"I will put my teaching in their minds and write it on their hearts..."
Jeremiah 31:33
| | | Calendar of Upcoming MUCC Events | | |
Below are the weekly programs. Brief descriptions of these weekly programs are on our website.
Clickable links are in blue, underlined, and italicized.
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SUNDAY Choir Practice
Contact Tom Ludwig, if interested. Practice is 9-10am on Sundays before worship.
| | Below are the upcoming non-weekly events on the calendar happening at McFarland UCC for about the next month. All events are on the McFarland UCC calendar with Zoom links and additional information in the details/description area. Click the event on the McFarland UCC calendar to see the details. | | |
Saturday, November 22, 6:00-8:30 pm, Parents Night Out Fundraiser by MUCC Teen Group for Water for South Sudan, Drop off and pick up times 30 minutes before and after respectively
Thursday, November 27, Office Closed - Happy Thanksgiving!
Sunday, November 30, 1st Sunday of Advent
Tuesday, December 2, Social Justice Collective Meeting(In person & Online), Multipurpose Room
Wednesday, December 3, 6:00-7:30 pm, Outreach Funds Committee Quarterly Meeting(In person & Online), Multipurpose Room
Sunday, December 7, Communion and Birthday Sunday, 2nd Sunday of Advent, Decorate the Christmas Tree after worship
Sunday, December 7, 4:00 - 7:00 pm, Teen Meeting, meet at Target, 6321 McKee Rd, Fitchburg, then Memorial UCC, 5705 Lacy Rd, Fitchburg
Wednesday, December 10, 6:30 - 7:30 pm, Contemplative Service with Prayers for Healing (In person & Online), Sanctuary
Thursday, December 11, 6:00 - 8:00 pm, SaLT Monthly Meeting (In person & Online), Multipurpose Room
Sunday, December 14, 3rd Sunday of Advent
Sunday, December 21, 4th Sunday of Advent, The Christmas Fund Collection
Wednesday, December 24, 5:00 pm, Christmas Eve Candlelight Service
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Thank you to this weekend's volunteers!
Greeters/Ushers: Becky Cohen, Rick Duchrow
Hospitality Hosts: Amy & Peter Cavi
Worship Lead: Rev. Robert Koepcke
MUCC online calendar indicates leads.
| | Resolve to get involved at McFarland UCC! Volunteer on Sunday. Join a ministry such as Social Justice Collective, Creation Care, Befrienders Care Team, SaLT, Youth ministry, Building & Ground Team, or others. Find out more by clicking here. | | |
News at McFarland UCC
Note: Clickable links are blue, underlined, and italicized.
| | Register TODAY...There are still slots available! | | |
Parents: Enjoy a "Date Night" or "Shopping Night"
Kids: Enjoy games, crafts, and a movie
MUCC Teen Group fundraiser for Water for South Sudan
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Giving Tree 2025
Submitted by Maryanne Raese
Gift tags for the Giving Tree have arrived, and there are a few left! These tags include a recommendation for a local business gift card and the size of the family the gift is for. It is your choice on how much to put on the gift card-Recommended, no less than $25/person. Sign up in the fellowship area after worship.
Please prayerfully consider making Christmas special for those in need. Any questions, see Maryanne Raese (mmraese@gmail.com, 608-333-7136), Amy Cavi, or Judy Tabor. Thank you all in advance! I know that our "Church with Heart" will come through with flying colors!!
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Donation Request
Now - Thanksgiving
Paul Hundt with the Madison Area Jail Ministry is requesting donations for the Dane County Jail Ministry.
IMMEDIATE NEEDS: new or gently used winter apparel that is clean, rip-free, and stain-free:
- Winter coats size L to 4X men’s and women’s
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Pants, sweatpants, or athletic pants, size medium to 3XL
- Shirts, sweaters, and sweatshirts size medium to 3XL
- Hats, scarves, and gloves,
- Shoes and boots of all sizes
NEW ADDITIONAL REQUESTS THIS YEAR
IN THEIR ORIGINAL PACKAGING:
- Socks
- Men’s and women’s underwear
- Toothpaste, toothbrushes, combs, and shampoo
Please drop any donations at the McFarland Lutheran Church, 5529 Marsh Road, McFarland, at the church office during business hours Monday-Thursday 8 am-4 pm and Friday 8 am-12 pm before Thanksgiving. Donations may be left outside the office if you choose to drop off items on Saturdays, 5-6 pm, or Sundays, 7:30-11:30 am.
The Madison Area Jail Ministry is an independent, non-denominational, non-profit Christian ministry operated by unpaid volunteers and two paid Chaplains. Monetary donations help the Madison Area Jail Ministry purchase Bibles and Christian materials that the jail ministry provides to those incarcerated in Dane County Jail who request them and support the Chaplain. The jail ministry is totally dependent on donations to cover these two costs.
If you would like to pray for specific requests made by individuals incarcerated in Dane County Jail or have any questions, email Paul Hundt with the Madison Area Jail Ministry.
| | This Advent season, you are invited to join in the watching and waiting together with church friends and loved ones. We have many opportunities for worship, fellowship, and service throughout the weeks leading up to Christmas. Rev. Susan Shands will join us again for the final three Sundays of Advent plus our Christmas Eve candlelight service. Please make plans to celebrate the season with us! Read on for a preview of events. | |
Children's Activities Throughout Advent
Advent season is drawing near! Time to prepare our hearts as we await the arrival of Christ. There are many opportunities for children and families to participate in the joy and wonder of the season, and we would love to see many young faces at church throughout Advent!
Our first Sunday of Advent is on November 30th. We plan to start out by creating “Giving Mangers” as we talk about Hope. On December 7th, our advent theme will be Peace and we will once again be making Christingle (orange) candles to spread the light of love. We have a special song we’ll sing as we walk our candles into the sanctuary and we could use some child or teenage soloists if anyone is brave enough and loves to sing. Just let Sheryl know and she’ll get the music to you. Our first practice will be this Sunday morning at 9:00. The third week of Advent, we’ll focus on Joy. We will have many projects the kids can create in the Fellowship Hall during the service. Our final week, on Dec. 21st is all about Love. As usual, we’ll have our no-practice pageant that day — a time for all to share the birth of Jesus with laughs, love and joy.
Please join us for this festive and loving church season.
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Christmas Caroling
On December 7th at 1:00 we’ve been invited to do a Christmas Carol-a-long at Charter Assisted Living, 5601 Burke Rd, Madison and a repeat “performance” at Drumlin Assisted Living, 139 E. Reynolds St., Cottage Grove at 2:00. Loretta Martin lives at Drumlin and would be pleased to see everyone.
We'll carpool from church, leaving at 12:30 for those interested in doing so. We are hoping to have a nice group interested in going. Young or old are all welcome!
If you plan on going or have questions, please contact Jean Duchrow in person or via email.
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Salt Spot
Meeting highlights
November 13, 2025
- We heard from an organization for unhoused individuals about a drive for those who need assistance with supplies, especially following the closure of the Dairy Drive services.
- Memorial Designation Policy and Form were reviewed and approved with minor edits.
- Advent coverage involving children's activities was discussed.
- Discussion on Pastoral Transition was discussed with plans to keep the congregation informed of progress.
Interim Search:
On Sunday 11/16/25 I (Donna) gave an overview of the interim pastor search process and members of SaLT were available after the service to answer any questions people may have. We will also do this on Sunday 11/23. Of course we are glad to speak with you anytime!
We have had eight applicants. Of those eight, we have interviewed seven individuals. Offers were made to two of that seven. Both offers were declined, the first because she got another offer that paid significantly more, and the second because the candidate accepted a position in Georgia, close to where their adult children and grandchildren live. We are all eager to get an interim in place. We haven’t had as many applicants as we’d hoped. We also asked Rev Susan Shands if she might be interested but she is not. Gratefully she will cover most of Advent and our Christmas Eve service.
I will share with you what I remind myself of frequently. While we don’t know who our interim will be, God knows. So we will continue to pray and do the footwork needed.
Settled Pastor Search:
The search team has been formed. Thank you to the seven people on the team and to the others that were willing to serve. It’s a big commitment and so important for all of us who are part of McFarland UCC. Of course, coordinating schedules for those seven and our UCC Association pastor Rev Rachel Bauman was the first challenge. The first meeting is set for December 7. While names and details of candidates are confidential, the members of the search team can answer questions about the process.
Our search team members are: Heather Blackmore, Patrick Broderick, Peter Cavi, Joan Jacobsen, Rachel Saladis, Chris Taber, and Kiley Timler.
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Donations for PSL
Submitted by Donna Grossman
A local PSL (Party for Socialism and Liberation) organization is helping the unhoused in our area. They’ve asked for help and SaLT definitely felt this is in alignment with what Jesus would do. There will be a box placed in the fellowship area (exact location not decided at this point) for donations. Here’s a list of most requested items
- Tents
- Sleeping bags
- Hand warmers
- Blankets
- Socks
The member that contacted us lives in McFarland and will collect the items donated. The organization does not currently have non profit
501(c)(3) status so donations at this point are not tax deductible. They are looking into this and will keep us posted on their status.
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Weekly Creation Care Topic
Reduce/Reuse/Recycle
This week’s tip: Reduce: As we give thanks for many things this coming week, give Mother Earth an extra blessing by taking time to reduce food waste. Per the University of MN, an estimated 305 million pounds of food are landfilled in the US from Thanksgiving dinner alone. The food on your table is the result of many resources: fresh water, energy, land, and labor, all used to create, process, transport, store, market, and prepare that food. Tips: plan your meal/shopping, store leftovers properly for later, be creative in using scraps and leftovers; turn stale buns into bread pudding, make broth from veggie scraps and turkey bones, make soup for the after-holiday weekend, donate to others, and of course, compost what you can. Learn more at the USDA website.
Earth Image by Clker-Free-Vector-Images on Pixabay
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608-838-9322
5710 Anthony St.
McFarland WI 53558
Office Hours: Wednesdays & Thursdays 9am-1pm
Ginger Hummer, Office Administrator
ginger@mcfarlanducc.org
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For Pastoral Care, contact Jean Duchrow (608-335-3772, jeanduchrow56@gmail.com) with the Befrienders Care Team.
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Servant and Leadership Team (SaLT): Moderator - Donna Grossman (donna@mcfarlanducc.org); Vice Moderator - Walt Jackson; Treasurer - Kathy Schwenn; Clerk - Diane Mikelbank; At-large members - Lynn Belleau, Colleen Krattiger, Lisa Schweitzer, Cody Dewayne Shingler, and Judy Taber
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