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Hen House Weekly E-News
May 22, 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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Wear RED this Sunday (if you like) as we celebrate PENTECOST! Red is the color for Pentecost because it reflects the flames of the Holy Spirit which descended upon the followers of Jesus as tongues of fire. In Acts 2:1-4 we read, "When the day of Pentecost arrived, they were all together in one place. And suddenly there came from heaven a sound like a mighty rushing wind, and it filled the entire house where they were sitting. And divided tongues as of fire appeared to them and rested on each one of them. They were all filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak in other tongues as the Spirit gave them utterance."
The above icon image is by artist Kelly Latimore: Pentecost. Kelly referenced this quote:
“Pentecost proclaims that the work of reconciliation was not only the work of Jesus, incarnate among us, but is the central work of the church in ministry and mission. The church has no deeper work than reconciliation: its work is to reconcile people to God, to creation, to one another and to themselves.” ~ Samuel Wells
Pentecost is considered the birthday of the Church which is commissioned with the ministry of reconciliation. This year we at Zwingli celebrate Pentecost by receiving a new member! I hope you join us on Sunday for this celebration of the Church. In preparation, I invite you to reflect on these words on Pentecost by Steve Garnaas-Holmes (unfoldinglight.net). He reminds us that Pentecost is about God's love for all peoples and God's call for us to embrace and celebrate diversity:
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Pentecost was not, as some say, “the undoing of Babel”—
now we all speak the same language!
No, it was the opposite: the blessing of Babel.
We learn one another’s languages.
We embrace diversity, and learn to listen to each other,
to see from another’s perspective,
to give voice to a life other than our own,
to make central a language that’s not our own,
to communicate grace that’s not on our own terms.
We acknowledge the differences in our lives,
honor one another’s various home places and cultures,
cross over the boundaries of comfort and familiarity.
On that Pentecost day I don’t imagine they were eloquent.
They spoke in halting Phrygian, mangled Mesopotamian.
It probably took some back-and-forth, some double-checking.
It required not just proclaiming but listening, relating,
and patience on the part of the hearers,
and courage and humility on the part of the speakers—
willingness to be beginners, to risk, to appear foolish,
to forgo the safety of being in the dominant group.
Pray for such humility and courage, to risk for the sake of love,
to be foolish for the sake of relating,
to let other people’s reality be real.
In such loving, the Holy Spirit will speak, loud and clear.
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(P.S. Wearing red on Sunday is optional - you will be welcomed in any color you wear!)
Blessings,
Karla
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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: US/Israel - Iran ‘War’: Civilians and troops and the political will to choose non-violent conflict resolution, France, Mexico, Cuba, U.S. - Venezuela tensions, Nigeria, Afghanistan, Haiti, Sudan, The Congo, Ukraine-Russia, Israel-Palestine, Syria, and Lebanon. Prayers for those countries, companies, farmers, 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 current administration.
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Calendar
- May 24: Pentecost Sunday & Reception of New Members
- May 30: Brat Sale fundraiser at Miller & Sons: 9am – 3pm
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Fundraiser
We have a wonderful fundraising opportunity for our church: selling brats at Miller & Sons Supermarket on Saturday, May 30 from 9am to 3pm.
We need 15 volunteers to help make this a successful event! There will be 2 shifts: 9am – Noon and Noon – 3pm. There is a sign-up sheet on the bulletin board in the gathering space at the back of the sanctuary or you can contact one of the organizers: Faith, Kriss, Debbie, Louise or Cherry. Please consider asking friends and family to volunteer alongside you.
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Bake Sale Goodies Needed for May 30th!
Zwingli is also holding a bake sale at the Brat Fest on May 30th. We would welcome your baked bars (brownies, scotcheroos, rice krispy bars, magic cookie bars, etc.). Please bring them to the church at 1 pm Friday May 29th. DO NOT cut them in advance. Kriss and Cherry are cutting/wrapping individual bars at church starting at 1 pm that day. Contact Kriss or Cherry with any questions. Thank you so much for your contributions to this fundraiser for Zwingli!
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Strengthen the Church is a Special Mission Offering of the United Church of Christ.
Gifts to Strengthen the Church support initiatives in our regional Conferences and National Ministries to equip and inspire new and renewing congregations, leadership development, and youth and young adult ministries. For more information click here..
Zwingli will dedicate Strengthen the Church offerings on Sunday, May 24.
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Protecting our most important “life of our church history” items has come to the attention of your Church Council.
The Council is concerned were there a fire, or a devastating natural disaster, many of our historical documents, pictures etc. could be lost, destroyed. Many of these momentos are only stored in a closet, unprotected from fire, or a potential weather disaster. The Council is actively pricing disaster proof storage cabinetry, to safeguard our years of memories.
It would be greatly appreciated if a few people could volunteer to look at our old papers, photos, stored in the upper room closet, and basement - sort out what they feel is of most importance to save.
Please contact a member of the Church Council if you’re interested in this project. Severe weather season is upon us - it would be terribly sad to lose Zwingli UCC’s many years of memories. Thank you for your consideration of this project.
Faith Wittwer - Council President
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May Repair Cafe' News!
On Saturday, May 16 we held our third public Repair Cafe' with close to 30 people in attendance! Our repairers did 15+ repair jobs including: sewing repairs, knife and tool sharpening, helping get new cell phones set up (and finding cell phone accessory purchases not needed that could be returned for money back!), carpentry repair on an old spinning wheel, and fixing two cd players (playing polka music for us to enjoy)! We are excited to be helping folks refurbish what they have, to save money, and keep things out of landfills!
We thank:
- All those who came and brought items for repair -- and who helped us pass the word (especially Emily)!
- Our skilled repairers: Dwight, Rich, Debbie, Louise, Larry, Lexie, and Doug!
- All who donated the yummy refreshments and our Hospitality Team for the day: Faith, Eileen, Sue, Summer and Pastor Karla.
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Graduations?
We are moving into graduation season! If you know of any graduates of our Zwingli family who we should recognize and celebrate, please contact Pastor Karla.
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Marques was a child of Zwingli and his son, Quintin, Sue's grandson, will again give a Concert of Marques' songs along with former members of the band Marques Bovre and the Evil Twins! Here's the FB Event page.
To learn more about Marques and his music, check out his website. If you can't attend, maybe you can attend their July 3rd Concert at Dot's Tavern. Watch for more info!
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May 25th, Memorial Day, 1 pm
Veterans for Peace · Clarence Kailin · Chapter 25 · Madison
WI Peace Rally & Community Gathering
Madison Masonic Center, 301 Wisconsin Avenue
Tabling 12 pm, Program 1 pm
Speaker: Susan Schnall, President of National Veterans for Peace: “Resistance: The Responsibility of Veterans and Civil Society”
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From our Sister Church
Zwingli UCC in Monticello!
Saturday, June 6, 9AM-2PM.
Pre-school to 5th grade children
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And if you just looooove VBS and would like to help, click on the link below to sign up,
VBS Helpers
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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 ones are: Urge Congress to Enforce US Law and Protect Human Rights for Palestinians. Scroll down the page to find others that you might want to express your opinion about.
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Hear From Bereaved Palestinians and Israelis Who Are Working for Peace
McFarland United Church of Christ and The Wisconsin Conference Palestine Justice Working Group are providing an opportunity for churches and members to learn more about the lived reality of both Palestinians and Israelis. This Listening from the Heart program will be held on Zoom, giving members of the conference the opportunity to gather with others across the state to learn together. This is an interactive workshop. Due to the sensitive nature of the topic, these workshops are not recorded. For a flyer to share with your members, go here. To sign up for the May 28, 7-8:30 pm Zoom workshop featuring speakers Elana and Bassam, click here. Elana shares her story of befriending Palestinians and then losing her soldier son who was protecting others on Oct. 7. Bassam shares his story of going to prison as a child, and later losing his 10 year old daughter. Learn more at the PJWG webpage.
| | 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! | | | | |
