Announcements, Oct. 8

THANKS to all our Grounds Helpers! Many hands helped with our Parish Work Day last Sunday, and with overseeing the Edgewood High School volunteers on Wednesday. We got nearly all our tasks completed, which is terrific! Thanks to all who planned, fed, directed, and worked.

THIS WEEKEND… 

Outreach Committee meeting, Saturday, October 10, 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.

THE HUNGER WEEKS: Outreach Hour, Sunday, October 11, 9am: Percy Brown of the Middleton-Cross Plains Area School District will talk with us about the face of poverty and hunger in Middleton.

Sunday School, Sunday, October 11, 10am: This week our 3-5 year old class will be learning about the Ten Best Ways, while our 6-10 year old class will dig into Jesus’ challenging conversation with a rich young man.

Spirituality of Parenting Lunch, Sunday, October 11, 11:45am: All who seek meaning in the journey of parenthood (at any age or stage) are welcome to come for food and conversation. Child care and a simple meal provided.

St. Dunstan’s Finances At a Glance: As we approach our fall Giving Campaign, our church finances should be clear to all members. Take a look at our display in the Gathering Area. More detailed financial reports are available on request.

Sign up for this year’s Parish Talent Show, Sunday, October 25! What will you share? A poem, a song, a dramatic monologue, a dance? A sample of art, craft, tinkering, building, study or science? Group acts are encouraged.

THE HUNGER WEEKS: Pledges Wanted for CROP Walk for Hunger, Sunday, October 18: We have a great team gathered for this year’s CROP Walk! All money raised is used to fight hunger and a percentage of the money stays right here in Dane County being distributed to the food pantries. You can write a check to support our walkers, with CROP on the memo line, and put it in the offering plate. Thanks for all your support!

THE WEEK AHEAD… 

Christian Formation Planning Meeting, Wednesday, October 14, 7pm, in the Godly Play classroom downstairs: At this meeting we’ll discuss and plan our formation programs – opportunities to learn and grow in faith and fellowship, for all ages – for Advent, Christmas, and Epiphany (November through January). If you’d like to be part of the conversation or have an idea you’d like to run with, you are welcome to attend and participate!

Madison-Area Julian Gathering, Wednesday, October 14, 7:15 – 9:00pm: A Julian Gathering is open to everyone. They are for all who want to deepen their life of faith through the practice of contemplative prayer, for beginners as well as those already practicing.

An Evening of Storytelling at St. Francis House, Friday, October 16, 7-8:30pm: All friends of the House, our Episcopal campus ministry at UW-Madison, are welcome. Speakers will share memories of St. Francis House over the years, including of our own Father Art Lloyd.

Words in Season, October 17/18: Dear performance and poetry loving members of St. Dunstan’s, join us for a seasonal celebration of words and the spirit. Daniel Hanson and Evy Gildrie-Voyles are gathering a group of all ages to perform poetry relevant to the seasons four times this year. The first will be in October. We will meet on Saturday October 17th at 10am at the Church for a brief rehearsal and perform Oct. 18th in the Gathering space after the 10 o’clock service (roughly 11:15am.) All ages are welcome. No memorizing is necessary.

Men’s Book Club, Saturday, October 17, 10am: This month’s book is “The Wright Brothers,” by David McCullough. On a winter day in 1903, in the Outer Banks of North Carolina, two unknown brothers from Ohio changed history.

Diocesan Convention, Saturday, October 17, 8am – 4:30pm at St. John’s Northwestern Military Academy in Delafield, Wisconsin:  All are welcome to attend all or part of the convention! The morning will be devoted to worship and a presentation focused on taking our Church into the wider community.  The afternoon session will be the ‘business’ session. Visitors are asked to register but there is no charge unless you want to have meals at the convention. To register, fill out and mail in the form located in the Gathering Area or you can register at the convention between 8 and 9am. Also of note, travel-size personal hygiene items will be collected at Convention, to be given out through hospitality ministries around the diocese. For more information on the convention, go to http://www.diomil.org/about-us/diocesan-convention/.

THIS MONTH AT ST. DUNSTAN’S… 

THE HUNGER WEEKS: Bread for the World Sunday, October 18: We are invited to participate in Bread for the Word’s annual Offering of Letters, to advocate to our politicians for programs that will reduce hunger in the United States and around the world. This year’s legislative focus is child hunger, and especially ongoing funding of the WIC program. Letters will be gathered in next Sunday, October 25. Letters, emails and phone calls are all encouraged, so that a strong Christian voice for the hungry is heard in Washington! Come at 9am for a presentation on Bread’s work and a discussion of Christian advocacy in the public square.

Sunday School, Sunday, October 18, 10am: Next week our 3-5 year old class will be learning about the Tabernacle in the Wilderness, while our 6 – 10 year old class will talk about finding greatness in serving others.

Rector’s Discretionary Fund Offering, Sunday, October 18: As on every third Sunday, half the cast in our collection plate, and any designated checks, will go towards the Rector’s Discretionary Fund. This fund is way to quietly help people with direct financial needs, in the parish and the wider community. Please give generously.

Evening Eucharist (BCP), Sunday, October 18, 6pm: Join us for a simple service before the week begins. We use the Book of Common Prayer for this liturgy. Our seasonal worship books are based on the prayerbook, but if you miss actually holding the little red book, you may enjoy attending one of these bimonthly services.

Younger Adults Meet-up at the Vintage, Sunday, October 18, 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.

Left Unsaid: Remembering our Beloved Dead at Sandbox Worship, Thursday, October 29, 5:30pm: Maybe there’s something you didn’t have a chance to say. Maybe you thought you’d said it all, but as the years pass, you’ve discovered more. Come for an evening framed in prayer, a space to speak the words you want to say to one of your loved ones who has gone on before, as we anticipate honoring our beloved dead on All Saints Day (Nov. 1).  After worship, we’ll share a simple meal. All are welcome. Questions? Talk with Rev. Miranda or Sharon Henes.

Ladies’ Night Out, Friday, October 30, 6pm: Join our monthly get-together as we dine at area restaurant and enjoy good conversation among women of all ages from St. Dunstan’s. This month we will meet at the Freehouse Pub, 1902 Parmenter in Middleton.

Black Friday Craft-In, Friday, November 28, 1 – 4pm, St. Dunstan’s Church: Tired of the mall? Make stuff. Give it away. This year we’ll host our second annual Black Friday Craft-In, a free public crafting event. If you’ll be in town and would like to volunteer to help out, please sign up in the Gathering Area. We can use all kinds of volunteers – whether your skill is sewing, woodworking, stamping, paper crafting, smiling at people and saying “Welcome!”, setting up tables, or putting cookies on plates.

IN THE WIDER CHURCH & COMMUNITY… 

Purple Ribbons for Domestic Abuse Awareness Month: The purple ribbons on our altar this month remind us to hold in prayer victims, survivors, and perpetrators of domestic abuse.  To learn more & find out about events this month, explore the website of our local agency, DAIS: abuseintervention.org .

Alleviating Poverty: Who’s Responsible? Great Madison Poverty Forum, Sunday, October 11, 6:00 pm – 8:00 pm, High Point Church, Micah Center at 7702 Old Sauk Road in Madison: Come and join this two-hour highly interactive forum with diverse leaders from Madison’s faith community. The discussion will include: learning about poverty in Wisconsin, consideration of the theological role of the individual and collective responsibility for alleviating poverty and seeking common ground for solutions. Please RSVP by October 8 at: http://www.wichurches.org/madison-poverty-forum-registration/

Community Panel Discussion, Monday, October 12, 6:30pm, Archer Rooms, Middleton Public Library: In collaboration with UW-Madison’s Go Big Read selection, “Just Mercy” by Bryan Stevenson, the library will host a community discussion on racial disparities in the criminal justice system. Panelists include: Chuck Foulke, City of Middleton Chief of Police; Dr. Ruben Anthony, CEO of Urban League of Greater Madison; Percy Brown, Director of Equity, MCPASD; Dave Mahoney, Dane County Sheriff; Josann Reynolds, Dane County Judge; and a representative from Middleton High School’s Student Voice Union. All are welcome.

Opportunity to serve – Support our local refugee community:  The Recipe Club, sponsored by the Lutheran Social Services (LSS), is an opportunity for refugee women, mostly from Iraq and Afghanistan, to get out of the house and come together socially with other women, and share recipes of their native dishes. One of the biggest barriers to attendance is transportation. LSS is looking for volunteers who have time available between 9:30 and 11:30 on Friday mornings (just for about 6-8 weeks) that would be willing to pick these women up in their homes and bring them to The Recipe Club, then take them home afterwards. The volunteers would be welcome to stay for the club and learn about the different dishes and cooking techniques the women share, or they could also use the hour to do other things.

Sung Evensong at St. Andrew’s Church, Thursday, October 22, 7pm: St. Andrew invites their fellow Episcopalians to a liturgy of Choral Evensong. The lessons are those appointed for St. James of Jerusalem (Feast Day – October 23).  The chancel choir of St. Andrew’s augmented with friends of choir members will sing.  A small recorder ensemble will provide the prelude and postlude. Come experience the mystery and glories of this cherished Anglican service. A reception will follow the service giving all an opportunity for conversation and connection.