What power do we each have to make change? UUSC President & CEO Mary Katherine Morn will speak to “the power each of us has within us and in community to make a difference for justice.” As we wrap up this year’s Guest At Your Table program, which, for the past five weeks has been informing us about the world-wide work of the Unitarian Universalist Service Committee, Mary Katherine will share how we and UUSC can help address challenging human-rights and social-justice issues. Learn more about our Sunday topic, here.

Join us, immediately after the service, for an opportunity to ask questions of, and exchange ideas with, Mary Katherine, both in the Sanctuary and online. Link for online discussion will be sent with the remote livestream email link. If not already subscribed, please be sure to sign up for our Remote Worship Streaming Service to receive the Zoom link along with the worship link prior to Sunday worship.

Prefer virtual experience? Look for our worship link which will be provided via email - if you have not signed up for remote livestream worship links, please click here.

You will also find the stream on our YouTube page, where it will appear when the broadcast starts on Sunday morning. Click the video window title to enlarge it.

Pre Kindergarten 4 - 6th graders begin Children’s Religious Exploration in Brunner Chapel for our Children’s Worship Service. We will then move to room 28 for activities. Please pick up in room 28. Drop off begins at 10:15 a.m. with religious education beginning at 10:30 a.m. Pick up by 11:45 a.m.

Youth Group meets in room 27 from 12:30 p.m. to 2:00 p.m. Youth are welcome to bring their lunch and eat together starting at 12:00 p.m.

Pre Kindergarten - 6th graders (and all ages) are welcome to attend the virtual worship service.

Please check out the Family Resources page for a Chalice Ritual and other ways to bring UUism into your home.

Within the metaphorical story of Hanukkah is a perennial lesson of, among other things, perseverance. In what ways can we testify to the power of perseverance in our own lives and our common lives? Since Hanukkah begins this evening, we’ll use poetry, song and reflections to reflect on the theme of perseverance.

Prefer a virtual experience? Look for our worship link which will be provided via email - if you have not signed up for remote livestream worship links, please click here.

You will also find the stream on our YouTube page, where it will appear when the broadcast starts on Sunday morning. Click the video window title to enlarge it.

Pre Kindergarten 4 - 6th graders begin Children’s Religious Exploration in Brunner Chapel for our Children’s Worship Service. We will then move to room 28 for activities. Please pick up in room 28. Drop off begins at 10:15 a.m. with religious education beginning at 10:30 a.m. Pick up by 11:45 a.m.

No Youth Group or Coming of Age this week. Coming of Age meets December 5.

Pre Kindergarten - 6th graders (and all ages) are welcome to attend the virtual worship service.

Check out the Family Resources page for a Chalice Ritual and other ways to bring UUism into your home.

Can we be a force that invites people in our own congregation, among our families, friends, colleagues or neighbors to tell their stories by interviewing one another using the well-prepared tools provided by StoryCorps.

All that you need to participate in this project of reconnecting with one another and others is provided in this “First U Conversations that Matter Project Guide” here.

Also these project guides will also be available in printed form at the rear of the Sanctuary on Sundays.

It is time to wrap GAYT up for 2021, but it is only a soft wrap. Why? Because the year around need for work to be done on human rights, civil rights, and social justice never goes away. We can wish that such work is not needed, but we know better. We know that injustice, climate crises, economic crises, humanitarian crises never go away—they don’t even take a nap.

UUSC, the Unitarian Universalist Service Committee, needs our consistent support. Whether you give monthly, quarterly, or annually, we urge you to consistently and generously support all UUSC staff and all UUSC partners around the world. This week’s E-Blast told us the options we have for giving. Please re-read it, if needed.  However, two more unique ways can be added to the E-Blast options:

Therefore, the GAYT wrap up is only temporary and means that you will receive fewer articles about UUSC. But, the need is always present—for example, genocide continues in Burma/Myanmar, earthquakes continue in Haiti, refugees continue to flee for their lives from all the natural and people-made disasters, and greed/racism/hatred have no end in sight.

The bottom line message is: Support UUSC in whatever way works best for you.  Nike’s message “Just Do It” seems very relevant to our efforts. We are wrapping up GAYT for 2021, but we need to keep chugging, keep supporting all of UUSC’s work. Let’s “Just Do It.” You can give online at this link, www.uusc.org/donate

The church office will be closed on November 24, 25 and 26 to celebrate Thanksgiving!

Enews deadline will be 3:00 p.m. on Monday, November 22 so we can complete Enews and other communications updates before the office closes.

In the Giving Spirit this Holiday? Two ILYA Projects Are Waiting for You!

THANK YOU to those members who have already volunteered to support ILYA’s Holiday Giving Project. With an unexpected increase in the number of young adults and children we are supporting in New Castle County plus the expansion to Kent County through church partnerships (112 adults and 16 children total), your participation really makes a difference this year!

As a reminder, there are some easy ways you can get involved in the next few weeks:

Contact the ILYA Holiday Giving Project Coordinators if you are able to help:

A few more Student Care Package volunteers are also still needed. Many ILYA college students have been paired with volunteers, but there are still 10 students who could benefit from your generosity. Just a few gift boxes during the school year, on holidays and birthday time is all it takes to let them know you’re in their corner.  Ask a friend to join you!

Contact Pauline Koch if interested: Pauline.d.koch@gmail.com or 302-423-1164. Thank you!!

Thank you all for your generosity last Sunday. We raised $2,300 for our EDR cooking program! The entire First U EDR team and the staff at EDR are deeply appreciative of your support, and wish you a wonderful Thanksgiving season.

Our annual Counterpoint Society fundraising drive is in full swing and will continue through December! Counterpoint Society is a group of people who believe in the importance of music and who financially support First Unitarian’s Music program above their regular church pledge. Counterpoint makes it possible for us to enrich our services by hosting guest musicians and producing big music Sundays, concerts and other musical events. With your support, we look forward to continuing to create a welcoming space to the Wilmington community through sharing our love of music!

There are several ways to give: drop a check in the box at church on Sunday morning, donate online (click here), use your smart phone with the Vanco Mobile Faith Engagement app, or simply mail a check to the office. If paying electronically, select “Counterpoint” option for your payment. Checks should be made out to First Unitarian church with “Counterpoint” in the memo line.

No amount is too big or too small and 100% of your Counterpoint gift will go toward enhancing our music experiences at First Unitarian. Consider a gift at any of these five levels:

To learn more, contact Music Director Kathy Harris at kathy@firstuuwilm.org. Sincerest thanks for your generosity!

During this service, we will remember all those who we have lost and those who have experienced a loss since January 2020. Perhaps because of the pandemic, we were not able to grieve in the same ways. Rev. Megan Lloyd Joiner, a Pastoral Care minister and a Chaplain resident at Emory University Hospital, will be our guest preacher. Rev. Larry Peers will lead a ritual of Memory and Hope to acknowledge as a community some of the losses our members have experienced during this pandemic time. We will hold our memories, light candles of memory, and surround one another with love and care.

If you have experienced a loss of a loved one (family member, etc.) during this time and would like to acknowledge that loss during the service by lighting a candle and/or providing a digital photo of your loved one--please contact Rev. Larry by November 30th via email at larry@firstuuwilm.org. Put "December 5th" in the subject line of the email. If you want to send a digital photo of your loved one, please attach that to your email with their name and the date of their passing.

This week, we started installation of our solar panels on the roof of the education wing. A few photos are available, here.

Join us in the outdoor sanctuary (church field next to Concord Pike)

We are celebrating with story, music, blessing of our solar panels, a bonfire, and time to socialize.

This year we will try something different, one service at 7:00 p.m.

This worship service will be suitable for everyone! Attend in the building or attend online. Details available at a future date.

Please contact Greg Griffin via email at ggriffin8@msn.com if you are willing to welcome people to the church building on Sunday mornings. Usher schedules are flexible; can be one Sunday per month, an occasional substitute, on-call if a scheduled usher has a schedule conflict. On the job training provided.

In November, our Pastoral Care Associate is Giovanni Maiorano. His email is GiovanniM@firstuuwilm.org.

Pastoral Care invites the opportunity to offer support for health issues & deaths, personal or family difficulties, loneliness, etc. We may only become aware of who may benefit if you let us know of the need. And also, as these extraordinary difficult times continue, please show our care & concern by reaching out to one another by phone or online.

This is a wonderful community led space that is truly multigenerational. Many trans UU’s are searching for a way to connect to other trans UU’s and Adrian Ballou has taken on creating this space. Children attend with their parents and there is breakout space for children and youth. This program is completely in line with the UUA’s youth safety guidelines.

Hello beloved community,

Are you, a loved one, or someone you support in your UU community trans/nonbinary? Together, trans and nonbinary UUs are creating a space just for us to gather and build community–and it’s a cozy, caring, affirming time that restores and renews. There’s lots of interest and we’re still growing, and we want you with us! Learn more, here. Group meets on the 4th Tuesday of the month. Next Meeting is November 23, 2021.

For more info (including info on accessibility and children/youth registration) click here. Ready to sign up? Register here to join the community!

Delaware Coronavirus Information is available, here.

For our Pennsylvania members, you can go here for information.