March Compassion Offering:

The Community Immigration Law Center (CILC)

The Community Immigration Law Center (CILC) provides pro bono representation for immigrants facing deportation. CILC is frequently the last line of defense for people who are in need of information and representation in our legal system. The five lawyers and paralegal of CILC are housed at Christ Presbyterian Church in Madison.

With representation such as that of a CILC attorney, a person’s chance of success in immigration court increases dramatically. CILC provides both formal representation of clients plus a weekly asylum clinic. The latter provides information that helps many more people to navigate the judicial process. CILC also hosts an immigration consultation clinic twice a month for anyone in the community with immigration-related questions. CILC coordinates with agencies at the local, state, and national level to support immigrant families in our community and beyond.  

Thank you in advance for your contribution.

Upcoming Sunday Morning Opportunities…

Mark your calendars: there many special events offered both before and after worship!

• March 23, 9:00 a.m. Newcomers Meet & Greet ; 11:15 a.m. Welcome Quilts Open House
• March 30, 9:00 a.m. New Members Class 1st Session
• April 6, 9:00 a.m. Children and Youth Ministry Update with Kate & Julie; 9:00 a.m. New Members Class 2nd Session
• April 13, 9:00 a.m. Palm Sunday Intergenerational Faith Formation; 9:00 a.m. New Members Class 3rd Session
• Easter Sunday, April 20, 6:00 a.m. Easter Sunrise Service followed by brunch; 10:00 Worship; 11:15 a.m. Children and Youth Easter Egg Hunt
• April 27, 9:00 a.m. Care of Creation Mission Team Presents: Gardening with Native Plants, with Jeff Epping; 9:00 a.m. New Members Class 4th Session; and also 11:15 am Presentation by members of the 2025 ORUCC Border Immersion Trip.

Java & Jesus adult faith formation in the Alfred Swan Room at the 9:00 hour on the following dates: March 23, 30, April 6, 13, May 4, 11, 18 and 25.

Please Sign Up to Volunteer on Sunday Mornings!

A Number of Open Slots

in the Near Future!

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, 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 Coffee Maker

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.

Please note: The March in-person Wayfinding gathering has been rescheduled to today, Thursday, March 20th

The in-person Wayfinding gathering for March has been rescheduled to today, Thursday, March 20th, 9:30 – 11:15 am in Friendship Hall (instead of Wednesday, March 19th at those times). The Wayfinding Zoom meeting will be later today, 4:00 – 5:00 pm, with the following log-in information:

Join ZoomMeeting

https://us02web.zoom.us/j/84845886041?pwd=4PhfBp176E1pCJZ7U1NAanhC9P8F3h.1

Meeting ID:848 4588 6041

Passcode:115289

Welcome Quilts Open House, this Sunday, March 23rd after worship

Stop by Friendship Hall, enjoy the quilts, and draw a square for us to transform into an ORUCC welcome quilt! Brought to you by children at Casa Alitas and the Tucson Historical Museum. The quilts are now touring Wisconsin UCC churches, will make their way to other states, and then back to the museum.

Ours to enjoy and stand as a statement of our welcome to all.

Brought to you by the Immigration Justice Team.

Plastic Recycling Update from Care of Creation

We have nearly met our goal of collecting 1,000 pounds of plastic bags! Please bring all remaining bags to church by March 30 for the final collection. After that point, we encourage you to continue recycling bags by taking them to your local grocery store. HyVee, Metcalfs, Pick n’ Save and MetroMart all have plastic bag recycling programs that follow the same guidelines we’ve been using at church. Thank you for your participation in the project. You’ve helped to keep 1,000 pounds of plastic out of the landfill!

Join the Landscape Team! 

   We need to have a team to make decisions about plans for work in the church landscape this year. We have received recommendations from Tim Andrews Landscaping about how the landscape is changing and needs revision. This costs money so the Ministry of Resources wants input from gardeners interested in the landscape about these changes (in the meditation garden and bare spots around the foundation of the building). We want to plant low maintenance natives that don’t need a lot of watering or weeding. Please bring your ideas and expertise to a meeting after service on April 6. If interested in joining contact Joyce Pohl, at: [email protected]. 

An Opportunity to Serve UW Students

In February, the focus of our compassion offering was The Crossing campus ministry. Thank you for your generous support! Were you excited by what you heard from the Executive Director, Michael Burch, and the Justice Advocate for Criminal Justice, CeCe Babat, in February? Are you interested in continuing to support ORUCC’s connection with The Crossing? Do you feel called to serve? We have another opportunity for you to support The Crossing. The Crossing’s Board of Directors is looking for passionate and engaged board members to join the board in serving the staff and students.

The Crossing is a diverse and caring community of students who find belonging, embrace exploration, advocate passionately for justice issues, and become who they are inspired to become. The Crossings mission of learning about faith and advocating for justice aligns well with ORUCC’s mission and our two ministries have been connected for more than fifteen years.

To learn more about becoming a board member, contact Sue Dixon at 608-712-9050 or [email protected]. To learn more about The Crossing campus ministry, visit: The Crossing | Wisconsin-Madison

Mark Your Calendars

On Thursday April 3rd at 5:30pm we will be hosting a Dane Sanctuary Coalition wide meeting via Zoom. This will be a time for us to connect and get up to date on all that is happening. Please block the time in your calendar and plan to attend!

Transformation! A community art project. 

 For I am about to do a new thing! Isaiah 43:19

First Congregational UCC, Madison (1609 University Avenue) is hosting an Intergenerational Community Art Project. 

Nearly 30 yards of canvas are waiting for inspiration! This special Lenten Project is open to all ages and skill levels. Artists are invited to leave their mark through free-form and abstract painting. The TRANSFORMATION is open to the public, so artists need not be members of First Cong to participate. 

Public painting hours are Sunday’s from 11:00 am – 1:00 pm and Tuesdays & Wednesdays from 6-8 pm. Wednesday evenings are reserved for quiet, contemplative, painting, while Tuesday evening sessions are open for more joyous expression.

The project kicked off Sunday, March 9th and runs through Wednesday, April 2nd. No sign up, just come and paint! 

Painting supplies are provided, all you have to bring is inspiration! 

Heart-Opening Opportunity

Are you feeling sad, scattered, isolated? Are you wondering where God is right now? The Thursday morning Meditation Group would love to have you join us, breathe in God’s presence, and ground yourself in love.

Thursdays, 8:30 – 9:30 am in the Romero Room. Questions? Contact Susi Petta at 608-712-9539 or Becky Baumbach at 608-239-0221.

Come sing with us!

Join our Choir!

All singers are welcome to join our Choir! Rehearsals are Wednesday

evenings from 7:00 to 8:30pm. We sing in worship the first and third

Sundays of the month, gathering for rehearsal 9am those Sunday mornings.

Please share your voice with a group of music-loving friendly people! For more information, email Bruce Gladstone at [email protected].

Spiritual

Nourishment

for you!

Daily Reflections: March 20 – 26

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. If you know someone who needs encouragement and would like the devotional mailed to them, please contact the church office.

Daily Reflections: March 20 – 26

Orchard Ridge United Church of Christ

1501 Gilbert Road

Madison, WI 53711

608-271-7212

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