October 27 - November 3, 2023

Below are weekly programs. You can find brief descriptions of these weekly programs on our website:

SUNDAY Morning Worship, 10 am in person and via Zoom

https://zoom.us/j/97010988439 Password: betogether

SUNDAY , 11:30 a.m. Bible Study in person and on Zoom

https://zoom.us/j/262314649 No Bible Study on Oct 29 while pastor Bryan is on Continuing Ed and Vacation.

MONDAY - FRIDAY, 8 am Morning Devotion

https://zoom.us/j/94276813637

WEDNESDAY Eve., 6:30 pm Midweek Inhale Spiritual Practices

https://zoom.us/j/123020606 We will resume again on November 1st.

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.

Sunday, November 5, 5:30 - 7:00 pm, Teen Youth Monthly Meeting

Tuesday, November 7, 6:30 – 8:00 pm, Racial Justice Team Monthly Meeting (In person & Online)- Multipurpose Room

Thursday, November 9, 6:00 – 8:00 pm, SaLT Monthly Meeting (In person & Online) - Multipurpose Room

Saturday, November 11, 10:00 am, Love Has the Final Word Group Meeting (In person only)- Multipurpose Room

Sunday, November 12, 5:30 - 6:45 pm, Younger Youth Monthly Meeting

Thursday, November 16, 6:30 – 8:00 pm, NION Monthly Meeting (In person and Online) - Multipurpose Room

Saturday, November 18, 6:30 - 8:30 pm, Mark Charles Presentation sponsored by McFarland UCC Racial Justice and others at McFarland Municipal Center, 6001 Broadhead St, McFarland (Zoom access available)

Sunday, November 19, 10 am, Guest speaker Mark Charles at worship service

Tuesday, November 21, Ecojustice/Green Team Monthly Meeting (In person & Online) - Multipurpose Room

SaLT Leadership Openings

As we approach the end of another year SaLT, your Servant and Leadership Team, is asking Members to consider volunteering for the following leadership positions:

• Vice Moderator
• Treasurer
• At Large Member
• Financial Secretary

These positions will be open as of the annual meeting, which has been set for Jan 28, 2024. If you are interested and want to learn more about a position and what will be expected of you, please reach out to Pastor Bryan or any current SaLT member. Thank you for considering these opportunities and all of the ways you can volunteer to serve our community!

Our Servant and Leadership Team (SaLT): Moderator - Colleen Krattiger; Vice moderator - Becky Cohen; Treasurer - Joan Jacobsen; Clerk - Diane Mikelbank; At large members - Judy Taber, Steve Davidson and Lynn Belleau

Indigenous Peoples’ Justice Project Presentation

Saturday, November 18

What is the project?

We are using the term Project because the Racial Justice Ministries envisions our justice work as ongoing with Native or Indigenous Peoples. Our justice efforts will not stop with the Mark Charles presentation and reception that is open to our congregation, partners, and community on November 18, 2023. We believe his talk will be motivating and enlightening! Join us from 6:30-8:30 p.m. at the McFarland Municipal Center, 5915 Milwaukee Street.

Who is Mark Charles? 

Mark Charles is a person of both Navajo and Dutch heritage; he is an Indigenous author, public speaker, and consultant. As a speaker and leader, he invites others to join him in engaging the big questions of colonization, environmental stewardship, and our stories of creation. His time spent with us will focus on “The Doctrine of Discovery.” He teaches with insight into the complexities of American history regarding race, culture, and faith to help forge a path of healing for the nation. He is one of the leading authorities on the 15th-century Doctrine of Discovery and its influence on US history and its intersection with modern-day society.

What is Planned?

• During November 18-20, several learning opportunities are planned. Community dialogue, identify meaningful action steps, and develop next steps. 
• Saturday, November 18^th evening presentation and reception open to the MUCC congregation, partners, and others. Presentation available via Zoom and recorded providing access to other churches.
• Sunday, November 19^th Mr. Charles to provide a message during our Sunday service.
• Sunday, after service, members to discuss direction as we discern our church’s role.
• Monday, November 20^th Mr. Charles speaks with students at McFarland High School.

Who are our Partners?

The MUCC Racial Justice Ministries is hosting along with several partners who are supporters of the Mark Charles presentation weekend. Current financial support from Southwest Association of the UCC, Plymouth UCC, Orchard Ridge UCC, Madison Unitarian Church, and the McFarland School District. Other community partners: McFarland Village President and Board, Wisconsin Council of Churches, McFarland Equity Project, Indigenous Solidarity Collective of McFarland, Wisconsin Conference on Racial Justice Task Force, and members from the Ho-Chunk Nation. Other partners are anticipated.

TED Talk Information

If you weren't able to join the Tuesday night TED Talk here is the link to the Mark Charles TED Talk on You Tube and here are some questions for your reflection.

Mark Charles: The truth behind 'We the People' - the three most misunderstood words in US history

Discussion Questions for Mark Charles’ TED Talk: 

1. How does Mark Charles counter the myths you grew up knowing? How do you feel about that? What are the questions and wondering you have following this?
2. Why do you think the governmental institutions and the two major parties are often unwilling to deal with issues of Indigenous ethnic cleansing past and present?
3. Charles talks a lot about how white supremacy is baked into the core of the United States. What does that look like today? What does it look like in our community? How do we counter that? 
4. What role does churches need to play in this healing? How do christians grapple with this history? What are actions steps?
5. Early this year the Vatican said, "The Catholic Church therefore repudiates those concepts that fail to recognize the inherent human rights of indigenous peoples, including what has become known as the legal and political 'doctrine of discovery.'" Why do you think the Doctrine of Discovery has yet to be overturned in the United States? Why do you think so many people don't know about the Doctrine of Discovery? 

Our Revitalized Steeple

Thanks to Calvin Swenson for repairing the steeple shingles and painting the cross at the top. You can’t be afraid of heights for that job.

Excellent job Calvin! We appreciate you sharing your talent with MUCC.

MUCC Shares Sustainability Initiatitives

Sustain Dane is the sustainability organization of Dane County and Madison, WI, connecting businesses, organizations, schools, local governments, and individuals to the sustainability movement and providing the support and resources to generate change.

McFarland UCC is a member of Sustain Dane, which held one of its “All Around Dane County” meetings at the McFarland House Café on Oct. 25. These meetings allow community leaders to share sustainability initiatives and enthusiasm, and Bruce Fischer was there to represent MUCC, discussing the sustainable actions MUCC has taken and highlighting the importance of synergy among McFarland organizations. Speakers at the event included representatives from the Village Board, Lake Waubesa Conservancy Association, J.P Cullen (which built the new McFarland Safety Center), and Good Oak (which planted the MUCC pollinator garden).

We can be proud of all the actions to care for the earth that MUCC has accomplished over the years.

• Around the year 2000, we leased part of our land for a nominal amount to the Village for the McFarland Community Gardens. The Village then brought in water for garden watering.
• Wes Licht from McFarland Lutheran helped us gather native seeds to create prairie plots, which a group of MUCC members planted in November 2020. Thanks to Geoff Brink and Bruce for the initial preparation of the plots and the ongoing prairie expansion, and also to Judy Taber for submitting the successful grant application.
• Julie Woodward and Joan Jacobsen have been instrumental in converting the kitchen into a hub of sustainability, removing paper plates, Styrofoam cups, and plastic water bottles, as well as introducing Fair Trade coffee (thanks to Harold Stafford!) and composting.
• Forty solar panels were placed in our church in November 2021. Many thanks to Greg Krattiger, Rick Duchrow, Farrel Smith and Geoff of the Building & Grounds Committee. Joan submits a monthly report for the Pulse that shows how much we’ve saved in electricity costs and CO2 emissions, as well as how many “equivalent trees” our sustainability represents (366 at the latest count!).
• A native pollinator garden was planted in 2022 by Good Oak Ecological Services on the east side of the church near the cross. Thanks to Judy Taber for introducing us to Good Oak and soliciting the bids.
• In 2022 we planted three oak trees along the north side of the church, donated by the Blackmores, Fischers, and Mike Flaherty. Ann Ross also donated two serviceberry trees that were planted in the pollinator garden.

At MUCC, we will continue working towards sustainability and hope to inspire other organizations – and ourselves in our homes -- to become more earth-friendly. If you are interested in joining the Green Team, please contact Jayne Fischer.

MUCC Joins DAIS Collection

Now - October 31

October is National Domestic Violence Awareness Month and the McFarland Police Department is working with Domestic Abuse Intervention Services (DAIS) to host a donation drive for domestic violence victims in McFarland for the first time. McFarland UCC has placed a bright purple collection bin in the Fellowship area for donation items, including toiletries, clothing, children's items, necessities, office supplies, and vouchers for bus, cab, and gas. DAIS requires all donations to be new, unused, and in original packaging. The drive will end on October 31.

Want To Become an Official Member of McFarland UCC?

Next New Members Sunday Will be November 12th

A few folks have asked me if they could officially join our church sometime soon, and so we will receive some new members during worship on Sunday, November 12th. This is always a joy for us! If you would like to join our congregation with this next group please let me (Pastor Bryan) know. I'll get in touch with you after my vacation and explain what it means to be a member of our congregation and answer any questions you might have.

More than anything, joining the church is a way to publicly state that you feel at home at our congregation and that you want to fully join in and be a part of who we are and share the work and joy of being church together. There's no rush or urgency to join, and the only actual privileges members enjoy that non-members do not is having a vote at congregational meetings and being able to hold an office on our leadership team (SaLT--which stands for Servant and Leadership Team).

Pastor Bryan Will Be Gone...

October 16-31

Pastor Bryan left Monday, October 16th and plans to be back in the saddle in time for morning devotion on Tuesday, October 31st. The first portion of Pastor Bryan's time away is in Nashville, TN for a continuing education conference hosted by The Convergence Music Project called "Converging 2023." For The second portion of his time away, Pastor Bryan will go on a silent retreat for several days and just "be" for a while.

In his absence, our worship services will be led on October 29th by Martha Olsen and Cameron Macdonald. Yay!! Don't miss the service! Pastoral care will be offered once again by our own very capable Care Team and Befrienders group. Contact Jean Duchrow (608-335-3772) or Levon Geasland (608-298-7094) for Care Team help. Pastor Kris Gorton of Memorial UCC in Fitchburg will be on call in case of extreme emergencies (608-438-6307).