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Weekly E-News
Each week, MCC sends an email newsletter with details about worship;
congregational events, activities and opportunities; information about
happenings in the community and wider church; and more. Email us at
info@themcc.net to subscribe to
this free e-letter!
Summer Worship Schedule 9:30 am
Begins June 19
Join us for worship during the summer months on Sundays at 9:30 am beginning
June 19.
Help Needed Saturday, June 4
Need for people to help with taking down the Rainbow Art in the
Covenant Room then, and putting up the Pentecost Fames Art Work. Also,
during the following week, the Flames will have to be removed and the
artwork for the following “Common Season” will be put up/on the Communion
Table. Contact Lucetta.
Help the MCC Prairie This Summer
Lois Komai will be on the church prairie at 9:00am on Saturdays, 6:30
on Monday evenings, and 9:00am on Thursdays. We'll weed yellow rocket
mustard on the bird berms prairie as part of the Tending Soul and Soil. Click
here to learn about this tenacious plant's affect on our prairie.
Can You Help Water?
The MCC Land Use Umbrella Group (LUUG) is inviting you to help water the
flower beds this summer. It is pretty easy; just turn on the water and aim.
Training will be provided by Nancy Greenwald, LUUG Landscaping member. If
interested, please let Nancy Greenwald (youarelaughter@yahoo.com)
or Jean Einerson (jaeiners53@gmail.com)
know. We plan to use Sign Up Genius to sign up for dates. Thank you for your
consideration.
Minor Adjustments in MCC COVID Mitigations
Unfortunately, COVID case numbers in Dane County have risen substantially
since our rollback of some COVID mitigations in mid-March. However, the
Regathering Task Force Steering Group has decided to only make two minor
adjustments in our guidelines: we are asking worship leaders and cantors to
resume masking at all times during indoor worship, and we are asking
everyone to use high-quality masks at all times in the building, i.e. N95 or
KN95 (which are available at all entries to the building). Limited singing,
safe communion, safe Adult Ed, and Sunday Faith Formation will continue, at
least for now.
Click here for more details on the current situation.
Thanks from Intern Lisa
To my friends at the MCC:
I want to thank you for the bottom of my heart for the send-off I received
from you last Sunday, at the conclusion of my internship with Advent/MCC.
The words of care and blessing, as well as the gifts given, were so
thoughtful and meaningful, and the reception complete with coffee, cupcakes,
and Prairie Roots music was amazing! I am confident that your gift of the
beautiful, handmade small group communion set will be a well-used and
cherished part of my ministry for many years to come. Thank you for
welcoming me into your community for these past 2 years and for the
opportunity to learn and journey with you in this adventure of being the
church!
God’s peace, Lisa
For pictures of the celebration,
click here.
Remembering the Children
In the upper entryway has been a display of an orange t-shirt that went up
in time for Indigenous People’s Day in October for a tenure of 225 days, in
honor and memory of the children of the First Nations who never returned
from residential boarding schools. We’re coming to the conclusion of the 225
days but also marking breaking news of a report of more than 500 graves at
schools in the US - so now is a great time to read and be mindful again. Why
an orange t-shirt? To learn more, click
here.
Advent Benevolence Focus: Faith in Place
Faith in Place is a new collaborative relationship between Wisconsin,
Indiana, and Illinois. This past week, Pastor Nick joined Peter Bakken as
the Wisconsin representatives with Faith in Place at the Interfaith
Power & Light national conference in Washington, DC, and will continue
talking to our Wisconsin congressional delegation next week about climate
change legislation. Click
here to learn more Faith in Place, which is being supported with $200 in
Advent benevolences as part of our commitment to creation care.
Kids in the Garden 2022
The Kids in the Garden program is back for this summer but with some
changes! The program will run from Tuesday, June 28 to Tuesday August 9, and
will only be on Tuesdays. This is due to Lussier’s 4-day schedule where
Thursdays will be field trip days. The time will run from 10:00 a.m. to
11:30 a.m., and volunteers are asked to come at 9:45. There will be 25-30
children, and they will be divided into a garden group and a
cooking/art/nature group. Soon you may sign up for specific days on the MSP
volunteer site. If you have never participated in this ministry before but
are interested, you can contact [Joyce Anderson] (mailto:blajoy@tds.net)
for more information, and you can also sign up on the volunteer site.
Devotional Resources
Daily Booklets
The quarterly editions of “Christ in Our Home”
and “The Word in Season” are available. Pick up in the Blessing Room or
contact
Kaisa or
Nick to get a copy of one or both.
UCC Daily Devotional
Click here to read a daily devotion.
Taize Weekday Morning Prayer & Sunday
Compline
These brief worship opportunities are ongoing, provided by the UCC Open and
Affirming Coalition. Join Mondays through Fridays at 8 am or 10:30 am (CT)
and Sundays at 8 pm (CT) for this ancient contemplative service with chant,
psalms, silence, and prayer.
This Zoom link works for all services
Just Bakery Opportunity
Have you been missing the opportunity to buy breads, scones, pies and other
delicious baked goods from Just Bakery at MCC? If so, you may be interested
in an opportunity that Just Bakery has opened up f or faith communities. We
could have a chance to place orders for pick up at MCC. One or more folks
would be in charge of gathering orders and payments to be passed on to Just
Bakery, and then distributing / setting out the baked goods after they're
delivered to the MCC on scheduled Sundays. If you think you would like to
help make this happen, contact the office and let us know.
Just Bakery continues to offer online ordering for delivery in Dane County
(for a $5 fee) and curbside pick-up on Saturday mornings.
Click here for more info.
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Boundary Waters Group 2019
Children & Family Ministry Schedule & Events
Faith Formation is offered
the 1st & 3rd Sundays each month
on Zoom from
9:30 am-9:50 am! For information, please contact Cheyenne.
Easter Season: Join us as we
continue our journey through the Easter season and learn more about the life
of a disciple named Tabitha (Acts 9:36-42) ! There will be snacks, a short
story, some discussion, and an activity to explore what it means to be
connected in a community! We hope to see you there!
5-29-22
Join us as we first gather outside for snack time
and space to share highs and lows! This week we will explore what it means
to be Christian and how that impacts the way we interact with our family,
friends, community, and world. Bring your thinking caps, we're going to be
doing some brainstorming!!
Summer Camp Registration Open!
We may be in the thick of winter at the moment, but there are quite a few
summer camps that have opened their registration for Summer 2022
programming! If you or someone you know is interested in how a day/week at a
summer bible camp can impact a young
person's faith, please direct any questions to Cheyenne
Larson via email: cheyenne@themcc.net
Sunday Adult Ed
Sunday Morning Adult Education and Faith Formation meets at 9:15 in the Covenant Room or Shalom Room, and you’re
welcome to join!
May 29: Break
June 5: we will look at current
trends in church demographics and discuss what we think about that.
June 12:For our final session our
theme will be “Summer Renewal not Vacation.” Click
here for photos from the Confirmation presentations last week.
MCC Community Group to Meet
Community Group will meet on Sunday,
May 22 at
Saukdale Community Center at 11:30 for provided light lunch and afternoon of
games. Bring a game you want to share. Contact Jackie Muehl for information
at 608-231-2927.
Senior Recognition at MCC
Every spring, MCC honors its high school seniors in a unique way.
Ceramic vessels (created and generously donated by Joanne Kirkland) are set
out for each youth, and the community writes messages on slips of paper:
prayers, Bible verses, lines from hymns or poems, well-wishes, words of
wisdom, sometimes even drawings from young children. And now is the time to
honor our seniors! Click
here to learn about this year's seniors.
Please click here to learn how to participate.
Attention: Those Who Sew & Support
In 2021, Lutheran World Relief distributed school kits and quilts to 20
different countries around the world. Now's your chance to help sew for
school children! Although a joint sewing event would be a fun way to get
adults and children working together, this year it's a project for
individuals to complete. We hope to complete 50 bags by the end of July. You
will be provided with very specific sewing instructions for a draw string
bag and also the materials needed to make the bag. There is a Thrivent
Action Grant to assist with costs related to this project. If you have an
interest in helping with this project by sewing a bag(s) or contributing
money to further assist in the purchase of items to fill the bags, please
contact Rita Olson at rrolson930@gmail.com.
Thank you.
Advent RIC Invitation
Please join the Reconciling in Christ task force to discern if and how
Advent would add wording to our Welcome Statement regarding working toward
anti-racism or racial equity. The short version of the charge from Advent
Council (via Reconciling Works) is to evaluate where Advent currently falls
in those terms, and what work Advent would need to do to be able to
authentically and honestly add those words to its Welcome Statement. We
would then make a recommendation to the Council, which would then decide
whether to put this to a congregational vote. This is a short term
commitment. Advent Council has asked for a recommendation by August 2022. If
you are interested, or have more questions, please contact Sarah Canon at
sfcanon14@yahoo.com.
Thursday Morning Ladies
With nicer weather, the MCC Thursday ladies will resume meeting outside at
the MCC every Thursday at 8am. Meet at the Memorial Garden or continue to
join via Zoom. The only agenda is sharing friendship, and there is always
laughter. We do service projects several times a year, pray for one
another’s concerns, and celebrate joys. Contact: Karen Schwarz: 225-0026.
Save the Date: Salad Supper June 21
The MCC women’s salad supper is back, better than ever, after a 2 year
absence. Save the date! Tuesday, June 21st , 6-8 pm.
BYOB-Bible Study Invitation
Mondays at 6:30 pm
Through the pandemic, a group of various comers-and-goers has been meeting
on Zoom for weekly Bible study to discuss the readings for the coming
Sunday. The group meets at 6:30 each Monday. Use this
Zoom link, or contact Nick for
more info.
Immigration & Sanctuary News
What’s Next for Afghan Refugees?
To learn the latest updates from the Wis. Council of Churches on Afghan
refugee resettlement efforts, click
here. Or sign
up to receive the Afghan response newsletter . Click
here for a little video discussion on updates.
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Epiphany Choir Concert 2018 Directed by Jen
Striet
Rev. Jen Bloesch Coming to the MCC!
Rev. Jen Bloesch has accepted a Letter of Call to become the full-time
Designated Interim Pastor of the Community of Hope for 6 months, beginning
on June 27, 2022.
She is originally from the Madison area. Her most recent job was as
Interim Minister at the Middleton Community Church. She also worked as a
Program Director for The Crossing Campus Ministries.
Some of her previous employment also includes being a farm worker, a
FairShare Community Supported Agriculture outreach intern and a Peer Advisor
at the College of Agricultural and Life Sciences Career Services in Madison.
The Search Committee (which included members from both Hope and
Advent) was very enthusiastic about Rev. Bloesch after interviewing her and
watching some of her sermons on-line. She has met with Pastor Nick and she
is looking forward to being a part of the MCC ecumenical partnership. Rev.
Bloesch is particularly interested in the MCC’s environmental stewardship
programs and social justice issues.
As a Designated Interim Pastor, Rev. Bloesch would be eligible for
consideration as a future settled pastor for the Community of Hope. It is
with great joy that we welcome her to Hope and the MCC community.
Pastoral Care & Upcoming Emergencies
For now,
Pastor Nick is obviously the pastoral
staff for both congregations. Please feel free to let him know of pastoral
needs or contacts.
The Road Ahead Review Survey
First, THANK YOU to everyone who completed the survey. We have 106
responses. Though officially closed, we welcome anyone who hasn’t done it
yet to let us know you still plan to do it. If you’ve had any difficulty,
let us know and we will find a way to help. Email Raelenefreitag@gmail.com.
We are now in the final stages of information gathering. Please click here
to read the details of what is to come, including plans for welcoming Pastor
Bloesch.
Helping the Un-housed
“Wow, that’s incredible! I can never thank you all enough! God bless!”
That’s part of the response from Christian, in gratitude simply for making
our parking lot available. Last summer, JustDane (formerly Madison-area
Urban Ministry) put out a plea for congregations to connect with the city
about helping unhoused people transitioning to permanent shelters,
particularly around vehicle storage. The MCC was one of the few to respond
to the plea. Last week, the MCC Leadership Team approved 90 days of allowing
a camper to be parked in our upper lot. The owner is currently living at
Dairy Drive in a tiny house, and the camper was getting vandalized and at
risk of being confiscated where it was. When you see the camper in our lot,
you might celebrate that we had an easy way to make a difference in helping
somebody move toward a more secure future.
Spare White Paint?
If you have a partial gallon of white paint (finish doesn’t matter) not
getting used, bring it to the upper entrance of church. Christian, whose
camper is being stored in our parking lot, has need of about four gallons,
and she thanks you!
Friends of the Lussier Food Pantry
Food Pantry clients are now shopping IN PERSON, for the first time in 2
years!! The MCC Food Pantry garden has brought fresh spinach, lettuce and
radishes grown in our hoop house to the pantry the past 2 weeks. The greens
are packaged, labeled and put in the "Grab and Go" cooler for clients and
families to take. We will take donations to Lussier on Monday or Wednesday.
Jean Einerson, MCC Food Pantry Garden member
Your Faith for Racial Justice
Do you want to engage your faith for racial equity? We’d love to have you
join the MCC plans and conversation. The next meeting of the Racial Justice
Task Force is on Zoom on Wednesday, June 8, 6:30-8:00. Here is a Zoom
link to join (Meeting ID: 896 8202 1138, Passcode: 886678)
Racial Justice at the MCC, in the Wider Church
& Community
Click the headings below to learn more about these opportunities to
participate in racial justice work with the MCC.
Land Acknowledgment
As our First Nations and the MCC group continues to draft a land
acknowledgement from our congregation, you can also read the new statement
from the Wis. Council of Churches.
Owning Our Past: Christianity and Native Americans
Join a series of webinars to understand the complex and often violent
history among Native Peoples (especially of Wisconsin) and white settler
colonialism, the role that Christianity has played, and how contemporary
Christians might begin to take necessary actions toward restorative
justice. Learn
more here.
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