In 2014, at the end of my first year here, as we made our way out beyond the polar vortex, spring was ushered in for me by my initial sighting of a returning red-winged blackbird on March 18. This year I spotted the leader of the red-winged pack on March 12 and a few days ago, a beautiful flock of red-winged blackbirds swirled upward from a field on Church Road. Their return in my favorite sign of the undeniable coming of spring. Happy Spring Equinox. The season begins late this afternoon; this evening will be the first intersection of the spring equinox and a full moon since March 20, 1981. Even on this cloudy day, it is a super special spring equinox.

Keep the Cardboard Coming for Bookcase Project Bookmarks

Our supply of cardboard fronts of boxes – cereal boxes, cake mixes, granola bar boxes, cracker boxes, etc. is growing. We just need the box front, not the entire box. You can recycle the rest of the box at home. Your box fronts can be left in the plastic container you’ll see in the Gathering Area. Thank you.

Spring Prairie Association Meeting

The Spring Prairie Association Meeting of the UCC will be held this Saturday, March 23 at First UCC/Second Presbyterian in Rockford. Thank you to Ann W., Dawn, and Martha; they will be representing Mayfield at the meeting.

Worship Notes

This week’s worship theme as part of our “The Journey Is Home” Lenten series is Home Town Favorite. What do you suppose will be hanging beneath the word BELONG in the sanctuary? What prayer request have you drawn from your Lenten prayer box today?

One Great Hour of Sharing (UCC all church offering)

Responding to the food and nutritional challenges of families living in extreme poverty is one focus of One Great Hour of Sharing in its international sustainable development emphasis. This annual offering with its roots in the years immediately following the Second World War is distributed to countries around the globe for disaster relief, refugee services, and development projects. There will be offering envelopes in our bulletins this week. If you do not have one of these envelopes, make sure to clearly mark your check or envelope “OGHS.” Our OGHS collection will run through April 7.

Bring More Plastic Caps

Don’t forget we are collecting plastic caps for the UCC in Granville, IL. They are saving for a bench in their shade garden. Becky will transport the caps from church to friends at the Granville UCC.

Upcoming Highlights
Spring Pancake Breakfast – Saturday, April 6, 6:30 – 11:00 am.  Remind neighbors, friends, and family members to mark their calendars.  Sign-up sheets are out in the Gathering Area. Can you offer a hand with this semi-annual Mayfield fundraiser? Thanks to Angela and Dawn for organizing all the pancake breakfast details. Don’t forget the Fellowship Baked Goods Table and Attic Treasures. Baked goods can be left at church on Friday morning, April 5 or early Saturday morning, April 6. Attic treasures need to be at church by Friday morning, April 5. (no electronics please)
Maundy Thursday Salad Potluck and Worship – Thursday evening, April 18
Easter – Sunday, April 21
Annual Retreat – Saturday, April 27, MacQueen Forest Preserve, 9:00 am – 3:00 pm. This retreat is organized by the Mayfield Fellowship for members and friends of the congregation.
Bookcase Project Presentation – Saturday afternoon, May 4, at Faranda’s in DeKalb.  More details to follow.

Cultivating Resilient Hearts – Fellowship Annual Retreat

Cultivating Resilient Hearts is the theme for this year’s Fellowship retreat on Saturday, April 27 at MacQueen Forest Preserve. The program will run from 9:00 am – 3:00 pm.  You can arrive any time after 8:30 am. A delicious lunch will be provided. The fee for the day is $20. Martha will be our retreat leader. Pausing to attend to the resilience of our hearts in these challenging times strengthens our wellbeing and our healthy relatedness and service with others. It is a gift for our lives and a gift we want to model for all around us. This program is offered to everyone at Mayfield and anyone else you would like to invite. A retreat flyer will be available in worship this Sunday and will be attached to next week’s memo.

Northern Illinois Food Bank

Do you know that it is not unusual for former recipients of food bank food to become volunteers later on, passing on the service they previously received? Our ongoing support of the Northern Illinois Food Bank is appreciated. Every $1 donated is converted into $8 of food. Gifts may be placed in either the food bank box or the offering plate.