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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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** Worship Service Information for
Sunday, March 27, 2022
10:00 am
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Join us on Sunday morning when Rev. Kevin Jagoe shares his sermon:
As we look at what it means to be Unitarian Universalist and what that identity calls us to do, we will explore three questions:
* Which group of fellow travelers loves you into being?
* Where does justice call you to transform the world?
* What personal practice grows your capacity for life?
The Reverend Kevin W. Jagoe serves BuxMont Unitarian Universalist Fellowship (http://www.buxmontuu.org/) in Warrington, Pennsylvania as their minister. He completed his Master of Divinity at Meadville Lombard Theological School and is currently working on his Doctorate of Divinity at United Lutheran Seminary.
Beyond congregational life, Kevin is Adjunct Faculty with the Humanist Studies Program of the American Humanist Association. He currently serves on the Education Committee of the American Humanist Association and was a past Board member of the Unitarian Universalist Humanist Association. He is a contributor to the books Humanist Voices in Unitarian Universalism, and Values in Action.
Kevin’s background includes more than a decade of work in the nonprofit sector with organizations ranging in size from five members to several thousand. He has worked within the Humanist movement professionally and as a volunteer.
Kevin and his husband Justin live in Doylestown where they are settling into a new home.
Music will be performed by the Mill Creek Choir.
Connect With Us In-Person
We are pleased to welcome all to our sanctuary for gathering in-person this Sunday!
* **NO** registration required – come as you are!
* Service time remains at 10:00 am
* Wearing N95 masks is mandatory (a supply is available in the gathering space)
* Full vaccination is expected
* Feeling sick, been exposed or having symptoms? Join us Livestream on Zoom!
* Children’s RE offered for ages 4 and up (registration required; see ‘Children’s Religious Exploration this Sunday’ with a blue registration button below)
* Service will be livestreamed
* We are unable to offer Child Care (infant/toddler, ages 0 to 3)
Connect With Us Virtually
There are several ways to get the Zoom link for livestreaming the service:
* Click the link below (Sunday Livestream) and bookmark it; OR
* Access the church calendar (https://www.uusmc.org/news/calendar/) (https://www.uusmc.org/news/calendar/); OR
* Open our Sunday morning email; OR
* Open ANY PREVIOUS Sunday morning email – the link remains the same from week to week
Click here for Sunday LIVESTREAM (https://zoom.us/j/97806427419)
** Congregational Life
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** Upcoming events, meetings and news to know
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** Children’s Religious Exploration this Sunday!
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Children ages four and up are welcome to join us for a joyful hour of crafts and activities on Sunday mornings in Classroom 1. Our religious education program is currently an all-ages group that is held during the Sunday service hour (10:00-11:00 am). Registration is required so that we can staff accordingly; use the button below. Until further notice we will continue to utilize masks. We ask that parents return to the classroom directly after the service. We look forward to the excitement, laughter and creativity that our children bring to our congregation!
Register your child(ren) here! (https://onrealm.org/MillCreek/PublicRegistrations/Event?linkString=OGUxN2E0MjYtYTlkYy00YjZjLTkwYTUtYWU2MTAxMjQ0NjMz)
https://www.consciousconnectionsinc.com/
** Share Our Plate:
March & April
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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 have selected:
Conscious Connections
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 offer seasonal Market Fresh Boxes during the summer months. They 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.
For more information about this organization, click on the link below:
LEARN MORE about Conscious Connections (https://www.consciousconnectionsinc.com/)
Support this organization with your online donation today!**
DONATE to Share Our Plate (https://onrealm.org/MillCreek/-/give/now)
**Be sure to select ‘Share Our Plate’ as the giving fund**
** Climate Teach-In
at Mill Creek
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Wednesday, March 30th
7:00-8:30 pm
As Unitarian Universalists, we accept the scientific fact that global warming is real and the role that humans play in it. But can we do anything about it?
Join members of Mill Creek and our local community as we join over 1,000 colleges, universities, high schools, K-8 schools, and faith groups worldwide to engage in a one-day Teach-In on climate solutions and justice.
The Climate Teach-In will be offered in-person in our sanctuary as well as on Zoom (link is included below), and will feature a panel presentation and discussion on ways we all can make a difference. Everyone is welcome, and encouraged to invite friends and family.
Our panelists are Beth Chajes of the Citizens Climate Lobby, Onage Cunningham of Lincoln University, Dustyn Thompson from the Sierra Club, and Peggy Smith from the Climate Change and Energy Committee of the League of Women Voters of Delaware. Our moderator is Reverend Robert Broesler.
The Worldwide Teach-In is a project of the Graduate Programs in Sustainability (https://gps.bard.edu/) at Bard College in New York, USA, in conjunction with partners worldwide and the Open Society University Network (https://opensocietyuniversitynetwork.org/) .
LEARN MORE about the Teach-In here (https://gps.bard.edu/world-wide-teach-in?utm_campaign=World-Wide-Teach-In&utm_source=Custom-URL)
Climate Solutions 101, a 6-part video series, is available for viewing as a starting point. You can watch the videos in any order you wish. (Viewing the entire series takes about 90 minutes total.) Access the series by clicking the button below.
Climate Solutions 101 – view it here (https://drawdown.org/climate-solutions-101)
Attend the Teach-In virtually by accessing the Zoom link below:
Climate Teach-In on Zoom – click here to attend (https://zoom.us/j/99143622363)
Feel free to reach out to Mill Creek member Jamie Kegerise with questions about the Teach-In using the button below.
I have questions about the Teach-In (mailto:jamie@dsofurniture.com)
** Board Meeting Quick Look Report
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Mill Creek Board Meeting Quick Look Report
23 March 2022, 6:30pm on Zoom
Treasurer and Service Auction Reports were received
COVID-19 Statistics and Opening Policy were reviewed and updated
The first revision of the Proposed 2022-23 Budget was discussed. Comments will be provided to the Finance Committee
Planning for the Annual Meeting was conducted. The meeting will be both in person and on Zoom.
** SAVE THE DATE:
Mill Creek Service Auction
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Coming soon to a UU near you!
We are excited to welcome all to the return of our beloved Service Auction in just 2 months. Clear your calendar for Saturday, May 21st and plan to attend Mill Creek’s largest fundraiser!
Some features of this year’s auction are new while others will remain the same.
What’s new?
Start time: Venue opens 3:30 pm.
Location: OUTDOORS, picnic-style. Bring a lawn or camp chair or blanket.
Rain Date: Sunday, May 22nd
Children are welcome: childcare will be available
Food: will be provided by food truck including main entrée & sides; beverages & desserts also available.
Silent Auction: held one week prior to the in-person event via online eBay-style format. Winning bidders can pick up their item(s) on auction day or soon thereafter. More information will be provided soon.
What hasn’t changed?
Live auction: the event will still be centered around an exciting LIVE AUCTION, with food, fun and fellowship in abundance!
Catalog: a catalog of all items will be available for viewing prior to auction day.
Tickets: will be available soon at a low price of $15 in advance, $20 at the door; children 16 & under are free.
Donations needed: without items to bid on, there would be no auction!
We are looking to add a few more volunteers to make the auction run smoothly – contact Janice Buckwalter (mailto:jcab621@gmail.com?subject=Service%20Auction) with your offer of help.
Donations are being accepted now for both the silent and live auctions:
Members and friends are asked to donate a service (think music or cooking lessons, tutoring, lawn care, house cleaning/organizing, personal IT consultation, therapy/medical or airport transportation, ballroom dancing lessons, window washing, auto repair/tune-up); an experience (such as themed dinners, picnics & BBQs, garden tours, guided hikes, musical performances, beach weekends, museum trips, vacation packages); or an item (like gift baskets of all sorts, retail gift cards, food-of-the-month offerings, that fabulous cake that only you can bake, hand crafted items, a pot of your famous chili). Use your imagination and be creative!!
Not sure what your items or services might be worth? Don’t worry – our auction specialists can assist you.
Use the button below to make arrangements for your donation(s).
Here is what I can donate! (mailto:david@dlsk.net?subject=service%20auction)
** Mill Creek Meadow & Grounds:
Adopt-A-Bed!
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Would you like to adopt these flower beds by the church side entrance and give them the love and attention they deserve? There are plants underneath the all overgrowth that want to feel the sun’s warm and restorative rays, and be given the chance to grow and bloom. You are welcome to stop by and rescue these flower beds at any time.
** Access & Welcome Workshop
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This event, scheduled for Saturday, March 26th, has been postponed. Rescheduling info will be shared soon.
** UUDAN Monthly Steering Committee Meeting
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Sunday, March 27, 4 pm
On Zoom
All are welcome to join UUDAN* for our next meeting and learn about the justice work that is happening with police reform and probation in Delaware. We will be joined by guest speakers:
Javonne Rich, Policy & Advocacy Director and
Michelle Jackson, Smart Justice Ambassador
ACLU Delaware
Once registered you will receive the Zoom link by email; use the link below:
REGISTER for the meeting HERE (https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSc3QqOoIunbfvlbloQfrqZqh_j2qxdWAOe91HYLvJbir6MU3w/viewform)
Contact Mill Creek member Jack Guerin (mailto:jackguerin7@gmail.com?subject=UUDAN) with any questions you have about UUDAN, the upcoming meeting, or the important work they do.
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.
** New Meeting Space Available
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Classroom 6 (next to the MacArtor Library) has been transformed into our new Multi-Purpose Meeting Room. This space is available now for Chalice Circle gatherings, and committee, board, and other meetings. Be sure to contact the church office (mailto:administrator@uusmc.org?subject=meeting%20reservation) to schedule your meeting.
*Special thanks to Diane Hofer and Laura Bonner who tackled this room and other areas of the church building that needed cleaning and organizing.
https://www.kate-moore.com/the-radium-girls
** Book Group’s Next Read
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Join our next meeting:
Tuesday, May 3rd at 7pm
Everyone is welcome!
Everyone is welcome to join the Book Group for their discussion about the upcoming book selection:
The Radium Girls – The Dark Story of America’s Shining Women (https://www.kate-moore.com/the-radium-girls)
by Kate Moore
Tuesday, May 3^rd at 7 pm
Zoom links remain the same for each discussion and can be found on the church calendar (https://www.uusmc.org/news/calendar/) . Contact the church office 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!
How to make pledge payments, donations, and other contributions:
1. Mail a check: 579 Polly Drummond Hill Road, Newark DE 19711 (staff is present in the office and the mailbox is checked daily). Please indicate on the subject line if this is a pledge payment, a general contribution, or a contribution to a specific giving fund.
2. Give electronically through REALM using your credit card or bank account (checking, savings, etc.): https://onrealm.org/MillCreek/Give or use the link below (remember to select a giving fund).
3. Text-to-Give: text MillCreek and the amount [e.g. MillCreek 50] to 73256.
We sincerely appreciate your support of Mill Creek. We are committed to offering a high-quality and stimulating Sunday worship experience while reestablishing our connections with one another. We gratefully acknowledge that there would be no Mill Creek without YOU.
**Click here to GIVE NOW** (https://onrealm.org/MillCreek/-/give/now)
Follow us on Instagram!
@millcreekuu
Mill Creek Staff
Rev. Gregory S. Pelley, Minister
Rev. Greg is away on sabbatical now through June 30.
He will not be available by phone or email throughout the duration of his absence. We offer assurance that all church operations will continue as usual, and have prepared a guide which contains a list of guest speakers, contact information for those in leadership positions, and other information. Use the link below to access the guide.
Sabbatical Guide – view it here (https://www.uusmc.org/wp-content/uploads/A-Guide-to-Rev-Gregs-Sabbatical.pdf)
Rev. Robert Broesler (Ret.), Minister On-Call
Rev. Bob is available to Mill Creek members and friends on an on-call basis.
rjbroesler@gmail.com (mailto:rjbroesler@gmail.com )
302-584-2218
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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** The Newark Partnership Offers Diversity, Equity & Inclusion Series
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The Newark Partnership has joined with Jamee Boone, president of Eddee Boone Consulting LLC, to offer an online workshop series which is part of TNP’s Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Series. The series will cover broader dimensions of diversity including religions, faiths, etc. and review terminology and laws.
Workshop 2: Wednesday, April 20, 12:00 – 1:30 pm
Anti-Racism/Unconscious (Implicit) Bias
Workshop 3: Wednesday, May 18, 12:00 – 1:30 pm
Cultural Exploration
Click here for more info and to register (https://thenewarkpartnership.org/event/diversity-equity-inclusion-belonging-foundational-workshop/)
** News from the UUA, the Central East Region, and the Delmarva Cluster
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** UUA Featured Read
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Beyond Welcome
Building Communities of Love
The heartfelt essays in Beyond Welcome explore what it means to be in compassionate, authentic, and equitable Beloved Community and what it will take to get us there.
In Beyond Welcome: Building Communities of Love, editor Linnea Nelson and contributors dream of a future Unitarian Universalism that upholds abundant love and universal justice within every community. Through personal and collective reflections, these heartfelt essays tell stories of how it feels to be in Beloved Community while prompting readers to imagine what it will take to get us there. Available now from inSpirit: UUA Bookstore.
Click here to learn more or purchase this book (https://www.uuabookstore.org/Beyond-Welcome-P19172.aspx)
** Supporting Those Impacted by the Crisis in Ukraine
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Unitarian Universalist Association Press Release, March 7, 2022:
The scope of this humanitarian crisis is staggering. To help address the scale of the crisis, the UUA has been working closely with our partners at the UU Service Committee (https://www.uusc.org/) (Unitarian Universalist Service Committee*), which is dedicated to advancing human rights and social justice, together with an international community of grassroots partners and advocates. They have created an Emergency Relief Fund to support Ukraine and we are committed to amplifying their voice and humanitarian work.
Read the statement in full here (https://www.uua.org/pressroom/press-releases/supporting-ukraine)
UUSC Response to the Invasion (https://www.uusc.org/press/we-demand-an-end-to-the-bloodshed-uusc-responds-to-vladimir-putins-invasion-of-ukraine/)
*The Unitarian Universalist Service Committee (UUSC) advances human rights and social justice around the world, partnering with those who confront unjust power structures and mobilizing to challenge oppressive policies. Their work is grounded in the belief that all people have inherent power and dignity. It is a nonprofit, nonsectarian organization advancing human rights together with an international community of grassroots partners and advocates.
https://www.uua.org/central-east
**
Opportunities for Connection: Central East Region Update
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MARCH 2022
Opportunities for Connection – click here to learn more (https://uua874.activehosted.com/index.php?action=social&chash=058d6f2fbe951a5a56d96b1f1a6bca1c.5673&s=8983449a6b0e04757c2c9729fa49f044)
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