RIC Team Meeting - If interested, please stop by.

Thursday, October 15th at 6 pm in the Meeting Room

All are welcome to join! We only meet 3 times a year to coordinate events and activities. This meeting will discuss what we will focus on during "RIC Sunday" in January. 

Community Outreach Team Collections

We will start collecting for Virtual Pies for "Share Your Holidays"

(Second Harvest Food Bank)

Stay tuned for more information!

St. Stephen's Food Pantry Item for October - Hot Cocoa, Coffee and Tea

If  you like to support the food pantry, they are trying something a little different with a monthly focus item that they are requesting along with the other items that you give so generously to support the pantry.

If you would like to see what they will be collecting in the months ahead, there are lists on the Kiosk, above the St. Stephen's Food Pantry Collection Bin in the Collection Area, and it will be in the Column Newsletter.

SAM Season Opener Was Spectacular

We enjoyed a catered pig roast with all the trimmings, including dessert and beverages, from Stoddard’s Meat Market & Catering, Cottage Grove, WI. 

Then we sat back to enjoy the music of Toco Beach Steelpan. Were we maybe smack dab on the beach in the Caribbean?

LOPPW Online (Zoom) Book Study 

Wednesdays 9-10am 

      October 7, 14, 21, 28

Book not provided

The Lutheran Office of Public Policy in Wisconsin (LOPPW) invites you to join them in reading Mattering: The Secret to a Life of Deep Connection and Purpose.

This is a book study to cultivate connections and to explore belonging, mattering, and community in our congregations and beyond. In a time marked by loneliness, social isolation, and polarization, we, as people of faith, have an opportunity to play a crucial role in building trust, strengthening relationships, and nurturing communities where everyone feels a sense of belonging and mattering.

Learn more and register at bit.ly/CultivatingConnection-LOPPW.

Missed Spirit Weekend but want to get involved?

Pick up a contact information sheet for the various ministries on the wall behind the kiosk.

Where is the Holy Spirit calling you to be involved?

Sunday School Started Sunday, September 27th

Your child can still join!

Please use this LINK to register for Sunday School

Click HERE for the Sunday School Schedule

YOW - (Youth on Wednesday Nights)

We continue October 7 with an in-person activity night 6-8 PM

In General:

• In-person time is 6:00 - 8:00 pm.
• Online times are:

Preconfirmation 6-6:45 p.m.
Confirmation 7-7:45 p.m.

The schedule for the year is available at

https://docs.google.com/document/d/1xubCredmkKOUZ7kStnv-JKd63KUwBK5K7GJ9J3EAYiE/edit?usp=sharing

Register Now for 2026-2027-Cost is $40.00.

https://forms.gle/ndnGuEpUoc9XyL8v5

The YOW retreat is November 14-15 at Bethel Horizons.

Registration QR Code

Craft Fair & Bake Sale News

The Annual Craft Fair and Bake Sale preparation is well underway. 

Sign up for the Bake Sale and Gift Baskets is ongoing.    We felt a lot of creativity flowing on Spirit Weekend.  When signing up to donate Bake Sale items,  please check a column or two of items you will be bringing. Think about recipes which may be in the NEW Messiah Cookbook which will make its debut for sale at the sale. 

Gift basket Sign Up (Karen Verhagen info)

The Book Nook is collecting books through October. We are looking for donations you would like to receive or give as a gift or pick up for your winter reading list or read to your grandchildren.  Hard and soft covers welcome. The “Book Nook” labeled collection bin is in the Community Room bin area.  Please NO COOKBOOKS. 

On Spirit Weekend, we had several people volunteer. We still have plenty of spaces open for  VOLUNTEERS to help with the Bake Sale and Book Nook.  We are recruiting  Greeters for the main entrance to make sure everyone knows all the offerings we have for their shopping as they come through the door and pick up their Boomerang Bag.   We are also in need of a few helpers for set up and clean up.  Many hands make light work. 



All Sign Up Boards for DONATIONS and VOLUNTEERS are  in the Gathering Space on the easels outside the main office.

All Craft Fair spaces are SOLD OUT!  Ten spaces will have new vendors. Start your shopping lists and get ready to shop Saturday, November 7 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. !

Craft Fair & Bake Sale - Gift Baskets

The sign up sheet for basket donations is on the easel near the office and there are already over 20 spaces filled! We would love to have more as your baskets have been very popular at the Craft Sale. Each basket we sell is matched by the Gundlach Fund and all the money goes to our chosen charities! Please click on the appropriate button if you need more information.

 Karen Verhagen is the contact person for questions: verhagen@charter.net or 608-335-6304.

Writers need for the 2027 Lenten Devotional Booklet

Thank you to those already signed up to write a 2027 Lenten Devotional! We need 16 more writers to complete our booklet. Your willingness to share your heart, faith, and unique perspective is a gift to our entire community as we journey together toward Easter.
 
The 2027 Lenten Devotional features verses about covenant: God’s promise and connection: how do we live that in our daily lives? While Lent is often viewed through the lens of penitence, guilt, or the traditional practice of "giving up" something, this year’s devotional invites us into a deeper journey, to explore how God’s ancient covenants continue to bind us in love and responsibility today as that unbroken thread of covenant promise finds its ultimate fulfillment in Jesus.

Here is a link to the verses and themes. Please email Elizabeth with your selected date.
 
Together, may this season empower us to heal our relationships, care for creation, speak truth with courage, and offer grace abundantly to a world in need.
 
Thank you for sharing your faith with us. We cannot wait to read what you create!

Check your voter registration-You can’t vote if you’re not registered!

Over 21 million voter registration records were removed from voter rolls between the 2022 midterms and the 2024 presidential election. Checking your registration status now gives you enough time to register — or re-register — before your state’s deadline. So if you’re not sure, check! And if you are sure? Check anyway at ​​https://www.vote.org/.

If you enter your information and don’t see a match or are listed as inactive, please register now to make sure you can vote.

Common reasons people aren’t found in the voter file:

• Your name is spelled differently than on file
• Your address has changed since you last registered

If any of this sounds like you, go ahead and re-register with your current information. It’s a quick way to ensure you can vote in the coming election.

Constitutional Amendment Voter Guide-LOPPW guidance

Wisconsin voters will consider three Constitutional Amendments on their ballots this November. The Lutheran Office for Public Policy in Wisconsin has created a Constitutional Amendment Voter Guide with explanations, recommendations, and context about the proposed amendments, made within the framework of the principles values, and commitments of the ELCA’s social statements and messages.

The three proposed amendments are:

• Question 1: Partial Veto Referendum
• Question 2: Freedom to Gather in Places of Worship During an Emergency Referendum
• Question 3: Governmental Entity Discrimination Prohibited Referendum

Please read the information linked below. If you are short on time, here are the recommendations from LOPPW, made within the framework of the principles, values, and commitments of the ELCA’s social statements and social messages.

Question 1-No Position

Question 2-Oppose

Question-Oppose

Visit  loppw.org/constitutional-amendments-2026 or use this QR code to access the Constitutional Amendment Voter Guide. 

Our Women’s Book Study started October 1st and continues for 6 weeks. We are reading and discussing : Amazing Grace: A Vocabulary of Faith by Kathleen Norris.

2 more books are available for pick up during office hours or weekend services. Please consider a donation of $10 to offset the cost of the book and replenish our fund for the next book.

Meetings 10:30-12 in Room 3 in the education space

October 8

October 15

October 22

October 29

November 5

All women are welcome to attend this time of prayerful discussion, reflection, and support.

Adult Education October & November

October 11, 18, 25 – Christian Nationalism

What is it? - History and Today - A Biblical/Lutheran View – Pastor Renee

November 1 – Break – No Adult Ed.

November 8, 15, 22 – Soteriology (the study of Salvation)

Why did Jesus Die on the Cross? Part 1, Part 2, Part 3 – Pastor Renee

Fall Work Day - October 10 -  9:00 - 12:00 noon

Pizza will be served for lunch

Sign up on the Kiosk.

Ladies Lunch Bunch - October 14th - 11:15 am

Norske Nook

  100 E Holum St - DeForest, WI 53532

Please sign up on the Kiosk. There will be space for 25 women this month.

Please be there by 11:15 am - 1:15 pm.    Orders will be taken at 11:30.

 For questions call Claire at 920-319-6731 or Mary at 262-716-4600

The Ladies Lunch Bunch September Gathering collected $90.00 for the Dignity at School Collection and $60.00 for unscented laundry detergent for St. Stephen's Food Pantry. The volunteers at the pantry dispense the soap into smaller bottles so it is available for those who shop. Claire, Barb and Mary delivered the soap.

Staffed Nursery is available from 8:00 - 9:20 am and 10:15 - 11:35 am

(October 11 and November 1, only 10:15-11:35.)

You are always welcome to be in the nursery with your children and watch the stream on the TV.

Also consider using the activity bags located near the coat rack in the Gathering Space.

Women’s Conversation Group - will resume after the book study ends.

All are welcome to gather on the 3rd Thursday from 10:30 am to noon for prayerful conversation and fellowship.

Morning Bible Study Wednesdays 7 AM in the downstairs Meeting Room 

The Gospel of Luke invites readers to explore the story of Jesus as God's Chosen One (Messiah)

From the joyous account of Jesus' birth in Bethlehem, the images of his crucifixion at Golgtha, to the "eye-opening" meal at Emmaus, we are invited into a remarkable story. 

Contact person – Ray Robinson rayerobinson13@gmail.com    608-695-5591

Divine Yoga Fall and Advent sessions

All Messiah folks and their friends are invited to attend on Tuesdays from 6-7:15 pm in the community room.

Bring your own mat.

Fall Sessions: October 6, 13, 20, 27 and November 3

Advent Series: December 1,8, 15, 22

The next two Healing House weeks are:

October 11 - 17 and December 27 - January 2.

Please sign up on the kiosk if you are interested in preparing a meal. Contact Elizabeth at volunteer@messiahchurch.com for more information.

Justice for a New Day Shareout from Monday, September 28th Class

Here are some of the things on our hearts and minds after Monday night’s lectures.

Shame

For people who have been incarcerated, shame follows them forever: shame that someone will “find them out,” shame when they are rejected from a loan, an apartment or a job. It  impacts the individual and close family relationships, taking extraordinary self-awareness and determination to use it for change. Yet, should any of us be defined by how we were on their worst day? One of our speakers challenged us: “If you insist on seeing and treating me as who I was, then I can never give the world my whole value.”

Incarceration within Slavery

We learned that within slavery, there was additional incarceration. Fear of future uprisings drove enslavers to imprison enslaved people who had led revolts or escaped. Upon recapture,  they might have spent time in a prison before being returned to their enslavers. The Louisiana state penitentiary-Angola- is built on land that was a collection of plantations before the Civil War. After the Civil War, people - white and Black - could be sold to pay fines or debts.

Incarceration after Slavery

There is a clause in the 13th amendment which allows forced or poorly compensated labor within the American prison system as punishment for a crime. This led to the use of the Convict Leasing Acts to use the labor of convicts to build and enrich businesses and governments to the detriment of many people, mostly Black.

Childhood Matters

We heard again how adverse childhood experiences are the main root cause of incarceration. The statistics are mind-boggling: African Americans are 6 times more likely to be sentenced to prison than a white person who commits the same crime and 1 in 3 Black men can expect to be incarcerated in America.

Intentions Matter

Policing started largely as an informal effort by white “concerned citizens” who appointed themselves to seek out and punish those they defined as criminals, in laws they created which established who was or was not a criminal. Over time professional forces were created to do this work, but the participants still largely self-select. One member of the group drew the connection to what is happening today with ICE agents.