Candidating Weekend for Rev. Kate Mackey

May 5-7, 2023

Please join us for one of the opportunities to meet Kate:

Friday, May 5, 6-8 pm–Family /Game Night-bring your favorite game and something to share at the potluck. (see below)

Saturday, May 6 at the church or via Zoom, we are hosting several “meet & greet” sessions for which 20 people can sign up. All sessions are in Friendship Hall except session C.

A: 9:00-9:40 hosted by Nancy Wettersten

B: 10:00-10:40 hosted by Jerry Hagen

C: 10:45-11:30 virtual only, via Zoom hosted by Deanna Blanchard (A link will be sent to those signed up for this session.

D: 1:00-1:40 hosted by Sue Dixon

E: 2:00-2:40 hosted by Suzanne Olajos

Sign up online at this LINK.

Sunday, May 7, Kate will co-lead and preach during our 10 am Worship Service. Immediately afterward, there will be a congregational meeting to vote on this recommendation from the pastoral search committee. This meeting will be simultaneously held over Zoom, to make this important event accessible to as many members as possible. The LINK for the congregational meeting is: 

Zoom congregational meeting: https://us02web.zoom.us/j/86723983042?pwd=cGZCeW01aFVQcERwbEVBWklwMTJJdz09

This is a special time at ORUCC, and we want to hear from you. If you have any questions, please contact Pastor Julia at [email protected] or 518-542-6915 or the Moderator Team (Hal Evensen, Deanna Blanchard, and Barbara Stretchberry) at [email protected].

MAY COMPASSION OFFERING-OutReach LGBTQ+ Community Center

OutReach LGBTQ+ Community Center has served the Madison area since 1973, providing community building, health and human services, and economic, social, and racial justice advocacy for the LGBTQ+ community and our allies. OutReach has staff advocates that offer peer support, information, and referral in three main areas: substance use and harm reduction, transgender services, and elder services (for those over age 50). We also host social and support groups for people from all across the LGBTQ+ community where people can come together to discuss their lives, learn new skills, or just watch a movie and have a good time! OutReach LGBTQ+ Community Center houses the Earl Greely Memorial Library, an over-4000 volume lending library of LGBTQ+ fiction and nonfiction, the David Bohnett Cybercenter, community meeting space, and a community pantry with food and personal essentials.

Funds raised will be used to support Willma’s Fund, a program of OutReach offering emergency financial assistance to LGBTQ+ adults in Dane County. Willma’s Fund was founded in 2011 by Donald Haar, a former employee of the Salvation Army and drag performer who goes by the name Willma Flynn-Stone. Donald recognized that LGBTQ+ people often face additional barriers when accessing support for homelessness or housing insecurity and saw a way to help (and get back into performing drag!). Since 2011, Willma’s Fund has awarded over $250,000 to over 500 people. In 2022 alone we awarded $50,000 to 120 people. We paid 35 people’s security deposits or first month’s rent, and provided over 400 nights of emergency shelter through short-term hotel stays. Willma’s Fund is a vital piece of our community’s efforts to protect its most vulnerable members.

VIDEO



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/

Invitation to submit a request for a Compassion Offering

ORUCC has a long history of generously supporting recipient organizations of the monthly Compassion Offering selected by the Ministry of Christian Witness and Service (CWS). As our CWS team deliberates over which organizations to choose, we welcome your engagement in the process. Any two members of the ORUCC congregation or pastoral staff may nominate a recipient organization to be considered by CWS. To review the guidelines and suggest an organization, please read and complete this form.  

This form is always available on the ORUCC.org website by clicking on the “Contribute” tab and choosing “Monthly Compassion Offering” from the drop-down menu. 

Spiritual

Nourishment

for you!

For the week of May 4 – May 10

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.

ORUCC Handbell Choir Seeks New Members!

Come have fun and make music with us! We would love to add members to our ensemble. It is only necessary to know how to read music. Past experience with handbells is not required! If you played an instrument in high school or college and want to experience making music again, or you ARE in high school or college and think bells might be cool (they are) please join us! 

There will be an introductory workshop to handbell choir on Monday, May 8th at 7pm. Please join handbell choir director, Bethany Schultz to learn that you could love handbells! 

Family Game Night – May 5

Join us on Friday, May 5, 6-8 pm for our monthly family game night. This one is special because we will be welcoming our new pastor to join us. Bring your favorite game and something to share at the potluck. Questions? Contact Rachael Lancor

Friday Breakfast Group – May 5

The next Friday Breakfast is set for May 5 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.

Over 55 Wednesday, May 10^th

Dementia: Basics of Care.

In Wisconsin and across the country, communities are growing older. As people age, they are more likely to develop dementia. So many of our lives have been touched, or will be touched, by dementia. 

Dementia refers to different conditions that kill brain cells, damaging memory and other brain functions over time. Alzheimer’s disease is the most common type of dementia. On May 10, our Over 55 presenters are: Deanna Blanchard, MSN, AMB-RN, instructor at UW School of Nursing, and Fatou Ceesay, Senior Care Specialist and Owner of Cairasu Home Care.

Deanna and Fatou will present Dementia: Basics of Care. This presentation is part of education they regularly provide for home caregivers as part of an education initiative sponsored by The Center for Aging Research and Education, part of the UW School of Nursing.  They will talk about dementia symptoms and show some useful strategies for interacting with people living with dementia and will lead our group in some activities related to dementia care.

Join us at 11:30. An $8 luncheon is provided.  Please RSVP to Steve Sheets at [email protected] so that the catering team may plan accordingly. 

          Movie Group Continues at Oakwood Village

Thursday, May 11, 7 pm

In May we will meet in the Performance Center and view the 2022 psychological drama, “The Whale”. The film (rated R, primarily for language) garnered three Academy Award nominations and won two- Best Actor (Brendan Fraser) and Best Makeup and Hair Styling.

The film, based on the 2012 play of the same name, details the struggles of a morbidly obese, reclusive on-line composition instructor (Brendan Fraser). He struggles with health issues brought on by obesity, the consequences of a failed marriage, the suicide of his male partner and the estranged relationship with his teen age daughter. He yearns for human connections, but appears to be unable to enact this.

The film is difficult to watch at times- his obesity forces you to want to turn away- but does not step away from or sugar coat the difficult issues of compassion, forgiveness, connection or redemption. Of course, the issues surrounding obesity are ever present. 

This promises to be a lively discussion. Join us Thursday, May 11th, 7 p.m. at Oakwood Village Performance Center. For the after-film discussion, we have decided that only Orchard Ridge folks will be invited. The extended group, with non-Orchard Ridge folks, is too unwieldy for the kinds of discussion we all benefit from.

If you have questions or comments, please call Steve Sheets, Baxter Richardson or Doug Loving.

Youth Mission Trip Fundraiser

Sign-up by May 10

Zentangle®

Beginner Class: Saturday, May20, 2-4 pm

Alfred Swan Room

Through the Zentangle Method of drawing, you can:

• ·    Relax
• ·    Focus
• ·    Expand your imagination
• ·    Trust your creativity
• ·    And perhaps most importantly…..Have fun!

Ginny Stiles, Certified Zentangle Teacher (CZT) as agreed to do a Zentangle class to benefit the Youth Mission Trip. Cost is $20, (even change or checks made out to ORUCC and put mission trip in the memo line) all materials supplied.

To register email or call Ginny at [email protected] or 352-360-3403 by May 10. Minimum class size is 10 students with a maximum of 18. Learn more about Zentangle at zentangle.com and click on “learn” and then click “What is it”.

You can do Zentangle if you can write your signature legibly in ink. No drawing experience is needed. This class is for all folks ages 16 and up.

Page Scholarship Committee

The 2023 Page Scholarship Committee is happy to announce the recipients of this year’s awards. The awardees include ORUCC students Lila Eggerling-Boeck, Gabe Martens and Madeline Miller. Congratulations on this scholarship that recognizes your hard work in college and your commitment to our church community!

Prayer Shawl Ministry

Our church always needs prayer shawls! If you can knit or crochet, please consider creating a shawl for us to distribute. We have simple patterns if you need one. If you have questions about this ministry, please call Sandra Dyar at 608-271-2409.

The prayer shawl team meets on the first Monday of every month at the church at 1:30 pm. Each of us knits, crochets, or does crafts, and the conversation is always fun! Won’t you join us?

GARDEN TENDERS

Interested in ORUCC gardens but not enough time for a weekly commitment? YOU CAN STILL HELP. And we still need you!” You can stop by for a half hour to clean up or to water once a week or once a year. On the other hand, there are several beds and you can adopt one for regular maintenance. Examples of chores (besides weeding) are: planting, trimming, pruning, dividing and moving perennials and watering in the heat of the summer. All of these tasks give you a chance to visit with other garden tenders and learn about the variety of plants we grow (more and more are natives!). Before Worship and Work Sunday on May 21, we are trimming last year’s flower stalks and tidying the beds. Contact Joyce Pohl (at [email protected]) if interested and getting suggestions for big or small tasks. 

We are looking for Brat Fest Volunteers for the weekend of May 26-May 28!



Would you be willing to donate a few hours at Brat Fest to benefit our Youth Service Trip? Brat Fest has a variety of volunteer positions from set up, grilling, trash pick up, serving, event take down. Our church has to fulfill 20 hours of set up to qualify for fundraising and we really need your help.  

To sign up go to:  https://app.initlive.com/JE/63v6refjssjaf2

You must create a sign on, choose a T-shirt size and check that you are volunteering to benefit a charity. Then, choose Orchard Ridge United Church of Christ as your benefiting organization. You get to choose the date, time and position you’d like to volunteer for. Ask your friends to join you – as our teens know – it’s more fun to volunteer as a group! Plus, you get the t-shirt and a free brat for every shift you work. Sign up today – these shifts go F-A-S-T..

It’s Time for Camp Registration!

Registration for all of our UCC camps (Moon Beach, Daycholah, and Cedar Valley) is now open. There is such a variety: kids, adult, family, glamping, the arts, sailing….Some of the sessions, like Camp Awesum and Family Camp fill up quickly, so check out the brochure today.

Click the LINK to sign up today!

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?

It has been fairly easy finding Lay Liturgists and Communion Assistants, but much more challenging finding

Coffee-Makers and Welcomers!

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