THIS WEEK….
Sunday School at St. Dunstan’s: Our Sunday school classes usually meet twice a month; we will meet on May 12 and 19th, during our 10am liturgy. Kids ages 3 through 6th grade are welcome to join one of our three classes. Parents are welcome to come too!
Seeking kids and youth who love to read out loud! We are looking for strong readers, kids and youth, who would like to join the group of people – called lectors – who read our Bible readings out loud in church on their assigned Sundays (usually once every few months). We ask kids to sign up WITH a parent or other adult who will be responsible for responding to emails about scheduling, keeping track of the calendar, and printing out readings (sent by email a few days ahead) for the young reader to practice. If you know a kid/youth who’d like to be a lector, or if you ARE a kid/youth who’d like to be a lector, please let us know by talking to Rev. Miranda .
Vestry Meeting, Wednesday, May 15, 6:45pm: The Vestry is the elected leadership body of our parish. Any members are welcome to attend our meetings, to observe or raise questions or ideas.
Building relationships around a campfire at St. Dunstan’s on Thursday, May 16 beginning at 5:30 p.m. We’ll roast hot dogs and marshmallows. Come join us for fire, fun and fellowship
THE WEEKS AHEAD…
St. Dunstan’s Day and Bishop’s Visitation, Sunday, May 19: Our Bishop, Bishop Steven Miller, will be visiting us for our patronal feast, the Feast Day of Saint Dunstan. Bishop Miller will preach and celebrate the Eucharist. Cash placed in the Offering Plate this Sunday will go to Bishop’s Purse, a fund like the Rector’s Discretionary Fund which the Bishop can use to help various causes and needs in the life of the diocese.
Young Adult Meetup at the Vintage, Sunday, May 19, 7pm: The younger adults of St. Dunstan’s are invited to join us for conversation and the beverage of your choice, at the Vintage Brewpub on South Whitney Way. Friends and partners welcome too.
Creation Care Annual Meeting, Sunday, May 26, 11:30am: All interested folk are invited to come talk about how our church and its people can live out our mission of Creation Care this year – at church and in our daily lives. All ages are invited & ideas are welcome! A light lunch will be provided. If you can’t attend at this time but would like to be part of the conversation, contact Rev. Miranda .
Ascension Eucharist, Thursday, May 30, 7pm: We will hold a simple Eucharist for the Feast of the Ascension. If you choose, you can stay afterwards (or come around 8:30pm) to count bats, as our first Bat Count of the season. (St. Dunstan’s participates in statewide monitoring of bat populations by counting the bats that live on our property a couple of times per summer. We’ll also count bats on Friday evening the 31st at around 8:30; the bat monitoring project would like us to do two nights in a row this summer!)
Ladies’ Night Out, Friday, May 31, 6pm: Come join us for good food and good conversation among women of all ages from St. Dunstan’s. This month we will meet at Oliva Restaurant, 751 N. High Point Rd. For more information please contact Kathy Whitt.
Middleton outreach Ministry (MOM) Needs Clothing Donations: Middleton Outreach Ministry (MOM) has a clothing closet with gently used clothing available at no cost for their clients. Their racks for infants and toddlers are quite low at this time. During your spring cleaning, if you find any clothing for newborn to 4T that you no longer need please consider bringing them to church and we will deliver them to MOM. Questions? -Connie Ott or Janet Bybee.
Madison-Area Julian Gathering, Wednesday, June 12, 1:00 – 2:45 PM: Julian of Norwich was a 15th Century English mystic and anchoress. Little is known about Julian’s life, but she wrote a book, as far as we know the first in English written by a woman, about a series of revelations which opened her to the depths of God’s unconditional love for us in Jesus Christ. Julian’s insights and gentle wisdom are becoming ever more widely known and appreciated. At a Julian Gathering we support each other in the practice of contemplative prayer and contemplative spirituality. Each meeting includes time for contemplative prayer, fellowship, and reading/discussion of Julian’s book. For additional information, contact Susan Fiore, ObJN .
St. Dunstan’s LGBTQIA+ & Allies Campfire, June 21: As part of our continuing intergenerational exploration, we will be having a potluck s’mores bonfire on June 21, at 6pm, for anyone who feels they are in the LGBTQIAA (lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, questioning, intersex, asexual, and/or allies) community. This is a safe space and time deliberately created to sit around a bonfire, eat soup and s’mores, and visit about your personal experiences within this community, as LGBT+ people, family of LGBT+ people, and friends of LGBT+ people. All ages are not only welcome, but encouraged. Feel no pressure to identify with any label at this event, but feel free to talk openly about your experience if you want to. Dinner provided (soup and rolls), BYFSS (bring your favorite smores supply!). Questions? Talk to Rev. Miranda or Michelle Der Bedrosian.
SUMMER OPPORTUNITIES…
VACATION BIBLE SCHOOL 2019: SAVE THE DATES – AUGUST 4 – 8! Plans are just starting to take shape but we expect to spend a lot of time outdoors, and to invite the adults of St. Dunstan’s to join our kids and youth for shared learning and fun, as we did in 2018. Mark your calendars!
Seeking Sponsors for our Kids & Youth: Your $25 sponsorship helps one of the children or youth of St. Dunstan’s attend Camp Webb or our summer youth mission trip. Each shareholder will receive a postcard from one of our kids or youth, during their time at camp or on the youth mission trip. We also plan a late summer social event for kids and sponsors, when kids can share about their trips. You can contribute with a check in the offering plate with “Camp Sponsorship” on the memo line, or online at donate.stdunstans.com .
Camp Webb 2019 (June 16 – 22) 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 $400, with a deposit of $100 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. http://www.diomil.org/forming-disciples/children-youth-and-family-ministries/camp-webb/ for registration forms. Camp Webb IS EXPECTED TO FILL this year, so apply soon!
Women’s Mini-Week, August 8 – 11: 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.