Hen House Weekly E-News

September 4, 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!

September has arrived! Which means Zwingli begins its Fall/Winter programming this Sunday with Worship and Communion -- and Friendship Time following Worship! I hope you will join us for this special Sunday as we come together on the 'Holy Ground' of Zwingli and reflect together on Moses at the burning bush (Exodus 3:1-15). The truth is we are always on 'holy ground' because the reason it is holy is because God is with us! And there are 'burning bushes' everywhere inviting us to turn toward them and listen to God to guide us.

We begin our Fall/Winter Worship with this scripture because the Church at its best is 'Holy Ground' and a 'burning bush' where we turn aside from the busyness of our lives, to encounter God. And then we leave willing to be more attentive to the 'burning bushes' in our daily lives and turn toward them to hear God's call for us and God's promise to be with us.

Invite your friends and family to join us on Sunday for Worship and Friendship Time following Worship. They just might be looking for a faith community!

I share the above image and this poem to bless our reflection on this story and our lives:

Holy Ground

by Macrina Wiederkehr

My bare feet walk the earth reverently

For everything keeps crying,

Take off your shoes

The ground you stand on is holy

The ground of your being is holy.

When the wind sings through the pines

Like a breath of God

awakening you to the sacred present

calling your soul to new insights

Take off your shoes!

When the sun rises above your rooftop

Coloring your world with dawn

Be receptive to this awesome beauty

Put on your garment of adoration

Take off your shoes!

When the Red Maple drops its last leaf of summer

wearing its “burning bush” robes no longer

read between its barren branches, and

Take off your shoes!

When sorrow presses close to your heart

begging you to put your trust in God alone

filling you with a quiet knowing

that God’s hand is not too short to heal you

Take off your shoes!

When a new person comes into your life

like a mystery about to unfold

and you find yourself marveling over

the frailty and splendor of every human being

Take off your shoes!

When, during the wee hours of the night

You drive slowly into the new day

And the morning’s fog, like angel wings

Hovers mysteriously above you

Take off your shoes!

Take off your shoes of distraction

Take off your shoes of ignorance and blindness

Take off your shoes of hurry and worry

Take off anything that prevents you

from being a child of wonder.

Take off your shoes;

The ground you stand on is holy.

The ground you are is holy.

From Seasons of Your Heart: Prayers and Reflections, Revised and Expanded, by Macrina Wiederkehr (New York: HarperCollins, 1991).

Blessings,

Pastor Karla

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.

Zwingli got a 'face lift'!

We thank Troy Hefty Siding Company who replaced the storm damaged fascia on the church building -- and his cousin Faith for setting this up!

On the Calendar!

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.

Friendship Sunday Resumes September 6!

We will resume our first Sunday community time after worship in September. Join us as often as you can. We appreciate all those who sign up to provide refreshments on these first Sundays! A sign up sheet for this coming year is up on the bulletin board.

Donations for Pine Ridge Reservation

Jeanette and her son are headed to Pine Ridge next week. This year they invite only donations of new or gently used sweatshirts and sweatpants and generic gift cards like VISA and MasterCard. Please bring them to the church by Sunday morning, September 6. Jeanette thanks everyone for their support for Pine Ridge.

Brunch Bunch Resumes in September

on SECOND WEDNESDAYS at 10:30 am!

We are moving from 3rd Wednesdays back to 2nd Wednesdays beginning September 9! Mark your calendars for the year and join us as often as you can! All are welcome, as are your friends and family so please invite them.

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

September is Safety Month!

September is UCC’s month to review with congregants safety measures during inclement weather/cardiac events in our church. The Church Council will review safety basics on September 20th following the worship service.

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.

Announcements

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.

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: A Call for Nuclear Disarmament. 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!