THIS WEEKEND…
Eucharist with Holy Baptism, Sunday, May 29, 10am: We rejoice to celebrate the baptism of a new member of Christ’s Kingdom, Nicholas. Nicholas and his parents, John and Christina, are new members of St. Dunstan’s and worship regularly at our 8am service.
Middle School Lunch & Learn, Sunday, May 29, 12-1pm: 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 kids if that helps the parents’ schedules.
Memorial Service for Jerry Bever, Sunday, May 29, 3pm: We will gather to remember and celebrate the life of longtime member Jerry Bever, who died in February. Contributions to a light reception after the service are welcome.
Greeters for First Sundays Needed! If you enjoy making people feel welcome and at home, please consider becoming a Sunday greeter.
Coffee Hosts Needed! Please consider being a coffee host. Sign-up sheets for upcoming Sundays can be found in the Gathering Area. Thanks!
Seeking Open Minds and Warm Hearts to Help with our Sunday School! We seek teachers and helpers for our Sunday school classes for the 2016-17 program year, starting in September. Teachers and helpers generally serve once a month. Because of our growing group of kids, we would like to expand to THREE Sunday school classes for next year – for kids ages 3 – 5, 6 – 8, and 9 – 10. We use great curricula that give teachers good tools and information. If you’ve never done this before, there’s plenty of support, and if you’ve taught somewhere else, we’d love to benefit from your ideas and experience! Sign up in the Gathering Area or talk with Rev. Miranda or Sharon Henes to learn more and get involved.
THE WEEKS AHEAD…
Monday Morning Art Group: Each Monday morning from 9:30 to 11:30 an adult group meets in the chapel meeting room to share their creative arts and crafts projects, which might include drawing and painting to needlework. It’s become a wonderful time to share some of our personal history, or more recent experiences and/or challenges. Feel free to come along and join us! Because of improper ventilation for toxic materials, we ask that no paint solvents or smelly glues be required during this period.
Rev. Miranda’s Upcoming Absences: Rev. Miranda is traveling for some continuing education opportunities in late May and into early June. While she’ll be here on Sundays as usual, she’d like the parish to know that she will largely be away from her email and ongoing projects from May 23 through June 7. Thanks for your understanding and support!
Guest Preacher Jonathan Melton, Sunday, June 5: Father Jonathan, friend of St. Dunstan’s and chaplain at the St. Francis House campus ministry at UW-Madison, will preach and celebrate on Sunday, June 5. His presence is a gift to Rev. Miranda, who can take her time away more fully without having to prepare a sermon. We welcome Father Jonathan and his words!
Summer Choir on First Sundays, Beginning June 5: Come at 9am to learn some simple music to share as part of our 10am worship. Young singers and adult singers with no previous choir experience are especially invited! You should be able to read text, and ready to begin to learn to read music. Talk with our Organist & Choir Director Martin Ganschow to learn more. Dates are June 5, July 3, August 7 and September 4.
Healing Democracy, One Heart at a Time, Sunday, June 5, 9am: We will explore techniques for creating safe spaces in which to talk honestly and reconnect as human beings across our differences. All are welcome!
An Introduction to Charitable Giving, Sunday, June 5, 11:30am (Rescheduled): Come for lunch and an introduction to charitable giving and taxes, including an introduction to our church policies on major gifts. Folks of all ages and incomes are encouraged to come; child care will be provided.
Birthdays and Anniversaries will be honored next Sunday, June 5, 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, June 5: 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: rice or pasta, cake or brownie mixes, cooking oil, size 5 & 6 diapers, spices, honey or syrup, laundry detergent, canned ravioli/spaghettios, ketchup, oats or oatmeal. Thank you for all your support!
Evening Eucharist, Sunday, June 5, 6pm: Join us for a simple service before the week begins. All are welcome.
Readers Needed for Dramatic Reading, Sunday, June 12: We will share a portion of “The Man Born to be King,” by Dorothy Sayers. This is a dramatic reading, without costume or staging, and we plan to do it at both the 8am and 10am services. A signup sheet will be circulated on Sunday the 29th. You can also contact Rev. Miranda.
Parish Picnic, Sunday, June 12, 12:00pm: Come for good food and good conversation at our annual June parish picnic. We’ll have food and fun activities for all ages, including a balloon artist and photo booth! The picnic will happen rain or shine. Mark your calendar and watch for more details!
Musical Test Kitchen & BatWatch, Thursday evening, June 16, 7pm – 9pm: A Musical Test Kitchen is an opportunity to try out some paperless songs, either as a leader or a singer. If you’ve enjoyed some of our “paperless” songs at St. Dunstan’s or are curious to learn more about what we mean by “paperless” music, come along and join the singing! As twilight falls we’ll move outside for our early summer BatWatch, to count the bats emerging from our local bat residence, a useful measure of the health of the colony. We’ll have a fire & S’mores. All ages welcome; feel free to come when you can & leave when you need to.
The Madison-Area Julian Gathering will not meet in June due to conflicting dates with JulianFest. Our next Gathering will be Wednesday, July 13, 7:15 – 9:00.
SUMMER OPPORTUNITIES…
Find us on Facebook! St. Dunstan’s has two primary Facebook locations. Our “St. Dunstan’s Episcopal Church” page is our official Facebook presence. Upcoming events, sermons, and such are posted there by church staff. “Like” that page to get those updates in your Facebook feed. Our “St. Dunstan’s MadCity” group is a more informal place where members can post all sorts of things, like “Can someone lector for me this Sunday?” or “Can somebody use this old stroller?” or “I have a spare concert ticket, would someone like to come with me?” or “Hey, read this article; think we could do something like this?” and so on. Both can be great ways to keep up with the life of the parish while you’re traveling over the summer. So if you’re a Facebook user, look us up!
The Thrilling Adventures of Tobias and Sarah! Vacation Bible & Arts School, 5:30 – 7:30pm, July 30 – August 4. We are designing our own VBS this year, focusing on the book of Tobit, a rousing story of faith, adventure, risk, romance, and mystery, from a part of the Bible known as the Apocrypha. Drama, art, and outreach will be integrated into our curriculum. Kids ages 3 to 10 are welcome to participate; need not be members of St. Dunstan’s. Registration forms will be available soon. We will also be inviting the adults of the parish into study and artistic engagement with the book of Tobit this summer; watch for more information!
40th Annual Women’s Mini Week – Surprised by Joy! – August 11 – 14, 2016, Camp Lakotah, Wautoma, Wisconsin: This is your time to retreat from your everyday routines, to allow discoveries and friendships to refresh you, to find comfortable activity or blissful quiet. Registration forms are in the Gathering Area. For more information, see the website at www.womensminisweek.org.