"I will put my teaching in their minds and write it on their hearts..."
Jeremiah 31:33
| | | Calendar of Upcoming Events | | |
Below are the weekly programs. Brief descriptions of these weekly programs are on our website.
Clickable links are in blue, underlined, and italicized.
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SUNDAY Choir Practice, On hiatus for summer
Contact Tom Ludwig, if interested.
| | 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. | | |
Friday, June 27, 6:30 - 8:30 pm, Dances of Universal Peace
Tuesday, July 1, 6:30 - 8:00 pm, POSTPONED to 7/15-Social Justice Collective Team Monthly Meeting (In person & Online), Multipurpose Room
Wednesday, July 2, NO Office Hours
Thursday, July 3, NO Office Hours
Sunday, July 6, Communion and Birthday Sunday
Sunday, July 6, 5:30 - 7:00 pm, Teen Meeting
Tuesday, July 8, 5:30 - 8:30 pm, Jim Martin Visitation
Wednesday, July 9, 9:00 - 10:30 am, Jim Martin - Visitation, 11:00 am Memorial Service, followed by light lunch
Thursday, July 10, 6:00 - 8:00 pm, SaLT Monthly Meeting (In person & Online), Multipurpose Room
Saturday, July 12, 6:30 - 8:00 pm, Musical Tribute to Pastor Bryan by Native Americans Art Shegonee and Bill Miller, Sanctuary
Sunday, July 13, Befrienders Commissioning during worship
Tuesday, July 15, 6:30 - 8:00 pm, Social Justice Collective Monthly Meeting (In person & Online), Multipurpose Room
Thursday, July 17, 6:30 - 8:00 pm, Creation Care Meeting (In person & Online), Multipurpose Room
Wednesday, July 30, 6:00 - 8:30 pm, Farewell Potluck for Pastor Bryan, Outside & Fellowship Area
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Thank you to this weekend's volunteers!
Greeters/Ushers: Kathy Paulson
Hospitality Hosts: Karen Lynch, Jean Blackmore
| | Resolve to get involved at McFarland UCC! Volunteer on Sunday. Join a ministry such as Racial Justice, Creation Care, Befrienders Care Team, SaLT, Youth ministry, Building & Ground Team, or others. Find out more by clicking here. | | |
News at McFarland UCC
Note: Clickable links are blue, underlined, and italicized.
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An Evening of Dances of Universal Peace
TONIGHT (6/27), 6:30-8:30 pm
Join Robin and Michael for an evening of connection, community, and solace as they lead us in powerful body prayers at McFarland UCC!
The Dances of Universal Peace (DUP) are a spiritual practice in motion; they draw from sacred phrases, scripture, and poetry of the world's many traditions. The Dances blend chant, live music, and evocative movement into a living experience of unity, peace, and connection. This taste of our true nature opens the possibility of a deep spiritual revolution within each person.
We will join together in a circle, hand in hand, symbolizing the love, unity, and interconnectedness of all people. The circle represents wholeness, equality, and harmony.
Questions? Trish Kalhagen 608-921-1123 or chmusi...@yahoo.com
All are welcome! Come as you are. If you are physically limited, we welcome you as you are, and we accommodate you as needed. In this practice, there are no performers, no audience, and no experience necessary, as each dance is taught and guided.
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BIO
Robin and Michael are a DUP leader/musician duo from Madison, Wisconsin. Robin is a certified DUP leader in her 30th year of dancing in the circle. Michael is an accomplished guitarist and DUP musician. Together, Robin and Michael lead the Dances in community circles, events, and dance camps across the country and in Mexico. Click here to learn more.
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Want To Officially Join Our Church?
A few folks have approached me (Pastor Bryan) and said that they would like to officially join our congregation before I end my pastorate. That is wonderful! If you are among them, we will receive these new members during my final Sunday in worship which will be July 20th. If you would like to join at this time please contact me and let me know and I'll answer any questions you may have about what membership at McFarland UCC means to us.
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Don't forget to visit the McFarland UCC booth on Sunday!
Questions? Contact Lynn Belleau 608-217-0697.
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Farewell to Pastor Bryan
Join us in sending Pastor Bryan off on his next adventure! There will be a cookout/potluck at the church on Wednesday, July 30th, from 6:00 to 8:30 p.m. The main course (burgers, hot dogs, etc) will be provided. Please bring a side or dessert to share if you are able.
RSVP is not required, but would be appreciated for planning purposes. Volunteers will be needed for setup and cleanup.
Please contact Judy Taber at 608-215-4161 or judy...@gmail.com with questions, to volunteer, or to say you are coming. Hope to see you there!!!
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Weekly Creation Care Topic
Reduce/Reuse/Recycle
This week’s tip: Be a trend setter by wrapping reusable silverware in a cloth napkin to take with you to outdoor events where food is served. Once you’ve eaten, wrap the dirty utensils in the napkin to take home to wash for next time. Worried you will lose or forget the silverware that is part of your place setting at home? Go to a resale shop to pick up metal silverware just for picnics; even better, make several ready-to-go wraps to share with family and friends to inspire them to do the same. Use fun colored/designed cloth napkins that will be noticed and might spark others to join in. Great for work or school lunch too!
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A Few Words from Pastor Bryan
And...Brennan Manning
I first encountered Brennan Manning in the summer of 1988. He was a keynote speaker at a conference I attended that year called, “Christian Artist’s Seminar in the Rockies.” It was held each August in Estes Park, CO for many years, and it was a week of concerts, keynotes, workshops, and contests all connected to the Contemporary Christian Music Industry. Brennan gave two or three keynote addresses during the week and they all touched me deeply. I purchased many audio recordings of his talks on cassette (pre-internet days!) and read all of his books. I was moved by his story and his focus. He grew up in Brooklyn, N.Y., joined the marines, fought in Korea, became a Franciscan priest and a rising young professor of theology, and then lost everything in a tragic alcoholic descent. He got into recovery. He started to share his story and write books. His main focus was on helping people who grew up with fear and punishment based religion and an “angry father figure God” to discover the relentless tenderness, wild grace, and unconditional love of the God of Jesus.
It was Brennan Manning whom I first heard joke about having 12 Commandments instead of 10. The 11th was “Thou shalt not invade principal,” and he referred to this as the "Episcopalian Old Money Commandment" that most churches with financial endowments obey with great reverence and commitment. And the 12th Commandment was, “Thou Shalt Not 'Should' On Thyself.”
I’ve shared this “commandment” often from the pulpit. When I first heard Brennan refer to it, he followed it with these words;
“God loves us as we are, and not as we should be. And it's a good thing, because the simple truth is there’s not one person in this room who is exactly as he or she (or they) should be.”
This simple statement spoke to me so deeply that I wrote a little musical chorus called “To Be Loved This Way” based on it. Here’s a link to it if you’d like to hear it. We’ve sung it a few times in worship. A lot of churches use it as an “Assurance of Pardon” after they pray a “Prayer of Confession.” Here are the words of the first verse;
If it’s true you love me as I am
And not as I think I should be
Then I’m free to face the parts of me
I’m tempted to deny
God you know all my laughter and all of my tears
You know where I’ve been and you know why I’m here
And you know it heals my deepest wounds to be loved this way
At least in large part because of Brennan Manning’s words, I rarely use the word “should.” Or I catch myself when I do. I think it’s primarily because “shoulding” almost always takes us in the direction of guilt, shame, or some kind of judgment. It also reminds me of a little saying I first heard in a 12 step meeting;
“Unsolicited advice is almost always criticism.” Hmmm.
So why do I even care about all this enough to make it the focus of my “Few Words…” this week?
I guess it’s because I find myself feeling judgmental and critical of too many people and too many things these days. I feel like telling too many people what they should or should not be doing, including myself. I feel like I should somehow be doing more to address the problems we’re facing at this point in history. I should be more effective in speaking Truth to power in love. I should be… oh any number of things. The energy of "should" is insatiable and relentless. And I’ll bet you have your own list. If you don’t, well, you should. Sorry—couldn’t resist.
And you know, it’s not that our opinions or thoughts are wrong. I mean it’s hard to try to live out biblical teachings like “Do justice, love kindness, and walk humbly with God,” or “Love your neighbor as yourself,” without having a pretty clear sense of what kinds of choices and actions will be most in alignment with those mandates. And it's hard to be a human committed to an intentional spiritual journey of any kind without slipping into the marching orders and emotional quicksand of the subjunctive mode (fancy word for should).
But the energy of “should” is rarely what is needed to help anyone grow or change. And we’ve all had experiences of having a sense of what we “should” do or be like—and then failing to do it for any number of reasons. “Should” just doesn’t have any life-giving or truly motivating power behind it. In fact I think it often disempowers us.
When I tell myself I should be doing (or not doing) something, it’s usually just a way of criticizing myself for not doing or being enough. More times than not, it just makes me feel lousy. I’m actually helped more by choosing to be grateful for what I AM doing, or trying to do--as small and incomplete and unimpressive and tentative as it might feel. I’m helped more by being grateful that I even have a desire to do or be more in alignment with my True Self and my soul’s deepest desires.
And that’s really the point—should is almost always the enemy of gratitude and grace.
So thanks Brennan Manning for the 11th Commandment. Let's all do our best to stopping shoulding on ourselves. Or on others.
You should all be in church this Sunday! 😊
Pastor B
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