"I will put my teaching in their minds and write it on their hearts..."
Jeremiah 31:33
| | | Calendar of Upcoming MUCC Events | | |
Below are the weekly programs. Brief descriptions of these weekly programs are on our website.
Clickable links are in blue, underlined, and italicized.
| | |
SUNDAY Choir Practice
Contact Tom Ludwig, if interested. Practice is 9-10am on Sundays before worship. No rehearsal Jan. 4, 2026.
| | 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. | | |
Sunday, December 21, 4th Sunday of Advent, The Christmas Fund Collection, No Practice Christmas Pageant!
Wednesday, December 24, Office Closed
Wednesday, December 24, 5:00 pm, Christmas Eve Candlelight Service with Rev. Susan Shands
Thursday, December 25, Office Closed
Thursday, December 25, 11:00 am-1:00 pm, Community Christmas Meal, Merry Christmas!
Thursday, January 1, Office Closed
Sunday, January 4, Communion and Birthday Sunday, Teen Meeting in the evening
Tuesday, January 6, NO Social Justice Collective Meeting
Thursday, January 8, 6:00 - 8:00 pm, SaLT Monthly Meeting (In person & Online), Multipurpose Room
| | |
Thank you to this weekend's volunteers!
Greeters/Ushers: Martha Olsen
Hospitality Hosts: Jean Blackmore,
Vickie Mueller
Worship Lead: Rev. Susan Shands
MUCC online calendar indicates Sunday worship leads.
| | Resolve to get involved at McFarland UCC! Volunteer on Sunday. Join a ministry such as Social Justice Collective, 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.
| | |
Edgewood Pantry Collection Success
Thanks to all who contributed to the Edgewood University Pantry holiday drive that was coordinated by MUCC’s Social Justice Collective. On Monday, Dec. 15 we gave Edgewood staff, Catherine Kiesler and Connor Haarklau a check for $441.00 and several boxes of food and hygiene products. They were touched by our church community’s generosity.
| | |
Advent greetings, friends!
Thank you for welcoming me into your congregation through this season of waiting, preparing, and anticipating. My heart has expanded, and my faith deepened through your hospitality, the sharing of your church’s traditions, and the telling of stories that speak to this special time of year. It has been a joy and a privilege to walk with you for this short time together.
The next two worship services bring us into the heart of the nativity story and the fullness of what it means for God to dwell amongst us. On Sunday, December 21, we will enjoy our annual no-practice Christmas pageant, where all are invited to have a part to play (even if it’s simply sitting in the pews, cheering the others on!). This reflects the divine invitation for each person to help prepare the way for the coming of Christ in our daily lives–we all have a part to play in the larger story of God’s redeeming work in the world. We hope to see you in the sanctuary (in person or online!) this Sunday for this hopeful and joy-filled retelling of the story we know so
well. The theme for the final Sunday in Advent is “Love,” and this beloved tradition exemplifies the deep love displayed by many people around the birth of Jesus, and how this church carries that love forward.
Then, on Wednesday, December 24, we gather for a traditional Christmas Eve service of lessons and carols. We enter into the mystery of Jesus’s birth through scripture and song in this service of reflection and light. Held by a sacred story that is at once cosmic in scope and yet as intimate and tender and grounded as a new mother swaddling her baby, we tap into our own
vulnerability as we put our faith in the One who has taken on flesh to live among us.
The journey continues on Sunday, December 28, as Tom Ludwig leads the congregation in a celebration of the Christmas season with hymns and carols of joy!
I hope to see you on the 21st and 24th (Christmas Eve will be my last service with McFarland UCC). Again, thank you for your warmth and grace during my time with you all. I wish you all good things throughout your time with your new interim minister, trusting that the Holy Spirit will
accompany you with clarity, emboldening you to bring your many and wonderful gifts to the McFarland community and beyond.
In hope, peace, joy, and love,
Pastor Susan Shands
| | |
No Practice Christmas Pageant
December 21
During worship
Come join the fun! Anyone and everyone can play a part.
| | |
Christmas Fund Collection
Sunday, December 21
The Christmas Fund has been caring for active and retired clergy and lay employees of the United Church of Christ for over 100 years, providing emergency grants, supplementation of small annuities and health premiums, and Christmas “Thank You” gift checks each December to our lower-income retirees.
United Church of Christ congregations and members have blessed the Christmas Fund with their generosity for many years. This year, your care and compassion will be especially appreciated by those servants of the church who are facing a time of need. Donations may be made through the usual method of choice and indicating "The Christmas Fund." Thank you for your generosity!
| | |
Christmas Poinsettias
Sunday, December 21 is the last day to fund a poinsettia that is part of Advent and Christmas decor. The deadline was extended. A loved one may be honored or memorialized, or a simple donation to help defray our church costs.
The suggested donation for the small (6 ½” pot) plant is $14, and $23 for a large plant (8” pot).
There are two payment options:
- Pay online to the General Fund with the memo “Christmas Flowers.”
- Pay by check – drop it in the offering basket on Sunday or mail it to the church with the memo “Christmas Flowers.”
| | |
Winter Solstice Fire Ceremony & Potluck With Shamanic Practitioner Jessica Riphenburg
Sunday, Dec. 21, 3:30- 6:30 pm
We'll gather around a ceremonial fire and enjoy another solstice fire ceremony and prayers with shamanic practitioner Jessica Riphenburg. Enjoy some prayers from the Celtic Christian tradition and the fire ceremony from the shamanic tradition. Bundle up and join us as we acknowledge the longest night of the year, and welcome the return of more and more Light! Afterward, there will be a potluck. Please register so you will be notified of weather updates.
| | |
Blue Christmas Service
The Advent and Christmas seasons present a special challenge to individuals who are grieving, lonely, or anxious about events in the wider world. If that describes you, consider attending a Blue Christmas service designed for those who don’t have the heart for holiday cheer. The Wisconsin UCC Conference Older Adult Ministries Team is offering a virtual Blue Christmas service at 7 p.m. on Monday, December 22.
| | |
Christmas Eve Candlelight Service
December 24
5:00 pm
In person & via Zoom
(Password: betogether)
Greeters/Ushers needed
| | |
Community Christmas Meal
The Befrienders Care Team is once again serving the Community Christmas Meal on Christmas Day 11 am-1 pm. It is one of the ways McFarland UCC builds community and shows it's "a church with heart."
Volunteers will once again be needed to prepare food, set up, clean up, and serve. There is a separate signup focusing on the ministry of hospitality for the meal. If you are available, please consider how you could help this season. Questions? Contact Judy Taber, Lynn Belleau, or Jean Duchrow for the meal signup and Lynne Toseff for the hospitality signup.
| | |
Weekly Creation Care Topic
Reduce/Reuse/Recycle
Christmas Recycling Quiz: Which of these things CAN be put into your recycling bin?
A. Christmas card with glitter on the picture
B. Wrapping paper made from foil
C. Cardboard tubes that held wrapping paper
D. Tissue paper
E. Ribbon and bows
Answer: C, all the rest must go into the landfill, though you can easily save tissue paper and bows to reuse. Challenge your family to find creative, earth-friendly ways to share greetings and gifts.
Merry Christmas from MUCC’s Creation Care Team!
| | |
Lost and Found Basket
Items not claimed by the end of the year will be donated.
- Prescription glasses
- 2 water bottles
- Black beret hat
- Single hoop earring
| | |
Salt Spot
Meeting highlights
December 11, 2025
- Developed the Interim Ministry Covenant for Rev. Robert Koepcke
- Discussed potential SaLT members and a financial secretary to present at the annual meeting. If you are interested in serving on SaLT as a member-at-large or may have the skills to serve as a financial secretary, please find a member of SaLT so we can discuss.
- Started preliminary work on the annual meeting.
- Discussed the 2026 Operating budget and reviewed the need to budget for a new roof in the future.
| | |
New Memorial Donation Policy and Updated Memorial Designation Form
As many of you know, when a member or friend of our community passes away, loved ones often choose to gift a financial donation to the church. To ensure your and your loved one's wishes (regarding the use of these gifts) are honoured, SaLT recently approved a new Memorial Donation Policy and updated Memorial Designation Form. If you are interested, these documents are now available on the McFarland UCC website here. Please feel free to share any comments or questions with any member of SaLT.
| | |
Welcome, Reverend Robert Koepcke!
We welcome our new interim pastor, Reverend Robert Koepcke! He officially starts on January 1, 2026.
| |
608-838-9322
5710 Anthony St.
McFarland WI 53558
Office Hours: Wednesdays & Thursdays 9am-1pm
Ginger Hummer, Office Administrator
gin...@mcfarlanducc.org
---
For Pastoral Care, contact Jean Duchrow (608-335-3772, jeandu...@gmail.com) with the Befrienders Care Team.
---
Servant and Leadership Team (SaLT): Moderator - Donna Grossman (do...@mcfarlanducc.org); Vice Moderator - Walt Jackson; Treasurer - Kathy Schwenn; Clerk - Diane Mikelbank; At-large members - Lynn Belleau, Colleen Krattiger, Lisa Schweitzer, Cody Dewayne Shingler, and Judy Taber
---
McFarland UCC has an opt-out media policy. Click here to see the Media Policy.
| | | | |
