Pastor Rafael Cubilette, O. S. L.

The night of February 27, 1844, under the glorious chant of "God, Country and Freedom", a group of brave Dominican men and women left behind 22 years of reign and infamy under the yoke of the Haitian people. This historical feat was always backed by the Good News of the Gospel of Jesus Christ, and not without reason why in the shield on the national flag we find a bible opened in the Gospel of Jesus Christ according to St. John 8:32, which says: "And you will know the truth and the truth will make you free." This year the Dominicans will be celebrating their 166th year of independence. So if you know or meet a Dominican, greet and congratulate him or her. Let's celebrate along with the Dominicans, a people of hard-working and humble men and women, who living a simple life are blessed by God. Celebrate!

La noche del 27 de Febrero de 1844, bajo el grito glorioso de "Dios, Patria y libertad", un grupo de mujeres y hombres valientes del pueblo dominicano dejaron atrás 22 años de dominio y oprobio bajo el yugo del pueblo haitiano. La histórica hazaña estuvo siempre acompañada de las Buenas Nuevas del Evangelio, no sin razón en su escudo se encuentra una biblia abierta en el Evangelio de Jesucristo según San Juan 8:32 "Y conoceréis la verdad y la verdad os hará libres". Este 27 de Febrero los dominicanos estarán celebrando sus 166 años de independencia, por lo que si conoces a algún dominicano acércate y extiéndele una felicitación. Celebremos junto a los dominicanos, tierra llena de hombres y mujeres trabajadores y humildes, que viviendo una vida sencilla son bendecidos por Dios. ¡Celebremos!

THE BELLS ARE RINGING*

The bells are ringing,
For you and your church.
To keep them ringing,
We need substitutes.
If you know the bass
And treble clef,
You could help us out
To keep the bells
For you and your church.

Our next Blended Worship Service will be March 21, 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 early service will stay just the way it is, so if you like a traditional service, you always have that weekly option at 8:30am.

The Read ‘Em and Meet Book Club will meet at the home of Doreen Peterson on Sunday, March 7 at 2pm. Always Looking Up by Michael J. Fox will be discussed. Dessert will be provided by Mary Graper.

Each year nearly 103,000 people in southwestern Wisconsin go hungry or without the proper amount of food to sustain their health and strength. They are children, elderly, and the working poor in our community. Second Harvest Foodbank of Southern Wisconsin exists to help these people in need. We are the linkage between donated food and charitable food providers—food panties, meal site, shelters, Mobile Pantries and Kids Cafes—fighting hunger neighborhood by neighborhood. Your contribution will provide meals to those less fortunate in our community. Please consider making a donation to this much needed mission and mark your offering envelope/check "Second Harvest."

UMVIM (United Methodist Volunteers in Mission) exists to promote, encourage, and enable Christians to exemplify "Christian Love In Action" through short-term mission service. On March 14, during the Sunday school hour (9:30am), Leo and Anna Mae Wilken will share their experiences with UMVIM. We will meet in the back corner of Fellowship Hall. A brief update on the Dominican Republic Mission trip will be presented, as well.

In 1990, we published a cookbook as a United Methodist Women’s fundraiser. Once again we are planning to create a cookbook. This time it will be a fundraiser for our mission trip to the Dominican Republic during the summer of 2011. We need your help and hope you all will want to submit a recipe. So put on your thinking cap and choose your finest recipes to share. We hope to have at least 500 recipes to publish. More information will be coming soon as to how to submit a recipe. We are planning on having the cookbooks ready in November, just in time for you to purchase them as Christmas gifts, so start planning who you would like to give them to.

I was listening to one of my favorite radio stations here in Madison earlier this month when the song Hands by Jewel came on. For those of you not familiar with the lyrics, Jewel talks about humans using their small hands to serve as God’s hands, heart, eyes, and mind here on Earth. Every time I hear Jewel’s sweet voice sing those lyrics, I am reminded of those among us who do just that. There are so many of us at Monona UMC who serve in mission projects locally, nationally, and globally. We are a church who not only gives out of our financial resources, but we are also a church that uses are small hands to feed the hungry, spend the night with homeless families providing a safe space for them until they are back on their feet, plans for trips to the Dominican, makes caps for soldiers serving overseas, and many other projects. We are a church that helps with long term projects and ongoing missions. We are a church who responds to devastation in other countries, like Haiti, quickly by making packages and collecting items that are need by others. We are a church that allows even the youngest and oldest of our members to be involved at every level of the mission and outreach of the church.

My prayer is that as we continue to grow and serve we all feel a call to use our "small hands" for something greater than ourselves. I think Jewel has it right when she sings, "In the end only kindness matters."

Amanda Hinthorn, Volunteer Coordinator

Confirmation class will meet on Sunday, March 21 during the Sunday School hour.

Also on March 21, the students will be helping with the Crossing Meal, please meet at church by 4:30pm.

They will also be serving the Lenten meal on March 24 beginning at 5:30pm. They will be playing the chimes during the service. Many thanks to parents for getting youth to their appointed place.

The Glory/Youth Choir, children in 3^rd -7^th grade, will perform a percussion piece centered around the story of Noah at the 10:45am service on March 14. Please join us on Sunday mornings during the Sunday School hour for practice. The Cherub Choir will not be singing in March, though they will be practicing for an April performance.

Calling all youth! Remember the musical group Remedy Drive from Convo? They will be one of the groups playing at the Rock & Worship Roadshow on March 19. The cost is only $10. Check out the poster in the upstairs hallway for other groups playing. See Laura Roeth for more information.

Come discover how maple syrup is made, see how maple trees are tapped, and taste the delicious maple syrup. Naturalists at the Aldo Leopold Nature Center will lead our group activities. Please RSVP to Laura Roeth or the church office by March 14.

Come join the fun at Jr. High Convo at Chula Vista Resort in Wisconsin Dells, where over 800 youth will get together for a weekend of fun, games, worship, and friends. Watch for more information coming soon. Registration fees ($65) and permission slips will be due to Laura Roeth by Sunday, April 4. Scholarships are available. Call the church office at 222-1633 with questions.

Our Sr. High youth will go on a retreat to Lake Lucerne United Methodist Camp May 21-23. More information will come soon.

Executive Meeting-No meeting.

Faith Circle- Thursday, March 11 @ 1pm. at the home of Jeanne DeBraal.

Friendship Circle - Wed., March 10 @ 6:45pm at the home of Jeanette Williams.

Hope Circle - Thursday, March 18 @ 10am at the home of Marie Metry.

Reading Circle - Thursday March 25 @ 1:30pm at the home of Marjorie Kaukl. The book is They Poured Fire on Us From the Sky, by Deng, Deng, and Akal. We welcome new women to our circle!

Quilters - Meet every Monday, except the 2^nd Monday, at 1:00pm in Fellowship Hall. We will meet March 1, 15, 22 and 29. Contact Anna Mae Wilken for information.

Moms with Preschoolers - Mondays 9-11am. Contact Amanda Hinthorn.

Yarncrafters - We invite anyone interested in knitting or crocheting to come to Fellowship Hall on Tuesday, March 9 at 1:30pm. For more information, call Marjorie Kaukl 222-4243.

Tired of winter? Think steaming hot coffee, herbal teas, homemade muffins and lively conversation. Sound good? You’re warmly invited to attend a "Mug and Muffin" Event, sponsored by United Methodist Women on Saturday, March 6, at 10:00 am in Fellowship Hall. This is a no cost event and is open to all members and friends of the church. Bring your favorite mug to enjoy your coffee, tea or hot chocolate.

Laura Pfeffer, our presenter, will speak about building a "green" home and living an environmentally friendly lifestyle.

The reservation form is found elsewhere in this newsletter. Please indicate if you would like child care. We hope to see you there!

JAVA JIVE "PECAN DO IT"

In rural Southwest Georgia, you will find a small farmer and worker co-op filled with advocates creating jobs and offering services for their community which is called Southern Alternatives Agricultural Co-operative [SAAC]. This is the only African American owned pecan shelling facility in the U.S. and it is run by women. Rural African American farmers, especially women, have been shunned and isolated from corporate and conventional markets. The pecans from SAAC are purchased by Equal Exchange to make the delicious snacks that we have at our Fair trade table. By purchasing these pecan snacks for a treat, we are helping generate jobs and lives in rural SW Georgia and affirming economic justice to these farmers in the U.S. Their motto is "PECAN DO IT".

Fair trade products will be sold March 21 after both services. Questions, suggestions and volunteers welcomed. Kay Mackie - UMW Fair Trade Coordinator

If you are looking for a good one, please take a look at the selections on the UMW bookshelf in the hallway outside the kitchen. The United Methodist Women Reading Program gives all participants an excellent opportunity to broaden understanding of our world and deepen our spirituality. Each year, our local unit purchases a minimum of 8 books from the very diverse list of books which have been carefully chosen by a team of evaluators from around the country for the purpose of helping the reader to be knowledgeable and care about the issues of today. We invite any interested woman to participate in the Reading Program. Please check out the book by signing the card inside the cover and leaving it in the box on the top shelf. Because many women participate in the reading program, we ask that you return the book promptly so that others might read it.

Special thanks to everyone who contributed to the Monona UMW Valentine’s bake sale. Wonderful bakers and generous parishioners resulted in $400 for mission projects worldwide.

Beginning, Monday, February 22 from 6:30-7:30pm, and continuing every fourth Monday of each month (the next one on March 22), we invite all Monona UMC women for a time of prayer and devotion. This will be a time for women of different backgrounds and cultures to come together under one faith and one God to lift their joys and concerns before the Lord. We invite all women: married, single, working, stay-at-home, young and young at heart to join us as together we raise our voices and pray for our families, our marriages, our jobs, our church, our community, our nation and so much more. Childcare will be provided. Please come; you will be uplifted!

The Appointive Cabinet of the Wisconsin Annual Conference will be fasting from food beginning 6:00 p.m. on Thursday until noon on Friday during Lent. The other types of fasts that the Cabinet is doing include: giving money for the cost of two meals to charity; fasting from television one day a week; and fasting one day a week from unnecessary activity, such as talking or spending money needlessly. Bishop Lee invites United Methodists throughout Wisconsin to join in this spiritual practice.

On Sunday, March 14, Daylight Saving Time begins. Please set your clocks ahead 1 hour.

The Hilltoppers group will meet on Monday, March 8 at 5:45pm for a potluck dinner in Fellowship Hall. Ron Wanek, in native costume, will take us on a tour of Egypt from Cairo in the north to the southern border. In Cairo, we’ll visit the Citadel, Mosques, the "Hanging" Coptic Church and the Pyramids of Giza. We’ll go on a camel ride. After Cairo, we’ll fly to Luxor and visit the Valley of the Kings and Queens, Hatshepsut Temple and the Temples of Karnak. The largest temple of Karnak has 134 carves columns that are each 8 stories high and about 12 feet in diameter. James Bond and Indiana Jones run around these pillars. After Luxor, we’ll cruise the Nile for 4 days, visiting temples on the way and then tour Aswan Dam and sail on a felucca. Then we’ll fly to Abu Simbel to see the great temples of Ramses and Neferteri. After that, we’ll fly back to Cairo and then home.

To Marilyn Hearden for procuring and Dick Mackie for installing two new heat resistant cutting boards/trivets on our kitchen countertop.

On Sunday, February 7, we collected $215 for St. Stephen’s Food Pantry. Thank you for your generosity. Remember the grocery cart is always waiting for your donations.

Thank you for supporting the High School youth in their Superbowl Sub Sunday fundraiser. They made $615, the highest amount ever for sub sales. Thank you for your continued support of the youth of our church.

The Milwaukee Public Museum is presenting the exhibit Dead Sea Scrolls and the Bible: Ancient Artifacts, Timeless Treasures which explores the archaeological history of the Holy Land during the period the Scrolls were written, then leaps forward more than two millennia to the discovery of the first scrolls in the 1940s.

This trip is open to all, so please share this opportunity with your family and friends. Transportation will be arranged by MUMC, and breakfast will be provided in Fellowship Hall before we depart. Ticket prices are $16 for children aged 3-12, $24 for seniors/teens, and $26 for adults. A discount of $2 will apply to these prices if we have 15+ people. There are educational films available that have additional admission fees and require pre-registration*. Lunch will be on your own, and restaurants are available on site.

Prior to the trip date of May 15, Jim Goulding will lead a preparatory session to help us get the most out of this extraordinary exhibit.

Further details will appear in upcoming pink sheets/newsletters.

*Visit the website www.mpm.edu/dead-sea-scrolls to see descriptions of these films.

Our next Blood Pressure Screening will be Sunday, March 14, 9:30-10:45 am in Pastor David's office and again at 6:30 pm in Fellowship Hall. These screenings are staffed by medical volunteers from the congregation. Keep Healthy - have your blood pressure checked!!

The next Community Garden meeting is on Monday, March 15 at 6pm.

A community-wide sale will be hosted by our Community Garden Team on both Saturday, May 8 and Sunday, May 9 here at MUMC. Along with getting to know our neighbors, we’ll be raising funds for Community Garden projects.

Here’s a great opportunity for you to donate plants from your own gardens as you divide and cull this spring. Donated plants should be placed in bags and identified.

Now that you’ve created spaces in your garden, you’ll have the chance to fill them with new treasures you’ll find at the sale! And what better Mother’s Day gift than plants for her garden?

More details will follow, but please plan to generously donate plants to others who will enjoy nurturing them.

It’s a family affair! And as such we would like to cordially invite all Monona UMC families and friends to be take part of Irina Diaz’s Baby Shower. Irina, Pastor Cubilette’s daughter and Oscar Diaz's wife, is expecting a baby boy, Daniel. Bring the entire family and a dish to share if you’d like. The Baby Shower will take place here at Monona UMC on Saturday, March 13 from 3:00 – 6:00 pm. Irina is registered at Target and Walmart. Any questions & to RSVP, contact Joselyn at 608-220-9422 or joselyndiazvaldes@yahoo.com. We hope to see you there!

--Donatello Valentine Salinas, son of Maria López & José Salinas, was baptized on February 13.

--Sunshine Rowen Schrader, daughter of Cindy & Patrick Schrader, was baptized on February 14.

--Gabriel Remington Dietsche, son of Christine Remington & Josh Dietsche, was baptized on February 14.

The Church and Society team is sponsoring a seven week study on Jim Wallis’ latest book, Rediscovering Values, On Wall Street, Main Street, and Your Street, a Moral Compass for the New Economy during the Sunday school hour beginning April 11 and ending May 23. The study will be led by various members of the Church & Society ministry team. To quote one reviewer of the book, "…the book calls Americans and churches in America to ask not how can we recover our economy or how can we get back to the way things were but rather to ask how can the economic crisis change us and what can communities of faith do about it." This book is not only an ethical analysis of how we got to the Great Recession but how can we use it as a way to return to and recover fundamental human and Christian values. Jim Wallis is CEO of Sojourners and has written eight books including God’s Politics. The cost of the hardback book new will be $16.40. It can be ordered through the church or you may get it yourself. If you have questions about this study contact Jim Goulding, chair of the Church & Society team. Sign up for it in the Church Office by March 21.

--Goes to Maxine Beck and her family upon the death of her husband, John on February 10.

--Goes to Marie Siferd and her family upon the death of her sister, Judy Herzog, on February 13.

Students at The Crossing, the UW Madison campus ministry, are appreciative of the Sunday evening meals they enjoy following their worship service. This winter, we have taken responsibility for the meal on Sunday, March 21, and need some people to help. If you could make a casserole, bring a bag of salad, some bread, or bake some bars, please sign up on the clipboard in the office. The food would need to be at our church by 4:30pm that day, so it can be taken downtown.

The Annual Gala for The Crossing is scheduled for Friday evening, April 23, at 6:00 P.M. at Monona Terrace. The cost of the evening is $55 per person. A portion of this donation is tax deductible. The Crossing is growing and exciting things are happening. I am more involved and I am constantly amazed at the students who participate in the Quest Trips and the many activities that happen weekly. The only way that you can possibly understand the ministry is to hear these articulate students tell you about their many adventures in their spiritual journeys. I am also pleased to tell you that many of our leaders and participants are United Methodists. No, we didn’t lose them when they went to college. Dinner music will be provided by the Sharon Schmidt Jazz Quartet. I will also see that transportation is available should you need it.

More information will be on display on one of the kiosks in the next two weeks. Please feel free to call me and ask questions at 246-1816. Cec Wilson Holder

The new flower calendar is on the kiosk in the entryway. If you would like to give flowers on a particular Sunday, please sign up on the calendar.

Caregiving is a priceless and selfless gift. Caregiving is an ongoing and universal phenomenon. From the moment we are born we are either cared for or giving care. Chances are that if you are not a caregiver today, you will be one at some time in your life.

Currently nearly one in four households is involved in caregiving. A caregiver may be caring for a spouse, parent, child, or friend in their local community or managing care of a family member separated by many miles. The type of care can range from grocery shopping and paying bills to helping with setting up a medication schedule or giving a bath.

Some little facts about caregivers:

• 95% of personal care is delivered by caregivers
• 76% of caregivers are female
• 66% of caregivers are depressed
• 60% of caregivers provide over 40 hours of care per week
• Mean age of caregivers is 59
• 47% of caregivers are employed outside the home
• 43% report their own health as fair to poor

The caregiver role can be extremely rewarding, but it can also be challenging at times. Very few people are fully trained and prepared for the sudden events that transform them into caregivers.

Education of the caregiver on how to plan and provide care is essential. Caregiving education not only provides additional knowledge and resources but can also help caregivers be productive in their other roles at work and home.

Are you an informed caregiver? Would you be interested in caregiving information? Topics such as preparing to be a caregiver, important records, community resources available, how to access services, home safety assessment, long distance caregiving, caring for yourself, etc.

Please let members of the Health & Wellness Committee or the church office know of your interest in caregiving education. We would be glad to arrange educational information through classes and/or brochures.

Remember: Caregivers are unsung heroes. It is one of the greatest gifts anyone can give to another human being. But living life fully includes care for yourself, too. Keep both in balance and your life’s journey will be rich and rewarding.

When: Tuesdays, March 16-April 20 from 1:00 p.m.-3:30 p.m

Where: Madison Police Department - East District, 809 S. Thompson Dr., in the District Meeting Room

Cost: $20 for workbook. To borrow the book and return it at end of class, the cost is $5. Scholarships available.

For Registration and information: Call (608)261-9700 Janie Riebe, Area Agency on Aging of Dane County

Are you an adult with an ongoing health condition? You can feel better, have more energy, get relief from symptoms, regain control of your life, and feel more connected to others! Stanford University has developed a proven program that gets people back on track to managing conditions such as diabetes, arthritis, high blood pressure, heart disease, chronic pain, anxiety, etc. It is called, "Living Well with Chronic Conditions." You’ll get the support you need, find practical ways to deal with pain and fatigue, discover better nutrition and exercise choices, understand new treatment choices, and learn better ways to talk with your doctor and family about your health. The workshop consists of six, two-and-a-half hour sessions held once a week. Two experienced class leaders will conduct each session. Interactive lessons, discussions and brainstorming will help you take the "tools" you choose and put them into action for your life.

A few weeks ago, twenty two people gathered upstairs for the first movie night of the year. Local pizza was enjoyed as we watched Food, Inc. (2008). "Drawing on Eric Schlosser's Fast Food Nation and Michael Pollan's The Omnivore's Dilemma, director Robert Kenner's documentary explores the food industry's detrimental effects on our health and environment. Kenner spotlights the men and women who are working to reform an industry rife with monopolies, questionable interpretations of laws and subsidies, political ties and rising rates of E.coli outbreaks." (Netflix). While the movie reveals plenty of issues for families to be concerned about, positive ideas were also highlighted. Here are some things we all could do to improve the quality and safety of our food supply:

• Read food labels
• Know where your food comes from
• Buy local food
• Buy at farmers market
• Protect family farms
• Buy only food from good, honest companies
• Politically press for improved food safety standards
• Reintroduce Kevin’s law (Kevin, 2 year old, died of E.coli in hamburger)
• Stop drinking sodas & other sweetened beverages with no food value
• Ask for healthy school lunches & tell schools to stop selling sodas, junk food & sports drinks
• Support passage of laws that require chain restaurants to post calorie information on menus & menu boards
• Demand job protection for farm workers and food processors, ensuring fair wages and other protections

The Upper Room is a great little devotional book that many people use for daily reading. The new March-April issue has arrived and is in the Narthex information center. We have large-print editions and Spanish versions if those would be more helpful to you. Feel free to take one home.

"Take your everyday, ordinary life – your sleeping, eating, going-to-work, and walking-around life – and place it before God as an offering." Romans 12:1-2 The Message

One winter morning, two brothers decided to visit their neighbor. They had to cross a pond. But since it was frozen over, their father said they could walk across it. He sat on the porch with his binoculars to watch and make sure they would be all right. Along the way, the boys came across a crack in the ice. Their father watched as the 13 year old knelt down by the crack. He put his knees on one side of the crack and his hands on the other, and then told his 3 year old brother to walk across his back so he’d be safe.

We practice giving when we’re willing to put ourselves in the middle of a situation in order to help others get where they need to be. At times we’ll be able to actually offer our gifts as a means to move from one place to another. At other times, such as with the current disaster in Haiti, we aren’t able to be directly involved. However, our prayers and our gifts are providing love offerings as the money we send provides food, shelter, water and medicine to those in need.

We are so blessed that sometimes it’s hard for us to decide how we can respond to such overwhelming disasters. It’s not as easy as spreading ourselves over a crack in the ice so that someone can cross safely. How much is God calling us to give? Some have suggested one day’s salary.

A faithful response may also be as straightforward as making sure our giving allows our church to meet our primary mission goals first this year. Our apportionments are a – portion – meant – for – others. These are mission dollars that allow us to have the "bridging" structures in place to make sure that as soon as a disaster strikes, United Methodists are there offering help and wholeness in the midst of brokenness. What is God calling you to give today?
                    Wisconsin United Methodist Foundation

Guest speaker Laura Pfeffer will speak about living an environmentally friendly lifestyle. All are warmly invited to attend! (no need to be a member)

                              Reservations:

______________________________________________________________________________

______________________________________________________________________________

______________________________________________________________________________

Put completed forms in the church office. For more information you may call Jeanette @ 222-4273 or Kay in the office @ 222-1633.

There is no charge for the event. Bring your favorite mug and enjoy.

Flowers on the altar Easter Sunday add to the beauty of the day.

This year we have a variety of flowers available. You may take your plant home after the 10:45 worship service on Easter Sunday, April 4.

Please return this form with a check for your total flowers ordered to the church office by Sunday, March 14. If you have questions call the church office (222-1633).

___ Lilies $10.00ea ___ Azaleas $16.00ea

___ Mums $10.00ea ___ Hydrangeas $19.00ea

___ Tulips $10.00ea ___ Daffodils $10.00ea

Donor_________________________________________________________________

In Honor of____________________________________________________________

OR

In Memory of__________________________________________________________

8:30 Worship9:30 Fellowship
9:30 Sunday School
10:45 Worship
11:45 Fellowship
5:00 Worship in Spanish

Newsletter Deadline is March 28. Information arriving after the above date may not be in the April newsletter. Remember, you can FAX your article to 222-2395 or email to secretarymumc@sbcglobal.net