Midvale Community Lutheran Church

Worship hikes at 8am and 10am - June 14 at Wingra Park. Meet by the boat docks. Hike to one of the ever-flowing springs that feed the lake, and end at the Kenneth Jensen Wheeler Memorial Council Ring. Worship hikes in July and August will also be offered at both 8am and 10am.
From the UW Alumni website: Kenneth Jensen Wheeler was a UW student in the 1930s. A landscape architecture major and member of Sigma Phi fraternity, he died tragically of a brain aneurysm just before graduation. Wheeler’s grandfather, the famous Danish-born landscape architect Jens Jensen, designed this council ring. The council ring motif was important to Jensen as a symbol of American democracy, with ties to the ancient rings of his native Denmark and to American Indian council fires that embraced egalitarianism. Well-known for his park designs in Chicago, Jensen was a leader of the natural design movement.

Some say that the Civilian Conservation Corps built the Wheeler Council Ring after Jensen designed it — others give credit to Kenneth’s father, Harold Wheeler. Perhaps the young men in the CCC helped by quarrying the stone nearby. Jensen corresponded with William Longenecker, then director of the Arboretum, about the plants to be used around the ring and the type of ceremony that would dedicate it. He chose native plants such as hawthorns, crabapples and wild roses because they symbolized virtues that could be attributed to his grandson.

A joy to celebrate our high school seniors in worship on Sunday! Each graduate was gifted with a quilt from our Lutheran World Relief Quilters and a blessing from the congregation for what comes next in their journeys.
Dear God, we praise and thank you for the young people who we recognize today. We are grateful for their presence in our worshiping community, for the ways they have contributed and received blessings, and for their unique personalities that are gifts to the body of Christ. We pray that the values and relationships they have developed in this place will strengthen them for the journey. We pray their next steps into adulthood will be wisely and thoughtfully made. We pray for their joy and encouragement. In Jesus’ name, Amen.

Youth-led worship this weekend at all worship times - Sat. 5pm, Sun. 8 & 10am - you won't want to miss it!

This month, we joyfully celebrate our 8th anniversary as a Reconciling in Christ ministry! 🌈✨

Our RIC commitment is more than a milestone—it’s an ongoing promise to live out God’s expansive love through welcome, inclusion, celebration, and advocacy for LGBTQIA+ people and their families.

We give thanks for all who have been part of this journey and look ahead with hope as we continue this work together. ❤️

Bike blessings from Sunday-
For the wheels that bring us close to the beauty of creation,
we give thanks.
For leaving a small carbon wheel-tread,
we give thanks.
For all the places in the world where bikes
give transportation and independence to everyone,
we give thanks.
For companions on rides and mechanics with expertise,
we give thanks.
For raised heart rates and the experience of “being in”
rather than “driving through” city or suburb or country,
we give thanks.
For the wisdom of helmets, bike lanes, safety guidelines,
we give thanks.

May God bless you and keep you safe on this bike. May you encounter the risen Lord in your travels, in the fellowship of other cyclists and in each person you meet. May God’s mercy, grace and love shine upon you, now and forever. Amen.

Bike/Walk to church weekend May 30-31
Midvale's Care for Creation team invites you to bike or walk to church if you are able. There are now three bike racks near the main parking lot entrance to the church. There will be a bike blessing at 9:00am right after the 8am worship and another at 9:45am just before the 10:00am worship.