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Sunday School Plants a Tree on the Last Day of Sunday School


This event will happen Rain or Shine

The only part of the event that will not happen if it is raining hard is the Tree Planting.

Calendar for Children & Family Ministry NOTE MINOR CALENDAR UPDATES IN YELLOW



Children and Family Ministry Updates - Last Sunday School meeting is April 28th


April 28th is the last day of Sunday School and we have a special role to play in celebration of Earth Day and Messiah's first venture into Outdoor Ministry!


On that day, a member of Messiah is donating a tree to the congregation and the Sunday School children will be singing for the planting. Therefore, Sunday School will run from 9:30 until the tree planting after the late service.


This could be a long morning for some children, so we will have some activity pages and a snack so they can have a break as needed.


We hope you can allow your children to be there the whole morning. This is our last meeting of Sunday School until September and it will be a memorable day with this unexpected opportunity!!


 If you have any questions, please email cfm@messiahchurch.com

 


Schedule for the last day of Sunday School:

  • We will gather in the community room at 9:30 for Ken Lonnquist to teach us the refrain and probably one verse to a song. You may remember Ken as the fishmonger character from the Legend of Old Befana, the Epiphany musical that we hosted at Messiah in January.
  • We will sing the song at the beginning of the late service.
  • The children will then return to the community room during the late service to learn additional verses with Ken, Elizabeth, Brittany and any teachers who are available.
  • After the late service, we will perform the song at the tree planting, which may also include a presentation by a Native American speaker.



National Day of Prayer at Messiah - Thursday, May 2


Messiah will join in celebrating National Day of Prayer by holding a prayer vigil on

 

Thursday, May 2nd

from 6:00am to 10:00pm

 

Please sign-up for a time slot on the signup sheet on the kiosk in the Gathering Space.

 

If you have any questions, contact Clyde Nyhus at (608) 516-4926, or email music@messiahchurch.com

 




Church in the Wild at Bethel Horizons

         May 4 - 10:00am - 1:00pm

 The South-Central Synod of Wisconsin Care for Creation Team, in partnership with Bethel Horizons, invites you to join in a unique and meaningful worship experience:

 

Bethel Horizons

(4651 County Road ZZ, Dodgeville, WI 53533)

 

  RSVP for the Church in the Wild  




First Communion celebration will be on Sunday May 5th at the 10:30 service.

We are celebrating at just a single service this year.


 If your child cannot attend, please reach out to Elizabeth at volunteer@messiahchurch.com or 608-235-6910. 


We look forward to celebrating

Affirmation of Baptism/Confirmation 

Saturday, May 11 at the 5:00 pm service.

Senior Recognition Sunday

May 19 at the 10:30 a.m. service


Join us at the 10:30 am. service on Sunday, May 19th to receive a prayer blanket and blessing.


This is also an opportunity to share with the Messiah community your student's plans for the next year.


Please let Teresa know if you plan on attending so that we can have the appropriate number of prayer blankets.

At our April Ladies Lunch Bunch we collected

$85.00 donation for the Dignity Project.


 Willows Tavern & Restaurant

5485 Willows Rd. Waunakee (off Hwy M)


Wednesday, May 8th at 11:30 am

Please be there between11:15 - 11:30 am     


Please sign up on the Kiosk in the Gathering Space and place the number for your meal choice next to your name.


   If you have any questions or would like to be placed on the waiting list, please contact Claire Gensch at

(920) 319-6731.


If you cannot make it, please contact Claire to cancel. 


Updated Information


Menu Choices


#1  Cobb Salad w/ dressing 

#2  Soup & Small Salad

#3  Meat loaf, baked potato $ vegetable


Must have exact cash $20.00

includes meal, drink, tax & tip




Annual Messiah Gunderson

Blood Drive


This year's Blood Drive will be Tuesday, May 14th.


If you are interested in helping as a volunteer, please email Elizabeth Crummy at volunteer@messiahchurch.com or call or text 608-235-6910.


Sign-Up Information


The 2024 Messiah-Gunderson Blood Drive is Tuesday, May 14th from 1:00 - 6:00 PM. We are looking for 88 donors.


There are many options to sign up:


The Red Cross is always looking for a few Power Red Donors of O, A and B negative blood. Read more about that here. 


Save 15 minutes when you use Rapid Pass www.redcrossblood.org/rapidpass

EDUCATIONAL GRANTS available to all graduating seniors.


All graduating seniors are eligible for a Joan Shropshire education grant/scholarship.    Joan Shropshire Grant Application     Grant Guidelines


This is a very easy process. Don’t miss this great opportunity!! Messiah wants to support your senior.


Summer Mission Trip: July 15-18.    Explore and serve Madison with helping hands and open hearts.


Youth in grades 7-12 are encouraged to join us for this mission trip at home where we serve our neighbors. We will be working in a number of social ministry sites throughout the Madison area to help other children and youth, address hunger and food insecurity through food pantries, community gardens, and distribution sites, and assist and visit with the elderly. Youth will spend Monday night at Messiah while the other nights will be spent at their homes while serving during the day. 


To register for the summer mission trip, go to 2024 Summer Mission Trip: Explore Madison

Kennedy Elementary School is looking for volunteers!


Single day volunteer opportunity.


The Kennedy PTO is looking for volunteers for the Kennedy Fun Run on May 3 (rain date May 10) from 8 AM to 2 PM. This is a fun event in which all students participate, and they need a lot of volunteers to make it happen. Here is a signup genius page if you want to be involved: https://www.signupgenius.com/go/4090E4EAEA628A1F85-48683939-kennedy#/.


Ongoing Volunteer opportunity.


If you are looking to be a math or reading tutor, especially simply reading books to and with children, visit the MMSD website https://www.madison.k12.wi.us/partnerships/volunteering to get started on the steps.

Garden Volunteers Welcome!!!!


As spring approaches and summer will be around the corner we are looking ahead to some of the gardening jobs that we will need help with this spring/summer.


1. In the very near future, we will need a couple of people to prepare (add mulch and turn them over) the flower beds (one out by the Messiah sign and the one by the main entrance) to get them ready for Marlene Green and Corinne & Lamont Liefke to add the beautiful flowers.


2. During the spring/summer we will need people to come a few times a week to water, deadhead and weed the flower beds. The two beds mentioned above and the one by the hill at the end of the church building (Kingsbridge side). We need this to happen Monday, Wednesday and Friday so we are hoping one person will take each day to spread the work.


If you are interested in either of these jobs, please contact Judy in the church office : ourchurch@messiahchurch.com or 608-222-3833.


Thank you for your consideration of these ministries.

Week 5 Share Out - Black History for a New Day Course Reflections


This week’s lecture continued the topic of Reconstruction and explained the basis of Jim Crow laws and segregation, whose ramifications are felt still today.


The goal of Reconstruction was to rebuild a country devastated by a civil war which had dramatically changed its social, economic, and political landscape. The constitutional amendments 13,14 and 15 were a good start to the process and initially, strides were made on multiple levels toward full inclusion and rights. However, reconstruction only had a short run, and fear of change, anger, and the unknown drove some to violent group behavior as they struggled to maintain power and wealth, or just maintain life as they knew it, even without power and wealth.


Jim Crow laws were state and local laws that enforced or legalized racial segregation. These laws lasted for almost 100 years, from the post-Civil War era until around 1968, and their main purpose was to legalize the marginalization of African Americans. Some examples include “Whites only” bathrooms, the prohibition of marriages between Black and White people, restrictions on where Black people could go to get services like hair cuts, and separate schools, hospitals and social events for Black and White people.


The laws get the name “Jim Crow” from a racist and insulting minstrel routine called Jump, Jim Crow. The routine was performed in the 1830’s by a white man named Thomas Dartmouth Rice in which Rice would paint his face black and do a song and dance that he claimed was inspired by a slave he once saw. 


The lecture gave us a better understanding of the foundations of White supremacy, which unfortunately is alive and strong. While we cannot and should not ignore the strides that have been made, we need to acknowledge that the same fears and anger still exist and that makes it challenging to negotiate and collaborate. 

Habitat for Humanity Group Returns -  July 8-12 or August 12-16.


After a few years hiatus, we are reestablishing our connection to Habitat for Humanity. 


Habitat is looking for volunteers to help with some repair jobs, rather than new construction. To give you an idea of what that means, it could be taking out bad sheetrock or flooring and replacing it with new material. In the past, repair work has included removing old trim around doorways and taking down walls and shelving. There is no roof work, and no plumbing, no electrical. They are very accommodating and will cater the jobs to the volunteers they have. There will be professionals to supervise and help, and they will make sure the task you are assigned is appropriate for you.


Jim Stolzenburg is going to be our leader and the weeks he is looking for volunteers from Messiah are either Jul 8-12 or Aug 12-16. You do not need to come everyday or even for a whole day. Any time that you can give to this work is terrific! We will be based out of the Baraboo branch, but the actual location of the project could be anywhere in Sauk or Iowa Counties. We can definitely carpool.


Please contact Elizabeth at volunteer@messiahchurch.com or 608-235-6910 to sign up. Please let her know which week or weeks work for you and we will go with the one that has more people. If you have questions, ask Elizabeth and she will get answers from Jim!

Women’s Self-Defense class opportunity being offered HERE at Messiah!

 

Saturday, June 8, 2024 starting at 9:00am


Instructors: Brad and Sue Meng. Brad has 40+ years of Martial Arts experience, 25 years of Law Enforcement experience and has been teaching this course, with Sue’s assistance, for almost 20 years.

 

Please see the Kiosk in the Gathering Space for a flyer and contact Sue at smeng100@hotmail.com with questions.

 

Weekend Service Ministry Highlight - April

Lectors, sometimes called readers, are called to proclaim the Word of God at the Eucharistic celebration.


 Lectors are Ministers of God's Word.



They communicate the story of salvation history to the community. Lectors also lead the Prayer of the Faithful, Prayers of Petition and Thanksgiving that the assembly offers at the conclusion of the Liturgy of the Word.

Descriptions of the Weekend Service Ministries can be found on the Kisok.

Lector / Reader


Readers arrive 15-20 minutes prior to the service and let the presiding pastor know that they are at church so they can check for any additions or changes to the prayers. 

 

Readers are scheduled on a rotating basis for the service they select and can expect to read 1-3 times a year. Readers are drawn from all three services for special services like Christmas, Ash Wednesday, etc.

 

At times, children may be scheduled with the adult reader. In that case, the adult will carry the binder and read the prayers, and the children will do the readings.

 

Readings and prayers are emailed several days prior to the service. It is vital that readers prepare, working on their phrasing, pacing, enunciation and any challenging words. 

 

Names in the prayers will be written out phonetically when they might be challenging. Feel free to ask if you are not sure so that all can be respected.

 

The binder with the readings and prayers will be on the lectern just outside the west door (the one closer to the parking lot) to the sanctuary.

 

The lector carries the binder in procession, proceeding slowly up the aisle, holding the binder in front of you, front facing out and elevated.

 

Proceed just past the first pew, wait for the pastor, and you will both make a small bow. Proceed to the altar area and place the binder on the lectern. Check the height of the mic and adjust as needed. Then take a seat until it is time for the readings.

 

As you read, look up occasionally and make eye contact with the congregation.

Stay in place through the congregation responding "Thanks be to God." 

 

During the psalm, please sit on the chair that is at the top of the ramp. Return to your own seat after the 2nd reading.

 

The prayer petitions are read after the sermon. Background music is played during the reading of the petitions and there is a vocal response between each petition. 

 

At Sunday Services, the lector recesses with the binder similarly to the procession.


Opportunities to provide meals to those in need in our community


Healing House -  Our next Healing House week is June 16-22.


The first shelter of its kind in our community to provide a safe place when someone needs to prepare for or recover from a medical procedure, childbirth, hospitalization or something similar. More than just a shelter, Healing House offers care by medically trained staff and volunteers for up to 28 days. The eight-bed facility provides clients with three meals a day, child care assistance and case management.


Messiah members prepare a meal for 12 people and bring it to Messiah and Scott DeBroux will deliver it.

Meal should include a mail course, and dessert.


Please contact Elizabeth at volunteer@messiahchurch.com to be added to the groups in REALM to receive updates and to sign you up if you cannot make it in to sign up on the Kiosk in the Gathering Space.


Triangle Community Ministry - Our next meal is in July

 

TCM serves over 300 residents living in the Triangle Neighborhood of Madison, WI, most of whom are challenged by chronic mental, emotional, physical, and/or developmental disabilities. TCM is dedicated to the development of personal dignity, self-empowerment, and community building among its residents.


Give Kids a Lift


Transportation for April 29 - Ma 3, 2024 


Marnee Hafeman & Mike McHugh, John & Carol Otterson

Kathy Bultman, Marty & Sandi Strand,

Mary Jo Feeney Gebhardt, Jean & Tom Boehnen 


A huge thank you for the very generous donations to ‘Give the Kids a Lift’!


Social Outreach Ministry Opportunities - Next Social Outreach Ministry Meeting will be

June 17, at 6:30pm in the Conference Room downstairs at Messiah.      All are invited!!!


The Dignity Project Group will meet on Saturday, May 11, from 9:30 - 11:30am in the 3rd grade Sunday school classroom.


The Prayer Shawl Ministry will meet on Monday, May 20, from 3:00 - 4:30 pm in the lower level Conference Room.


Boomerang Bag Workshop

The next time our group will gather to sew Boomerang Bags will be Tuesday, May 21, from 10:00 am - 12:00 noon in the Social Hall.

Senior Adult Ministry Events

Volunteer Slots at the Food Bank Are Popular!

 

 

There is no letdown in the popularity of volunteering with SAM at Second Harvest Food Bank.


The next available dates are May 6, May 20, June 3, and June 17. To sign up, send an email to SAM@messiahchurch.com


We sign in at 12:15 pm and work from 12:30-3:30 pm on Monday afternoons. Oh yes! We have RECESS with a TREAT at 2:00 pm! 

Adult Education Webpage


We have a new webpage for Adult Education. To begin, there is information about the Liturgical Year and information about Martin Luther and the Reformation.


You can get to the Adult Education page by going to the homepage and click on "Christian Education for All Ages".

Go to the Adult Education section, and click on "Click Here" to go to the Adult Education page.


You can also click here.

Click Here to find the notes from a recent visit to Briarpatch services that several of us made.


Briarpatch offers programming for 11-18 year olds at risk of becoming homeless, and temporary housing to homeless youth ages 12-18.


Thank you for your continued interest in this ministry.

Looking Ahead with the Racial Justice Team


This June the Racial Justice Team will launch a Bingo game which will run through December in which you can choose from a wide variety of activities designed to increase your awareness of racial justice and diversity in our world. Activities include books, movies, church services, food, TedTalks, etc. Each row or column completed becomes an entry for a prize drawing to be held in December. We hope this might give you ideas of informative and fun things to do this summer! Look for game boards in late May/early June.  Here is the LINK to the Bingo board if you want to print your own.


Have you read and enjoyed How to Be an Antiracist and/or How to Raise an Antiracist? These books are both by Ibram X. Kendi and we explored the 2nd book in a Racial Justice Team book study last year. We are inviting you to share your copy of either book with a friend, or see if there is one on the shelf in the conference room on the racial justice bookshelf for you to borrow. We are going to look for a date in the fall to come back together and continue our discussions with a now larger group. Share those books now so people have time to read them!


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