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Hen House Weekly E-News
September 11, 2026
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 our Lectionary gives us still another scripture on forgiving our enemies (Matthew 18:21-35)! Jesus is pretty big on forgiveness! So much so that while he hung on the cross he forgave those who persecuted him: "Forgive them for they know not what they do".
What he was saying is that they are unconscious -- they are clueless about what they are really doing. Imperfect humans that we are, we all live unconsciously at times -- maybe more than not. In those times it is easier to speak and act in ways that hurt others. Usually these are unintentional but sadly, sometimes people intentionally hurt us or others. It's natural to want to protect the vulnerable hurt parts of ourselves (as well as others who are being hurt) with the strong powerful anger and resentful parts of ourselves. And this is necessary at times! We need to speak up for ourselves or others when harm is being done. Yet anger and resentment is not a good place to live. Becoming conscious of being trapped in these negative emotions, beliefs, and actions opens up the awareness that we have the choice to stay trapped in the anger and resentment or to begin a process of forgiveness that frees us from these painful feelings -- and from the deep disappointment and grief that we carry. This process will move us more and more toward peace, and from that place of peace we can be a better advocate for ourselves and others, including maybe our enemies. Author Debie Thomas writes: "Where we humans make love and judgment mutually exclusive — where we cry out for revenge, retribution, and punishment — God holds out for restorative justice. A kind of justice we can barely imagine. A kind of justice that has the power to heal both the oppressed and the oppressor." That's good news for us too, since sometimes we disocver we are the oppressor who needs forgiveness!
On Sunday, I will share with you some insights about the process of forgiving from my own journey of learning forgiveness, so I hope you will join us. In her reflection "Letting Go of Should", Rev. Cameron Trimble also gives us a process. I invite you to check it out. In preparation for Sunday, I share her prayer with you:
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A Prayer for Letting Go of the Shoulds
by Rev. Cameron Trimble
God of honesty and healing,
You see the distance in our relationships,
the pain that festers in silence,
the tension that rises every time we hear their name.
We confess that we have clung to our expectations—
who they should be, what they should believe,
how they should act.
We confess that our grief
has sometimes hardened into judgment.
And our hopes, left unspoken,
have become sources of sorrow.
So help us release them—
not to excuse harm,
but to set ourselves free
from the prison of the past.
Help us grieve what never was.
Help us forgive what we can.
Help us find clarity, not just closure.
And when we are ready,
help us see others not through the lens of “should,”
but through the lens of shared humanity—
complex, beloved, imperfect.
Amen.
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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: US/Israel - Iran ‘War’: Civilians and troops and the political will to choose non-violent conflict resolution, France, Mexico, Cuba, U.S. - Venezuela tensions, Nigeria, Afghanistan, Haiti, Sudan, The Congo, Ukraine-Russia, Israel-Palestine, Syria, and Lebanon. Prayers for those countries, companies, farmers, and consumers who are affected by the escalating trade war. The people of Pine Ridge Reservation and all Native Peoples.
In this 250th birthday of our nation, we pray for Democracy to grow stronger and healthier. 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 current administration.
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Additional Building Restoration!
Roger Butts painted the front door frame recently.
| | You are Invited to join us for this Fall's Book Group. It's a short book and an easy read filled with inspiration. The author's focus is to give spiritual wisdom for the living of the challenges of our lives and world with courage, faith and resilience. Rev. Michael B. Curry, presiding bishop of the Episcopal Church and author of The Power of Love writes, "Here is wisdom born out of a lifetime of listening faithfully to the voice of God. Here is wisdom we need for the living of these days." Refreshments will be provided at our meetings. You can also find a more extensive review on the Spirituality and Practice website. Please contact Pastor Karla with questions about the study and about getting a book: pastor.zwingliuccpaoli@gmail.com. | | |
September Special Offering
This month Zwingli will be participating in the Neighbors in Need offering which supports ministries of justice and compassion. One-third of the offering will be given to the Council for American Indian Ministries and the remaining two-thirds will support UCC justice ministries.
In 2025, the Neighbors in Need Offering supported 26 grant recipients across the UCC who were engaged in projects of direct service and advocacy. Learn more at www.ucc.org/nin
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September is Safety Month!
September is UCC’s designated month to review with congregants safety measures during inclement weather/health/cardiac events in our church.
Cherry Pulver and Faith Wittwer will present a short video of safety basics following our September 20th church service. An evacuation drill will also be held during this presentation. Please plan to attend this important review!
Your Church Council
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Daniel Cooperrider, Convening Pastor of Flicker Wild Church invites you to Fall Equinox at their upcoming Sacred Circle & Wild Wander at Holy Wisdom Monastery. Details: circle gathering starting around 3pm on the fire-pit knoll above the upper parking lot in the prairie lands of Holy Wisdom Monastery, with a 3:30pm Circle Start Time. Consider bringing a chair of blanket to sit on, and as always dress for the weather. A Dinner option (5:30pm) will follow in the Monastery prepared by the Holy Wisdom chef team. Please RSVP with dinner attendance and dietary restrictions to Daniel by September 13. Dinner is $23 for adults and $15 for children and can be paid for here. If cost is a hindrance but you would still like to attend dinner, Flicker can help cover the cost, but please still rsvp.
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CRASE Event Coming Soon
Monday, September 21, 6 PM Swiss UCC in New Glarus will host a Green County Sheriff Civilian Response to Active Shooter event. This event will help us with safety and prevention planning in the event of being confronted with and active shooter. It is built on the “avoid, deny, defend” strategy. It is open to the public with the hopes not to create fear, but to help our community feel better prepared and more confident in knowing how to respond should an unthinkable emergency ever occur. Learning simple, life-saving responses strategies can help us be better prepared to protect ourselves and those around us. Everyone is welcome to attend this event.
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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: Pass the Real Education and Access for Healthy Youth Act of 2025 (H.R.3527). Scroll down the page to find others that you might want to express your opinion about.
| | The Southern Region of the Wisconsin Conference UCC publishes Shalom, a monthly e-newsletter featuring events and happenings within the Conference, including Zwingli. Click here to check it out! | | | | |
