Weekly Announcements for January 6, 2022

Orchard Ridge UCC on January 6, 2022

Orchard Ridge United Church of Christ

Spiritually Alive, Joyfully Inclusive, Committed to Justice

Here are our weekly announcements for 1/06/2022:

Hello friends! Welcome to our weekly announcements. Stay current by reading all the way to the bottom. There is so much going on in the life of our church. We hope you take a moment to read and connect with us throughout the week. See you soon!

Please click LINK for details and protocols for Back-to-Church

This is our week at a Glance:

ZOOM Sunday Worship

Sunday, Jan 9

10:00 – 11:00 am

ZOOM due to worship leaders exposure to COVID

and our desire to love and care for our community

Details in Saturday’s Worship Resources

There is no 9:00 Sunday School for children

and youth and no Children’s Music

Connections during 10:00 worship

this Sunday, January 9 and January 16.

Java & Jesus

Sunday, Jan 9

11:30 am – 12:30 pm

Dan Rossmiller

Zoom

Men’s Group

Monday, Jan 10

7:15 pm – 8:30 pm

John Lemke

Care of Creation

Tuesday, Jan 11

7:00 pm – 8:30 pm

Sara Roberts

Zoom

Resource Meeting

Wednesday, Jan 12

6:00 pm – 7:30 pm

Jon Blanchard

Zoom

Adult Faith Formation

Wednesday, Jan 12

7:00 pm – 8:30 pm

Nathan Bubenzer

Zoom

Meditation Group

Friday, Jan 14

9:00 – 10:00 am

Sue Dixon

Zoom

All Church Retreat scheduled for

January 14-16 has been canceled.

A Whole New Team of Volunteers Needed!

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?

We need people as soon as THIS SUNDAY, January 2nd.

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 assist with Holy Communion

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

Java & Jesus

11:30 am

Jan 9–Dan Rossmiller

Click here to join Zoom gathering

Don’t miss out! Contact Ken Pennings to be added to the Java & Jesus email list. The Zoom link will be included in the Saturday Worship Email.

Daily Devotional from

the Ministry of Adult

Faith Formation

Readings will be posted daily to the “Members & Friends” Facebook group and will be available each week in the link below. If you are checking on on someone who doesn’t have email and would like the readings mailed to them, please contact Julie Wombacher in the office.

Jan 6 – Jan 12

January Compassion Offering

LGBT Books to Prisoners

LGBT Books to Prisoners, based in Madison, WI, sends books and other educational materials, free of charge, to incarcerated LGBTQ people across the United States. We have been doing this for over 10 years and have sent books to over 10,000 people in that time.

We do this because:

We want to acknowledge, and work against, the oppressive functions of the prison system. Our project shifts some control back into incarcerated people’s hands.
Incarcerated people have little access to reading material, and LGBTQ people behind bars have a particularly hard time finding resources that meet their needs and wants. We are in a position to gather and distribute these resources.
We believe that our work affirms the dignity of all individuals by providing access to knowledge of their choosing, so that they can learn and grow as they desire. We respond to individuals’ requests as directly as possible.
LGBTQ people behind bars face many hardships, including — but not limited to — isolation and physical violence. We want them to know that they have a supportive community on the outside that cares about their wellbeing.

We are completely volunteer run. We host volunteer sessions every week where we respond to letters from incarcerated people requesting books. We respond with a personal note, along with books that best match their request. When asked for, we also help connect people to other resources, such as pen pals, legal services, etc. Our volunteer sessions are a welcoming space for the LGBTQ community and allies to work together to work towards abolition, racial justice, and to affirm the LGBTQ community.

We would use the offering to pay for postage. On average it costs about $5 to send about three books to someone in prison. We typically send 3,000 book packages a year.

Learn more at lgbtbookstoprisoners.org

Thank you for your generosity and for helping those who have helped us in our times of need.

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 at orucc.org. Click the brown button “Contribute” in the upper right of the home page.

Racial Justice Mission Team

The racial justice mission team is wondering what type of programming ORUCC members would like us to plan. Please click on this link to take a short survey about your interests, or copy/paste this link into your browser: https://forms.gle/RZ4bfdYFoF5MBv1i7

Report from the Nominations Committee:

A New Moderator for 2022

Greetings of Advent hope and peace to you! We join with you in preparing for new life to be born in us and the world.

Among the many ways that we do that as a church, one of the practical ways we prepare for future life is the work of the Nominations Committee. The Committee assembles a slate of church-wide officers and ministry members for each new year, for approval by the congregation at the next annual meeting, likely in February.

Here is an important preview: We will nominate a new Moderator, Barbara Stretchberry, for your approval. Barbara has graciously agreed to undertake this leadership role, after learning that the current Moderator-Elect, Helene Nelson, will leave her position due to increasing family care responsibilities. Helene and Barbara are both committed to serving the church in partnership with our pastors and other lay leaders, and will support each other to do that.

Barbara is a long-time member and leader, well-known and respected in the congregation. She has served as a constitutional church officer (Clerk) and been on the Leadership Team. She has been a leader in church programming for children and youth for many years. She is gifted in many ways, and is an excellent fit for us now as we live into our next generation of being church together.

We celebrate and give thanks for Barbara and Helene!

Celebrating, Offering Thanks and Uplifting Tammy Martens and Her Ministry at ORUCC

Ann Evensen, Barbara Stretchberry and Kellie Miller have been charged with planning a summer 2022 celebration of Tammy’s ministry. We would like to hear your ideas for ways to lift up and remember her great work, thank her whole-heartedly, and say loving farewells. Please share any ideas, thoughts or questions with us by January 15, 2022. Thank you!

Ann Evensen [email protected] cell 608 628 4280

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

Kellie Miller [email protected] cell 608 852-7578

3 Volunteers Needed to Help

Prepare for Worship

We’re thrilled to be returning to in-person worship AND to continue virtual worship. To do both, however, is stretching us thin in certain areas. If you feel comfortable working with Word documents and creating PowerPoints, we could really use a rotation of volunteers (each preparing for only 1 Sunday a month) to get ready for both in-person and virtual worship. Contact Ken Pennings at [email protected], or 608-556-2371 if this may interest you.

Soul of Aging – 3 part online retreat series

Beginning January 28-30, 2022

“The act of living and dying is a mystery to me. I’ve heard others refer to the “art” of living and dying. I wish to live with grace and gratitude through the mystery of each day…creating a canvas of colors, bold and bright; mellow and muted. Perhaps I’ll look back and be able to say I did not just live a life, I created a life, an imperfect work, rich and beautiful. How do I stay present to what is, rather than what might have been or what might be? How do I become like this weathered beauty resting magnificently along the shore?”

Kirstin Anglea and Winton Boyd will lead others in exploring these questions and more during our upcoming Soul of Aging retreat series online again in 2022.

Follow this link for more information and registration: https://couragerenewal.org/…/the-soul-of-aging-a…/

Friday Breakfast Group-Date Change

Friday Breakfast Group hopes to return to monthly gatherings March 4, 2022, 8:30 a.m. at Denny’s, 433 S. Gammon Road. Although originally for women, the group has for many years included a popular men’s table as well. Open to all, it is informal and a chance to connect and converse on many topics. Please join us. Contact Louise Jeanne, [email protected], for more information.

Pictorial Directory

Thanks to all those who helped with the pictorial directory. Here is a print version. Photo Directory Print Version