Java & Jesus (Hybrid)

In-Person in the Alfred Swan Room at the Church, or by Zoom

June 12, 9 am – Jeanne Moberly facilitating

Click here to join J&J by Zoom

Contact  Ken Pennings to be added to the Java & Jesus email list, or if you’re having trouble accessing the Zoom meeting. The Zoom Link will also be included in the Saturday Worship Email.  

The arts help us process the world in deep ways that touch our soul. 

Calling all artists and arts appreciators for a planning conversation. on June 15, 6:30pm, ZOOM conversation! Whether it is knitting, paper cranes, chalk art, quilting, sketching, painting, photography, dance, sculpture, film, poetry, you name it. We want to invite creativity into our summer worship and we want your help. We will include arts either during church AND/OR for 30 minutes or so after church doing collective or individual creative projects. Would you join us for this conversation next Wednesday evening to help us co-create and see what God dreams for us around creativity this summer? We want summer church to be welcoming and appealing for all ages.

Join Zoom Meeting:

https://us02web.zoom.us/j/83242955422?pwd=LzgvWEtkZzFoNkVCb2FtZ1gva0I1Zz09

Meeting ID: 832 4295 5422

Passcode: 822159

By Phone: 1 312 626 6799        

Piano Music

Sunday, June 12, 2022 

1:30 pm

Vicki Nonn has been working on piano pieces during the “COVID” season and would love to grace the congregation with her music.  If you have a little time on Sunday, June 12 at 1:30, please drop by and share this wonderful gift she has to offer us.  

Garden & Grounds Work

Saturday, June 11

10:00 am 

After pruning there is new growth……

It is time to prune the huge lilacs in the churchyard. We need people to bring chainsaws, pruners and upper body strength to work on the landscape this Saturday at 10:00 AM! The lilacs can be cut down to the ground (easier but heavy) OR we can do renewal pruning which involves taking out the largest 1/3 of the trunks (more thought and time involved). Renewal pruning promotes new growth and blossoms that we can reach. The lilacs are done blooming for this year and the city is scheduled to pick up brush next week so this is the right time to do this. 

We need to try to kill off the weeds in paths using a home made, non toxic substitute for Round Up. If your knees hurt or your arms aren’t really strong this may be the job for you! 

General weeding and smaller pruning jobs are also on the agenda. We even have a baby Pagoda Dogwood tree to try to save in the meditation garden. Please bring gloves, tools marked with your name and a water bottle. Treats will be provided. Plan to go home before noon. 

Volunteers for Camp Awesum Needed

Camp Awesum, our UCC camp for people on the autism spectrum and their families, is looking for volunteers. Experience is not required. Just patience and the ability to adapt to the needs of individuals. Each day during the week is split between working and your own relaxation. The work is extremely satisfying. The goal for all of the staff/volunteers is to provide respite for the parents and an enjoyable time for their families. The following link takes you to the Camp Awesum website. https://ucci.org/camp-awesum/ If you have any questions, contact Jill Westberg at [email protected].

Spiritual

Nourishment

for you!

For the week of June 9 – June 15

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.

It’s time to do your part 

to get out the vote! 

Join other congregations for training in voter registration and vote canvassing. Sponsored by the Wisconsin Interfaith Voter Engagement Campaign and the League of Women Voters. Canvassing Kick-off Day to be announced soon.  

For questions and signup, contact Ruth Ann Berkholtz at [email protected], and see flyer.  Thank you!

Yoga at ORUCC with Leslie Linser

I have been practicing yoga for the last 8 years and recently completed my 200 hour yoga teacher training. I am very excited to offer yoga classes at ORUCC.  My goal is to offer a yoga class grounded in spirituality.  This means there will be space for prayer and meditation while moving with the breath.

What is Yoga?

For people who are not familiar with yoga, it is a practice that involves different movements and postures that are coordinated with the breath.  The original practice of yoga involved the challenge of stilling the mind by focusing on the breath with very little or no movement.  It has evolved to include postures, called asanas, and movement.  Indeed, there are many types of yoga, but the primary purpose continues to be a mental exercise as well as a physical one.

Is This Right For Me?

The style of yoga being offered is best described as a gentle, slow flow.  And while this will be slow and gentle it will require the ability to get on and off a mat (the floor).  If one is able to get on and off the mat then most poses can be modified to fit your abilities.  It is important that you know your own abilities and limitations and consult your physician if you are unsure if this is right for you. Whether you are a beginner or experienced in yoga practice, this class is intended to support you in engaging in gentle movements and in entering into a space of quiet and meditation that all can experience.  And if you are an experienced practitioner there will be space and opportunities for more challenging poses.

When, Where and What

• The class will be offered every Sunday in June beginning at 8:45am and lasting about 50 minutes 
• We will use the outdoor space north of the worship hall, on the concrete slab, now called the patio. An alternative indoor option will be provided in the case of inclement weather
• You will need to bring a mat and a firm blanket to provide extra padding if you wish.
• There is no cost to participate in this ORUCC-sponsored activity. However, donations will be accepted 
• After the June classes I will evaluate the degree of interest and determine whether to continue to offer a class throughout the year.

If you have questions please email me at [email protected]

From the Immigration Justice Team

“Spring Cleaning?”

Save those clothes for the Casa Alitas Clothing Drive in August!

We’ll begin receiving donations after August 8!

Save the date!

Celebration of Tammy Martens’ Ministry

August 6, 2022 at 5pm

Stay tuned for more details

If you have questions or suggestions please contact

Ann Evensen [email protected]  cell 608 628 4280 

Barbara Stretchberry [email protected]  cell 608-239-6669

Kellie Miller [email protected]   cell 608 852-7578

News for Covid Response Team

The COVID Response Team met Sunday, June 5th, and decided not to change anything, but to hold steady where we are. Positive test rates in Dane County are up currently, which we are watching.

We continue to recommend that masks be required during worship, in order to extend the broadest welcome to all. For small groups that use the church outside of the worship service, they may continue to work with the pastors to make the best determination for their group.

We are starting to digest the new COVID metrics that have become publicly available, and to consider how they might guide our decision-making in the future. 

While the recommendations continue to evolve, we reiterate that by wearing even a non-fitted N95 mask – freely available outside Worship Hall – the wearer essentially ensures that nobody can be considered a “close contact” during worship. (It would take hours of continuous exposure to an unmasked individual for this to be the case!) This frees us from the need to be concerned with “contact tracing,” etc. if any of our friends test positive for COVID — although we do appreciate being able to pray for them during Joys & Concerns. Please keep telling us when you test positive for COVID after being in worship or at a church function.

AT ORUCC, the Members are the Ministers!

We are seeking a whole new team of volunteers to serve in 2022 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!

Would you consider serving one or more times as a Lay Liturgist, a Welcomer, or for 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 a Lay Liturgist



Click here to sign up as a Coffee-Maker

Click here to assist with Holy Communion

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

Orchard Ridge United Church of Christ

1501 Gilbert Road

Madison, WI 53711

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