"Experiencing the Reality of God in Your Everyday Life"

This class starts in September, is based on a curriculum written by John Ortberg and Ruth Barton by the same title, and will be facilitated by David Byers-Dent. There are four sessions, one hour each:

--daytime option 10am Wednesdays, September 15, 22, 29 and October 6;

--evening option 6pm Thursdays, September 16, 23, 30 and October 7.

It is open to everyone.

The promise of this course is that it is possible for us to live every day with Jesus--one day at a time.

Topics Addressed in the four sessions include:

Sessions will be presented through group discussion and video. Participation includes session summaries, worksheets, and practical suggestions that you and your family will spiritually benefit from. The cost will be $8.00. Please sign up in the church office.

The study will be lead weekly by Pastor Dave, starting Sunday, September 12 at 9:35 until 10:35am in Fellowship Hall. The teaching and discussion will be based on the scripture text and theme of the sermon given in worship; not as a replacement but creatively presented so that the message will have even greater impact in your daily living. This is a walk-in class, just come when you can.

Our regular worship schedule resumes on September 12. Worship services will be at 8:30am and 10:45am, with Sunday school for all ages at 9:30am.

Dear Friends,

The changing of seasons brings with it changes in our lives. One utility bill goes up, another one goes down. Summer colors are fading and fall colors are bursting through. The long hot summer nights give way to the cool crisp autumn mornings. Yet, I look forward to the anticipation and excitement that a new fall season brings to us.

Here are a few of things I know we will find among our friends and neighbors within our congregation this autumn season.

Warmth is communicated through the faces of people. There are people here who have faced all kinds of trials, known all kinds of hurts, and yet walk through life with a sense of joy and thankfulness. We turn to God for our strength. As a result, the people of MUMC freely and generously extend themselves in acts of welcome and service to others.

Activity and ministry take all kinds of forms. We see the activities of singing, praying, serving and studying--to name a few. Of course you will also see scurrying, debating, crying and planning. Such is life. It's amazing, however, how the love of Christ as witnessed in this place so often transforms the busyness of activity into growth and accomplishment.

I hope you will join the parade of faces, young and old, Spanish speaking and English speaking, long time members and newcomers that will congregate together this autumn. May God bless you in all of the seasons of your life.

With much love,

September 12 – Ephesians 3:14-21, "A God Who Is Able"

September 19 – Mark 11:20-26, "Unanswered Prayer"

September 26 – John 6:1-15, "Dangerous Prayer"

Our Blended Worship Service will be September 19, at the 10:45am service. If you enjoy a mix of contemporary and traditional music, you may want to plan to be with us at that service. And remember, the 8:30am service will be a more traditional service.

Are you interested in becoming a member of Monona United Methodist Church? If so, you are invited to the orientation sessions to be held on two Sunday afternoons, October 24 and November 7 at 1pm at the church. New members will be received and welcomed at the 10:45am service on Sunday, November 14. If you would like to talk to Pastor Dave before you make your decision, please call him at the church (222-1633). You may also sign up for these classes by leaving your name at the church office. We look forward to welcoming new members.

Hello! My beloved brothers and sisters, blessings in the name of the Lord. On this occasion I wish to share with you some of our experiences in the 39va. Assembly of MARCHA (Methodists Associated Representing the Cause Hispano-Americana), which was held in San Juan, Puerto Rico from August 12 to 15, 2010, where we worked the theme "Leaders committed to the Values of the Reign of God" and which I attended on behalf of the Hispanic Committee of the Annual Conference of Wisconsin.

In this meeting where many Bishops were present including Bishop Minerva Calcaño, Elias Galvan, Rafael Moreno-Bishop of Puerto Rico, Juan Antonio Vera-Mendez and Joel N. Martinez and other leaders of the stature of Dr. Edilberto Lopez, Lydia Muñoz, Saúl Trinidad, Samuel Rodriguez, Alma Perez, Marisa Villareal, Leticia LaFontaine, Jim Purdue, Raul B. Joy Germán Acevedo-Delgado, Saúl Espino, Ana-Haydee Urda, Carmen M. Gaud, Eunice Vega-Perez, James Edward Hall, Abel Vega, Jr., Oscar Garza and others no less important than at this moment I cannot remember. We had the wonderful opportunity to work together on issues that affect and will be affecting the United Methodist Church at the local, National, and International level in the present and in the coming years. Hence the importance of our humble participation.

I am of the opinion that in these "business" meetings is where not only we get formation as leaders who are committed to the Kingdom of God to all levels of the Church and society, but also the place where we can contact other leaders and Church Agencies to carry out a more excellent ministry in our local churches. That is why we didn’t hesitate in taking part in each of the workshops that were offered and from which not only brought the shared experience, but we brought materials to be used and distributed in our local church, because we understand that as a Church we are called to train the future leaders, to live according to our faith, committed to the love, mercy, peace with justice, truth, freedom, honesty, humility, practicing our faith continually, then they become actions, and together we can make a difference in our communities and the world, because only if we transform the Church can we transform the world. Only if our churches are true communities where doors, arms, minds and hearts are open to all people regardless of their skin color, race, beliefs, sexual orientation, nationality, social or economic status, can we say that we are the Church of Jesus Christ for the transformation of the World.

I cannot conclude this issue without highlighting the important role of the youth community which participated in this meeting. For matters of space fails to share with you some of our experiences on our trip to the Dominican Republic, where I had the opportunity to visit and to share among other places Samangola, the community of San Cristobal, where we go on mission from 23 to 30 of July 2011. God bless you.

Pastor Rafael Cubilette, O.S.L.

Our church website has a copy of the current month’s newsletter. If you misplace your paper copy, you can go there to read it: www.wisconsinumc.org/mononaumc. If you would like to receive the newsletter through your email to help us save paper and postage, please leave your email address in the office. Thanks for helping us be more green!

--Isabel Medel-Martinez and Maria Estela Medel-Martinez, daughters of Maria del Rosario Martinez-Torres & Omar Medel-Ramirez, were baptized on August 15.

--Valerie Edith Tavarez, daughter of Jinette & Luis Tavarez, was baptized on August 22.

Sunday school teachers will meet on Tuesday, September 7, at 6:30pm. We look forward to a great year of growing our faith together!

This is the schedule for Confirmation on Wednesday evenings:

6:00pm Supper meal for students
6:30pm Music with Amanda or Games
7:00pm Mentors time with Pastor Dave
7:15pm Mentor and confirmand time
8:00pm Celebrate the Season, Exploring the Christian Year
8:30pm Dismissal

Our September meetings will be on Wednesdays, September 15 and 29 at 6pm.

Note: The confirmands will also be a part of the Children’s Christmas Program on December 12 during the 10:45am worship. Rehearsal will be on Sat., Dec. 11.

Sunday school for all ages begins Sunday, September 12 at 9:30am. Registration will be in the narthex. Please join us!

A service of dedication for our Sunday school teachers will be included in the 10:45am worship service on Sunday, September 12.

The Toddler Sunday School class will be meeting upstairs at 9:45-10:15am. This class is for 18 months-3 year old children and a parent. Marilyn Henrich and Linda Huffer will be leading this class. Come join us as we learn about God through music, play and prayer.

Welcome to another exciting year of music for kiddos in grades 2-6. I am so excited to work with the kids and teachers in the coming months.

Performance Dates:
Oct. 24 Percussion Piece at 10:45am
Dec. 11 Christmas Play Dress Rehearsal
Dec. 12 Christmas Play at 10:45am
Mar. 6 Cherub & Glory Choirs @10:45am
April 3 Faith Rap at 10:45am
May 8 Singing at 10:45am

Amanda Hinthorn, Glory Choir Director

The Cherub Choir for preschool through first grade will be performing during the 10:45am worship services on the following Sundays: Oct. 10, Dec. 11 dress rehearsal, Dec. 12 Christmas Program, Mar. 6, Apr. 10 and May 1.

 Juli Huston, Cherub Choir Director

Youth will be meeting 2 Wednesdays per month at 6 until 8pm, which will include dinner: Sep. 15 & 29, Oct. 6 & 20, Nov. 3 & 17, Dec. 1 & 15, Jan. 5 & 19, Feb. 2 & 16, Mar. 2 & 16, April 6, and May 11 & 25. A complete calendar of events will be mailed to families soon.

All Young Families are invited to join us on Sunday, September 19 at 12-2 pm for a dairy farm tour. It is located on Hwy 73 near Cambridge. You will milk a real cow, pet and feed animals and go on a hayride! Children $7, adults $9.

On Sunday, September 26 our second/third grade Sunday school class will be presented with Bibles. This ceremony will take place during the 10:45am worship service.

On Sunday, October 3 we will train new acolytes at 9:50 until 10am in the Sanctuary. Third through 6^th grade students will be on the acolyte schedule for 2010/2011.

The Madison area CROP Hunger Walk/Rock event will be held on Sunday, October 17. We invite you to be a participant and/or a sponsor for this event, which assists both local and global efforts to prevent poverty and hunger. Watch for more information in the bulletins in the coming weeks.

Senior High School Youth will receive information about registering for this great weekend of faith, fun, and fellowship at Chula Vista Resort at Wisconsin Dells. Registrations and the $65 fee is due to Laura Roeth by October 17!

Confirmands, we need 1 or 2 babysitters for a church meeting on September 14, at 6:30pm and September 21 at 6:30pm. You will get service points for this opportunity. Please sign-up upstairs outside Amanda and Rafael’s office or email Amanda at dwwillie10@yahoo.com.

The Committee on Lay Leadership and Volunteer Coordinator Amanda Hinthorn have begun their work for the fall nominating season. In addition to personal phone calls and emails inviting you into ministry, a new bulletin board is now up in the Narthex. The bulletin board has information on several teams that would love for you to join them in ministry. It also has a space for you to put your contact information if you would like to discuss these opportunities more closely. Please feel free to contact Amanda with any questions.

The Hinthorn’s would like to extend an invitation to our Monona UMC family to attend a house warming open house. Please stop by our new address, 123 W. Windsor Ave. Cottage Grove, anytime between 1-4pm on Saturday, September 18.

Please join the Hilltoppers for the next meeting on Monday, September 13. The potluck dinner will begin at 5:45pm in Fellowship Hall. The program will be a slide presentation by Herman Freymiller about "Waterfalls of America." All those over 55 are welcome to join this fun group.

The mission project for September is Harbor House Crisis Shelter. The shelter is located in Superior, Wisconsin, and is the only shelter in Douglas County that serves single women and families. They currently serve approximately 400 people a year. They provide emergency shelter for 30 days and transitional living for up to 18 months. They have 7 bedrooms in former parsonages and a home, and have a transitional living center with 8 apartments. The Transitional Living Program is designed to provide affordable housing while providing case management for homeless families and single women who need supportive housing assistance. The people they help are: single women with no children or who have lost custody of children, mothers with minor children, fathers with minor children, married adults with minor children and adult females or adult males with legal custody of minor children.

HHCS mission statement is to provide hospitable shelter, transitional living and services for homeless women and families. Their goal is to assist their guests in attaining services and permanent housing. Harbor House Crisis Shelter is part of the Wisconsin Conference of Global Ministries. Please by list Harbor House on the "other" line of your offering envelope, or on the memo line of your check.

The book club will meet on Sunday, September 12 @ 2pm at the home of Doreen Peterson to discuss, Sarah’s Key, by Titiana De Rosnay. Dessert will be provided by Judy Acheson. Visitors and new members are always welcome to attend.

During October all members of the Monona UMC family – adults, youth, and children – will be invited to take part in this year’s Consecration Stewardship Program. We’re calling it our "Homecoming" and we hope every member and friend of our church will attend. We’re excited to continue this program at our church because it doesn’t just focus on paying for the church’s expenses. Rather, it is about the need of every Giver to give and to grow as a Christian. Our Consecration Sunday (put it on your calendar!) will be October 17, with very special worship services and a celebration meal after each service for the whole church family.

Watch your mail or email later this month for your invitation letter to Consecration Sunday worship and all the festivities. Youth will get their own invitations because we want all ages to join together in this important program.

Best wishes, The Consecration Stewardship Leadership Team

In October, MUMC’s Church and Society Committee will be hosting a 6-week discussion on Homosexuality and the church. This was a conversation at this past year’s Annual Conference. In that two-day conversation, many different views were shared on this subject. The committee wants to encourage participation, so a complete syllabus will be provided. The first session will be Sunday, October 10 at 9:30 in the classroom next to the infant nursery. Look in October’s bulletin for a complete schedule. You will be able to pick up reading materials in the Church office. If you have any questions contact Tamara Urich-Rintz at 442-8822.

An organization of Christian Women, UMW = United Methodist Women

For fellowship, friendship, interesting & meaningful activities, guest speakers and to contribute to worthwhile mission projects locally and globally.

Simply attend one of many meetings and indicate to leadership that you would like to be a member. No rules, No entry fees.

There are several Circles or branches of UMW

-4 circles meet monthly in members homes.
-Quilting Circle meets 3 or 4 Monday afternoons at church.
-Yarncrafters (knit and crochet) meet monthly at church with quilters
-Unit meetings (all church women are invited) include:
            Fall Potluck in September
            Advent Brunch in December
            Mug and Muffin in March
            Salad Supper in May

The United Methodist Women will have our annual fall potluck meeting on Wednesday, September 8, at 6:15 in Fellowship Hall. Our guest speaker, Karen Mayeshiba, will follow food, fellowship and announcements. All women of the church are urged to attend. Please bring your favorite casserole, salad, or dessert to share with the group. We especially invite new members and friends of Monona UMC to join us! If you have questions, please call Jeanette Williams (222-4273) or Becky Halstead (846-7356).

Friendship Circle – time/location to be announced.

Hope Circle - Thursday, September 16 @ 10am at the home of Marie Metry.

Moms with Preschoolers – Mondays 9:00-11:00am. Contact Amanda Hinthorn for further information.

Executive Committee –will meet and eat Thursday, October 7 @ 5:30 pm at Joy Newman's. A light supper will be served.

Great coffee can be found in many places. The real challenge is finding great coffee from great sources. One without the other would just be incomplete. Our sourcing standards reflect our commitment to outstanding beans from inspiring people.

Quality - Find the best beans.
Flavor - Select sweet beans with unique flavor characteristics.
Farmer Partners - Trade with small farmer co-operatives that share our vision of community empowerment.
Direct Relationships - Import directly from farmer co-operatives.
Fair Price - Pay above the market price, often above Fair Trade prices.
Environment - Support sustainable agriculture, the preservation of sensitive areas, and reforestation of degraded land.
Commitment - Source all our coffee according to the quality of the beans and the quality of the source.

Enjoy buying some Fair Trade products (coffee, tea, chocolate, nuts and cranberries) on September 12.

Thanks to all who continue to save Campbell’s Labels to benefit Northcott Neighborhood House in Milwaukee. Keep the labels coming and deposit them in the container in the narthex. Please remember that the education symbol and bar code must be included intact. A few other product labels are also accepted: Franco American, Pepperidge Farm, Swanson, Market Day, Prego and V-8. Always check for the education symbol to know whether an item qualifies. Submit the symbol and bar code or in the case of Prego sauces and V-8 juices, the lid is required. Please call Jan Wanek at 222-7642 with questions.

The Monona UMW quilters will begin their new season on Monday, September 20 at 1:00 in Fellowship Hall. Our primary focus is making baptism quilts, but we often find time for additional projects. It is a great place to learn the art of quiltmaking. So come and join us. If you have a portable machine, please bring it. If not, there are other parts of the quiltmaking process that you can help with. We provide the materials needed.

This year we are inviting the Yarncrafters to join us on the 1^st Monday of each month. This meeting will take the place of their 2^nd Tuesday meetings. Their first meeting will be Monday, October 4. Yarncrafters will be included in all of our "extracurricular" activities during the year – like our all day quilting bee with potluck lunch. We are great cooks and this is a wonderful day that we all look forward to!

Yarncrafters is for anyone who is interested in knitting or crocheting. If you would like to learn, we will help you get started. We have made many unique gifts for friends and family as well as prayer shawls, infant caps for our mission hospitals, chemo caps, and helmet liners for our troops.

With the generous gifts made to the memorial fund, Pastor Rafael has a new Air Conditioning/Heating unit and phone in his office. The office phone used by Kay, Admin. Assistant, was also upgraded.

Beginning September 1, Wills & Memorials will be taking written requests, which will be reviewed on a quarterly basis starting January 2011. Wills & Memorials will prioritize and honor requests based on funds available. This change offers the opportunity for everyone to participate. Contact Carol Johnson at 222-1589 with any questions.

Then YOU should join choir!

As the fall season fast approaches so does the start of the Adult Choir season. We are known for making glorious sounds during Sunday services and working hard in our weekly practices. However, we are also known for having fun together through our small gatherings coordinated throughout the year.

We meet weekly on Thursday nights from 7-8 pm. I strive to always start on time so that we can finish on time. I have a September- December choir schedule available. This allows the choir members to plan ahead.

If you are at all interested, please either e-mail me or fill out the bottom portion of this article and return in my mailbox located in the church office.

I hope to see you next Thursday at 7!

Claire Weatherford
c.r.weatherford@gmail.com

Name:____________________________________

Phone number_________________________________

E-mail:___________________________________

--Goes to Leon and Margaret Marty and their family upon the death of their son Leon, Jr. on July 31.

The Upper Room is a great little devotional book that many people use for daily reading to center on a Bible verse and read a short meditation and prayer to start or finish your day. The new September/

October issue has arrived, and is in the narthex information center. Feel free to take one home. We have large-print editions and Spanish versions if those would be more helpful to you.

--Thank you for all your support and prayers. Thom is healing and will be back-in time. We have been blessed with love and kindness from our church, friends, family and neighbors. Stay tuned!!!

The family of Thom Evans

Thanks to Laura Roeth for organizing and to everyone who helped with the Ice Cream Social. It was a huge success. The Senior High Youth Group appreciates your generosity. Thanks to Peg McDonald for preparing and sharing your delicious potato salad. Special thanks to all the pie makers; we couldn’t do this without you.

• a member of your family is hospitalized so one of our pastors may call on them. The pastoral care offices of Meriter and St. Mary’s can only give us your information if you put MUMC on your admission form. UW Hospital does not give out any patient info.
• you have a change of name, address and/or telephone, especially if you drop your land line.
• your group changes a meeting date.
• a member becomes homebound.
• members of your family are attending school away from home or living at a different address.

Our next Blood Pressure Screening will be Sunday, September 12, 9:30-10:45 am in Pastor David's office and again at 6:30 pm. These screenings are staffed by medical volunteers from the congregation. Keep Healthy - have your blood pressure checked!!

Needed – A person or persons to help with the screening at 6:30pm. This person would alternate Sundays with the person currently doing it. If you are interested, please contact Pastor Sandra at church (222-1633) or at home (224-1593). Thanks for considering this.

"The concept of active aging," according to the International Council on Active Aging (ICAA, www.icaa.cc/) "can be summed up in the phrase "engaged in life." Active Aging describes individuals who live life as fully as possible within the seven dimensions of wellness (emotional, environmental, vocational, physical, spiritual, intellectual, social). Regardless of socioeconomic status or health conditions, older individuals can live useful, active and productive lives."

Our nation will be celebrating Active Aging week, September 20-26 this year. The MUMC Health and Wellness Committee wants to draw your attention to the bulletin board display over the seven dimensions of wellness. Briefly, the dimensions and examples of each could be described, per ICAA, as follows:

In that we are all aging, the concept of Active Aging actually pertains to all of us. When we think about utilizing our spiritual gifts in caring for God’s creation, doing our best to fulfill the seven wellness dimensions of life, would make way for being purposefully engaged in life the major part of our days on earth.

Volunteers are needed for helping in a Habitat for Humanity project on Martin Luther King Jr. Drive. The project will be on September 18 11:30am to 1:00pm and will consist of building walls for houses that will be built this fall. This event will allow for our church family to work together and build a presence in the community. For more information contact the church office.

Please remember about the grocery cart in front of the office. There is always a need for food pantry items. Next time you are shopping, add a couple things to your cart for the St. Stephen’s Food Pantry. Donations of food, personal items, paper products, baby food and diapers are all gratefully received.

New Members:                                                        Sponsoring Friends:

Alejandro Emeterio                                                 Doreen Peterson
Irene Salgado                                                           7032 Havenswood Dr
Ashley, Daniel & Julissa                                          Madison WI 53718
3309 Leopold Way Apt #4                                         608-222-7814
Fitchburg WI 53713
608-509-3179
-Alejandro & Irene are joining by profession of faith

Some give freely, yet grow all the richer; others withhold what is due, and only suffer want. (Proverbs 11:24 – NRSV)

What would our church do if we were given a gift of $250,000 - $500,000 or more?

1. Laugh, and say, "It can’t be true!"
2. Keep it quiet so that we always have the money "just in case."
3. Spend it almost as quickly as it came in. After all, we need a new roof, new carpet, new drapes, and handicap accessible rest rooms.
4. Dream of new ways God is calling us to be in ministry.
5. All of the above.

Believe it or not, we’ve recently received news of a number of gifts of this size made through wills and bequests from people who are faithful members and friends of churches of all sizes. In an effort to be true to the intentions of their generous donors, these congregations have not given in to the temptation to spend these large gifts outright. In some cases, the donor has requested that the gift be placed in an ENDOWMENT account. In other cases, the gift was totally undesignated, and the church decided to give a tithe to missions, another percentage to the church council to determine how best to use, and to invest the remaining amount (70-80%) in an endowment fund.

An endowment is a forever gift. It is an investment account which preserves the original principal of the gift, and uses all or a portion of the income and growth earned on the investment for mission and ministry. Scholarships, mission funds, youth ministry funds, capital improvement funds, and pastoral education funds are just a few of the needs that are met through the many endowment funds invested here at the Wisconsin United Methodist Foundation.

Some people prefer to see how their gifts are being used right now. Others prefer to have their gifts invested and used over the course of time. Both are wonderful acts of generosity. If giving wholeheartedly in 2010 means you feel called to establish an Endowment Fund to benefit the ministry of a specific church or ministry in perpetuity, give us a call. We’ll be happy to help.

Wisconsin United Methodist Foundation

The Life and Ministry of God’s People In

Monona United Methodist Church

8:30 Worship
9:30 Fellowship
9:30 Sunday School
10:45 Worship
11:45 Fellowship
5:00 Worship in Spanish

See Osvaldo Vena in concert right here at Monona United Methodist Church on October 23.

It will be a night full of music and fellowship.

More information to come in next month’s newsletter.

You can also check out the following website http://www.stilladream.com/

Got a question about how you can help with this concert? Speak with Pastor Rafael.