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Hen House Weekly E-News
November 21, 2025
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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This Sunday we will hold our Sunday Thanksgiving Service -- and celebrate Stewardship Sunday! We are called to be stewards of the gifts God has given us, and the best stewardship happens from a grateful heart. What we are grateful for, we choose to care for, to steward, to bless with our time and talents and resources. In Worship the past two Sundays, members have shared their testimonies on why they give (Sue and Kriss' testimonies are shared in this HHN). On Sunday Faith will be giving her testimony. They are sharing these to invite each of us to consider why Zwingli is important to us -- and how we feel we can best support it through attendance, volunteering, inviting others, and financially. For each of us that will be different and is a blessing for Zwingli when we give what we can from our hearts.
Thanksgiving reminds us that we can see the world in two ways: abundance and scarcity. It's so easy to focus on the 'scarcities' -- what we don't have or don't have enough of. The alternative is to cultivate a focus on the 'abundance' God has blessed us with. When we focus through the practice of gratitude on the abundance of what we do have in our lives, joy and contentment grow in our hearts and minds -- and we bless others by our living. When we cultivate gratitude in our lives through practicing daily what we can give thanks for, we are making the decision to see the abundance in life -- and to live life more generously. We will explore this in Worship on Sunday, including what brain scientists teach us about the power of gratitude in our lives (something Jesus and other spiritual traditions have known for centuries!).
We do have to admit, that when we see the very real inequality and oppression in our world, it's hard to cultivate a sense of abundance and gratitude. Yet, St. Paul gave thanks and praise even as he sat in prison which makes his teaching more faith filled and powerful when he reminds us to "Rejoice in the Lord always . . . Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. . . . Whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable—if anything is excellent or praiseworthy—think about such things." (Philippians 4:4-9).
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Thanksgiving Prayer by Steve Garnaas-Holmes
O Giver of all that is good, we are grateful.
We are surrounded by beauty and grace.
We are sustained and nourished by a green, thriving planet.
For home and family, neighborhood and nation, we are grateful.
In contrition we acknowledge that many of our blessings
have come at the expense of others, and the earth;
and that our benefits are not extended to all.
Even amid suffering, we humbly dare to be grateful.
We are mindful of forces of domination that loom
and the demands of justice that cry out unfulfilled.
Yet your presence abides with us; your mercy sustains us;
your grace empowers us, and we are grateful.
O God, may our thanks be honest, humble and generous.
May we receive our blessings in your spirit: ready to share them,
and to see to it that they are made available to all.
May our gratitude be restless, until all are included,
according to your most generous grace.
Amen.
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Stewardship Celebration Notes!
On Sunday, November 9, we reflected on the meaning of stewardship and on the fact that Zwingli is here for us today because of the faithful stewardship of our Zwingli ancestors (for some of us that includes family ancestors). We shared wonderful stories of the glory of Zwingli past as well as pictures (which are in the glass cases at our entry). In addition we created butterflies to celebrate the glory of Zwingli today (if you were not here and wish to do so, you can make a butterfly at our entryway and hang it up on the glass cases). Finally we enjoyed a wonderful potluck! This Sunday we will dedicate our stewardship intentions to bring Zwingli into the glory God is calling Zwingli to in the future.
We thank Sue Bovre and Kriss Ace for sharing their testimonials in Worship the past two Sundays (see below). We look forward to hearing from Faith Wittwer this coming Sunday. May their testimonials encourage all of us to reflect on why Zwingli is important to us and how we feel called to share our gifts of time, talent, and resources. Those who wish are invited to fill out Time & Talent cards and/or pledge cards.
From Sue: "I transferred from UCC Mt. Vernon at age 18 after Marcus Sr. and I were married. This was his church. I have been here ever since. That is 64 years! I love this church and have always been involved. I was active in Women’s Guild for many years I was treasurer for 15 years. That small group of women did so much for this church. Luncheons for funerals, many fund raisers! I so enjoyed being a part of it. After losing Marcus Sr. I wanted to get more involved in the workings of the church. After being a caregiver for much of our marriage I felt I lost purpose in life. This church gave me purpose! I joined council and search committee and would help wherever I was needed.
Gottfried and Elizabeth Khuni were a couple that were so involved in this church. Elizabeth played the piano for over 50 years. She started a little choir and our son Marques Jr. was part of it. They were a very young choir. I think Marques was about 9 or 10. I have always felt this was the start for him as he became a beloved singer songwriter as an adult!"
From Kriss: "I could talk about a lifetime of thoughts on why this church means so much to me but today I want to focus on the year 2020 to today, November 16, 2025. I feel that my love for Paoli is summed up in 4 seasons of love.
The first “Core season” is love and commitment which was instilled in me by my Grandparents and parents.
The second “The Pandemic era” This is when I learned of our diversity which morphed into great love of acceptance, forgiveness, tolerance, and empathy (by wearing masks to protect the most vulnerable), working together to start community by having parking lot sermons while not being present physically and watching TV from our homes but still sending money to assure that the doors would still be open when the Pandemic passed.
The third, The Present which feels to me just like going back into a Pandemic with uncertainty about the future for everything that my family holds dear, food, healthcare, farming markets, and retirement nest egg (will there be enough) to name a few.
This has all led me to think about what anchors me in these moments in life. It’s Jesus and his teachings and learning new messages and what those promises mean to me in good and bad times. I want to share these times with my church family – not isolated in my home. I want to be active helping people and our members and strangers who might show up at our door. I want to join with worldwide missions to help in the world. I want to be in Paoli UCC for myself and my family and for all the reasons I mentioned.
The fourth season leads me back to the first season the “Core season” which was love and commitment and what I can personally do to protect the love we share here.
As I’ve been looking at the financials each month and how they continue to drop I’ve thought about how I can volunteer as much as possible by trying to recruit new members, by being a Liturgist, or Usher, bringing goodies for social hours, singing, gardening and helping in any way I’m called upon. So many of our congregation members here do the same by doing countless things quietly with no fanfare. But, that doesn’t pay for electricity, insurance, repairs, maintenance, community and world outreach programs and our wonderful Pastor Karla.
So…I’ve vowed to step up my giving. Now there was a time while raising our family I thought the ends would never meet, doctor bills, car payments, vet bills, phone bills, electric bills, groceries, babysitter, and repairs on the farm. But I’m personally in a new “season” where I CAN step up – and I MUST.
I want to leave this last thought with you today, wherever you are in this “season” of life if you can give more to keep our love shining to the outside by keeping our little church solvent for others in years to come please prayerfully try to step up your giving if you have been blessed with a little extra."
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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: 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 and now under this government shutdown.
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Nov. 23 - Thanksgiving and Stewardship Sunday Food Pantry Collection | Poinsettia Orders Due
Nov. 25 - Community Thanksgiving Service, 7:00 PM, Grace United Methodist Church, Belleville
Nov. 29 - Hanging of the Greens, 10:00 AM
Dec. 4 - Avent begins
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Time to order Poinsettias for Christmas!
Hark How the Bells, Sweet Silver Bells:...that's right folks - Christmas is knocking on our doorstep. This means: it's time to order POINSETTIAS !!!!
Sign up on the Bulletin Board. Be sure to put the name(s) of the giver(s) and whoever it is in honor of, or in memory of and the quantity of plants.
Kriss will be picking them up on Black Friday, November 28 so sign up by Sunday, November 23rd!! As in the past Kriss will try to secure the best price she can, but needs to know quantity. If you aren't able to sign up by Nov. 23rd, you can also call Kriss at 608-575-3355.
Thank you Kriss and Jason for once again doing the work to bring us poinsettias for Christmas!
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Thanksgiving Food Pantry Collection--November 23
We will once again collect non-perishable food items for our local pantries for the holidays this year. We are all very aware of the increased need as we see higher grocery prices and hear of possible decreases in SNAP benefits. If you are able, please bring basics but also maybe things people might use for special holiday meals to place by our altar on the 23rd. Monetary donations also go a long way to purchase food by Second Harvest to distribute to our pantries so that's another good way to give.
As you shop this month, say a prayer of thanks for God's abundance and also think about how you can share the abundance with your neighbors, so that we all might have a happy Thanksgiving!
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Tuesday Nov. 25, 7:00 PM
Grace United Methodist Church, Belleville
As is our custom, Zwingli will be joining Grace UMC, First UCC, and Primrose Lutheran Church for a joint Thanksgiving Service. We hope you will join us. If you would like to participate in the choir, there will be a rehearsal at 6:15 pm that night -- right before the service. If you would like a copy of the music in advance, let Pastor Karla know.
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Hanging of the Greens--November 29
We will once again be adorning the sanctuary for the celebration of Advent and Christmas. We'll meet Saturday, November 29 (yes, the first Sunday of Advent is November 30) at 10:00 a.m. (of course!). Everyone is welcome! It's helpful if you sign up on the bulletin board, but you can join us even if you don't!
There are tasks that anyone can do, although we appreciate a few people who can climb ladders for the tree and some folks who can carry things down from upstairs. But, we also need supervisors and helpful hints! There will be coffee and a couple treats available as well. Come and help 'Deck the Halls'!
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Looking for Volunteers
Advent begins December 30 and runs for 4 weeks before Christmas, as an opportunity to prepare our hearts and minds for Christmas, the birth of Christ.
As is the custom at Zwingli, we invite you (and a friend, your spouse, your family) to take one of the Sundays to light the Advent Wreath and share the reading. There is a signup sheet on the bulletin board (sign up soon as there are only 4 Sundays!). Pastor Karla will give you the information you need for your Sunday.
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HEIFER PROJECT!!
Starting Sunday, November 16, we have a display for the Heifer Christmas giving project. We are going to do something we have done in the past which was donating towards one main item which is Water. You can put loose $$ or checks payable to: Zwingli UCC-Paoli - (put Heifer donation in the memo) in a box with a open slot on the display. All monies received will be added up at the end of December and sent in one check to HEIFER on behalf of Zwingli UCC-Paoli. Thank you in advance for your generosity.
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Thank you to Jeanette and Judy
Once again, we thank Jeanette and Judy for the beautiful service they provided for us -- sharing their experiences and knowledge of Pine Ridge Reservation in South Dakota. Jeanette and her son Kim have been volunteering for Re-member.org for 15 years now. Judy has been donating her veterinarian skills with horses for 15 years as well. They reminded us of the truth of the Lakota saying, mitakuye oyasin, which means "we are all related", "we are all one".
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Respiratory Virus Season is Here!
While the Dane County Public Health Dept says respiratory illness are low right now, we have heard of some folk getting sick so the season is beginning. Take good care of yourselves and if you are feeling ill, take proper precautions to prevent spreading what you have! This dashboard is updated every Thursday: 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: Provide Robust Support for Disaster Recovery and Relief Efforts. Scroll down the page to find others that you might want to express your opinion about.
| | If you would like to learn more about the work of the United Church of Christ Southwest Wisconsin Association, send a message to this email address to be added to their monthly newsletter: swacommunications@gmail.com | | | | |
