Connections

Monthly Newsletter of New Life Church

November 2017

Since time's dawn, celebrations like All Hallows Eve (Halloween) have marked an overwhelming awareness that things are changing. In fact, there's even a presence that seems to overshadow the world as it grows darker and colder in our northern hemisphere. Leaves swirl and dance away as mini-whirlwinds draw them up into their vibrant vortexes. Sunlight retreats and darkness dominates. Snow taps and stings our faces as we wrap ourselves in wool to keep its bite from devouring us. And, we shiver wondering how long the icy season might last. The Lamp of Life, so it seems, is being smothered and there is a pervasive gasp for each breath. It's cold. And, even a pleasant time of Thanksgiving doesn't readily satisfy the soul's panic. Homage changes nothing. Darkness does not recede. Instead, it grows ever longer to remind us of our mortality. It's dark. These, in fact, are perhaps the most sacred of days even beyond our grand and glorious celebrations. It's because they drive us to our souls from where God speaks to us as we are careful to listen. It's in the silence, the darkness, even the woefulness, that the hushed Voice comes. And, the holy rhythm and resonance opens for us the depth, the insights, and the wisdom that illuminates the sacred journey still before us. We sing "Silent Night, Holy Night" as a recognition that the Deity has found us again and we are now prepared to walk further along the wisdom road even to the advantage of encouraging the journeys of others who walk beside us. A light then dawns. The radiance of hope speaks to us with a child's voice having been born unto us. We are different somehow. We know again who we are and our direction to travel. It's to the Son who enlightens us. The days naturally extend themselves. And, each step from the darkness warms us on our way to enlightenment, new life, even a soul's resurrection. It's before us now. The nights, longer. The shivers, more intense. The silence, resounding. Souls remorse. Aware, propelled by a melody of joy, we are better people for it. The difference is made. God bless us all! Pastor Rob

A Celebration of Paula's Ministry with New Life

Sunday, November 5th

Please come to church on November 5 so that we can celebrate the time that Paula has served God as one of our staff persons at New Life. Bring greetings, a card, and sign a congregation's family card

as well. We'll be presenting Paula with a gift and with a thank you and good wishes for her future with the Cottage Grove Chamber of Commerce.

Click here for the full letter from Pastor Rob.

Be The Blessing

Once again we'll be distributing $50.00 Woodmans Food Cards to bless others in our congregation & community at Thanksgiving. Food cards will allow a family to purchase the sorts of holiday dinner foods that best suit their family needs.

If you'd like to contribute to a card you can put a check or cash in the offering bowl and note that it's for Be the Blessing or you can donate online at www.newlifelc.com If you can benefit from receiving a Food Card, contact the church office at 223-9337

Worship for Kids

Sunday, November 5th 9:15 a.m.

Join us for our Worship for Kids.

We will be kicking off our November Faith Sparks and Kingdom Quest theme of

"The House On The Rock" This theme is based off the Sparks Story Bible story on page 282, Matthew 7:24-28. We will begin in the Worship Center as we worship together with songs and praise. Our puppet friends will visit us! We will then proceed to the Re-Creation Center for a family activity. If your child does not have their own Sparks Bible, please contact the church office. For those that are not participating in the family activity, Pastor Rob will give the sermon in the Worship Center.

Faith Sparks

Faith Sparks is our faith formation class for children age 1-3 with their parent(s). Join us on Sundays in KidZone. We have class time from 9:15-about 9:40 a.m. We then have free playtime.

In October, we worked through "The Lord's Prayer" using various crafts and activities to see different ways to pray. Come join us in November when we work through "The House On The Rock." We will

In This Issue

Paula Severson

Be the Blessing

Worship for Kids

Faith Sparks

Kingdom Quest

Explorers

eMERGE

Women's Thursday Study

Common Threads

Couples

Movie Nights

G.O.D.'S. G.I.R.L.S.

Rubber Stamping

Men of New Life

Thanksgiving Eve

Christmas in the Grove

Mystic Candlelight Walk

Getting Started

Youth Mission Trip

Smilies Squared

New Life App

Halloween Party

St. Mark's Food Pantry

Breakfast Team

General Information

Worship: Sunday Mornings 8:00 am Traditional Worship 9:15 am Way CoolWorship

9:15 am Worship for Kids (1st

Sunday of month) 10:30 am Way CoolWorship

KidZone is available for children ages Toddler-age 4 during our

9:15 am and 10:30 am Worships. (Kidzone is not equipped for

infants.)

Faith Formation (Sept-May)

9:15 a.m. Faith Sparks (age 1-3 with adult)

9:15 a.m. Kingdom Quest (age 4-4th gr.)

10:30 a.m. Explorers (5-8th grade)

11:30 a.m. eMERGE (9-12th grade)

How Do I Sign Up?

If you'd like to sign-up for a study, event, or volunteer opportunity, here are some ways to do just

that: * go online: www.newlifelc.com

start with the 1st Sunday of the month with our families in Worship for Kids. Our Faith Sparks leaders are Gail Kriel, Jessica & Dan Seeley.

Kingdom Quest Our Kingdom Quest group is geared towards children age 4-4th grade. In October we worked through learning the words to "The Lord's Prayer" and other ways we can pray. We worked on our listening skills to hear God, when we pray to hand things to God to help us

work through them and things in our life to pray for. Join us in November! We will start off the 1st Sunday in Worship for Kids and learn about our theme "The House on the Rock"! The next three Sundays we will participate in various activities and crafts to help us explore this theme to better understand the story and what this means to us. Our Kingdom Quest leaders are: Tyanna & Joe Lotegeluaki, Stephanie & Noah Peck, Linda Sime, Kris Thalacker, Judy Weishan, Trey Graff, Becky Koch and Alyssa Koch. All children ages 4-4th grade and their parents are welcome to join us!!

Explorers

Explorers is our Faith Formation group for our middle school age students. We meet every week at 10:30 a.m. Join us as we process through various studies and dig deeper into the bible and ourselves.

Our Girls meet in Room A and our Boys meet in the Re-Creation Center. On October 1st both groups met together where we walked the outdoor path listening and looking at what is around us. We then discussed how different gender roles are now from what they were in the 40's or Jesus' time. October 8th & 15th the Girls worked through their study on "Wild About You" and the Boys discussed fear. October 22nd both groups worked through the story "The Woman at the Well". The girls used the "Women of the Bible" video to see this story from the woman's perspective. The boys used "The Gospel of John" video to see it acted out. Both groups engaged in great discussion of what this story means and what situations around us today remind us of this. On October 29th we had a lot of fun at our "ALL HALLOWS EVE" Halloween party! Thank you everyone that helped with this!! Join us in November as we continue our great discussions! Please contact Becky Koch our faith formation coordinator if you are able to help with these groups.

eMERGE

High Schoolers join us as we meet each Sunday! We gather together for 10:30 a.m. worship. We then grab lunch from the kitchen

and have social time as we eat. From 12:00-1:00 p.m. we have class time. Come join us!! We are looking for more leaders to help us! Contact Christine

* contact the church office (608) 223-9337newlifelc@sbcglobal.net

* or contact the leader of the event

Newsletter Deadline

To make a contribution to New Life Connections, contact the

church office by the 15th of the month.

Vision and Mission Statement

Ours is to

"Value as God Values"

So that we might bring the "Kingdom to Community"

Therefore, we will... "Cultivate"

our relationship with God "Emulate"

the Life of Jesus "Relate"

to People of our Communities

New Life Quick Links Website

Register Now Newsletter Archive

Online Giving Facebook

Welcome Team

November

Jensen or Iris Christenson if you can help!

Women's Thursday Study

Thursday's November 2, 9, 16 & 30 9:00-11:00 a.m.

"Twelve More Women Of The Bible"

Join us for this fresh look at women in the Bible. This will help us discover new insights

into God's character, persevere through difficult times, and find joy in the hope that Jesus has provided to you.

Join us as we continue our study!

Come when you can and invite a friend!

Led by Betty Sundbakken 221-4146

Common Threads

Monday, November 6th Regular Meeting 6:00-8:00 p.m.

Monday, November 20th

6:00-8:00 p.m. All ages and beginners: welcomes kids with accompanying adult. This is an ideal time to learn the basics of knit and crochet. While

newbies are always welcome in regular meetings, these meetings are intended to focus more intently on teaching and learning! Needles

and yarn will be provided.

Our upcoming meetings will be: December 4th

These meetings will be 6:00-8:00 p.m. in the Community Room at New Life Church. Drop in when you can, there's no such thing as late! All adults are welcome, men &

women both.

Group led by Kelly Webster and Myrna Springer

Couples

Your Time-Starved Marriage" You are welcome to still join us for this great class. This is an exciting DVD series taught by Drs. Les & Leslie Parrott. If you would like to find out how to spend more time with your partner, this is the series for you! We encourage all couples that are dating, engaged, or married to attend this series and bring another couple! We meet every 1

st and 3

rd Tuesday of the month from 6:30 until

8:00 p.m. You are welcome to join us for one or all of the sessions at any time during the series. Each video clip is approximately 15-20 minutes in order to allow a lot of time for discussion with other couples. For more information contact: Chris and Ann Bartlett or Bruce and Janice Newell

Movie Nights

Join us for our Free Family Movie! Friday, November 10th

Doors open at 6:00 p.m. Movie starts at 6:30 p.m.

Lion King

This classic movie follows the adventures and challenges of a young lion cub, Simba, the heir of his father, Mufasa. Simba's uncle Scar plots against them in order to gain

control of the throne. Simba excapes and meets new friends and learns many life lessons along the way.

Invite your friends, family, children, grandchildren, and neighbors!

Everyone is welcome! Bring your pillows, blankets and PJ's. Be comfy!

Please contact Becky Koch at (608) 223-9337

if you are able to help with Movie Nights or for just one.

Mark your calendars for our upcoming movie nights : December 8 January 12

G.O.D.'S. G.I.R.L.S. Girls entering 5th grade and up.

We are an extension of Explorer Girls

"Remember to fall asleep with a dream and wake up

with a purpose."

On Friday, October 20th

Twenty of us joined together for an awesome slumber party!! This is God's Girls 10th lock-in and they never get old. We enjoyed some new games to build teamwork and saw many girls show great leadership skills. We made friendship bracelets and experienced some great girl bonding time. We then watched a movie that reminded us to enjoy the moment and what we wish for may not be what we really want. On Saturday morning we broke our record on getting everything cleaned up and allowed for a lot more time to play games of our choice before heading home. Thank you to all the girls that came and our great adults that joined in on the fun!

Join us for our next activity!

Saturday, November 11th 9:00 a.m.-12:00 p.m. Join us as we enjoy some fun team building games. From small group competition to large group cooperative games, we will have a great & silly time getting to know one another & working together. All adult females are always welcome to join us!! Leaders: Becky Koch or Dawn Meyferth Assistant Leader: Alyssa Koch Brought to you by G.O.D.'S. G.I.R.L.S.:

God's Overflowing Delight Strengthens Girls Inspiring Radiant Loving Spirits

Rubber Stamping Group

Monday, November 13th 6:30-8:00 p.m.

We gather on the 2nd Monday of the month

September-May

Come join the fun as we learn some great new crafts. We work on various projects using rubber stamps.

All supplies are provided at no cost.

Come to the ones you can.

Led by Cheryll Steinke

Men of New Life

Join us November 14th & 28th 6:00 - 7:00 p.m.

"Courageous Masculinity"

A DVD series for New Life Men We meet the second and fourth Tuesdays of the month. It gives New Life men an

opportunity to meet others and explore the spiritual integrity of the masculine.

In this series, we'll again explore the dimensions of the masculine from the perspective of courage. What is courage? How is it expressed today? What challenges does courage face? How are men courageousin the face of odds that are sometimes

overwhelming? What might have been our most courageous moments? These are questions that will be explored as we also learn from each other.

As men, we answer the call to action, to duty, to courage. It's who we are.

Thanksgiving Eve Worship

Wednesday, November 22 6:30 p.m.

A time to gather together with our families, our friends, and our church community in gratitude for all the blessings God has lavished upon us.

Join us and celebrate together afterwards with some delicious pie for dessert and lots of conversation with one another. All are welcome. All are invited. Church office will be closed on Thanksgiving Thursday, November 23 and on Friday, November 24.

Christmas in the Grove Parade

Friday, December 1st 7:00 p.m.

The Christmas in the Grove parade will be on Friday, December 1st at 7 PM along Main St. in Cottage Grove. We

are going to bring the Christmas story to life on our New Life float! We'll be setting up the float the week prior, watch for the times and come out with your creativity to help us. Adults and kids-come and walk along the parade route to hand out candy canes. We'll gather at 6:30 PM that Friday night to get ready and the parade starts at 7 PM. If you'd like to participate contact the church office at 223-9337. It's going to be a fun time!

Let's bring an extra special dose of Christmas Cheer to our neighbors in the community.

Mystic Candlelight Walk

Saturday, December 2nd 5:00-7:00 p.m.

This year we will be celebrating the spiritual season with a Mystic Candlelight Walk. Everyone is invited to join us anytime between 5:00 and 7:00 p.m. to enjoy a sandwich, then a short wagon ride to our walk's beginning. The walk will be lit by candlelight and you will progress to the pergulas to experience our four themes. You will also get candles

along your way that you will have an opportunity to make a wreath with at the conclusion of your walk. We are in need of people to help with this event! Please contact the church office if you can help with setup, clean up, kitchen, wreath making, people along the path, etc.

Is this your first visit? Or have you been visiting for months and want to know more about New Life?

Join us for the following opportunities!

Lunch with Pastor Rob

Join Pastor Rob Carlson and other visitors for conversation and to gather information about New Life, where she comes from and where she is headed. You can be an integral part of the movement with God. Lunch with Pastor Rob will be offered on Sunday, November 19th at 11:45 a.m. There will be a light lunch served for each class, please let us know of any special dietary restrictions you may have. Childcare can be provided upon advance request. For more information or to register contact the Church Office at (608) 223-9337

Youth Mission Trip

to Greeley, Colorado June 24

th - June 30

th, 2018

(there will also be a travel day on June 23rd)

"Rocky Mountain Workcamp"

Please contact the Church office if you are interested in attending this mission trip. We still have some spots open, but they are limited. We are also looking for adults to attend. Find the commitment form here!

Smiles Squared

Smiles Squared is a ministry we began last year, and thanks to

everyone who has donated squares it's been a great success! We ask the community to knit or crochet 7" squares using worsted weight acrylic yarn. Then we attach them to create lap afghans for donation

to folks who need some warmth.

We've just donated a batch of lap afghans to Karmenta nursing home on Milwaukee St, and we've had requests for more from others! As such, it's time to get to work on

making more squares!

Please see the table in the Community room for supplies such as crochet hooks, knitting needles, worsted weight yarn, 7" measuring squares and patterns. If you are

an experienced crafter you can use any pattern you want, just nothing too lacy.

For more information, or if you need help getting started, catch us Sunday morning, or email kellytwebster@gmail.com

Myrna Springer and Kelly Webster

New Life Church App

Get important information about New Life Happenings with our app! You can listen to sermons, check out the upcoming events, send a prayer request, read the Bible, give electronically and receive important announcements (like when we cancel worship due to weather).

Go to your app store and type in New Life Church Madison to download it today! Any questions, contact the Church Office.

All Hallows Eve (Halloween) Parties

Thank you!

Thank you to everyone that helped with the parties on Sunday, October 29th.

We had so many families that enjoyed our 9:15 party and then followed that by a fun, goofy time with our middle

schoolers!

Thank you to Michael Jelinek for taking pictures in our photo booth. Thank you to Erik Severson for designing some great

games, and Trey Graff and Judy Weishan for helping with the games. Thank you to Barb Zimmerman for helping in our

treat area and everyone that helped supply yummy treats. Thank you to Alyssa Koch, Lilly Severson and Natalie Mullen

for your great artistic talent at our face painting table!

Thank you for all the help with setup and clean up: Erik Severson, Lilly Severson, Alyssa Koch, Bryan Koch, Steve

Koch, Becky Koch, Michael Jelinek and Trey Graff.

St. Mark's Food Pantry

Thank you to everyone who brought in items for October! Join us in our November challenge items of Ketchup, Mustard, Hot Cocoa Packets, Cake Mix, Brownie Mix & Cookie Mix! Let's overflow our table in the Community Room!

The first Sunday of every month we collect items to donate to St. Mark's Food Pantry. However, you can always drop off items in the church office throughout the month. If you have any questions, please contact Pat Kreitzman (608) 249-8449.

October Breakfast Team Thank you to the Thursday morning women's Bible Study group for breakfast the first Sunday of October. It was amazing as always. These ladies were so busy we weren't able to get a group picture of them all together. We are looking for breakfast teams! If your family or small

group has interest or would like to be paired up with another family, please contact the church office for more details.

Upcoming Events

November 2017

Wednesday, November 1st

Girl Scouts meeting 6:00-8:00 a.m.

Contemplative Prayer 6:30-7:30 p.m. Thursday, November 2nd

Women's Thursday Study 9:00-11:00 a.m.

Worship Band practice 6:30 p.m.

Scout Pack 145 6:30-8:00 p.m. Sunday, November 5th

Daylight Savings Time

St. Mark's Food Pantry collection

Breakfast

Traditional Worship 8:00 a.m.

Worship For Kids 9:15 a.m.

Way Cool Worship 10:30 a.m.

Explorers 10:30-11:30 a.m.

eMERGE 11:30 a.m.-1:00 p.m.

Family Afterwards 5:00-6:00 p.m. Monday, November 6th

Common Threads 6:00-8:00 p.m. Tuesday, November 7th

Couples class 6:30-8:00 p.m. Wednesday, November 8th

Boy Scout leaders 5:30-9:00 p.m. Thursday, November 9th

Women's Thursday Study 9:00-11:00 a.m.

Worship Band practice 6:30 p.m. Friday, November 10th

Movie Night 6:30 p.m. Saturday, November 11th

God's Girls activity 9:00 a.m.-12:00 p.m. Sunday, November 12th

Traditional Worship 8:00 a.m.

Way Cool Worship 9:15 a.m.

Faith Sparks 9:15-10:15 a.m.

Kingdom Quest 10:30-11:30 a.m.

Way Cool Worship 10:30 a.m.

Explorer Boys 10:30-11:30 a.m.

Explorer Girls 10:30-11:30 a.m.

eMERGE 11:30 a.m.-1:00 p.m.

Family Afterwards 5:00-6:00 p.m. Monday, November 13th

Rubber Stamping Group 6:30 p.m.

Covered Bridge Condo Association 6:30 p.m. Tuesday, November 14th

Pastor's Group 12:00 p.m.

Men's Gathering 6:00-7:00 p.m.

Finance Team Wednesday, November 15th

Contemplative Prayer 6:30-7:30 p.m. Thursday, November 16th

Women's Thursday Study 9:00-11:00 a.m.

Cottage Grove Chamber lunch 12:00 p.m.

Boy Scouts 5:45-8:00 p.m.

Worship Band practice 6:30 p.m. Sunday, November 19th

Traditional Worship 8:00 a.m.

Way Cool Worship 9:15 a.m.

Faith Sparks 9:15-10:15 a.m.

Kingdom Quest 9:15-10:15 a.m.

Way Cool Worship 10:30 a.m.

Explorer Boys 10:30-11:30 a.m.

Explorer Girls 10:30-11:30 a.m.

eMERGE 11:30 a.m.-1:00 p.m.

Lunch with Pastor Rob 11:45 a.m.

Racial Equality Ministry 4:00 p.m.

Family Afterwards 5:00-6:00 p.m. Monday, November 20th

Council 6:00 p.m.

Common Threads 6:00-8:00 p.m. Tuesday, November 21st

Couples Class 6:30-8:00 p.m. Wednesday, November 22nd

Thanksgiving Eve Worship 6:30 p.m. Thursday, November 23rd

Thanksgiving Day

Office Closed Friday, November 24th

Office Closed Saturday, November 25th

Worship Band practice 8:30 a.m. Sunday, November 26th

Traditional Worship 8:00 a.m.

Way Cool Worship 9:15 a.m.

Faith Sparks 9:15-10:15 a.m.

Kingdom Quest 9:15-10:15 a.m.

Way Cool Worship 10:30-11:30 a.m.

Explorer Boys 10:30-11:30 a.m.

Explorer Girls 10:30-11:30 a.m.

eMERGE 11:30 a.m.-1:00 p.m.

Family Afterwards 5:00-6:00 p.m. Tuesday, November 28th

Men's Gathering 6:00-7:00 p.m. Wednesday, November 29th

Contemplative Prayer 6:30-7:30 p.m. Thursday, November 30th

Women's Thursday Study 9:00-11:00 a.m.

Worship Band practice 6:30 p.m. Words of Wisdom

"God wants us to be present where we are.

He invites us to see and to hear what is around us and, through it all, to discern the footprints of the Holy."

-Richard J. Foster

Contact Information

New Life Church 7564 Cottage Grove Road Madison, WI 53718 Phone (608) 223-9337 E-mail newlifelc@sbcglobal.net Website www.newlifelc.com Office Hours. M-F 9:00 a.m.-2:00 p.m.

Staff Rob Carlson, Pastor Becky Koch, Office Administrator & Family Faith Formation Paula Severson, Director of Development Cheryll Steinke, Office Assistant Nancy Schmidt, Bookkeeper Congregation Council Micah Zielke, President Kathy Nelson, Vice-President Dan Seeley, Secretary Ken Wundrow, Treasurer Terri Beck-Engel Pastor Rob Carlson Ann Krebs-Byrne Rick Krueger Kathy Michaelis Joe Milanese Noah Peck Kim Schuette Anita Zahorsky