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:
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** Congregational Life
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** Upcoming events, meetings and news to know
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**
Share Our Plate:
November & December
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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 the following charitable organization:
Life Lines “Home Base” Program
A program offered by West End Neighborhood House
The Life Lines “Home Base” Drop In Center, Delaware’s first youth Resource Center specifically created for unaccompanied youth between 18-23 years of age, is one of several specifically targeted programs designed to support this youth population. This group has been historically difficult to identify given the nature of their transient behaviors. Providing a space that’s safe and accessible by car, bus (and even on foot) will allow for access to services they may need, but not identify on their own. The Drop In Center is equipped with state-of-the-art electronics, not only for entertainment purposes, but also to facilitate education and interaction. Youth are able to wash their clothes, establish an address to receive and check mail, enjoy a meal, take a hot shower, and relax while receiving the much-needed assistance that many need but may be too fearful to seek out.
LEARN MORE about Life Lines Programs HERE (https://westendnh.org/programs/life-lines-programs/)
Support this organization with your online donation today!**
DONATE to Share Our Plate HERE (https://onrealm.org/MillCreek/-/give/now)
**Be sure to select ‘Share Our Plate’ as the giving fund**
** Daylight Saving Time Ends
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Sunday, November 6
2:00 am
It’s time to fall back – Daylight Saving Time ends this Sunday. This means you must turn your clocks and timepieces BACK ONE HOUR before retiring on Saturday evening so you’re not late for church on Sunday morning!
** Mill Creek Craft Fair a Fun and Successful Event!
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Our first craft fair was a HIT!
We, as UUs, got to introduce ourselves to over 120 residents of the area that we hadn’t met before. It was also a well attended by several of our own: thank you to those who came out to support the show and the craftspeople. Special thanks to Ann Draper, Janice Buckwalter, Sherri Taylor, and Miss Natalie for running Buckwalter’s Bistro, and keeping our crowd fed and caffeinated.
We could not have had an event at this level with this kind of success without the coordination and expertise of Steve Selph – thank you, Steve!
Couldn’t make it? Don’t despair – we’re doing it again next month just in time for holiday shopping. Mark your calendar now for Saturday, December 17 and don’t miss out again!
** New Member Orientation Class Series
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We are offering a series of virtual classes designed to introduce visitors, friends, and even current members who might be interested in learning more about the UU faith and the Mill Creek congregation. Attendance is expected for all three sessions. Use the link below to attend via Zoom. All are welcome!
Introduction to Unitarians, Universalists, and Unitarian Universalists
Monday, November 14 @ 7 pm on Zoom
Rev. Greg will lead a brief, terribly incomplete, kinda cheeky, but mostly true introduction to UU history, theology, and polity. (With a minor tangent to decoding all those abbreviations.)
Intro to Mill Creek
Monday, November 21 @ 7 pm on Zoom
Rev. Greg leads a conversation about the Values, Beliefs, and Mission of Mill Creek with the intention of helping new folks get to know who we are as a religious community.
The Meaning of Membership
Monday, November 28 @ 7 pm on Zoom
This session is a conversation about what it means to be a member of Mill Creek. It will provide information and establish our shared expectations for membership.
Have questions about this series? CLICK HERE (mailto:minister@uusmc.org?subject=new%20member%20orientation%20class%20series) to contact Rev. Greg.
Click here to attend the series via Zoom (https://georgetown.zoom.us/j/95383179518)
** New Member Ceremony
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We invite those who have been considering officially joining the church but have not yet, to join us on Sunday, December 4 for our New Member Ceremony. If you are interested in membership and are thinking that now is the time, we invite you to reach out to Rev. Greg (mailto:minister@uusmc.org?subject=new%20member%20ceremony) so he may include you in our celebration.
** Critton Hollow String Band Performs at Mill Creek this Month
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Brandywine Friends of Old Time Music
presents a concert series at Mill Creek…
The first concert in the series features:
Critton Hollow String Band
Check them out by clicking HERE (http://crittonhollow.com/ch.html) .
Mark your calendar for Friday, November 18, 8 pm.
Since 1975, the Critton Hollow String Band tends a stable of songs from the first settlements of Appalachia to the best of contemporary American folk music. Joe Herrmann, Sam Herrmann and Joe Fallon combine precise instrumentation, melodic interplay, and three-part harmony to create a warm and engaging sound. Their songs express a range of experience that can make you laugh or cry. Their ballads tell stories of bad men and disappointed lovers. Their instrumentals will make you want to get up and dance or sit back and listen. In every case, the music is pure joy.
No advance tickets, no online registrations, no box office…
TICKETS SOLD AT THE DOOR!
General public: $20
Seniors: $17
Students with ID: $10
Ages 17 & under: FREE
Brandywine Friends of Old Time Music: Learn More HERE (https://brandywinefriends.org/)
Good to know…
The Brandywine Friends of Old Time Music (“BFOTM”) was founded in 1972 with the goal of helping to preserve traditional American music by presenting live performances of Bluegrass and old time music in Northern Delaware and the surrounding areas of Maryland, Pennsylvania and New Jersey, and encouraging local traditional musicians. From the outset, it has been an all-volunteer, nonprofit organization.
Early in its existence, the BFOTM presented several concerts by nationally known Bluegrass bands such as Ralph Stanley and the Clinch Mountain Boys and Bill Monroe and the Bluegrass Boys, among others. Beginning in 1972, the BFOTM, in partnership with Monroe and Stanley, began a Labor Day Weekend Bluegrass Festival in Bear, Delaware. After two years, Monroe and Stanley decided to focus on other interests and the BFOTM became the sole sponsors of what became the Delaware Valley Bluegrass Festival. The site of the event has since been moved to the Salem County Fairgounds in southern New Jersey, a short distance from the Delaware Memorial Bridge. Now in its 45th year, the Festival draws 5000 to 7000 people from Europe, Asia and all over the United States for a Labor Day Weekend of music that is recognized as one of the premier Bluegrass Festivals in the country.
Up next in the series:
Shelton & Williams
Performing a variety of styles including original, classic country, gospel, blues, traditional and progressive bluegrass and Americana.
Friday, December 9th at 8 pm
Check them out by clicking HERE (https://sheltonandwilliams.com/)
** Connection, Community and Leadership for Black UUs
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Black Lives of Unitarian Universalism – BLUU – was founded in 2015 with the intent of creating a cohesive, national, vibrant community of black Unitarian Universalists. It is now a formal and impactful 501(c)(3) organization that creates life-giving and life-saving opportunities for spiritual community and Black-centered organizing.
The three goals of Black Lives of Unitarian Universalism are:
* Expanding the power & capacity of Black UUs within our faith
* Providing support, information & resources for Black Unitarian Universalists
* Justice-making and liberation through our faith
Members of BLUU – Beloveds – are Black people/people of African descent creating deeper connection, community, and leadership through BLUU’s membership program. Use the link below to find out more, and CLICK HERE (https://lp.constantcontactpages.com/su/RNyuzW5) to receive regular updates about the group’s meetings, worship opportunities, and other activities.
BLUU – click here to learn more (https://blacklivesuu.org/)
** Worship Service Information
Sunday, November 6, 2022
10:30 am
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Join us this Sunday when Rev. Greg shares his sermon:
Music for the morning will be performed by the Mill Creek Choir and Rachel Sabella.
Connect With Us In-Person
10:30 am
* Service begins at 10:30 am
* Masking protocol will be posted at each entrance
* Children’s RE programming is now 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!
** 2023 Generosity Campaign Now Underway
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Pledge cards for the upcoming pledge year have been mailed. To make your pledge of support for this Campaign you may return your card in the envelope provided; or place it in the offering plate or collection box on an upcoming Sunday; or simply email your pledge info to administrator@uusmc.org (mailto:administrator@uusmc.org) .
OR – use the link below to make your pledge online through Realm.
The finance team is hoping to have all pledges received by Wednesday, Nov. 23 – this gives the team adequate time to prepare the budget for 2023. Feel free to contact the church office with questions, or email generosity@uusmc.org (mailto:generosity@uusmc.org) .
We appreciate your support.
Enter your pledge quickly & easily by clicking HERE (https://onrealm.org/MillCreek/AddPledge/2023pledgecampaign)
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 8 am to 1 pm, Monday-Thursday
administrator@uusmc.org (mailto:administrator@uusmc.org)
302-369-2712
Rachel Sabella, Music Director
Hours by Appointment
music@uusmc.org (mailto:music@uusmc.org)
302-369-2712
** Happening in Our Local Community
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** DuPont Environmental Education Center
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A wildlife escape where the city, river, and marsh meet.
DuPont Environmental Education Center (DEEC) is located along the Christina River and on the edge of the Russell W. Peterson Urban Wildlife Refuge. The refuge is 212 acres of freshwater tidal marsh adjoining the Christina River and is home to wildlife such as American Bald Eagles, Wood Ducks, American Beavers, dragonflies, river otters, and Eastern Painted Turtles.
DEEC is FREE and open to the public year-round and features a Visitor Center with panoramic river and marsh views, a 10-acre ornamental garden, a quarter-mile handicap-accessible pond loop extending into the marsh, and trailhead access to the newly completed 5.5-mile-long Markell bike/hike trail from Wilmington to New Castle.
DuPont Environmental Education Center
1400 Delmarva Lane
Wilmington, DE 19801
302-656-1490
DEEC Visitor Center Hours, trail maps & activities – click here! (https://www.delawarenaturesociety.org/centers/dupont-environmental-education-center/)
Good to know…
Staff-led binocular walks and animal encounters take place Tuesday through Sunday during operating hours/days. Check the website for more details.
** News from the UUA, the Central East Region, and the Delmarva Cluster
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** Climate Disaster Response Training Series
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https://www.uua.org/action/love
You are invited to join Side With Love’ (https://www.uua.org/action/love) s Climate Disaster Response – a 3-part series of workshops with activities designed to help you identify the climate risks, understand who is most at risk, and how your community will be impacted. From there, you will have the skills needed to make a plan – to prepare for and respond to climate disasters in your neighborhood.
The series takes place on Tuesday evenings at 7 pm and includes:
[DEL: September 27: Assessing Climate Impacts & Making Connections :DEL]
[DEL: October 25: Mobilizing for Action :DEL]
November 15: Community Conversation
Register HERE for the final event in the series (https://secure.everyaction.com/521PTTsun0ie7uIeFovFAw2)
Good to know…
Side With Love, sponsored by the Unitarian Universalist Association (UUA), is a public advocacy campaign that seeks to harness love’s power to stop oppression. Side With Love amplifies the voices of the oppressed through online media; they show up in partnership at justice events across the country; they lobby national leaders on immigration reform, racial justice, equality for lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and queer people, religious freedom, and more; and above all they work to make love real in the world. You can learn more about the organization by visiting their webpage (https://sidewithlove.org/) which includes a short introductory video.
https://www.uua.org/central-east
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Opportunities for Connection: Central East Region Update
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NOVEMBER 2022
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=25ef0d887bc7a2b30089a025618e1c62.5924&s=8983449a6b0e04757c2c9729fa49f044)
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** Website (https://www.uusmc.org)
** Instagram (http://instagram.com/millcreekuu)
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