Pulse for September 26, 2025

[McFarland United Church of Christ]

MUCC News & Events

September 26 - October 2, 2025 "I will put my teaching in their minds and write it on their hearts..." Jeremiah 31:33 mcfarlanducc.org 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. SUNDAY Choir Practice, Starts Sept. 28 - THIS SUNDAY Contact Tom Ludwig, if interested. Practice is 9-10am on Sundays before worship. SUNDAY Morning Worship, 10 am in person and via Zoom https://zoom.us/j/97010988439 Password: betogether SUNDAY, 11:30 am Bible Study in person and on Zoom https://zoom.us/j/262314649 MONDAY - FRIDAY, 8 am Morning Devotion on Zoom only https://zoom.us/j/94276813637 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. Saturday, September 27, 9:00 - 11:00 pm, Befrienders Orientation Class (In person & Online), Multipurpose Room Tuesday, September 30, 6:30 - 8:00 pm, Rescheduled Social Justice Collective Meeting (In person & Online), Multipurpose Room, NO meeting Oct 7 Wednesday, October 1, 6:30 - 8:00 pm, Befrienders Class (In person & Online), Multipurpose Room Sunday, October 5, Communion and Birthday Sunday, Neighbors in Need Collection Sunday, October 5, 5:30 - 7:00 pm, Teen Meeting, Arbor Good Neighbor House, 2509 McDivitt Rd, Madison. Wednesday, October 8, 6:30 - 8:00 pm, NO Befrienders Class, encourage attendance of Contemplative Service Wednesday, October 8, 6:30 - 7:30 pm, Contemplative Service with Prayers for Healing (In person & Online), Sanctuary Thursday, October 9, 6:00 - 8:00 pm, NO SaLT Monthly Meeting, Postponed to Oct. 16 Wednesday, October 15, 6:30 - 8:00 pm, Befrienders Class (In person & Online), Multipurpose Room Thursday, October 16, 6:00 - 8:00 pm, SaLT Monthly Meeting, Postponed from Oct. 8 (In person & Online), Multipurpose Room Thursday, October 16, 6:30 - 8:00 pm, Presentation - "How UCC Mission Partners Bring Hope to the Holy Land," Sanctuary Wednesday, October 22, 6:30 - 8:00 pm, Befrienders Class (In person & Online), Multipurpose Room Tuesday, October 21, 6:30 - 8:00 pm, Rescheduled Creation Care Quarterly Meeting (In person & Online), Multipurpose Room, NO meeting Oct 16 Saturday, October 25, 6:30-8:30 pm, Bad River Documentary Movie Screening, Sanctuary Wednesday, October 29, 6:30 - 8:00 pm, Befrienders Class (In person & Online), Multipurpose Room Prayer Requests? Contact Jean Duchrow. Thank you to this weekend's volunteers! Greeters/Ushers: Bob & Carol Naylor Hospitality Hosts: Jean Blackmore, Vickie Mueller Worship Leads: Walt Jackson, Howard Olson Sign up as Greeter/Usher Questions? Email Becky Cohen Sign up as Hospitality Host Questions? Email Joan Jacobsen 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. Next Befrienders Class Offering Beginning September 27 Submitted By Jean Duchrow The Befrienders will be offering a new set of classes starting with a September 27 orientation from 9:00-11:00am. Six classes will be held on Wednesday nights from 6:30-8:00 beginning on October 1. (We will not meet on the second Wednesday of each month, so those wishing to attend the healing service may do so.) Zoom is always an option for these classes. The Classes will cover: Recognizing Our Gifts Cancer and Life Threatening Illness Dementia/Alzheimer Grief and Loss Mental Illness and Schizophrenia Alcoholism and Drug Abuse We would welcome anyone interested in sharing with the group on any of the above topics. Contact Jean Duchrow Neighbors in Need Collection Sunday, October 5, 2025 Rarely have I seen a church without some form of ministry that helps feed people. From community meals to food pantries, churches across the country make sure people have enough to eat. But I always wondered, wouldn’t it be better if none of these services had to exist. What if everyone simply had enough to eat? Our churches share compassion by not only providing for the basic needs of our neighbors but also asking deeper questions of why these inequalities exist in the first place. Our immediate call to alleviate the suffering of those around us is paired with a prophetic witness calling for systemic reform. All congregations in the United Church of Christ are invited to take part in the Neighbors in Need offering to address just this. Two-thirds of the offering supports justice and witness ministries of the United Church of Christ, with one-third of the offering given to the Council for American Indian Ministries (CAIM). Your gifts directly fund the Neighbors in Need grant program. This grant, for UCC congregations and partners, offers funding for both direct service and advocacy projects. Thank you for your generosity! The Rev. Rachel McDonald works for the National Ministries of the UCC as Generosity Officer, OCWM, and Special Mission Offerings. The four Special Mission Offerings of the United Church of Christ are One Great Hour of Sharing, Strengthen the Church, Neighbors in Need, and the Christmas Fund. Together, they demonstrate a commitment to building a just world for all. To learn more, click here. Gifts to Neighbors in Need (NIN) support the United Church of Christ’s ministries of justice and compassion throughout the United States. One-third of NIN funds support the Council for American Indian Ministry (CAIM). The other two-thirds of the offering support a variety of justice initiatives, advocacy efforts, direct service projects, and grants. Neighbors in Need grants are annually awarded to UCC churches and organizations doing justice work in their communities. Give online Learn more about speakers Watch trailer and learn more Indigenous Culture Submitted by Dawn Cogger Indigenous Cultures span thousands of years. Indigenous people in America can be called native people. Colonization greatly affected, and today still affects, cultures worldwide. Indigenous people have had to fight to preserve their cultural heritage, which includes their traditions, beliefs, and lands.  Our new piece of art for October’s Indigenous Month is a sample of Indigenous art. It is the Bear. The Bear represents strength and protection. Note the freedom of shapes and colors. What do YOU sense when you see The Bear? Weekly Creation Care Topic Reduce/Reuse/Recycle This week’s tip: Reduce Food Waste - September 29 is International Day of Awareness of Food Loss and Waste. Households account for 60 percent of global food waste (UNEP, 2024). One out of eleven people in the world faced hunger in 2023 (FAO et al., 2024), and yet, over 30% of food in the US ends up in landfills, where it produces greenhouse gases that are bad for the environment. Reducing food waste is easy and cost-effective. Take the challenge by clicking here to test your knowledge about food waste. Changing a few habits can make a big difference: plan food purchases and meal prep, pay attention to “use-by” dates, measure portion sizes, share extra food, and compost food waste rather than putting it into the landfill. Dane Co Dept of Waste & Renewables, Purple Cow Organics, and our village of McFarland (along with 4 other municipalities in Dane Co) are working to divert food from the landfill to recycle it into compost. Visit this link to learn details and to sign up to receive the code to access FREE dropoff. Earth Image by Clker-Free-Vector-Images on Pixabay 608-838-9322  5710 Anthony St. McFarland WI 53558 Office Hours: Wednesdays & Thursdays 9am-1pm Ginger Hummer, Office Administrator 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. Visit our website Follow Us

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