Newsletter – May 9, 2026
News from Christ Church Episcopal Cathedral, Eau Claire, WI
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 Cathedral Calendar | Website | Donate | Facebook | Liturgical Calendar | Contact  IN THIS ISSUE • May 8, 2026 Volunteer at The Community Table ~ Sat., May 16 Plant, Pie & Ice Cream Social 2026 Prayer Shawl Ministry May Meeting Provide Dinner at Family Promise/Beacon House – May 19 and May 22 Beacon House News ~ May 2026 Feed My People ~ Empty Bowls 2026 Needful Things Pantry ~ Mar & April 2026 Report Volunteer at the Needful Things Pantry Saturday, June 27th, 2:30-5:30 pm Join Us for Potluck Sunday ~ May 31st Chippewa Valley Street Ministry Journal ~ May 7, 2026 Join the Brew Crew Today! Bible class ~ Wednesday’s @ 9:30 am In-person Worship this Sunday at 9am (Zoom & FB Live) Intercessions Follow Us on Social Media Kwik Trip Cards Fundraiser VANCO Volunteer at The Community Table ~ Sat., May 16We still have spots for volunteers for 2nd shift.Please consider sharing your time with those in need. Click Here To access the Sign Up Genius  Plant, Pie & Ice Cream Social 2026   Prayer Shawl Ministry May Meeting  Provide Dinner at Family Promise/Beacon House – May 19 and May 22  We are in need of volunteers to help provide dinner on both nights. Please click the link below to see where you can help serve! This January, Christ Church Cathedral is providing dinner for the residents and overnight staff at Family Promise-Beacon House, a local shelter for families experiencing homelessness. We expect to serve around 15 residents and 3 to 4 staff members, and we would love your help.Here’s how you can take part:• Prepare and Deliver Dinner Meals should be dropped off at Beacon House by 5:00 PM. Dinner is served at 6:00 PM.❤️ Stay, Serve, and Share For those who feel called, you are welcome to stay, help serve the meal, and share in fellowship. It is a powerful way to connect and show hospitality.• Support Overnight Staffing Since Beacon House staff are covering the overnight shifts normally filled by volunteers, they have asked for a $70 donation per night to help offset staffing costs. If you are interested in volunteering overnight, opportunities are still available.Guest numbers can vary. We will follow up with updates as needed.This is a beautiful way to live out our faith and support our neighbors. Thank you for your generosity and willingness to serve.⇒ Click below to sign up through SignUpGenius Questions? Call or text Christa Cates at (715) 835-3734 Beacon House News ~ May 2026  Feed My People ~ Empty Bowls 2026  Needful Things Pantry ~ Mar & April 2026 Report  Volunteer at the Needful Things Pantry Saturday, June 27th, 2:30-5:30 pm Click Here to Volunteer!  Join Us for Potluck Sunday ~ May 31st  Chippewa Valley Street Ministry Journal ~ May 7, 2026Chippewa Valley Street Ministry Journal May 7, 2026 It’s May, and the weather is warming up. We’re seeing an increase in the number of people that we’re serving: it has been routine for us to serve 60-65 people per night, and often there are new faces as well as a variety of abilities: fully-able to some, being in wheelchairs or using walkers. The mental health challenges are apparent each time we go out. The most common items we provide are bus passes, hoodies, boxer briefs, socks, shoes, blankets, and backpacks. Our visitors are grateful for those items — available because of your support and donations — as well as the food, water & Gatorade that we’re distributing.   A few of our guests are waiting for items and chatting with us. The increased number of people brings the number of people up who can’t get into the shelter due to capacity. We talk to people who have been in this situation and ask what they do, and many say that they try to “keep moving.” Imagine being up during the day and then having to keep moving all night to avoid getting in trouble for loitering or camping. Most don’t want to risk receiving a citation for camping in city limits, as the cost of that is $213 each time. For someone with no to low-income, an accumulation of tickets is then dinges on their legal record, and that becomes nearly impossible to pay off.  People are waiting for shelter. The shelter can take 52 guests, and the rest have to figure out what to do to stay safe for the night. The Street Ministry has made hundreds of visits to the local jail and prisons over the last 14 years. We work and visit with people who are incarcerated to prepare them for release or transitioning to prison. In general, incarcerated people become the community’s forgotten population. There are often 200+ incarcerated men and women in the Eau Claire County Jail on any given day. Do we give them any thought as we drive by the jail on our way here and there? Being in jail adds another challenge to families, for housing, for jobs. We’re not saying that jail is not warranted in some situations, but it can be life-altering to people connected to the jailed individual and the fall-out can affect those individuals in ways than just monetary: trauma, changes in relationships, changes in finances, changes in housing, etc. Regarding jails and prisons, Wisconsin has some of the highest rates of incarceration in the world; please see the graphic below. In Wisconsin, there are approx 18 prisons (16 State and 2 Federal) incarcerating approximately 24,000 individuals. County jails house approximately 10,000 individuals. We urge you to read more information about Wisconsin incarceration info at https://www.prisonpolicy.org/profiles/WI.html There is a vast amount of information pertaining to various populations, types of crimes, costs of medical care, etc.  “In the U.S., incarceration extends beyond prisons and local jails to include other systems of confinement. The U.S. and state incarceration rates in this graph include people held by these other parts of the justice system, so they may be slightly higher than the commonly reported incarceration rates that only include prisons and jails. Details on the data are available in States of Incarceration: The Global Context. We also have a version of this graph focusing on the incarceration of women.”  Thank you for your ongoing support of the Street Ministry. Please continue helping us support our work to care for our community’s unhoused population.Blessings,CVSM Staff Join the Brew Crew Today!Click here to sign up!  Bible class ~ Wednesday’s @ 9:30 am\  In-person Worship this Sunday at 9am (Zoom & FB Live)  Join us for the Rite II Holy Eucharist Service with The Very Reverend Brother Tyler C. Richards, OCS, at 9 a.m. at the Cathedral, or watch this service livestream via Zoom (instructions & link below) or on our Facebook page (to find us on Facebook type in @cathedralec).There is a link embedded in the middle of the invitation. To use this link, you have to download the free “Zoom” app to your smartphone, tablet, or computer. If you have that app on your device, all you have to do is click the link on the email and you will automatically connect. (Be sure to allow the app to access your camera and microphone, if requested.If you don’t want to use the app, or are using a device that can’t download the app, you can go to the website for Zoom: https://zoom.us On the upper right hand side of your screen, there will be a tab titled “Join a Meeting.” Click on that tab and you will be prompted to enter a “Meeting ID or Personal Link Name.” The “Meeting ID” can be found toward the bottom of the invitation. I’ve highlighted it in red to be easier to find. In the case of this meeting, the ID is: 924 746 7996. Just enter those digits without a space or dashes and click enter. From there, you’ll be prompted to allow access to your camera/microphone. If you don’t have access to a smartphone/tablet/computer with a camera and microphone and want to join the meeting as a phone call, there is a number listed just above the Meeting ID that you can call. That will connect you to the meeting with audio only. Those numbers are in red in the invitation. For this meeting, the best number is: 1 312 626 6799Join Zoom Meeting click here to join the meeting https://zoom.us/j/9247467996Meeting ID: 924 746 7996 Password: 814057One tap mobile +13126266799,,9247467996# US (Chicago) +16465588656,,9247467996# US (New York)Meeting ID: 924 746 7996 Password: 814057 Find your local number: click hereClick here to access the Sunday service bulletin.Click here to join our Zoom live for any of our services. Intercessions• For those in need of healing, guidance, and comfort: Elliot, Dick, Sue, Claire, Qualine, Ken, Holly, Bonita, Ann, Jim, Jany, Mary, Jeff, Judy W., Norma, Paul, Catharine, Mike, Gene, Jackly, Kalicia, Sandy, Dana, Bill, Wendy, Chloe, Marianne, Charles, Susan, Kris. • Diocese of Wisconsin Cycle of Prayer: Pray for St. Katherine’s, Owen; Campers and Staff attending EpiscoWisco Summer Camp.• Anglican Cycle of Prayer: Pray for the Church of the Province of South East Asia.• Thanksgiving for answered prayers: Courtney, Spring. • June Birthdays: 14 Phillip Reyes 17 Rick Allison 18 Eve Hass 20 Jay Ray Blodgett Quinten Moore• June Anniversaries: 14 Douglas & Ellen Faulkner 20 Keith & Ann Hanson Follow Us on Social MediaClick the links here!Youtube Facebook Instagram  Kwik Trip Cards Fundraiser   VANCOClick here to make your donation online    Christ Church Episcopal Cathedral510 S. Farwell Street, Eau Claire, WI 54701 (715) 835-3734 | This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. | www.christchurcheauclaire.comThe Episcopal Diocese of Wisconsin The Episcopal Church in the United States The Anglican CommunionTo ensure that our messages arrive in your inbox, please add This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. to your contacts. If you prefer not to receive news from Christ Church Cathedral in the future, click here to unsubscribe. | 11 | |
