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 a new beginning in Madison.

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 protected]

Worship in the Park 

• Good Shepherd Lutheran Church and Orchard Ridge UCC 
• Western Hills Park- Today, Thursday, June 19, 2025 
• Meal from the Holy COW Food Truck at 5:30pm
• Worship with Holy Communion at 6:00pm

Join Good Shepherd Lutheran Church & Pastor Dara and Orchard Ridge UCC & Pastor Julia for a joint worship service at Western Hills Park (on Whitney Way). We will be honoring Juneteenth with a worship of prayer and Holy Communion. A meal for the Holy COW Food Truck will be served at 5:30pm (Pay-what-you-can) with worship beginning at 6:00pm. Proceeds from the meal will go to cover the cost of food and any additional funds will go to Keeping Neighbors Connected- Meadowood rental assistance program and ministry partnership between Orchard Ridge UCC and Good Shepherd.  

Our Generosity at Work: Compassion Offering for May

We are delighted to report that May’s Compassion Offering for the Madison Arcatao Sister City Project (MASCP) amounted to $4,818.81. Arcatao, El Salvador, is one of Madison’s ten sister cities. Since 1986, Madison and Arcatao have worked together to learn from each other in solidarity across international boundaries. As part of the U.S.-El Salvador Sister Cities (USESSC) network, MASCP works for social change by building and defending sustainable communities and economies.

MOSES Mission Team to meet on Friday, June 20th

The next meeting of the MOSES mission team will be 1:30 – 2:30 pm, Friday, June 20th on Zoom. You are invited to attend if you want to learn more. This group provides two-way connections between ORUCC and MOSES. MOSES (Madison Organizing in Strength, Equity, and Solidarity) is an advocacy group that is an affiliate of the statewide WISDOM network. Working groups within MOSES and the larger WISDOM network seek to promote racial equity while addressing a variety of policy issues including improved response to mental health emergencies, supporting public schools, increasing literacy and incorporating restorative justice in schools, reducing homelessness, reducing the number of people in jail and prison and treating incarcerated people humanely, and voting rights. ORUCC is a congregational member of MOSES. For more information see the MOSES website: https://www.mosesmadison.org/

Zoom information:

https://us02web.zoom.us/j/81650153506?pwd=c48GEXkXEp5pr0wN2svHBzR7VE5dAg.1

Meeting ID: 816 5015 3506

Passcode: 960218 

For more information contact [email protected] or [email protected]

How UCC Mission Partners bring hope to the Holy Land

Sunday, June 29th, at 9:00 am, 

in Friendship Hall

During the past 16 years, ORUCC members Diane Dulin and Tom Beilman have traveled multiple times to the Holy Land. They’ve seen firsthand how UCC Mission Partners (partner organizations) bring hope and friendship to oppressed peoples, amidst the constant stress of military occupation. Come and hear inspiring, informative stories about the vital work of these Mission Partners.

Join our disability advocacy conversation on Sunday, July 13th

On July 13th after church from 11:15 am-12:30 pm, disabilities activist Laurine Lusk and Pastor Julia invite you to join us for an open conversation along these lines:

·       Hearing from one another about our concern for this political moment.

·       Supporting and encouraging one another in our advocacy work.

·       Wondering together about creating an advocacy mission team or disability advocacy mission team within the church

·       Deciding our goals or focus: emotional & spiritual, more action-oriented, or both.

·       Identifying our skills, resources, and the connections that may support our goals.

Naturally, you may be considering your already busy schedule and wondering if you have space for a gathering like this.  On the other hand, you may wonder if our country is moving so quickly in a dangerous direction that it’s important to prioritize this advocacy discussion.  Of course, there is no one right way to face these political times.  We know that we can do more when we organize together and support one another. If you decide to join in this initial discussion, it would be valuable to hear your perspective and likely also helpful to hear from others.

The Dane Sanctuary Coalition is sponsoring an evening with Dr. Sergio Gonzales: Sanctuary and Sacred Resistance, July 17th at 6pm over ZOOM

Click here to register:

https://us02web.zoom.us/meeting/register/t3yofBiDT-WZhJrKxvE5tQ#/registration

Help needed with our flower gardens!

We need some help with taking care of the flower gardens at ORUCC. Not all of the jobs involve hours of weeding in the hot sun. Some jobs take only 15 -20 minutes. Other jobs are just for one time. 

Small Landscaping jobs at ORUCC

Water the flower pots at the main doors on Fridays and/or Sundays

Water new plantings at the edge of the meditation garden and in front of the sign on Gilbert Road

Deadhead flowers (peonies and irises need deadheading now)

Plant tulips from pots to ground in the bed at the end of education wing

Bigger jobs

Transplant some big hostas from entrance garden to northwest corner garden (where a stump was recently removed). Water when needed.

Dig up a few weedy trees from flower bed in parking lot and on west side of church

Work on plantings of coral bells in front of the sign

Paint allliums in rainbow colors for pride month

Install edging at bed at end of education wing

Big jobs

Weed rain gardens

Weed and prune in the meditation garden

A small group of garden tenders meet on Wednesday mornings (on Friday this week) to work together in the gardens. Join us for some work and lots of conversation or work on the projects independently. Thanks for helping out!

Joyce, Alice, Susan and Deanna 

Stay up to date on ORUCC Children and Youth happenings

Want to stay up to date on the latest with children and youth at ORUCC? Check out our weekly updates here:

https://orucc.org/keeping-current/children-and-youth-news//

MOSES’ Racial Justice for All Children Task Force is seeking volunteers

MOSES’ Racial Justice for All Children Task Force is looking for people who are passionate about addressing disparities in literacy among our students, promoting wellness and restorative practices in our schools rather than exclusionary discipline, and ensuring that our young people are in safe, stable and affordable housing. For more information, please visit our page on the MOSES website: https://www.mosesmadison.org/rjac/ Or contact Shel Gross, [email protected] 608-250-4368. ORUCC members Barbie Jackson [email protected] and John Lemke  [email protected] participate in this task force and can give you more information as well. 

Please Sign Up to Volunteer on Sunday Mornings!

AT ORUCC, the Members are the Ministers!

We are seeking volunteers to serve on Sunday mornings for in-person worship. You need not be a member, simply a person who loves ORUCC and is eager to find a place to serve! Young people are welcome to sign up, too!

Would you consider serving one or more times as a Welcomer, an Usher, a Lay Liturgist or to assist with Holy Communion?

Feel free to sign up as an individual, a couple, or a family!

Click here to sign up as a Welcomer

Click here to sign up as an Usher

Click here to sign up as a Lay Liturgist

Click here to assist with Holy Communion

• Page #1: Choose the date you are available to volunteer and select the box that says “SIGN UP“.  Then, at the bottom of the page select the box “SAVE & CONTINUE“.
• Page #2: Enter your first/last name and your email address. Then select the box at the bottom of the page “SIGN UP NOW“

Questions or problems signing up?

Contact Ken Pennings at [email protected] or 608-556-2371.

Spiritual

Nourishment

for you!

Daily Reflections for June

We are grateful for the ministry of Jeanne Moberly, who is a member of Adult Faith Formation, as she puts together a set of fresh readings every month for our devotional practice at Orchard Ridge UCC. Starting this month, we will be posting a full month (instead of week by week) of Daily Reflections. If you know someone who needs encouragement and would like the devotional mailed to them, please contact the church office.

Daily Reflections for June 2025

Orchard Ridge United Church of Christ

1501 Gilbert Road

Madison, WI 53711

608-271-7212

Office Hours: M-Th 8:30-12:30