THIS WEEKEND…
Reminder: Congregational Survey about Music at St. Dunstan’s. Thanks to all who have shared their thoughts. If you haven’t yet, please do. You should have received links to the survey via our weekly E-news. The survey will close on January 29. If you didn’t get the links, or prefer to share your thoughts on paper or in person, contact the office at 238-2781 or .
Annual Parish Meeting, Sunday, January 22, 9am: Come to hear parish updates, including the 2016 budget, and help elect our parish leaders. All are welcome to attend!
Bake Sale for Haiti! Sunday, January 22: Our Sunday school students are trying to raise money to cover school fees for a child in Jeannette, Haiti. They’d like to hold a bake sale in January. Please consider baking or making a treat with your child (sweet or savory) and bringing it on Sunday morning to contribute to the sale. If you are that parent who would rather just donate $10 than bake something, that’s cool too. :-) Questions, ideas, offers to help? Contact Sarah Errington.
Sunday School, Sunday, January 22, during the 10am liturgy: Our youngest class will explore baptism, while our Elementary classes read about Jesus calling his first followers.
Christian Formation Committee Meeting, Sunday, January 22, 11:45am: Our Christian Formation Committee will meet to review and plan programs, especially for Lent, Easter and beyond. All interested people are welcome to attend and participate.
Grace Shelter Dinner, Sunday, January 22, 7pm: Every fourth Sunday, a loyal group of St. Dunstan’s folk provides dinner for residents at the Grace Church shelter, and breakfast the next morning. See the signup sheet in the gathering area to help out. To learn more, talk with Rose Mueller.
Survival Backpacks: Thanks to all who have taken slips to buy items for backpacks for homeless teens in Madison! Please return your items by Sunday, January 29. Questions? Contact Bonnie Magnuson.
Looking for Coffee Hosts for 2017! Consider being a coffee host and talk with Janet Bybee for more information.
NEXT WEEK & BEYOND…
Ladies’ Night Out, Friday, January 27, 6pm: We will kick off 2017 by meeting up at Oliva, 751 N. High Point Road, Madison (in the same shopping center as Alicia Ashman Library). Come join us for good food and good conversation among women of all ages from St. Dunstan’s.
Church Book Club meeting, Saturday, January 28, 10am: The book is La Rose by Louise Erdrich. In this literary masterwork, Louise Erdrich wields her breathtaking narrative magic in an emotionally haunting contemporary tale of a tragic accident, a demand for justice, and a profound act of atonement with ancient roots in Native American culture. For more information, contact Jim Hindle.
Your Favorite Lecture: Dr. Mariana Hewson – Sunday, January 29: “Your Favorite Lecture” is an occasional 9am opportunity for some of our many members who are scholars, educators, and thinkers of deep thoughts to talk about things they love to talk about. Mariana Hewson, a scholar of indigenous healing traditions, will read a story she has written. All are welcome!
Candlemas Last Sunday Worship, Sunday, January 29: We will celebrate Candlemas with a brief story and candle-lighting prayers at the end of our 10am liturgy. Bring your flashlights and emergency candles from home to be blessed! We also plan to have a candle-making station set up for people to make a small set of candles to take home.
Falk Food Friends Special Project: Packing Medical Kits, Sunday, February 5, 11:30am: We have learned that some families with kids at Falk Elementary, our partner school, lack basic home first aid supplies. So we’re packing 15 simple medical kits to send home to the households in greatest need. The supplies are all ready, we just have to put them together! Gather in the Meeting Room after church to help out.
Gospel of John Study Group: Nicodemus, the Samaritan Woman, the man born blind, Martha & Mary of Bethany: just some of the witnesses the Gospel according to John assembles to enrich our own encounter with Jesus. This year the Daily Office Lectionary has us reading that Gospel from the last week of Epiphany through the second week of Easter. If you’d like to read it and reflect on it with others, St. Dunstan’s is offering a seven-session Wednesday night series (March 8 – April 26, omitting Holy Week, 6:30-8:30 PM), hosted by the McAlpines in Fitchburg. There’s a sign-up for the study so we know how many manuscripts to prepare and how much coffee to brew.
Madison-Area Julian Gathering, Wednesday, February 8, 1:00 to 2:45 PM (Note new time): Julian of Norwich was a 15th Century English mystic and anchoress. Nearly forgotten for 600 years, Julian’s insights and gentle wisdom are becoming ever more widely known and appreciated. The monthly Julian Gatherings, supported by the Order of Julian of Norwich (www.orderofjulian.org), are open to all who want to deepen their life of faith through the practice of contemplative prayer. Each meeting begins with brief instruction in the practice of contemplative prayer, and includes time for contemplative prayer, fellowship, and reading/discussion of Julian’s book. We meet the second Wednesday of each month from 1:00 to 2:45 PM. For additional information, contact Susan Fiore.
CAPITAL CAMPAIGN DISCERNMENT PROCESS: OPPORTUNITIES TO SERVE…
Seeking Hosts for Wondering Conversations! Would you like to host a group of 8 – 10 people in your home, to talk about ideas for our capital campaign? You don’t have to lead the conversation, just offer a space (and perhaps tea and cookies, or whatever you please!). These Wondering Conversations will take place in late February and early March. If you’d like to be a host, sign up in the Gathering Area or contact Inquiry & Input Team co-leader Mary Ann Fraley.
Seeking Facilitators for Wondering Conversations! The heart of our work as a parish discerning whether we are called to undertake a capital campaign at this time, and what projects would be the focus of that campaign, will be a series of small group conversations held in late February and early March – our “Wondering Conversations.” The Inquiry & Input Team is seeking a few willing folks to serve as facilitators for these conversations. Facilitators will need to attend a training on Saturday, February 18, and are asked to facilitate at least two gatherings between February 19 and March 7. (Gatherings will be held at many different times, to accommodate everyone’s schedules.) If you’d like to serve as a Facilitator, please sign up in the Gathering Area or speak to Inquiry & Input Co-Chairs Celia Fine & Mary Ann Fraley, or to Rev. Miranda.
SUMMER DATES FOR PLANNING….
Camp Webb 2016 (June 18 – 24) is accepting applications now! Camp Webb is an outdoor ministry of the Episcopal Diocese of Milwaukee, for children and youth grades 3 through senior high. It is held at a camp outside Elkhorn, WI. Camp tuition is $375 if you register before January 15, with a deposit of $75 due at the time of registration. St. Dunstan’s offers $150 in aid to all our campers, with additional assistance possible; contact Rev. Miranda for financial assistance. Visit http://www.diomil.org/forming-disciples/camp-webb/ for registration forms. Camp Webb IS EXPECTED TO FILL this year, so apply soon!
Vacation Bible School 2017, July 30 – August 3: Our Vacation Bible School this summer is planned for Sunday, July 30, through Thursday, August 3. We’ll meet in the evenings – likely 5:30 to 7:30pm, as in previous years. Keep these dates in mind as you make your summer plans! Kids ages 3 to 10 are welcome to participate; middle school and older kids will be involved as actors and helpers.
Women’s Mini-Week, August 10-13: The mission of Women’s Mini-Week is to provide an annual retreat event for adult women, offering refuge, friendship, relaxation, and fun. Mini-Week combines opportunities to learn with fellowship, spiritual exploration and delicious food as we invite all women to participate as much or as little as they would like and need. Mini-Week is held at a beautiful lakeside camp in northern Wisconsin. Many members of St. Dunstan’s have attended, planned, and led, over the years. Visit womensminiweek.org to learn more and make Mini-Week part of your summer plans.