Welcome to Campus! (Hey, from the UW Episcopal Community)

Hey friend!

Welcome to campus! Whether you are new to Madison or returning, we are glad you are here. A bunch of us have been praying for you and this year in your life, and we look forward to connecting! 

A great first opportunity to connect is tomorrow (Wed) night, at 7pm at the St. Francis House Student Center (1011 University Ave). We'll have snacks, teas, and coffee, and a chance to meet other folks. A little after 8, we'll pray Compline together to end the evening and begin the new year. Everyone is welcome. 

This Sunday at 5pm, I hope you'll join us for our annual House Blessing Eucharist. 

​We'll pray for the different spaces in the Episcopal Center and have house blessing care packages for you and any​ friends you'd like to share them with. Christians usually bless homes as a way to ask God's help to make good​ new beginnings and as a way to name our intention to live our ordinary lives​ -​ in our homes​, classrooms, and workplaces​ - in ways that are shaped by God's love and call.

​One of the things the student leadership and I have been praying about already is how crunched life can feel at this moment in time. College. Politics. Work. Anxieties. Time. Relationships. Finding meaningful ways to act in the world. What else? SFH is committed to being a community and ​place where we make space together, over against the crunch, seeking to be present to God, each other, and ourselves. What does it mean to make space for "the life that really is life" (1 Timothy 6:19)? As that commitment/question resonates with you, I invite you to come, connect, share your gifts, and find new friendships and belonging. 

​That's all for now. Holla on Facebook. Check out the calendar. Call me for coffee, anytime. And I hope to connect with you soon.

God's good peace as you settle in and make your way and the new semester begins. 

Jonathan​

Ways You Can Jump In (this week)*

• Help us put together care packages this Wed at 7pm!
• Come early on Sunday, at 4:15pm, to play an instrument or lend your voice at worship. Email Mckenzie for details/questions/to let her know you are interested. 
• Read a Scripture on Sunday (come 5-10 min before 5pm). Email Jonathan.
• We're looking this week for help next week, at the RSO fair (Sept 13-14, 5-8pm). Can you help cover a shift? Let Kate know!

*WYCJI is a new feature this year, which comes from our hope that you make yourself at home here. We'll do our best to communicate opportunities clearly and would love you to join us in any (or other) of these ways!

Last thing

Most weekly emails come from Kate and are way shorter than this, but we're excited to welcome you well, and I hope this email gives a sense of what SFH is about. If you're rather not receive them, though, let Kate know at any time. Peace, friends!