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Happy Valentine's Day!
On this Valentine's Day may we each celebrate the many ways we receive and give love! May we each recognize that we are God's beloved one!
This coming Sunday in Worship we will be exploring the Beatitudes -- only this is the version from Luke (very different from the more familiar Matthew version). Luke's version includes Beatitudes and Woe-itudes! It gives us much to reflect upon. I hope you will join us for Worship and Community this Sunday. To help us prepare, I send this poem of Steve Garnaas-Holmes (unfoldinglight.net):
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Blessed are you who are poor,
for yours is the realm of God….
But woe to you who are rich,
for you have received your consolation.
—Luke 6.20, 24
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A whole world of grace,
a realm of love,
another dimension
that this one inhabits
but can’t see,
an energy field like gravity, like magnetism,
God’s intimate presence
and fervent desire for your well-being,
the faithful accompaniment of the Beloved,
and the great body of all who love—
all of this is given to you.
This whole realm.
It’s yours.
Unless your hands are full
of something else,
drawn to other treasure.
Blessed are you who are ready to receive it.
woe to you who sit alone
with your pile of coins,
your great power,
satisfied.
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Sign up to be a Liturgist: Open dates include February 23 and March 9. If the step up is what's stopping you, talk with Karla -- we can fix that! Sign-up sheet is on the podium by the entry to the sanctuary.
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February 22
Webinar featuring a Palestinian Christian from the Occupied West Bank
Pilgrims of Ibillin (a US organization supporting the Mar Elias Educational Institutions founded by Father Elias Chacour) is hosting a webinar with Usama. On Saturday February 22 at 12 - 1:30 pm Central Time, Usama will discuss what life is currently like under occupation.
The present-day horrors in Gaza often dominate headlines, however the situation of Palestinians in the West Bank is increasingly dire, with military and settler violence and denial of basic rights and freedoms escalating at an alarming pace.
Usama is a professional tour guide and serves as the Citizens Diplomacy Project Coordinator at Wi’am: The Palestinian Conflict Transformation Center. Several members of the Wisconsin Conference UCC Palestinian Justice Working Group (including Pastor Karla) are friends with Usama and highly recommend learning from him about what is happening now in the West Bank.
This webinar will NOT be recorded, so plan to remote in on February 22 to hear more. Attendance is free, but donations are welcome. To register, go here.
The Book Group plans to come together at Zwingli to view the webinar together. Please sign up with Pastor Karla if you would like to join us. The webinar will run from 12 - 1:30 (maybe a bit longer for those who want to have a discussion afterwards). Please bring your lunch if you like!
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PartyGras at Zwingli
Tuesday, March 4, 5-7 pm!
Sign up in Advance for Potluck & Bingo Fun!
Bring family and friends and join your Zwingli family for a Potluck and Bingo party night! The day before Ash Wednesday has traditionally been known as Fat Tuesday, when believers would eat all the fatty foods in their house so that they could fast for Lent. In the States, this evolved into the Mardi Gras celebration! While we won't be focusing on consuming fat nor celebrating the Mardi Gras style, we will be holding our own PartyGras Celebration before beginning the more somber season of Lent. We will end the evening with a few moments of worship - song and prayer -- to enter the season of Lent.
The evening will begin with a potluck at 5 pm, followed by Bingo fun for all (children welcome too!), including prizes! Please help us to plan on how many are coming by signing up on the bulletin board with the number of people in your party, and what you plan to bring to the potluck -- or call Louise or Sue (who are taking the lead in this event) and let them know so they can sign you up! We hope you (and yours) can join us for the fun!
The next day, Wednesday March 5, we will hold a special Ash Wednesday Service at Zwingli. Watch for more information.
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We hope you read the article in the newsletter about our interest in creating a Repair Cafe Ministry at Zwingli. We are looking for those of you (and your friends or family) who like to repair electrical appliances, clothing, furniture-toys-and other wireless items, tech devices (or help teach how to on tech . . . ), or would like to be part of the planning or volunteer for hospitality.
We want to hold a Test Repair Cafe for our congregation (including family and friends) so we can discern if it is something we want to offer to the larger community several times a year. The purpose is to reach out and support our local community, welcome them to Zwingli, and be a ministry of sustainability (saving landfills and the need to purchase new items).
If you are interested in volunteering, please contact Debbie Versnik, Sue Bovre, or Pastor Karla. You can also sign up on the bulletin board. We do not yet have a date for the Test Repair Cafe, but will contact you to help schedule it.
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The Friends of New Glarus Home is Looking for Volunteers!
The Friends of New Glarus Homes used to be known as the New Glarus Home Auxiliary. It is a small committee of people who do a little fundraising and then disbursing of that money to improve the lives of residents at New Glarus Home Campus. They meet ~8ish times each year and support such things as: beautification of the grounds, purchase electric razors for residents, purchase echo dots for residents to use to listen to music, support efforts for parties and celebrations for residents, improvements for sound system in chapel, employee appreciation gifts, purchase of special equipment for residents, and many other items. New Glarus Home Retirement Campus is a UCC affiliated institution. If you are interested in learning more about this opportunity, contact Rev. Kelly Volk at 712-470-4351.
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Looking for an opportunity to express your opinion on US public policy?
As a member of the United Church of Christ, Zwingli is supported with resources by our national offices. Among these resources is an Office of Public Policy and Advocacy in Washington DC. This Office gives information to understand the issues and legislation -- and the ability to easily express our opinion to our political leaders. Go to this website to access these opportunities to express yourself (if you do not have a computer, check out your local library).
We will update this announcement with new opportunities (as they are added) so you can know the current issues you can respond to. You can also get alerts in your inbox by signing up here. Currently, there are opportunities to express your opinion on: Valentine's Day Have a Heart for God's Planet, Foreign Aid, Federal Funding Freeze, Supporting Survivors of Human Trafficking, Immigration Policies, Trans Protection, Voting Rights, Affordable Internet, Indian Boarding Schools, and Military Aid to Israel. We know that some of you want to put your faith beliefs in action and hope those of you who wish to advocate find this resource useful.
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With respiratory illnesses on the rise, it's time to refresh the basics. If you're experiencing symptoms like sneezing, coughing, sore throat, and/or runny nose --- Stay home. Mask up!
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