THIS WEEKEND…
The funeral for Frances Ver Hoeve will be on Saturday, September 24, at 2pm. Members of the parish who would like to contribute to a light reception following the service should contact Connie Ott.
Last Sunday All-Ages Worship, Sunday, September 25, 10am: Our last Sunday worship is intended especially to help kids (and grownups who are new to our pattern of worship) to engage and participate fully. NOTE: Our 8am service always follows our regular order of worship.
Take Out Church: Punch Card Rewards! Did you practice discipleship this summer? Bring in your punch card with at least three holes punched (like Jesus, we set the discipleship bar low! :-) on Sunday, Sept. 25 or beyond, and receive a prize!
Parents’ Meeting for Children’s Choir, Sunday, September 25, 11:30am: Households interested in our plans for a new Children’s Choir are invited to meet and talk with Martin Ganschow, our Organist & Choir Director. This will be a brief meeting for planning and input. Talk with Martin or Rev. Miranda to learn more.
Middle School Lunch & Learn, Sunday, September 25, 11:30am: Rev. Miranda invites the 10-and-up youth of the parish to meet with her for lunch after church once a month. We’ll dig into faith, Scripture, life, and our questions about all three. We’ll wrap up by 1pm, and we can arrange rides home for the kids if that helps the parents’ schedules.
Grace Shelter Dinner, Sunday, September 25, 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. To learn more, talk with Rose Mueller.
Coffee Hosts Needed! Consider being a coffee host. Sign-ups for October and November can be found in the Gathering Area by the big calendar. For more information, contact Janet Bybee. Thanks for lending a hand!
Helpers Needed – Edgewood in the Community, Wednesday, September 28, 9:30am-2:30pm: Edgewood High School will be sending 20 students to St. Dunstan’s this day to do yard work as part of their community service. If you would like to work with a small group of students and help direct them, please contact George Ott. Wheelbarrows and pitchforks are still needed too. Thanks!
Nursery Care: St. Dunstan’s does not have a regularly-attended nursery during worship, because we have found that that service is rarely used. Instead, we have two Child Care Helpers during the 10am service, who attend the Peace Corner in the back of the Nave. If you would like your child to have nursery care during the service, simply approach the Child Care Helpers in the Peace Corner (either at the beginning of worship, or when your child needs a break) and ask if one of them can take your child to the Nursery. This year we are using the Meeting Room, where we keep some toys, books, and art supplies, for our Nursery during worship. The downstairs room that used to serve as Nursery has become a Sunday school classroom.
This year’s Parish Talent Show will be Sunday, October 23! What will you share? A poem, a song, a dramatic monologue, a unique skill, a dance? A sample of art, craft, tinkering, building, study or science? Group acts are encouraged. Sign up anytime, even if your act is still in the works!
THE WEEKS AHEAD…
Ladies’ Night Out, Friday, September 30, 6pm: Join our monthly get-together as we dine at area restaurants and enjoy good conversation among women of all ages from St. Dunstan’s. This month we will meet at Los Gemelos at 6713 Odana Road in Madison.
“What Am I Doing Here?” – An Introduction to the Episcopal Church, Sundays at 9am in October. Both new Episcopalians and long-time members are invited to join us for a friendly exploration of the parts and purpose of our pattern of worship and to the Episcopal church in general. This class will begin on Sunday, October 2.
Backpack Snack Prep, Sunday, October 2, 12noon: We will be preparing weekend grocery bags for homeless families whose kids attend Falk Elementary School. All helpers welcome!
Blessing of the Animals Service, Sunday, October 2, 3pm: People and creatures are invited to a short service of song, story, and prayer. We will also share some ideas for connecting lovingly with God’s Creation. Spread the word!
Birthdays and anniversaries will be honored next Sunday, October 2, as is our custom on the first Sunday of every month. Come forward after the Announcements to receive a blessing and the community’s prayers.
Healing prayers: Next Sunday, one of our ministers will offer healing prayers for those who wish to receive prayers for themselves or on behalf of others.
MOM Special Offering, Sunday, October 2: Next Sunday, half the cash in our offering plate and any designated checks will be given to Middleton Outreach Ministry’s food pantry. Here are the current top-ten, most needed items: dried beans, whole grains, herbs and spices, low-sugar beverages, ethnic foods, spaghetti & pizza sauce, cooking oil, single-serve peanut butter, whole grain cereal, laundry detergent. Thank you for all your support!
Evening Eucharist, Sunday, October 2, 6pm: Join us for a simple service before the week begins. All are welcome.
Quick Survey on New Gatherings: If you haven’t yet found your ideal way to participate in the life of this church community, follow this link to a short survey asking about some possibilities – different types of gatherings, at various times. If one or more of these possibilities attracts a lot of interest, we will try it out! Take the survey here: https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/GWGBTG8
Dine out for DAIS, Thursday, October 6, 2016: Each year, during Domestic Violence Awareness Month, Domestic Abuse Intervention Services (DAIS) invites area restaurants to donate 10% of their proceeds from a given day to support victims of domestic violence in Dane County. Check out a list of participating restaurants at http://abuseintervention.org/dine-out/ . You can also use that link to donate directly to DAIS’ good work helping families affected by domestic violence. The Sandbox Thursday evening worshipping community plans to eat at the Imperial Garden that evening at 6:30pm following our 5:30 worship; anyone is welcome to join us.
Fall Clean-Up, Sunday, October 9, 11:30 – 1:30pm: Wear your work clothes to church and stay after the 10am service for a simple lunch (with an overview of tasks to complete while we’re eating), followed by time to work on our grounds. We’ll wrap up by 1:30pm, but you can leave anytime you’ve completed your tasks.
Mark your calendar! Crop Walk 2016, Sunday, October 16, 12:45pm: St. Dunstan’s will send a team of walkers; watch for a signup soon! Last year over $36,000 was raised to support the work of many local food pantries and international relief agencies. The goal for this year is $40,000. Come and make a difference.
Fall Giving Campaign Kids’ Market Begins Sunday, October 30: As the Kids’ portion of our fall Giving Campaign, the kids of St. Dunstan’s (and their parents) are invited to contribute to our Kids’ Market. Kids are invited to bring in a small bag of good-condition used toys from your bedroom or playroom, and to decorate some blank cards (available in the Gathering Area) with Christmas pictures. Other kid-made handmade holiday items are also welcome. The Market will be set up on Sunday the 30th & possibly beyond. All donations will go to support our 2017 parish budget, as our kids’ contribution to our church’s ongoing life. Thanks for your participation!
International Potluck, Saturday, November 5, 5pm: Diversity comes in many flavors, and our congregation has a wide range of ages, sexual orientations, and nationalities. The Diversity Potluck is a get-together intended to showcase and celebrate our beautiful diversity, whatever that word means to you. Bring a dish that you feel celebrates your own personal diversity. You can bring artwork, music, or poems (original or not) that celebrates it as well! Feel free to dress up to celebrate it! Dinner will start at 5:00. Please, bring a small card telling us about your dish/art, and note if the dish is gluten free/ vegetarian/ peanut free. Please sign up with what dish you are bringing in the Gathering Area.