NEW LIFE CHURCH ELCA

WEEKLY E-MAIL NEWSLETTER

Sunday Worship Times:

Traditional Worship 8:15 a.m.

Praise Band Worship 9:30 a.m., also livestreamed on Facebook Live

7564 Cottage Grove Rd. Madison WI 53718

Office Hours: 8:30 a.m. - 1:30 p.m. Monday-Thursday

Join us on Facebook or YouTube / Join our email list here

Website: www.newlifelc.com

February 16, 2022

This Sunday's sermon: "Love Your Enemies" - Luke 6:27-38

(Being a Disciple is hard work)

WORSHIP

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!

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 will be featured in the weekly newsletters on Wednesdays. Masks are required for indoors worship.

LENT

ASH WEDNESDAY

Wednesday, March 2 at 6:30 pm

As we begin the season of Lent, we start with an honest look at ourselves and our world. We are broken…we are frail…we are dust. But God can use simple, broken things to bring light into the world. Come be reminded of God’s work in you. Pastor Heather will also offer drive-through ashes & Communion for those unable to attend worship from 12:00-12:30 pm that day. There will not be dinner before worship, but we plan to get back to Wednesday dinners beginning on March 9^th.

LABYRINTH DURING LENT

Do you long for a better devotional life? Do you wish there was a time and place that could inspire such a thing? Well, you’re in luck! During this holy season, we have a perfect opportunity to spend some more contemplative time. To help you develop that, we will have our building open so you can come and pray in the Prayer Room or in the Worship Center, and walk the indoor labyrinth, which will be set up in the Recreation Center. There will be different invitations for prayer available each week. Come renew or grow your prayer habit.

LENTEN SUNDAYS

This is a season to grow closer to God and God’s love for us and the world. But sometimes we think that has to happen in grand or majestic ways – what if it didn’t? What if God speaks to us and inspires our faith through simple, ordinary objects we see every day? This Lenten journey invites us to open ourselves to the kingdom of God in our midst. Each Sunday, we will look at common objects like coins, oil and shoes to guide us on our path to the cross and empty tomb.

LENTEN WEDNESDAYS

Want to go deeper? Want to be with others who long for more on this journey? Come on Wednesday nights for food, fellowship, and a deeper dive into God’s love for us and the world. We hope to be able to safely offer dinners (5:30-6:15pm), a time of devotion and worship (6:15-6:45), and then times of Faith Formation for both youth and adults (6:45-8:00 pm). Please sign up to provide dinners either by calling the office or signing up outside the kitchen window.

All are welcome for worship at 6:15 whether you’ve come to dinner or not. This time will be centered around the times Biblical characters have responded to God’s call with the simple words: ‘Here I Am.’ Each time these words were prayed, history was changed and extraordinary things happened. The adult Faith Formation time after worship will go deeper into these stories as well. The youth time of Faith Formation will explore the different practices we do as Christians that bring us closer to God. Like, why and how do we pray? How do you walk the Labyrinth? Why do we worship? Join Jessica for this series in the ReCreation Center after Wednesday night's worship.

WORSHIP UPDATES

If you missed last week's service, from February 6th, here is the link to view it.

COVID POLICIES

We continue to care for you in these ways:

. extensive cleaning (especially in high traffic area)

. encouraging masking and distancing (mask mandate still in place until at least March 1)

. being aware of your own symptoms - if you're experiencing ones that are COVID related, we ask that you do not come into the building.

Also, when you come worship, please fill out the white visitor card in order to contact trace as well as for attendance. Thanks!

Starting this Sunday February 20, we will return to coming forward for Communion (however, there will be an option if you are not comfortable with this) and offering coffee fellowship! We hope to resume dinners and breakfast in March, so please stay tuned. We are glad that the numbers in Dane County seem to be going the right direction, but your staff and Council leadership are in constant communication about what is best! We pray for the health and safety of everyone in this community! Please know that Facebook live worship at 9:30am will always be available if you do not feel safe coming in-person.

WELCOME TEAM VOLUNTEERS

FEBRUARY

We always encourage and appreciate volunteers for the Welcome Team to help out with parts of the worship service, like Soundboard/AudioVisual, greeter, welcome table, usher, tellers and coffee server. Please click here to open signup sheet of duties needed to still be filled during the end of February. Anyone is invited to join the Welcome Team anytime!

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.

VANCO(Give Online)

CONNECTIONS

Ministry

ADULT FAITH FORMATION

Pastor Heather is offering a four-week study on the book of Ephesians; one of Paul’s letters that encourages us to strengthen our identity in Christ. Since we will not be holding dinners during the month of February, this study will be offered virtually so anyone can join in. If you’d like to sign up, please contact the church office or Pastor Heather. You can also just join the conversation using this Zoom link. It’s not necessary, but if you’d like to order the book, please click here.

I’M STILL HERE: Black dignity in a World Made for Whiteness, Austin Channing Brown, Convergent, 2018

Join us for a discussion of this “eye-opening account of growing up black, Christian, and female that exposes how white America’s love affair with ‘diversity’ so often falls short of its ideals.” ( from Book jacket)

On the Sundays of March 6 and 13 immediately following the 9:30 a.m. service at New Life, feel free to attend one or both sessions. The discussions will be led by Iris Christenson and Kathy Michaelis. The book is available from the Madison libraries (print & digital), Amazon ($9.93), or Room of One’s Own (E-book, $ 9.99).

BIBLE STUDY GROUP and

NEW LIFE SATURDAY BOOK CLUB

The Bible Study Group that meets on Thursday mornings, led by Betty Sundbakken, has been meeting for discussions of a study on the book “Extraordinary Faith” by Sheila Walsh. This session of the group will run through mid-March. All are welcome to participate.

Also, the next meeting of the New Life Book Club led by Melanie Stepherson will take place on Saturday, March 5th. The group will discuss "Notes from a Blue Bike" by Tsh Oxenreider. In this book Tsh describes her family as they attempt to live a simpler, more intentional life.

Common Threads

Ginny Olson and Gail Kriel encourage anyone who'd like to learn how to knit or crochet to join in the Common Threads group. If you're experienced you could work on your own project as well as 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. Prayer shawls are on the entrance table in the Community Room and are FREE for the taking by/for anyone who wants one.

Children & Youth Ministry

New Life Kids

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

Skiing & Tubing Trip

Youth in Grades 6-12 are invited to go skiing or tubing at Cascade Mountain on Friday, February 25th from 10 am - 3 pm. We are also looking for a few adults to come along and help volunteer. Email Jessica if you are interested in going. Find out more info on the Facebook Event page.

Registration for the Boundary Waters Canoe Trip is here! The trip is from Sunday, July 17 - Friday, July 22nd. For more information click here.

Family Movie Day

All ages are invited to join us for a family movie day on Sunday, March 6th from 3 pm - 6 pm.

We will be watching Encanto! After the movie we will share pizza and popcorn and have a small discussion. See details on the Facebook Event page.

Have a Blessed Week!

Jessica Korrison

COMMUNITY

Social Purpose Team is here for you

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).

And of course, if you would like to give to this fund, please submit checks with "Social Purpose Fund" in the memor or give online to that fund. Again, thank you for caring and sharing!

WAYS TO PARTNER

We have established a partnership with the Nehemiah Center, which means that we will be looking for and offering ways for you to connect with their leadership in our area serving communities of color. As the months go along, we will highlight ways that you can personally and with your family grow this partnership alongside what we're doing as a congregation.

For the remainder of the month of February, we would like to help Nehemiah collect items for the Allied Wellness Center in support of the homeless population on the East Side of Madison. Please bring the following items in to church with you until Feb. 27th: small packages of paper towels, napkins or toilet paper. Thank you!

Other ways you and your family can partner: support black-owned businesses (click here for a list), visit www.lirs.org to support refugees, visit www.ldr.org to help with disaster response around the nation, or www.elca.org to find another way to give back to people in need.

LANDSCAPING PROJECT

We are so excited to announce that we have received a $20,000 grant in order to revitalize our outdoor space! We will begin making plans and getting bids for the work shortly, so if you would like to join in that process, please contact Pastor Heather or Joe Milanese ([email protected]).

Stay tuned for some exciting plans!

Prayers Rugs for new Afghan neighbors

In January, Common Threads members donated 10 handwoven prayer rugs to our newest Afghan neighbors who are waiting at Fort McCoy near Sparta, Wisconsin, to be resettled to a city somewhere in the US--perhaps Madison.

While volunteering in the Legal Clinic at Fort McCoy, I learned that the Afghan guests who were attending full-day workshops about legal rights and responsibilities were sharing one prayer rug. This sometimes meant that 40 people had to share one rug! Thank you, Common Threads members. Your donation was much appreciated!

Iris Christenson

Do You Like Breakfast?

(How about Wednesday Dinner?)

We'd like to restart serving "First Sunday" breakfasts again in March, as well as Wednesday dinners before Faith Formation. If you can help, it's easy, and you can get family, friends, or a group to help you! See the sign-up sheets by the kitchen serving window. We need volunteers for breakfast on March 6 and Wednesday dinners starting March 9. Thank you!

Please Keep These People in Your Prayers

The family of Barb Olson, Donna Butler’s grandson Anthony, Boyd Fleming, Felicia Jones & family, Johnnie Jones, Michele Kiefer, Gail Kriel, the family of Dr. Russell Krebs, Trish Krueger, Hailey Lennberg, Laurie Neuendorf, Kishia Peters, Alvina Phillips, Vern Richmond, Jeremy Showers, Bobby Spridco, Bill Sterud, Darrick Thompson, Paul Volkmann, and Carolee Zick.

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 printer 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 the Week Ahead

February 20, 2022

8:15 a.m. Traditional Worship Service

9:30 a.m. Praise Band Worship Service

9:30 a.m. New Life Kids

Upcoming Schedule of Events This Week

Monday, February 21 - Presidents Day

10:00 a.m. - Noon Gift Cards Distribution (Social Purpose Team)

6:00 – 7:30 p.m. Council Meeting (in-person and via Zoom)

7:00 - 8:30 p.m. Silver Eagles youth group (led by the Erbs) (ReCreation Center)

Tuesday, February 22

9:30 - 11:00 a.m. Common Threads (led by Ginny & Gail) (Ginny's studio)

Wednesday, February 23

6:15 p.m. Adult Faith Formation (led by Pastor Heather) (via Zoom meeting)

Thursday, February 24

9:00-11:00 a.m. Women's Bible Study (led by Betty Sundbakken) (Classroom A)

6:30-7:30 p.m. NLC Awaken Dane team meeting via Zoom (led by Pastor Heather)

Saturday, February 26

9:00-10:00 a.m. Praise Band rehearsal (Worship Center)

8:30 a.m. - 4:00 p.m. LEAD event hosted by Synod at St. Luke's in Middleton

CONTACT

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

New Life Staff:

Rev. Heather Hayward, Pastor

[email protected]

Jessica Korrison, Children & Youth Ministry Coordinator

[email protected]

Kathy Scholl, Office Assistant/Newsletter

[email protected]

Nancy Schmidt, Bookkeeper

[email protected]

Shakia “Queen” Turner, Property Manager

[email protected]

Shane Peters, Custodian