Unitarian Universalist Society of Mill Creek
We are a community that invites you to awaken to love.
** Congregational Life
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** Upcoming events, meetings and news to know
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** SERVICE AUCTION UPDATES
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Auction Donation Deadlines
Online Auction: Friday, April 28 – 8:00 pm
Live Auction: Sunday, April 30 – 6:00 pm
The success of our fundraiser is dependent upon plentiful donations. If you have not yet made your donation, time is of the essence!
Contact our auction specialist, David Bonner today to make your donations or if you have questions by clicking the button below.
Thank you!
DONATE HERE (mailto:david@dlsk.net?subject=My%20Service%20Auction%20Donations)
Our Online Auction Portal will be *LIVE* on Saturday, April 29 – but why wait until then to create your log-in? Register today using the link below – it’s fast, easy, and requires very little information.
Note: a log-in is required to bid on and purchase any of the exciting items included in this year’s auction.
Create your online auction login HERE (https://www.32auctions.com/uusmcderby)
And did you know…? Anyone can play! Share the link with your family and friends so they can have the opportunity to make bids. Church membership is not required to participate. Winning bidders must pick up their items at church on Auction Day.
Volunteers Needed for Set Up
We need a few commitments from people willing to help on Friday, May 5th with unloading the borrowed tables and setting them up, including chairs. Time TBD.
Click HERE to let us know how you can help (mailto:jcab621@gmail.com)
LAST CHANCE TO PURCHASE TICKETS IN PERSON:
THIS SUNDAY, APRIL 30th
Stop by the table in the gathering space this Sunday to get your tickets at the advance price of $20 each, payable with cash, or by check to ‘UUSMC’ (or pay $25 at the door on auction day). Or….use the link below to purchase yours online.
***Purchasing your tickets prior to Auction Day is highly recommended!!***
It give us an accurate head count needed to purchase enough food for everyone.
(Plus…it saves you $5 per ticket!)
Click HERE to purchase your tickets (https://onrealm.org/MillCreek/PublicRegistrations/Event?linkString=ZTFjOWRiYzgtNDU4OC00OTQ3LWI3NzAtYWZkYjAwZmQ2YWRj)
New This Year: 50/50 Raffle! Tickets On Sale Now
Tickets for our 50/50 Raffle will be on sale every Sunday prior to Auction day. Don’t miss out – get your tickets this Sunday!
If you have any questions about your donations, the process, or anything related to the Auction, feel free to reach out to our Auction Specialist, David Bonner by email (david@DLSK.net (mailto:david@dlsk.net) ).
Mark your calendar and plan to join us on Saturday, May 6th!
Did you know…? Service Auction tickets make great gifts and are a wonderful way to introduce Mill Creek to others. Purchase extra tickets for your friends, family and neighbors!
** Sanctuary Chair Cleaning Project
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Volunteers needed! If you are free this Friday, April 28th around 9:30 am, please to drop by church to help clean the sanctuary chairs. If you have a shop vac or a vacuum with an upholstery attachment, please bring it along. We appreciate involvement with this effort. Everyone is welcome!
** Park Benches on Church Grounds Coming Soon
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We are excited to announce a project which will allow for a more meditative experience in our Memorial Grove and welcoming opportunities within our meadows.
Using designated funds from memorial gifts, park benches are being procured from Eco Plastic Products of Delaware (ECOP). ECOP is a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization that recycles eligible plastic and transforms it into consumer products.
ECOP uses recyclable plastic marked #2, #4 and #5 ONLY in their process. In exchange for our donation of recyclables marked accordingly, we will receive a discount on our order. Look for the recycling triangle stamped with #2, #4 or #5 on the bottom of food containers, laundry & cleaning products, bags, etc., and bring in your clean, dry, empty items (no lids, no liquids or food residue). We will have a bin set up for this collection.
Learn more about this organization and the work they do. (https://www.ecoplasticproducts.org/)
** Rev. Greg Out of Office
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Rev. Greg is away through Sunday, May 7; he will be back in the office on Monday, May 8. He will not be available by phone or email. Contact the church office, 302-369-2712 or administrator@uusmc.org (mailto:administrator@uusmc.org) , with questions.
** Weekly Meadow Maintenance Resumes
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Join us on any Wednesday at 5:30 pm to help us maintain the health and vibrancy of our meadows and trees (the time will be pushed back as the season progresses). Bring work gloves, clippers & general garden tools, and a kneeling pad if you have one. Or…help us water our trees. Many of our young trees are at risk of dying without regular watering.
Contact Jamie Kegerise (mailto:jamie@dsofurniture.com) or Amy White (mailto:amywwhite@comcast.net) with any questions you have.
** Male Voices Needed for Special Choir Service
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We’re seeking volunteers to participate in Rev. Greg’s final service on Sunday, June 25th when we plan to include a Farewell Choir Send-Off.
We are thrilled to have fourteen choir volunteers so far. However, this includes 10 women and just 4 men. We need more male voices to balance out the sound.
Click the button below to let us know you’d like to participate.
I want to sing! (mailto:music@uusmc.org?subject=special%20choir%20event)
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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 March and April we are supporting:
Conscious Connections, Inc.
Conscious Connections (CCI) is a black-owned urban farm located in Wilmington, Delaware. Their mission is to uplift underserved and marginalized populations through exposure, education, and economic opportunities in the arts and agriculture.
They offer a variety of youth programs and engage young adults in farm-based training and experience which is designed to prepare them for work in agriculture, landscaping, and maintenance. They also offer seasonal Market Fresh Boxes during the summer months, host community workshops such as candle-making using wax procured from their beehive and sell the honey it produces. They give back to the community by having clothing and meal giveaways coordinated with local residents. By their outreach efforts and offering a safe place for local youth, CCI is contributing to the quality of life for many.
Learn more about CCI here (https://www.consciousconnectionsinc.com/)
Support this organization with your online donation HERE. Be sure to select ‘Share Our Plate’ as the giving fund. (https://onrealm.org/MillCreek/-/give/now)
** Sunday Worship Service Information
April 30, 2023
10:30 am
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Join Rev. Keith Goheen
as he shares his sermon:
April 30th marks the 252nd birthday of the Rev. Hosea Ballou, a leading voice and thinker in the formative years of American universalism. This Sunday, his words and spirit guide us.
The Rev. Keith Goheen has been a member of Mill Creek since 2006. He serves as a staff chaplain at Beebe Healthcare in Lewes, Delaware, and resides with his spouse Margaret in Georgetown, Delaware.
Music for the morning will be performed by members of the Rainbow Chorale of Delaware.
Connect With Us In-Person
* Service begins at 10:30 am
* Masking protocol will be posted at each entrance
* Children’s RE programming is available for ages 4 and up
* We are currently unable to offer Child Care (infant/toddler, ages 0 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 & easy access on Sunday morning), OR
* Get the link by accessing the church calendar (https://uusmc.us19.list-manage.com/track/click?u=8c80a09d53a8aec43de675d26&id=a404d3fb3e&e=9e32ea5753) (https://www.uusmc.org/news/calendar/ (https://uusmc.us19.list-manage.com/track/click?u=8c80a09d53a8aec43de675d26&id=3386b49cce&e=9e32ea5753) )
Sunday Livestream – CLICK HERE (https://zoom.us/j/97806427419)
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. Gregory S. Pelley, Minister
minister@uusmc.org (mailto:minister@uusmc.org)
302-369-2712
To request an in-person, teleconference or Zoom meeting with Rev. Greg, use the link below to schedule:
Request a meeting with Rev. Greg – click HERE (http://calendly.com/gpelley)
Debra Damiani, Congregational Administrator
Monday 9 am to 2 pm, Monday-Thursday
administrator@uusmc.org (mailto:administrator@uusmc.org)
302-369-2712
** Happening in Our Local Community
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** Women’s Fest in Rehoboth
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Bridging the gap between winter and the Rehoboth high summer season, Women’s FEST, in its 22nd year, is CAMP Rehoboth’s premier Springtime event. From live entertainment and interesting workshops to educational opportunities and other planned activities, Women’s Fest – Thursday, April 27 through Sunday, April 30 – is one of the best women’s events on the East Coast. CAMP Rehoboth (https://www.camprehoboth.com/about-us) is a nonprofit community service organization dedicated to creating a positive environment inclusive of all sexual orientations and gender identities in Rehoboth Beach and its related communities. Click the link below to learn more about this event.
Women’s Fest – get all the details HERE (https://camprehoboth.ejoinme.org/MyEvents/WomensFEST2023/tabid/1347363/Default.aspx)
** News from the UUA, the Central East Region, and the Delmarva Cluster
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** Reflections on the 1980s Article II Revision—and Why it’s Time to Revise Again
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In the fall of 1981, Rev. Diane Miller was serving as the new minister at First Church in Belmont, Massachusetts, when she was asked to join a committee to examine the Unitarian Universalist Association Principles and Purposes as stated in Article II of the bylaws. A few months earlier, General Assembly 1981 had voted to review this aspect of the bylaws, which had been created twenty years earlier during the consolidation of the American Unitarian Association and the Universalist Church of America. Among other concerns, the language of the 1961 bylaws (https://www.uuworld.org/articles/uuas-original-principles-1961) was gendered, and overall, it felt dated, Miller recalls, so she and five other UUs set out to create a new statement of UU values.
The Seven Principles will not be lost. They are always part of our heritage. Congregations will continue to use them in various ways. But the UUA bylaws could use new insights and fresh language. We need to reach for a theology of our time. -Rev. Diane M. W. Miller
Journalist and UU World senior editor Elaine McArdle writes about this time in UU history, and Miller’s personal reflection of her participation in it. Click the button below to read the article in full.
Read McArdle’s article HERE (https://www.uuworld.org/articles/80sarticleii?_gl=1*1nz664c*_ga*NjUzNTY3MTk4LjE2NzkzMzE5NTk.*_ga_CN7F7RET4F*MTY4MjUzMTMyNy4xNC4xLjE2ODI1MzE2NzQuMC4wLjA.)
Information and resources regarding the current Article II Study Commission can be accessed here. (https://www.uua.org/uuagovernance/committees/article-ii-study-commission)
https://www.uua.org/central-east
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Opportunities for Connection: Central East Region Update
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APRIL 2023
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://uua874.activehosted.com/index.php?action=social&chash=2d71b2ae158c7c5912cc0bbde2bb9d95.6022&s=8983449a6b0e04757c2c9729fa49f044)