A few local churches are gathering on Sunday, July 27, at the Duck Pond, the home of the Madison Mallards and Madison Night Mares, for a special worship service. The service will run from 10:45-11:45 a.m. and will be followed by a Night Mares game at 1:05 p.m.
The church service will be free and the game will have regularly priced tickets.
Sherman Avenue United Methodist Church, Sugar River United Methodist Church, and St. John’s Lutheran Church will be involved in the worship service, with Sherman Church reverend David Hart speaking from the pulpit.
Anyone is welcome to attend and the Duck Pond holds 6,750 people, so organizers are hoping for a large turnout.
Sherman Church and the Night Mares jointly decided to do this service as a way to bring the community together.
“There’s so much division right now,” said Sister Annik Dupaty, a member of Sherman Church who organized the event. “This is an opportunity to bring people together who are interested in being welcoming and inclusive to all people in our community and who want to have a shared experience of worship in belonging and togetherness.”
Dupaty says Sherman Church does its best to be inclusive of people from all walks of life and this event is needed because of the amount of strife both in churches and in current political events.
“I think having hope is really important right now,” she said. “There’s a lot of really troubling and concerning things happening at all levels of government, particularly the federal government. There’s a lot of people in our community in Madison concerned about their safety and well-being as people of color and immigrants, both documented and undocumented.”
Lately, Dupaty said that people have been expressing fears about support for schools, research, and having enough food to eat. 
“There’s concern about just about every facet of life right now,” she said. “It’s important that people understand and know they have access to a relationship with a God who cares about them and understands them. The Bible calls us to love God and love our neighbors as ourselves. We have to come together and find unique and creative ways to fight for the oppressed and fight for justice. We can do that with love but also intentionality and strength.”
Sherman Church put a call out to other local churches to get involved. Sugar River and St. John’s, as of press time, had decided to help out. Dupaty said other churches may join the service as well.
“We are continuing to get churches confirmed,” she said. “This will be a service with song and prayer, calls for unity and peace, and being involved in our community in positive ways and the ways we are called to Biblically.”
The Madison Night Mares are on a 15-game winning streak and, at 28-5, have the best record in the league. The Night Mares, who last year captured the hearts and imaginations of Madisonians as an elite women’s softball team, have been virtually invulnerable at home with a 13-3 record at the Duck Pond.
The Night Mares will play the Mankato Habaneros in Sunday’s game. Anyone wishing to purchase tickets can do so here. The church service prior to the game does not require a ticket or an RSVP.
