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Hen House Weekly E-News
January 16, 2026
Why Hen House? The friendly chatter before Worship on Sundays reminds us of a Hen House! Since Jesus identified himself as a Mother Hen and, as an historical farm church, we enjoy being God's ‘Hen House’ and welcome everyone (town, urban, and rural) to our Worship and other programs - and invite you to even make Zwingli your Church home. The United Church of Christ values all people!
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We are headed into the 'Second Sunday after the Epiphany' in the Church calendar. Last Sunday, our scripture gave us the story from the Gospel according to Matthew of how Jesus was revealed to the world as God's Beloved Son through his baptism. This Sunday we will explore how the Gospel according to John tells how Jesus was revealed to John the Baptist and the first disciples. It's an interesting passage (John 1:29-42) loaded with so much to reflect upon. I want to focus on Jesus' invitation to the disciples (and to us) to "come and see" where he is 'staying'. They had been disciples of John the Baptist but quickly changed 'teams' and began following Jesus. Jesus had invited them into a community that he was building a Kin-dom of God built on relationships of love and justice with God and with all others. As these disciples followed Jesus they began the journey of Faith, of which MLK states is "taking the first step even when you don't see the full staircase."
On Monday we will celebrate Martin Luther King day, a man who followed Jesus' call to "come and see" and found himself led to building the Beloved Community (seems like another way of understanding the Kin-dom of God). The Episcopal Church has a program called Becoming Beloved Community in Congregations. So I share with you this reflection from their curriculum as a way to ponder on our own journey of faith, of discipleship as we are each daily invited by Jesus to 'come and see':
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Walking the road toward Beloved Community is an adventure, fueled by the power of the Holy Spirit, and no Christian should ever expect to arrive at the destination. This is a spiritual practice, after all, and no one ever finishes with spiritual formation. We are always praying. We are always reading scripture. We are always seeking to love and serve our neighbors. And we are always learning and practicing Jesus’ way of love, especially as he calls us to cross racial, cultural and ethnic lines, to examine structures of oppression and their impact on our own and others’ lives, and ultimately to nurture Beloved Community. | | | |
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Prayer List
Today, we invite you to keep in prayer:
Those suffering from drought, famine, accidents, fires, storms, flooding, tornados, excessive heat, violence, homelessness, illness, war in their communities.
Nations in crisis: U.S. - Greenland tensions; U.S. - Iran tensions, Nigeria, U.S. - Venezuela tensions, Afghanistan, Haiti, Sudan, The Congo, Ukraine-Russia, Israel-Palestine, Syria, and Lebanon. Prayers for those countries, farmers, companies and consumers who are affected by the escalating trade war. The people of Pine Ridge Reservation and all Native Peoples.
For wise, compassionate leadership in our Executive, legislative and judicial branches of govt, and citizen action. For Civil Servants, immigrants, international students, and others facing uncertainty under the policies of the new administration.
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Jan. 21 - Brunch Bunch at River Ville Grill, 10:30 am
Jan. 25 - Annual Meeting following Worship
| | | January 25 - after worship
We want to get a few pictures of the congregation on Sunday, January 25 for our records and for our Facebook page (we need an updated picture) so giving you a heads up. If you do not want to be in any picture, just let our pastor know and hide behind others when photos are taken. Thanks!
Hard copies of the annual report are available at the church.
One copy per family.
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Thank you from the Council
As you are aware, the church has been running a deficit the last few years. We budgeted conservatively for 2025 and only put $50,000 in the Offering line based on giving in 2024. You may have noticed already in the annual report that we did considerably better than that! Instead of a budgeted $53,000 deficit, we ended the year with a $32,000 deficit. While this is not good, it does give us some more time to turn things around and get to a balanced budget. How to have this happen will be an on-going conversation and all ideas are welcome. So, many thanks to all who contributed to this year's ministry budget and especially to those who stepped up their giving so Zwingli UCC in Paoli remains a vital and active presence sharing the gospel of Jesus Christ in word and in deed far into the future!
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Notable Updates
The landline phone has been moved. It is now located on the card table in the room right off the narthex (at the back of the sanctuary).
The Upper Room daily devotional booklets are on their way! There was a delay at the post office processing facility. They should be here next week.
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Seven Acre Dairy Guest Chef Residencies
Chef Rob Connoley is an acclaimed chef and food historian. He's been a lecturer at the Smithsonian Institution and for National Geographic, where he's explored America's lost food traditions and recipes for audiences across the country.
Rob has composed his dinner on Friday and Saturday Night, January 23 and 24, exclusively from three, local mid-century cookbooks: The Ladies Aid of the Evangelical and Reformed Church Cookbook (Paoli, WI, 1949), St. William’s Alter Society Cookbook (Paoli, WI, 1963), and The Mother’s Club of Verona Grade School Cookbook (Verona, WI 1951). He’ll be preparing recipes from these books in ways that honor the women cooks of the past while approaching these recipes with his own modern touches.
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There are 5:15 and 7:15 Seatings. The 3-course dinner is served in the style of a Midwest Sunday Supper. It is $45/adults and $10 kids. A portion of the proceeds on Friday Night go to the Verona Area Historical Society and the Belleville Area Historical Society. A portion of the proceeds on Saturday Night go to the Culinary History Enthusiasts of Wisconsin. The names of the original home cooks are:
- Mrs. Bert Hendrickson was a member of Zwingli. Her grandson, Roger passed away in December.
- Mrs. Alvie (Elfa) Eichelkraut was Debbie Versnik's dad’s mother (also a member of Zwingli)
- Mrs. Emil (Katy) Legler is the grandmother of Connie Urfer, Al Legler, Rich Legler, Beth Campbell, and Brian Legler. She was a member of Zwingli with her husband Emil, who is part of the Eichelkraut family tree and so a descendant of Anna Zwingli (sister to Ulrich Zwingli).
- Mrs. Oscar (Jean) Diefendorf was a member of Zwingli, along with her husband, Oscar, who was a first cousin to Debbie's mother Rachel Eichelkraut.
- Mrs. Karl (Anna) Pulver is grandmother to Cherry Pulver and Ruby Pleva, and is great grandmother to Karen Sponem - and a member of Zwingli
To make reservations for Friday, Jan 23 and Saturday, January 24:
Friday Night Reservations
Saturday Night Reservations
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Through the Eyes of a Palestinian Child:
The Artwork and Dreams of Bethlehem’s Children
An Exhibit of Children’s Artwork from Palestine
Contact: Diane Dulin, diane.dulin1@gmail.com, 503-779-9173
Sunday, January 25, 1:30-3
Orchard Ridge United Church of Christ
1501 Gilbert Rd, Madison
Orchard Ridge United Church of Christ will host an afternoon reception and display of “Children of Bethlehem”, an exhibit of artwork by children living in the Palestinian city of Bethlehem, on Saturday January 25 from 1:30-3 PM Orchard Ridge United Church of Christ, 1501 Gilbert Road in Madison. The program will include a children’s read-aloud and craft project with Read Palestine, and brief updates on the impacts of occupation on children in the West Bank from local organizations Playgrounds for Palestine and Palestine Partners. Light snacks and warm beverages will be served and the family-friendly event is free and open to the public.
Children of Bethlehem presents the experiences of 12-13 year-old Palestinian Muslim and Christian youth living under military and colonial occupation in Bethlehem. Four generations of people in Palestine-Israel have only known life under these conditions. How does that influence the current generation of children? What does that mean for these future leaders? Photographs of hand-drawn self-portraits paired with voiced personal experiences express the daily life, emotions, fears and dreams of Bethlehem’s youth at this pivotal time in their lives.
Created by Creative Visions Foundation and Dar Al-Kalima School in Bethlehem.
View the exhibit and learn more at https://life-illuminated-travel.org/children-of-bethlehem
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Weather Cancellations this Winter
It's winter in Wisconsin so we want to remind you that if the weather looks bad, be sure to check your email or FB (Zwingli UCC - Paoli) on Sunday mornings. We will send out an email or post a message by 8 am on Sunday. We do have a list of those who don't have access to email or FB and prefer a text or phone call (if you aren't sure if you are on this list, please contact our pastor to check).
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Respiratory Virus Season is Here!
While the Dane County Public Health Dept says respiratory illness are low right now, the UW Covid hotline says they are getting more calls since September. The Public Health Dept has limited knowledge of illnesses. So we are definitely in the season of respiratory illness. Take good care of yourselves and if you are feeling ill, take proper precautions to get the medical help you need and to prevent spreading what you have! This dashboard is updated every Thursday with the information they do have: https://publichealthmdc.com/your-health/respiratory-illness/dashboard
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Opportunities for Citizen Advocacy through letters to Congress
The United Church of Christ offers us the opportunity to learn more about bills before Congress and voice our opinions to our legislators. They make it very easy to send an email. Check out the many topics on their page: https://www.ucc.org/action-center/. The most recent one is: A Moral Call to Restrain Nuclear Weapons. Scroll down the page to find others that you might want to express your opinion about.
| | The Southern Region of the Wisconsin Conference UCC publishes Shalom, a monthly e-newsletter featuring events and happenings within the Conference, including Zwingli. Click here to check it out! | | | | |
