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Unitarian Universalist Society of Mill Creek
We are a community that invites you to awaken to love.
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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
November 10, 2024
10:30 am
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Elections are a beginning, not an end. No matter the results, our work to help our world continues. Join us this Sunday for Rev. Schmidt’s sermon, “The Next Step” and plan to remain with us after the service for a potluck lunch.
Music for this service will be performed by Daille Kettrell and Joseph Mallah. Daille Kettrell is a pianist, vocalist, songwriter, music educator, and producer who has been performing professionally for over three decades throughout the tri-state area and the nation. Her piano stylings and voice can be heard in area venues performing most genres from jazz to pop. She is a retired public school music teacher and is currently a co-partner of the newly established music band and company, Open 4 Business, LLC with singer, songwriter and musician Shianne Ladale. Joseph Mallah joined them recently as a creative, and the team is at work writing and recording original music. He is a guitarist, a singer/songwriter, and audio engineer with 20 years of experience recording and playing music with others.
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)
** Potluck Lunch after Church Service this Sunday
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Come for the sermon, stay for the food!
Plan to remain with us this Sunday after Rev. Christian’s sermon to enjoy good food and fellowship at our last Potluck Sunday of the year! All are welcome! Bring a main or side dish, salad, appetizer, dessert or beverages to share if you like. Unable to bring a dish? Come anyway and dig in!
** Land Stewardship Meeting this Sunday
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November 10 after church service
Land use is a major driver of Climate Change. How do we utilize our land here, and is there more we should be doing right now to help restore our landscape?
Everyone is invited to attend Sunday’s meeting in the conference room after church service. We would love to hear your ideas! The construction of our new shed will be at the top of the agenda, so if you would like to help in that effort, please join us. Help yourself to the potluck lunch and bring your plate to the meeting.
** Social Justice Committee Announces Fall Food Drive
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The Social Justice Committee is hosting a Fall Food Drive. They are accepting donations beginning this Sunday, November 10, and will continue 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 will be available in the gathering space. Thank you for supporting this effort!
** Mill Creek Member Frank Burns Wins State Representative Seat
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Voters elected our own Frank Burns to the District 21 House seat, giving the Democrats a long-sought victory in a district that has been held by a Republican for decades.
Burns defeated Republican Brenda Mennella 58 percent to 42 percent in Tuesday’s election. He will fill the position being vacated by Republican Mike Ramone, who mounted an unsuccessful run for governor instead of seeking a ninth term.
CONGRATULATIONS, FRANK!
** 2025 Generosity Campaign Underway
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Pledge cards for the 2025 Generosity Campaign have been mailed.
Pledging…
* is the primary way we fund this congregation – it allows Mill Creek 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 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
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**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, beginning November 6. Dates: November 6 and 20; December 4 and 18; January 8 and 23 (note: second and fourth Wednesdays for January only); February 5 and 19; and March 5 and 19. The church can provide free copies of the book to those interested, or you can purchase it HERE (https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0525509119?tag=randohouseinc7986-20) . 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)
** Candle Making Night
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Come and join us in the Art Lab for an evening of learning and fun with candle making on Wednesday, November 13 at 7 pm. Supplies will be provided including different scents and colors. All are welcome, and everyone goes home with a candle! No registration needed – just show up! Contact Jo Redbird HERE (mailto:redbirdartlab@gmail.com) with any questions.
** MILL CREEK GOES BUNCO!
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The Fun & Fellowship Committee invites you to our first Bunco Game Night!
Bunco is a simple game of chance loved by adults, teens and even children over 7. No special skills or previous experience necessary. We promise a good time with snacks and prizes! Bring Your Own Beverages. See the sign-up sheet in the gathering space or email fellowship@uusmc.org (mailto:fellowship@uusmc.org) .
** 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 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
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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. 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 10 & 24 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, November 9 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
** UUA Press Release
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Our Wellspring of Hope and Courage for the Times Ahead
The UUA issues a post-election message to the UU community – read it HERE (https://www.uua.org/pressroom/press-releases/wellspringofhope)
https://www.uua.org/central-east
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Opportunities for Connection: Central East Region Update
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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)
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