Remembering our Saints on November 3

Join us for a special Sunday, Nov. 3. As we usually do on 1st Sundays, we will celebrate Communion -- and we will be remembering and celebrating those church members, family and friends we have lost in the past year. While today is officially All Saints Day in the Church, we will recognize All Saints Day on Sunday during Worship. We hope you can join us!

This year we are remembering three members of Zwingli who passed away within the past year. You will also be invited to come forward to light a candle for your family and friends, and speak their names to the congregation if you wish.

For some of us, remembering our loved ones who have passed can be an emotional experience so please know that your emotions of grief are fully welcome. Jesus is our model for allowing ourselves to feel our feelings -- when his friend Lazarus died, scripture tells us that "Jesus wept."

On All Saints Sunday we also recognize the truth that we too are called to be Saints! I'll share more about that in my message on Sunday. For now, hopefully this poem by Steve Garnaas-Holmes, will give you some understanding and inspire you:

To be a saint is to be sanctified;

set apart for a sacred purpose.

That would be you.

Every breath of your life is for a sacred purpose:

to shed light, to radiate God’s love.

You don’t have to be influential,

or pious, virtuous or pure.

You have to be yourself.

The You of you is what God has made holy.

You are God’s Beloved.

All you have to do is act like it.

Everything you do today is an opportunity

to embody God’s love,

not by your effort or skill,

but by the love you embody.

The light of God is in you.

Be transparent to it.

Blessings,

Karla

Set your clocks back one hour. Daylight Saving Time ends November 3.

Help us Explore the Impact of the Pandemic on Congregations,

on Zwingli and win $200 Gift Certificate for Zwingli!

Zwingli UCC has been selected to participate in the national Faith Communities Today study (FACT) Attender Survey to do just what the title of this article says. This Survey will give the national UCC offices more information from local congregations and members. They will also give us an individualized report of Zwingli’s responses (if they receive at least 10 online responses to the survey – so if you can, please fill out the form online). We will also get a $200 gift card to Amazon! For more information check out this very short video.

For more information

watch this very short video.

The survey itself will take a participant about 10-15 minutes to complete. Your responses are anonymous. This survey uses a split ballot method, meaning all participants will have 50% of the survey the same and for the other half they are randomly assigned one of two different sections. This approach is used to gather data on more questions without adding length to the survey. Here is the link for you to fill out BY NOV. 22.

If you prefer to fill out a paper copy, please contact Kathie in the church office and she will send you one. Return your paper form to Kathie or Karla no later than Nov. 21 so we can meet the Nov. 22 submission deadline.

If you have any questions, contact Pastor Karla. Thank you for taking the time to help us learn more from the church attender’s perspective!

Help Zwingli provide a Yummy Dessert Buffet

at Installation Service Nov. 10

We will welcome our members guests (from the SW Association UCC) at Pastor Karla's installation service with a dessert buffet since this congregation knows how to make great desserts! Signups to date include: butterscotch dessert, chocolate chip cheesecake bars, raspberry dessert and mint brownies. We hope you can contribute a favorite recipe (or something from a favorite bakery) as well. A signup sheet is posted on the bulletin board or you can contact the Church Office and Kathie will add you and your dessert to the signup sheet: zwingliuccpaoli@gmail.com.

COVID On the Rise

With COVID rates on the rise, even higher than some of our wintertime spikes, it's time to refresh the basics. If you're experiencing respiratory symptoms like sneezing, coughing, sore throat, and/or runny nose - Stay home. Mask up.

While washing hands and sanitizing surfaces is always a good idea, those tools alone will not protect us from airborne illness. Getting vaccinated, and wearing a high-quality, well-fitted mask in crowded spaces, combined with testing and staying home when symptomatic, are some of our best tools for limiting the transmission of COVID and other respiratory diseases.

Election Resources to support you as you "Vote With Love":

As the election gets closer, if you want to fact check anything candidates are saying, The Clergy Coaching Network is providing these links to check out:

OUR PRIMARY SOURCES…members of the IFCN*

https://apnews.com/hub/ap-fact-check

https://www.factcheck.org/

USA Today Fact Check: https://www.usatoday.com

https://thedispatch.com/category/fact-check/

https://leadstories.com/

https://www.poynter.org/news/fact-checking/

https://www.politifact.com

https://www.reuters.com/fact-check/

https://www.pbs.org/newshour/tag/fact-check

https://www.snopes.com/

*(All of the above are members of the International Fact-Checking Network. Becoming a signatory requires a demonstrated commitment to using unbiased sources, relying on primary material, identifying multiple lines of evidence and including links to all of the above so readers can replicate their work.)

OUR SECONDARY (sometimes helpful) SOURCES:

https://www.opensecrets.org/

https://www.verifythis.com

https://mediabiasfactcheck.com/

https://www.allsides.com/unbiased-balanced-news

The new BBC Verify

Wonder who fact-checks the fact-checkers? Please read this:

https://www.poynter.org/.../who-fact-checks-the-fact.../

For more information about voting in Wisconsin, go to https://myvote.wi.gov/en-us/