Worship Resources for June 22, 2025

Orchard Ridge UCC on June 21, 2025

Orchard Ridge

United Church of Christ

Sunday Worship Resources

Sunday, June 22

Second Sunday after Pentecost

10:00 am – Outdoor Worship at ORUCC

with Flicker Wild Church

An opportunity for all ages to enjoy the beauty of Creation

in Worship on the lawn!

Musical Offerings: Melissa Simonson

Lay Liturgist: Laura Conners

(see below)

11:00 am – Meet with Daniel Cooperrider in Friendship Hall

to hear the story of Wild Church

11:00 am – Adult Faith Formation’s “Book Share” on the lawn

(see below)

Please note that due to the special outdoor worship service this Sunday there will be no bulletin or live streaming of the service on YouTube.

June 22nd Sunday Morning Summer Solstice Outdoor Worship hosted by Flicker Wild Church

After a flurry of blossoming, here it’s as if all of a sudden all the leaves on the trees are out, and the daisies and other wildflowers are welcoming back their summer friends, the hummingbirds and the butterflies. Amid the buzzing, bumptious energy of the season, it’s been a joy for us as a family to celebrate Kindred’s first birthday, and as I’ve been reflecting on the first year of her life, gratitude has been welling up for you all—for the love and kindness and generosity of spirit that ORUCC has wrapped her and our whole family up in. I feel so blessed to be a part of such a joyful, welcoming, progressive spiritual community, and for ORUCC to be the spiritual home for us and for our daughters. Thank you!

I appreciate how at ORUCC there’s an understanding that “all of the congregants are ministers,” as the weekly bulletin puts it. For me, my ministry efforts (in addition to vocations of family and writing), have been directed to planting a new church start – Flicker Wild Church. Flicker started gathering on the Fall Equinox of 2023 out of a sense of call to host outdoor, seasonal, and earth-honoring spiritual community. The seeds of it trace back to a “wild church” circle that the ORUCC Care of Creation team organized when they did a study of my book.. From the start of Flicker, participation from ORUCC folks has been integral to our community. After almost two-years now, I’m excited to share that Flicker has continued to emerge, grow, and cohere into a vibrant spiritual community! With a few grants from the Wisconsin Conference and national setting of the UCC, I am stepping into a more formal role of “Convening Pastor.” We recently made a video introducing ourselves – hopefully you can feel some of the spirit here..If you’d like to experience Flicker our Solstice gathering will be June 20^th, 6pm at Holy Wisdom Monastery.

On Sunday, June 22^nd we will be offering an ORUCC x Flicker Wild Church collaborative, outdoor worship experience at our 10am hour. We’ll gather outside on the church lawn, in a circle, around a fire, and we will link our day’s praise to the liturgy of the Solstice season and to the day. And then following worship, we’ll offer a chance to learn more about Flicker and the Wild Church Network during a Q&A conversation, which Rachel Bauman, Associate Conference Minister will be joining us for. I look forward to worshipping with you on the 22^nd, and to sharing a glimpse into “wild church” with our ORUCC community.

Blessings,

Daniel Cooperrider (Pastor Julia Burkey’s spouse)

—

Daniel Cooperrider, Convening Pastor of Flicker Wild Church & author of Speak with the Earth and It Will Teach You: A Field Guide to the Bible (Pilgrim Press), Gold Winner in the 2023 Nautilus Book Awards. danielcooperrider.com

Adult Faith Formation to Sponsor Book-Share on June 22nd after Worship

The Ministry of Adult Faith Formation is sponsoring a one-day book-share on Sunday, June 22nd. We invite ORUCC members and friends to bring books to exchange on that Sunday. We ask that the books help us live out our mission of being spiritually alive, joyfully inclusive, and committed to justice, books that you would highly recommend to a friend. Bring your books before or after worship and place them on the tables on the lawn. Feel free to browse and take a book even if you don’t bring a book. Looking forward to seeing what great titles appear!

Direct questions to Bob Millholland at email: [email protected]

June Compassion Offering:

Refugee Resettlement in Dane County

The June Compassion Offering is Refugee Resettlement and Immigrant Services at Jewish Social Services of Madison (JSS). JSS works to empower individuals and families across cultures and generations through compassionate, community-based support. Rooted in Jewish values and open to all, JSS provides critical services across Dane County—from senior and family support, immigrant assistance, spiritual care, programs addressing housing insecurity, and a weekly meal site. At the heart of this work is a deep commitment to caring for the vulnerable and welcoming the stranger.

The Refugee Resettlement and Immigrant Services Program, the largest at JSS, has been a cornerstone of the JSS mission since the aftermath of World War II. Since then, JSS has successfully settled newcomers from around the world. Recently, the federal government cut off funding for recently arrived refugees, promised them to build new lives here and to thrive as our neighbors. JSS remains steadfast in its commitment to these individuals and families—offering housing support, case management, and a compassionate welcome. Your support through the Compassion Offering helps bridge a critical funding gap and will honor our promise to those seeking safety and and a new beginning in Madison.