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I Forgot To Send This Yesterday!!! So Sorry!
I'm at the Wisconsin Conference UCC Annual Meeting in Green Lake and got busier yesterday than I thought I would!! Explanation in the "Few Words..." article at the end of this newsletter.
Apologies to the sign building group that met at church this morning (see below) who were hoping to use the Pulse this week to let more of you know about this. We'll make signs for upcoming event participation after worship tomorrow (June 8th)
Confirmation Class Celebration AND Pentecost Sunday tomorrow! Plus Special Music from Andra Moran!!! Hope to see you!
Pastor Bryan
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"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 6 - Sunday, June 8, Wisconsin Conference UCC Annual Meeting.
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
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
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Thank you to this weekend's volunteers!
Greeters/Ushers: Lisa & Mariana Schweitzer
Hospitality Hosts: Geoff Brink, Paul Miller
| | 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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No Kings Rally
Saturday, June 14, 2025
The Social Justice Collective met on June 3 and has decided to participate in the No Kings Rally Madison event on Flag Day, Saturday, June 14. The No Kings is a national day of action and mass mobilization. The No Kings Day actions are set to occur during the military parade being held in Washington, D.C. Social Justice Collective members all agreed it is time to take action and express our disagreement with the actions of the United States (U.S.) government and Supreme Court on several issues. We intend to show up using signage that is non-politically oriented, reflective of our McFarland United Church of Christ (MUCC) beliefs, is scripture-grounded, and not negatively centered. We do not want to remain silent bystanders. We invite interested MUCC members or friends to join us.
Signage: There will be an opportunity to make signs on Sunday, June 8 after worship and possibly another time depending on need. Dawn Cogger will encourage efforts to create innovative signage. Please come to make signs at the church. Otherwise, feel free to create your own signs and bring them to the rally.
No Kings Rally background: On Saturday, June 14, people are being urged to rally by taking to the streets nationwide. The No Kings Rallies seek to build movement and momentum with a day of resistance. The No Kings Madison Rally features local speakers who support Democracy. A guiding core principle behind all the No Kings Rallies is a commitment to nonviolent action. The organizers expect all participants to seek to de-escalate any potential confrontation with those who disagree with our values. Link to No Kings Rally
Location: State Capitol, King St (at the corner of E Doty & S Webster), Madison
Timeframe: 2-5 pm CDT (Speakers begin at 3 pm)
Meeting Place: MUCC members will gather at the YWCA, 101 E Mifflin St, Madison. Meeting time is approximately 1:15 pm. A city parking ramp is nearby.
MUCC carpool: If you want to carpool, meet at 12/noon in the church parking lot and leave at 12:15 pm.
*Please note ahead of the No Kings Madison Rally: Madison-based groups such as Indivisible, 50501, Women’s March, and other community partners are coming together to create an “unforgettable day of resistance” here in Madison. This event runs from 12-2 pm at the UW Library Mall: Join Women’s March for Kick Out the Clowns, a grassroots street circus. While onsite, there are opportunities to stop by the 50501 Midway Free Market to check out a variety of free goods. Scheduled at 2 pm is a No Kings March from the UW Library Mall to the King Street corner of the State Capitol. You can choose to attend this event on your own. Link to Indivisible
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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).
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Strengthen The Church
June 15
The Strengthen the Church Offering furthers the work of our conferences and the national UCC as we work together to strengthen and renew existing congregations, fund leadership development, and provide exciting new programs for youth and young adults. The offering is divided with 50% staying regionally within your conference and 50% supporting the National Ministries.
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Noisy Offerings!
Sunday, June 15
Bring your loose change to church with you! The teen/youth kids will walk around during church collecting all loose change for their summer trip.
Photo: Ash Ismail on Unsplash
| | Attention Earth Day Artists: Please pick up your art lying on the fellowship area windowsill before Sunday, June 15. | | |
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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Summer Solstice Fire Ceremony: A Unifying Christian & Shamanic Fire Ceremony
Friday, June 2oth, 6:30-8:30 pm
Experience a powerful Summer Solstice Ceremony at our church fire pit, led by Pastor Bryan, Trish Kalhagen, and Shamanic Practitioner Jessica Riphenburg. These gatherings bring together a diverse community for a special time of healing, uplifting, connection and hope as we celebrate the longest day of the year. Feel free to bring a lawn chair, or use one of our folding chairs. All ages are welcome, and invite a friend! The event is free, with an opportunity to make an offering to support Jessica's work.
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An Evening of Dances of Universal Peace
Join Robin and Michael for an evening of connection, community, and solace as they lead us in powerful body prayers on Friday, June 27, from 6:30-8:30 pm 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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Car Wash Fundraiser
Saturday, July 19
9am-1pm
Bring your dirty vehicles!
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Weekly Creation Care Topic
Reduce/Reuse/Recycle
“The Ocean is our world’s greatest wonder, a seemingly endless source of sustenance, potential, wisdom, and awe. From the marine life that contributes to our oxygen, medicines, and food, to its natural infrastructures that sequester carbon and buffer shores, every diverse element of the ocean supports humanity in a multitude of ways….Despite countless warnings, we have knowingly depleted its abundance, polluted its depths, and devastated the ecosystems that we depend on as well as those we are yet to discover. We can no longer take the ocean for granted. It is critical so that future generations can have the chance to revel in its wonders, instead of wondering what's been lost. This UN World Oceans Day 2025 (June 8), we celebrate the ocean’s essential wonder … & call on decision-makers to honor the ocean’s wonder when determining its fate.”
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Shalom
The Southwest UCC Conference publishes the Shalom, which is a monthly e-newsletter of the events and happenings in the Conference. Check it out!
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A Few Words from Pastor Bryan
Well I can't believe I forgot to send this newsletter out yesterday! My apologies!!
I'm just grabbing a moment now at the annual meeting in Green Lake to get this out! My apologies that I spaced it out yesterday! One of the reasons is that I've been trying to encourage the conference to open up the process of discussion and deliberation regarding the study of Israel/Palestine. As most of you know we studied this issue this past year and crafted a statement as a congregation. But the hoped for 30% of congregations who would have done the same this past year fell short. As a result it was announced yesterday that we not not discuss or deal with the issue this year at all and that we were "done." I and our church delegates (Walt Jackson and Jean Duchrow) did not feel this was an adequate or faithful response, and that congregations that chose not to study the issue should be regarded as having "abstained" rather than as a "no" vote that has the weight to bring the process to a close. We will still most likely be talking about this later today and it may get a bit controversial so please pray for us!
But beyond that it's been a blast to be able to play music with Christopher Grundy, Richard Bruxvoort-Colligan, and Andra Moran. They are all such dear friends and it's always a blessing for me to spend time with them.
And we were treated to an address this morning by the President of the UCC, Rev. Karen Georgia Thompson (that's her in the photo above). The theme of the meeting this year is on Butterflies as a symbol of transformation. In her address she shared some of her own original poetry, and then mentioned the well knows story most of us have heard about a person who saw a butterfly emerging from a cocoon, and thought she was helping the butterfly by cutting the cocoon open to make the emergence easier. But of course this only crippled the butterfly and prevented it from growing wings large and strong enough to fly--because the struggle of breaking out of the cocoon is part of how the butterfly develops the strength needed for the full transformation. Such a great metaphor. Maybe you're struggling right now in one way or another? Remind yourself that it is through the struggle that you will be strengthened and eventually enabled to fly... and this goes for collective struggles as well, which we can all related to these days.
Okay I've got to get to the next session! Don't miss church tomorrow!! We're going to celebrate the confirmation of our 3 confirmands--Carter Hoffmann, Raya Beecher-Etnier, and Lily Mortensen, and Andra Moran is going to share some special music. And yes, I'll still give a short (really!) message connected to Pentecost and what it means for the Holy Spirit to come to us with power and Truth.
See you tomorrow!
Pastor Bryan
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