Announcements

Announcements, June 15

Evening Arts & Music Fundraiser, Friday, June 16, 6:30pm: You’re invited to an evening of music performances and an art/craft sale, to raise funds for Voces de la Frontera, a community organization that focuses on the needs of immigrants in Wisconsin. If you’d like to contribute items for the sale, or share a performance of music or other original work, sign up in the Gathering Area or contact Phil Hassett, or 608-469-6739.

THIS WEEKEND…

Outreach Committee Meeting, Saturday, June 17, 8-10am: 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.

Men’s Book Group, Saturday, June 17, 3pm: Candice Millard’s third book, “Hero of the Empire: The Boer War, a Daring Escape and the Making of Winston Churchill,” would make a fine movie, though Richard Attenborough did, in a sense, get there first. In 1972, he made “Young Winston”, drawn from Churchill’s own account of his early life, and it includes the same material Ms. Millard recounts so thrillingly: the future prime minister’s brash heroics in the South African Republic in 1899, which culminated in a prison break and nine days on the lam. Have a good read.

Rector’s Discretionary Fund Offering, Sunday, June 18: Half the cash in our collection plate, and any designated checks, will go towards the Rectory’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. Please give generously.

Evening Eucharist, Sunday, June 18, 6pm: Join us for a simple service as the week begins. All are welcome.

No Spirituality of Parenting Lunch or Vintage Night this month: These gatherings will resume in the fall. Thanks for your participation and support!

Grownups, are you a little jealous that you can’t come to our Summer Bible, Arts & Science Camp? Well, guess what: you CAN! We are seeking 2 – 3 more grownups to help out during our camp (5:30 – 7:30pm, July 30 through August 3). You can dig deep into the story of Jonah, make crafts, try science tricks, sing and play games right alongside the kids! If you’d like to help out, talk with Rev. Miranda or Sharon Henes.

Coffee Hosts Needed July 2 and 25: Please consider being a coffee host. For more information, talk with Janet Bybee.

St. Dunstan’s Second Annual Diaper Drive, May 14 – June 18:  We are having a diaper drive for sizes 4, 5, and 6 from Mother’s Day, May 14 to Father’s Day, June 18. We will donate the diapers to pantries around the area, including Allied Drive Food Pantry and MOM. You can shop around for a great deal ($.20 or less per diaper) or make a check or online donation to St. Dunstan’s designated for the Diaper Drive and let our skilled diaper shoppers do the shopping! We’ll dedicate all our gifts on Father’s Day. Thanks for your support!

THE WEEK AHEAD & BEYOND…

Ladies’ Night Out, Friday, June 23, 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 Biaggi’s, 1611 Aspen Commons, in Middleton’s Greenway Station. For more information, contact Kathy Whitt or Debra Martinez.

Clergy Presence during Rev. Miranda’s Travel:  Rev. Miranda will be away from June 24 through July 1. Father Tom McAlpine will celebrate and preach on Sunday, June 25. If you need the care or counsel of a priest during Rev. Miranda’s absence, you may reach Father Tom  or Father John Rasmus at (608) 238-2781.

Grace Shelter Dinner, Sunday, June 25, 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 sign-up sheet in the Gathering Area to help out. To learn more, talk with Rose Mueller.

Lake Field Trip, Sunday, July 2, 12pm: As part of our Creation Care commitment to understanding our local water systems better, we will walk over to Marshall Park on Lake Mendota after church on July 2nd. It’s an easy seven-minute walk. We’ll “meet” the lake and talk a little about stormwater and lake health. Bring a brownbag lunch if you’d like to hang around at the park for a while!  (And there are now boat rentals at Marshall Park, so you could make a whole afternoon of it – bring sunscreen!)

SAVE THE DATE: SUNDAY, JULY 9! Plans, pictures and possibilities for our Capital Campaign will be presented to the congregation during our 10am worship time. Meet our architect and our consultant. Please plan to attend! There will be a follow-up session and an opportunity to review materials online.

SUMMER OPPORTUNITIES

Timbergreen Woods Full Value Forestry Workshop, Saturday, July 15, 9am – 4pm, Timber Green Woods, Spring Green: A group of St. Dunstan’s folks are headed to Spring Green to learn about managing and harvesting trees, and some creative ways to use timber.  This will be both fun and informative! The only cost is a $5 contribution for lunch. Responsible older kids may come too. If you’d like to come, sign up in the Gathering Area or contact the office at or 238-2781.

“Good Books” Summer Reading!

People sometimes call the Bible the “Good Book” – but there are many, many good books that can feed our minds and souls. This summer you’re invited to join an all-parish Summer Reading program! We have selected four books: Cherries and Cherry Pits for kids ages 0 – 6 or 7; Return to Sender or The Door in the Wall for middle-grade kids comfortable with chapter books; and Good Omens for older kids and adults. Pick up a book at the church, or find a copy at the library or on your e-reader. A donation of $5 per book is welcome to help cover costs.

If you’d like to gather to talk about what you’re reading, we’ll have three Book Club Sundays this summer, meeting at 9am with donuts and lemonade:

Sunday, July 16 – to discuss “Cherries and Cherry Pits”

Sunday, August 6 – to discuss “Return to Sender” and “A Door in the Wall”

A Sunday in late August 27  – to discuss “Good Omens”

Although we’re reading different books, we encourage everyone to come to any and all discussions, so we can hear about the books others are reading & what they’re finding in them!

You can also join our “St. Dunstan’s Summer Reading” Facebook group to share favorite passages, thoughts and questions from the book(s) you and your household are reading.

1 Samuel Study Group, Wednesday nights, June 21-July 26, 6:30-8:30 PM: Gather with a friendly group to explore the Old Testament book of 1 Samuel – a rich and complex tale of the rise and fall of kings. The study group is hosted by the McAlpines at their home in Fitchburg, about five minutes from the intersection of the Beltline and Verona Road.

Summer Flower Sign-Up: From June through August, we are trying something new with our altar flowers. We invite members to sign up to *bring* flowers, instead of ordering them through our florist as usual. During these months, local flowers are readily available, at the farmer’s market or in your own gardens. We are planting some flowers on the church grounds as well, which can certainly be used! If you’d like to contribute flowers, simply sign up for your chosen Sunday. You can still make a dedication, and we will include it in the bulletin as usual. You may use your own vase, or one of the vases here at church. Please take your flowers home, or give them to a friend, after the 10am service. Questions? Talk with Gail Jordan-Jones or Rev. Miranda.

Vacation Bible School: The Story of Jonah, 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.

41st Annual Women’s Mini Week: Courageous Women of God! August 10 – 13, 2017, 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.

Episcopal Diocese of Milwaukee Haiti Project Fundraiser, Verona, Sunday, July 23, 1-5pm: Come enjoy micro-brews and help support this ministry at the Wisconsin Brewing Company at 1079 American Way in Verona.

Church Seasons & Holy Days, Sermons

Sermon, June 11

Today churches around the world – Anglican and Episcopal, Orthodox, Catholic, and others – celebrate the feast day dedicated to the Holy Trinity. To celebrating and – often – attempting some explanation of our Christian doctrine that God is One but also Three: Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. The setting-aside of the Sunday after Pentecost to honor the Trinity goes back at least a thousand years. If you Google it, the simple historical explanation that everyone’s church websites have is that the observance of Trinity Sunday was instituted by Archbishop Thomas Becket of Canterbury in the 12th century. That seemed both too tidy and incomplete, so I tried to dig a little deeper online and found this sentence in a book review in a 1954 religion journal: “Much is made of the alleged origin of the feast of Trinity Sunday at Canterbury under Thomas Becket. Actually, the office… had been followed in the English monasteries (and doubtless elsewhere) from the time of St. Dunstan.”

Our hymnal is full of hymns to the Trinity that poetically explore the mystery of God in three persons. We’ll sing several of them today. The fact is, the Trinity is really a better subject for poetry than for exposition. It’s notoriously hard to explain clearly. Every year amongst my clergy acquaintances on Facebook, there’s a round of finger-shaking: “Make sure you don’t commit heresy!” I can’t get too worked up about it, myself. Both heresy and doctrine are creations of the Church, a human institution. And the words we use – Trinity, Father, Son, Holy Spirit – they’re just words. The doctrine of the Trinity is an effort to capture the mystery of God in human language and concepts. To eff the ineffable, if you will.

But that’s not to say I think the truth behind the words is unimportant. I think it’s very important – so important that we should be mindful of how the words we use can obscure the truth we’re trying to name. What do Christians mean when we name God as a Trinity? Christians have come to understand God as One, and yet also Three.

And the Three are not interchangeable but have distinct personhoods: God, the Creator of Heaven and Earth, the Ground of all being, the One who holds all time, all space, in the palm of their hand…. God at God’s biggest, beyond all knowledge and all thought.

God, the Incarnate, the Immanent. The movement of Divine thought into substance, who was with God in the beginning, by whom all things were made. Emmanuel, God-With-Us, who comes into the immediacy and mess of human life, walks with us, eats with us, shares the experience of being embodied, limited, breakable. Is broken. But not ended, because although one of us he is also still God.

God, the Spirit, breath, wind, flame, wisdom, whisper, shout. The still small voice. The presence gentle as a dove. The Wind that moved over the face of the waters, when as yet there was nothing but that primordial sea. The Holy Spirit: how we name the Divine When it stirs something within or among us, Inspiring, converting, healing, transforming, making possible.

Creator, Incarnate One, Divine Breath. Father, Son, Spirit. Two of our Scriptures today use that set of names, what’s called the Trinitarian formula: The Father, and the Son, and the Holy Spirit. A huge part of the conflict between early Christianity and Judaism was the notion that Jesus was somehow also God, which challenged Judaism’s deep belief in only one God. Early Christians had to wrestle with their language, to make room in monotheism for a God who is somehow, mysteriously, more than One. By the 50s or 60s, when Paul wrote the second letter to the Corinthians, early church leaders had worked out this way of naming God as Three in One. (The Gospel of Matthew was likely written down a couple of decades later. It’s hard to know whether Jesus actually spoke the Trinitarian formula himself, or whether Matthew gives him those words that had become central to Christian baptism and teaching by the time Matthew is writing.)

Father, Son, and Holy Spirit… The terms Father and Son come to us directly from Jesus. Interestingly, Father was not a dominant metaphor for God in the Old Testament. God is named as a Father a few times, but God is much more often a husband, sometimes a mother, sometimes a master. It’s Jesus who gives Father language to Christianity, by naming God as his Father and teaching his followers to do the same. There’s a sticky translation issue here – Jesus used an Aramaic word for Father, Abba. That was a familiar word, not a formal word – You’d actually call your father “Abba,” Whereas to call your father “Father” sounds odd to most of us. But we don’t have a good equivalent to “Abba” in American English. “Daddy” is a little too childish, “Dad” maybe a little too informal, though it may be our best option. In any event, the term “Father” in our cultural context carries some sense of formality and distance, and that’s a pity, because that wasn’t Jesus’ intention in giving us this way to name God. He wants us to think of ourselves as children of a loving father – a loving daddy? – who cares for each of us, is always ready to hear our concerns and share our celebrations, always waiting for us to wander home.

The Father; the Son. That’s straightforward enough; the Gospels name Jesus as the Son of God – though not in the way of Greek mythology, for example, that led to many half-gods wandering around the earth. Jesus is God’s Son is a less literal, and a more eternal and fundamental, way. The first chapter of the Gospel of John picks up the threads of the Creation story, as John tries to describe who and what Jesus is:  “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God… And the Word became flesh and lived among us, and we have seen his glory, the glory as of a father’s only son.” Gazing into the mystery that John’s Gospel poetry evokes, it becomes clear that the Sonship and the Fatherhood that we name in the Trinity are only the best effort humanity and divinity could make together, at a certain moment in our shared story, to describe what’s going on inside of God.

And then there’s the Holy Spirit, which has the benefit of seeming elusive and confusing right up front, unlike Father and Son, which sound misleadingly concrete. The Spirit is announced and named by Jesus, but Pentecost is not the Spirit’s first appearance; there are times in the Old Testament too when the Spirit of God is named as an agent or an aspect of God.

That’s the question, really – always has been. What are these different things that we name with these clumsy terms, Father, Son, Holy Spirit? Are they manifestations, avatars? Are they different colorful masks worn by one God? That would be much simpler than what Christians came to understand, and have struggled to believe ever since: This isn’t just one God wearing different costumes. These are three distinct Persons within One God. If you’d like a glimpse at the historical struggle to define and defend that paradox, read the Athanasian Creed sometime; it’s on page 864 in the Book of Common Prayer.

Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. The truth behind the words matters: the truth that relationship is at the core of everything. That Divinity is community. That the heart of God is not a oneness sufficient to itself, but a plurality dancing with itself. So we, created in God’s image, are made for diversity, for relationship, for belonging. That is a truth that matters deeply right now. Always does, really.

The truth behind the words is powerful, paradoxical, and gracious. The words themselves… have their limitations. Human concepts come with human baggage. Few serious theologians would assert that God is actually male, but our language has led us to imagine God as an old guy with a beard, for millennia. Using the language of a patriarchal society to name God has served to reinforce patriarchy, for a long, long time. In addition to those big-picture issues, naming God as Father is really hard for some people because of their family history. We are simple animals, really; if the father we have known in real life was unloving or even abusive, then when we hear God named as Father, we cannot help having our experiences contaminate God.

I can’t see abandoning the Trinitarian formula, Father, Son, and Holy Spirt, because it’s so deeply rooted in Scripture and tradition. But when we recognize that those terms were just one attempt to wrap human language around divine mystery, it frees us up to try other formulas, other language. You’ll sometimes hear Trinitarian formulas that focus on how humans have experienced those three Persons. Maker, Redeemer, Sustainer. The One who creates, the One who befriends, the One who inspires. The anti-heresy brigade frets about modalism: the heresy that the Trinity is after all only one God acting in three different ways, as one human being might cook dinner, do the laundry, and feed the dog. What I like about those formulas, Maker, Redeemer, Sustainer, and others, is that they remind us of the kinds of things God does. They remind me to give thanks for, and look for, God’s ongoing presence and action in the world. So maybe we could all just promise not to commit the modalist heresy and to remember that there are three Persons in the Trinity? Okay?

Just the other day, my son Griffin and I were talking about pronouns. We both have friends who prefer the use of the non-gendered pronoun “they”, and we’re working to get used to that, because we respect our friends. And it dawned on us both that if you met God at the GSAFE banquet, where your name tag says both your name and your preferred pronouns, God’s name tag would say “they/theirs.” Because God is gender non-binary – not a boy or a girl – and God is plural. I’m trying that on, using “they” as my God-pronoun. It breaks open my thinking a little, makes me notice and wonder, and that’s a good thing.

The Trinity is beautiful, and holy, and true, and we really don’t understand it at all. But we celebrate it, with gratitude – the mystery and the truth of community in the heart of God, who is our Source, our Grace, our Love, our Table, our Food, our Host, our Light, our Tree, our Treasure, Our Life, our Truth, our Way. Amen.

The quotation about Dunstan came from this article:

Review: Algemene Geschiedenis der Nederlanden Deel VI, De Tachtigjarige Oorlog 1609-1648.  Reviewed Work: Algemene Geschiedenis der Nederlanden Deel VI, De Tachtigjarige Oorlog 1609-1648. Review by: G. N. Clark, The English Historical Review Vol. 69, No. 271 (Apr., 1954), pp. 318-320

Announcements

Announcements, June 8

THIS WEEKEND…

Community Event: Faith, Fasting and Friendship: An Interfaith Community Potluck, Saturday, June 10, 7:30pm: People of all faiths are invited to this interfaith meal, learning and fellowship opportunity. We will hear about the role of fasting in different faith traditions and break the fast together during the Muslim holy month of Ramadan. This is a free, family-friendly event open to the community, and will be held at the Madison Labor Temple at 1602 South Park Street. Donations will be collected for Second Harvest Food Bank. For more information or to register, visit www.facebook.com/WisconsinFaithVoicesForJustice/

Herb Walk at St. Dunstan’s, Saturday, June 10, 10am: Come enjoy the beautiful grounds and see all the wonderful herbs growing at St. Dunstan’s! Pamela, from the office, will talk about some uses of the herbs. As it’s tick and mosquito season, it’s recommended that you wear protective clothing, including shoes and socks, long pants, hat, and a light covering for your arms.

Parish Picnic, Sunday, June 11, 12:00pm: Come for good food and good conversation at our annual June parish picnic. We’ll have fun activities for all ages, including our favorite face painter, shaved ice, and a disco room! Bring something to share, if convenient – a bag of chips, a salad, a favorite dessert. Drinks and a main dish will be provided. The picnic will happen rain or shine. We will also be taking photos that day for a potential photo directory.

Sunday School, Sunday, June 11, 10am: This Sunday, our 3 year olds to kindergarten class will learn about The Part That Hasn’t Been Written Yet, while our elementary classes will learn about the story of Creation in the book of Genesis. This is our final Sunday school lesson before our summer recess.

My Immigrant Story: You shall love the stranger living among you, for you were strangers in the land of Egypt (Leviticus 19). Our Scriptures and our God call us to treat immigrants with kindness and respect – remembering that we or our ancestors were once immigrants seeking a new home. To help us understand the lives, needs, and fears of our immigrant neighbors, members of St. Dunstan’s will be sharing their own “how I got here” stories in the weeks ahead, during our Announcement time. This Sunday, Julie Loeffler will reflect on her family’s story. If you have a story to share, talk to Rev. Miranda or Evy Gildrie-Voyles.

Evening Arts & Music Fundraiser, Friday, June 16, 6:30pm: You’re invited to an evening of music performances and an art/craft sale, to raise funds for Voces de la Frontera, a community organization that focuses on the needs of immigrants in Wisconsin. If you’d like to contribute items for the sale, or share a performance of music or other original work, sign up in the Gathering Area or contact Phil Hassett.

St. Dunstan’s Second Annual Diaper Drive, May 14 – June 18:  We are having a diaper drive for sizes 4, 5, and 6 from Mother’s Day, May 14 to Father’s Day, June 18. We will donate the diapers to pantries around the area, including Allied Drive Food Pantry and MOM. You can shop around for a great deal ($.20 or less per diaper) or make a check or online donation to St. Dunstan’s designated for the Diaper Drive and let our skilled diaper shoppers do the shopping! We’ll dedicate all our gifts on Father’s Day. Thanks for your support!

THE WEEK AHEAD & BEYOND…

Rector’s Discretionary Fund Offering, Sunday, June 18: Half the cash in our collection plate, and any designated checks, will go towards the Rectory’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. Please give generously.

Spirituality of Parenting Lunch, Sunday, June 18, 11:45am: All who seek meaning in the journey of parenthood (at any age or stage) are welcome to come for food and conversation. Child care and a simple meal provided.

Evening Eucharist, Sunday, June 18, 6pm: Join us for a simple service as the week begins. All are welcome.

Young Adult Meetup at the Vintage, Sunday, June 18, 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.

Coffee Hosts Needed July and Beyond: Please consider being a coffee host. If you would like to partner with someone for coffee host, put your name in the column for a partner on the sign-up sheet. For more information, talk with Janet Bybee.

Madison-Area Julian Gathering, Wednesday, June 14, 1-2:45pm: Julian 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’d love to see you. For more information, contact Susan Fiore.

Men’s Book Group, Saturday, June 17, 3pm: Candice Millard’s third book, “Hero of the Empire: The Boer War, a Daring Escape and the Making of Winston Churchill,” would make a fine movie, though Richard Attenborough did, in a sense, get there first. In 1972, he made “Young Winston”, drawn from Churchill’s own account of his early life, and it includes the same material Ms. Millard recounts so thrillingly: the future prime minister’s brash heroics in the South African Republic in 1899, which culminated in a prison break and nine days on the lam. Have a good read.

Outreach Committee Meeting, Saturday, June 17, 8-10am: 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.

SUMMER OPPORTUNITIES

Timbergreen Woods Full Value Forestry Workshop, Saturday, July 15, 9am – 4pm, Timber Green Woods, Spring Green: A group of St. Dunstan’s folks are headed to Spring Green to learn about managing and harvesting trees, and some creative ways to use timber.  This will be both fun and informative! The only cost is a $5 contribution for lunch. Responsible older kids may come too. If you’d like to come, sign up in the Gathering Area or contact the office at or 238-2781.

“Good Books” Summer Reading!

People sometimes call the Bible the “Good Book” – but there are many, many good books that can feed our minds and souls. This summer you’re invited to join an all-parish Summer Reading program! We have selected four books: Cherries and Cherry Pits for kids ages 0 – 6 or 7; Return to Sender or The Door in the Wall for middle-grade kids comfortable with chapter books; and Good Omens for older kids and adults. Pick up a book at the church, or find a copy at the library or on your e-reader. A donation of $5 per book is welcome to help cover costs.

If you’d like to gather to talk about what you’re reading, we’ll have three Book Club Sundays this summer, meeting at 9am with donuts and lemonade:

Sunday, July 16 – to discuss “Cherries and Cherry Pits”

Sunday, August 6 – to discuss “Return to Sender” and “A Door in the Wall”

A Sunday in late August TBD – to discuss “Good Omens”

Although we’re reading different books, we encourage everyone to come to any and all discussions, so we can hear about the books others are reading & what they’re finding in them! You can also join our “St. Dunstan’s Summer Reading” Facebook group to share favorite passages, thoughts and questions from the book(s) you and your household are reading.

1 Samuel Study Group, Wednesday nights, June 21-July 26, 6:30-8:30 PM: Gather with a friendly group to explore the Old Testament book of 1 Samuel – a rich and complex tale of the rise and fall of kings. The study group is hosted by the McAlpines at their home in Fitchburg, about five minutes from the intersection of the Beltline and Verona Road.

Summer Flower Sign-Up: From June through August, we are trying something new with our altar flowers. We invite members to sign up to *bring* flowers, instead of ordering them through our florist as usual. During these months, local flowers are readily available, at the farmer’s market or in your own gardens. We are planting some flowers on the church grounds as well, which can certainly be used! If you’d like to contribute flowers, simply sign up for your chosen Sunday. You can still make a dedication, and we will include it in the bulletin as usual. You may use your own vase, or one of the vases here at church. Please take your flowers home, or give them to a friend, after the 10am service. Questions? Talk with Gail Jordan-Jones or Rev. Miranda.

Vacation Bible School: The Story of Jonah, 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.

41st Annual Women’s Mini Week: Courageous Women of God! August 10 – 13, 2017, 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.

Episcopal Diocese of Milwaukee Haiti Project Fundraiser, Verona, Sunday, July 23, 1-5pm: Come enjoy micro-brews and help support this ministry at the Wisconsin Brewing Company at 1079 American Way in Verona.

 

 

 

Announcements

Announcements, June 1

NEW CONSTRUCTION TRAFFIC PATTERN ON UNIVERSITY  AVENUE: It is now impossible to turn left off of University Avenue, into St. Dunstan’s or properties west of the church. Consider approaching from the west (to turn right into the church) or via Countryside Lane.

THIS WEEKEND…

Bat Count, Friday, June 2, 8 – 9pm:  Come hang out and count the bats emerging from the colony on our property. This is part of a statewide bat count to monitor bat populations, so it’s both science and a chance to get to know our (flying) neighbors. All are welcome!

Pentecost Sunday All-Ages Worship, June 4: On this feast day we celebrate the gift of the Holy Spirit to the Church, and celebrate the Spirit’s continued action among us. Red is the church’s color for this holy day; consider wearing something red for church! Come at 9:30 if you’d like to help act out one of the readings!

Anniversary and Birthday blessings and Healing Prayers will be given this Sunday, June 4, as is our custom on the first Sunday of the month.

My Immigrant Story: You shall love the stranger living among you, for you were strangers in the land of Egypt (Leviticus 19). Our Scriptures and our God call us to treat immigrants with kindness and respect – remembering that we or our ancestors were once immigrants seeking a new home. To help us understand the lives, needs, and fears of our immigrant neighbors, members of St. Dunstan’s will be sharing their own “how I got here” stories in the weeks ahead, during our Announcement time. This Sunday we’ll hear from Peter and Nana Hewson. If you have a story to share, talk to Rev. Miranda or Evy Gildrie-Voyles.

MOM Special Offering, Sunday, June 4: 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: toilet paper & paper towels; shelf-stable dairy/non-dairy beverages; oil and butter; whole grains (rice, quinoa, barley); nut butter (other than peanuts – allergy); ketchup & mayonnaise; dried lentils, garbanzo or black beans; canned tomato products; prepared meals in cans or boxes; baking supplies and mixes. Thank you for all your support!

Evening Eucharist, Sunday, June 4, 6pm: Join us for a simple service as the week begins. All are welcome.

Community Event: Faith, Fasting and Friendship: An Interfaith Community Potluck, Saturday, June 10, 7:30pm: People of all faiths are invited to this interfaith meal, learning and fellowship opportunity. We will hear about the role of fasting in different faith traditions and break the fast together during the Muslim holy month of Ramadan. This is a free, family-friendly event open to the community, and will be held at the Madison Labor Temple at 1602 South Park Street. Donations will be collected for Second Harvest Food Bank. For more information or to register, visit www.facebook.com/WisconsinFaithVoicesForJustice/

Evening Arts & Music Fundraiser, Friday, June 16, 6:30pm: You’re invited to an evening of music performances and an art/craft sale, to raise funds for Voces de la Frontera, a community organization that focuses on the needs of immigrants in Wisconsin. If you’d like to contribute items for the sale, or share a performance of music or other original work, sign up in the Gathering Area or contact Phil Hassett.

St. Dunstan’s Second Annual Diaper Drive, May 14 – June 18:  We are having a diaper drive for sizes 4, 5, and 6 from Mother’s Day, May 14 to Father’s Day, June 18. We will donate the diapers to pantries around the area, including Allied Drive Food Pantry and MOM. You can shop around for a great deal ($.20 or less per diaper) or make a check or online donation to St. Dunstan’s designated for the Diaper Drive and let our skilled diaper shoppers do the shopping! We’ll dedicate all our gifts on Father’s Day. Thanks for your support!

THE WEEK AHEAD & BEYOND…

Parish Picnic, Sunday, June 11, 12:00pm: Come for good food and good conversation at our annual June parish picnic. We’ll have fun activities for all ages, including our favorite face painter, shaved ice, and a disco room! Bring something to share, if convenient – a bag of chips, a salad, a favorite dessert. Drinks and a main dish will be provided. The picnic will happen rain or shine. We will also be taking photos that day for a potential photo directory.

Sunday School, Sunday, June 11, 10am: This Sunday, our 3 year olds to kindergarten class will learn about The Part That Hasn’t Been Written Yet, while our elementary classes will learn about the story of Creation in the book of Genesis. This is our final Sunday school lesson before our summer recess.

Coffee Hosts Needed June 25 and Beyond: Please consider being a coffee host. If you would like to partner with someone for coffee host, put your name in the column for a partner on the sign-up sheet. For more information, talk with Janet Bybee.

Madison-Area Julian Gathering, Wednesday, June 14, 1-2:45pm: Julian 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’d love to see you. For more information, contact Susan Fiore.

Men’s Book Group, Saturday, June 17, 3pm: Candice Millard’s third book, “Hero of the Empire: The Boer War, a Daring Escape and the Making of Winston Churchill,” would make a fine movie, though Richard Attenborough did, in a sense, get there first. In 1972, he made “Young Winston”, drawn from Churchill’s own account of his early life, and it includes the same material Ms. Millard recounts so thrillingly: the future prime minister’s brash heroics in the South African Republic in 1899, which culminated in a prison break and nine days on the lam. Have a good read.

Outreach Committee Meeting, Saturday, June 17, 8-10am: 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.

SUMMER OPPORTUNITIES

“Good Books” Summer Reading!

People sometimes call the Bible the “Good Book” – but there are many, many good books that can feed our minds and souls. This summer you’re invited to join an all-parish Summer Reading program! We have selected four books: Cherries and Cherry Pits for kids ages 0 – 6 or 7; Return to Sender or The Door in the Wall for middle-grade kids comfortable with chapter books; and Good Omens for older kids and adults. Pick up a book at the church, or find a copy at the library or on your e-reader. A donation of $5 per book is welcome to help cover costs.

If you’d like to gather to talk about what you’re reading, we’ll have three Book Club Sundays this summer, meeting at 9am with donuts and lemonade:

Sunday, July 16 – to discuss “Cherries and Cherry Pits”

Sunday, August 6 – to discuss “Return to Sender” and “A Door in the Wall”

A Sunday in late August TBD – to discuss “Good Omens”

Although we’re reading different books, we encourage everyone to come to any and all discussions, so we can hear about the books others are reading & what they’re finding in them!

You can also join our “St. Dunstan’s Summer Reading” Facebook group to share favorite passages, thoughts and questions from the book(s) you and your household are reading.

 

1 Samuel Study Group, Wednesday nights, June 21-July 26, 6:30-8:30 PM: Gather with a friendly group to explore the Old Testament book of 1 Samuel – a rich and complex tale of the rise and fall of kings. The study group is hosted by the McAlpines at their home in Fitchburg, about five minutes from the intersection of the Beltline and Verona Road. There will be a sample lesson on Sunday, June 4, at 9am; come try it out!

Summer Flower Sign-Up: From June through August, we are trying something new with our altar flowers. We invite members to sign up to *bring* flowers, instead of ordering them through our florist as usual. During these months, local flowers are readily available, at the farmer’s market or in your own gardens. We are planting some flowers on the church grounds as well, which can certainly be used! If you’d like to contribute flowers, simply sign up for your chosen Sunday. You can still make a dedication, and we will include it in the bulletin as usual. You may use your own vase, or one of the vases here at church. Please take your flowers home, or give them to a friend, after the 10am service. Questions? Talk with Gail Jordan-Jones or Rev. Miranda.

Vacation Bible School: The Story of Jonah, 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.

41st Annual Women’s Mini Week: Courageous Women of God! August 10 – 13, 2017, 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.

Episcopal Diocese of Milwaukee Haiti Project Fundraiser, Verona, Sunday, July 23, 1-5pm: Come enjoy micro-brews and help support this ministry at the Wisconsin Brewing Company at 1079 American Way in Verona.

 

 

 

Big Questions, Sermons

Sermon, May 28

Be sober, be watchful. Your adversary the devil prowls around like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour. Resist him, firm in your faith.

That’s how two verses from the fifth chapter of the first letter of Peter, today’s Epistle, are rendered in our Book of Common Prayer. Who knows where they appear? … That’s right; this is one of the short Scripture texts offered in Compline, our nighttime prayers. I didn’t grow up saying Compline with my youth group every Friday night, like our kids do. But I’ve still used the rite many, many times over the course of 42 years as an Episcopalian. And through repetition, this short passage sunk into my mind and heart, becoming one of the snippets of Scripture that I have on instant recall. (This reminds me of the joke about the Episcopalian who finally read the Bible and was surprised by how much it quotes the Prayer Book!…)

Be sober, be watchful. Your adversary the devil prowls around like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour. Resist him, firm in your faith. These verses stuck with me not just by virtue of repetition, but also because they’re memorable. The earnest warning, and the evocative image of the Devil as a predator prowling around the flock, waiting to catch a sheep alone, sick, weak. Vulnerable. Whether or not you believe in the Devil as a sort of CEO of global evil operations, evil is an active force in the world, and in human hearts and lives. I recognize this text as true: there are temptations, ideas, actions and inactions, that would draw me away from my sacred call to love of God and love of neighbor. Those temptations, those forces lurk around me, looking for an opportunity. They have their best chance when I’m tired and drained, or angry, or afraid, or hurting. When I don’t have my trust in God’s ultimate goodness and my own belovedness wrapped around me like a warm blanket, or like armor.

The adversary prowls around like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour… This text stuck with me too because it’s scary. Not just because of that vivid image, but because it seems to be putting a lot of pressure and responsibility on me. Be sober and disciplined. Keep alert. Resist the Devil, steadfast in your faith. Face down the lion. Me? With my puny clawless hands, my soft underbelly? It’s not the most comforting thought with which to end the day and lay oneself down to sleep.

But then, sometime in the past decade, like the archetypal Episcopalian in the joke, I actually read the Bible. And I discovered two things. First, the passage in the Compline rite is incomplete. It breaks in the middle of verse 9, which reads in full: “Resist [the Devil], steadfast in your faith, for you know that your brothers and sisters in all the world are undergoing the same kinds of suffering.” Second, the “you”s through this whole passage are PLURAL. A distinction that English doesn’t make very clearly, but Greek does. The author of this letter is addressing churches here, not individuals. The translation of the Bible that we generally use for Sunday Scriptures, the New Revised Standard Version, makes this a little clearer than the version in the prayer book – “Discipline yourselves.”

But it’s not just that the author is addressing more than one person, but that he’s addressing a community. In fact, one strong theme of this letter is to take care of each other. I found at least four times in this letter when the author tells the members of these churches, Just love each other, OK? In chapter 1: Love one another deeply from the heart. In chapter 2: Love the family of believers. In chapter 3: Have unity of spirit, sympathy, love for one another, a tender heart, and a humble mind. And in chapter 4: Above all, maintain constant love for one another, for love covers a multitude of sins. Be hospitable to one another without complaining.

The author of this letter – maybe the apostle Peter, maybe a later church leader writing in Peter’s name – this author has taken to heart Jesus’ prayer for his followers, in today’s Gospel: That they all may be one. He knows, as Jesus knew, that Jesus’ followers are going to need each other. That the Way to which they, and we, are called is hard to follow on your own. It’s too nuanced, too open-ended, too profound, too risky. We need a community of faith to encourage each other. To hold one another accountable. To support each other when we’re confused or hurting.

In fact, this author is actually pretty focused on that last point: the church’s response to suffering. He’s writing to Christians who are struggling with difficult times, and are wondering: If God loves us so much, if Jesus’ saving death and resurrection transformed reality, how come terrible stuff still happens? Why isn’t life easier now? How do we deal with suffering, as Christians? That is still, absolutely, one of the core questions of faithful living. And this letter offers one answer. It’s not a fully satisfying answer, because he can’t promise an end to suffering. But it’s also one of the only true and lasting answers that humanity has found, in millennia of wrestling with the reality of human pain: Don’t face it alone, and don’t leave others to face it alone. Look out for each other. As spiritual writer Anne Lamott says, It’s our job to sit with people and bring them juice, until it’s our turn to have someone sit with us and bring us juice.

To say that suffering is an enduring part of human life is not to say that all suffering is inevitable. If we lived in a world of peace, where everyone had enough to eat and access to medical care, then a substantial percentage of the world’s suffering would be eliminated. But not all suffering is avoidable, even in an ideal world. Some of it is built into the human condition. To being embodied, being mortal; to loving each other, or not loving each other enough.

And it turns out that both the wisdom of the ages and modern psychological research confirm that one of the best ways to cope with suffering is to have the support and companionship of others. Psychologists name this as the “common humanity” factor; the sense that you see your struggles as part of the human experience, not something that isolates you or sets you apart. In the words of 1 Peter, to know that “your brothers and sisters in all the world are undergoing the same kinds of suffering.” And they have found that that awareness is a major source of resilience and comfort, for people going through a hard time. It’s really good to know it’s not just you. It’s really good to know that somebody else went through this and came out the other side. It’s really good to know that somebody understands.

But how do we find those companions, that fellowship of common experience? When we’re going through something hard – trouble at work, a loved one’s illness, family conflict, depression, infertility – we tend to keep it close. Those things are tender, personal, not public. Maybe a close friend or family member is carrying it with us. But it’s hardly a conversation for the office or the bus, the gym or the business lunch.

One of the things church can be is a place to find that fellowship. I learned this from you, friends: when we’ve talked about why church matters to you, why you keep showing up, many of you have mentioned moments in your lives when you were facing something new and hard, and you discovered there were people in your church who knew what that was like – because they’d been through something hard too, the same kind of hard thing or maybe not the same. But it gave them that sympathy, that tender heart that 1 Peter names, to be able to hear you and let you know you’re not alone. I’ve seen it happen, too – I’ve witnessed the holy moments when someone says, for example, Being a single mom is really hard, and people around the table who are five or ten or twenty years farther down that road nod and say, Yeah, it is. And we’re here for you. We’ll listen, we’ll pray, we’ll help.

Church is different from the office or the bus. We don’t always get it right, but our hope is to be place where it’s safe to name your hurts and sorrows and fears. Where you can feel and know that you’re not alone: others in your faith family have walked the road that you’re just starting down. You’re not alone: the griefs and struggles that are new to you are not new to the community of the faithful – as our Scriptures, prayers and stories bear witness. You’re not alone: God’s loving presence is always as near as your next breath, and when you can’t feel that, or believe in it, you can feel the care of the people who become the icons and vessels of God’s presence.

Friends, I’ve even pondered the idea of creating a list, with your help – a sort of “I’ve been there” list that I would keep, of the people in the parish who’ve been through cancer treatments, caregiving for a loved one, advocating for a child with special needs, infertility, addiction, the list could go on and on. So that when I find out that someone is facing one of these situations for the first time, I could help them find a friend in this household of faith – a companion, which means, a person with whom you break bread.

The author of First Peter is on to something. Suffering, whether persecution of the church as a whole or the human hurts and disappointments of its members, will always be part of the picture. It’s intrinsic in having bodies that break, lives that end, hearts and minds that love and grieve and yearn.  Be sober, be watchful. The adversary, the one who corrupts and destroys, prowls around the flock, waiting to catch a sheep alone, sick, weak. Vulnerable.

What do we do about it? We keep watch – together, not alone. We resist evil – together, not alone. We insist that suffering connects us rather that isolating us. We nurture sympathy, tender hearts and humble minds. We practice hospitality towards one another without complaining. We persist in the slow necessary life-giving work of loving each other deeply, from the heart.

Announcements

Announcements, May 25

TONIGHT…

Ascension Eucharist, Thursday, May 25, 5:30pm: Celebrate a festive service on the Feast of the Ascension, with our Thursday evening “Sandbox Worship” community. A simple meal will follow.

Christian Formation Committee Meeting, Thursday, May 25, 7pm: Our Christian Formation Committee will meet to review and plan our summer and fall Christian Formation programs. All interested people are welcome to attend and participate.

THIS WEEKEND…

Sunday School, Sunday, May 28, 10am: Our Sunday school classes will learn the story of Pentecost, in anticipation of our celebration on June 4.

Retirement Celebration for Martin, Sunday, May 28, Coffee Hour: Martin Ganschow, our Organist & Choir Director, is retiring from his role here after seven committed and fruitful years. We will celebrate Martin’s service and thank him with a festive coffee hour.

A Reminder to Ask Each Other’s Names! We are a growing parish and it’s OK to say, “Hi, I don’t know if we’ve met, I’m ____!” (Or alternately, “Hi, I know we’ve met but help me with your name once more; I’m ____!”) Rev. Miranda can attest that you are all really interesting and lovely people, and well worth getting to know. If you have a name tag, please remember to wear it, and if you don’t have one and would like one, there is a sign-up sheet on the bulletin board under the big calendar in the Gathering Area.

Middle School Lunch & Learn, Sunday, May 28, 12-1pm: Rev. Miranda invites the 10-and-up youth of the parish to meet with her for lunch after church. 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 the kids if that helps the parents’ schedules.

Teen Clothing Drive for GSAFE: Do you have clothing collecting dust in your closet? Eager to support transgender teenagers struggling to build a wardrobe that makes them feel confident? Swing by St. Dunstan’s Episcopal Church on Sunday, May 28th between 1pm-4pm to donate your gently used, teen-friendly clothing to GSAFE’s Youth Leadership Board for their clothing swap events!

Grace Shelter Dinner, Sunday, May 28, 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. To learn more, talk with Rose Mueller.

Coffee Hosts Needed in June: Please consider being a coffee host. If you would like to partner with someone for coffee host, please put your name in the column for a partner on the sign-up sheet. For more information, talk with Janet Bybee.

Evening Arts & Music Fundraiser, Friday, June 16: Some of the musicians and artists of St. Dunstan’s are organizing an evening event to raise funds for Voces de la Frontera, a community organization that focuses on the needs of immigrants in Wisconsin. We will have art and crafts for sale, and musical performances. If you’d like to contribute items for the sale, or share a performance of music or other original work, sign up in the Gathering Area or contact Phil Hassett.

Summer Flower Sign-Up: From June through August, we are trying something new with our altar flowers. We invite members to sign up to *bring* flowers, instead of ordering them through our florist as usual. During these months, local flowers are readily available, at the farmer’s market or in your own gardens. We are planting some flowers on the church grounds as well, which can certainly be used! If you’d like to contribute flowers, simply sign up for your chosen Sunday. You can still make a dedication, and we will include it in the bulletin as usual. You may use your own vase, or one of the vases here at church. Please take your flowers home, or give them to a friend, after the 10am service. Questions? Talk with Gail Jordan-Jones or Rev. Miranda.

St. Dunstan’s Second Annual Diaper Drive, May 14 – June 18:  We are having a diaper drive for sizes 4, 5, and 6 from Mother’s Day, May 14 to Father’s Day, June 18. We will donate the diapers to pantries around the area, including Allied Drive Food Pantry and MOM. You can shop around for a great deal ($.20 or less per diaper) or make a check or online donation to St. Dunstan’s designated for the Diaper Drive and let our skilled diaper shoppers do the shopping! We’ll dedicate all our gifts on Father’s Day. Thanks for your support!

THE WEEK AHEAD & BEYOND…

Bat Count, Friday, June 2, 8 – 9pm:  Come hang out and count the bats emerging from the colony on our property. This is part of a statewide bat count to monitor bat populations, so it’s both science and a chance to get to know our (flying) neighbors. All are welcome!

Pentecost Sunday All-Ages Worship, June 4: On this feast day we celebrate the gift of the Holy Spirit to the Church, and celebrate the Spirit’s continued action among us. Red is the church’s color for this holy day; consider wearing something red for church!

Come at 9:30 if you’d like to help act out one of the readings!

Anniversary and Birthday blessings and Healing Prayers will be given on Sunday, June 4, as is our custom on the first Sunday of the month.

MOM Special Offering, Sunday, June 4: 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: toilet paper & paper towels; shelf-stable dairy/non-dairy beverages; oil and butter; whole grains (rice, quinoa, barley); nut butter (other than peanuts – allergy); ketchup & mayonnaise; dried lentils, garbanzo or black beans; canned tomato products; prepared meals in cans or boxes; baking supplies and mixes. Thank you for all your support!

Evening Eucharist, Sunday, June 4, 6pm: Join us for a simple service as the week begins. All are welcome.

Parish Picnic, Sunday, June 11, 12:00pm: Come for good food and good conversation at our annual June parish picnic. We’ll have fun activities for all ages, including our favorite face painter!  Bring something to share, if convenient – a bag of chips, a salad, a favorite dessert. Drinks and a main dish will be provided. The picnic will happen rain or shine. Mark your calendar and watch for more details!

Madison-Area Julian Gathering, Wednesday, June 14, 1-2:45pm: Julian 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’d love to see you. For more information, contact Susan Fiore.

Men’s Book Group, Saturday, June 17, 3pm: Candice Millard’s third book, “Hero of the Empire: The Boer War, a Daring Escape and the Making of Winston Churchill,” would make a fine movie, though Richard Attenborough did, in a sense, get there first. In 1972, he made “Young Winston”, drawn from Churchill’s own account of his early life, and it includes the same material Ms. Millard recounts so thrillingly: the future prime minister’s brash heroics in the South African Republic in 1899, which culminated in a prison break and nine days on the lam. Have a good read.

1 Samuel Study Group, Wednesday nights, June 21-July 26, 6:30-8:30 PM: Gather with a friendly group to explore the Old Testament book of 1 Samuel – a rich and complex tale of the rise and fall of kings. The study group is hosted by the McAlpines at their home in Fitchburg, about five minutes from the intersection of the Beltline and Verona Road. There will be a sample lesson on Sunday, June 4, at 9am; come try it out!

Vacation Bible School: The Story of Jonah, 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.

Church Seasons & Holy Days, Sermons

Sermon, May 21

smallDunstanClassbookAre you ready for a tour? A tour of the life of St. Dunstan, our patron saint.

It begins at the back of the church, with this stone from Glastonbury Abbey. Glastonbury is a city in the west of England. An abbey is a church that is also a place where monks or nuns live – people who have devoted themselves to religious life and live in a community focused on prayer, study, and shared work.  This stone from the ruins of Glastonbury was a gift to our church by Archbishop Michael Ramsey, the leader of our sister church, the Church of England. He visited Madison and St. Dunstan’s in 1975.

Dunstan was born around the year 909 – more than a thousand years ago! He grew up near Glastonbury and had his first religious training there. At that time the church was in disrepair, because it had been attacked in Viking raids. He dreamed of rebuilding and expanding the church. Later, as an adult, King Edmund made Dunstan Abbot of Glastonbury. In that capacity he raised funds to restore and expand the church and make it more of a center for worship, study, and faithful living. I hope he will watch over us and bless us as we discuss a capital campaign!

God, thank you for Dunstan’s work of building up your church. As we remember your saints, help us to be one too! 

Our next stop is actually in my pocket: two pennies. What do you see?  Do they look the same, or different? … When Dunstan was a child, coins in Britain weren’t all the same.  They might be made of different metals, and be different sizes, and have different images stamped on them. Imagine how hard it would be to buy and sell things, if there were all kinds of different coins around!

Dunstan is remembered for founding many churches and monasteries, but he wasn’t just interested in churches. He believed that healthy churches helped contributed to a healthy, peaceful, fair society. And he spent a lot of his life working with the king – and then the next king, and the next king – to help English society be more healthy, peaceful, and fair.

He pushed for things like a fair justice system, with the same kind of trial for rich and poor, and for the Angles and the Danes, the two groups of people who were living together at that time; a fair system of business that doesn’t allow the wealthy to cheat people; more opportunities for education for ordinary people; for local leaders who weren’t just there to make money for themselves and for whoever put them in power, but who cared about the welfare of their people; and finally, coins that were the same all over the kingdom – because that made it possible for people to buy and sell, fairly and easily, and also because it helped make everyone feel like they were part of the same kingdom, all in this together.

Dunstan lived a long time and served under many kings, some of whom shared his hopes for England, and some who didn’t. But he always did what he could to pursue those hopes for his people.

God, thank you for Dunstan’s work of building up his nation. As we remember your saints, help us to be one too! 

Our next stop is up here at the front of the church.  Dunstan loved music and art and craft, and held them as central parts of the life of the person and community of faith. In Dunstan’s time, all books were handwritten – they didn’t yet have machines to print many copies of a book. Imagine if every book was in somebody else’s handwriting! Some would be easy to read, and some wouldn’t be! Dunstan is especially remembered for bringing to England and establishing a clear, readable and consistent form of handwriting for the books that were being made in England in his time.

At the end of his life, when he retired, he went back to Glastonbury, worked with metal and played his harp. Our church, this church, has always had people who love to make things; I think that’s one of the ways we really are St. Dunstan’s Church!

One of the things Dunstan did as a metalworker was make bells.

He is the patron saint of bell-makers! Would you like to ring this bell? …

God, thank you for Dunstan’s love of beauty, craft, and creativity.  As we remember your saints, help us to be one too! 

Here’s the final stop on our tour: this icon of Dunstan, Archbishop, Monk, and Saint.  What do you see in this picture?… Do you think it’s like the other icons here, or different? …

Artists have made icons of St. Dunstan that look more like these other icons. But a few years ago when I was looking for one, I found this picture instead.

It’s from something called the Glastonbury Classbook, a book from Dunstan’s time – actually sometimes called the Classbook of St. Dunstan. It contained sermons, prayers, and other religious texts, and a few drawings – including this one, which may be a self-portrait by Dunstan. He might have drawn this picture himself – not this one, but the one that this is a photograph of.

Do you see the tiny words over the monk? They say, in Latin, “I ask, merciful Christ, that you protect me, Dunstan; do not permit great storms to swallow me up.”

The Bodleian Library, who holds the Glastonbury Classbook, makes high-quality images of its pages available, so I had this made for us, to be our image of blessed Dunstan. These other pictures put the saint at the center. But in his picture of himself, Dunstan put Jesus at the center.

God, thank you for Dunstan’s life of faithful and loving service to you and your son Jesus Christ. As we remember your saints, help us to be one too!

 

Announcements

Announcements, May 18

THIS SUNDAY, MAY 21…

St. Dunstan’s Day All-Ages Worship & Hat and Tie Sunday: We will celebrate the feast day of our saint, Dunstan, on Sunday, May 21. It’s the 60th anniversary of our parish’s founding and naming! You’re invited to mark the occasion by dressing up with a fancy hat and/or tie, serious or playful.  Wear your own or borrow one from the collection at church. We will formally welcome new members on this festive day. It’s our custom to take photos of the whole congregation after church; we hope you’ll stay to participate.

Holy Baptism, 8am: We will baptize Drew Robertson, a member of our 8am congregation. We rejoice with Drew and his fiancée Michele on this joyous occasion!

Rector’s Discretionary Fund Offering: Half the cash in our collection plate, and any designated checks, will go towards the Rector’s Discretionary Fund today. This fund is a way to quietly help people with direct financial needs, in the parish and the wider community. Please give generously.

Making Our Grounds an Eternal Home: Discussing a Columbarium for St. Dunstan’s, 9am: Interested members are invited to a conversation about the legal and logistical differences between scattering ashes and interring urns, with the goal of establishing whether there is a  desire to create a columbarium here. If you have questions or input and can’t attend the meeting, talk with Sharon Bloodgood.

Spirituality of Parenting Lunch, 11:30am: All who seek meaning in the journey of parenthood (at any age or stage) are welcome to come for food and conversation. Child care and a simple meal provided.

Evening Eucharist, 6pm: Come join us for a simple service before the week begins. All are welcome.

Young Adult Meetup at the Vintage, 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.

Driving through Countryside Lane: Please take extra care and drive slowly on our neighbors’ roadway during this period of road construction. Our neighbors are not used to a lot of traffic and extra consideration will show we care and appreciate this access.

What Are Your Languages? On the feast of Pentecost (June 4), we read part of the Acts of the Apostles reading in many different languages. Is there a language that’s part of your heritage or story that you’d like to have included? Talk to Rev. Miranda or email her at by Friday, May 26.

Art, Crafts & Music Wanted for an Evening Fundraiser: We have been invited to participate in a city-wide, interfaith effort to raise funds so that Voces de la Frontera, a community organization that focuses on the needs of immigrants in Wisconsin, can hire a staff member to help them better support immigrant families in Madison and beyond. Some members of our parish are organizing an event, tentatively planned for June 17, to feature an art and craft sale and musical performances. Would you like to contribute or participate? Sign up in the Gathering Area or contact Phil Hassett.

Summer Flower Sign-Up: From June through August, we are trying something new with our altar flowers. We invite members to sign up to *bring* flowers, instead of ordering them through our florist as usual. During these months, local flowers are readily available, at the farmer’s market or in your own gardens. We are planting some flowers on the church grounds as well, which can certainly be used! If you’d like to contribute flowers, simply sign up for your chosen Sunday. You can still make a dedication, and we will include it in the bulletin as usual. You may use your own vase, or one of the vases here at church. Please take your flowers home, or give them to a friend, after the 10am service. Questions? Talk with Gail Jordan-Jones or Rev. Miranda.

St. Dunstan’s Second Annual Diaper Drive, May 14 – June 18: We are having a diaper drive for sizes 4, 5, and 6 from Mother’s Day, May 14 to Father’s Day, June 18. We will donate the diapers to pantries around the area, including Allied Drive Food Pantry and MOM. You can shop around for a great deal ($.20 or less per diaper) or make a check or online donation to St. Dunstan’s designated for the Diaper Drive and let our skilled diaper shoppers do the shopping! We’ll dedicate all our gifts on Father’s Day. Thanks for your support!

Would You Like to Learn how to Tackle a Tree? As one way to approach the many dead trees on our Pine Island, we could take a group to learn about how to remove dead trees – and what to do with them afterwards – at TimberGreen Woods in Spring Green. The date of the training is TBD. Sign up on the interest sheet in the Gathering Area or talk with Rev. Miranda.

THE WEEK AHEAD & BEYOND…

Ascension Eucharist, Thursday, May 25, 5:30pm: Celebrate a festive service on the Feast of the Ascension, with our Thursday evening “Sandbox Worship” community. A simple meal will follow.

Christian Formation Committee Meeting, Thursday, May 25, 7pm: Our Christian Formation Committee will meet to review and plan our summer and fall Christian Formation programs. All interested people are welcome to attend and participate.

Retirement Celebration for Martin, Sunday, May 28: Martin Ganschow, our Organist & Choir Director, is retiring from his role here after seven fruitful years. We will thank him over a festive coffee hour.

Sunday School, Sunday, May 28, 10am: Our Sunday school classes will learn the story of Pentecost, in anticipation of our celebration on June 4.

Middle School Lunch & Learn, Sunday, May 28, 12-1pm: Rev. Miranda invites the 10-and-up youth of the parish to meet with her for lunch after church. 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 the kids if that helps the parents’ schedules.

Grace Shelter Dinner, Sunday, May 28, 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. To learn more, talk with Rose Mueller.

Teen Clothing Drive for GSAFE: Do you have clothing collecting dust in your closet? Eager to support transgender teenagers struggling to build a wardrobe that makes them feel confident? Swing by St. Dunstan’s Episcopal Church on Sunday, May 28th between 1pm-4pm to donate your gently used, teen-friendly clothing to GSAFE’s Youth Leadership Board for their clothing swap events! Not sure if your apparel and accessories are teen-friendly? Bring them by and let our teen volunteers be the judge. You’re welcome to bring donations ahead of time, as well. St. Dunstan’s is glad to host this event, to support GSAFE in their important work supporting kids in Madison’s schools.

1 Samuel Study Group, Wednesday nights, June 21-July 26, 6:30-8:30 PM: Gather with a friendly group to explore the book of 1 Samuel – a rich and complex tale of the rise and fall of kings. The study group is hosted by the McAlpines at their home in Fitchburg, about five minutes from the intersection of the Beltline and Verona Road. There will be a sample lesson on Sunday, June 4, at 9am; come try it out!

Pentecost Sunday All-Ages Worship, June 4: On this feast day we celebrate the gift of the Holy Spirit to the Church, and celebrate the Spirit’s continued action among us. Consider wearing something red for church!

Parish Picnic, Sunday, June 11, 12:00pm: Come for good food and good conversation at our annual June parish picnic. We’ll have good food and fun activities for all ages, including our favorite face painter! If you’d like to help with games or activities, contact the office at or 608-238-2781. The picnic will happen rain or shine. Mark your calendar and watch for more details!

Vacation Bible School: The Story of Jonah, 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.

Sermons

Sermon, May 14

Our guest preacher, Hal Edmonson, is a native of Madison and an M.Div. student at Harvard Divinity School. His sermon is entitled, “Seeing and Believing, or, Why Jesus is Like a Moonwalking Bear.”

It was about an hour into the protest when I first saw Jesus. I was standing on the steps of Trinity Episcopal Church in Boston on a January morning. Twenty-thousand or so people crowded into Copley Square, demonstrating against the order banning citizens of six predominantly-Muslim countries, and effectively ending refugee resettlement in this country. The rage was palpable. The signs were witty, maybe, but the knuckles that held them were white hot with fury. And there, held aloft by someone a few feet ahead of me, I never found out who, was Christ. An icon, The Christ of Maryknoll. Jesus is there, on the other side of a barbed-wire fence. His mouth is hidden behind the wires, leaving only his eyes truly visible; His hands rest on the tangle of metal, and though the steel talons have left stigmata of their own, his fingers yet curl their way around them—not a spasm of agony, but an embrace; a sign, almost, of blessing. Providentially, perhaps, in the crowd that left almost no room to breathe, Christ stayed in front of me; when speakers thundered their denunciation, when chants got into some very not-safe-for-church language, and when the crowd tried to make space in the middle of those twenty-thousand for some of the Muslim organizers to pray, there He was, staring at me. Wondering.

He hasn’t stopped. It’s an image I can’t seem to shake. He’s there, floating into my field of vision whenever I’m watching the news, in prayer, in reading, even on my long runs along the Charles River. Which, for me, is really rather strange. I’m in seminary and not art school for a reason: I like words. A lot. I encounter God in the syntax of things, and trust the power of the word to wind its way down in to the dusty corners of the human heart, dwelling there until it is needed most. But I’m not an image guy —I still have nightmares about a particular Art History final in Junior Year of college.

Don’t get me wrong, I find art beautiful. But images don’t stick with me the same way that a line of poetry does. There is always something intolerably ambiguous about images. They lack clarity, for there are always details that I miss. Take this icon, for instance: you can’t see Jesus’ mouth. There’s so much there that could change the whole picture. Or, what do I make of those eyes? Are they convicting? Pitying? Crying out for help? Uttering words of comfort? There is too much uncertainty, defying my desire to pick apart the motivation until I decode it all. That, I think, is why this particular image has been haunting me: I want certainty. And it won’t give it to me.

Our readings for today, and the Gospel in particular, are among the most often quoted in the New Testament—and if we can be real for a moment, also probably among the ones that make we Episcopalians most uncomfortable—because these passages, too, seem to be all about certainty. “I am the Way, the Truth, and the Life,” Jesus says. “None come to the Father but by me.” These are the words that launched a thousand missionary ships, used as the proof that salvation is beyond the hands of those who don’t see their place in the universe quite the same way. And what, for good or for ill, has come to define faith for many, many Christians—including, in the past or right now, probably a good number of us in this room: Belief, pure certainty, to the point that—like Stephen—we’d able to suffer and endure death on the strength of our conviction alone.

But the image of Christ in that icon has me wondering what it is that Jesus is really asking the disciples for, here. Remember that there weren’t really “Christians” yet. What we now consider to be truths, the distillation of them that we recite in the Nicene Creed, nobody had bothered to put together. Notice that Jesus doesn’t say what to believe in, as far as intellectual concepts. He’s a lot more cryptic. He says, “Believe in ME.” He doesn’t tell them the way, he says “I am the way.” I. Me. Myself. Jesus isn’t talking about all the theology and creeds that would eventually come to represent those things, or the scriptures that would tell about him. ’I’ doesn’t mean just what I do, or what I say, or what is accomplished on a cross, or in a tomb. It’s an all-of-the-above-and-then-some sort of situation. When Jesus says ‘I’, he means, well, that. He resists a reduction to some essence that is easier to digest. All of it, all of it, together, matters. Being the Incarnate Word of God is to defy simplification. Just as each of us have a core to our being that defies our worst moments, our most thoughtless words, and our greatest accomplishments, Jesus isn’t going to let himself be easily defined. Incarnation is to take on all the complexity, ambiguity, and irreducible beauty of humanity. To take any of that away is to take away the gift of incarnation itself. He is the way, accomplishing by the mere fact of his being a relationship between humanity and God that is inseparable. Following instructions isn’t quite enough. People are complicated, you see, even if you are, quite literally, God.

Which is a bummer, for the disciples, because they really want simple instructions. Thomas is hung up on this whole ‘way’ thing, and a number of commentators on the Greek point out that he’s confused by Jesus’ words—he’s picturing an actual road, going to a physical place, and probably thinking that if he’d had Google Maps, he could have skipped the whole following-Jesus-around-a-desert-thing. Phillip, meanwhile, wants Jesus to show him the Father, like, now, and that would satisfy him.

But instead, Jesus says you already have these things, in me—together in my words, in my works, and in the work of death and resurrection that is yet to come. None of them make sense without the others. They’ve missed the desert for the sand. What Jesus wants from them, in the end, isn’t their obedience, or their intellectual assent (though there are times when Jesus might have taken those too!). It’s their sight. It’s their willingness to see, look at the image right in front of them—the only image that can convey the fullness of Incarnation, to see what God’s mercy has wrought upon the earth, and the vision of the Kingdom that is coming, and is already here. Seeing, at least this time, is believing.

The trouble is, believing isn’t always seeing. There are these psychology test videos, maybe you’ve seen them, where there are two teams of people passing a ball back and forth, and you’re asked to count how many passes are completed. After about thirty seconds, the video freezes, and the narrator asks you how many passes were made, and then shows the correct answer. Then, she asks whether you noticed the moonwalking bear. And then you go back, and watch it slowly, and sure enough, there’s someone in a bear suit grooving their way across the floor. Our brains can only take in so much information, so we prioritize what to look for; we get the information we think we need, and filter out the rest. We’ve “succeeded” in the task before us, maybe, but if we failed to notice a moonwalking bear, what did we really see? It’s kind of the same with trying to believe in Jesus now. The world, same as it ever was, is overflowing with injustice. The demands on us to feed, to shelter, and to console are great. And it’s oh-so-easy to pray for just the things we think we need to do them, or to read the parts of scripture that seem to touch on them perfectly, that assure us we’re right, and doing our part, and so on. We’re much like the disciples, in that respect: we want the most efficient route possible. We want to know that we’ve done all we could, and followed our instructions.

But we miss things. We always do. We miss how easily, for instance, Christ-like compassion can slide into only showing compassion to those who are most Christ- like. We can miss the moments of weakness, and pain, and grief. We can get so caught up in the work of the world that it starts to become an idol in its own right. We can forget that we are called to a Christian life not on account of our own righteousness, but because we, too, are entangled with sin, and dependent upon God’s mercy.

That’s what happened to me, standing in that crowd in Copley Square, seething with anger and grief at the thought of families days away from being able to leave refugee camps only to be thrust back into limbo. I wanted to hold people accountable, to defeat them, to humiliate them with caustic poster-board signs. And there was this face of Christ staring back at me—not egging me on, just watching. Vanquish all your enemies, His eyes said; there will be new ones. Right all the wrongs; they won’t stay that way. Fortify your convictions as much as you want; God has a way of eluding your logic. I am the Way. I am the truth. I am the life.

It’s much easier to hate error than it is to love that truth. (I paraphrase here one of my favorite quotes from Michael Oakshotte, from his essay “Introduction to Leviathan”.)  Error is a lot more comprehensible, at least. But it matters that we keep this vision of our truth, of the whole person of Christ before us. Icons, obviously, are something I’ve gained a little appreciation for over the past couple of months, and I recommend you try praying with one if you never have. There are things to be learned from crucifixes, out of fashion though they are these days, or from paintings, or books that have been written imagining the bodies that Christ might have called His own. Precisely how one does this matters a lot less than that we keep looking, keep one eye on the image whenever we get caught up in words. It’s a discipline, you see. It takes practice. But one, I believe, that keeps us grounded. There will always be more work, more injustice, more pain. And in the moments of inevitable discouragement, when the certainty of prevailing is long gone, maybe what sustains isn’t inspiring words of scripture, or prayer, or self-care, but simply the image of the Word: the human form of Christ— limited, and frail, and broken, and because it is all these things, the reminder that God has already entered, irrevocably and fully, into our lives, is with us still, and that our salvation will not be on our own terms. Precisely the thing that frustrates me about images is their power: they keep teaching, keep drawing you out of yourself, inviting you to notice things that you never did before. Remember, in the work ahead, that in Christ, flesh is word, and word is flesh. Remember that image, even when it is unclear. Keep looking. You never know what you might have missed.

Announcements

Announcements, May 11

THIS WEEKEND…

Creation Care Opportunities: Home Compost Bin & Rain Barrel Sale, Alliant Energy Center, Saturday, May 13th, 10am – 2pm: Members of St. Dunstan’s who have installed home compost or rainwater collection systems may be able to help you put your own system in place!  Pre-order at https://rainreserve.com/madison to guarantee availability. Learn more at this link. 

Native Plant Sale, UW-Madison Arboretum, Saturday, May 13th, 9am – 2pm: The sale will take place at the big tent on the lawn in front of Curtis Prairie, near the Visitors Center. Native plants generally require less care and are more environmentally sustainable.

Guest Preacher, Sunday, May 14: We welcome Hal Edmonson as our guest preacher this Sunday. Hal was raised in Madison, a stone’s throw from St. Dunstan’s, and is currently pursuing his M.Div. at Harvard Divinity School.

Sunday School, Sunday, May 14, 10am: This Sunday, our 3 year olds to kindergarten class will learn about the Good Shepherd and World Communion, while our elementary classes will learn about the apostle Stephen and his faithful service.

Driving through Countryside Lane: Please take extra care and drive slowly on our neighbors’ roadway during this period of road construction. Our neighbors are not used to a lot of traffic and extra consideration will show we care and appreciate this access.

What Are Your Languages? On the feast of Pentecost (this year, June 4), we read part of the Acts of the Apostles reading in many different languages. Is there a language that’s part of your heritage or story, that you’d like to have included? Talk to Rev. Miranda by Friday, May 26.

Summer Flower Sign-Up: From June through August, we are trying something new with our altar flowers. We invite members to sign up to *bring* flowers, instead of ordering them through our florist as usual. During these months, local flowers are readily available, at the farmer’s market or in your own gardens. We are planting some flowers on the church grounds as well, which can certainly be used! If you’d like to contribute flowers, simply sign up for your chosen Sunday. You can still make a dedication, and we will include it in the bulletin as usual. You may use your own vase, or one of the vases here at church. Please take your flowers home, or give them to a friend, after the 10am service. Questions? Talk with Gail Jordan-Jones or Rev. Miranda.

St. Dunstan’s Second Annual Diaper Drive, May 14 – June 18: Imagine having to choose whether to pay rent, pay utilities, buy food, or buy diapers for your baby or toddler. Nearly 1 in 3 American families struggle to afford enough diapers, which cannot be purchased with food stamps. Learn more by reading today’s bulletin insert. We are having a diaper drive for sizes 4, 5, and 6 from Mother’s Day, May 14 to Father’s Day, June 18. We will donate the diapers to pantries around the area, including Allied Drive Food Pantry and MOM. You can shop around for a great deal ($.20 or less per diaper) or make a check or online donation to St. Dunstan’s designated for the Diaper Drive and let our skilled diaper shoppers do the shopping! We’ll dedicate all our gifts on Father’s Day. Thanks for your support!

Would You Like to Learn how to Tackle a Tree? As one way to approach the many dead trees on our Pine Island, we could take a group to learn about how to remove dead trees – and what to do with them afterwards – at TimberGreen Woods in Spring Green. The date of the training is TBD and could depend on our group. Sign up on the interest sheet in the Gathering Area or talk with Rev. Miranda at 238-2781. Read more about TimberGreen Woods here:

http://timbergreenforestry.com/Full%20Value%20Forestry.html

 THE WEEK AHEAD & BEYOND…

St. Dunstan’s Day All-Ages Worship & Hat and Tie Sunday, May 21: We will celebrate the feast day of our saint, Dunstan, on Sunday, May 21. It’s the 60th anniversary of our parish’s founding and naming! You’re invited to mark the occasion by dressing up with a fancy hat and/or tie, serious or playful.  Wear your own or borrow one from the collection at church. Easter Sunday saw a fine array of bowties on our members; can we top that number? We will formally welcome new members on this festive day. It’s our custom to take photos of the whole congregation after each service that Sunday; we hope you’ll stay a few moments to participate.

Rector’s Discretionary Fund Offering, Sunday, May 21: 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. Please give generously.

Making Our Grounds an Eternal Home: Discussing a Columbarium for St. Dunstan’s, Sunday, May 21, 9am: At St. Dunstan’s, members are welcome to scatter the ashes of their loved ones on our grounds, with the intention that those ashes become part of the soil of this place. We do not currently have a place or a practice for interring ashes in urns in a columbarium of some sort. Interested members are invited to a conversation about the legal and logistical differences between scattering ashes and interring urns, with the goal of establishing whether there is a desire among our congregation to create a columbarium here. If you have questions or input and can’t attend the meeting, talk with Sharon Bloodgood  or Rev. Miranda.

Spirituality of Parenting Lunch, Sunday, May 21, 11:30am: All who seek meaning in the journey of parenthood (at any age or stage) are welcome to come for food and conversation. Child care and a simple meal provided.

Evening Eucharist, Sunday, May 21, 6pm: Come join us for a simple service before the week begins. All are welcome.

Young Adult Meetup at the Vintage, Sunday, May 21, 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.

Ascension Eucharist, Thursday, May 25, 5:30pm: Celebrate a festive service on the Feast of the Ascension, with our Thursday evening “Sandbox Worship” community. A simple meal will follow.

Christian Formation Committee Meeting, Thursday, May 25, 7pm: Our Christian Formation Committee will meet to review and plan our summer and fall Christian Formation programs. All interested people are welcome to attend and participate.

Ladies’ Night Out, Friday, May 19, 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 Sai Ba Thong at 6802 Odana Road in Madison. For more information,  please contact Kathy Whitt or Debra Martinez.

Retirement Celebration for Martin, Sunday, May 28: Martin Ganschow, our Organist & Choir Director, is retiring from his role here after seven committed and fruitful years. We will celebrate Martin’s service and thank him with a festive coffee hour on May 28.

Teen Clothing Drive for GSAFE: Do you have clothing collecting dust in your closet? Eager to support transgender teenagers struggling to build a wardrobe that makes them feel confident? Swing by St. Dunstan’s Episcopal Church on Sunday, May 28th between 1pm-4pm to donate your gently used, teen-friendly clothing to GSAFE’s Youth Leadership Board for their clothing swap events! Not sure if your apparel and accessories are teen-friendly? Bring them by and let our teen volunteers be the judge. You’re welcome to bring donations ahead of time, as well. St. Dunstan’s is glad to host this event, to support GSAFE in their important work supporting kids in Madison’s schools.

Parish Picnic, Sunday, June 11, 12:00pm: Come for good food and good conversation at our annual June parish picnic. We’ll have good food and fun activities for all ages, including our favorite face painter! If you’d like to help with games or activities, contact the office at or 608-238-2781. The picnic will happen rain or shine. Mark your calendar and watch for more details!

Vacation Bible School: The Story of Jonah, 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.

6205 University Ave., Madison WI

St. Dunstan's Episcopal Church