In assessing our church's staffing needs, McFarland UCC's Servant Leadership Team (known as SaLT) made the decision this spring to switch from having a part-time Office Assistant to a Communications Coordinator.  Mike Klawitter was hired for 8 hours a week beginning this summer.  He is responsible for writing news releases, generating local media coverage on church events, and keeping church members informed of activities through emails, our website and blog.  Mike is in generally in the office Wednesday afternoons.  Be aware that with his limited hours, emails at other times might have a lag time in response.

Are you involved in one of our ministry teams - perhaps planning a church event?  Read more about how to use this new resource effectively.  

A Church with Heart + meaningful ministry + warm hospitality (+ lots of publicity) = many new faces among our worshiping community.  Over the next few months, while we gather a More Than Membership group in preparation for a Covenant Sunday, we'll be bringing you mini-profiles so we can get to know one another.  For this issue of our e-newsletter, Carolyn Bell & Elisa Welch, and Phyllis Grant and Jerry Vonderheid sat down to chat.  

Katie Gletty-Syoen attended a session of “Disorganized Sports” at the McFarland United Church of Christ and felt very happy about a part of the world she helped create. 

As children were running around playing an assortment of games outside, Katie gazed at the adjacent community garden where she saw people of all ages maintaining their small plots of land with hopes of eating fresh vegetables at their dinner tables or proudly displaying colorful flowers at home. 

It was a vision that required a lot of effort and teamwork from church members and community leaders, who all understood what a community garden would mean to the village of McFarland.  It was also an accomplishment that fit in with MUCC’s tradition of unifying its talents to achieve a goal that benefits the community.

McFarland United Church of Christ member Maddie Loss was deep in thought during a car wash last June to raise money for a mission trip to help developmentally disabled residents at a facility near St. Louis.   The car wash gave the mission team a chance to bond and work toward a worthy cause, but $2,000 was still needed to pay for travel expenses during the week-long trip.  Then, an intriguing idea came to her, and within a matter of days, the mission group had the money it needed.

Under #missionflamingo, people paid money to have front yards of fellow congregants “flocked” with plastic flamingos.   Those who wanted to keep the flock away were allowed to pay anti-flamingo insurance.  Within the first week, the stunt raised nearly $1,000, and provided some financial breathing room for the mission team, which is scheduled to leave for Missouri Aug. 3.   

Join us outside the church at 9:55 am on August 3 to give them a warm McFarland UCC blessing & sendoff!  Click on 'read more' to get more of the story, photos, and video.