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!

If you missed last week's service from April 10th, 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 will be featured in the weekly newsletters on Wednesdays. Masks are required for indoors worship.

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.

WORSHIP UPDATES

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.

OFFICE WILL BE CLOSED THE DAY AFTER EASTER

Just an fyi - the Church Office will be closed on "Easter Monday," April 18th, the day after Easter. The staff hope everyone will enjoy their Easter holiday! We'll be back on the 19th.

New Life Kids

Join us during the 9:30 a.m. and 10:45 a.m. services for a children’s message and activity. 

"MILE BY MILE"

What is that wall of envelopes in the community room?

The youths' last fundraiser! Pick an envelope and donate that amount. Have fun picking your favorite number or a number that means a lot to you. If that number is already taken, feel free to pick two or three that add up to the number you would like! Donations will go towards our Pine Lake Camp experience and Boundary Waters Trip.

SILVER EAGLE ATHLETES OF FAITH WELCOME A SPECIAL GUEST

The Silver Eagle Athletes of Faith is a youth group that has been holding meetings here at New Life Church. It's comprised of student athletes from Monona Grove High School as an opportunity for Christian athletes to meet with other like-minded student in an uplifting environment. Shannon and Jen Erb are the adult leaders of the group.

On Monday, April 11th, the group welcomed a

Special Guest Speaker -- Mike "Jocko" Jacques, Sports Anchor of WMTV-NBC 15 Madison. He's seen here wearing "Badger Red"(at center), to talk to the athletes about his own faith journey, and how they can help the community.

You can view the special "Making a Difference" snippet on the station's website by clicking on this link: VUit: WMTV.

The segment is at the end of the broadcast (slide ahead to 22:35 into the program). (Still photos courtesy of Jen Erb)

Parents are you making summer plans?

Vacation Bible School

Monday, August 15 – Thursday, August 18 9am – 3pm

• Preschool – 5^th grade kids will have a great week with their crew moving through the stations!
• Middle & High School youth are invited to help lead groups or stations. Stations include music, drama, crafts, and games.

Pine Lake Camp – Wednesday, June 29 – Friday, July 1

Kids who have completed 3^rd – 8^th grade are invited to join Jessica on a two-night camp experience! We will stay in cabins and as a group spend time swimming, playing games, worshiping, and making new friends at other churches.

Boundary Waters Canoe Trip – Sunday, July 17 – Friday, July 22

There are still a few spots left! Join us a for a week in the pristine wilderness.

HELPERS NEEDED FOR CLEAN-UP OPPORTUNITIES!

Kids and youth, join Jessica in picking up the prairie walk during this year's spring clean up on April 23rd!

Clean-Up at McCarthy Park

Friends of McCarthy Youth and Conservation Park are holding a youth service day on Saturday, April 30th from 9 a.m.-12 p.m. Join your friends in mulching, seed distribution and tree planting. Let Jessica know if you are interested in helping!!

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

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!

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, and in the meantime please click here to sign up! There will be easy tasks for youths and kids who attend also (see article in Children & Youth Ministry).

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.

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.

NOW IS THE TIME

There will be an upcoming synod wide event, titled "Now Is The Time," which will be a zoom discussion held on April 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, then they'll receive a link for the event.

If you have any questions please contact Donna Peterson at 608-574-5389.

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 14th - NOTE: they WILL meet tomorrow on Maundy Thursday!  Then they'll meet for breakfast offsite on April 21st.

All are welcome to participate.

The next meeting of the New Life Book Club that is led by Melanie Stepherson will be on May 14 from 9-11:30 a.m. in the Community Room.

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, Connie Losse, Laurie Neuendorf, Ginny Olson, Alvina Phillips, Vern Richmond, Mary Ann Roelke & family (loss of father), Jeremy Showers, Bobby Spridco, Bill Sterud, Darrick Thompson, Carolee Zick, and Ted Zoromski.

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

April 17, 2022 - EASTER SUNDAY

8:15 a.m. Traditional Worship Service

9:30 a.m. Praise Band Worship Service (also livestreamed on Facebook Live)

9:30 a.m. New Life Kids

10:45 a.m. Praise Band Worship Service

Upcoming Schedule of Events This Week

Wednesday, April 13

6:30-7:30 p.m. Rehearsal for Good Friday service

Thursday, April 14 – Maundy Thursday

5:30-6:30 p.m. Dinner (hosted by Kathy Nelson) (Community Room)

6:30-7:30 p.m. Maundy Thursday service (Community Room)

Friday, April 15 – Good Friday

6:30-7:30 p.m. Service of Shadows (Worship Center) – also livestreamed

Saturday, April 16

9:00-10:00 a.m. Praise Band Practice for Easter Sunday 9:30 & 10:45 a.m. services

Monday, April 18 – OFFICE CLOSED 

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