Unitarian Universalist Society of Mill Creek
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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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** Tree Planting Days this Saturday & Sunday
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Mark your calendar:
Saturday, October 22 and
Sunday, October 23
Photo: Jim White demonstrates proper tree planting techniques, October 2021.
We have again been awarded a grant from the Delaware State Urban and Community Forestry Program to purchasea and plant 17 new native trees in our meadow and woodlot the weekend of October 22. Our delivery of new native trees will include Serviceberry, Red Chokeberry, American Beech, American Holly, Black Gum, White Pine, Chestnut Oak, Pignut Hickory, and Shagbark Hickory.
We will begin at 9:00 am on Saturday the 22nd and plan to work into the early afternoon. Sunday the 23rd we plan to complete the planting after the church service. We welcome help from everyone. Youth and kids are especially encouraged to get involved in the joy of collective work done in the fresh air for the good of our environment and for the benefit of creatures great and small.
Bring work gloves and shovels (if you have them), and dress for the weather.
Hand cultivators or garden forks are also helpful in breaking up the root balls and loosening the soil.
Weekly Meadow Maintenance
Join our Natural Lands Stewards when they gather every Wednesday (weather permitting) around 5:30 pm for routine meadow maintenance. they work for just an hour or so and welcome anyone who would like to lend a hand or simply observe. Bring your gardening gloves and clippers.
Have a question about the meadow or the work we do? Ask it here! (mailto:jamie@dsofurniture.com)
** Craft Fair at Mill Creek
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Saturday, October 29th
9 am – 3 pm
We are hosting a craft fair featuring local artisans and vendors, craftsmen and women who will be offering their wares, like:
* baked goods
* pottery
* wood-turned items
* candles
* Goat’s milk soaps
* hand-sewn items
* jewelry
* and MORE
Come join us to support the arts in our local community, and maybe score the perfect gift for someone you love. Tell your family members, friends and neighbors about the Fair! Contact Steve Selph (mailto:mutiny397@yahoo.com?subject=craft%20show) with questions or call the church office, 302-369-2712.
** New Member 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 let Rev. Greg you are interested or if you have questions. 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.
I’m interested…! (mailto:minister@uusmc.org?subject=New%20Member%20Class%20Series)
** Critton Hollow String Band Concert Next Month
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Brandywine Friends of Old Time Music presents a concert series at Mill Creek with the first event to feature Critton Hollow String Band (http://crittonhollow.com/) . 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.
TICKETS SOLD AT THE DOOR:
General public: $20
Seniors: $17
Students with ID: $10
Ages 17 & under: FREE
Learn More HERE (https://brandywinefriends.org/)
Up next in the series: Shelton & Williams – Friday, December 9th at 8 pm.
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.
** UUDAN Monthly Meeting Focuses on Delaware Housing Crisis
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The Unitarian Universalist Delaware Advocacy Network (UUDAN) encourages all Delaware residents to attend their monthly meeting this Sunday, October 23, 4:00-5:30 pm on Zoom.
There is a housing crisis in Delaware. Why? Because there is no affordable housing! To make matters worse, some of our neighbors have been displaced by the devastating effects of hurricanes, and some have endured deplorable rental conditions, all resulting in too many Delaware residents who are experiencing housing insecurity. At their upcoming meeting, UUDAN welcomes guest speaker Rabbi Sonya Starr from Housing Alliance Delaware (https://www.housingalliancede.org/) who will share information about the Alliance and discuss some ways we can advocate for better housing policies in Delaware.
CLICK HERE to request the Zoom link to attend the UUDAN meeting (https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSc3QqOoIunbfvlbloQfrqZqh_j2qxdWAOe91HYLvJbir6MU3w/viewform)
Have questions about UUDAN and the work they do? Click HERE to connect with Mill Creek member Jack Guerin to learn more. (mailto:jackguerin7@gmail.com?subject=UUDAN)
UUDAN, the Unitarian Universalist Delaware Advocacy Network, brings together the five Delaware UU congregations to engage in local legislative action. Their mission is to inform, recruit and mobilize UU advocates to work, in partnership with other advocacy organizations, for the many social justice issues in the state of Delaware.
** Worship Service Information
Sunday, October 23, 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
* 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)
https://deeprootsinc.org/
**
Share Our Plate:
September & October
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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 September & October we are supporting the following charitable organization:
Deep Roots at Clairvaux Farm
Located on 20 acres in Cecil County, Deep Roots serves as a homeless shelter for children and families in the community while providing case management and assistance to break the generational cycle of homelessness. Situated at Clairvaux Farm in Earleville, Maryland, they provide stable and safe transitional housing featuring private apartments for up to 12 families with children. They operate a free café, have an on-site thrift store and furniture exchange, offer after-school programing, support services and programs, all with a focus on their mission, Ending homelessness one family & one child at a time.
LEARN MORE about Deep Roots HERE (https://deeprootsinc.org/)
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**
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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** Spooky Walking Tour in New Castle
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Join the New Castle Historical Society (https://www.newcastlehistory.org/) to explore New Castle’s supernatural side with a Hauntings in History walking tour that guides you through darkened streets to hear macabre tales of hauntings, funeral customs, crime & punishment that span the 360-year history of this Delaware River town. You’ll also be invited inside the Amstel House – New Castle’s most haunted mansion!
This is a prepaid event only — ALL TICKETS must be purchased in advance. Space and dates are limited, and these tours will sell out! All tour participants, including children, require a ticket. Walk-ins are not permitted. Click the link below for more information, and to purchase tickets.
The Arsenal
30 Market Street
New Castle, DE 19720
(302) 322-2794
info@newcastlehistory.org
Click here for more information about the Walking Tour (http://events.r20.constantcontact.com/register/event?oeidk=a07ejcwi2cqd727b8b1&llr=vaivhccab)
** 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]
October 25: Mobilizing for Action
November 15: Community Conversation
Register HERE for the next event in the series (https://secure.everyaction.com/PS4mePprYUuC-kAGNfm4vQ2)
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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OCTOBER 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=e6af401c28c1790eaef7d55c92ab6ab6.5895&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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