You are invited on this Easter Sunday to bring potted spring flowers to decorate the sanctuary for worship. Plants are to go home with you after the service.

What a Day for Sausage and Pancakes

Our recent spring Pancake Breakfast (4.8.17) was quite a morning. 340 people joined us to eat. The heaping Bake Table was practically emptied. Attic treasures left in other people’s hands. Over $700 of sausage was sold. More and more younger families are joining us for this delicious meal. The room was filled with people of all ages and was brimming with conversations. Thank you to the many hands that continue this beloved Mayfield tradition. Quite a few asked at the door when the fall breakfast will be.

The Schedule from Maundy Thursday through Easter

Maundy Thursday – April 13 – 6:00 pm – Salad Potluck followed by a worship service of Communion and Tenebrae at 7:00 pm.  Everyone is asked to bring a salad to share.

Easter Sunday – April 16 – The Easter Bonfire will be lit in the fire pit behind the parsonage at 7:30 am. A brief First Light ritual will follow.  If you have one, tuck your lawn chair under your arm for outdoor seating. This early morning worship will be held inside if the weather is inclement. Our Easter Potluck Breakfast will be served in the Dining Room starting at 8:30 am.  Scrambled eggs will be provided. What breakfast treat might you contribute to our table? Festive worship will be underway at 10:00 am. Among the morning’s special music will be a harp duet. To help us decorate for Easter, you are encouraged to bring potted spring plants like daffodils, hyacinths, lilies, and tulips.

Thanks to Roger and Becky for our beautiful Lenten/Easter banner in the Waters of Compassion.  Our children, with Dawn’s help, have crafted a final banner piece to be added this Sunday.  We are also grateful to Jen and our choir members for their varied and beautiful music.

Compass Points of Care – Spring Fellowship Retreat – Saturday, April 29

Come and spend a day apart. Give yourself space and time to breathe. Enjoy a nourishing experience with Mayfield members and friends. This year our retreat will focus on the necessary care and compassion for ourselves that allow us to be a compassionate presence in the world. The day’s fee is $20 and will include a tasty lunch.  Who might you invite to retreat with us?  Martha will lead this retreat for women and men, at a gentle pace, from 9 am – 3 pm. A registration form is included with this week’s memo.  Additional forms are in our Gathering Area at church. Registrations are requested by Sunday, April 23. Return your form to Ann T. or Martha.

Flower Power

Our Flower Power fundraiser continues through May 1. There are still a few weeks for you to order. See Dawn on Sunday morning with any questions or for help in ordering. Give to the earth and give to Mayfield with this growing new effort. 50% of Flower Power sales come back to Mayfield.

Northern Illinois Food Bank

Have you made a gift to the Northern Illinois Food Bank this month? Gifts can be placed in the food bank box or the offering plate. Barb Food Mart is located in Huntley Middle School. It is the source of food assistance for families with children enrolled in DeKalb School District 428. Barb Food Mart is one of the more than 800 partner feedings sites resourced by the Northern Illinois Food Bank.

Mother’s Day and Father’s Day Offerings

This year these two offerings will focus on shelter. Our international offering gathered in for Mother’s Day will go to Church World Service’s Blanket Fund. Our local effort collected for Father’s Day will help to fund the Adopt an Apartment Project of Spring Creek UCC which provides housing for homeless moms and their children in Rockford. More details will follow in future memos and in June’s announcements.

Upcoming Dates

Wednesday, April 19 – Empty Bowl Sale at Sycamore High School, 4:30-6:30 pm
Saturday, April 22 – Earth Day
Saturday, April 29 – “Compass Points of Care” Retreat, 9:00 am – 3:00 pm.
Saturday, May 6 – Two Rivers Preschoolers receive their bookcases and books.
Saturday, June 10 – 2017 Bike MS: Tour de Farms, Carlson Farm