"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.
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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 14, 3rd Sunday of Advent, Befrienders Commissioning
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 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
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Thank you to this weekend's volunteers!
Greeters/Ushers: Lisa & Mariana Schweitzer
Hospitality Hosts: Lynne Toseff, Lynn Belleau
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.
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Dear friends,
Now we are halfway through the season of Advent. It is a delight and an honor to celebrate these special days with the people of McFarland UCC, a collective of faithful Christ-followers that embodies vibrant worship, able leadership, and joyful faces and voices. As we apply our minds, hearts, and spirits to the task of “Imagining Advent” together…as we move through a time of hopeful expectation, of magic and wonder, of prophetic visions of beauty, peace, and freedom…I also acknowledge that this particular time of year can carry heaviness and grief for many. For those navigating personal losses (a loved one’s death, the loss of a job, struggles with infertility…), and for those who are grieved by the state of the our common human experience (wars, violence, greed, hatred…), the dissonance between what is hoped for and what is can be deafening. We do our best to wait–patiently but not passively–and yet we still long for an immediate end to global injustice and private hurts.
While there may not be a solution or a quick fix for these ills, there are places that can serve as containers to hold our grief and our yearnings, collectively, in solidarity. Here are a few opportunities to be held in tenderness and to reflect on the beauty in the shadows of this season:
May you lean on God’s steadfast mercy and peace (even when it’s hard to find within yourself) this Advent.
Pastor Susan
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Children's Activities Throughout Advent
There are many opportunities for children and families to participate in the joy and wonder of the Advent season.
December 14: Christmas projects in the Fellowship Hall focusing on Joy
December 21: No-practice pageant — a time for all to share the birth of Jesus with laughs, love, and joy.
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Christmas Eve Candlelight Service
December 24
5:00 pm
Greeters/ushers needed (see signup above)
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Opening Our Hearts to College Students
Now -Sunday, December 14
Submitted by Social Justice Collective Ministry
Let the spirit of peace in this 2nd week of Advent move you to consider a donation to the Edgewood University Pantry. Shelf-stable proteins like tuna and chicken, shelf-stable milk, instant rice, canned veggies or fruit, granola bars, and hygiene items are simple ways for us to actively promote justice to those in need this holiday season. There is a bin in the fellowship hall to collect items; please make sure financial donations are marked for Edgewood Univ pantry. Donations collected through this Sunday (12/14).
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Christmas Poinsettias
MUCC has purchased poinsettias through the McFarland Lioness Club fundraiser to decorate the sanctuary. Would you like to purchase one or more of our church’s poinsettias to honor or memorialize a loved one? The honored person(s) would be listed in the Pulse. Purchasing a poinsettia helps defray our church costs.
The suggested donation for the small (6 ½” pot) plant is $14, and $23 for a large plant (8” pot).
To contribute toward a poinsettia (which you may take home after the Christmas Eve Candlelight Service), sign up via SignUp Genius or contact Ginger (Office Administrator) or Jean Duchrow by Wednesday, December 17.
There are two payment options:
Pay online into 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.”
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Sound Bath - Chakra Balance and Affirmations
Sunday, December 14, 1-3 pm
Judy Taber has a connection with Karen Jedele and helped coordinate this opportunity.
What is a Sound Bath?
A sound bath is a meditative experience where participants lie down or sit comfortably while sounds and vibrations from various instruments are played. These instruments can include singing bowls, gongs, chimes, drums, and other harmonic tools. The term "bath" implies that the participants are immersed in the sounds, allowing the vibrations to wash over them, promoting relaxation, stress reduction, and sometimes even spiritual or emotional healing. The intention is to create a therapeutic environment where individuals can let go of tension, quiet the mind, and enter a state of deep relaxation or meditation. Click here to register.
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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!
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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.
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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.
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Weekly Creation Care Topic
Reduce/Reuse/Recycle
The Joy of Advent: The blog Why Happiness is Good for the Planet on earthday.org talks about happiness. “Contrary to a common myth that consumerism equals happiness, studies have shown that happy people buy less stuff, and buying less stuff makes you happier. Another proven source of happiness is a connection to animals. Whether it’s a loyal family pet or appreciating an animal in the natural environment, animals consistently inspire happiness in people who engage with them, thereby bridging the connection to nature.” Feeling the gratitude of joy and connection impacts the health of all creation.
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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
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608-838-9322
5710 Anthony St.
McFarland WI 53558
Office Hours: Wednesdays & Thursdays 9am-1pm
Ginger Hummer, Office Administrator
gin...@mcfarlanducc.org
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For Pastoral Care, contact Jean Duchrow (608-335-3772, jeandu...@gmail.com) with the Befrienders Care Team.
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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
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McFarland UCC has an opt-out media policy. Click here to see the Media Policy.
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