SUNDAY, August 7…
Summer Choir on First Sundays: 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 be ready to begin to learn to read music. Talk with our Organist & Choir Director, Martin Ganschow, to learn more. The last summer choir is on September 4.
Birthdays and Anniversaries will be honored Sunday, as is our custom on the first Sunday of every month. Come forward after the Announcements to receive a blessing and the community’s prayer.
Healing prayers: This Sunday one of our minsters will offer healing prayers for those who wish to receive prayers for themselves or on behalf others.
MOM Special Offering: This 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: cereal (preferably whole grain and low in sugar), instant oatmeal, whole grains, cooking oil, mayonnaise & ketchup, 64 oz. juice, tomato sauce, spices, rice, laundry detergent. Thank you for all your support!
Evening Eucharist, 6pm: Join us for a simple service before the week begins. All are welcome.
School Supply Drive for MOM, Now through August 17: It’s time to start planning ahead for those going “back to school!” Once again, we will be collecting donations of school supplies to contribute to the goal of more than 1,000 backpacks this year! The MOM Back to School Program provides backpacks stuffed with grade level supplies for children in Pre-K through high school, and also supplies for college students. Cash donations are also accepted. More information and shopping lists are available in the Gathering Area. Please plan to bring your donations by August 17. While all school supplies are gratefully accepted, the greatest needs include:
extra-large back packs for high school students
three-ring binders (without logos) & dividers for binders
pocket folders (solid colors, plastic)
spiral notebooks – solid colors, wide & college ruled
loose leaf paper – wide & college ruled
scotch tape
Thank you for your generous support! MOM could not do it without you!
THE WEEKS AHEAD…
Rev. Miranda’s Upcoming Vacation: Rev. Miranda will be out of the office August 8 – 15. If you need the care or counsel of a priest during Rev. Miranda’s absence, you may reach Father Tom McAlpine.
Parish Office Closed Wednesday, Thursday, Friday on August 10, 11, 12: Please note that the office will be closed on these days, but you are welcome to leave a message by phone (608) 238-2781 or by email at . Our office coordinator, Pamela, will be back on Monday, August 15.
Guest Preacher, Sunday, August 14: The Rev. Dr. Thomas McAlpine will preach and preside in Rev. Miranda’s absence. Elvice and Father Tom showed up at St. Dunstan’s last year. Elvice has been contributing to the Coffee Hour rotation and spending time caring for the Labyrinth. Father Tom is an Old Testament scholar and has assisted in our congregational study of the Book of Tobit this summer.
Madison-Area Julian Gathering, Wednesday, August 10, 7:15-9pm: St. Julian of Norwich: She understood the human heart and, through her sixteen revelations of Jesus, she understood the heart of God. Thomas Merton called her “the greatest theologian for our time.” Come to one of our monthly meetings and find out why — and learn about contemplative prayer. We meet the second Wednesday of each month. We’d love to see you.
Save the Date: Madison PRIDE Parade, August 21st from Noon to 4:00pm. Members are invited to help represent St. Dunstan’s in the 2016 OutReach LGBTQ PRIDE parade and rally. The parade will start at the 500 and 600 Block of State St. and move towards the Capitol Square. This year’s theme is Inclusion: Marching Towards Racial Diversity. More specific announcements will follow. If you would like to be involve please stay tuned.
Last Sunday Worship, Sunday, August 28, 10am: Students of all ages are invited to bring backpacks, laptops, etc., to be blessed in this service, as we pray for our schools and universities. 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.
Camp-Out Night at St. Dunstan’s, Friday, September 2, 5:30pm: For those who’ve been meaning to camp out all summer – or want to give it a try in an easy setting (with flush toilets available!) – or who camp all the time and can share tips with the rest of us! We’ll share a simple potluck supper (hot dogs and marshmallows, etc., provided), fellowship around the fire pit, perhaps some outdoor games for the active, and Compline prayers at dusk. You can spend the night, or just come for the evening and then go home to your nice warm bed. Questions or ideas? Talk to Rev. Miranda or Kate Larson.
Foundry414 Labor Day 3K for Backpack Snack Pack, Monday, September 5, 9:45am: Our neighbors at Foundry414 invite us to participate in the Backpack Snack Pack 3K fund raiser. Donations from St. Dunstan’s folks can go to our Backpack Snack Pack program. Come at 9:45 am to sign-in. The 3K starts at 10am and will follow a route that can accommodate strollers and wagons. There’s no registration fee to participate but donations are encouraged. Come enjoy good neighbors, exercise and fun for a good cause!
Lammastide Festival of Bread, Sunday, September 11: Lammastide is an ancient harvest festival that became a church festival in our mother church, the Church of England. It’s an opportunity to offer the fruits of the growing season thankfully to God. The word means “loaf mass” – it was originally held at the time of year when the first grain ripened enough to be made into fresh loaves of bread. We will celebrate the end of summer together with a Lammastide procession and blessing, and a festive bread-themed Coffee Hour after the 10am service. Bring a loaf of bread – any kind! – or something beautiful from your garden or the farmer’s market: vegetables, fruit, flowers. We will offer our harvest gifts during worship; you can reclaim your produce afterwards.
IN THE COMMUNITY…
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.