"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, 9 am in person, Sanctuary
Contact Tom Ludwig, if interested. Not May 25
| | 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. | | |
Wednesday, May 28, 6:30 - 8:00 pm, Befrienders Training (In person & Online)
Sunday, June 1, Communion and Birthday Sunday
Sunday, June 1, 5:30-7:00 pm, Teen Youth Meeting at McFarland UCC
Tuesday, June 3, 6:30 - 8:00 pm, Social Justice Collective Team Monthly Meeting (In person & Online), Multipurpose Room
Wednesday, June 4, 6:30 - 8:00 pm, Befrienders Training (In person & Online)
Friday, June 6 - Sunday, June 8, Wisconsin Conference UCC Annual Meeting. Contact Donna Grossman by Sun., May 25, if you'd like to attend.
Sunday, June 8, Confirmation Sunday
Wednesday, June 11, 6:30 - 8:00 pm, NO Befrienders Training
Thursday, June 12, 6:00 - 8:00 pm, SaLT Monthly Meeting (In person & Online), Multipurpose Room
Sunday, June 15, Strengthen Our Church Collection
Wednesday, June 25, 6:30 - 8:00 pm, Befrienders Training (In person & Online)
Friday, June 27, 6:30 - 8:30 pm, Dances of Universal Peace
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Thank you to this weekend's volunteers!
Greeters/Ushers: Martha Olsen, Kathy Paulson
Hospitality Hosts: Cody DeWayne, Tracy Donohue
| | 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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Pastor Bryan Gone May 19-29
Associate Conference Minister Rev. Rachel Bauman to Preach!
You will love Rachel Bauman! She will be preaching on Sunday, May 25th, and she will also be the conference staff person in charge of helping our congregation find an interim minister and next settled pastor. You will love working with her and she's a great preacher!
The Befrienders team will handle pastoral care while Pastor Bryan is gone. Contact Jean Duchrow (608-335-3772) if you need any help. And Pastor Kris Gorton (608-438-6307) will be on call in case the emergency need for an officially ordained minister arises. I (Pastor Bryan) will be attending the graduation of my nephew from West Point, and visiting my daughter and her family. Have a wonderful Memorial Day Weekend!
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Our Congregation's Statement On Israel/Palestine
Last year, after the annual Wisconsin Conference UCC meeting, our congregation committed to studying the conflict between Palestinians and Israelis throughout the year in preparation for a vote on a Resolution at this year's annual meeting in June. We faithfully completed our commitment to study the issue.
At our last Social Justice Collective meeting our group of about 15 agreed it was time for us to draft a statement that summarizes our position after studying the issue. Click here to read the statement. All members and friends are invited to read the statement and offer their responses, critiques, suggestions for revisions, etc. by Sunday, June 1, 2025. Responses should be emailed to any of the following persons: Pastor Bryan, Harriet Taylor, Marcus Murphy, Rachel Saladis, or Donna Grossman.
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"The Eternal Song" Documentary
June 3-9
For tens of thousands of years, Indigenous peoples have lived in deep kinship with the natural world while stewarding ancestral lands and wisdom. Our “modern” Western mindset, shaped by colonization, capitalism, and individualism, has cast a collective fog of amnesia, leading us to believe we are separate from Earth, each other, and the ancestral realm.
The Eternal Song is a new 90-minute documentary by Zaya and Maurizio Benazzo, the film directors who brought us Where Olive Trees Weep about the struggles and resilience of the Palestinian people, which we had the opportunity to view last June. For three years, the film directors traveled into the heart of Indigenous lands and communities, collecting testimonies on the impact of colonization and the healing of those deep scars. They describe that their hearts were shattered and remade from witnessing landscapes of deep suffering and resilient beauty.
Weaving together Indigenous voices across generations and communities, the documentary uses storytelling as a conduit for ancestral wisdom. It is a prayer for collective remembering, an invocation to the rhythms of the Earth. The film invites you to wade through the depths of our collective past, to grapple with historical traumas, and imagine pathways to collective healing.
The film is available for viewing from June 3 – June 9. Registration is required to view the film via Zoom. Note that registration asks for a donation, but you can donate what you can (even $0 works).
| | Bob and Carol Naylor would like to make you aware of this opportunity! | | |
United Church Camps Inc. (UCCI) invites you to the sacred experience of gathering at Moon Beach, Daycholah Center, and Cedar Valley. In these places set apart, you will be warmly welcomed by a loving community and have the time to recharge and connect deeply with God, nature, and each other.
UCCI offers year-round camps, retreats, and events for all ages at three unique locations in Wisconsin. Moon Beach in the Northwoods, Daycholah Center on Green Lake in central Wisconsin, and Cedar Valley in the rolling countryside of southeast Wisconsin. Camp AweSum provides camp opportunities for children on the autism spectrum and their families.
The outdoor ministry of UCCI welcomes people of all faith backgrounds or no faith backgrounds. We provide modern and comfortable accommodations, delicious meals, toasty campfires, and a team eager to serve you. Nature shares the wonder of the sun, stars, water, and trees. The Spirit of God will meet you here.
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Weekly Creation Care Topic
Reduce/Reuse/Recycle
Tip of the Week: World Bee Day May 20, 2025 theme: "Bee inspired by nature to nourish us all". The more than 20,000 species of bees worldwide are under threat by pollution and loss of habitat. Three out of four food crops that we eat rely on pollinators. A world without pollinators would equal a world without food diversity – no blueberries, coffee, chocolate, cucumbers & so much more. Beyond food, pollinators also contribute directly to medicines, biofuels, fibers like cotton and linen, and construction materials. Bee inspired to reduce your chemical use, plant more native flowers, put out a shallow dish of water for thirsty bees and inspire others to “bee kind”! Click here for more info.
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Lost and Found
Several water bottles, a hat, and a towel are looking to return "home." Please claim your items by June 17, or they will be donated.
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A Few Words from Pastor Bryan
...will return next week
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