MARCH COMPASSION OFFERING

Just Dane (formerly MUM)

JustDane(formerly Madison-area Urban Ministry), is a non-profit organization that offers an array of direct supportive initiatives for:

• people being released from incarceration through our reentry programs, including the Journey Home, Circles of Support and Peer Support,
• children and families impacted by the justice system,
• justice-involved youth,
• employment training for people with barriers to employment through Just Bakery,
• recuperative medical respite for families experiencing homelessness at Healing House.

In 2023 over 750 individuals received support through JustDane’s initiatives.

This year JustDane celebrates 50 years of social justice work in our community. Throughout our 50 years JustDane has, and continues to engage in the community advocating for State and local justice system reforms, fair and affordable housing, an end to homelessness and racial and economic justice. Rev. William Sloane Coffin once said, “charity yes, always, but never as a substitute for justice.” His words reflect the importance of our work at JustDane offering support to individuals and families in our community, alleviating suffering while working to eliminate the causes of the suffering.

 VIDEO

 Thank you for giving generously

You can make a donation by check, on the memo line, please write “compassion” and mail to ORUCC, 1501 Gilbert Road, Madison, WI 53711,

or donate online from our website. The link is https://orucc.org/contribute/support/

If you’d like to know more about JustDane’s work, there are two members of ORUCC on JustDane’s Board: Julie Horst and Phil Haslanger. They would be happy to share more about JustDane’s work in our community. We also invite you to join us on Thursday, April 11^th as we celebrate 50 years. Our keynote speaker for the event will be Father Boyle, Founder of Homeboy Industries in Los Angeles. (Use QR code below for tickets to the April 11^th Father Boyle event.)

Welcome to Lent at ORUCC! Our theme this year for Lent, inspired by one of the most popular and loved topic of Wayfinding: Soul Tasks of Aging, last year, is “‘Fear not!’ Becoming Death Doulas”

On March 3rd we will lift up times when death does not feel fair or natural, such as untimely deaths, tragedy or death by suicide, and following worship we will have a local expert come share time with us for a suicide prevention and awareness circle on March 3rd.

March 10th will lead us into the Biblical mantra of “fear not!” repeated by angels and psalmists and prophets throughout scripture.

On March 17th we will visit with the death doula women in the Bible who anointed the body of Jesus and think together about end of life rituals.

On March 24th we follow Jesus into Palm Sunday, with the triumphant waving of palm branches, and we will think about Jesus’ call to justice, and how death work can be justice work- and learn about green burials.

On Easter March 31st we will gather both at sunrise with brunch following and at 10am for a joyous celebration of the resurrection, the mystery at the heart of Christianity, that even in the face of death, God dreams and births new life. Perhaps the call of a death doula is to become midwives to the resurrection.

Suicide Awareness and Prevention Discussion

Following worship on March 3, all are welcome to participate in an important discussion to learn more about suicide awareness and how we can help support loved ones in crisis. Pastor Kate’s colleague and friend Janine Bussa, DAT, LPC, ATR-BC, will offer her experience and expertise. Janine is an art therapist and the clinical director of Trailhead Therapy and Mentoring.

Confirmation 2024

Confirmation will be offered this spring for all youth in 7th-9th grade who have not yet been confirmed. This is a special time in the life of our young people where they will be invited to explore their own faith, and learn and grow together! Pastor Kate will have an information session for all interested youth and their adults on March 3rd at 3:30 in the Brown Room (downstairs). Classes will begin on March 10th, with Confirmation Sunday on Pentecost, May 20th.

Throughout the confirmation season, be on the lookout for interactive opportunities for the whole congregation in Friendship Hall! Please reach out to Pastor Kate with any questions, [email protected].

We would love to have you at the all-ages, rescheduled All Church Retreat in April at Daycholah Center!

If you’d like to join for the whole weekend, the cost is $200 for adults (12+) and $140 for children (6-11, children under 5 are free). This includes lodging for two nights, dinner Friday night, three meals Saturday and one meal Sunday morning. The church is able to supplement part of the weekend financially from our budget, which is already reflected in the cost.

We have partial and full scholarships available, so please reach out to us if financial help would make this more accessible for your family, or if you’d like to pay extra to sponsor someone anonymously.

Register here and please pay registration fees on the church website.

Here are some FAQ for our retreat:

Who are our retreat leaders? And what are we doing?

Pastor Kate & Pastor Julia are coordinating a wonderful time with games, fun, and wandering the grounds in between thoughtful programming, delicious meals and plenty of down time to read and relax.

Our Saturday morning retreat leader is The Rev. Kirsten Worzala-Dumke, Chaplain at UW Carbonne Cancer Center and former pastor of Parroquia Santa Maria (a Spanish-language congregation associated with Luther Memorial Church ELCA). Kirsten is also a trusted friend of Pastor Kate.

After some free time, Saturday afternoon will include Wild Church with Pastor Julia’s spouse Daniel Cooperrider around the fire.

Leslie Linser will offer an opportunity for all-abilities Yoga on Saturday evening.

Sunday morning will close with worship facilitated by Pastor Kate & Pastor Julia.

Will this be super fun? Yes definitely!

What is the sleeping situation? If you have specific questions reach out to our wonderful Daycholah coordinator Kaitlyn: [email protected]

Some rooms are private and some are shared, and if you’d like to request a private room please reach out. The facilities have twin size mattresses and you will need to bring bedding.

If I do register, what should I bring?

Sleeping bag or warm blanket & sheets and pillows for a twin size bed.

Towels and toiletries.

Warm outdoor clothes and rain boots.

Cozy indoor clothes and indoor shoes.

Is Daycholah accessible? Yes! They have accessible rooms as well and an elevator in the dining hall building. They also have a golf cart that could be used for traversing Daycholah.

While is no way we could say there are no trip or fall hazards (Daycholah is built into a large hill, and there is always a risk of ice and bad weather in January) Daycholah staff will do everything they can to assist with any guest needs. If there are specific requests, please know we will do our very best to accommodate.

For other questions related to the facilities, meals, and lodging, contact Kaitlyn: [email protected]

Here are the registration links again:

REGISTRATION FORM

PAYMENT SITE

We cannot wait to share time with you in the New Year!

Julia & Kate

Help TRU Function get a Drum set!!!!!

You can now contribute online! LINK

Women’s Book Group



The Last Bookshop in London by Madeline Martin is the book up for discussion on March 7 for the ORUCC Women’s Book Group. Our leader will be Cheryl Donkle. Please join us from 1:30pm to 3:00pm on Zoom. A link will be sent to the book group mailing list. If you are interested in joining, please contact Deanna Blanchard at [email protected].

Volunteers requested for Neighborhood Initiative

ORUCC is invited to partner with Good Sheperd Lutheran Church (GSLC) and Joining Forces for Families (JFF) to pilot a Housing Navigator resource for people in our Madison Southwest neighborhood. We are looking for 4 volunteers who would be willing to work with individuals experiencing challenges finding housing. JFF and other neighborhood agencies conduct a walk-in Job Shop at Meadowood Center every Wednesday morning 9-12noon for neighbors in the Southwest area looking to find a new or better job. Support services each Wednesday include social workers, Center staff, UW students for resume writing, and more. Large tables with computers provided, lend ample space for work with individuals. This is a comfortable and supportive team environment for those needing assistance in job hunting to ensure family stability and housing security. 

If you are interested in becoming a Housing Navigator volunteer for this new initiative, you will receive in-person training.  You will become part of a team to make a real difference in people’s lives in our church neighborhood.

If you are interested in working on this exciting pilot program, please contact:

Rick Thomas

Outreach Director

Good Shepherd Lutheran Church

608-212-7582 or [email protected]

Spiritual

Nourishment

for you!

For the week of Feb 29 – March 6

Read this week’s reflections as a way to dive deeper into your spiritual practice or to get some nourishment and inspiration

for your day.



Click Here for Reflections

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 week for our devotional practice at Orchard Ridge UCC. You will see these posted daily if you are part of the “Members & Friends” Facebook group. If you know someone who needs encouragement and would like the devotional mailed to them, please contact Julie Wombacher in the church office.

Great Progress Being Made Creating Quilts for Gaza

Friday Breakfast Group – March 1

The next Friday Breakfast is set for March 1 at 8:30 am at Denny’s, 433 S. Gammon Road. All are welcome! The group meets on the first Friday of the month and includes both men and women. Join us for this informal chance to connect and converse on many topics. Contact Louise Jeanne, Link for more information.

Lunch and Learn

Wednesday, March 13th, 11:30

Our program for March will be presented by Ann Albert, Executive Director AgeBetter.org.  That organization has created Sharing Active Independent Lives (SAIL).

SAIL IS sharing active independent lives… each and every day. The SAIL staff cherishes senior members’ experiences, wisdom, and unique talents. They form a vibrant community where support, learning, and togetherness thrive. SAIL provides an array of services designed to protect independence and encourage connections—most of which were created or inspired by members. Members volunteer to help one another and the organization.

We gather on Wednesday the 13^th at 11:30, dine from a wonderful buffet at 11:45, ($10 per person) and adjourn for the program at 12:30.  Please RSVP to Steve Sheets: [email protected]. 

“Holdovers” is our Movie Group Selection

March 7^th, 7:30

Oakwood Fine Arts Auditorium

Sure to elicit laughter, this comedy-drama is set in 1970.  A cranky instructor (Pail Giamatti) at a New England prep school remains on campus during Christmas break to babysit a handful of students with nowhere to go. He soon forms an unlikely bond with a brainy but damaged troublemaker (Dominic Sessa), and with the school’s head cook (Da’Vine Joy Randolph), a woman who just lost a son in the Vietnam War.

The film has garnered five Oscar nominations; Best Picture; Best Screenplay; Best Film Editing; Best Actor, Paul Giamatti;   Best Supporting Actress, Da’Vine Joy Randolph.

Join us March 7^th, 7:30 p.m. at Oakwood.  Discussion to follow in the Mendota room.  Questions?  Contact Steve Sheets, [email protected], or Doug Loving, [email protected]. 

Moderator Moment

Well, my first Moderator Moment and I am so happy to share what our Leadership Team is up to! On February 20 we had a mini-retreat to kick off our year! We had a meal together prior to our guest speaker and our regular meeting. For me, the highlight was the first hour we spent with ORUCC member, and professional speaker and coach, Darcy Luoma. Darcy worked through discussions and activities designed to create high performing teams.



Our group was so positively energized that we got through our meeting agenda in about two-thirds the time it would usually take and made some great decisions. One of those was a creative way to fund the purchase of a $4000 new drum set for our youth band, TRU Function. We made an appeal to the congregation this past Sunday for donations and plan to make up any shortfall with memorial funds. You are welcome to send donations to the church office. I believe this is one of the excellent ways we show our youth we appreciate them!

I am also very happy that 3 of our 10 Leadership Team members are relatively new to our congregation, as well as 14 of the 33 members on the five Ministries. I am very thankful for the energy these wonderful people have for doing God’s work in our world and I’m looking forward to a great year. Please take a few minutes to look at the Leadership Team bulletin board in the hallway near the kitchen! Talk to us about your dreams for ORUCC.

Join Beth Israel Center and Dane Sanctuary Coalition on March 10 at 7:pm

Please join Beth Israel Center and the Dane Sanctuary Coalition on March 10 at 7:00pm for a presentation from members of Beth Israel Center on their recent volunteer trips to Casa Alitas in Tucson. Throughout October, groups of volunteers from Beth Israel Center journeyed to Tucson to volunteer at Casa Alitas, a migrant welcome center. As the crisis at our border increases, the needs for help at Casa Alitas and similar migrant centers will only increase.

Join us on March 10 and hear about the volunteers’ experiences and how the trip came together. The event will be in person at Beth Israel Center, 1406 Mound St, Madison, WI 53711, and also on Zoom.

Please RSVP by March 8 using this google form: https://forms.gle/363KwRqsxQwyV3Q59

Rabbi Bonnie Margulis

Executive Director

Wisconsin Faith Voices for Justice

608-513-7121

Dane Sanctuary Coalition Steering Committee 

Our newly formed Land Acknowledgment Task Force met this week and is beginning to lay a foundation for the purpose of a land acknowledgment and our specific actions as a congregation in response. On March 5th, our very own Rev. Kerri Parker, member of ORUCC and Executive Director of the Wisconsin Council of Churches will be giving a presentation about land acknowledgments at MacFarland UCC 6:30-8pm .



By Zoom on Thursdays: 04:00 PM Central Time

    Mar 21, 2024 04:00 PM

    Apr 18, 2024 04:00 PM

    May 16, 2024 04:00 PM

Click here to join Zoom meeting



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IN CASE YOU MISSED IT!

Pastor Julia–Fear Not! Becoming Death Doulas Feb 18 Click Here

Sign Up Now Through the End of June 2024!

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 Coffee Maker, a Welcomer, 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 Coffee Maker

Click here to sign up as a Welcomer

Click here to sign up as a Lay Liturgist

Click here to assist with Holy Communion

After selecting one or more dates, you will need to click “Submit and Sign Up” at the bottom of the page, then enter your name & email address, then click “Sign Up Now.”

Questions or problems signing up?

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

Orchard Ridge United Church of Christ

1501 Gilbert Road

Madison, WI 53711

608-271-7212

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