Community Outreach Team
The Community Outreach Team is part of the Social Justice Ministry. The team meets about 3 times a year to coordinate fundraisers and collections to address the needs in our community and world. The work is shared with members of the team picking 1-2 activities close to their hearts to focus on.
We invite everyone to come to our meetings and/or watch the weekly news for details about the current collections and related activities.
The team promotes ongoing collections for St. Stephen's Food Pantry, The Road Home and Circles of Support which the team delivers to on a regular basis. See collection lists in a tab below.
There are collections that occur at designated times of the year such as for Mountain of Food, Backpacks and Christmas collections.
Members of the team also are involved in various ongoing activities such as making prayer shawls, the dignity project and various meal ministries.
A highlight of the team is hosting the annual Fall Craft & Bake Sale with proceeds donated to local charities.
The team also supports SAM and the Family Ministry team in their collections and occasionally lets the community know about requests from the ELCA for nationwide disasters.
Craft & Bake Sale - November 1, 2025
Boomerang Bags
The Gathering Space will be hosting a bevy of activities. You will be greeted by the Boomerang Bag team who will make sure you have a bag to carry your purchases.
The Bake Sale will have all kinds of delicious treats. We are eager to see what the Messiah bakers bring in. Louise Fosdick and her team of volunteers will welcome your donations Friday evening 4pm-6pm and Saturday morning of the sale.
Take a stroll down Basket Lane. We will have Theme gift baskets donated by Messiah parishioners for sale at $30. You can bet that these baskets will be a great value. Please feel free to contact Karen Verhagen if you would like to donate a basket. There are sign up boards for gift baskets and bake sale in gathering space through October.
Kris Kringle's Kids Shoppe
Over by the fireplace, you will find Kris Kringle’s Kids Shoppe. This will be a great shopping place for kids. All shoppe items priced at $5.00 or under, another great value at the sale. Louise Uttech has a bin for collection of NEW items (small toys, mugs, cards, jewelry, crafts) in Messiah bin area outside the Community Room. Kris Kringle’s elves will help with shopping and wrapping these special gifts. Please spread the word about Kris Kringle’s Shoppe to your family and friends.
YOW will be providing lunch for sale in the Social Hall 11am to 1 pm to fill the shopper’s appetite. If you would like to volunteer to help at the sale, before and/or after, contact Dawn Olson or any of the other coordinators for a spot.
The charities chosen for 2025 are Babies & Beyond, Briarpatch and Movin' Out. All proceeds from the sale will be received by the charities.
We are looking forward to seeing you all at the sale for early holiday shopping. Come on in and enjoy the Messiah hospitality.
Christmas Collections
Boxes for all of these collections will be located in the Collection Area between the Gathering Space and the Community Room.
Waterproof Glove and Mitten Collection
The Community Outreach Team will be collecting ONLY waterproof gloves and mittens for several elementary schools in Madison.
If you would prefer, you could make a donation to "Mitten Collection" and we will shop for the gloves and mittens.
Pudding Collection
The Community Outreach Team will be collecting LARGE boxes of INSTANT pudding (all flavors) to be included in the Christmas food boxes for the East Madison Community Center.
Our goal this year is
200 boxes.
Bath Towel and Wash Cloth Collection
for Triangle Ministry
Items being collected for residents are:
Bath towels & wash cloths
(light weight and dark colors)
Adopt a School Program - Kennedy Elementary School
Messiah and Kennedy Elementary School have an Adopt a School Partnership through the Madison Public Schools Foundation. Messiah supports Kennedy with time, financial and material support with the goal of improving achievement for all students. Messiah provides additional resources for families in transition.
Clothes for Kennedy
Message from Bridget
the social worker
We are in desperate need of clothing for kiddos, both to stock our health office as well as to have clothing to send home to families in need. Items we are most in need of:
Underwear--Youth size XS-XL
Socks--Youth size XS-XL
Sweatpants--Youth size XS-XL
Leggings--Youth size XS-XL
T-Shirts--Youth size XS-XL
Sweatshirts--Youth size XS-XL
We will also take adult and little kid clothing as well as we have families reaching out for those sizes as well.
Volunteering for This School Year
Volunteer Opportunities
If you would like to volunteer at Kennedy or other MMSD schools, please go to https://www.madison.k12.wi.us/partnerships/volunteering for the latest information and to complete the steps necessary to volunteer.
Kennedy Elementary is looking for Big Brothers and Sisters!
Big Brothers Big Sisters of Dane County is getting ready to launch our School Friends mentoring program for the fall! And we are excited to announce the addition of the program at Kennedy Elementary!
We are looking for volunteers to be a School Friends mentor. As a mentor, you’ll spend one hour each week during lunch or after school with a student. It’s simple, flexible, and impactful for both mentor and mentee. Please see the attached flyer for more details.
https://drive.google.com/file/d/1Ld0ycB-mCDSzM47KXFS2wUKC2OmiiT3k/view?usp=sharing
Community Meals
Messiah members provide meals for Healing House and The Triangle Community Ministry.
Healing House is 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 including a main course, side dishes and dessert and bring it to Messiah. Scott DeBroux delivers the meals.
Thank you to the 9 volunteers who prepared and delivered meals in September.
Our next Healing House meal preparation is
November 2 – 8.
Messiah prepares meals for Healing House for one week several times a year.
If you are interested in this ministry please sign up on the Kiosk.
If you have any questions contact Elizabeth at volunteers@messiahchurch.com
Triangle Community Ministry 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.
Please contact Elizabeth 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.
Dignity Project
The Dignity Project Group
will meet Saturday, November 8 at 9:30 am
We will meet in the last education room on the right. Anyone is welcome to come to see how easy it is to help. You do not need to own a sewing machine or be able to use one to help with the project. Enter on the lower level of church at door C and follow the sign upon entering the building.
We have been able to send 4,284 pads and 1,058 panties this year to Little Dresses For Africa where they are distributed to help girls remain in school to finish their education. Thank you for your part in providing these girls with dignity.
Anyone seeking information on the project contact June.
What does the Dignity Project Group Do?
The Dignity Project group makes sani-panties (washable menstrual pads) for Little Dresses for Africa so that young girls can still go to school.
The group holds a workshop once a month to get together and sew, but some people sew at home and those who do not sew can help by cutting material or donating items.
Prayer Shawl Ministry
The Prayer Shawl Ministry will meet
Monday, October 27th at 1:00 pm
in the Meeting Room
The Prayer Shawl Ministry group meets once a month to make prayer shawls.
Shawls are provided to the Messiah community for the newly baptized, high school seniors, and for the visitation ministry to bring to homebound and hospitalized members.
The ministry extends its reach outside Messiah to those experiencing challenging situations to know that our community cares and prays for them. Recent recipients include Elizabeth House, Triangle Community Ministry, Breast Cancer Recovery Retreats and Agrace Hospice.
Habitat for Humanity Volunteers
Each year a team travels for a week to support a Habitat for Humanity project. Team members work Monday through Thursday on a home already in progress, or other times they construct walls for new builds or do projects at a Habitat ReStore.
Messiah/Gunderson Funeral Home Annual Blood Drive - May 12, 2025
Each year Messiah and Gunderson Funeral Home sponsor a Red Cross blood drive at Messiah Lutheran Church. Members volunteer to greet and visit with people as they donate, as well as host the snack area.
The 2026 Blood Drive will be held on Tuesday, May 12th from 1:00 - 6:00 pm.
Community Outreach Groups and Leaders
Adopt a School "Kennedy Elementary School" - Paula Darr
Blood Drive - Elizabeth Crummy
Community Meals - Scott DeBroux and Elizabeth Crummy
Craft & Bake Sale
Craft Sale - Dawn Olson
Bake Sale - Louise Fosdick
Kris Kringle Shoppe - Louise Uttech
Gift Baskets - Karen Verhagen
Dignity Project - June Nyhus
Habitat for Humanity - Jim Stolzenburg
Prayer Shawl Ministry - Maren Anderson and Paula Stadtmueller
St. Stephen's Food Pantry - Dee Schwoegler and Bonnie Eastman
Community Outreach Team Collections
February/March - Goodman Thanksgiving Baskets (foil pans) & Easter Baskets
May - Mountain of Food
June -
July - Backpacks for Schools
August -
September -
October/November - Virtual Pies for "Share Your Holidays" (Second Harvest Food Bank)
November - Craft/Bake Sale
November/December - Christmas Collections for: The Road Home, YWCA, Triangle Ministry, East Side Community/Truax, Madison Area Jail Ministry
The Community Outreach Team organizes collections for local organizations during the year.
Some collections are ongoing and some are held during specific months of the year.
Listed above are our monthly collections. For more information about these and our ongoing collections please click on the button below.
