April 12 - 19, 2024

"I will put my teaching in their minds and write it on their hearts..."
Jeremiah 31:33
mcfarlanducc.org

Calendar of Upcoming Events

Below are the weekly programs. You can find brief descriptions of these weekly programs on our website. Clickable links are in blue and italicized.

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

MONDAY - FRIDAY, 8 am Morning Devotion

https://zoom.us/j/94276813637

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, April 13, 10:00 - 11:30 pm, Love Has the Final Word, Multipurpose Room


Sunday, April 14, 5:30 - 6:45 pm, Younger Youth Meeting


Wednesday, April 17, 6:30 - 8:30 pm, Befrienders Training (In person & Online), Fellowship Area


Friday, April 19, 6:30 - 8:00 pm, Meet Our Authors (Online Only-Sunday Worship link & password)


Tuesday, April 23, 6:00 - 8:00 pm, Shamanic Journeying with Jessica Riphenburg, Sanctuary


Wednesday, April 24, 6:30 - 8:30 pm, Befrienders Training (In person & Online), Fellowship Area


Thursday, April 25, 6:00 - 7:30 pm, Enneagram: Learn More (In person & Online), Sanctuary


Wednesday, May 1, 6:30 - 8:30 pm, Befrienders Training (In person & Online), Fellowship Area


Saturday, May 4, 1:00 - 4:00 pm, Blood Drive, Multipurpose Room


Sunday, May 5, 10:00 am Worship, Birthday and Communion Sunday


Sunday, May 5, 5:30 – 7:00 pm, Teen Youth Monthly Meeting


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


Wednesday, May 8, 6:30 - 7:30 pm, Healing Prayer Service (In person & Online), Sanctuary


Wednesday, May 8, 7:30 - 9:00 pm, Befrienders Training (In person & Online), Fellowship Area


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

Prayer Requests? Contact Jean Duchrow or Lavon Geasland.

News at McFarland UCC

(Note: Clickable links are blue and italicized.)

Thank You

McFarland UCC truly lives by its motto of a “Church with Heart.” This was evidenced over the past week with all the volunteers who provided their time and efforts as we honored Calvin Swenson and supported his family and friends. From assisting with hospitality during Tuesday’s visitation to setting up for Wednesday’s celebration and lunch to final clean up, these activities took many hands and hearts. Thanks to all who provided support and assistance over this past challenging week.

Postcard Writing Campaign to Get Out the Vote

MUCC is partnering with Reclaim Our Vote, a campaign of the Center for Common Ground, to encourage under-represented voters to vote. We will send 300 postcards by May 9th to people of color in Georgia who are registered to vote but have not voted in the past couple of election cycles. The Georgia primary is May 21.


After Sunday services in April, you are invited to write postcards, following a template provided to us by Reclaim Our Vote. We will have postcards, pens, markers, and the script on the tables outside the sanctuary for anyone interested in writing a few postcards.


These handwritten postcards have an impact on the people who receive them. We understand that information is power, and we work to empower voters. Join us!

Would You Like To Join Our Church As A Member?


Sunday, April 14th

During the Sunday Morning Worship Service



There's Still Time to Join This Sunday!


Be in touch immediately though if you'd like to join this week and haven't let me (Pastor Bryan) know yet.


We will be receiving some new members into our congregation on Sunday, April 14th. If you would like to join our church as an official member at this time with the others please contact Pastor Bryan and let him know (pastorb@mcfarlanducc.org or 608-577-8716). Pastor Bryan will contact you and answer any questions you might have about what being an official member of our congregation means. The only "privilege" that members enjoy that friends or visitors do not is a vote at congregational meetings. Beyond that it's really just a way of publicly saying "I want to be a part of this community and call it my spiritual home," and also that you are willing to find ways to get involved and share your gifts and time and energy in support of and service to the church community and beyond. All are welcome!

Racial Justice Opportunity at American Players Theater in August

Members and friends of MUCC are planning to attend the Saturday, 8/3, 2 pm performance of

Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom at the American Players Theater (APT). If you are interested and want to reserve your seat, please contact Joan Jacobsen at 608-669-7944 or joan@mcfarlanducc.org by Wednesday, April 17 .

Meet Our MUCC Authors

Join authors Howard Olson and Dawn Cogger for an engaging discussion hosted by UCC on Friday, April 19th, from 6:30 to 8:00 pm. Pastor Bryan and Martha Olsen will be facilitating this enlightening event.

Both Olson and Cogger are accomplished authors, with publications in 2023. Dawn Cogger presents her insightful work "Womb to Tomb to Womb: Holy Longing." Howard Olson shares his profound insights in "When Grace Becomes Amazing: A Twelve-Step Journey Into Freedom," which garnered significant acclaim, even securing a spot on the Amazon Best Seller list.

Previously, Olson captivated readers with his September 2017 release, "The Last Dog: When the World Gets Crazy, Finding Serenity in Dogs, Spirit, and Nature." Cogger's essay, "Electing to Love," published in the 2018 anthology, "Corners: Voices on Change" is called powerful.


All of their works are available for purchase on Amazon.com. This event offers a unique opportunity to delve into their thought-provoking narratives and gain deeper insights into their literary journeys. Join via Zoom only, bring your questions, and prepare for an evening of inspiration and enlightenment.

Enneagram: Learn More

Submitted by Steve Davidson

Steve Davidson and Pastor Bryan Sirchio will present our third McFarland UCC Enneagram Session. It will be held in the sanctuary (also available online) on Thursday, April 25, from 6:00 pm to 7:30 pm.

 

This session is designed for those who already know or have a good idea of what their Enneagram Type is (1 – 9 ). If you need to determine your type number, we encourage you to take one or more of the following Enneagram Tests.

 

Free Tests:

https://www.truity.com/test/enneagram-personality-test

https://www.thepersonalitylab.org/home-2

https://www.eclecticenergies.com/enneagram/test

https://enneagramtest.net/

https://personalitypath.com/free-enneagram-personality-test/

 

Validated Tests for a Fee:

https://www.narrativeenneagram.org/enneagram-test/

https://www.enneagraminstitute.com/rheti/

 

During this third session, we will cover the following:

  • A short, 10-minute review of each of the nine types
  • A 40-minute summary review of Wings, Arrows, Triads, Instinctual Types, and Childhood Wounds.
  • A 40-minute open discussion, with each participant sharing their number type, what has been learned about the Enneagram, how it has been used so far, further interests in exploring/studying Enneagram, and suggestions for future Enneagram Sessions at MUCC.
Schedule an appointment to donate blood on May 4!

Weekly Creation Care Tips -

Reduce/Reuse/Recycle

Submitted by Ecojustice Team

Did you purchase a pair of glasses to look at the eclipse this week??? You can recycle your eclipse glasses if they are undamaged by dropping them off at church by Sunday, April 28 for donation to Astronomers Without Borders. A member of the Ecojustice Team will bring the glasses to the local Warby Parker store on State Street in Madison that is collecting recycled glasses. Another option is to mail your glasses to Eclipse Glasses USA which will send them to schools in Chile and Argentina for their eclipse in October. If your glasses are damaged, remove the lenses (trash) and recycle the cardboard frame.

A Few Words from Pastor Bryan


...This Is Our Church


Well my "Few Words..." this week are really just about taking a moment to soak in all that our church community has experienced in the past few weeks. It's been an intense and full time together to say the least, and we've experienced pretty much the full range of human feelings together.


There was Holy Week and all of the extra midweek services including the new "Alabaster Wednesday" service we've created. There was Maundy Thursday with both Communion and Foot Washing. Then Good Friday, Holy Saturday, Easter Sunday with the extra food and egg hunt and programs for the kids. And then the tragic loss of our beloved Calvin Swenson and the huge numbers of people who came for the visitations and Celebration of Life service. And in the midst of this we began our new Befrienders class of over 20 people. And then the first Healing Prayer and Contemplation service that our own Cameron Macdonald has brought to us that will take place the second Wednesday of each month from now on.


Whew. That's a lot. But what I'm feeling so aware of and grateful for are all of the ways that the people of our congregation showed up to do the extra work and service required to pull all of these meaningful and soulful things off. And the loving, kind, soulful, and compassionate ways in which everything unfolded.


There's no way to thank everyone involved. I do need to thank Jean Duchrow and whoever helped her for coming up with such beautiful liturgical art for our worship services--5 completely different settings in one week. I need to thank Sheryl Rowe for personally filling 300 plastic Easter eggs with candy and treats for the kids. I need to thank all those who helped out in the services, and for the hospitality extended through the kitchen crew under Joan Jacobsen's amazing leadership. And then all the volunteers who helped set up and take down tables and chairs, and those who stuck around to help clean up.


I'm so grateful for our beautiful building and grounds, but as we've noted many times together, what makes a church the Church is the people, and the Spirit of Christ within and among the peoplle. All of you. All the ways you came together and reached out to each other with love and support. More than a few people who attended the Celebration of Life for Calvin said to me, "There's something really special about this place." Yes there is. And that "something special" is you. Us.


We're not a perfect church. There is no such thing. But what a gift and a blessing it is to be a part of a church community that is truly taking the Path of Jesus to heart, and that understands that what that's really about is simply taking LOVE seriously (and playfully!). It's about reminding ourselves again and again that God IS LOVE, and then sharing and extending and standing for that Love in as many tangible ways as we possibly can.


I wrote a song years ago called "This Is My Church." The story alluded to in the first verse was taken from Anne Lamott's Traveling Mercies. I shared it this week with our zoom Morning Devotion group. I've never recorded it, but the lyrics are below. I hope you find them meaningful. Thank you for making them more meaningful than ever to me and thank you for the privilege and joy it is to be the pastor of this amazing church.


I hope to see you in person or on zoom for worship this Sunday.


Pastor Bryan


This is My Church

Lyrics By Bryan Sirchio

I read a story about a little girl

Who got lost not far from home

She lived in the inner city

Where the streets could be so cold

A neighborhood policeman found her

And picked her up in his arms

And said, “let’s walk around, and you tell me

If you think you know where you are.”


So they walked the neighborhood

And as they rounded a certain block

A smile broke out on the girl’s face

And she said, “okay we can stop.”

And as the policeman put her down

They could overhear the sound

Of an organist playing through the Sunday hymns

(and the little girl said)


I know where I am now

This is my church

And I can always find my way home from here

                       

Well churches are far from perfect

Sometimes we let each other down

And yet when everything's uncertain

And it all gets turned around

There’s no other place I know of

Where I can count on finding clues

That will point my heart toward home again

And the Love that's always True


Sometimes I find clues in the songs

That generations have handed down

In the symbols and Bible stories

That the people gather around

I love that one where God’s a Shepherd

Who’s got a thing for wandering sheep

And who throws parties when the lost find home again


I know where I am now

This is my church

And I can always find my way home from here

                       

There was a woman I know from my home church

She lived life with a cheerful heart

And when her cancer marathon ended

The end of that race was hard


On her last day at the hospice

A bunch of church friends gathered ‘round

Someone came with a box full of hymnals

And we passed those hymnals out


And we sang “Amazing Grace”

And “Spirit Blow through the Wilderness”

“I Was There to Hear Your Borning Cry”

And other hymns that she loved best

And though she could no longer speak

I watched a tear run down her cheek

And I couldn’t help but think, somehow she knows


She knows where she is now, this is her church

And she can always find her way home from here

We know where we are now, this is our church

And we can always find our way home from here

608-838-9322 

5710 Anthony St.

McFarland WI 53558

mcfarlanducc.org

-

Pastor Bryan Sirchio

pastorb@mcfarlanducc.org

Cell: 608-577-8716

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