We often equate faith with having particular beliefs. Yet, faith is not constrained by the beliefs that we have or don’t have. Faith is—beyond belief.

We will meet in the building this week and we will also offer online worship streaming, if you prefer. Please look for our worship link which will be provided via email and includes all of the details on how to connect - if you have not signed up for remote livestream worship links, please click here.

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

Newborns - 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.

This week we will learn about our UU symbol, the chalice. We will also begin making chalices to take home.

Coming of Age Meets in room 30 from 12:15 p.m. to 1:30 p.m.

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

If you prefer to attend worship online, look for our worship link which will be provided via email and includes all of the details on how to connect - if you have not signed up for remote livestream worship links, please click here.

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

Newborns - 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.

This week we will learn about our UU Principles, beginning with Red, Orange, and Yellow.

Youth Group Meets in room 27 from 12:30 pm to 2:00 pm.

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

Our First U mission calls us to fight injustice and transform the world through loving action and we are meeting this intention head on. Our three official Social Justice Task Forces are the way we, as a congregation, are focusing on this mission. All are outward focused and involve members of the community as we expand our impact outside our walls.

The Environmental Justice Task Force (EJTF) has as its mission to move the planet to a sustainable future. During the past year, with the leadership of this task force, we have made strides in two main areas. After much research and support of the congregation, we have invested in rooftop solar panels, completing the project on December 30th. You can see photos on our website here.  We celebrated the end of the process that began in 2017 with a Winter Solstice Celebration and Blessing in our “outdoor sanctuary”- the open area between Rt. 202 and the church.

The Native Plant Project, under the leadership of Nancy Flanagan, has the goals to make our 7th Principle more visible, to preserve the quality of our three acres and do good for the environment, and to affirm our Green Sanctuary status. This project has already added vibrancy to the outdoor sanctuary and will increase the green screen and decrease noise over time. The project is ongoing with the plan to add to the edges of the property while preserving the center lawn for future gatherings and potential expansions. You can see photos from our 2021 Ingathering which included planting of our new native plants, here.

Our second task force is Independent Living for Young Adults (ILYA) which supports young people aging out of foster care in building successful independent lives. This project was featured in our Sunday worship service on February 13, including interviews of some of our youth by Rev. Larry Peers. For 17 years, ILYA has assisted young adults with year-round projects such as New Apartment Kits, Student Care Packages, Graduation Gifts, and a Loan Program. A Baby Supplies Project provides young moms with essential items for their newborns. ILYA’s activities are coordinated through the State’s Independent Living Coordinators. During the past year, ILYA expanded to support youth in Kent County, assisted by our partner congregation, UU of Central Delaware in Dover.

Our third task force is the Human Rights Task Force (HRTF), advancing the cause of human rights in harmony with the principles of Unitarian Universalism. Most recently, the HRTF has sponsored the Anti-Racism Book Group Series focused on The Sum of Us: What Racism Costs Everyone and How We Can Prosper Together by Heather McGhee. The HRTF has also been responsible for multiple “Get Out the Vote” postcard campaigns over the past two years, focused on increasing voter turnout in elections.  Over 70 First Unitarian members participated. This was in conjunction with the Unitarian Universalist Delaware Advocacy Network (UUDAN) and other UU congregations in Delaware. Postcards were sent to legal voters in Florida, South Carolina, Texas, and Georgia for the 2020 election.

Our intentions for fighting injustice and transforming the world through loving action are strong and making a difference. What are your intentions regarding this aspect of our mission and how can you help support it? Here’s what two of our church members have said about this:

YOUR GIFT MAKES A DIFFERENCE. Pledged with intention, given with intention, it carries with it energy and possibility, now and in the future. Please pledge and give as generously as you can to this year’s stewardship campaign.

So far, we have raised we have raised $265,240 – just over 50%  of our goal of $490,000 to support our church next church year, 2022-2023. We have heard from just 70 families so far out of our expected number of pledges, 200.

We are happy to report that on Sunday, March 6, 2022, we will be re-opening to services in our sanctuary, in addition to live streaming each Sunday.

In anticipation of our re-opening, we updated our pandemic mitigation efforts to include a vaccine requirement for worship and participation in children's activities in the building. For information on mask requirements as well as vaccine requirements, you can view our Vaccination Card Verification Procedures and Guidelines for Worship and Children’s Programming, here.

Thank you for helping us to protect each other and our community.

Many of our members are in high risk age groups and our procedures are designed to allow for safe attendance in the building to make this option available to as many of our congregants as possible. Online worship is also available.

Please do not hesitate to contact the church office if you have any questions. Office phone is 302-478-2384 or email Marina@firstuuwilm.org.

For those planning to attend in the building, here are a few reminders about being in the building on a Sunday morning:

Thank you for helping to make worship in the building safer for everyone.

Choir members, please take note! This is the news you've been waiting for - it's finally time to return to Parish Hall for rehearsing and recording, beginning Thursday, March 10th at 7:00 p.m.  

Whether you’re a long-time choir member or have been tempted but never taken the step to join, NOW IS THE TIME to come together, share your love of singing, and make a musical contribution to worship services.

We will replace virtual choir videos with recordings of the choir performing in the sanctuary on Thursday evenings. These recordings will be played during multi-platform services. We also hope to be able to feature the choir singing in-person in services later in the Spring.

We'll be following the same COVID protocol as for in-person worship services: requiring proof of vaccination, masking and distancing.

New members are always welcome! Feel free to share this good news with interested family and friends.

Details for uploading your proof of vaccination can be found on First Unitarian website, here.

Please contact Kathy Harris at kathy@firstuuwilm.org for further details about rehearsals, how to obtain a Singer’s Mask, and more.

As we all watch in horror to what is happening in Ukraine, we want to do something to make a difference. We can.

As you may know, our Unitarian Universalist Service Committee (UUSC) partnered with local groups in Hungary, Serbia, and Croatia when refugees from the Middle East were flooding to Europe. UUSC is in the process of engaging with former partners and finalizing its vetting of new partners to help with Ukrainian refugees fleeing Russia’s invasion and destruction in Ukraine.

You can go to the UUSC website and donate now to support organizations which will help Ukrainian refugees. And we will keep you updated on what UUSC is doing for Ukrainians. You can also read a message by Rev. Mary Katherine Morn, of UUSC, here.

Then mark your calendar. Sunday, March 13th is UUSC Justice Sunday and the Special Offering will be for the work of the Service Committee.  UUSC is our Unitarian Universalist human rights organization, based upon our UU principles, working for social justice around the world. Come on the 13th to hear our minister Larry Peers’ sermon about Creating Justice and Beverley Baxter’s Stewardship Moment on the work of UUSC.

Warmer weather and early spring flowers remind us that on March 13, 2022, Daylight Savings Time begins! Remember to "spring forward" and move your clocks ahead one hour so you aren't late for church!

We will have two Virtual Cafés in March, on March 13 and March 27. These will be multi-platform coffee hours designed to help folks at home connect with each other and the congregants that will be joining us in the building. More details on each Café as we get closer to the date.

Part of renewing our faith – in one another, in ourselves, in life – is learning to grieve. Join our former associate minister, Rev. Barbara Gadon, as we navigate loss, disappointment and change to see what’s on the other side. Rev. Barbara H. Gadon served First UU Wilmington from 2002-2011 as Associate Minister. She currently serves Eliot Unitarian Chapel in St. Louis, MO as their lead minister. In 2019 she underwent a double lung transplant and is enjoying good health and happiness with her spouse, Robert. (Rev. Barbara will be joining us online for the service.) Jan Shay, Worship Associate

In March, our Pastoral Care Associate is Jackie Feldman. You can reach her at JackieF@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.

Thank you to our usher team:

Thank you as well to our Vaccine Registration Volunteers:

Now that we are back in the building, we can use more volunteers to staff the usher team. 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.

Small Group Ministry is a form of shared ministry that encourages spiritual growth and the development of deep and substantive relationships. Small Group Ministry meets our needs for belonging (intimacy) and meaning (ultimacy). It builds friendships and provides opportunities to talk with others about the big questions of life. Small groups are designed to enrich our community with the sort of conversation and attentiveness that can be difficult in the busy life of a congregation. A small group experience nurtures each person’s spiritual growth, empowering them to live their lives with intention and authenticity. For more information and to register, please click here.

Its almost the season for graduation gifts and prom purchases. Or maybe, you got used to the convenience of online shopping during the pandemic. If you use Amazon for purchases, please consider using Amazon Smile and designate First Unitarian Church of Wilmington DE as your charity of choice.

Shop online and use the Amazon Smile web page at https://smile.amazon.com/ and Amazon will donate .05% of your purchase to First Unitarian Church.

This is a great way to support First U while shopping for items you buy anyway! Questions, contact Marina at marina@firstuuwilm.org.

Would you like your child or youth to experience camp for UUs? Check out these summer camps!

Camping in the Grove at Murray Grove, NJ. Camp is for rising 4th - 7th graders and rising 8th - 10th graders.

Ferry Beach in Ferry Beach, ME

Unirondak in Lowville, NY

For more camp options, check out the UUA website.

Delaware Coronavirus Information is available, here. Testing resources are here.

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