Read our latest announcement.
Unitarian Universalist Society of Mill Creek
We are a community that invites you to awaken to love.
IN THIS ISSUE
Click on any topic of interest to jump to that particular announcement.
Or…continue scrolling so you don’t miss anything!
Here’s what’s happening at Mill Creek:
Editor’s Note:
If you do not see ‘Opportunities for Connection: Central East Region Update’ as the very last section of this email (look for the little purple map), you’re not seeing the whole email. You may need to click on ‘view entire message’, ‘view in browser’ or something similar, depending on your device and/or email provider.
** Congregational Life
————————————————————
** Upcoming events, meetings and news to know
————————————————————
** Bunco Game Night
————————————————————
Due to low registration, the Fellowship & Fun committee regretfully announces the cancellation of this event scheduled for this Saturday evening, November 16. We look forward to offering a family game night in the coming year.
If you have any ideas for future events and gatherings, or would like to provide feedback on past events, we encourage you to contact the committee and share your thoughts: fellowship@uusmc.org (mailto:fellowship@uusmc.org)
** Sunday Worship Service Information
November 17, 2024
10:30 am
————————————————————
Come join us this Sunday when we observe this year’s Transgender Awareness Week with our own Transgender Day of Remembrance Service. Mill Creek member Diane Hofer will be our worship leader and has prepared a very special and unique service to help us with this observance. Given current events in our nation, the need to support the transgender community has never been greater.
Diane has been attending Mill Creek since 2015 and became a member in 2017. She is part of the Livestream Tech Team, an adjunct member of several other church committees, is a Chalice Circle facilitator, and is involved with many other ad hoc teams and projects. A Philly kid, she graduated from Drexel University and went on to hold various managerial positions in her 45-year career in the packing industry.
Music for this service will be performed by Carlos Espinoza. Carlos is a graduate of Cab Calloway School of the Arts in Wilmington; he now attends the University of Delaware. Carlos will be joined by Mill Creek member Emma Hull as hymn leader.
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)
** Fall Food Drive
————————————————————
The Social Justice Committee is hosting a Fall Food Drive. They are accepting donations now through Sunday, November 24. Food collected will be donated to St. Stephen’s Food Pantry and the Food Bank of Delaware.
St. Stephen’s is located on Broom Street in Wilmington and they request donations of cereal and peanut butter. For more information about St. Stephen’s, CLICK HERE (https://www.saintstephenslutheranchurch.org/food-pantry) .
The Food Bank of Delaware has locations in Newark, serving northern Delaware, and in Milford. Pick up a list of most-needed food items in the gathering space on Sunday, or CLICK HERE (https://www.fbd.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/09/Most-Wanted-List.pdf) .
Printed lists of acceptable items are available in the gathering space. Thank you for supporting this effort!
** Social Justice Meeting this Sunday
————————————————————
Everyone is welcome to join the committee in the conference room this Sunday, November 17 after service. We will update and review current and potential projects and choose Share Our Plate recipients for January through June. If you can’t make the meeting but would like to suggest a recipient for SOP, let the committee know HERE (mailto:rebeccavarlas@gmail.com) . We will give consideration to all recommendations.
** 2025 Generosity Campaign Underway
————————————————————
Pledging…
* is the primary way we fund this congregation – it allows the church to have a constant and predictable source of income. This is important because our expenses are predictable even if our income is not.
* allows us to make sure that we can pay our staff, utilities, mortgage, and other financial obligations in a timely way, whether we have reserves in our bank account or not.
* reflects our covenant with this place and its people.
If you have already returned your pledge card or made your pledge via Realm – thank you – we are grateful for your generosity and support.
If you have not … we encourage you to give this Campaign serious consideration and contemplation, and give from the intersection of your resources and the value this church has in your life and the life of the community.
How to make your pledge of support:
* return your pledge card by mail in the envelope provided, or
* place your card in the offering plate or collection box, or
* email your pledge to generosity@uusmc.org (mailto:generosity@uusmc.org) , or
* access your Realm giving profile – or click the button below
The Finance Team is hoping to have all pledges received by this Sunday, November 17 – this gives the team adequate time to prepare the budget for 2025. Let us know if you have any questions – use the email address above.
Pledge now! Click HERE (https://onrealm.org/MillCreek/AddPledge/2025pledgecampaign)
***CORRECTED LINK***
Please note that the ‘Pledge Now’ button above contains an UPDATED LINK. Previous versions were incorrect. If you have made an attempt to enter your pledge and were unsuccessful, we encourage you to try again with this new link. We apologize for the confusion and encourage you to contact the church office with any questions.
** Adult RE Opportunity with Rev. Christian Schmidt
————————————————————
**SPACES STILL AVAILABLE**
Adult RE Opportunity Rev. Christian will be leading a book reading group using the text See No Stranger: A Memoir and Manifesto of Revolutionary Love by the activist and author Valarie Kaur (https://valariekaur.com/about/) .
How do we love in a time of rage? How do we fix a broken world while not breaking ourselves? Valarie Kaur—renowned Sikh activist, filmmaker, and civil rights lawyer—describes revolutionary love as the call of our time, a radical, joyful practice that extends in three directions: to others, to our opponents, and to ourselves. It enjoins us to see no stranger but instead look at others and say: You are part of me I do not yet know. Starting from that place of wonder, the world begins to change: It is a practice that can transform a relationship, a community, a culture, even a nation.
It will be 10 sessions on Zoom at 7:30pm on the first and third Wednesdays of each month, now through March. Books are available! Let Rev. Christian know you’d like to be included – click the link below to register.
Register for this series HERE (mailto:minister@uusmc.org)
** Potluck CRUSH
————————————————————
It was a full house for our last Sunday potluck lunch of the year! Mark your calendar for December 14 when we host our final Saturday potluck dinner for 2024. More details will follow.
Photo: Rudy Nyhoff
** Cohousing Presentation
————————————————————
The Newark Area Cohousing Organization will be presenting at the Newark Farmers Market Co-Op next Wednesday evening, November 20, from 6:00 to 7:00 pm. This is a free event at Cafe 67 at the Co-Op, 209 Newark Shopping Center, 230 E. Main Street, Newark.
** Know Your Rights: Plan for Consequences of Activism
————————————————————
First Unitarian Church of Wilmington invites everyone to an online program designed to inform of potential consequences resulting from social justice activism.
When: Sunday, November 24, 12 noon to 1:30 pm
Where: Online
Registration: required, click link below
As we bring our social justice activism to the public, whether through social media, street marches, rallies or protests, we open ourselves to consequences. Learn what you can and cannot legally do in your campaigns. Understand unexpected reactions may occur. Have a plan to keep yourself out of potential trouble and know what to do if you are challenged by law enforcement. Bring the questions you have about civil liberties and about the ACLU in Delaware.
Featured speaker: Dwayne Bensing. Dwayne joined the ACLU of Delaware in 2020, after serving three years with the U.S. Department of Education’s Office for Civil Rights and two years with the U.S. Department of Justice’s Civil Rights Division.
Register for this event: click HERE (https://firstu.churchcenter.com/registrations/events/2544952)
** Current Share Our Plate Recipient
————————————————————
We regularly donate a portion of our undesignated plate collection to a local charity or non-profit organization. For the months of November & December we are supporting:
Kingswood Community Center
Supporting the Riverside neighborhood in Wilmington since 1946
This organization offers a wide array social services: education programs, food assistance, financial literacy workshops, virtual healthcare, emergency supports, and much more. Their planned state-of-the-art community facility will feature a modern senior center, new health center, fitness and recreational facilities, youth engagement opportunities, community health initiatives, and a world-class Early Learning Academy.
Learn more about Kingswood Community Center HERE (https://kgwcc.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
————————————————————
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. 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, November 24 and December 8 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! Please bring your own instrument or use what we have available. Join the group on Saturday, December 14 at 4 pm in the sanctuary. Occurs monthly on second Saturdays. See or contact Sara Durham (mailto:saradurham88@gmail.com) with any questions.
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
** Moment of Reflection
————————————————————
“All is not lost.”
As we make sense of the presidential election results, just breathe. “Do not let go of faith and hope and love.” From uuworld.org (https://www.uuworld.org/)
Read the reflection HERE (https://www.uuworld.org/articles/election-poem-reflection-mindfulness-spirituality-unitarian-universalism)
https://www.uua.org/central-east
**
Opportunities for Connection: Central East Region Update
————————————————————
NOVEMBER 2024
Featured Resource:
UU Community Resilience Hub
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-1124)
** Post-Election Resources for UUs
————————————————————
The Central East Region offers post-election resources for the UU community.
Read about it HERE (https://www.uua.org/central-east/blog/better-together/nov-4-blog)
============================================================
** Facebook (https://www.facebook.com/UUSMC)
** Website (https://www.uusmc.org)
** Instagram (http://instagram.com/millcreekuu)
Copyright © *|CURRENT_YEAR|* *|LIST:COMPANY|*, All rights reserved.
*|IFNOT:ARCHIVE_PAGE|* *|LIST:DESCRIPTION|*
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|*