Category Archives: Outreach

Capital Campaign, Outreach

CPF Proposal #4: The Road Home’s Heart Room program

St. Dunstan’s Community Project Fund: Housing Grants

In early 2024, St. Dunstan’s will be giving away $70,000 in grants to help address the housing crisis in Dane County and beyond. These funds were set aside to serve those outside our parish, during our capital campaign for a major renovation in 2018-2019. Read more about this process in last week’s special Enews mailing about it.

We have received four grant applications for these funds. This is the fourth and final proposal we are sharing. Soon we’ll ask members of the congregation to respond to a poll about your preferences among these four organizations. We’ll use ranked choice voting to gather your opinions, and a small team of folks from Vestry, Outreach, and the wider congregation will weigh those data alongside other considerations (like stated congregational values and goals, how much we want to split up the funds, etc.) to finalize recommendations to the Vestry by the end of January. Grants will be announced on February 1st.

Fourth Application: Helping a Family Move into Stable Housing 

Organization: The Road Home 

Project title: Heart Room Program

From the Road Home’s website: 
The Road Home Dane County is committed to ending the issue of family homelessness in our community. We do this by developing long-term relationships with homeless families with children that change lives. We work with families, not only to relieve the immediate crisis of homelessness, but also to build skills, resources and relationships that set the stage for long-term success. To accomplish our mission, we rely on the help and support of individuals, congregations and businesses throughout Madison and beyond. We believe that for the greater good of our city and for human kind, we can and should join together to make a difference because every child deserves a home.

The Road Home provides a variety of types and levels of supportive services and stable housing programs that best fit families’ needs and help them be successful. Over 90% of our families who could reach one year in stable housing do so. We also seek to decrease racial housing disparities that exist in our community. We work together with partners such as other nonprofits, government agencies, United Way of Dane County, people with lived experiences of homelessness, volunteers, businesses, congregations and donors to create solutions that work.

Our History
The Road Home Dane County (then known as Interfaith Hospitality Network of the Madison Area) opened our doors on April 26th, 1999 as an overflow shelter for families who could not be served by the existing shelters. In the years that followed, The Road Home played a growing role in securing funds and support for affordable housing and providing case management to help families find and maintain that housing. In 2018, we phased out shelter to focus on housing and support services. A 501(c)(3) organization, we currently operate ten housing programs and serve over 200 families with children in Dane County each year.

The Need 

(Text from The Road Home’s application) 

Heart Room is specifically designed to support families that other housing programs in our community typically do not. The vast majority of supportive housing programs in our community enroll individuals and families through a uniform screening and prioritization process. Unfortunately, the eligibility criteria underlying this process excludes many families at high risk of homelessness from receiving support. Families with young children living in precarious “doubled-up” housing arrangements and those with mixed immigration status are particularly underserved by the current system.

Heart Room was intentionally designed to fill this gap in our community. It is also important to note that Heart Room is at the very forefront of the faith group-nonprofit partnership strategy identified as a priority for expansion and replication in the current Dane County Community Plan to Prevent and End Homelessness.

Families served in Heart Room are low-income or extremely low-income, and upon enrollment they are experiencing homelessness, at high risk of falling into homelessness, or severely burdened by their current housing costs. Relative to the Madison population, families also are much more likely to be BIPOC/non-white, have limited English proficiency, have mixed immigration status, have a caregiver with a long-term disability, and have a caregiver or child with a serious mental health concern. To date, Heart Room has served 24 families including 70 children.

Read a Heart Room story from 2019 here!

The Program 

Heart Room is a three-year supportive housing program that provides flexible rental subsidies and wraparound case management services to families with young children experiencing homelessness or severe housing instability. Heart Room began on a pilot basis in 2018 as a partnership between Orchard Ridge United Church of Christ, The Road Home Dane County, Joining Forces For Families, and RISE Wisconsin’s Early Childhood Initiative. Heart Room currently serves eleven (11) families living in Madison’s South and Southwest neighborhoods.

The Road Home Dane County provides housing case management to families for their three years in the program. This includes housing search, assistance with housing applications, lease support, and ongoing case management once the family is stably housed. RISE Wisconsin and Joining Forces for Families provide ongoing support regarding early childhood development, parent/child relationships, and other needed community resources. We wholeheartedly believe that this collaborative model is essential in helping families move from homelessness to safe, stable housing.

As families complete the three years in Heart Room and phase out of the program, this creates openings for new families to join Heart Room. All referrals for Heart Room come directly from our partners at Joining Forces for Families and RISE Wisconsin.

Heart Room provides financial resources to prevent vulnerable families from experiencing homelessness, but the program also provides wraparound support that empowers families to achieve self-identified goals and become self-sufficient. Core goals include increasing family earned income, improving parental financial literacy, increasing children’s engagement in school and community resources, expanding job opportunities through workforce training programs, and even home ownership. Moreover, the majority of families served by Heart Room to date have mixed immigration status, which creates additional – and discriminatory – barriers to economic opportunity and access to public resources.

Grant Request: $21,000

In 2024, there are three families who will be graduating from the program. In order to fill these openings upon graduation, we are working to secure funding to provide three years of rental assistance to families who will enroll in the program next year. The full three years of rental assistance per family is $21,000 ($7,000 per family per year, over three years). Thus, the Heart Room team is aiming to raise $63,000 to support three new families in the program. Our requested grant amount of $21,000 will allow us to provide three years of rental subsidy to support one new family.

Capital Campaign, Outreach

CPF Proposal #3: WayForward Resources Housing Stability Program

St. Dunstan’s Community Project Fund: Housing Grants

In early 2024, St. Dunstan’s will be giving away $70,000 in grants to help address the housing crisis in Dane County and beyond. These funds were set aside to serve those outside our parish, during our capital campaign for a major renovation in 2018-2019. Read more about this process in last week’s special Enews mailing about it.

We have received four grant applications for these funds, and we’ll be sharing about the projects and organizations over the weeks ahead. In mid-January we will begin a parish feedback project where members and friends of St. Dunstan’s can share their thoughts about where you would most like to see our funding go. Please read, reflect, and take notes! (And if you haven’t taken a good look already, look back at our first two applications, from the Ho-Chunk Community Housing Authority and Own It! Building Black Wealth!)

Third Application: Housing Stability in Middleton & Beyond

Organization: WayForward Resources (formerly MOM)

Project title: Housing Stability Program

WayForward Resources’ mission is to bring our community together to create food and housing security through action and advocacy. Our vision is a community where everyone has the stability to thrive. WayForward Resources has more than 40 years of experience in creating food and housing security through action and advocacy. We help over 6,500 people annually access food and remain in housing. 60% of the households we serve are families with children. The community using our services is diverse: 29% Black, 27% white, 23% Latinx, 8% multi-race, and 14% other or unreported.

WayForward Resources (formerly Middleton Outreach Ministry) was established in 1980 by members of local  churches, including St. Dunstan’s. St. Dunstan’s continues to support WayForward on a regular basis, and many members are active volunteers.

At WayForward Resources, leadership and staff acknowledge the ongoing structural disparities caused by racism in our country and community. Structural racism creates barriers to well-being and progress, experiences of racial trauma, and decreased access to food and housing. This is intensified for people who are English language learners. We work to reduce harm and enact change by fulfilling an immediate need for food and housing, including voices of lived experience, and advocating for racial equity in these areas. We envision a strong community where race-based barriers to opportunity do not exist, and race no longer predicts someone’s stability.

Read a recent guest column by WayForward Resources Executive Director Ellen Carlson about the increased demand on food pantries.

The Need 

(Text from WayForward Resource’s application) 

Families and individuals are challenged to find housing they can afford, maintain that housing and meet food and other basic needs, in turn increasing the challenges for WayForward and other nonprofits to keep up with the demand. In the last year, WayForward provided 603 households in West Madison, Middleton and Cross Plains with an average of $650 for rent, utilities, and transportation assistance to stay in their homes and out of the shelter system. Those households include almost 1,000 children.

The cost of housing locally continues to rise at record levels. A recent national study found that rent prices in Madison jumped 30% since March 2020 – the fastest-rising rent of any major city in the United States. 44% of renters in Dane County pay more than 30% of their monthly income in rent.

Now more than ever, WayForward programs are what allow people in our community to stay in their homes. Nearly all households WayForward serves are below 200% of the federal poverty guidelines.

The Program 

Our Housing Stability Program is one of the few homelessness prevention programs in the area, filling a gap in services for families and individuals currently in housing who are at risk of eviction. WayForward offers rent assistance and case management before families and individuals become homeless, helping them avoid the trauma and well-documented negative outcomes associated with homelessness, especially for children.

(Note that WayForward Resources also runs the Connections housing program, which focuses on families who are experiencing “doubled-up” homelessness.) 

The expiration this year of federal food and housing assistance programs has directly impacted the numbers we see using our services every day including those people in our community who must devote large portions of their monthly income to rent. We project a 10% increase in the number of households receiving direct housing assistance this year.

Your support will help sustain and expand our housing stability efforts, continuing to provide an average of $650 per household with the option to increase the amount given to more families as needed as they work with our case managers to develop a long-term housing plan.

Grant Request: $35,000

$35,000 will provide case management and housing assistance for about 30 families. This estimate includes both case management costs and direct financial support to households.

Read more about WayForward’s impact here!

Capital Campaign, Outreach, Restorative Action

CPF Proposal 2: Own It! Building Black Wealth Educational Materials

St. Dunstan’s Community Project Fund: Housing Grants

In early 2024, St. Dunstan’s will be giving away $70,000 in grants to help address the housing crisis in Dane County and beyond. These funds were set aside to serve those outside our parish, during our capital campaign for a major renovation in 2018-2019. Read more about this process in last week’s special Enews mailing about it.

We have received four grant applications for these funds, and we’ll be sharing about the projects and organizations over the weeks ahead. In mid-January we will begin a parish feedback project where members and friends of St. Dunstan’s can share their thoughts about where you would most like to see our funding go. Please read, reflect, and take notes!

Second Application: Education for Home Ownership 

Organization: Own It: Building Black Wealth

Project title: Own It: Building Black Wealth Education Program Expansion

Own It: Building Black Wealth is a collaboration between Madison-area real estate, banking, and financial professionals to break down systemic barriers to homeownership for Madison’s Black and brown communities.

In Madison, about 15% of Black families own their home, compared to .30% of Hispanic families and over 50% of white families in Madison own their home. The national average for homeownership for Black families is about 45%.

Homeownership rates are a major reason for the large disparity in family wealth between white and Black families, and access to money is one of the biggest barriers to homeownership. This feedback loop prevents families of color from building generational wealth.

To learn a little more about home ownership and the racial wealth gap, here is some information from the US Treasury Department, and an article from the American Civil Liberties Union. There’s lots more to learn if you are interested!

Click on the picture below to watch a 2-minute video about the Own It! program. And read some Own It! success stories here!

The Own It: Building Black Wealth Education Program has two key components:

  1. Education:  Own It’s Wealth Building and Homeownership courses improve financial literacy and understanding of homeownership as it relates to building wealth. Their website states, “We are able to offer a personal finance course and homeownership course that is rooted in social justice and includes: understanding credit, a cohort to build credit, real estate and home ownership education, plus post closing support and a network to provide continued education around refinancing, home maintenance, building equity, and more.” The program provides families with continued guidance, mentorship, and support after completion of the initial coursework.
  2. Down-Payment Grants: Upon completion of the courses, families can apply for an $18,000 grant for down payment funds (the 2024 federal gift tax limit). These funds are non-restrictive and remove a barrier to homeownership, especially given that the real estate market is competitive and having access to cash makes an offer stronger.

Much of Own It’s funding comes directly from real estate, bank, and financial professionals who believe in this initiative and give a portion of their commissions to make it possible for Black and brown families to own homes!

Since starting as a pilot project in 2021, Own It has enrolled 281 participants in its courses, awarded 14 down payment grants of $15,000 each, and made it possible for 10 families to become first time homeowners.

Currently, the beneficiaries of this program are the families and staff of One City Schools. One City is an independent charter school in Dane County. Their student population is 90% non-white, with nearly 80% of students identifying as Black or multi-racial.

What We Need Funds For:

Based on participant feedback, Own It! wants to offer self-paced, online courses (rather than in-person) for the busy families they serve.

Grant funding from St. Dunstan’s would go directly toward redesigning the curriculum for online use, and would free up volunteer time (which is already stretched thin!) while allowing us to serve more families by expanding beyond One City School families to other organizations.

We estimate the cost of this expansion, including consultant fees, online course creation, and software, to be $26,800.

You can learn more about Own It: Building Black Wealth at the following links:

Madison365.com article

CapTimes article

Capital Campaign, Outreach, Restorative Action

CPF Proposal 1: Ho-Chunk Supportive Housing

St. Dunstan’s Community Project Fund: Housing Grants

In early 2024, St. Dunstan’s will be giving away $70,000 in grants to help address the housing crisis in Dane County and beyond. These funds were set aside to serve those outside our parish, during our capital campaign for a major renovation in 2018-2019. Read more about this process in last week’s special Enews mailing about it.

We have received four grant applications for these funds, and we’ll be sharing about the projects and organizations over the weeks ahead. In mid-January we will begin a parish feedback project where members and friends of St. Dunstan’s can share their thoughts about where you would most like to see our funding go. Please read, reflect, and take notes!

First Application: Supportive Housing for Young Ho-Chunk Families 

Organization: Ho-chunk Housing and Community Development Authority (HHCDA)

Project title: HHCDA Young Family Supportive Housing Project

Who are the Ho-Chunk? 

St. Dunstan’s has been working to deepen our awareness of the history of our land for several years, starting in earnest with a Lenten series in 2021. We have learned that the land where our church stands, which was given to St. Dunstan’s, was taken from the Ho-Chunk people – the native peoples of this land – 125 years earlier by the U.S. government, though coercive treaties and forced removal. We have developed a parish land acknowledgement, have begun to pay an annual voluntary land tax, and continue to look for other restorative actions, such as helping tend the mounds at nearby Governor Nelson State Park.

As our land acknowledgement states, “The ability to gather, worship, learn, and establish our presence as a church came at a great expense of the original inhabitants of this land, the Ho-chunk people, the People of the Sacred Voice… Two hundred years ago, the land where St. Dunstan’s now stands was the outskirts of a Ho-Chunk town, presided over by Chief Kau-kish-ka-ka or White Crow. The residents were caretakers of a sacred landscape, including the fox effigy mound that remains nearby… St Dunstan’s now stands on this land, seeking a new relationship of truth-telling, honor and respect.” (Read the full working draft of St. Dunstan’s land acknowledgement here.)

At the bottom of this message we’ll include a few links to learn more about the Ho-Chunk, their culture and history.

 

The Proposal: Supportive Housing for Young Ho-Chunk Families 

Grant Request: $35,000 to assist with furnishings  

In order to provide stable, comfortable homes and skills training for these families, HHCDA requests $35,000 from St. Dunstan’s Housing Project grant program to assist with some furnishing of the apartment units, the activity room in the community space, and educational materials.

Mission of the project

The application states, “The Young Families Supportive Housing (YFSH) project embodies HHCDA’s mission “to foster a strong, healthy community of which Ho-Chunk Nation members can be proud, by providing quality, affordable housing and programs that meet social, cultural, and community needs. This mission is similar to the goals of St. Dunstan’s outreach guiding principles, particularly ‘activities and advocacy that serve those in our larger community who need food, clothing, health care, shelter, safety, justice, and love.’”

This is a new project, started in June 2023. The building is currently under construction (with help from a state grant). It should be completed in May, and families will move in in late summer 2024. The HHCDA expects to fund operations through Ho-Chunk Nation resources, state and federal grants, and ongoing fundraising.

 

Who the project will serve

HHCDA developed this program to help young Ho-Chunk Nation families who need a second chance and do not qualify for traditional housing services. The application explains, “What makes HHCDA’s YFSH unique is the population we will serve. Traditional permanent supportive housing programs like those offered in Madison provide studio apartments, whereas the YFSH will offer a mix of two and three bedroom units for families. This project will benefit ten young Ho- Chunk families by offering stable housing and supportive services. YFSH will have a housing manager and a case manager who will meet young families “where they’re at” regarding the families’ unique life challenges.The persons assisted will be enrolled Ho-Chunk members who are near homeless or homeless, with a head of household 18 years of age or older, who qualify as a family, and have completed all appropriate forms and applications. This facility will help these families by providing a safe, secure home and supportive services including culturally appropriate approaches to holistic healing and health. For example, residents will use the commercial kitchen to prepare the healthy food and healing herbs that they have grown in the community garden.”

This facility will be in Black River Falls, Wisconsin, which is a significant center for the Ho-Chunk Nation. The other applications we will consider are more local, but our grant application process was open to any project addressing housing needs in the state of Wisconsin. An HHCDA representative explained that while the Ho-Chunk population is spread across western, central and southern Wisconsin, anything that helps anyone in the tribe helps the whole tribe. In addition, the supportive housing will be open to Ho-Chunk living anywhere in the state. A family living in Madison could apply for housing once the facility is operational.

 

Why supportive housing? 

The Young Family Supportive Housing (YFSH) project will help ten young Ho-Chunk Nation (HCN) families by providing stable housing and supportive services. The application states, “It is the goal of YFSH to help these families ‘as they are,’ by removing barriers that may exclude them from traditional housing programs. Some barriers these families face may include addiction/transitioning from recovery programs, lack of childcare, transportation, and employment. The YFSH project will follow the “Housing First” model, utilized by successful permanent supportive housing projects in the Madison area…. The “Housing First” model indicates establishing trust between families and housing providers is the first step to creating lasting connections. Families who feel safe and cared for will be more likely to utilize supportive services. Some supportive services provided will include mental health and substance abuse, life-skills training, child-care assistance and parenting programs, and job skills training.”

 

More about the Ho-chunk Housing and Community Development Authority

The mission of the Ho-Chunk Housing and Community Development Agencyis to foster a strong, healthy community of which Ho-Chunk Nation members can be proud – through providing members with quality, affordable housing and programs that help meet the Ho-Chunk Nation’s social, cultural, and community needs.

At HHCDA, we serve low-income Ho-Chunk families and communities who do not live on a traditional reservation. Instead, the communities are located on trust lands over a number of counties (Dane county included) in Wisconsin.

The programs of the HHCDA include:

  • Community buildings in different areas, to help meet the Ho-Chunk Nation’s social, cultural, and community needs.
  • Down payment assistance program, inspection cost reimbursement program, and homebuyer education programming for Ho-Chunk or other Native people in their area of service to help them move into homeownership. Forgivable loans for home repairs are also available.
  • Rental assistance for low- to moderate-income Ho-Chunk living in urban areas like Chicago, Dane County, and the Twin Cities, for Ho-Chunk attending college full time, and for low-income Ho-Chunk.
  • Supportive housing for Ho-Chunk veterans: “The Ho-Chunk way of life holds veterans in high regard, and in response to those veterans’ needs, the Legislature appropriated funds for the construction and operation of a 10-unit Veterans Supportive Housing facility… serving homeless and at-risk-of homeless Ho-Chunk [and other Native] veterans,” outside Black River Falls, WI.

 

Links to Learn More about the Ho-Chunk

A couple of historical overviews that seem in line with how Ho-Chunk leaders talk about their history:

https://mymonona.com/1166/Native-Culture-and-History-in-the-Monona

https://wisconsinfirstnations.org/ho-chunk-nation/

Some facts and figures from the state Department of Public Instruction:

https://dpi.wi.gov/amind/tribalnationswi/ho-chunk

A Ho-Chunk Nation elder tells his people’s oral history:

https://pbswisconsin.org/watch/tribal-histories/wpt-documentaries-ho-chunk-history/

Capital Campaign, Current Events, Outreach, Restorative Action

Community Project Fund proposals & voting process, January 2024

Here are quick links to the four organizations/proposals! Scroll down to read about the funds we’re giving away and how we got here.  To see the complete proposals, contact Rev. Miranda or call the church office. 

Ho-Chunk Supportive Housing for Young Families

Own It! Building Black Wealth Educational Materials

WayForward Resources Housing Stability Program

The Road Home’s Heart Room Program

St. Dunstan’s Community Project Fund: Housing Grants
In 2018, as part of Saint Dunstan’s capital campaign for a major renovation (called The Open Door Project), we recognized that our parish is committed to loving our neighbors in response to Jesus’ call. In this spirit, St. Dunstan’s committed a portion of the Open Door Project funds raised to serve the wider community after the renovation had been completed. These funds – amounting to $70,000 – were intended to be used to develop a new project to address a local need, and offer our members opportunities to learn, engage, and serve.

Following long delay in implementing this project due to the Covid pandemic, in 2023 St. Dunstan’s has discerned that these Community Project Funds are to be allocated to help address the housing crisis in Dane County. We anticipate awarding 2 to 4 one-time grants, each ranging from $10,000 to $25,000.

Why housing? 
In almost any conversation about issues and challenges affecting vulnerable communities, in Dane County and nationwide, housing comes up as a core issue. We are facing a housing crisis both nationwide and in Dane County. And housing ties in with lots of other issues: poverty, academic success and employment, transit (and therefore pollution and climate), and much more. To learn more, use the link below to access some articles (additional resources welcome!).
https://docs.google.com/document/d/1aXpovWIGn6ZtjPw-iIgi9X-N4Rrkh-g5PdQZyeoXkTg/edit?usp=sharing

What happens next? 
We have received four applications from local organizations that are doing work around affordable housing, reducing homelessness, and keeping people housed. In the weeks ahead, we plan to roll out information about each of these organizations and their specific projects. Please read about these groups as information comes out, in the coming weeks!

In mid-January, we will invite members of the parish to vote on which organizations and projects they would most like to fund. The congregation’s preferences will help the Vestry decide how to allocate the funds and send out the grants. We are committed to making that decision and announcing grants on February 1.

Finally: Because of the long Covid delay, our Vestry has decided that our priority is to get these funds out into the community. But we continue to hope that the Community Project Fund will lead to new opportunities for the people of St. Dunstan’s to learn, engage, and serve. We hope that everyone will take some time in the next two months to learn more about the housing crisis – whether here in Dane County, or where you live, for those in other areas. Many of housing solutions are deep in the weeds of local politics, and it matters to simply have more people who understand what’s at stake. New ways to get involved or help out may emerge out of our shared learning.

I’m new here. What’s this all about? 

The Open Door Project was a capital campaign and renovation project to make our buildings better serve our common life and mission. The extensive renovations of our main building and the Parish Center, the building at the end of the parking lot,  increased safety, accessibility, and comfort, and gave us more usable and flexible spaces for ourselves and community groups. You can read more here.

Annual Meeting, Grounds, Kid-friendly, Ministries, Newsletter, Outreach

Annual Reports 2023

Our Annual Reports are an overview of many of our ministries and their recent projects and priorities. It’s a good way to know what we’re up to. Note that not all ministry groups send in an annual report! NOTE: We don’t post email addresses on the website, but use our Contact Us form or talk to Rev. Miranda to get connected with any of these ministries. 

MINISTRY REPORTS, JANUARY 2023

MINISTRIES OF FELLOWSHIP AND FORMATION

Children’s Formation

Sunday school

Sunday school is back to our pre-pandemic schedule of meeting twice a month during 10AM in-person worship. (Most of our kids are participating in church in person, though StoryChurch is one online kid-centered offering, and we are open to others as needed!) We have two Sunday school classes, one for ages 3 through first grade and one for second grade through fifth or sixth (whenever kids decide they’d prefer to stay in church). In the younger classroom they are working through a set of core holy stories, using materials from the Godly Play and Diddy Disciples books. In the older classroom we are patching together our own curriculum from various sources, based on the Sunday lectionary. In the new year we may start integrating some of our Scripture drama work as part of the schedule for that class. Interested folks welcome as teachers and helpers – talk with Rev. Miranda!

Drama Camp

Our summer kids’ camp in 2022 was a Drama Camp, focused on building kids’ skills and engagement with various aspects of drama and theater. About 25 kids participated over the course of the week, including some guests from the wider community. The younger group worked on using their bodies, faces, and voices to express different feelings, played with costumes, and developed a performance of the story of Jonah. The older group explored lights and tech, makeup, props and set design, voice and expression, and much more, while preparing a performance of the Biblical story of Tobit. It was a great week and we are carrying some of those skills into our Scripture drama and pageant work during the year!

Youth Ministry

The Youth Ministry Program has undergone one significant change this year: hiring a dedicated staff person. Isabelle had a number of big goals coming into this position, but there are three in particular that have seen marked improvement.

First, expanding communication regarding youth activities with the wider parish has been successful by the utilization of monthly “wrap-up” emails and increasing day-to-day visibility through frequent Facebook posts. The parish has been able to receive updates on the annual Treinen Farm visit, the Halloween and Christmas parties, Friday night craft projects, and other service events.

Second, youth ownership of the youth program has been strengthened by seeking input on Friday night activities, monthly events, and service opportunities. The GSAFE bake sale was requested, priced, and staffed by the youth themselves, resulting in a $593 donation. Coming up at the end of January is an almost entirely youth-organized overnight retreat (Holy Creations: Self Love & Care) where the youth will get to explore topics they’ve expressed both and interest and need for. A similar approach is being taken for spring programming and summer service trips.

Lastly, youth programming has made only as many adjustments as befits the wants and needs of the youth themselves. To maintain tradition and smooth the transition process, Fall and Spring bonfire days are still going strong! To make space for the artistically inclined, one Friday a month has had a dedicated seasonal craft. In upcoming months, the youth hope to have multiple Lent Madness get-togethers, movie nights, a murder mystery dinner party, and an open house art gallery in the Parish Center.

As far as need goes, Isabelle is still trying to find/establish a best practice for Friday night second-adult volunteers. You could help greatly in that process by signing your name & volunteer preferences to this link: https://forms.gle/619m9yikuv1uoCgW9. Finally, if you have ideas for events, crafts, games, demonstrations, or destinations, please contact Isabelle to initiate some collaboration! Thanks much for reading, and the kids hope to see YOU on an upcoming Friday night.

Building & rebuilding community

Moving into the fall of 2022, parish leadership heard and perceived a need to focus on building and rebuilding community.  One endeavor in that direction this fall is the new Aging Together group, which meets about once a month on Friday mornings on Zoom.  We’ve had some meetings focused on particular topics, like loneliness and the disorienting effects of grief; others have been focused just on sharing and mutual support. Some people have started meeting on Zoom most Fridays because connection feels good!

Another new endeavor was a small group that met on Zoom for four sessions focused on practical tools for raising faithful kids. Out of that work came a plan to have monthly evening Zoom meetings for parents, for check in and mutual support, similar to our previous Spirituality of Parenting group.

We’re also working on returning to some of our pre-pandemic fellowship opportunities, like regular young adult meetups and crafting gatherings. If you’re interested in any of this, talk with Rev. Miranda to learn more – and in some cases, perhaps help make it happen!

Saturday Book Club 

The Saturday Book Group meets on Saturday mornings every 6-8 weeks, though less frequently during the summer. We generally alternate between fiction and non-fiction books. In 2022 most meetings were remote on Zoom. In 2023, we plan to hold hybrid meetings – in person combined with Zoom.

Books we read in 2021 were:

  • The Luckiest Boy in the World by Patrick McBride
  • The Madness of Crowds by Louise Penny
  • The 1619 Project: A New Origin Story created by Nikole Hannah-Jones 
  • Contributed Poems in memory of Dan Hanson
  • Song of Solomon by Toni Morrison 
  • The Road to Character by David Brooks

Speak to Peter if you’d like to know more. Please do join us.

 

MINISTRIES OF WORSHIP AND PRAYER

Contemplative Prayer

The contemplative prayer group finished its year in May 2022 (after starting in October 2021). We continued to meet online throughout the spring and experimented with several types of prayer together, including the examen, welcoming prayer, Ignatian contemplation, and lectio divina. In July, we gathered in person for a potluck lunch hosted by Susan Franks.  Overall, we gained insight into new ways to connect with God and are grateful for the friendships we made with one another along the way! – Submitted by Jamie Smet

Music Ministries 

St. Dunstan’s music ministries is a loose conglomeration of musicians (both vocalists and instrumentalists) who do help us sing, listen to, and play music for service; write special hymn lyrics; compose, transcribe, and engrave psalms, hymns, choral arrangements, and original music; provide special music on- and off-site in collaboration with wider church events; handle music library, technological, and licensing logistics; provide second-adult presences for children’s choir rehearsals; organize fellowship events; publicize off-site music events; and provide financial and material support.

2022 required continued adaptation of our musical activities to meet the challenges of the season, including Deanna’s reduced hours. Some highlights of what we accomplished include:

  • offering musical offerings of a range of difficulties and configurations at 9am and 10am services
  • developing and refining routines for an intentionally hybrid, eclectic music ministry that’s sustainable long-term
  • continuing to experiment with a come-as-you-are, all-ages Orff bell ensemble

To all ensemble participants; guest musicians of all stripes; folks who manage the library and technology behind-the-scenes; donors; and the congregation: thank you for your continued support!

OUTREACH MINISTRIES

Outreach Annual Report 2022

St. Dunstan’s Outreach Ministries are many and varied, including gifts of time, service, and monetary donations.  We gratefully acknowledge the many gifts of human and financial resources in support of Outreach from other individuals and ministries within the St. Dunstan’s family.

In 2022, the Outreach Committee used monetary donations and in person volunteer hours to address the following concerns: disaster relief, food insecurity, lack of shelter and housing, eviction prevention, refugee resettlement, LGBTQ+ rights/safety, and criminal justice reform.

The Outreach Ministries Committee holds meetings on the last Saturday of the Month.  The meetings are currently held at 9:30am, via zoom. We welcome new voices and new concerns; please consider joining us! Contact Evy  if you would like to be added to the Outreach e-mail distribution list we use to keep members informed about upcoming Outreach meetings and related activities.   If you have issues you would like us to address or organizations you would like to support you can either email them directly to Evy or fill out the outreach input form at this link https://forms.gle/nUHzxa3wHHv5b1Ei6

St. Dunstan’s Outreach Allocations in 2022

Every year, St. Dunstan’s sets aside a percentage of the budgeted pledged income to be allocated to organizations locally and internationality that serve those in need.  In 2022St. Dunstan’s Outreach Committee allocated  $17997 to the following organizations and projects:

Middleton Outreach Ministry, Bread for World, MOSES, Episcopal Diocese of Milwaukee-Newala, GSAFE (creating safer schools for LGBTQ+ youth in Wisconsin), East H.S. Food Pantry, Jewish Social Services/ refugee resettlement program, Second Harvest, The Beacon, Just Dane for Healing House, Mr. Bob’s Under the Bridge, Briarpatch Youth Services, Badger Needs Network, Grace Food Pantry, Tenant Resource Center, Mennonite Central Committee/Ukraine, Bstrong/Ukraine, and the Diocesan Haiti Partnership.

St. Dunstan’s Outreach Endowment Fund

This year the outreach committee sought congregational input on the distribution of grants from the outreach endowment fund.  The fund was established in 1995, by the vestry and is managed by Diocese of Milwaukee Trustees of Funds and Endowments.   Annually the outreach committee makes recommendations to the vestry for spending a percentage (aprx. 5%) of the fund to provide donations to organizations addressing basic human needs.   50 people participated in the voting process and the votes were very close.   The organizations that received the most votes were The Road Home and Allied Food Pantry.  Both organizations received $2,500 from the outreach fund.

Outreach Core Ministries and Volunteer Opportunities 

There are several core ministries that St. Dunstan’s invests volunteer time and resources in on a continual basis.  These are just a few of them.

 Outreach MOSES Ministry

Since 2018, St. Dunstan’s has been a Member of MOSES – “Madison Organizing in Strength, Equity and Solidarity for Criminal Legal System Reform” – a non-partisan interfaith organization that works to promote social justice with a focus on ending mass incarceration. In doing so, MOSES seeks to deliver a message of hope, healing, and unity that reaches beyond the divisions of race, creed, and socioeconomic status. MOSES provides many opportunities for volunteer participation at various levels, such as helping at a MOSES-sponsored event; serving on a MOSES task force or committee; or making a tax-deductible financial donation to MOSES. In 2021 and 2022, St. Dunstan’s served as the host location for an annual rummage sale to raise funds for MOSES – over $2,700 was raised for MOSES at the 2022 rummage sale, thanks in part to members of St. Dunstan’s who supported this event by donating items and being present to help as needed. For more information about MOSES, visit their website at www.mosesmadison.org. 

MIDDLETON OUTREACH MINISTRY 

Middleton Outreach Ministry has been able to navigate many transitions during this past year. They have continued to provide food and housing assistance in a number of ways. At the end of August, MOM expanded to in-person shopping four days a week and continued the drive-thru, delivery and mobile services. This past November saw 100,000 pounds of food distributed along with 8600 pounds of clothing. They supported more families in the Connections housing program so they could move out of doubled-up living arrangements and into homes of their own. Currently 15 families involved in this program have received housing, and will continue to have one year of support from MOM. Also, MOM special events have provided needed assistance during the year—600 students received backpacks and school supplies through the Back to School Program; 432 Thanksgiving meals were distributed; and the Winter Wishes program provided over 500 households with gift cards. St. Dunstan’s Outreach

Committee has continued its support of these very important community services with monetary donations, volunteers, as well as participation in the past year’s Winter Wishes program. Thank you, St.Dunstan’s for helping us contribute in so many ways to provide the assistance needed to sustain the good works of Middleton Outreach Ministry.

Healing House

Healing House, located at 303 Lathrop Street in Madison, is an 8 bed facility, providing 24/7 recuperative care for homeless families who have been released from the hospital or who need care to prepare for a surgery or medical procedure.   Families are cared for by medically trained staff and volunteers and can stay for up to 28 days. The Healing House provides clients with three meals a day, child care assistance, and case management to end the cycle of homelessness.  St. Dunstan’s is a part of group of organizations brought together by The Road Home to provide meals to families staying at the Healing House.   The next week St. Dunstan’s will be supplying food for Healing House is February 19 -25, 2023.

Grocery Shopping for Refugees/ Jewish Social Services

Humanitarian crises in Afghanistan, Ukraine, and elsewhere have displaced millions of people. Some of these people and families who have been arriving to the United States under UN humanitarian parolee status are being resettled in Madison under the management of  Jewish Social Services. We wanted to support them in a tangible way, something more than simply writing a check. To that end, beginning in August of 2022, the St. Dunstan’s Outreach Committee and a team of volunteers has been helping JSS with their important work by shopping for and delivering groceries for new households who are arriving in Madison. This fills an important gap between the time of their arrival and when their food benefits can be applied for and processed. The shopping list reflects the cuisine of their country of origin. So when they are going through so much stress as they settle into their new home, they have familiar foods waiting for them, in the fridge. The Committee allocated $1500 in 2022 to reimburse congregation members for buying groceries.  Funds not spent on grocery shopping were sent to Second Harvest Food Bank. Since last August, we have had the privilege to assist 7 households from Congo, Afghanistan, and Syria as they have settled into our community.

Diaper Drive – Pantries are almost always looking for large-sized diapers. We held a diaper drive again this year, and were able to donate over 5900 diapers to pantries. A child needs approximately 6500 diapers between birth and potty training. Many families in our area are struggling financially, and they have to make tough decisions about whether to buy much-needed diapers or groceries or pay their rent. The Wisconsin FoodShare program (food stamps) does not cover diapers, other personal care items, or household cleaners. Decisions must be made all the time about how to spend the small amount of money coming in. Imagine wanting and needing to change your baby’s diaper because you know it’s dirty, but you only have a couple diapers left and no money with which to buy more diapers. Furthermore, families often don’t have the money to buy economy-sized boxes or the time to watch for sales. 

This year, we donated diapers and wipes to the following organizations: Allied Drive Food Pantry, Karen’s Essential Center (a pantry in the Elver Park area), Healing House, and Reach Out Lodi (a pantry in Lodi). Thank you very much for your incredible generosity!

Creation Care Annual Report

St. Dunstan’s as a parish has carried a commitment to creation care since its earliest years, when the first rector Bob Childs planted exotic conifers around the grounds. In 2016 we gathered a Creation Care Task Force and created our Creation Care Mission Statement: https://stdunstans.com/our-grounds/creation-care-mission-statement/ . Here are some ways we are living it out this year…. 

This area of ministry currently has more energy than organization! We could really use a facilitator or co-facilitators for a Creation Care team, to gather us every couple of months to share ideas and updates, identify and move along various projects, and so on. 

Installing Solar Panels

Installing solar panels on the main building (spring/summer 2023). Thanks to two major gifts and a small Solar for Good grant from RENEW Wisconsin, we are moving forward with this project, which should cover about 75% of our usual electricity use at the main building. (There will be additional costs, though how Inflation Reduction Act provisions apply to us is still to be determined so we don’t have exact numbers yet.) We’re really excited to be able to generate our own energy (and reduce our utility bills!) In this way. 

The Walnut Syrup Project

Last year, starting in early February, we placed 8 taps into 4 trees at three different locations on the church grounds.  It took a while before they started actually dripping sap, but over the full season weeks, we collected somewhere around 50 gallons of sap. We did some preliminary boiling indoors on a stove along the way to help in preserving the sap and reducing the volume we were storing, and on March 26, 2022 we had our first ever sap boil using a stove constructed from cinder blocks, a few bricks, a stove pipe and a steam tray pan. We ended up doing a second boil as well, and ultimately ended up with a little shy of 1 gallon of Black Walnut Syrup. 2 pints of the syrup went home with the makers. A small amount was offered as tasting samples at the church, some of it was used in some tartlets for the pie brunch this last fall,  and a quart was given as a  gift alongside the check that St. Dunstans made to the Wisconsin Inter-Tribal Repatriation Committee. The remainder of last year’s syrup will be available to have on pancakes at the Shrove Tuesday pancake supper.

– Submitted by Phil. Talk to Phil or Carrie about this project! 

The Grounds Mapping Project

For years we have needed an up to date digital map of the property that shows particular features, including things like our permaculture plot and other useful plants. After getting conversant with the appropriate software in 2022, John L. plans to work on some mapping this year, including at least a basic map and a map that notes memorials on the property, such as trees and benches. If you have other mapping ideas, talk with Rev. Miranda or John! 

 

Outreach

Outreach Grant Process, Fall 2022

This message went out to the congregation in our Enews on Friday, August 19. 

Dear St Dunstan’s community,

We, the Outreach Committee, are seeking your input on the distribution of funds from our Outreach Fund. The Fund was established in 1995 by the vestry and is managed by Diocese of Milwaukee Trustees of Funds and Endowments. Every year, the Outreach Committee makes recommendations to the Vestry for spending a percentage (approximately 5%) of the Fund to provide donations to organizations addressing basic human needs. These gifts are in addition to the allocations we make from the Outreach line in our annual budget, which is funded from members’ yearly pledges.

This year, the Outreach Committee is seeking your input to identify the two organization to whom we should donate. We are focusing on two basic human needs: housing and hunger/food insecurity. The Committee reviewed a comprehensive list of non-profits in Dane County and identified three choices in each of those two categories.

We are asking for your input to help select one organization in each category, to which we will make a donation on behalf of the parish. While all of these non-profits are deserving, we want to have an impact, so the Committee has decided to make two contributions of $2500 each.  

We will seek your input on which two non-profits should receive our contributions. You’ll be able to share input through one of two methods: voting in person at church on a Sunday, or voting online at your own pace. We plan to begin the voting process in early September. Watch for more details soon.

Below you will find information about the six non-profit organizations under consideration. Please note that the church has already donated to a number of non-profits throughout the year, such as Middleton Outreach Ministry (MOM). Those organizations to whom we have already donated this year were not included on this list.

Right now, we encourage you to read about these organizations and begin to prayerfully reflect on which two you would like to vote for.

Thank you for your input!

Sincerely,

The Outreach Committee

FOOD PANTRIES 

Allied Drive Pantry

https://alliedfoodpantry.wixsite.com/allied-food-pantry

The Allied Pantry provides food to those who live in the neighborhood and are in need.  It serves those who cannot, at the moment, support themselves. The pantry is open one day a week and provides clients with perishable and non-perishable food items, as well as toiletries and hygiene products.

The pantry provides food to more than 6,500 individuals annually, who live in about 1800 households.  At least one family member is employed in about 50% of client households.

 

Grace Episcopal Church Food Pantry 

http://www.gracechurchmadison.org/grace-food-pantry

The Grace Church Food Pantry has been a welcoming place for the hungry on the Capitol Square for over 45 years. Although housed at Grace Church, the pantry has its own budget and relies on federal and state funding and donations from community members to fill the shelves with food week after week.

Volunteers serve over 300 families each month with fresh produce, meat, packaged goods, diapers and toiletry items.  The pantry is open four days a week.

Long-term relationships with government agencies allow them to maximize the purchasing power of each donated dollar used for obtaining food. As the quality and variety of donated foods fluctuate each year, monetary gifts provide Grace with the flexibility to provide the optimal nutritional mix of foods.

Badger Prairie Needs Network 

https://www.bpnn.org

The food pantry, located in Verona, has operated for 34 years. The pantry was started in a closet in a church in 1986 and now operates from a 9000 sq ft building.  They help households with limited resources make ends meet.  They are open four days a week.

The food pantry carries fresh and frozen produce, dairy, and proteins including milk, eggs, hamburger, chicken, and even frozen pizza. With the help of Second Harvest, the Community Action Coalition, community food drives, and cash donations they also offer packaged goods including baking supplies, cereal, pasta, canned tuna, fruits, vegetables, and soups.

Badger Prarie’s Kitchen to Table food recovery program provides the pantry with items donated from area grocers and ready-to-eat food from local companies with cafeteria services.

 

HOUSING

The Road Home

https://trhome.org

The Road Home develops long-term relationships with homeless families with children.  They started 21 years ago and work with families, to relieve the immediate crisis of homelessness, and to build skills, resources and relationships that set the stage for long-term success. Their last annual report showed 95% of the families they supported remained stably housed.  They served 252 families with 482 children during that year.

 

Tenant Resource Center  

https://www.tenantresourcecenter.org

The Tenant Resource Center is dedicated to promoting positive relations between rental housing consumers and providers throughout Wisconsin. By providing information and referrals, education about rental rights and responsibilities, and access to conflict resolution, they empower the community to obtain and maintain quality affordable housing.  They provide a Housing Mediation program and provide mediators to work with Tenants and Landlords.  They offer education programs to tenants and landlords on rights and responsibilities.  They offer assistance in preventing eviction and finding housing for those evicted.

 

Just Dane Journey Home Program

https://justdane.org/journey-home/

JustDane offers direct service programs for individuals and families involved in the criminal justice system. These services include prison reentry programs, services for children who have an incarcerated parent, jail and prison in-reach programs, and community education events. Their Journey Home program works to reduce recidivism (return to prison) by creating a stronger safer community for those returning. It focuses on the areas of residency, employment, support and treatment—as well as transportation and education.

 

Events, Outreach, Youth

High School Youth Mission Trip Photo Album

Gallery
St. Luke’s, Racine, our home base.
An introduction to the Hospitality Center from Seth Raymond.
A tour of the neighborhood.

Dinner Thursday night.
We slept in the beautiful sanctuary.

Cleaning up the parks and other areas near the Hospitality Center.
Prepping lunch at the Hospitality Center.

Serving lunch to the Hospitality Center guests on Friday.
After a full day at the Hospitality Center, enjoying the pool!
Saturday: Cleaning and painting an apartment for a refugee family.

Saturday evening we hung out at Racine’s North Beach!

A Saturday night treat…
Prayer time.
We played a lot of board games, in the evenings.

Annual Meeting, Creation Care, Outreach, Sermons

Sermon, January 23

Today is Annual Meeting Sunday for St. Dunstan’s. Episcopal churches do this every year. Later today at 1PM people will gather on Zoom – we’ll get back to doing it in person one of these years! – and we’ll elect our vestry members and other positions, and receive this year’s budget, and some other updates on priorities, projects and finances.  Anyone who considers themself a member of St. Dunstan’s is welcome to join us – or even if you’re not sure you’re a member yet but are just interested in how we do business. 

On Annual Meeting Sunday I like to have my sermon be a reflection on where I think the church is and where we’re going. And I always hope that the readings assigned for that Sunday, on the calendar we share with many other churches, give me something to talk about. Well, this year, when I looked at the lessons assigned for today, there wasn’t just one or two that seemed to fit… they ALL did. So we’re hearing all the lessons today – it’s a lot of Scripture! And after each lesson I’ll say a little bit about what call or affirmation it bears for us.

I want to get one thing out of the way before we continue. When we get to talking about the finances, later today, you’ll hear that we’re starting this year with a deficit budget. Our best guess right now is our expenses might be about $11,000 more than our income, in 2022. 

The Finance Committee and Vestry didn’t try to squeeze our budget to narrow that gap any further, for a couple of reasons. For one thing, we had a $9000 budget deficit last year, which mostly worked itself out over the course of the year. For another thing, more than half our pledging households increased their pledges for this year. That feels like a mandate to keep doing what we’re doing. 

We do have some work to do on the longer-term financial stability of St. Dunstan’s. If you have an interest in that, whether it’s planned giving or creative uses of our facilities or new kinds of partnerships, let me know; that’s a team I’d like to start building, this year. But for the time being: Your Finance Committee and Vestry feel confident about moving forward with this budget, and the priorities it represents, in faith and hope. 

Let’s continue with the assigned readings for this Sunday – and let’s hear them as words from God to us, the people of St. Dunstan’s, for this day and this year. 

The First Reading: Nehemiah 8: 1-3, 5-6, 8-12 (Click to read!)

This is a text from a time of rebuilding. Judea and Jerusalem had been conquered, almost 150 years earlier. Many people had been killed; most of the rest of God’s people had been taken into exile in Babylon, among strangers and far from their homeland. After fifty years, a new emperor decided to let those who wanted return home, and provided resources for them to start rebuilding Jerusalem. 

The time of rebuilding was complicated. There were different priorities about what should be restored first. Should we rebuild the walls so we feel safe? Should we rebuild the Temple so we feel centered? The people who were left in the land resented the returnees. People wanted different things. People needed different things. It must have been a challenging time to be a leader. 

This text echoes another scene that took place not quite 200 years earlier, before the Exile. Rummaging around in the Great Temple, the High Priest Hilkiah finds the book of the Law of God – the Torah – and brings it to the young king Josiah. When Josiah hears the words of the book of the Law, he realizes how far his people have fallen from God’s plan for them. He calls an assembly of all the people, and reads them the Torah. And Josiah recommits himself to the covenant relationship between God and God’s people.  

The text tells us that “all the people join in the covenant,” but Josiah’s reform seems to be largely top-down. Josiah orders that images of other gods and their places of worship be destroyed. Josiah commands people to observe the holy feast of Passover. Maybe that’s why Josiah’s changes didn’t really change things. 

What happens in Nehemiah’s time is the same – and different. Nehemiah the governor, and Ezra the priest, call the people together and read them the book of the Law of God. It’s not clear why they do it at this particular time. Maybe it’s just that the walls and the Temple are both rebuilt, and enough people have returned to sort of have a nation again, and it’s just time to remind everyone of who and whose they are. 

This time, the people seem to matter as much as the leaders. Notice some of the details from the text. Those reading from the book gave interpretation, so that the people could understand what was being read. The people listened attentively, and wept at what they heard – grieving at the long years they’ve spent away from their calling as God’s holy nation. I love how Nehemiah and Ezra respond: Don’t grieve! This day, when we remember who we are – this day is holy. Celebrate! Feast! The joy of the Lord is your strength! And the people eat and drink, and share, and rejoice, because they had understood the words that were declared to them. 

What call or affirmation might we hear in this text? Studying this text felt really joyful for me this week. I felt a lot of recognition and resonance. We too are in a time of rebuilding – and will be for a while. Experimenting our way into ways of worshipping and gathering and living out God’s call together that are flexible and resilient and hopeful enough to work, in this new season. The contrast between Josiah and Nehemiah reaffirms my conviction that we’re all in this together. That whatever new ways of being we find our way into will work because we listen to each other, and seek understanding, and weep and rejoice together. 

Let me say one more thing before we continue. In response to the remaining texts, I’m going to talk about some possible projects and ministry directions that I think God is inviting us further into, this year and beyond. I want to say that I know that what some folks need right now is just the reliability of a holy space (virtual or otherwise), a loving set of people, a place to ask questions, a place where it’s OK to let people know when you hurt. For those folks, the most important work of the next year might be our continued rebuilding and regathering. And that’s OK. It’s better than OK.

There are people who are drawn to church partly because they’re seeking a community to work on mending the world with.  And that’s one of church’s most important jobs. But SO IS being a place of consolation and kindness and connection and rest. Nobody should feel any shame if bold new ministry initiatives make you feel like pulling the covers up over your head, right now. OK? OK. 

Let’s receive our Psalm.

Psalm 19 – click to read! 

Did anybody notice the jump in this ancient sacred poem? The place where it seems to suddenly change gears? … Verses 1 through 6 are a reflection on creation – and specifically, on the wonders of the heavens. I get a strong sense of somebody sitting on a hillside and watching the sun set and the stars come out, and just thinking about how amazing it all is. Feeling awe and gratitude at the beauty and reliability of nightfall and dawn, sunrise and sunset. 

The poet – maybe David, maybe somebody else – is thinking about how God did a really good job creating the universe. Creating these patterns and systems that make life possible and delight the eye and mind and heart. And it’s that mindset of wonder that makes sense of the pivot at verse 7. God’s perfect law revives the soul! God’s stable rule guides the simple!

Beholding Creation, with loving attention, moves the poet first to praise God, Creator, Source, and Sustainer of all things; and then to prayer – deeply personal prayer. Asking God to help them stay aligned with God’s ways. The poet has a particular concern: they know they’re prone to pride, to thinking themself better or wiser or more important than they are. So they ask God to help them avoid that pitfall… and then commend themself to God’s care. 

What call or affirmation might we hear in this text? Care of creation is important to us, here at St. Dunstan’s. We try to learn about God by learning about the natural world. We try to love God by loving the natural world. This ancient poem anchors and encourages us. 

Gazing at a sunset, dipping your toes in big water, studying an interesting bug – all of this can be part of our spiritual life, our walk with God. Our delight, wonder, awe, fascination – our concern and our grief –  when we contemplate creation can move us to worship. To praise; to conviction; to repentance and amendment of life.  To remembering how small we really are, and yet how important our call to tend with love. 

This year, let’s do more of that. Let’s feed the birds and tap our walnut trees and cut our carbon emissions and call our elected officials and keep becoming a church that loves God by loving the world. Let’s seek ways to build the community of hope and grief and solidarity and possibility that many of us need, as we face deepening climate crisis. 

1 Corinthians 12:12 -31a

Paul’s metaphor of the church as a human body is truly inspired. We can immediately see the foolishness of a foot saying, “I’m not part of the body because I’m not a hand.” Or the head saying to the feet, “I don’t need you.” We understand that it takes different parts that are good at different things to make a functioning whole, in our bodies. And that some of the parts that we don’t think are very pleasant or presentable – or that we don’t really think about at all, like, say, the spleen – are actually pretty important. 

And Paul tells us: Churches are like that too. You are the body of Christ and parts of each other! And just as in a body, if one part suffers, the whole body suffers, so within a church; we should be guided by mutual concern. 

Then he returns to the theme we heard earlier in this chapter: that within the church, there are lots of important roles. Prophets, teachers, helpers and healers, leaders, speakers in tongues and interpreters. Earlier he mentioned some others: People of wisdom; people of knowledge; people of deep faith; people of discernment; people of prophetic insight and passion. Paul doesn’t mention some roles that seem pretty central to me – music leader, coffee maker, website maintenance, youth group leader, and such. But we always can add to his list! And all of those capacities are gifts of the Holy Spirit, given by God to help the church be a community where people can find welcome and grace, healing and direction, and ways to do good together. 

What call or affirmation might we hear in this text? I think that at St. Dunstan’s we do a pretty good job of making space for people to share their gifts and skills and interests – and trusting that we can be the church God means us to be by doing the things that people are good at and like to do. Speaking as a leader, your interests and energy are one of the top things that I look to for guidance about what we should be doing, where we should be leaning in or pulling back. I believe that God shapes and guides and cares for our church through the people God sends to be part of the church. 

When we finished our renovation in late 2019, I figured we’d take a few months to get settled and do normal things, and then put some attention into asking each other: Now what? Where are our interests and energies leading us next? And then Covid hit, and survival and mutual care became our priorities for… two years and counting. 

But I think it’s time to stop postponing that shared wondering. We have new members who have joined us in the past few years. We have new skills, interests and passions among our longer-term members, too.  

This week the E-News had a link to a Gift and Skill Inventory, a simple online form. I would love for everyone hearing my voice to fill it out. Kids and adults, new and long-term members; friends of the parish, too. If multiple people share a computer, you should be able to fill it out as many times as you need to. We’ll keep sending out the link and reminding you about it for the next few weeks. 

Let’s take stock of what we care about, what we’re good at, what we like to do. At the very least, we might find some fun opportunities for skill and knowledge sharing. At the most, we might discover a constellation of interests and commitments and skills among us that we didn’t know was there, and that points towards new ministry possibilities. 

Luke 4:14-21 – click to read! 

In today’s Gospel, Jesus begins his mission. He reads from chapter 61 of the book of the prophet Isaiah, one of the great prophetic texts of God’s people.  And he declares: This is it. The year of the Lord’s favor. Look for liberation, and healing, and hope. Because big stuff is about to start happening. 

Look, I know I say this a lot, but:  Things were not great in first-century Judea. (Remembering that our faith-ancestors have survived hard times before can help us face hard times today. )

Back then, God’s people lived under the rule of strangers. There were armed terrorist groups running around. The wealthy were comfortable, but most people lived in poverty. There was very little effective health care, and lots of people died, all the time, from endemic disease, accidents, childbirth. (There’s a reason people kept mobbing Jesus seeking healing.) Many people felt helpless and hopeless. There was no real reason to think things would get better anytime soon. As Bishop Lee put it in a meeting this week: God’s wholesale remaking of the world was not evident, then, as it is not now.

Jesus’ proclamation – that God’s healing and justice were about to dawn – was no easier to receive then than it is today. In fact, the audience gets kind of mad about it. Who does this guy think he is?? This scene ends with people trying to throw Jesus off a cliff.

What call or affirmation might we hear in this text?

I hope I’m not taking my life in my hands by saying this, but: God’s liberation, and healing, and hope are still dawning. Even here, even now. And we can be part of that, as a church. 

One of our priorities this year is to start discerning, together, how to use our Community Project Fund: $70,000 that we set aside as part of our capital campaign, to do something for the wider community. It might be our project or it might be a partnership; it might be a one-time thing or seed money to start something bigger. We hope it’ll be something that gives interested St. Dunstan’s folk a way to be involved – to offer our time and energy, for the good of our neighbors, as well as our financial resources. 

I already felt pretty sure that this was the year to begin that work – to start talking and learning and praying together about what this project might be. This Gospel, on our Annual Meeting Sunday, feels like it seals the deal, to me. Jesus says: This is the time for people to be healed and freed from all that binds and burdens them. If we begin to seek the ways that we, as a church, can be part of that healing and unbinding, then maybe even 2022 could be the year of the Lord’s favor.  

Today’s readings offer us, almost, a charge for the year ahead. Return and rebuild, together. Welcome one another, deepen our relationships, share our gifts. Love and serve God through creation. And seek out new ways to join God’s work in the world. 

May it be so. Amen.

Finances, Outreach

Outreach Committee Report, Late Summer 2021

The work of the St. Dunstan’s Outreach Committee in both 2020 and 2021 has been shaped by actively responding to needs presented by the global Coronavirus Pandemic.  However, the Committee’s work in 2021 looks and feels different than in 2020.  Last year demanded a fast-paced response to an avalanche of immediate economic crises emphasizing hunger and housing, and all the funds were exhausted by October.  2020 also was an eye-opening year to systemic racial and economic problems.  In 2021, the eye-opening has called for more conversation and deliberation about organizational response to the exposed systemic problems.  

To facilitate conversation and deliberation, our meetings in 2021 have added a couple types of personal sharing.  The first is through individual Committee members talking about why they do the volunteer work that they do and why their volunteer work is through particular organizations.  We are learning more about each other and more about the impact particular organizations have.  The second is through short discussions around “The State of Working Wisconsin in the COVID-19 Crisis,” a report from a nonpartisan UW think tank.  This is helping us think about exposed systemic patterns in Wisconsin.

Both the eye-opening from 2020 and our deliberations in 2021 are reflected in a slower-pace of distributions in 2021 and a more focused choice of supported programs.  

  • $1,000 for the Episcopal Network for Economic Justice,
  • $400 for MOSES’ efforts in criminal justice reform,
  • $500 for Bread for the World for hunger advocacy,
  • $500 to D.A.I.S. (Domestic Abuse Intervention Services), 
  • $200 for KIVA (micro loans),
  • $500 for the Road Home (rapid rehousing)
  • $1,000 for a Joining Forces for Families summer swim program for students at Elver Park,
  • $2,780 for Middleton Outreach Ministry’s new “Connections” Program focused on creating housing stability,
  • $1,200 was raised for St. D’s Diaper Drive.  To date $600 worth of diapers has been distributed among: 
    • Reach Out Lodi 
    • Healing House
    • Madison YWCA,
    • Allied Drive Food Pantry, and
    • Karen’s Essentials Corner
  • $1,000 for a medical clinic in the Diocese of Newala in Tanzania,
  • $500 for micro loans in developing countries through Working Capital for Community Needs (WCCN)
  • Also, in August the Committee received applications for the 2021 Outreach Endowment funds from 5 organizations, all of whom serve a multi-racial clientele.  Based on our longstanding approach of allocating 5% of the Outreach Endowment Fund’s principal each year (so as to maintain the fund in a sustainable manner), we understand that this year $5,469 is available for Endowment Grant allocations.  As in past years, we will provide a brief report at the Vestry’s September meeting that summarizes our recommendations for allocating St. D’s 2021 Outreach Endowment Grants and requests approval.

If you would like to learn more or get involved in the work of the Outreach Committee, contact the church office using the Contact Us form on this website, or call 608-238-2781 and leave a message!