December 9 - December 16, 2022

SUNDAY Morning, 10 am Zoom Worship

https://zoom.us/j/97010988439 Password: betogether

SUNDAY , 12 noon Zoom Bible Study  

https://zoom.us/j/262314649

MONDAY - FRIDAY, 8 am Morning Devotion

https://zoom.us/j/94276813637

WEDNESDAY Eve., 6:00 pm Midweek Inhale Spiritual Practices

https://zoom.us/j/123020606 nnnn NOTE: This is 30 minutes earlier than usual this week.

TONIGHT - Friday, December 9th, Younger Youth Meeting Before The Holiday Concert!

5:30 - 6:45 p.m.

Even though we've moved our Younger Youth meetings to the second Sunday of each month, we're going to meet in December on Friday the 9th to make it easy for families to join us for the special Ken Medema and Andra Moran concert that evening! We'll make Christmas tree ornaments and have pizza and a Bible Story as usual and then hopefully kids and families will stay for the concert. Bring friends!!!

Sunday, December 11th,

10:00 a.m.

Morning Worship



(in person and on zoom as always)

https://zoom.us/j/97010988439

Password: betogether

3rd Advent Sunday Theme is Joy

Ken Medema wil be with us for worship! Invite your friends!!

Sunday, December 11, Immediately After Worship

Decorate The Church For Christmas!

Worship on December 11th will already be special since Ken Medema will still be with us on Sunday morning. Then after church we'll enjoy Christmas cookies and finish trimming our church tree together. Plan to stay around a bit for this fun time of fellowship and joy!

Sunday, December 18th During Worship We Will Enjoy Our annual "No Practice Christmas Pageant!"

If you are new to us this year, the "No Practice Christmas Pageant" is exactly as it sounds! After some opening music and lighting the 4th Advent Candle (the candle of Love), we act out the Christmas Story together and sing Christmas hymns and carols. We have costumes for all ages, and it's always fun to play around with this together. Don't worry--direct participation (putting on costumes, etc.) is optional! We always need people to just be the "townspeople of Bethlehem," who just sing along and read some unison parts that are projected on the screens. It's a fun and festive time so please don't mess this!

Poinsettia Dedications 2022

Donate a poinsettia in honor or memory of someone important to you. We have purchased our poinsettias from the McFarland Lioness, so you'll also be supporting a great community organization!

We have 15 small plants (6 1/2" pots) with a suggested donation of $14 and 5 large plants (8" pots) with a suggested donation of $23. First come, first serve. 

There are 2 payment options: 1. Pay online into the General Fund with a memo "Christmas Flowers" or 2. Pay by check - drop in the offering plate or send it to the church with a memo "Christmas flowers."

Plants will decorate the sanctuary for Advent and Christmas Eve. You may take them home after Christmas Eve worship. Any plants left after worship on January 8 will either be disposed of or brought to shut-ins (if they're in good condition).

Click Here to go to SignUpGenius to reserve a poinsettia.

FINANCIAL COMMITTEE NEWS

As we begin our financial planning for 2023 we are once again seeking financial pledges to help us have a sense of what degree of support we can count on in 2023.

An email was sent November 25 titled "A Letter From Our Church's Financial Committee" to everyone who receives the Pulse. This letter is now also on our website under the Donations tab.

Click here to be taken to the Letter and Form.

Link to a fillable PDF of the 2023 Commitment Form.

Please return Commitment Forms to the Financial Secretary via mail or email FinSec@mcfarlanducc.org by January 1, 2023. Thank you for your continued support!

Members of the MUCC Finance Committee

Geoff Brink    Joan Jacobsen    Barb Janoski     Carol Lemke   

Farrel Smith    Sue Haeffner

2023 Sunday Morning Ministries – Kitchen/Hospitality and Ushers

Here’s your opportunity to get involved and support some of the activities for Sunday morning – helping in the kitchen or being an usher. 



Kitchen/Hospitality Ministry Team

Team members are responsible for preparing beverages and snacks to be served prior to and after each worship service. This includes set up and clean up. The time commitment is from 9:15 am to about 11:45 am. The goal is to have a minimum of two individuals assigned each Sunday.

Once a month on the first Sunday, in addition to the usual beverage duties, the Kitchen Team is responsible for setting up and serving cake for our monthly birthday celebration. 

Ushers Ministry Team

The ministry of ushering is an important part of worship because it is one of the most visible ministries in the church. Ushers assist the congregation and pastor by greeting and welcoming all members and guests. They serve a role in ensuring the worship service runs smoothly and the sanctuary offers a place conducive for worship. Ushers also respond to requests and any special needs or accommodations of those in worship. Ushers serve from 9:30-11:15; preference is for 2 persons to greet and usher together

Signup sheets for 2023 are posted on the bulletin board near the front entrance and updated signup lists are now available in Sign Up Genius (under “Contact”) on the church’s website.

Link for Kitchen/Hospitality - For more information contact Joan Jacobsen (kitchen) at treasurer@mcfarlanducc.org

Link for Usher -For more information contact Becky Cohen (usher) at cohenrw@yahoo.com.

Lost and Found Items

-Edge brand (purple) was left in the sanctuary (probably 12/4)

-Stanley brand (green)

-Anytime Fitness water bottle

-XL blue MUCC sweatshirt

Lost & Found bin is located under the coat rack. Thank you!

An Invitation to Share Your Favorite Nativity Sets With Our Congregation...

Nativity sets are a wonderfully diverse, creative, and inspiring artform. If you have a nativity set that you would enjoy sharing with us church family we would love to see it! Our Worship & Arts Team is issuing this invitation to you all to bring yours to church either for a Sunday or throughout the rest of the Advent and Christmas season. The team is not yet sure how they will be used. It all depends on how many we receive! It may be a table in the fellowship area or in the sanctuary somehow. Cindy Wendorf (cwendorf@aol.com) and Jean Duchrow (jeanduchrow56@gmail.com) will organize them once you bring them in. You can either bring them on Sunday morning to church or drop them off in our church office. Ginger is in the office Wednesdays and Thursdays from 9-1 p.m. Beyond that just email Ginger (office@mcfarlanducc.org) or pastor Bryan (pastorb@mcfarlanducc.org) to make an appointment to drop one off. Thanks!

Wednesday, December 21

6 - 7 pm

Winter Soltice Fire Ceremony

As many of you know, throughout the past year we have been enjoying solstice and equinox fire ceremonies with our friend and Shamanic practitioner Jessica Riphenburg. Once again, we will celebrate the Winter Solstice together in this way. We will share prayers from the Christian tradition and the Shamanic fire ceremony ritual. Since it will be cold in all likelihood, we will limit the ceremony to one hour, and we will have a nice big fire to stand around together.

Saturday, December 24th Christmas Eve

Worship Service

6 pm

(in person and on zoom as always)

https://zoom.us/j/97010988439

Password: betogether

We will gather for our annual Christmas Eve worship at 6 p.m. on the 24th. There will be special music from the brass ensemble, Gabe Lemke, and our entire choir will sing together for the first time. Join us for this lovely and moving service of music, Scripture, and Spoken Word. 

We Will NOT meet for Sunday Morning Worship on Christmas Day!

Community Pot Luck Meal Instead

11 a.m. -- 1 p.m.

Our leadership team decided it would be best to not hold worship on Christmas morning and to encourage you all to enjoy that morning in whatever way you typically do. Thanks to SaLT member Lavor Geasland's wonderful suggestion, our church is going to sponsor a community potluck meal on Christmas Day. See the details below. Thanks to all of you who have volunteered to help host this beautiful event!

The UCC Christmas Fund Offering Is Coming Up!

Our congregation has been an enthusiastic "5 for 5" supporter of our denomination's 5 annual offerings. The next one coming up is taken each year during the Christmas season. Checks can be made out to our congregation with "Christmas Fund" in the memo line, or you can donate online by using this link.

(Select Here To Donate)

Thanks to our own member, former interim minister, and retired UCC clergyman Mike Bausch for reminding me of this offering coming up and for submitting the following explanation of what the Christmas Fund Offering is all about!

The Christmas Fund of the Pension Boards United Church of Christ 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. Thank you!

A Few Words From Pastor Bryan



Well it's snowing hard as I write these few words to you all on this Friday morning, December 9th. I'm going to share the same anonymous quote with you that I shared with the morning devotion group today. It often comes to my mind when it starts snowing hard, especially early in the winter. Here it is;

"It’s snowing like crazy this morning. It could mess up all our plans.  Life is like that.  Isn’t it wonderful?” 

Of course for me today this evening's concert immediately came to mind. I'm sure hoping a bunch of people show up! But the snow might mess up that hope/plan of mine. Is that wonderful?

Oh sure it is. It's wonderful to know that we're not in control of so many things. In fact we're in control of so FEW things! It's wonderful to know that Ken and Andra will be just fine if hardly anyone shows up, and that we'll have a great time anyway. It's wonderful to be reminded that you all have safe and warm homes to stay in.

But beyond this day and the snow and tonight's concert, it's wonderful to know that no matter what happens any day of our lives, God is with us, we'll be given grace to adjust, to let go, to move through grief and loss at whatever pace we must, that we've got friends and a church community to walk with us, and vision with which to find beauty, meaning, and even joy and purpose in what IS, even if it's not our plan A.

You know, that just might be one of the most powerful keys to living a beautiful life. Very few things in my life have gone exactly as I'd have drawn them up, but God just keeps making it all so full of grace and goodness that all I can do is agree with whoever came up with that anonymous quote.

"It’s snowing like crazy this morning. It could mess up all our plans.  Life is like that.  Isn’t it wonderful?” 

Yes. It is.

I hope to see you at the concert tonight, and in church on Sunday!

Pastor Bryan