New Life Church
Weekly Update
October 6, 2021
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Join us for Traditional Worship at 8:15 a.m. and our last Parking Lot Worship of this year, at 9:30 a.m. this Sunday, October 10th.
The 9:30 a.m. service is also livestreamed on Facebook Live. This Sunday, Pastor Heather will preach on Mark 10:17-31 - Giving over All to God.
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Thank you to all who have been participating in our weekly worship!
If you missed last week's service, here is a link to it:
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WEDNESDAY DINNER TONIGHT!
Our Wednesday Night Dinner TONIGHT will be served at 5:30 p.m. before the Adult FaithFul Formation, hosted by Melissa Bizeau! Families are taking responsibility for coordinating dinner once a month on a rotating basis – see the sign-up sheet by the kitchen serving window to choose a week. And this means that you’re only responsible once a month – if that! So please let Pastor Heather know if you’d be willing and able to help with this. We want to make this as easy as possible for busy families to have a night off of cooking, but also easy for those providing the meal – many hands make light work! Thanks!
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PARKING LOT WORSHIP - Sunday, October 10th
Our next and final Parking Lot Worship Service of the season will be THIS Sunday, October 10th at 9:30 a.m. Please plan to come that day with chairs to sit outside or feel free to tune in to the FM station (87.9 FM) in your car. There will also be an in-person, indoors 8:15 a.m. traditional service this Sunday, and the parking lot worship will still be live streamed on Facebook. Invite friends and family too! For lyrics to songs, click here.
October 10th is our LAST Parking Lot Worship Service for the year, so please plan on joining us! Mark your calendars and plan to enjoy the autumn day.
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How to Access Worship
Our 9:30 am service will always be live streamed and available via our Facebook page so if you’re out of town and can’t attend in-person, you can always worship with us! Please also share this as a resource with others – it’s available anytime, not just when we’re live – as well as on our YouTube channel (https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC4F48R7NG-hzy-2EOk0EG-g) and website beginning on Monday mornings.
Certainly, we’d love to have you come and worship with us in-person anytime it’s possible:
Traditional Worship Service at 8:15 a.m.
Praise Worship Service at 9:30 a.m.
Masks required inside for worship
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VOLUNTEER OPPORTUNITIES
Bring your strengths & skills to help at New Life!
~ Sound Board (Operate sound & video equipment)
~ Altar Care (Worship set-up & supplies)
~ Coffee Server (Make pots & serve coffee)
~ Teller/Counter (2-person team to count offerings)
~ Welcome Team (Greet & guide people as they enter worship)
For info on these opportunities, call the church office—223-9337.
We especially NEED new people to help with A/V & Sound Board—no experience needed, we’ll train you and it’s FUN!
Look for the Google doc form to sign up each month!
For OCTOBER sign-up sheet, click HERE! Or click on the sheet below.
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VOLUNTEER SPOTLIGHT

Many of you know this smiling face – it would be rare to see Joe Milanese without it! We want to recognize Joe’s selfless volunteerism not only because it’s so constant, but always done with this kind of joy. Joe leads the Property Team, is on the Finance Team, and has been on Council many times – including now as he’s filling a vacated spot.
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You’ll see him helping at parking lot worship, clean up days, and generally whenever there’s something that needs doing! Joe is always willing to do what would be helpful to further the mission and ministry of this community. Thanks, Joe, for bringing this kind of gospel joy into everything you do!
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DO YOU LIKE BREAKFAST?
Enjoy delicious breakfasts on the first Sunday of the month! The next breakfast will be on November 7th (Welcome Sunday!) from 9-11 a.m. It will be hosted by the Erb family (Shannon, Jen, Elliott & Isaiah). Thanks to those who signed up to prepare meals for the rest of this year.
If you'd like to consider signing up beginning in January 2022, we'd love to have your help! It could be a couple of families/friends, a small group you meet with, even a whole ministry team! It's fun and easy to do, and we can help you with the details.
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Thanks to the many people who have already volunteered, and if YOU would like to sign up to help with this "Spook-tacular" fun, please contact Kathy Nelson or Janice Newell or the church office.
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Your Offering
Thanks for your support to meet our financial obligations. Consider giving online, if you don't already. You can select a one-time or recurring donation. It's very easy to do - please click the box below to get started.
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If you would prefer to mail in your donations, they can be sent to the address at New Life: 7564 Cottage Grove Road, Madison, WI, 53718. |
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GIVING NEEDS
The last 20 months has been an unprecedented journey that no one could have anticipated. Given all the changes and unknowns we’ve experienced, your congregation is weathering the storm quite well financially – thanks to you! However, we are currently operating a bit behind where we anticipated we’d be on giving by about 15%. The Finance Team and Council have responded to that shortfall by refinancing our mortgage, which will create more cash flow starting in October. We have also kept an eye on expenses without hindering our ministry. We felt it was our duty to also let you know that this shortfall exists so that you might feel the need to respond if you’re able. If you haven’t increased your giving in a while, now may be the time to do so. We all want St. Matthew New Life to thrive in serving the gospel and our giving enables that to happen more and more. Thank you as always for all the ways you give to this ministry!
Don’t forget our online option and automated giving! Just go to our Vanco page where you can log in to your account. Once you’ve logged in, it should take you to your giving detail. If you click “Edit” you can edit amount, frequency, and account. Once you've signed up to give electronically, please let the office know if you no longer need offering envelopes and we can have those discontinued for you.
Thank you!

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Social Purpose Team is here just 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 New Life for your 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. 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.
This month, we’re asking for donations of any size diapers in small packages. You can bring these to the church entryway and we will deliver them to Nehemiah directly. 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.
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FALL CLEAN-UP OCTOBER 30
We're planning a Fall Clean-Up for October 30th, to spruce up our grounds in preparation of Winter. If you can help out with weeding, raking, etc. the time will be from 9 am until noon. Click here!
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Shop with an Elf!
The gift-giving season can’t come soon enough, and our annual “Breakfast with Santa” on Dec. 4 will be the best yet!
We will provide our guests with personalized shopping—kids can shop for their parents (with elvish assistance!), and parents can shop for their kids. All purchases will be by donation only.

Many more details will be forthcoming, but right now please consider:
- Collecting new or very gently used (like new) items that can be used as gifts, and
- Being a shopkeeper! You could manage the “book store” or the “jewelry store”—it all depends on what donations come in.

We are NOT collecting items at the church just yet—please hold on to them for a bit.

If you have questions or would like to help in some way, please contact Jillene Fisch at jillenes_beans@yahoo.com (best) or 608-692-8265.
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Reconciling In Christ Team

There’s a new team of people at New Life who are working on another aspect of equity and justice in our community. This group – Terri Beck-Engel, Jillene Fisch, Sandy Kowal, Margo McBain, Wayne and Barb Meyer, Noah Peck, and Barb Zimmerman – are working toward an intentionally welcoming statement toward the LGBTQIA+ and transgender communities as well as racial justice that will be voted on by the congregation at our next Annual Meeting. They are in the process of conducting some one-on-one conversations to seek further understanding about this conversation within our community. This Team will also be offering some educational opportunities this Fall around these topics.
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Women's Bible Study
The Women's Bible Study group meets 9-11 a.m. on Thursdays. We're studying the Biblical Book of Daniel. For more info, contact Betty Sundbakken or the church office. All are welcome to join in with the discussions.
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COMMON THREADS
Ginny Olson and Gail Kriel have started up a Common Threads group again, that anyone is welcome to participate in. You'll learn how to knit or crochet, or if you have experience 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 pm and the fourth Tuesday mornings of the month from 9:30-11:30 am.
To sign up and for more information, please email Ginny Olson by clicking here. Also, if you have any yarn you'd like to bring in to the church, the group would welcome that. We'll have a spot behind the glass doors for it.
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Adult Faith Formation
Adult Faith Formation discussions will begin again this coming week and will be held in-person on Wednesdays and Sundays! Pastor Heather invites you to talk about S-E-X! (Yes, you read that correctly!) The church has not been known for its healthy conversations around sexuality in general, and, especially as the norms around sexuality change, we want to talk about our sense of Biblical understandings with regard to this most intimate, but normal human interaction. Also, how do we read Scripture with a lens of love and inclusion as we move toward a welcoming statement for LGBTQ+ and transgendered people? This is meant to be a very open and honest conversation that we hope will enhance our sense of Scripture and God’s call to love each other. The conversation takes place on Wednesday evenings from 6:15-7:30 pm or on Sunday mornings from 10:30-11:30 am. through the end of October. Join us any time!
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Welcome to New Partners and Bring-A-Friend Sunday
We will be welcoming new Community Partners on Sunday, November 7th at both services. If you or someone you know would like to know more about St. Matthew New Life Church, we will also have some Information Sessions beforehand. On either Thursday, October 28 at 6:30pm OR Saturday, October 30 at 10:00am come to hear more about our ministries, events, and why we call you a partner and not a “member.” On that Sunday there will also be breakfast and you’re invited to bring a friend to worship that day. Let’s make it a fantastic celebratory day!
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Hi families,
I hope all of you are having a great week. It was fun talking last week about communion and how having Jesus as our friend makes our days a whole lot of fun. Remember to pray and tell God about your day. Hope you join us this week as we talk about temptation and also what Mr. Fluffy was up to this week. See you all Sunday.
Enchanted Dance – Friday November 12, 2021 – 5.30 – 9.30pm
Don’t forget about our enchanted dance. This is a event for the whole family to come and dress up. Experience a night to remember with our own photo booth, dance floor, three course meal and much much more. Tickets are only $5.00 per person. Raffles and many prizes to be won. If you want to book your seat at a table, please register at the below link:
Youth Faithful Formation
We meet Wednesday evenings from 6.30 – 7.45pm. This month our theme is “Hot Topics” with lessons on different subjects like forgiveness, the value each of us has, and the love God shows us.
New Life Kids
Each week we will have a children’s message followed by some children activities during the 9.30am service, so please bring your elementary children to our service; we would love to meet them and have some fun.

Gavin Walsh
Youth Education Coordinator
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This Sunday and This Week at New Life |
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October 10, 2021:

8:15 a.m. Traditional worship service
9:30 a.m. New Life Kids
10:30 - 11:30 a.m. Adult FaithFul Formation led by Pastor Heather
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Upcoming Schedule of Events This Week
Wednesday, October 6
5:30 p.m. Wednesday Evening Dinner (hosted by Melissa Bizeau)
6:15-7:30 p.m. Adult FaithFul Formation (FFF) - Pastor Heather leads
Thursday, October 7
9:00-11:00 a.m. Women’s Thursday Bible Study led by Betty Sundbakken
5:30-8:00 p.m. Cub Scouts Pack 145 (Community Room)
7-10 pm Shawn Peters band MCF rehearsal (Re-Creation Center)
Saturday, October 9
9:00 - 10:00 a.m. Praise Band rehearsal
10:00 a.m. - 12:00 p.m. McFarland Lutheran walking the Labyrinth
Monday, October 11
6:00 - 8:30 p.m. Covered Bridge Condo Association (Worship Center)
7:00 p.m. Black History Course (virtual) led by Kathy Michaelis
Tuesday, October 12
6:30-7:30 p.m. Finance Team
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Please keep the following in your prayers this week:
Donna Butler's daughter Michelle along with her sister Beverly and the family of her late cousin Simon, Boyd Fleming, Felicia Jones & family, Johnnie Jones, Michele Kiefer, Dave Kolmodin, Gail Kriel, Trish Krueger, Hailey Lennberg, Laurie Neuendorf, Jade Peck, Stephanie Peck's friend Jessie, Kishia Peters, Alvina Phillips, Mary Rauwolf, Vern Richmond, Jeremy Showers, Bobby Spridco, Bill Sterud, Darrick Thompson, Shirley Theel, Grace 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 print their name. Individuals will be 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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608.223.9337 phone/voicemail
Email: newlifelc@newlifelc.com
Office hours are Monday through Thursday mornings.
Please feel free to contact staff members of New Life via email or by calling the office. Contacts are listed here.
New Life Staff:
Rev. Heather Hayward, Pastor
Gavin Walsh, Youth Education Coordinator
Kathy Scholl, Office Assistant
Nancy Schmidt, Bookkeeper
Shakia "Queen" Turner, Property Manager
Shane Peters, Custodian
ELCA South-Central Wisconsin Synod website:
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New Life Church Council:
Brian Coel
Jim DePass
Rick Krueger
Joe Milanese, Vice President
Kathy Nelson, President
Janice Newell, Secretary
Shawn Peters
Linda Sime
MacKenzie Swanson
Jan Wilson
Ken Wundrow, Treasurer
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