We continue offering worship via Facebook Live at 9:30 a.m. on Sundays - please join us on our Facebook page for this opportunity!

If you have trouble joining Facebook Live, the worship videos will be available by each Monday on New Life's YouTube Channel.

Thank you to all who have been participating in our weekly worship!

To watch last Sunday's 9:30 am service from Sunday, October 2nd, here is a link to view it.

ACCESS WORSHIP

Join us for worship Sundays at 8:15 a.m. (Traditional) and at 9:30 a.m. (Praise Band Worship) which is also always livestreamed on our Facebook page and available on our YouTube page any time after, not just when we're live. Our most recent worship services are also posted to our website on Monday mornings and are featured in the weekly newsletters on Wednesdays. Masks are optional but encouraged if people want to wear them.

COMMUNION QUESTION

Thank you to all who were at worship last Sunday who offered input about how we practice Communion! If you were unable to be there and would like to have input as well, please contact Pastor Heather. The question is do we (A) continue to use the prefilled cups, (B) receive a wafer and then individual cup of wine or juice, or (C) receive bread and then individual cup of wine or juice. If we change our practice, we will need helpers, so please also let Pastor or Ann Krebs Byrne know that you’d like to help! If changes will be made, they will happen in November.

SPEAKER SERIES

A huge THANK YOU to all who participated in the speaker series conversation about immigration over the last three weeks! We thank our speakers for sharing their stories and all of you for your questions and interest! And a special thank you to Iris Christenson for her expertise and guidance in putting these together! Iris has more information if you’d like to know more about how you can help the immigration process.

GUEST PREACHERS OCTOBER 23

Please make plans to join us in worship on October 23^rd for a very special message from two of our own community partners. Come hear Terri Beck-Engel and Gregg Schieve – both artists and creative spirits – talk about their creative process and how it relates to their faith. They will share at both services that morning. 

FALL CONTEMPLATIVE RETREAT FOR EVERYONE!

SATURDAY, OCTOBER 15 FROM 9a-3p AT HOLY WISDOM

Pastor Heather along with Chris Roberts, local pastor and spiritual director, will be leading a Men's and Women's Retreat at Holy Wisdom Monastery. Come enjoy some personal reflection time along with group conversation about listening for God's voice. Sign up today using this link:  https://foundrysc.com/connect/fall-retreat.  Cost is $60 until Oct. 7 when registration closes. It includes lunch & program materials. 

WEDNESDAY COMMUNITY GATHERINGS

Come join us on Wednesdays this fall! First, we'll have dinner at 5:30 p.m. Tonight, Ginny and Amy Qualmann will provide chili. Pastor Heather will then lead the Adult Faith Formation topic (see more about this in the article on Prayer) at 6:30pm. Please come for both or just for the formation conversation – whatever works best in your schedule. Come spend time with New Life this fall!

Exciting News from the Finance Team

In June, the church experienced a hailstorm. At the time, we could not see any visual damage, but we notified our insurer and they determined that there was indeed some damage to the church roof. In September we were notified that the insurance company would be sending a check to be used to replace the entire roof! Your finance team contacted several roofing contractors, and it was decided that we would go with Maly Roofing for the job. They will be coming out yet this fall to replace the roof on the church as well as the utility shed. Shingles are expected in by the end of October, with work on the roof to begin the first week of November. All this work will be done within the confines of the check we received from the insurer. 

You will recall that we refinanced the church loan for a lower rate and a smaller payment. We have been putting away almost $2,000 a month in anticipation that we would be needing to replace the roof within the next five years. As that is now behind us, we can focus at least some of those monies toward our landscape projects. A team of congregation members has been working on a vision for our building and grounds with the goal of casting a welcoming look for guests arriving at the church. Those landscape projects just took a giant leap forward as we now have three landscape companies preparing drawings representing the landscape team’s vision. We will be keeping the congregation informed as we move forward with some, or all of these projects based on current and future funding. Stay tuned and have shovel and trimmers handy as we will eventually be recruiting volunteer work crews. More to come! The Lord does provide for His church, sometimes with heavenly hail.

YOUR OFFERING

Thanks for your support to meet our financial obligations. Consider giving online, if you aren't already! You can select a one-time donor or recurring donation, and it's easy to do - just click the box below to begin. Or as always, you can mail in your donations to New Life.

COME PRAY WITH NEW LIFE



Join your fellow faithful companions in an exploration of the most basic aspect of our faith lives: PRAYER. Prayer is actually, surprisingly, pretty much the most important thing in life. When we’re stripped away from everything else, the deepest thing we have in life is prayer – our connection to God and each other. This is the most basic conversation we can have individually and as a community. We’re called to learn and practice this amazing gift and you can choose your course of study:

Prayer 101

On Sundays through mid-October, Pastor Heather's focus will be on an aspect of the Lord’s Prayer for us to contemplate together. The hope (and prayer 😊) is that this will be something that enhances or begins your prayer life.

Prayer 201

If you want to go deeper on these aspects of the Lord’s Prayer, come on Wednesday nights for Adult Faith Formation to invest your time in The Prayer Course. This is a wonderful video-based small group discussion about prayer. This will be offered in-person only unless community health becomes a concern – but switching to online would be easily done. We began with an introduction to this nine-week study on Sept. 7 but you can still join in - please sign up by contacting the church office or Pastor Heather directly.

Prayer 301

If you really want to dive into the reading that Pastor Heather has been doing to prepare for this conversation, she invites you to read two books by Pete Greig: “how to pray: a simple guide for normal people” and “how to hear God: a simple guide for normal people.”  They can be ordered here: https://www.24-7prayer.com/resource/how-to-pray-book/.

The best gift Jesus gave his disciples was the gift of Prayer – let’s join in this vital conversation and go deeper with our prayer lives.

New Life Kids

Join us during the 9:30 a.m. service for a children’s message and craft.

Family Fall Day THIS Sunday, October 9th from 2-4pm!

Join your New Life friends at Anderson's Pleasant Patch Pumpkins for a hayride and picking out pumpkins. All ages are welcomed!

We will meet at Anderson's at 2 pm. The only cost for the day would be if your family would like to pick out a pumpkin. Please note that there are no bathroom facilities on site so a stop before hand is strongly suggested.

For more information about Anderson's check them out here!

Explorers & eMerge

Youth Faith Formation is every Sunday after 9:30 service.

Starting THIS Sunday we will be diving into two different video series. Each week we will watch a 20 minute clip, discuss it and then end in games. 

Explorers (6th - 8th) - Check out the Alpha Youth Series trailer here!

eMerge (9th - 12th) - Check out the Life Revealed Series trailer here!

High School Volunteer Opportunity! 

On Friday, November 4th we will be helping at St. Mark's Community Lunch. We will be there from 10:30am - 1:30pm to help prep, serve and clean up. Let Jessica know if you would like to join! Friends are welcomed and encouraged to come. 

If you are interested or want more information on any of the activities, feel free to reach out to Jessica Korrison.

NEW COMMUNITY PARTNERS WELCOMED OCTOBER 2ND

During the second service on October 2nd, Pastor Heather prayed a blessing as the congregation welcomed new Community Partners (L-R): AJ White-Wolf (and Hutch!), Judy Goke, Colleen Cotter, Amy Qualmann, and, (over Facebook Live) Vicki Teigen.  Let's all make them feel welcome at New Life!

DINNER WITH EVERETT MITCHELL

St. Mark’s Lutheran Church invites you to “Lasagna Night” - (Including a gluten free vegetarian lasagna for those who prefer.)  This will be held on Thursday, Oct. 13 from 6 to 7:30 p.m. at 605 Spruce St., South Madison. And they are happy to announce that Judge Everett Mitchell will be a special guest and available for a Q&A session.  If planning to attend, please let Pastor Heather know.

FIELD OF SCREAMS AND FIELD OF DREAMS

SAVE THE DATES!

SATURDAY, OCTOBER 22 - FIELD OF SCREAMS (7-9 pm)

SUNDAY, OCTOBER 23 - FIELD OF DREAMS (2-4 pm)

We're ramping up plans for some "Spooktacular" events again this year at New Life Church! We are going to need a LOT of helpers! Here are links to the Sign-Up Genius Forms for: Field of Screams and Field of Dreams. 

See the gold half-sheets on the tables too, to volunteer for Field of Dreams.

See our flyers and information, and sign up to help!

AUTHOR CLINT SMITH TO SPEAK LOCALLY

Recently the book How the Word is Passed was discussed at New Life Church. Author Clint Smith will be speaking November 1st, 7:00-8:30 pm, in Shannon Hall, Memorial Union, on the Madison campus. His talk will ALSO BE AVAILABLE online. There is no need to pre-register. A link for online access will appear on the UW Big Read webpage next to the author details on November 1st.  www.gobigread.wisc.edu/

SOCIAL PURPOSE FUND

Throughout the pandemic, we have been able to help so many families in the community because of this fund. Most recently, due to inflation especially at the gas pump, we have distributed almost $2000 in much-needed gift cards. Please know that if you are experiencing any financial need (rent/mortgage, utilities, groceries, medical, unemployment/furlough, etc.) you only need to let Pastor Heather know. This information will be kept confidential to her and our financial officers (treasurer and bookkeeper).

Also, because of these increased needs, if you would be able to give to this fund, please submit checks with "Social Purpose Fund" in the memo or give online to that fund. Again, thank you for caring and sharing!

We continue to partner with The Nehemiah Center. For the month of October, we are requesting donations of laundry detergent, stain remover and dryer sheets. Thank you for your generosity!

HURRICANE RELIEF

Prayers are of course needed for our brothers and sisters in Florida and up the Eastern Coast but if you’d like to have a hand in directly helping them too, please consider donating toward Lutheran Disaster Response who is already on the ground helping residents recover. Here is the link to click on:

https://www.elca.org/our-work/relief-and-development/lutheran-disaster-response.

WEEKEND SNACK PACK PROGRAM FOR KIDS

There is a wonderful program in the Monona Grove schools through the Monona Grove Education Foundation that provides much-needed extra food for kids over the weekends – and now New Life gets to be a part of it! During the month of November, we will help to pack 150 bags every week that will help families in our community!

Please click here for the sign-up sheet asking for 4-5 people to help on Sundays Oct. 30, Nov. 6 and 20. We will also have groups on Wednesdays Oct. 26 and Nov. 16 to cover the other weeks. Thanks to Nicole Hines and Vicki Schultz for heading up New Life’s involvement in this great program! If you’re unable to help with the packing, please consider a gift to the Foundation at www.supportmgef.org Thank you!

Stamping Group

Monday, October 10 - 6:30 p.m.

On the second Monday of the month, New Life Church hosts a rubber stamping group in the Community Room. The group will start back up again for the fall season, beginning on September 12th. We make beautifully designed and crafted greeting cards. All are welcome to join in this fun evening of stamping and fellowship. Contact leader Cheryll Steinke TO LET HER KNOW YOU'LL BE PARTICIPATING or with questions.

Common Threads

Ginny Olson and Gail Kriel lead knitters and crocheters in the Common Threads group, to make prayer shawls and blankets for the prayer shawl ministry. Sessions take place at Ginny's studio on the second Tuesday evenings of the month from 6:30-8:30 p.m. and the fourth Tuesday mornings of the month from 9:30-11:30 a.m. To sign up and for info, email Ginny.

The group meets next on Tuesday, October 11th from 6:30-8:30 p.m.

Free prayer shawls are available at the church for anyone who would like one.

MEN’S GROUP

Hey guys! We're offering a time for the men of our community to gather and be strengthened in their faith. If you haven't checked it out yet, welcome! Join us the next time we get together on Saturday, October 22nd from 8:00-9:00 a.m. at the church. If you have any questions, please let the office know.

Please Keep These People in Your Prayers

Donna Butler’s grandson Anthony, Boyd Fleming, Terry Hines (Dave Kolmodin's cousin), Michele Kiefer, Dave Kohlwey's brother Neil, Gail Kriel, Patti Kolmodin, Vicki Landes, Hailey Lennberg, Jeff Lennberg, Bruce McBain (brother of Margo McBain), Laurie Neuendorf, Annie O'Kane, Stephanie Peck (grandfathers in hospice), Alvina Phillips, the family of Gerald Polkinghorn, Vern Richmond, Jeremy Showers, Trish Splettstoesser, Bobby Spridco, Cheryll & Bill Steinke, Bill Sterud, Russ & Shirley Theel's son-in-law Gil Franco, Carolee Zick, and Barb Zimmerman.

If you would like to be included on our prayer list, please contact the church office. Permission is required from the individual for us to print their name. Individuals will on the list for one month unless requested. Please let us know if there is someone to be added, or if someone has improved or healed and can be taken off the list.

This Sunday and Updates for this Week

October 9, 2022

8:15 a.m. Traditional Worship Service

9:30 a.m. Praise Band Worship Service

(also livestreamed on Facebook Live)

10:30 a.m. Youth Faith Formation (ReCreation Center)

2:00-4:00 p.m. Family Fall Day at Anderson's Pleasant Patch

Schedule of Events This Week

Thursday, October 6

9:00-11:00 a.m.— Bible Study Group (led by Betty Sundbakken) (Classroom A)

5:30-8:00 p.m. — Cub Scouts Pack 145 (Community Room)

6:30-7:30 p.m. — Praise Band Rehearsal (Worship Center

Saturday, October 8

9:30-11:30 a.m. — New Life Book Club (led by Melanie Stepherson) (Classroom A)

Monday, October 10

6:30-8:30 p.m. — Stamping Group (led by Cheryll Steinke) (Community Room)

6:30-8:30 p.m. — Covered Bridge Condo Assoc. Mtg. (Worship Center)

7:00-8:30 p.m. — Athletes of Faith (Monona Grove Faith Group) (Recreation Center)

Tuesday, October 11

6:00-7:00 p.m. — Youth Team meeting (led by Jessica Korrison)(Classroom A)

6:30-8:30 p.m. — Finance Team meeting (Bookkeeper's office)

6:30-8:30 p.m. — Common Threads (led by Ginny & Gail at Ginny's studio)

Office hours are Monday through Thursday. Please feel free to contact staff members of New Life by email at newlifelc@newlifelc.com or by calling the office at 608-223-9337. Contacts are listed here.

NOTE: The correct email address for Pastor Heather is no longer sbcglobal but is now: pastor@newlifelc.com for your contact info.

New Life Staff:

Rev. Heather Hayward, Pastor

pastor@newlifelc.com

Jessica Korrison, Children & Youth Ministry Coordinator

youtheducator@newlifelc.com

Kathy Scholl, Office Assistant/Newsletter

newlifelc@newlifelc.com

Mike Berchem, Bookkeeper

bookkeeper@newlifelc.com

Shakia “Queen” Turner, Property Manager

shakiamturner@yahoo.com

ELCA South-Central Wisconsin Synod website:

https://scsw-elca.org/

New Life Church Council:

Iris Christenson, Secretary

Brian Coel, Vice-President

Jim DePass

Rick Krueger

Joe Milanese

Janice Newell, President

Tom Olson

Shawn Peters

Linda Sime

MacKenzie Swanson

Jan Wilson

Ken Wundrow, Treasurer