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
Contact us at [email protected] or (608) 223-9337
Join us on Facebook or YouTube / Join our email list here
Website: www.newlifelc.com
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This Sunday's Sermon on the scripture of
John 12:1-8 "Mary anointing the feet of Jesus"
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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!
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If you missed last week's service from March 20th, here is a link to view it. | |
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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.
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As we come closer to the cross and empty tomb, please make plans to join us for that journey! There are many ways for you to go deeper with God in this season:
Prayer Spaces – we continue to encourage you to utilize the prayer spaces we have available – outdoor labyrinth, indoor labyrinth (in the ReCreation Center), the Prayer Room, and the Worship Center.
Lending Libraries – there are many books available and awaiting you! Take a look at the tables and bookshelves in the Community Room for your faith growth!
Wednesdays – come join us for a FREE community meal at 5:30pm, a brief devotional worship focused on the Biblical characters response to God of ‘Here I Am’ at 6:15pm, and Faith Formation for both youth and adults at 6:45pm.
All are welcome!
Sundays – our focus for messages on Sunday in this season is on everyday objects that God can use to remind us throughout the week of Jesus, God’s providing, and the Spirit’s power in our lives.
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MAUNDY THURSDAY
As Jesus gathered with his friends around a meal on the last night before the cross, so too will we! We will serve a free meal at 5:30pm (hosted by Kathy Nelson), and then worship at 6:30pm will also take place around the Community Room tables. We will talk more about Communion – especially for our young people for whom this is a new experience! – serve each other and walk with Jesus to those final moments before his arrest. This will be a powerful, community-focused worship time – come join us!
GOOD FRIDAY
This solemn holy night, we will gather for worship at 6:30pm (it will also be live streamed on Facebook). As Jesus is betrayed and sent to the cross, we remember and thank God for the gift of forgiveness that is offered in this. Come sing, pray, and worship with us as we prepare for Easter morning.
EASTER
This celebratory morning, you will have three opportunities to worship: 8:15am (traditional), 9:30am (live streamed as well), and 10:45am. Come celebrate all that God has done for us and lift your voices in song and thanksgiving!
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Do You Like Breakfast?
(How about Wednesday Dinner?)
We're again serving "First Sunday" breakfasts, as well as Wednesday dinners before Faith Formation, which are from 5:30-6:15 p.m. Tonight's dinner will be hosted by Melissa Bizeau. Thanks to folks who have signed up to serve meals. 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.
Enjoy food and fellowship together!
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COVID POLICY UPDATES
With Dane County’s mask mandate lifted, we want to let you know that we will still encourage masks, especially as we sing and come forward for Communion in worship. We want to encourage young families and the immunocompromised to feel safe in our building, so please consider that as you make your choice on mask-wearing.
As always, please be aware of your own symptoms – if you’re experiencing ones that are COVID related, we ask that you do not come into the building. And when you come worship, please fill out the white visitor card in order to contact trace as well as for attendance. Thanks!
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WELCOME TEAM VOLUNTEERS
APRIL AND HOLY WEEK
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 or on the graphic above to open the signup sheet for APRIL.
We will be needing extra help for Holy Week -please see signup sheet and check here. Anyone is invited to join the Welcome Team anytime!
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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.
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Welcome Sunday - Bring a Friend!
We will be welcoming new Community Partners on Sunday, April 3rd. There will also be breakfast hosted by Rick & Trish Krueger and Lynn Wunderlin. With all this celebration, it would be a great day to invite a friend, neighbor, or co-worker to worship! Let's make it a fantastic celebratory day!
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ADULT FAITH FORMATION
After Easter, we’d like to celebrate the New Life that Jesus brings into our lives. Pastor Heather has asked some people to share their Easter faith stories – times where God brought about resurrection and new life. If you have a story you’d like to share, please contact her! These conversations will happen after dinners on Wednesday nights from 6:15-7:30pm until May 18. Please come join us for these uplifting conversations!
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Spring Women's Retreat
SATURDAY, APRIL 30
9:30 a.m. to 3:00 p.m.
HOLY WISDOM MONASTERY
Pastor Heather is joining forces with a few other churches to offer this day away for women. As Mother’s Day approaches we want to acknowledge that that can be a complicated day – joy, yes…but also other emotions.
For more information and to register, please click here. Cost is $40 before April 1st ($50 after that). Final deadline is April 15th. All are welcome!
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Children & Youth Ministry | |
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New Life Kids
Join us during the 9:30 a.m. service for a children’s message and activity.
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Sign up now for the Boundary Waters Canoe Trip! It is Sunday, July 17-Friday, July 22. For more information click here. | |
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VACATION BIBLE SCHOOL (VBS)
Join us for farmin’ fun as we explore one simple Bible truth: Jesus will always love us! This year's Vacation Bible School will be Monday, Aug. 15 – Thursday, Aug. 18.
If you are interested in helping with VBS, please let Jessica know!
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GROWING IN FAITH
Pastor Heather and I are planning communion instructions during the Maundy Thursday service. This will be a great opportunity for those younger and newer to communion to join us.
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On May 22nd we will be celebrating Affirmation of Baptism. If there are any older high schoolers who are interested in becoming confirmed this year, let Jessica know. We will be gathering as a group three times before May 22nd. The first meeting will be at 10:30 a.m. on Sunday, April 3rd.
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LUTHERAN DISASTER RESPONSE TO EASTERN EUROPEAN CRISIS
Lutheran Disaster Response is accompanying our companions in Ukraine, Hungary, Poland and Slovakia, as well as such ecumenical partners as Lutheran World Federation and Church World Service, in their humanitarian responses to the crisis. These partners provide refugees with support and supplies such as food, blankets, water and hygiene kits. See more information, including how to make a donation, at: community.elca.org/eastern-europe-crisis-response.
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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 memo or give online to that fund. Again, thank you for caring and sharing!
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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. We will highlight ways that you can personally and with your family grow this partnership alongside what we're doing as a congregation.
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.
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There will be an upcoming synod wide event, titled "Now Is The Time," which will be a zoom discussion held on April 4, 11, 18, 25 and May 2, from 7 to 9 p.m. It's being offered by the Synod Racial Equity Ministry Team and Women of the ELCA.
The discussion is open to all members and will provide participants with the opportunity to wrestle with the content and meaning of the document
"Declaration of the ELCA to People of African Descent" and its accompanying explanation. There will be five sessions of two hours each. Each session concludes with an assignment, including reading the background material for the coming week. Participants will be encouraged to journal throughout the study.
A Study Guide may be found here and a Participant Guide here.
Participants need to register to attend (click link here). Once they have registered they will receive a link for the event.
If you have any questions please contact Donna Peterson at 608-574-5389.
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SAVE THE DATE - SPRING CLEANUP!
Saturday, April 23 - 9 a.m. - Noon
We are planning on having a spring cleanup on April 23rd (the day after Earth Day) to tidy up our church grounds, and we welcome your help! If you have questions on what's being planned, please contact Joe Milanese or Queen Turner. Watch for more information!
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BIBLE STUDY GROUP and
NEW LIFE SATURDAY BOOK CLUB
The Bible Study Group that meets on Thursday mornings, led by Betty Sundbakken, is in a Lenten Study this Thursday, meeting for discussions of a study on the book “He Chose the Nails” by Max Lucado. This session of the group will run through April 21st (off on Maundy Thursday). All are welcome to participate.
Also, the New Life Book Club that is led by Melanie Stepherson, will meet next in April, on the second Saturday of the month now (which in April will be the 9th) from 9-11:30 a.m. in the Community Room. The book that the group will be discussing is "Woman of Flames" by Kim Stokely.
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NEW LIFE CHURCH GOLFERS
Beginning Thursday, May 19th Door Creek Golf Course has agreed to give us a standard tee time of Thursdays at 5:36 pm. The weekly reservation runs through August 25th. We have four golfers who have committed, and we also have a list of names of others who are interested when one of us cannot make it. Anyone is welcome to join in. This year, Verne will be scheduling the foursomes two weeks in advance to ensure we can keep our tee time a full foursome. If you are interested in playing golf please let the church office and Verne Scholl or David Hayward know by April 20th, and you will receive timely communication on golfing opportunities that come up. We use no formalized selection, other than send the interested group email request out, and the first one to respond with a “yes” is in for that week.
This year, the golfing fees are: Walking $19.00, Riding $29.00 (based on a double occupancy cart) Any players requesting a single rider cart for Covid reasons will be charged an additional $15.00.
Hopefully again this year, Door Creek will allow us to rotate between nines, so we are not seeing the same holes every week.
With that said – we are not a league. We are a community of faith and play for enjoyment, realizing the game of golf can be enjoyable no matter what skill levels we possess.
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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, Trish Krueger, Vicki Landes, Hailey Lennberg, Laurie Neuendorf, Ginny Olson, Alvina Phillips, Vern Richmond, Jeremy Showers, Bobby Spridco, Bill Sterud, Darrick Thompson, and Carolee Zick.
Prayers are requested for Megan and Scott Hoffmaster as they welcome their new baby girl.
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.
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This Sunday and Updates for the Week Ahead
April 3, 2022 - Welcome Sunday
8:15 a.m. Traditional Worship Service
9:30 a.m. Praise Band Worship Service
9:30 a.m. New Life Kids
10:30 a.m. Meeting of High School Seniors for Affirmation May 22
Upcoming Schedule of Events This Week
Wednesday, March 30
5:30-6:15 p.m. Dinner (Community Room), hosted by Melissa Bizeau
6:15-6:45 p.m. Worship Service (Worship Center)
6:45-8:00 p.m. Youth Faith Formation (Classroom A)
and Adult Faith Formation (Community Room)
Thursday, March 24
9:00-11:00 a.m. Women's Bible Study (5-week Lenten Study), led by Betty Sundbakken
7:00-8:30 p.m. Shawn Peters MCF Band (corner of ReCreation Center)
Saturday, April 2
9:00-10:00 a.m. Praise Band Rehearsal (Worship Center)
Monday, April 4
10:00 a.m. - Noon Gift Cards Distribution (Social Purpose Team)
7:00 - 8:30 p.m. Silver Eagles youth group (led by the Erbs) (Community Room)
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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
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
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