Unitarian Universalist Society of Mill Creek
We are a community that invites you to awaken to love.
IN THIS ISSUE
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This week, we invite you:
** Congregational Life
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** Upcoming events, meetings and news to know
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** Mill Creek Annual Meeting this Sunday
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After Church Service
12 noon
Date: Sunday, June 4th, 12 noon (after church service)
Purpose: The purpose of the annual business meeting shall be to hear reports of officers and staff, to elect new trustees as applicable, to adopt an annual budget, and address any business that comes before the congregation.
Voting Eligibility: Church bylaws state that each member shall be entitled to one vote who: (a) has attained the age of 18 years or has completed the Coming of Age program on or before the date of the meeting at which the vote is to be cast; and (b) whose request to be admitted or readmitted to membership was recorded in the records of the congregation at least 35 days before the date of the meeting at which the vote is to be cast; and (c) has made a financial contribution of record during the twelve-month period preceding the meeting at which the vote is to be cast.**
How to attend the meeting: The meeting will be offered in a hybrid format: in-person in the church sanctuary and livestreamed via Zoom. The meeting will be preceded by our regular Sunday worship service. If you choose to join the meeting via livestream, the link is the same one used from week to week. We encourage everyone to attend.
By-Laws Requirement: Our By-Laws give voting privileges to members who have made a contribution of record in the 12-month period prior to the meeting. They do not allow for proxy voting, so only those eligible members who attend the Meeting either in-person or via livestream will receive ballots. Voting will be handled via ElectionBuddy; ballots will be emailed to eligible members.
**If you are unsure of your pledging or contribution status, contact the church office by calling, 302-369-2712, or by email (mailto:administrator@uusmc.org) .
You can read the UUSMC By-Laws HERE (https://www.uusmc.org/wp-content/uploads/UUSMC-By-Laws-revised-06-02-2019.pdf)
** New Member Classes
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Have you been thinking about membership? Are you wondering if perhaps now might be the right time to join the Mill Creek congregation?
If so, we welcome you to participate in our orientation classes offered virtually with Rev. Greg starting next week:
Monday, June 5 @ 6:30-8:00 pm –
Intro to UU Society of Mill Creek (values, beliefs, mission)
Monday, June 12 @ 6:30-8:00 pm –
Meaning of Membership
These classes are designed to introduce (or reacquaint you with) UU history, the history of Mill Creek, and the meaning of membership. All are welcome to join in … existing members, friends, and visitors! Click the button below for the link to attend – the same link will be used for all three classes.
Click here for Orientation Classes (Zoom link) (https://georgetown.zoom.us/j/95383179518)
These classes will prepare you to participate in our next New Member Ceremony on Sunday, June 18. Contact Jerry Bilton (mailto:jabilton@aol.com) for more information.
** Ice Cream Social & Summer Campfire Next Saturday
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Summer Campfires for all ages are back! Our first event of the season begins on Saturday, June 10, at 7:30 pm, with a special Ice Cream Social.
The campfires are held in the Memorial Grove by the Nature Sign at the edge of the rear parking lot, weather permitting. (Note that this is a grassy area with a slight incline to reach the campfire site).
Join us for fellowship, singing, poetry reading and story-telling, and bring your own lawn or camp chair, blanket, and other comforts. Mark your calendar for our other campfire dates (all Saturdays): June 24; July 8 & 22; August 5 &19. EVERYONE IS WELCOME. Contact Jamie Kegerise (mailto:jamie@dsofurniture.com) with questions.
** Summer Solstice Celebration
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Everyone is welcome to join us on Wednesday, June 21 at 7 pm when we celebrate the return of the sun!
We’ll begin with a ritual in the sanctuary, then go outdoors for a bonfire (weather permitting). Bring snacks & beverages to share. Contact Regina Guarino (mailto:regina139@msn.com?subject=summer%20solstice) with any questions, or if you’d like to help with the planning.
** Meadow Maintenance: Ways You Can Help
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Join the crew any Wednesday at 5:30 pm when they gather to pull invasive plants and weeds, and water our newer trees. Bring work gloves, clippers & general gardening tools, and a kneeling pad if you have/need one. (Note that the time will be pushed back as the season progresses.) If you’d like to help with our efforts but either can’t join the crew on Wednesdays or perhaps you have physical restrictions – there are other ways – and we need you!
There are two great programs that we are likely to qualify for, but we need one or two people who could help us by submitting the required documentation:
https://www.nwf.org/SacredGrounds
The National Wildlife Foundation has a program called Sacred Grounds that recognizes congregations, houses of worship, and faith communities who both create wildlife habitat and actively link faith practices and caring for the environment.
We’ve already completed two of the required three steps toward this recognition: 1) Gather Your Team, and 2) Plant Your Garden & Engage Your Community. The final step, Designate as a Sacred Grounds Site, is more of an administrative task, and is the one we need help with. CLICK HERE (https://www.nwf.org/SacredGrounds) to assist with this certification.
https://www.monarchwatch.org/waystations/
We would also like our meadow to be certified as an official Monarch Waystation by registering it with Monarch Watch. We’ve met all the required guidelines, leaving just some basic information to submit.
Through this certification, our habitat will be included in the Monarch Waystation Registry, an online listing of Monarch Waystations worldwide, and we will be awarded a certificate bearing our name and our habitat’s unique Monarch Waystation ID number. We would also like to procure the metal signage with our designation. This would be a great way to demonstrate to the larger community our environmental values, and to provide education about the value of individuals providing not just native flowers and plants in their own yards to help pollinators, birds and other critters, but also the critically necessary milkweed plants that monarch butterflies need to survive. CLICK HERE (https://www.monarchwatch.org/waystations/) to assist with this certification.
Contact Jamie Kegerise (mailto:jamie@dsofurniture.com) or Amy White (mailto:amywwhite@comcast.net)
with any questions you have.
THANK YOU!
We would like to make some corrections to the snake article featured last week. Amy White has provided us with the following information:
Our snake is the Eastern Ratsnake (Pantherophis alleghaniensis) also known as the black ratsnake, black pilot snake, or simply black snake.
The snake didn’t create/make the holes along the walkway, nor is it likely living there (though it may well visit the underground cavity frequently if it is finding prey – rodents or other small mammals – there). In reality, the snake could be encountered anywhere in the meadow. And it certainly helps with controlling rodent populations.
There are some great resources online for natural history info. For amphibians and reptiles, VirginiaHerpetologicalSociety.com has great info that covers all the herps found in Delaware. Delaware doesn’t have an equivalent website, but we do have a State Herpetologist, Nate Nazdrowicz, who has some articles published online. You can read his article about the Eastern Ratsnake by clicking the link below.
Learn more about the Eastern Ratsnake HERE (https://dnrec.alpha.delaware.gov/outdoor-delaware/snakes-to-watch-out-for/)
** Share Your Love of Music
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Summer is an ideal time for sharing your music with the Mill Creek congregation during Sunday service. Two Sundays in July and most Sundays in August are available for such sharing, and you’ll never find a more enthusiastic, supportive audience than we have here. All musical forms and genres are welcome! Click the button below to connect with the Music Committee.
Share your love of music HERE (mailto:music@uusmc.org)
** Collection for #2, #4 & #5 Recyclable Plastics Continues
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The order has been placed with Eco Plastic Products of Delaware (ECOP) for the purchase of NINE park-style benches which will be located around our meadow. Delivery is expected in 6-10 weeks.
A huge THANK YOU to everyone who has embraced this project. We have received a discount on our order in exchange for our donation of acceptable plastics and will continue this collection while the benches are being fabricated. Please keep bringing in your clean, dry, empty plastics stamped with #2, #4, and/or #5.
ECOP is a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization that recycles eligible plastic and transforms it into consumer products. They use recyclable plastic marked #2, #4 and #5 ONLY in their process. Learn more using the buttons below.
Learn more about this organization and the work they do. (https://www.ecoplasticproducts.org/)
What plastics can be used for this project? Click here for a quick guide. (https://www.ecoplasticproducts.org/about-recycling)
**
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 May and June we are supporting:
Urban Bike Project
Located on North Walnut Street in Wilmington, Urban Bike Project (UBP) supports Wilmington communities by providing access to bicycling as a healthy, affordable, and practical means of transportation and recreation. Bicycles provide reliable, healthy, and emissions-free transportation. UBP’s work is guided by three core principles: open access for all Wilmington residents, opportunities for residents to build self-sufficiency, and community-driven programming that is responsive to resident needs. UBP offers a wide array of services: open-shop hours for repairs; retail-only hours; youth-only shop hours; a free bike program; several youth programs including build-a-bike summer camp; instruction classes; and a variety of other services, events, and networking opportunities.
Learn more about UBP here (http://www.urbanbikeproject.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
June 4, 2023
10:30 am
Join Rev. Greg for his message:
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Join Rev. Greg for his last time in the Hot Seat!
Members of the congregation will be invited to ask Rev. Greg any question they have, in written format (writing materials will be provided). They will be collected and then presented to him as time allows.
Music for the morning will be performed by Andrew Dickenson.
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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** Newark Parks & Recreation Activity Guide Now Available
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Stay busy this summer and find fun and interesting things to with Newark Parks & Rec’s summer activity guide. The guide has 31 pages of events and activities for all ages to explore.
Newark Summer Activity Guide – check it out HERE (https://newarkde.gov/DocumentCenter/View/17204/2023-Summer-Activity-Guide)
** News from the UUA, the Central East Region, and the Delmarva Cluster
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** Trans, Nonbinary+ Lives and Democracy are at Risk: UUs Unequivocally Defend Justice
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On Tuesday, May 2nd, members of the trans and nonbinary+ community and their allies, including Unitarian Universalists, were subjected to unprovoked violence by law enforcement at the Texas Capitol. They were protesting efforts by the Texas legislature to ban gender affirming care for trans youth and simply exercising their First Amendment right to freedom of speech. Read the UUA’s press release about this HERE (https://www.uua.org/pressroom/press-releases/lives-and-democracy-risk) .
https://www.uua.org/central-east
**
Opportunities for Connection: Central East Region Update
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JUNE 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=b1f62fa99de9f27a048344d55c5ef7a6.6064&s=8983449a6b0e04757c2c9729fa49f044)
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** Facebook (https://www.facebook.com/UUSMC)
** Website (https://www.uusmc.org)
** Instagram (http://instagram.com/millcreekuu)
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