Here’s what’s happening at Mill Creek:
** Congregational Life
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** Upcoming events, meetings and news to know
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** SCHOOL SUPPLIES DRIVE 2026
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Now through Sunday, August 9
This year we are partnering with TJ’s Boxing Academy for school supplies collection and distribution.
Our cleaning contractor, Ted Johnson, is a former professional boxer and is the owner and operator of TJ’s Boxing Academy (https://www.tjboxingacademy.com/) on Ogletown Road in Newark where he offers boxing and fitness classes for adults and kids. Every year Ted has a big community event at his gym where he distributes bookbags and school supplies, and offers food and refreshments, fun activities for kids, etc. The date of the event is Saturday, August 15. Our collection of supplies is now through Sunday, August 9.
We are collecting the following basic supplies:
* Bookbags/backpacks, lunch bags (insulated)
* Loose leaf paper, composition books, spiral notebooks
* Pocket folders, binders
* Lead & color pencils, pencil sharpeners, pens, markers, highlighters
* Glue sticks, scissors
* Pencil cases
* Hand sanitizer
You may pick and choose any item(s) from the list, or other school supplies of your choosing. OR, gift cards from stores like Five Below, Dollar Tree, Walmart, etc., make wonderful contributions.
Donations can be brought to church now through Sunday, August 9. Look for the collection area in the gathering space.
Thank you for supporting Ted in his mission to help local students start the school year prepared for success!
** Faith Exploration Summer Activities
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Summer fun continues in the faith exploration classrooms!
August 2 – Ice Cream Day! It’s a repeat! In case anyone missed it, we want to be sure everyone has a chance to create their own ice cream concoctions.
August 9 – Soap Carving Day This fun event speaks for itself!
August 16 – Water Day Everyone’s favorite – come with sunscreen applied and swimsuits on (or other clothes you won’t mind getting wet).
August 23 – Potato Day We’ll be harvesting our crop, making potato dishes, and having fun with potato-themed activities.
August 30 – Tie-Dye Day Another messy but fun activity. We will provide a white t-shirt and all the colors.
WISH LIST:
We are looking for woodworking tools. If you have any that you would like to donate, bring them in any Sunday. Thank you!
** Mill Creek Earns Honor Congregation Designation Once Again
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Every congregation in the Unitarian Universalist Association (UUA) is asked to make a yearly pledge of support via the Annual Program Fund. It is the largest source of income for the work of the UUA and its congregations. For more than 25 years we have given our full requested support, earning Mill Creek an Honor Congregation designation for Fiscal Year 2026.
Learn more about the Annual Program Fund HERE (https://www.uua.org/finance/apf)
Our support of the Annual Program Fund would not be possible without the generous support of our members – THANK YOU.
** Upcoming Worship Events
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Wednesday Evening Taizé – Begins Wednesday, August 12 at 7pm and continues the second Wednesday of every month. Taizé service is a contemplative form of worship originating from the Taizé Community in France. Set in a candlelit space, participants sit in silence, sing simple chants, and reflect on brief readings that create a calm, meditative atmosphere open to all.
Big Poetry Sunday – The Worship Team has created another interactive worship experience for all to enjoy – come and share one of your favorite poems with the congregation during the worship hour on Sunday, August 16. Let us know the title of the poem, the author’s name, and approximate length. If you’d rather, you can recommend a poem for a worship associate to read. Sign up
HERE (https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLScDBeRyo1KQ4DxdDKxtEdQAAFES-KPFVE20kSWhIslkEsLKrg/viewform) by Sunday, August 9. Questions? See or email Anna Hull (mailto:akhull1999@yahoo.com) .
Ingathering – Join us for the official start of the new church year on Sunday, September 13. We’ll celebrate with our water ceremony and welcome each other back to our church community.
** Moving Boxes Needed
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Members of our congregation will be moving this summer to a new address locally and have expressed a need for moving boxes – ones that can easily be carried. They can be brought to church at any time. Thank you!
** Sunday Worship Service Information
August 2, 2026
10:30 am
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Join us ‘poolside’ again this Sunday for our 3rd and final installment!
When we share our stories, we all benefit.
During the summer months at Mill Creek, we enjoy a variety of relaxed worship experiences and this Sunday we offer the third of a series. Started by our previous minister, Rev. Gregory Pelley, our Poolside Theology series has become a beloved tradition and this Sunday we welcome you to close out the series with us, featuring Stephen Petersen and Diana Saunders.
Diana Headley Saunders has been a member of Mill Creek for 22 years. Growing up she attended a United Methodist Church in Summit, New Jersey with her Mom, Roberta Headley, and her two brothers. She knew nothing about Unitarian Universalism until coming to UUSMC in 2004, when Nancy Dean was minister. Diana is a retired classroom teacher (math and psychology) and taught at four different independent schools in three states. She has a B.A. in Psychology from Dartmouth College and an M. Ed. from Bank Street Graduate School of Education. In 2024 she retired from teaching fourth and fifth grade at Wilmington Friends School. Her parents were also teachers (Dad – physics and chemistry; Mom – Kindergarten). Her family lived in faculty housing at Kent Place School in Summit, New Jersey, and she and her brothers lived there until they left for college. Diana came to Delaware in 1991 with her first husband with whom she has two daughters (ages 28 and 26), and she is now happily married to her second
husband, Chris Malmstrom. While at Mill Creek, Diana has been a Religious Education teacher, guest musician (flute), choir member, a member of the Worship Team, and on the Board of Trustees. She also served on the Ministerial Search Team that interviewed Rev. Christe, and she chaired this past year’s Pledge Campaign. Her two-year term as Board President began on July 1 of this year.
Music for this service will be offered by Rob Sylvester, our collaborative pianist, with the hymns led by Emma Marino.
Connect with Us In-Person
* Service begins at 10:30 am
* Children’s Faith Exploration programming is available for ages 4 and up (see below for what’s coming up)
* Child Care available (infant/toddler, ages birth to 3)
Connect with Us Virtually
* Click the link below: ‘Sunday Livestream’ (bookmark it on your preferred device for quick and easy access on Sunday morning).
Sunday Livestream – CLICK HERE (https://zoom.us/j/97806427419)
Meeting ID: 978 0642 7419
** Student Film Premiere
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Mill Creek youth Joey Tosh-Morelli and Glumple Studios invite you to an exclusive movie premiere!
Glumple Studios is a collaborative project run by Tosh-Morelli and a group of his fellow students. They work together to make movies and films, and this two-part premiere, War for the Glumpleverse and Glumpleverse: The Last Stand is their final project before they all graduate.
In this two-part epic, fantasy, sci-fi, pirates and wacky hijinks collide to either save or destroy the world. They feature characters from across movies and other projects on the Glumple Studios YouTube channel.
Everyone is welcome to the premiere showing of these films, and a celebration of Glumple Studios on Saturday, August 8 at 7pm in the church sanctuary.
** Join us in the meadow every Wednesday
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Join the Land Stewards next Wednesday, August 5 (and every Wednesday, weather permitting) at 5:30pm and see what they’re doing to improve the biodiversity and natural habitat in the meadow areas. All are welcome!
** Current Share Our Plate Recipient
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We regularly donate a half of our undesignated plate collection to a local charity or non-profit organization. For the months of July & August we are supporting:
Meals on Wheels – Newark, Delaware
Coordinated by the Newark Senior Center and operated by volunteers, this program provides dependable weekday meal delivery so older adults can continue living at home with support. With a focus on consistency, dignity, and community connection, this program helps ensure no one is left without a proper meal.
Learn more about Meals on Wheels, Newark HERE (https://www.newarkseniorcenter.com/transportation-services)
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)
** UUWomenspirit Fall 2026 Gathering
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Registration Now Open
Registration is OPEN for the UUWomenspirit Fall 2026 Gathering. All women of our community are invited from Wednesday, September 30 through Sunday, October 4, 2026, to join the gathering at the beautiful, rustic summit of The Mountain Retreat & Learning Center in Highlands, NC (https://www.themountainrlc.org/) . This autumn, the gathering will center around the theme Waters of the Spirit.
UUWomenspirit Fall Gathering – register HERE (https://www.uuwomenspirit.org/register)
** Yoga Offered on Select Dates during the Summer Months
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Join Margaret in the library, 8:30am-10am, for gentle yoga & meditation on the following Fridays:
August 14 & 21
To register or with questions, contact Margaret HERE (mailto:margaret_bodine@comcast.net) .
** Dungeons & Dragons
A Recurring Event
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Sundays: August 2, 16 & 30
(every other week)
12:00 pm, Classroom 3
D&D is a role-playing game about storytelling in worlds of swords and sorcery. 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. No registration required – just drop in. All are welcome to join the group in classroom 3. Occurs every other week on Sundays.
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. Christe Lunsford, Minister
* Mondays & Tuesdays: 10:00 am – 2:00 pm in the office; calls and by email after 2pm.
* Thursdays: by appointment
* Sundays (when I preach): 9:00 am – 3:00 pm
* My regular days off are Friday and Saturday, unless I am scheduled for special congregational duties. I answer calls and emails Monday, Tuesday and Thursday, 10:00 am – 2:00 pm. Any non-emergency calls or emails outside of those hours will be answered during the next work day.
* Other times may be arranged by mutual agreement via email: minister@uusmc.org (mailto:minister@uusmc.org) or click HERE (https://calendar.google.com/calendar/u/0/appointments/schedules/AcZssZ08wOXSmX5fNN_vySxfpLP9VL2QqSZF5spIx5_9rxZm3e25LNywCGk4WoIlyFMvdn84osyy8XZl) .
* I joyfully participate in committee meetings when I am able, with particular focus on the Board, Finance, and Worship teams.
Debra Damiani, Congregational Administrator
Monday-Thursday 9 am to 2 pm
administrator@uusmc.org (mailto:administrator@uusmc.org)
302-369-2712
Margaret Borror, Faith Exploration Teacher
Sundays, and by appointment
dfe@uusmc.org (mailto:dfe@uusmc.org)
Rob Sylvester, Collaborative Accompanist
Sundays, and by appointment
** Connect with the UUA, Central East Region, and Delmarva Cluster
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** How UU Ministers Find Clarity in a Rapidly Changing World
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As back-to-back crises occur locally and globally, faith leaders are increasingly faced with a balancing act: providing support and moral clarity to their congregants while simultaneously fostering their own understanding of events and nurturing their personal peace, grounding, and perseverance.
Read the article HERE (https://www.uuworld.org/articles/unitarian-universalist-ministers-adapt-find-balance?_gl=1*w9qoxm*_ga*NjI0ODgyMDUzLjE3Nzc0ODUwMjY.*_ga_CN7F7RET4F*czE3ODUyNjAwNjAkbzI0JGcxJHQxNzg1MjYwNDAyJGo3JGwwJGgw)
** Central East Region
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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.
The Central East Region helps congregations of all shapes and sizes connect with each other and with resources that help them best express their Unitarian Universalist faith in a changing and hurting world. We believe that we’re at our best when we work together–and we Central East Region staff work together to help your congregation be its best. To learn more about what’s happening in our region, click the button below.
Central East Region Update – click HERE (https://www.uua.org/central-east)
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** Website (https://www.uusmc.org)
** Instagram (http://instagram.com/millcreekuu)
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