| Brothers, Sisters, Friends … We’ve arrived at Advent and my deep wish that you feel the season, find ways to share the light of Christ in your life and take time to gather hope and love into your home as we wait for the Baby Jesus to be born. May the hustle of the season bring you energy and not weigh you down. In addition to an exciting Advent season at McFarland UCC, there’s also a lot of leadership work happening behind the scenes, to set the stage for 2015 and beyond. |  |
Our Annual Meeting/Celebration Sunday will be on February 1st. This is a Sunday in which we’ll take the time to review how far we’ve come as a group of disciples and start to embark into 2015.
I have four highlights to share with you so you have an awareness of what is happening behind-the-scenes, and what we’ll be voting on in February:
I have four highlights to share with you so you have an awareness of what is happening behind-the-scenes, and what we’ll be voting on in February:
Building & Grounds Improvements: The building and grounds team is working on ways to update our building in a number of exciting ways. We would like to have a ceiling mounted projector to free up room in the sanctuary and eliminate wires and cables along the floor, which represent a safety hazard. Other needed improvements include carpeting, windows and parking lot upgrades. SaLT recommends that we prioritize these with a small capital campaign.
Annual Budget for 2015: We have set an ambitious goal for our 2015 annual campaign, and by now you should have received materials about this. You may be asking – why does the church’s budget continue to rise? A combination of factors is at play, but the largest driver is the need for office support.
Our church is growing, and with it, our administrative needs. Pastor Kerri’s time is best used ministering, providing pastoral care, helping us grow in faith, and continuing to be present in the community. Pastor Kerri’s time is not well used when she is opening church mail, answering the phone, dealing with solicitors, printing bulletins, preparing slides for Sunday morning and managing the building schedule. Ideally, we would like to hire an individual who is digitally fluent – familiar with cloud computing, social media, and database management – and can take on administrative tasks, working personably with our ministry partners.
The budget is 100% driven by the pledges made by the covenant partners and friends of McFarland UCC. We would like to make a half-time hire, with room for future growth, but we need congregational giving to cover the cost.
Our church is growing, and with it, our administrative needs. Pastor Kerri’s time is best used ministering, providing pastoral care, helping us grow in faith, and continuing to be present in the community. Pastor Kerri’s time is not well used when she is opening church mail, answering the phone, dealing with solicitors, printing bulletins, preparing slides for Sunday morning and managing the building schedule. Ideally, we would like to hire an individual who is digitally fluent – familiar with cloud computing, social media, and database management – and can take on administrative tasks, working personably with our ministry partners.
The budget is 100% driven by the pledges made by the covenant partners and friends of McFarland UCC. We would like to make a half-time hire, with room for future growth, but we need congregational giving to cover the cost.
I would like to invite you, if you haven’t done so already, to prayerfully consider your 2015 contribution and challenge yourself to make your contribution to MUCC as important as paying your mortgage and rent. Maybe this means more thrift store shopping and less department store shopping. Maybe this means more coffee brewed at home and less coffee bought on the way to work. Maybe this means more lunches packed at home and fewer lunches purchased.
What you will find, as you make these decisions and carry them out, is that in your giving, you actually receive. You can be assured that your contribution supports ministry in our community.
When you open your heart, love pours in and grace happens. Do what you can and open yourself up to something GREAT and JOYFUL!
Sabbatical Planning: SaLT has appointed a Sabbatical Planning Group to work with Pastor Kerri on her 2016 sabbatical. The SPG (Sabbatical Planning Group) is writing a grant proposal which will support Pastor Kerri in her work and just as important, rest, during the 2016 Sabbatical. This grant opportunity is congruent with the work this church has done in the past five years to “turn around” and become a MORE vital force of LOVE in McFarland.
Goals 2015: For five years, we have partnered with the Wisconsin Conference UCC to revitalize this congregation. We aren’t “just a little church” anymore; our church has grown by one third! Part of this growth has come through intentional, thoughtful goal-setting that shapes the activity of the congregation and its leadership. SaLT will be proposing a set of goals for 2015 that build on our successes so far, and set the stage for our continued congregational health.
The growth our church has experienced is about more than numbers. We’ve also grown deeper: in how we develop faith, how we carry out ministry, and how we are a blanket of love in our community. We are a church with BIG ideas, BOLD goals and STRONG faith. This church is moving ONWARD in a way that is vibrant, joyful, hopeful and loving!
The growth our church has experienced is about more than numbers. We’ve also grown deeper: in how we develop faith, how we carry out ministry, and how we are a blanket of love in our community. We are a church with BIG ideas, BOLD goals and STRONG faith. This church is moving ONWARD in a way that is vibrant, joyful, hopeful and loving!
Please watch for further updates on discussion forums where you can learn more about our expanding ministry and how your active participation will help us continue to thrive.
As the season of Advent continues, do as Christ would…
Give Love. Provide Hope. Be Peaceful. Shout Joy!!!
Wendy Sue Abel
Moderator at McFarland UCC
As the season of Advent continues, do as Christ would…
Give Love. Provide Hope. Be Peaceful. Shout Joy!!!
Wendy Sue Abel
Moderator at McFarland UCC
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