Daylight Saving Time begins this Sunday at 2:00 am. Move your clocks forward one hour!

Worker Justice Wisconsin is a Madison-based non-profit that works with low-wage and immigrant workers to build collective worker power through four programs. These programs include: the anti-wage theft campaign, where workers are taught to read their pay stubs, file complaints with the state, and organize publicly to pressure bad employers who steal from their employees; the construction campaign, where construction workers are educated on their rights and receive strategic support in organizing against exploitative contractors; the workplace organizing program, where workers receive support in creating their own union; and the co-ops incubation program, where workers who want to own their own business receive educational and organizational support. Funds from the compassion offering will be used to support this program.

Worker cooperatives are autonomous workplaces where workers own and manage the business democratically and distribute profit equitably among themselves. In other words, there is no traditional hierarchical relationship between employer and employee. Because establishing a worker co-op is difficult, and immigrant workers face additional language, cultural, and entrepreneurial barriers, WJW’s program demystifies this process and provides education and mentorship. In 2025, WJW helped launch Los Volcanes, a textile and screenprinting co-op. In 2026, WJW plans to launch a commercial cleaning co-op.

WJW is facing a substantial loss of federal funds. The co-op incubation program in particular has been seriously affected. During the last two years, WJW received close to $40,000 from the U. S Department of Agriculture, for this program. Under the new administration, that money no longer exists.

For more information, please view this video:  Worker Justice Wisconsin video

Holy Water Project, March 8th 11:15, Friendship Hall

Join Pastor Julia for a conversation to learn about some of the Holy Water events for ORUCC members and friends to participate in this Spring, inspired by the Lilly Grant that ORUCC received to fund Pastor Julia’s sabbatical this upcoming summer! There is a way for everyone to be involved with activities to choose from such as: short pilgrimage walks to local sacred springs at the Arboretum, bird watching before the full moon rise at Pheasant Branch, an evening Holy Water retreat at ORUCC, a blessing our rain garden for Earth Day, the opportunity to sauna and plunge in or interact with our local watershed at Tuli Sauna & Plunge in Paoli and Kindled Community Sauna, a potluck at Lake Wingra, collecting your own sacred water this summer, learning about watershed discipleship, and even opportunities to learn about ‘water is life’ from Indigenous women this Fall. Come to this pre-launch conversation to learn more and find out how you can participate and collaborate.

Women’s Book Group to meet this afternoon

The Women’s Book Group will meet today, Thursday, March 5th at 1:30 pm in the Alfred Swan Room and on Zoom to discuss Mrs. Quinn’s Rise to Fame by Olivia Ford. If you come, please bring a handwritten recipe that is meaningful to you to share if you like.

Friday Breakfast Group – March 6th, 9:00 a.m. 

The next Friday Breakfast is set for March 6 at 9:00 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.

Java & Jesus

Sunday, March 8th, at 9 am

Attend in-person at the church in the

Alfred Swan Room (off Friendship Hall)

(This session will NOT be offered by Zoom)

Facilitators: Jim McNamara & Ginny Stiles

All are welcome!

Join us even if this is your first time!

At Java & Jesus, feel free to share your comments and questions or simply listen to others share.

Your facilitators will be guiding the discussion of four elements: 1) Scripture, 2) Commentary, 3) Poetry, and

4) Artwork, which are included in a discussion guide

which you will receive upon your arrival on March 8th. The only advance preparation is to read the following two Scripture texts:

Mark 6:32-44 (NRSV) And they went away in the boat to a deserted place by themselves. Now many saw them going and recognized them, and they hurried there on foot from all the towns and arrived ahead of them. As he went ashore, he saw a great crowd; and he had compassion for them, because they were like sheep without a shepherd; and he began to teach them many things. When it grew late, his disciples came to him and said, ‘This is a deserted place, and the hour is now very late; send them away so that they may go into the surrounding country and villages and buy something for themselves to eat.’ But he answered them, ‘You give them something to eat.’ They said to him, ‘Are we to go and buy two hundred denarii worth of bread, and give it to them to eat?’ And he said to them, ‘How many loaves have you? Go and see.’ When they had found out, they said, ‘Five, and two fish.’ Then he ordered them to get all the people to sit down in groups on the green grass. So they sat down in groups of hundreds and of fifties. Taking the five loaves and the two fish, he looked up to heaven, and blessed and broke the loaves, and gave them to his disciples to set before the people; and he divided the two fish among them all. And all ate and were filled; and they took up twelve baskets full of broken pieces and of the fish. Those who had eaten the loaves numbered five thousand men.

Ephesians 3:20-21 (NRSV) Now to him who by the power at work within us is able to accomplish abundantly far more than all we can ask or imagine, to him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus to all generations, for ever and ever. Amen

ORUCC Meet & Greet for New Friends – March 15th, 9:00 am

If you are brand new or fairly new to our church, you are invited to a “Meet & Greet” on Sunday, March 15th, at 9:00 am, in the Dorothy Day Room (down the Education Wing on the left). Baked goods, fruit, and beverages will be served. RSVP to [email protected], or 608-556-2371 if you’re fairly certain you can attend the Meet & Greet, or simply show up!

                 _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

Prospective New Member Classes (March 22nd – April 19th)

You are also invited to a series of Prospective New Member Classes with the Pastors and Leadership Team of Orchard Ridge UCC. You may find the classes helpful even if you don’t intend to join the church at this time. 

Sun. March 22, 9:00-9:50 a.m. — Informational Class in the Dorothy Day Room

Sun. March 29, 9:00-9:50 a.m. — Informational Class in the Dorothy Day Room

Sun. April 12, 9:00-9:50 a.m. — Informational Class in the Dorothy Day Room

Sun. April 19, 9:00-9:50 a.m. — Informational Class in the Dorothy Day Room

(Note that in this sequence, we won’t be meeting on Easter Sunday, April 5th)

RSVP to [email protected], or 608-556-2371, or simply show up. At the Informational Classes, you’ll learn more about Orchard Ridge Church and our denomination, the United Church of Christ (UCC). We’ll discuss our history as a local church, ministries within the congregation and the wider community, and some of the church’s views on important issues of faith. In preparation for this series, you may wish to browse ORUCC’s website: www.orucc.org.

Lunch and Learn for Wednesday, March 11th

featuring Dale Rebhorn on AI

It’s not A-One Sauce, it is Artificial Intelligence! Join us if you want a painless introduction to this strange new pair of letters, and seek to understand a bit more about why it’s in your news every day. What does it do for you, and what might it mean for us and our future? Join our session to learn more and see LIVE DEMOS from our own member Dale Rebhorn. Lunch is in Friendship Hall on Wednesday, March 11th at 11:30, followed by our presentation at 12:30. No reservations are needed!



• Time: 11:30 AM (Lunch), followed by the talk

• Location: Friendship Hall

• Meal Donation: $10 (No RSVP required)

All are welcome!

Questions? Contact Bob Millholland at [email protected]

Dear Friends,

You are invited to come sing! Bring a neighbor! Bring your children! Build community and share in a spirit of hope.

Orchard Ridge United Church of Christ is delighted to host a community sing, ‘Songs of Hope, Songs of Resistance,’ Friday March 13, 2026, beginning at 5:30pm followed by a potluck. This event is in collaboration with the Palm Sunday Path, and local song-leader Sarah Burgess.

The intention of our time together is to buoy our spirits with hope and community, while also learning songs in preparation for the Palm Sunday Path, taking place at 2:30pm on Sunday March 29th, where progressive Christians will flood the Capitol in Madison, waving our palms and calling for a more just world in the spirit of Matthew 25.

Please register here

and bring a dish to share.

Meet our song-leader: Sarah Burgess is a musician, songleader and teacher. Sarah leads singing in Madison and beyond through Madison Community Singing monthly potlucks and retreats (WisconSing, Singing Rabbit, Holy Wisdom Monastery). She creates songs to sing in community and welcomes all voices; she hopes to sing with you someday!

2026 Spring All Church Retreat at Daycholah cancelled

Our Spring All Church Retreat at Daycholah is cancelled this year, 2026, due to a scheduling conflict on Daycholah’s end: they double booked us for the weekend of April 17-19th with a group of 70 international college students! We have exhausted our options for other retreat venues. Daycholah tried to rectify the situation, but were not able to accommodate both groups. While we are disappointed, we are also looking forward to having our All Church Retreat next spring, April 23-25, 2027.

Seeking ORUCC website volunteers!

No technical expertise needed. Can be done from home. The church’s website https://orucc.org/ has gotten out of date. We need some volunteers to check all the pages on the site and identify out of date information. Then in some cases we will need volunteers to contact church members or leaders to get updated information. You DO need an Internet connection and an ability to read a website, but you do NOT need to be able to do any editing of the site. That will be done by others. We want to do the site update in an organized way and collecting all the needed updates at once will help with this. Please contact Pam Oliver [email protected] if you are willing and able to help.  

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//

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 Coffee Maker, a Host, 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 Host

Please note that the previous Welcomer and Usher signups have been combined into a signup named “Host.”

Please sign up to be trained into this new position.

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 George Decker at office@orucc.org or 608-271-7212.

Spiritual

Nourishment

for you!

Reflections for March

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



Reflections for March 2026

Orchard Ridge United Church of Christ

1501 Gilbert Road

Madison, WI 53711

608-271-7212

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