Good Morning UNITED Church! This past Sunday we sang a new song as a part of our response to the message, Not Today by Hillsong UNITED. We believe the words to this song are extremely powerful and can serve as not only a reminder but a declaration for us during life. UNITED Worship is so excited to bring it back again this week! If you haven't been already, we'd love for y'all to be listening to this throughout the rest of the week so that you can sing it out with us on Sunday! We can't wait to worship with y'all in just a few short days!

This past Sunday we had such an amazing time in worship. We not only sang out some of our favorite songs, we also introduced a new one! How many of y'all enjoyed worship this past week?! #SundaySetlist

“The devil is afraid one day we will understand that God does have our back.” Pastor Kenneth's message from this past week was one so many of us needed to hear. We all have fears, they are a normal part of life. No matter how big our fear seems to be, God is still bigger. When we face our fears we can be confident we aren't doing it alone! We've already heard so much positive feedback about how people felt like this message was speaking directly to them. If you missed this Sunday, or even if you just want to watch it over again, we encourage y'all to check it out! https://youtu.be/hCNvbOQi5Kc

Shout out to our Partner of the Week this week, Jen Havel! Jen serves every week behind the scenes on our Metrics Team here at UNITED Church. Jen has been a part of the Metrics Team since the start of the team back in March of this year. Her passion to see the team succeed shines through week after week as she trains new Partners who join the team, showing them the joy that can come from doing tasks that may go unnoticed by most but are crucial to the operation of our church. Jen is no stranger to serving. In addition to being a Partner on the Metrics Team, Jen also volunteers with the American Legion Auxiliary and is currently serving as an Honorary Commander for the Delaware National Guard. We are so grateful for Partners like Jen, who serve our state both inside and outside the walls of the church. Please help us thank Jen for her commitment and consistently positive attitude in the comments below!

Today might have been gray and gloomy outside but that didn’t stop the energy at UNITED Church! Pastor Kenneth began his message with the story of a recent shopping trip he took with his son. Walking through the aisles of the store, they came across the section containing decorations for Halloween. His son was struck with fear when he came across a 12-foot inflatable ghost. This got Pastor Kenneth thinking about what actually causes fear within us. “Fear doesn’t make you weird. It’s a natural thing, it only means we are human.” Everyone enjoyed a few good laughs as Pastor Kenneth shared the list of America’s Top 10 Fears. Ranging from public speaking to flying to zombies, some were more relatable than others. Pastor Kenneth pointed out that this is the crazy part about fears - we all have them but they can differ greatly from one person to the next. That can be the most frustrating part about fear. It can affect us in ways that doesn’t even make sense. “The enemy wants you to think you are the only one struggling with what you are going through.” Pastor Kenneth shared with us the top three areas where fear seems to hit us the most: Family, Finances and Future. The devil doesn’t want us to walk in blessing or abundance. Instead, he’ll do whatever necessary to make us feel inadequate in one or all of these areas. The devil works hard to shift our focus from the positive to the negative. He makes us feel like we have no control over these areas and even worse we begin to believe God has lost control as well. “When your preferred future is distorted by your current reality, the result is fear.” The devil will use the “what ifs” in life to paralyze us. What if I’m not parenting my children well? What if I can’t pay all my bills because I decided to tithe this week? What if I never find the right person to marry? What if I am never able to have children? The devil attempts to destroy us by distracting us with what could happen so we forget that God ultimately wants the best for us. “The Bible doesn’t just raise issues, it brings solutions to the table.” God doesn’t allow us to remain in our fears. He reminds us over and over again in the Bible not to be afraid. In fact, Pastor Kenneth pointed out “do not be frightened”, “do not be afraid” and similar statements appear in the Bible 365 times… that’s a reminder for us not to remain in our fears, one for every day of the year. Romans 8:28 reminds us that God doesn’t just encourage us to push past our fears, He has our back and has the best for us in mind the entire way. We serve a God that knows the future before we even get there. The earth was created just through Him speaking. “The devil is afraid one day we will understand that God does have our back.” The auditorium erupted with applause as Pastor Kenneth completed the story he shared at the beginning of the message. Just like Pastor Kenneth picked up his son in his arms and walked him up to the inflatable ghost he was so afraid of, God will ask us to face our fears but He won’t make us do it alone. We hope the lyrics of our closing song, Not Today by Hillsong UNITED, will be your anthem this week. As your fears try to get the best of you, “tell the devil no not today.” We can’t wait to see y’all next week!

This weekend may have been dreary but tomorrow’s Experiences sure won't be. We’d love for y’all to join us for a life-giving Experience at 9:15 or 11:15 am tomorrow morning! Pastor Kenneth is going to bring an incredible word and we can’t wait to worship with y’all. See you soon!

The Fall semester of UNITED Groups has officially kicked off, but that doesn’t mean it’s too late to sign up! UNITED Groups offers a different and deeper kind of community that we all long for. God never intended us to do life alone. We were made to do life together. Finding people we can relate to can be easier said than done. UNITED Groups are structured to create conversation in a natural way. The common interests you share because you decided to sign up for the group act as an ice breaker. It allows you the chance to slow down and get to know people better you may have just walked past on a Sunday morning. Tomorrow is the last day to sign up for the Fall semester! Head to our website now to see the full list of groups and to get plugged in, www.unitedchurchde.com/unitedgroups . Have questions? Stop by our Next Steps area in the lobby tomorrow morning for more information!

#DevilsStillTalkin

Worship last Sunday was incredible. We can’t wait to do it again this week! #SundaySetlist

What would our lives look like moving forward if we didn’t focus so much on the bad things that have happened, but we were fueled by all of the good God has done in our lives? Pastor Nick shared a powerful message with our church this past Sunday titled, Save The Date. We encourage you to check out this message and challenge you to take time and write down the dates in your life that have impacted you and your walk with Christ. Check out Save The Date here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Hf5iys7Fl3U&t=48s

We are so excited for the launch of Tribes tomorrow night! We know this is going to take groups for UNITED Students to the next level and we can't wait to see the life change that comes from it! Have a middle school or high school aged student? They won't want to miss out on this! You can sign-up your Students now at UNITEDChurchDE.groupvitals.com/groupFinder .

Shout out to our Partner of the Week this week, Heather Uselton. Heather serves on the Greeting Team, meeting guests with a huge smile and a welcoming "good morning" every Sunday! Heather has been a fantastic addition to the Greeting Team ever since going through Growth Track Express this past April! Whether it's scooping ice cream on a sunny summer day or escorting people in under an umbrella, she goes above and beyond to ensure guests have the best experience possible! Heather and her family consistently live out our core value, "We're in this together." Every Sunday morning she serves alongside of her son, Brayden, on the Greeting Team, while her husband, Tom, serves on the Parking Team and her other son, Reed, attends UNITED Kids. When she isn't at UNITED, you can catch Heather at the ballpark cheering on her three favorite guys! It's Partners like Heather that make guests truly feel at home when they arrive on Sunday mornings! Please help us thank her in the comments below! Photograph (left to right): Sami Popper, Greeting Team Leader Heather Uselton, Partner of the Week Sabrina Fansler, Campus Director