Common Grace – Common Grace

Common Grace & Eastmorland Community Center Capital Campaign Updates

Commitment Sunday for Capital Campaign Pledges on July 13th Initial Gifts are Requested by July 20th Capital Campaign Celebration Sunday on July 27th Thank you all for the initial responses to the Capital Campaign! We’re making great strides towards reaching our goal of $1.5 million. For those of you not at the congregational meeting on May 4, there were some questions about when the initial donations would be due and what entity the checks should be made out to. To simplify tracking, we are asking that checks be made payable to either Common Grace LLC or Eastmorland Community Center, with “capital campaign” noted on the memo line. To secure our financing from the Wesleyan Impact Partners, we need to provide verification of our required cash downpayment by the end of July. We are asking that all initial or one-time donations are received no later than July 20, 2025. Thank you for your continued support. Brenda Halverson

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July 8, 2025

News

Food Pantry Garden 2025

This year, Common Grace and Eastmorland Community Center volunteers will have TWO garden plots for this planting season Two 10’ X 20’ plots are reserved for this joint program of ECC and Common Grace. We will plant veggies and herbs in this garden to donate to local food pantries. All congregation and community folks are all invited to help with the many different garden tasks we will have throughout the season. If you are would like to help with the garden, please contact Jenny Baltes (jenbaltes@gmail.com)

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July 8, 2025

News

Habitat for Humanity of Dane County – Volunteer Opportunities

Are you interested in helping create affordable housing in your community? If so, volunteer with Habitat for Humanity of Dane County! Through its volunteer network, generous donors, and sales from two ReStores, Habitat Dane helps families achieve strength, stability, and self-reliance to build a better life through shelter. Habitat needs volunteers in a variety of roles to make this work happen. At a Habitat ReStore, you can help as a volunteer cashier. Or assist with processing incoming material donations by unloading & sorting items. Donation truck riders are needed to help pick up scheduled community donations for the REeStores. Volunteers can also choose to build housing on a construction site. No experience is needed as all the necessary tools and training will be provided on arrival. Volunteering with Habitat is a great way to get involved with an important cause, see a project through, meet other like-minded people, and have fun! Opportunities are available Tuesdays-Saturdays, year-round. View all options and start your volunteer journey at https://habitatdane.volunteerhub.com/. Or, contact volunteer@habitatdane.org or call Shai at (608) 618-9399. Join Habitat Dane to help build up our community! Read more about Habitat for Humanity of Dane County at https://habitatdane.org.

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July 8, 2025

News

Transition Location

Great news!! We are officially moving to St. Stephen’s Lutheran Church, 5700 Pheasant Hill Rd. in Monona, for our interim year during construction. Our first Sunday worship there will be on August 3rd at our usual time of 9:30am. We will meet in their fellowship hall – Agape Hall – which will have a marked, accessible, separate entrance from their back parking lot. We are so grateful to the St. Stephen’s staff, board and congregation for extending this generous opportunity to Common Grace!

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July 8, 2025

Building Update / News

Preparing to Leave the Building in July…

Our final Sunday in the building is July 27th. We will worship at 9:30am and have a Common Grace & Eastmorland Community Center event called “Leaving the Nest” that afternoon to remember the good work done by so many saints on this triangle and to celebrate the new community partnerships and work we are doing. There is much work to do as we prepare to clean out our building. It is a bittersweet time and yet it will help us “say goodbye” to this building that holds many memories for some of us, and prepare for our transition while we do the new work we are called to do. Lois Roth and Jenny Baltes have inventoried everything in our building and in storage. If you are interested in helping to sell or donate items, please contact Lois or Jenny. Some items will be available for Common Grace members to purchase on a donation basis. Those items will be available to look at near the church office at the end of the hall. If you want any plants from the landscaping, please ask Jenny and Lois about those, as we need to find new homes for many of them. Eric Halverson is coordinating the actual clean out of the building. Please contact Eric if you are able to help with those workdays or are willing to help with special projects. Thanks to Lois and Jenny and Eric for leading this work!

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July 8, 2025

News

Letter from The Moravian Northern Provice

An Important statement from the Moravian Church Northern Province -- one of the two denominations of Common Grace. The other is the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA), which has offered similar statements on these topics of the witness of the Christian Church. We invite you to read a statement offered by the Provincial Elders' Conference in humility and hope for a better day – one guided by the compassion and love of Christ for all God’s children. Read the letter here:

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April 8, 2025

Life in the Neighbourhood / News

Third Space

Would you like to help neighbors feel welcome at 3rd Space?? Wednesdays in April will only be 1-4PM Shift for 3rd Space due to Midday Lenten Prayer services; an 11am - 4pm schedule will resume the week of April 21 on Wednesdays 3rd Space is our Wednesday and Thursday program where we open our sanctuary for neighbors to drop by to chat or work, and have a cup of tea or coffee from 11am - 4pm. Because Pastor Staci or theEthical Trading Co. staff cannot be there the whole time, we are looking for a few individuals to take a shift ‘hosting’ the space each day. This would be a 2.5 hour shift (11-1:30 or 1:30-4) where you would greet folks as they come in, offer them coffee or tea and make them feel welcome in the space. You could bring a book or your laptop to work in the space during that time as well. Set-up or closing down will require a few small tasks, but it might be a nice quiet time and a chance to meet neighbors or those coming to shop at the ETC store. Here is a link to sign up or you could let Pastor Staci know if you are interested in helping:

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April 8, 2025

Life in the Neighbourhood / News

Food Pantry Garden 2025

This year Common Grace and Eastmorland Community Center volunteers will have TWO garden plots for this planting season Two 20’ X 20’ plots are reserved for this joint program of ECC and Common Grace. We will plant veggies and herbs in this garden to donate to local food pantries. All congregation and community folks are all invited to help with the many different garden tasks we will have throughout the season. A workday in the garden is being planned in May, more details to come. Further upcoming announcements about ‘garden days’, when larger groups of helpers are needed, and weekly tasks such as watering, weeding, and harvesting produce for the food pantry, that can be done individually at your convenience, will be in the KIT & On Tap newsletters monthly, as well as on FB pages. When working in the garden it may be easiest to bring your own gloves and garden tools needed. There are some community tools provided at the garden in a box with a combination lock, if needed, as well as a wheelbarrow. If you are would like to help with the garden, please contact Jenny Baltes (jenbaltes@gmail.com or 608-215-6395).

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April 8, 2025

Building Update / News

April UPDATE on the Common Grace Property Project

My Excitement is on the Rise! A lot has happened in the month since I wrote to you with an update for the March Kit. ● We interviewed two potential design/build firms in February and ultimately chose ThresholdBuilds, a sister company of our consultant, Threshold Scared Development. Threshold Builds wasselected for their passion for our project, which is par with our own passion.● We received positive feedback on our project from a local foundation who has put us in contactwith other possible funders. It’s not what you know, it’s who you know. And this individual isconnected.● Threshold Build (TB) held an initial meeting with the City of Madison to get feedback on theproject as TB begins the design process. This input is being integrated into the site plan and thedesigns of each building.● The City of Madison’s Community Facilities Loan we applied for in early January is looking verygood for approval. Our contact there has indicated the funds we applied for have been “reserved”for our purposes pending final approval.● A large group of congregation and community folks are working diligently to get all the necessarypieces in place to kick-off our capital campaign. Another month has gone by - I’ve learned more about real estate development than the undergrad course Itook at UW-Whitewater and we’re another month closer to making this dream come true. With gratitude for all your support,Brenda

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April 8, 2025

News / Uncategorized

Rooted Good Podcast

If you are interested in hearing about the community ministry and property redevelopment at Common Grace and Eastmorland Community Center, have a listen to this podcast! Thanks to Rooted Good for letting us tell our story. A big shout out to Brenda Halverson, co-chair of our Development Team for her incredible leadership and participation on the podcast. Episode 8: What Can Partnerships Unlock for Church Property? Shannon and Mark continue their takeover of the Igniting Imagination podcast with guests Brenda Halverson and Rev. Staci Maurice-Wheeler of Common Grace Madison. #Partnerships are critical. @commongracemadison @rootedgood

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February 8, 2025