June 30 - July 7, 2023

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

SUNDAY Morning, 10 am Zoom Worship

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

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

https://zoom.us/j/262314649 Cancelled July 9 due to Sikh Temple visit.

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

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, July 9 9:00 am, Worship Service TIME CHANGE due to Sikh Temple opportunity (In person & Online)

Sunday, July 9 11:00 am, Sikh Temple service with meal to follow (6970 Century Ave, Middleton). Carpooling available.

Sunday, July 9 5:30 - 7:00 pm, Teen Youth Monthly Meeting

Thursday, July 13 6:00 – 8:00 pm, SaLT Monthly Meeting (In person & Online) - Multipurpose Room

Thursday, July 18 6:30 – 8:00 pm, Ecojustice/Green Team Monthly Meeting (In person & Online)- Multipurpose Room

Thursday, July 20 6:30 – 8:00 pm, NION Monthly Meeting (Online only) - Multipurpose Room

Friday, July 21 6:00 – 8:00 pm, Fun Night for All! Outside by firepit, indoors if inclement weather.

Sunday, July 23 10:00 am, Outdoor Worship Service (In person & Online) Indoors if inclement weather.

Wednesday, July 26 6:00 pm, Teen Youth Outing to Madison Foward Soccer Game, Breese Field, Madison

Thursday, July 27 Time TBD, Teen Youth Service Opportunity at Second Harvest, Madison.

Tchecki, Jeffrey, and Jefferson are all doing great! We are so blessed to have them with us.

An Update from Araceli Wehr and NION's "Aliados" Sub-committee

It’s hard to believe Tcheki, Jeffrey and Jefferson arrived just two weeks ago Saturday. As a community we have continued to pour our love and support into the family and they have done an excellent job navigating all of the change. 

This week we were able to successfully secure the transfer of their immigration case from Florida to Wisconsin. For those of you familiar with Government processing times, this was no small task! Great job Tcheki, Paul and Julie for the continued phone calls and diligence on this. This will enable us to take next steps towards lining Tcheki and her family up with the necessary resources as we transition to phase 3 of this process. 

This next phase will be largely about navigating the resources available to us with their immigration status established in Wisconsin. We don’t have a ton of information on what that looks like at this time, but we will keep the group updated as we know more.

During this next phase, we encourage you all to continue to supporting their cultural transition to Wisconsin. The ways in which you can support our:

1. Prayers are always welcome
2. Introduce yourself to Tcheki and Family when you see them at church or congregation activities 
3. Invite them to activities in the community or taking place at the church

As a reminder, if you wish to make a monetary donation, please submit a donation online or via check to the church with a note that it is specifically for the family from Haiti.

Thank you again for your continued love and support! 

Namaste,

The Aliados Sub-Committee

July 4 Racial Justice Meeting Canceled

The July Racial Justice (7/4) is canceled due to the July 4th holiday. The next Racial Justice meeting will be Tuesday, August 1.

Wednesday, July 5th, 7:00 p.m. Special NION & Aliados zoom meeting. https://zoom.us/j/97010988439 Password: betogether

We are going to hold a virtual meeting at 7 p.m. on Wednesday, July 5th so that all persons from our congregation who have been or would like to be involved in helping to welcome and accompany Tcheki, Jeffery, and Jefferson can be part of a coordinated effort together. Thankfully, quite a few members and friends of our congregation have stepped forward in tangible ways. The purpose of this meeting is for those of us who can attend to make sure we are all on the same page in terms of what is needed most (or perhaps no longer needed) for next steps in this process of loving hospitality. Sorry for the relatively short notice. If you're involved and can't make this meeting we will be sure to share what emerges from it with you and make sure you have other opportunities to share your thoughts and suggestions.

Change of Time for Service on July 9: Worship at our church will start at 9:00 a.m.!!

Visit Sikh Temple

We are excited to announce a change in the service time for July 9, 2023! In an effort to foster community engagement and cultural exchange, we have decided to adjust the schedule to accommodate a special visit to the Sikh Temple, 6970 Century Ave, Middleton. Our service will now begin at 9:00 am, allowing us to carpool (if desired) together to the Sikh Temple and attend their service at 11:00 am.

The Sikh Temple graciously extends an invitation to our congregation to experience their traditions and join in their worship. This visit presents an excellent opportunity to deepen our understanding of each other's beliefs.

Following the service, we will have the privilege of sharing a meal that is available each week for everyone at the Sikh Temple. Last year a tour of the temple was even offered.

We sincerely invite all members of our congregation to join us on July 11, as we come together in unity and celebrate the richness of diversity within our community. Please mark your calendars and spread the word!

Friday, July 21st, 6:00 p.m. - 8:00 p.m. All Ages Fun Night!

Instead of a Sunday Evening Younger Youth Meeting in July, we're going to try something new, and that's just to invite all ages to come and have fun together! Assuming the weather is nice, we'll set up the volleyball net and encourage you all to bring your favorite lawn games. More info on this to come. For now just save the date! We're thinking we'll just keep it simple and not make it a meal, but we can get the firepit going and have s'mores and snacks. Join us and bring some friends. Nothing but FUN!

MUCC’s Presence at the First McFarland Pride in the Park Event

The First Annual McFarland Pride in the Park was held last Sunday, 6/25 at William McFarland Park near the soccer fields (this was a change of venue from Arnold Larson Park due to the threat of inclement weather). There were 10 artisan vendors, 8 food and treats vendors (food trucks), and other supporters including an art cart from MMOCA, McFarland Library, Girl Scouts, and two churches (MUCC and Stoughton Methodist Church). There were family-friendly events all day with loads of games for kids to play, live music, a Drag Queen performance, and a DJ. There was even a dunk tank where you could take the opportunity to try and dunk McFarland’s Village President Carolyn Clow!

Our church was a sponsor of this inaugural event. We had a table throughout the day with enthusiastic volunteers who shared what it means to be part of McFarland UCC. Thanks to the following individuals for spending an hour or two on a blustery Sunday to “spread the good word”:

·        Judy Taber

·        Diane Mikelbank

·        Lynn Belleau

·        Jill Miatech

·        Amanda Mortensen

·        Margaret Miller

·        Joan Jacobsen

·        Gregg Krattiger

·        Lavon Geasland

·        Lydia Mikelbank

·        Jean Duchrow

·        Pam Priegel

·        Lily Mortensen

·        Paul Miller

·        Julie Woodward

·        Colleen Krattiger

Help Needed This Summer!

Be an usher.

Help in the kitchen.

No experience required...and it's fun!

Link for Usher -For more information contact Becky Cohen (ushers) at cohenrw@yahoo.com.

Link for Kitchen/Hospitality - For more information contact Joan Jacobsen (kitchen) at treasurer@mcfarlanducc.org.

Love Has the Final Word Support Group Announcement

There is a support group for adults that have been estranged from family members that will begin this fall.

Being estranged from a family member means that the relationship has been cut off or lost for whatever reason. This experience can be lonely and painful and is oftentimes similar to the grief experienced after the death of a loved one. 

We seek to bring those suffering from estrangement together to offer a safe and confidential environment where people can come share their stories, and connect with others who have experienced similar loss. Through this sharing, we hope that attendees will find a path to peace and healing.

Sessions will be held on the second Saturday of September, October, and November here at MUCC at 10 am. (Sept 9, Oct. 14, Nov. 11)

Please connect with Trish Kalhagen or Araceli Wehr by either finding our contact information in the church directory if you or a friend should be interested, talking with either of us after worship, or sending an email to Trish at chmusiclvr59@yahoo.com.

A Few Words From Pastor Bryan

...and Grandson Jack & Christopher Grundy

Well I was all set to write something in today's Pulse about this week's Supreme Court decisions, and especially something having to do with the ruling on Affirmative Action. I'm sure it's no surprise to any of you that I am disheartened, to put it mildly, by this decision. I think it is a huge step in the wrong direction regarding our country's "original sin" of racism. I could go on. But I'm not going to. Not today.

The court's decision, together with the smoke-filled skies this past week, took me to a rather dark place (literally and metaphorically). The skies filled with smoke because of fires a country away that are connected to climate change gave me an eerie feeling of, well, "we're finally here." What if we are entering into the stage in our history when we can no longer assume that the sky will be blue--or have the capacity to return to blue. No more rainbows? As I said, it took me to a dark place.

Oh I'm never without hope, quite simply because I think God is always up to something good and that God can always break through even our most catastrophically thick and tragically self-induced human made haze. A huge part of the biblical story is about a God who breaks into human hearts and history with healing and liberating power--often against all odds, and often through the most surprising and unlikely sources and situations. As the slaves on plantations used to put it, "God makes a way when there ain't no way." I'm counting on that, I've experienced the Truth of that statement too many times in my own life to spend much time doubting it anymore, and I and folks like you will do our best to be people through whom God can bring Light and Love and hope. I'm well aware that sometimes "the worst happens." No illusions there. But I'm glad and grateful for a faith that calls me/us to never give up and to do our part to be on the Love-Centered side of history. Part of my faith, as Rob Bell put it so succinctly in his wonderful book by the same title, means stubbornly knowing that in the end, no matter what happens-- "Love Wins." That means that everyone and everything finds wholeness and peace again and winds up returning to the Source of Love.

But I have to just give it up to my 5 year old grandson Jack once again for reminding me of what matters most, and how to find a more balanced sense of perspective. He and I have been on a roll lately. When I was with him a couple of weeks ago his greatest fear in the world was trying to use the toilet and to get rid of those darn diapers. He's 5 now. He knew it was time. He wanted to be a big boy. He knew everyone else wanted him to take the leap. Most of his friends had done it months if not years ago already. It was getting kind of embarrassing for him, and he knew it was getting to be a real issue for his parents. But something about that toilet just scared him to death and he couldn't face a world without diapers. The mere thought of being just downright naked and vulnerable and without the assurance of a diaper and having to really face that cold and horrifying porcelain demon called the toilet seat was just too much for him.

But this morning, while I was praying about what to write today, my phone rang. My daughter's name popped up on the screen and I answered thinking it was her. But no. It was Jack. "Grandpa! I got to tell you something!" "What, Jack?" I replied.

"I peed in the toilet Grandpa! I did it!"

"Way to go Jack! No more diapers?"

Silence. He hadn't yet considered the full impact of his new found freedom.

"I'm so proud of you Jack. Just keep doing what you're doing."

"Okay. I don't have anything else to say Grandpa. I love you. Bye."

So call me strange, but as long as there are 5 year olds facing their worst fears, breaking through, and calling a grandparent to share the news...

I think it's a wonderful world. Blue skies will return. Love will be the final Word, and no Supreme Court or any human made catastrophe or hard heartedness or cruelty will have the power to keep hope and joy and the justice and Love of God from breaking through the most deeply entrenched forces of human brokenness.

Pastor Bryan

P.P.S. (Pee Pee S that is). Our beloved friend Christopher Grundy actually wrote a song to help his kids learn how to use the toilet. It's called "The Potty Song." I sent it to Jack. Haven't heard back from him yet, but click here to hear it!)