Weekly News - April 24, 2025 - Unitarian Universalist Society of Mill Creek

Posted on April 24, 2025 Posted By: Office Administrator Categories: News

Unitarian Universalist Society of Mill Creek
We are a community that invites you to awaken to love.

Here’s what’s happening at Mill Creek:

** Congregational Life
————————————————————

** Upcoming events, meetings and news to know
————————————————————

** See you this Saturday at the Spring Fling!
————————————————————
Your FINAL Service Auction Checklist

✓ Proxy Bidding: If you’re unable to attend the auction but would still like to bid, email David Bonner HERE (mailto:david@dlsk.net) with the item number(s) you’re interested in (view the final catalog below), and your maximum bid amount.

✓
Tickets: Available at the door, $20 cash or check.

✓ Silent Auction Drop Offs: Donations for the silent auction may be dropped off this Friday, April 25 between 9:30am and 11:30am when the team will be on-site setting things up. Please do NOT wait to bring your donation(s) with you on auction day!

✓
Final Catalog: Click the link below for the final catalog with all items & services available for bidding at the silent and live auctions. Paper copies will be available at the auction.

✓
50/50 Tickets: Sold a the auction – CASH ONLY.

✓ Checkbook: Purchases at the auction MUST be made with CASH or CHECK – remember to bring your checkbook!
Click HERE for FINAL service auction catalog – over 100 Items!! (https://mcusercontent.com/8c80a09d53a8aec43de675d26/files/dc64d040-b586-9412-21f7-bff410214203/2025_Service_Auction_Offerings_final.pdf)

** Sunday Worship Service Information
April 27, 2025
10:30 am
————————————————————
Each week we lift up our personal and communal joys and concerns in worship. In this time, how do we hold onto and celebrate our joy? Join Rev. Schmidt for his sermon, “Our Joys, Our Concerns.”

Music for this service will be performed by returning musician Joanna McCoskey Wiltshire, a clarinetist, educator, performer, and conductor based in Wilmington, DE. She is on the clarinet faculty at the Music School of Delaware and most recently taught at the University of Delaware (UD). She is currently ABD as a DMA candidate at UNC Greensboro studying clarinet performance. Joanna currently serves as the Delaware State Chair for the International Clarinet Association. In 2020, Joanna completed a Post-Baccalaureate Certificate in Clarinet Performance from UNC Greensboro. Joanna received M.M. degrees in Clarinet and Wind Conducting Performance in 2018 from UD. Prior to returning to school for her Master’s, Joanna was a middle school band director at Seaford Middle School in Seaford, DE. She also received her B.M. in Music Education from UD in 2014. During her time there, Joanna served as the principal clarinetist of both the Wind Ensemble and Symphony Orchestra, along with conducting the UD
Collegiate Band, Wind Ensemble, Symphonic Band and Clarinet Ensemble.
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)

Meeting ID: 978 0642 7419

** Needles Needed
————————————————————
Pictured here: One of Our Blueberry Bushes in Need of Pine Needle Mulch
Needless to say, our need for needles is great. We wouldn’t be needlessly asking unless this was quite important. We don’t want to have to needle anyone to make this happen!

We have five small Blueberry plants in the Kid’s Garden. Blueberries are acid-loving plants, so if we can come up with a bag or two of pine needles (they tend to be acidic), we can create excellent soil to grow our Blueberries. We want our kids to eat nutritious food, and blueberries, especially fresh off the plant, are considered a “super food” in terms of nutrition. So, if you have a pine or other evergreen tree in your yard, and if you can spare some of the needles, just drop them in the Kid’s Garden area and they will be put to good use. Thank you very mulch!

** FREE Jazz Concert!
————————————————————

**
Food Drive Continues
————————————————————

Our support of the Food Bank of Delaware continues with a donation drive. We are collecting their most-needed items, including hot & cold cereals; peanut butter; canned fruits, meats, and vegetables; rice; and pasta.

The Social Justice Committee has provided a donation bin in the gathering space to collect the items mentioned above. Please help us to help our less fortunate neighbors.

** Join the Emergency Response Team –
Help Keep Our Church Safe
————————————————————

Preparedness saves lives, and here at UUSMC, we are taking important steps to ensure the safety and well-being of our congregation. Our newly developing Emergency Response Team (ERT) is committed to preparing for a wide range of potential emergencies—from medical situations and severe weather to fire or security threats. This dedicated team will lead risk assessments, create communication and evacuation plans, coordinate with local emergency services, and ensure our congregation is trained and informed.

We invite you to be a part of this vital ministry. Whether you have medical training, security experience, communication skills, or simply a desire to help, your involvement can make a real difference. Together, through planning, training, and teamwork, we can build a safer and more resilient church community. If you’re interested in joining the ERT or learning more, please reach out—we’d love to have you on the team. Contact Matt Nolan or Steve Selph at board@uusmc.org (mailto:board@uusmc.org) for more details.

** Non-Violence 101 Workshop
————————————————————
Register for this workshop HERE (https://firstu.churchcenter.com/registrations/events/2886225)

** Current Share Our Plate Recipient
————————————————————

We regularly donate a half of our undesignated plate collection to a local charity or non-profit organization. For the months of March and April we are supporting:

Moms Demand Action – Delaware Chapter
A Volunteer Chapter in Every State

Moms Demand Action is a grassroots volunteer movement of Americans working for public safety measures that can protect people from gun violence. They work to pass stronger gun laws and close the loopholes that jeopardize the safety of our families. Moms Demand Action is a part of Everytown for Gun Safety, the largest gun violence prevention organization in the country with nearly 11 million supporters. Our donation will support the legislative advocacy fund, “Everytown for Gun Safety Action Fund.”
Learn more about Moms Demand Action HERE (https://www.everytown.org/state/delaware/)
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
————————————————————

Wednesday Evening Meadow Maintenance
The Land Stewards have resumed their weekly evening work efforts every Wednesday around 5:30pm, weather permitting. You don’t need to be a meadow worker bee to come out and enjoy some social time with us in the meadow. – everyone is welcome to simply walk around and enjoy our natural native habitat.

You don’t have to pull weeds either! We’ve put together a list of suggestions for ways anyone can help – from minimal effort, to moderate activity, to using shovels and pulling weeds. Check it out by clicking the button below.
Learn more – click HERE (https://www.uusmc.org/wp-content/uploads/How-to-Support-Our-Natural-Lands-1.pdf)

The D & D role-playing game is about storytelling in worlds of swords and sorcery.

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, April 27; May 11 & 25 at 12 pm in classroom 1. Occurs every 2 weeks on Sundays. Questions? Contact Tom Vincent (mailto:trv302@outlook.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 a Zoom or in-person meeting, click the button below:
Connect with Rev. Christian HERE (https://calendar.google.com/calendar/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

Margaret Borror, Faith Exploration Teacher
Sundays, and by appointment
dre@uusmc.org (mailto:dre@uusmc.org)
Connect with the UUA, Delmarva Cluster, and Central East Region

** A Bold Future for Unitarian Universalism
————————————————————

Outlining a bold vision for the future of Unitarian Universalism, 20 leaders issue a clarion call for change. In inspiring, fresh essays, they implore us to collectively liberate ourselves from patterns that prevent us from becoming a robust faith for a new age. Turning Point shows a way forward, by embracing promises shaped from our theology: generosity, pluralism, and imagination. With essays that include the stories of creative new types of Unitarian Universalist communities across the country, this essential new collection outlines a liberal faith for the twenty-first century. It offers a vision of an inclusive, multicultural Beloved Community and inspires trust that Unitarian Universalism can deepen and grow once again, meeting the aching needs of a new generation. Available from inSpirit: UU Book & Gift Shop. Click the link below to learn more and to purchase.
Click HERE to learn more (https://www.uuabookstore.org/Turning-Point-P17720.aspx?_gl=1*1oplotv*_ga*NzE1NDE5MTk0LjE3NDU0MjM1MDM.*_ga_CN7F7RET4F*MTc0NTUxNjU1MS41LjEuMTc0NTUxNjY1OC4wLjAuMA..)

** Opportunities for Connection: Central East Region Update
————————————————————
APRIL 2025

Featured Resource:
The Gathering
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 (https://www.uua.org/central-east/blog/opportunities-425)

Our mailing address is:
*|LIST_ADDRESS|* *|END:IF|*

Want to change how you receive these emails?
You can ** update your preferences (*|UPDATE_PROFILE|*)
or ** unsubscribe from this list (*|UNSUB|*)
.

*|IF:REWARDS|* *|REWARDS_TEXT|* *|END:IF|*

Weekly News – April 24, 2025

Weekly News – April 24, 2025