND…
* just make you feel good
Simply put:
WE CAN’T DO IT WITHOUT YOU
** Join Us for Ingathering
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Join us for the official start of a new church year next Sunday, September 8. We will celebrate with our water ceremony, when each of us is invited to bring a small amount of water from our home, travels, or other meaningful place, to be poured into a common bowl and blessed.
** Judy Cronin Memorial Service
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Our dear member, Judy Cronin, died very early on the morning of Tuesday, August 20, with her husband, Dick, and sons Robert and Steven with her. A number of members of Mill Creek had visited Judy in her final days while she was under hospice care. Judy and Dick were founding members of this congregation, and her loss will be felt greatly. (The full obituary can be read HERE (https://www.dohertyfh.com/obituary/Judith-Cronin) .)
Family and friends are invited to visit the Doherty Funeral Home, 3200 Limestone Road, Pike Creek, on Friday, September 6, 2024, from 5:00 pm to 7:00 pm.
A Celebration of Life Service for Judy will be held at Mill Creek on Saturday, September 21, at 10:30 am, with luncheon to follow.
In lieu of flowers, please consider donations to Delaware Hospice (https://delawarehospice.org/donate/) , Food Bank of Delaware (https://www.fbd.org/onlinedonations/) , or St. Jude’s Children’s Hospital (https://www.stjude.org/give/memorials-and-dedications.html?sc_icid=wtg-mm-memorial-giving) .
** Dinners for 7 are Back!
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The Fun & Fellowship Committee is pleased to announce the return of a favorite social activity. Dinners for 7 are potluck dinners hosted by members of the church at their home. Each dinner will have 7 participants and can be a mix of couples, singles, or families. It is a wonderful opportunity to get to better acquainted with each other in an intimate setting.
Our first dinner will take place on Friday, September 27. If you are interested in hosting or attending a dinner for 7, please see the sign-up sheet in the gathering space or reach out to the committee (click HERE (mailto:fellowship@uusmc.org) ) by September 1. See or contact Laura Bonner (mailto:laura@dlsk.net) with any specific questions.
** A word about scheduling meetings…
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A busy rental season will soon be upon us. We are contracted with the Music School of Delaware for private music lessons in the evenings throughout the week, beginning after Labor Day, with instructors and students in the building most evenings in different locations. We also have several private rental events scheduled.
If you have an upcoming event or meeting you’d like to have in the church building, it is very important that you contact the church office (mailto:administrator@uusmc.org) for scheduling in advance.
Thank you for your cooperation!
** Come to Our Autumn Equinox Celebration
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Questions? Contact Regina Guarino. (mailto:regina139@msn.com)
We celebrate the September Equinox as the first day of autumn for the Northern Hemisphere. It signifies a milestone in Earth’s orbit around the sun. At an equinox, the sun appears directly above Earth’s equator. At the September equinox, it’s crossing from north to south. The name equinox comes from the Latin aequus (equal) and nox (night). At the equinox, days and nights are said to be equal in length for everyone across the globe.
** Climate Justice Revival
at Mill Creek
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Join us for the first-ever UU Climate Justice Revival
Saturday and Sunday, September 28 & 29
Saturday will include about four hours of facilitated discussions and small breakout groups to imagine what our congregation can do in our work for Climate Justice. Sunday will include a multigenerational worship celebration and completion of our work that will describe the steps our congregation will take. Note that our work will mirror that of some 300 Unitarian Universalist congregations across the nation.
Please take a moment to listen and view to a brief invitation from our UUA President, the Reverend Dr. Sofia Betancourt – click the button below:
View Rev. Dr. Betancourt’s invitation HERE (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zI1x1T88j4g)
Our church leadership is investing time and energy to create a successful and fulfilling weekend. To that end, we request that you RSVP for this event – click the button below. It is not a requirement to attend, but it would be very helpful for planning purposes. We hope you will attend this very important and collaborative experience!
RSVP here – thank you! (https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSfg00bKPZVcBhO7czDZjC9cPaHPPEpc7cPe2qeUtYJgePMidA/viewform?pli=1)
** Current Share Our Plate Recipient
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We regularly donate a portion of our undesignated plate collection to a local charity or non-profit organization. For the months of September & October we are supporting:
Kennett Area Community Service
Strengthening the Southern Chester County community through food, housing, crisis services, and education
From their humble beginnings with a small food closet to their current campaign for a newly constructed building, this non-profit organization has been providing essential life-sustaining services to those in need for 70 years. This new building will feature conference rooms for a variety of workshops, respite services for the community, an expanded food distribution center, and more.
Learn more about Kennett Area Community Service HERE (https://kacsimpact.org/)
Support this organization with your online donation HERE. Be sure to select ‘Share Our Plate’ as the giving fund. Thank you! (https://onrealm.org/MillCreek/Give)
** **Recurring Events**
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A fantasy tabletop role-playing game
The Dungeons & Dragons role-playing game is about storytelling in worlds of sword and sorcery. It shares elements with childhood games of make-believe. Like those games, D&D is driven by imagination. It’s about picturing the towering castle beneath the stormy night sky and imagining how a fantasy adventurer might react to the challenges that scene presents.
Unlike a game of make-believe, D&D gives structure to the stories, a way of determining the consequences of the adventurers’ action. Players roll dice to resolve whether their attacks hit or miss or whether their adventurers can scale a cliff, roll away from the strike of a magical lightning bolt, or pull off some other dangerous task. Anything is possible, but the dice make some outcomes more probable than others.
In the Dungeons & Dragons game, each player creates an adventurer (also called a character) and teams up with other adventurers (played by friends). Working together, the group might explore a dark dungeon, a ruined city, a haunted castle, a lost temple deep in a jungle, or a lava-filled cavern beneath a mysterious mountain. The adventurers can solve puzzles, talk with other characters, battle fantastic monsters, and discover fabulous magic items and other treasure. All are welcome to join the group on Sunday, September 1 at 12 pm in classroom 1. Occurs every 2 weeks on Sundays. Questions? Contact Tom Vincent (mailto:trv302@outlook.com) .
Drum Circle: a group of people playing unrehearsed percussion music
A drum circle is a casual gathering where people play drums and other percussion instruments together to create a group rhythm. The goal is to bring people together to experience the positive benefits of playing unrehearsed music in the moment, and to connect with others through the beat. Drum circles are open to people of all ages and abilities, and no musical experience is required.
All are welcome to join in, no matter what your skill level is. Please bring your own instrument or use what we have available. Open to all ages from 0-94. Join the group on Saturday, September 14 at 4 pm in the sanctuary. Occurs monthly on second Saturdays. See or contact Sara Durham (mailto:saradurham88@gmail.com) with any questions.
** October Social Event – Save the Date!
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The Fellowship and Fun Committee is pleased to announce some exciting new features for Mill Creek’s bi-monthly Saturday night potluck dinners!
The committee will be assigning a theme to each of the 6 dinners. For each event, participants are asked to use a Sign-Up template to indicate what food item/s they will be contributing. [Note that this is free software, so there will be lots of ads to ignore.] Event posters will also have a QR code linking you to the template.
A CHILI COOK-OFF, our first themed potluck, takes place on Saturday, October 12 at 5 pm. We hope to have at least 4-6 participants prepare their signature chili dishes in hopes of winning our coveted “2024 Chili Master Extraordinaire” bragging rights. There will be voting! Please register your dinner contribution by clicking the button below (or see the poster in the gathering space for the QR code).
**ALERT**
If you will be attending the Drum Circle scheduled for the SAME DAY at 4 pm, please plan to stay for this exciting contest – and for good food and fellowship!
Register your Potluck Dish HERE (let us know what you will bring) (https://signup.com/client/invitation2/secure/781484364064/false#/invitation)
Have questions? Don’t want to bother with an online sign-up form? Contact the committee by email – CLICK HERE (mailto:fellowship@uusmc.org)
** Sound Bath Meditation
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Sound Bath Meditation is an ancient practice using instruments (gong, singing bowls, chimes and more) to create a soundscape that can help you relax and meditate. The power of the sound will bathe you and reverberate through your body, awaken your senses, help restore balance, relieve stress and anxiety, and create a soundscape that is both soothing and uplifting.
Jeff Brown returns to Mill Creek on September 16 at 7 pm for a one hour sound experience that is personal to each participant. Bring a yoga mat or blanket and a small pillow for your comfort. Seating is also available. Cost is $25 per person.
Register and make payment HERE (https://app.ubindi.com/Jeff.Brown)
Have questions? Contact Jeff Brown HERE (mailto:sotsministryde@gmail.com)
Realm is our church management software program. We use it exclusively for accounting, pledge data, membership, registration events, and more. Use the button below to access your Realm profile to make sure we have your most recent contact information, and make pledge payments and contributions.
Access your Realm profile HERE (https://onrealm.org/MillCreek/SignIn)
Fun fact: you can use Realm to set up recurring online monthly pledge payments using a credit card or your checking or savings account!
Mill Creek Staff
Rev. Christian Schmidt, Minister
In Office: Sundays & Tuesdays
minister@uusmc.org (mailto:minister@uusmc.org)
979-450-2477 (cell)
To request a teleconference, or an in-person or Zoom meeting with Rev. Christian – CLICK HERE (https://calendar.google.com/calendar/u/0/appointments/schedules/AcZssZ1ETx17XToDEx3GC5293hfnHTj-VJpBMu_m7SpHkuCcHozb-ceUiT3H-hDGLbziPku9hYBquodp)
Debra Damiani, Congregational Administrator
Monday 9 am to 2 pm, Monday-Thursday
administrator@uusmc.org (mailto:administrator@uusmc.org)
302-369-2712
Connect with the UUA, Delmarva Cluster, and Central East Region
** An Ingathering Message from Rev. Dr. Sofia Betancourt
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Sofia Betancourt, President of the Unitarian Universalist Association (UUA), shares greetings and welcome, as well as some of her deepest hopes for meeting the moment in the coming year. As Unitarian Universalists come together again in this time ingathering and renewal, may we remember that joining together in community is a significant expression of faithfulness in such divided times.
View and share the video, “Meeting the Moment”, HERE (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DcVF1pDMPlQ)
https://www.uua.org/central-east
**
Opportunities for Connection: Central East Region Update
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AUGUST 2024
Featured Resource:
Helpful Board Habits Training
The 1000+ Unitarian Universalist congregations in North America are grouped into 5 regions: Pacific Western, MidAmerica, Southern, Central East, and New England. The Unitarian Universalist Society of Mill Creek (UUSMC) is part of the Central East Region. To learn more about what’s happening in our region, click the button below.
Opportunities for Connection – click here to learn more (https://www.uua.org/central-east/blog/opportunities-824)
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