THIS WEEKEND…
Rector’s Discretionary Fund offering, Sunday, March 15: On third Sundays, half the cash in our collection plate, and any designated checks, will go towards the Rector’s Discretionary Fund. This fund is a way to quietly help people with direct financial needs, in the parish and the wider community. Thanks for all your generous support.
Sunday School, Sunday, March 15, 10 am: This week, our 3-6 year old class will continue learning about the Faces of Easter, while our 7-11 year old class will explore Psalm 107.
Members of St. Dunstan’s are welcome to join the Zion City Church congregation in their weekly worship service of thanksgiving and praise on March 15. The service is from noon to 2:00pm. Meet at St. Dunstan’s at 11:30am to carpool, or meet at Zion City Church shortly before noon. They are located at 1317 Applegate Road in Madison. This is just south of the Beltline, off of Fish Hatchery Road.
Evening Eucharist, Sunday, March 15, 6pm: Join us for a simple service before the week begins. All are welcome.
Explorers, Sunday, March 15, 6:30pm: St. Dunstan’s Explorers will meet for light refreshments and wide-ranging conversation. All are welcome. (I will see if I can get any more definitive information by Thursday)
Young Adult Meet-up at the Vintage, Sunday, March 15, 7pm: The younger adults of St. Dunstan’s are invited to join us for conversation and the beverage of your choice, at the Vintage Brewpub on South Whitney Way. Friends and partners welcome too.
THIS WEEK & BEYOND…
Do you like to feed people? Consider joining our St. Dunstan’s Meals Network, to provide a meal for another household in our congregation. New babies, critically ill family members, surgery, or a death in the family are just a few of the occasions for which people might need extra support and compassion. Sometimes it’s just dropping of food, sometimes it’s also sitting with people and listening to how things are going. Go to the “Sharing Meals” page under “People” on our main page to join our network or, if you’re already part of it, to pick a date on our current meal calendars.
Vestry Meeting, Wednesday, March 18, 6:45pm: The Vestry is the elected leadership body of our parish. Any members are welcome to attend our meetings, to observe or raise questions or ideas.
The Stations of the Cross, Fridays at noon: Walking and praying the Stations of the Cross is a meaningful practice of prayer for many Christians in the season of Lent. On Fridays you are invited to come and join Rev. Miranda in sharing Scripture, meditations from Christian tradition, and prayer as we walk with Jesus on the journey to the cross.
Outreach Committee Meeting, Saturday, March 21, 8-10:30am: All are welcome to join our conversations about how St. Dunstan’s can best serve the world with our resources and our hands. We begin with an optional potluck breakfast at 8am.
Food Forestry at St. Dunstan’s: Plans for 2015, Saturday, March 21, 1pm: All interested or curious folks are invited to come learn about permaculture, our work adding food plants to our woods and grounds over the past two years, and ideas and plans for this year.
Makers’ Guild, Saturday, March 21, 2 – 4pm: Bring your own current handwork – sewing, knitting, painting, beadwork, whatever! – or help out with preparing sample palm crosses and tucking treats into plastic Easter eggs for our egg hunt on Easter Sunday. All are welcome!
Poetry & Spirituality: John Milton, Sunday, March 22, 9am: Paul Thompson will introduce us to the life and work of the great 17th century English poet, John Milton.
“Last Sunday” Worship, Sunday, March 22, 10am: Our “Last Sunday” pattern of worship is simplified to help children (and adults new to our way of worship) to participate and understand. This month, our Last Sunday worship will invite us all into the final weeks of Lent as we approach the mystery of Easter. Our 8am worship always follows our usual seasonal order of worship.
Christian Formation Committee Meeting, Sunday, March 22, 11:45am: Our Christian Formation Committee meets to review and plan programs for Easter, the summer, and beyond. All interested folks are welcome to attend and participate.
Help Spruce up St. Dunstan’s for Holy Week and Easter! Spring Cleaning inside St. Dunstan’s, Sunday, March 22, 12-2pm: Please see the list of jobs to complete and sign up to help as you are able.
Grace Shelter Dinner, Sunday March 22, 7pm: Every fourth Sunday, a loyal group of St. Dunstan’s folk provides dinner for residents at the Grace Church shelter, and breakfast the next morning. See the signup sheet in the gathering area to help out.
The Stations of the Cross in Downtown Madison, Friday, March 27, 12pm & 5pm: Walk the story of Jesus’ journey to the cross on the streets of a modern city. As we walk the fourteen traditional Stations of the Cross, we will reflect together on how we can trace those events in the geography of Madison today – our issues, stories and struggles. We will start on the sidewalk near the Federal Courthouse, across from the Overture Center, and end in the garden at Grace Church on the square. The total walk will be about 1.2 miles, and it takes about 45 minutes. Come at noon or 5pm, as your schedule permits. All are welcome.
“Palm Saturday”, Saturday, March 28, 10:30am – 12pm: Kids, parents, grandparents and friends are invited to make Easter crafts and communion bread, and to take part in a gentle, age-appropriate and participatory telling of the whole Easter story, presented by the youth and adults of our church. This event is best suited for kids ages 3 to 10. All are welcome!
Spring 2015 Chocolate Making: Our Spring Chocolate Event will be after Easter this year. Mark your calendars for Friday evening and Saturday, April 10 – 11. Signup sheets and order forms will be out by mid-March.
LENTEN OPPORTUNITIES…
Tools for Tanzania Giving Opportunity: St. Dunstan’s seeks to raise $800 for a set of tools to send to our sister diocese, the Diocese of Newala in Southern Tanzania. Rev Miranda visited Newala with our diocesan team in 2013, and Bishop Oscar Mnung’a visited St. Dunstan’s last October. As partners in this “diosisi rafiki” (friend diocese) relationship, we look for ways to support one another, both in prayer and practicality. Newala is one of the poorest parts of Tanzania. It is overwhelmingly rural, and most people are small-scale farmers, working with traditional hand tools. During Bishop Oscar’s visit last fall, we learned about better-engineered, modern hand tools that would help farmers in Newala. If we can send one set of new farm tools to Tanzania, then local artisans can use them as models to adapt the tools they make for local use. Then local farmers may be able to grow more food for their families, which means more resources for their churches & communities! A set of tools, plus transport costs, comes to about $1300. We are trying to raise $800 as our contribution; our sister parish, St. Andrew’s Church in Monroe, WI, will raise additional funds as our partners in this project. To contribute, put a check in the offering plate with “TZ Tools” on the memo line. Thanks for your generosity!