Announcements, April 16

THIS WEEKEND… Sunday School, Sunday, April 19, 10am: This week, our 3-6 year old class will learn about the Eucharist and some of the things we use in church, while our 7-11 year old class will work with the story of Jesus on the road to Emmaus.  All kids are welcome, & parents can come too if they like!

Rector’s Discretionary Fund Offering, Sunday, April 19: Half the cash in our collection plate, and any designated checks, will go towards the Rector’s Discretionary Fund this day and on every third Sunday. This fund is a way to quietly help people with direct financial needs, in the parish and the wider community. We have had many requests for help with utilities and other needs in this season. Please give generously, and thanks!

Racial Disparities in Dane County, Sunday, April 19, 1pm, and Wednesday, April 22, 7:15pm: Our second series of conversations about racism will focus closer to home, as we study the Race to Equity report and other indicators of racial disparities in Dane County, and begin to look for ways we can help create a fairer future. We will meet on Sundays at 1pm and Wednesdays at 7:15; specific dates will be discussed and posted. All interested participants are welcome. A selection of handouts from our first series of conversations is now available in the Gathering Area.

Evening Eucharist, Sunday, April 19, 6pm: A simple service before the week begins.

Check out our new Thank You Board! St. Dunstan’s Church gets a lot of thank-you notes, for sharing our resources, our time, and our facilities with the wider community. Read some recent notes here. Feeling grateful for some person or group at St. Dunstan’s who has touched your life or blessed our life together recently? Write a thank-you note on the whiteboard and let them know.

Ushers & Greeters Needed! These are two simple roles that are very important to helping welcome visitors and newcomers, and making our worship run smoothly. Once a month, could you commit to coming to church fifteen minutes early and helping out?  Serve with a family member or friend. Just one more team of both ‘Ushers & Greeters would fill out our schedules.

United Thank Offering: The United Thank Offering (UTO) is a church-wide Episcopal ministry that invites people to take home a “blue box”, and put in a coin or bill when we have a moment of gratitude for the many blessings of our lives. We will gather in our “blue boxes” on Mother’s Day, May 10. The funds collected are given to mission and development projects all over the Anglican world, including in our companion diocese of Newala in Tanzania. For more information, visit the UTO station in the Gathering Area.

Laundry Help Needed! Due to a broken wrist, Joanne Reis needs to take a sabbath from her faithful work keeping our acolyte and MC robes clean and ready to use. We are seeking someone willing to help out with this job for the rest of April, through May and June, until Joanne’s wrist has healed. The job is simple: check on the robes, either after the 10am service on Sunday or early in the week; make sure they are hung neatly on their hangers. If any robes have dirt, wine spots, or candle wax, take them home and wash them (wash cold, dry low, hang to finish drying). Joanne or any Altar Guild member can provide instructions for removing wine and wax stains. If you’re willing to help out, talk with Rev. Miranda. Thanks so much!

THE WEEKS AHEAD… Thursday Evening Worship in Easter Season: Following the resurrection of Jesus, many of his friends encountered him – at a shared meal, on a lakeshore, walking along a lonely road. In Easter season, at the Sandbox, our Thursday evening informal worship & supper gathering, we’ll be sharing stories of where we’ve encountered Jesus on our journeys. Come hear about another person’s life of faith, or share a part of your own. All are welcome. Worship is at 5:30pm every week, with a simple meal provided afterwards.

Game Night, Friday, April 24, 6pm: Join us for an evening of games for all ages. Friends, partners, kids all welcome. Bring a snack to share, or come as you are!

Ladies’ Night Out, Friday, April 24, 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 Abuelo’s at 2229 Deming Way in Middleton. For more information, to join the reservation or to arrange a ride, please call Debra Martinez at (608) 772-6043.

Outreach Committee Meeting, Saturday, April 25, 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.

Sunday, April 26, 9am: “Sing THAT one at my funeral!” Many of us have a list – on paper or in our heads – of hymns and songs we’d like sung or played at our funerals. Bring one of your favorites (or an open mind, if you don’t have a “list) and we’ll talk together about what those songs mean to us and the ideas about life, death, and resurrection they contain. This is our Spirituality & Poetry session for April. Simple funeral planning forms will also be available to complete here or take home.

Last Sunday Worship, Sunday, April 26, 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. This Sunday we’ll explore the image of Jesus as the Good Shepherd. After worship, at 11am, we will have a combined coffee hour and all-ages formation time, as we dream up some new visions of church. NOTE: Our 8am service always follows our regular seasonal order of worship.

Sunday, April 26, 11:45am: Wills for Young Families. Attorney and St. Dunstan’s member Mark Rooney will offer a gentle and user-friendly introduction to this topic, as a special gathering of our regular parents’ lunch group. 

Shelter Dinner, Sunday, April 26, 7pm: Every fourth Sunday, volunteers from St. Dunstan’s Church provide dinner for residents at the Grace Church shelter, and breakfast the next morning. It’s a simple and meaningful way to help out some of our Madison neighbors, and there’s always room to get involved. See the signup sheet in the gathering area to help out.

DeCanstruction, Sunday, April 26, 7:30pm: Help take apart the giant sculptures built from cans and boxes of food, as part of this year’s CanStruction competition, a food- and fund-raiser for Middleton Outreach Ministry. This year’s CanStruction will take place at West Towne Mall, and structures can be viewed there all week, starting Monday, April 20. To help with the “de-Canstruction” work, you must be reasonably able-bodied (but not everybody has to do heavy lifting). Sign up if you’d like to join this year’s team, and work alongside other St. Dunstan’s folks and friends from Madison Vineyard Church.

Spring Clean-Up Day, Sunday, May 3, 12 – 2pm: Join us after the 10 am service to put some “sweat equity” into tending our beautiful buildings and grounds. Wear or bring your scruffy clothes and work gloves. Lunch will be provided!

Hat and Tie Sunday, May 10: St. Dunstan’s has a long tradition of inviting folks to dress up for Mother’s Day, with a fancy hat and/or tie.  If you’d like to participate, you can wear your own or borrow one from the collection at church. We will also take up a special collection for scholarships for the Diocese of Milwaukee’s camp program, Camp Webb. It’s our custom to take photos of the whole congregation after the 10am service that Sunday; we hope you’ll stay a few moments to participate.