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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, April 3, 2022
10:00 am
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Join us on Sunday morning when Rev. Dan Schatz shares his sermon:
Each of us is meant to have a character all our own, to be what no other can exactly be, and to do what no other can exactly do.
–William Ellery Channing, Unitarian minister
The Unitarian Universalist search for truth and meaning can take us in many directions – including inwards. How do we begin the “search for self?”
Rev. Dan Schatz is Minister of the Unitarian Congregation of West Chester (PA). A graduate of Harvard Divinity School, he has served congregations in New Hampshire and Pennsylvania for over 20 years. He is also a Grammy nominated folk musician and producer with several albums, including his most recent, The Promise of the Sowing, available through Smithsonian Folkways.
Music will be performed by the Mill Creek Choir and Rev. Dan Schatz.
Connect With Us In-Person
We are pleased to welcome all to our sanctuary for gathering in-person this Sunday!
* **NO** registration required – bring your whole self and be welcome!
* 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 your children bring to our congregation!
Register your child(ren) here (https://onrealm.org/MillCreek/PublicRegistrations/Event?linkString=ZGNhNTcyMTItZTEwYi00NTQ1LWIyZDctYWU2OTAwZmI5ZWY4)
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**
** 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 less than two 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; feel free to bring a lawn or camp chair, or use our tables and chairs already set up
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; watch your inbox for more details soon to come!
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. Buy extra tickets for your guests – friends, neighbors or other family members!
Donations needed: without items to bid on, there would be no auction! Donations are being accepted now for both the silent and live actions. See below.
Members and friends are asked make donations of services, experiences, and/or items.
To donate a SERVICE, think:
* music or cooking lessons
* tutoring of any kind
* lawn care
* house cleaning/organizing
* personal IT consultation
* therapy/medical or airport transportation
* ballroom dancing lessons
* window washing
* auto repair/tune-up
Or donate an EXPERIENCE, such as:
* themed dinners, picnics & BBQs
* garden tours
* guided hikes
* musical performances
* beach weekends
* museum trips
* vacation packages
* amusement park tickets
Or donate an ITEM, like:
* gift baskets of every description
* retail or other gift cards (spa day, movie night, restaurants, online shopping, etc.)
* 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, be creative, and have fun!
Not sure what your donations might be worth? Our auction specialists can help. Use the contact button below with questions and to make your donations.
Here is what I can donate! (mailto:david@dlsk.net?subject=service%20auction)
We are looking to add a few more volunteers to make the auction run smoothly – use the link below to contact Janice Buckwalter with your offer of help.
Here is how I can help! (mailto:jcab621@gmail.com?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.
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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** Nemours Estate Opening Weekend
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Friday, April 1 – Sunday, April 3
The Nemours Estate opens for the 2022 season this weekend. Hours are from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Enjoy all three floors of the Mansion this season for the first time since 2019, along with the 200 acres of gardens and grounds, and Chauffeur’s Garage.
Nemours Estate
1600 Rockland Road
Wilmington, DE 19803
302-651-6912
Learn more here (http://nemoursestate.org/welcome.html)
** 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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APRIL 2022
Opportunities for Connection – click here to learn more (https://uua874.activehosted.com/index.php?action=social&chash=7f7c351ee977c765aa8cd5c7020bc38f.5690&s=8983449a6b0e04757c2c9729fa49f044)
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