We will host a special worship service this Sunday, October 15 at 10 am to mark Pastor Kerri Parker's last day as our pastor and celebrate our shared ministry.  Community members are invited to attend.  A light meal will follow the service.

​Rev. Parker has been serving as the congregation’s pastor for seven years.  She joined the congregation in a transitional role for revitalization work in November 2010 and was called as the congregation’s settled pastor in January 2013.  New ministries at the church during this time period have includedMessy Church a cross-generational event with Biblical storytelling, hands-on activities, meal and simple worship offered on the second Sunday of the month Sept-April; God on Broadway, a popular summertime worship series; and community collaborations which resulted in the successful McFarland Community Garden.  
 
The church’s interim pastor, the Rev. Michael Bausch, will begin on October 16 and will lead worship for the first time with the congregation on Sunday October 22nd.  Rev. Parker will begin her new call as Executive Director of the Wisconsin Council of Churches, located in Sun Prairie, Wisconsin, on October 30th.
 
 McFarland UCC is located at 5710 Anthony Street in McFarland.  The church is an Open and Affirming congregation of the United Church of Christ.   For more information and upcoming events, visit the church’s website at mcfarlanducc.org

Beloveds,

It is with a full heart that I write to share the news that I will be leaving McFarland UCC this fall to serve as the Executive Director of the Wisconsin Council of Churches.  I have said to you for some time that I had no plan or intention of leaving unless God's Holy Spirit called me elsewhere. It seems - as we sing in our doxology - 'the Spirit has been moving in my heart,' preparing me for this new ministry. 

When I leave, I will continue and broaden the work I have undertaken among you here in McFarland. The common ministry of the Wisconsin Council of Churches focuses on church unity, peacemaking, social and economic justice for Wisconsin's most vulnerable residents, and revitalizing congregations.
​
I want you to know that serving as your pastor these past seven years has been one of the greatest joys of my life.  You have shaped me into the pastor that I am. You opened your hearts, listened to my stories and shared yours with me. There has been laughter, fingerpaint, confetti (ok, lots of confetti), general messiness, and grace for all the times of cleaning up. You allowed me, in so many holy moments, to remind you that you are a beloved child of God.

The months ahead will have time for grief at leavetaking - space for holy tears if you need them - and time for celebrating what we have accomplished in ministry together. I am ready to receive whatever it is you need to express. Know that we will still be pastor and congregation together through October 15th.  There will be opportunities to break bread (and run to the communion table), tell stories, sing and make noise, and bless one another. Our building project continues, as does our giving challenge! There are babies being born, new families to welcome into the faith community, and things to learn about our faith every day.

After I leave, the congregation's leadership and representatives from the wider church will guide you through conversations about what's next. I believe, with all my heart, the future of McFarland UCC can be as vibrant as our years together have been. You have all the wisdom and heart of each other, and God's Spirit to lean on.

Christ stands with us at every crossroads. My great hope for these final months together is that we can keep showing up for one another,passionate about our shared ministry, being the real, messy people that we are.

Peace and blessings,
 
Pastor Kerri

Dear Covenant Partners and Friends of McFarland UCC,

It was great to see so many of you at worship on September 18 to participate in the transition from Kristin Gorton, our Interim Pastor, back to Pastor Kerri Parker, who returned from a three-month sabbatical.  Many thanks and blessings to Pastor Kris for the wonderful work she did in Pastor Kerri's absence!
 
While things are back to a "routine", our sabbatical work is not done!  It is time for us to reflect on what we learned - Pastor Kerri as a pastor and we as a congregation - during the sabbatical.  You are invited to a 

Post-Sabbatical Visioning Session following worship on Sunday, November 6.
We expect this session to last 2-3 hours.  Lunch will be provided,
​and we will be done in plenty of time for you to make the Packer’s 3:25 kickoff!

The warmth of summer will soon make way for the cool of autumn -- and the season for Sundaes on Thursdays might be past -- but that won't stop us from making our presence known and engaging with the community.  On Sept. 19-21, MUCC will be participating in the McFarland Family Festival. Once again, we'll offer our popular (but messy) fingerpainting table under the Big Top. 

Our table will be open Friday evening, all day on Saturday, and Sunday after the parade. Look for the big tent in the McFarland High School parking lot.

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, Tracy Weber, and Jeff & Susan Trentadue sat down for a chat:

It used to be children at the McFarland United Church of Christ left worship after only 15 minutes.  In recent years, they would depart for Sunday School after children’s time.   Not anymore. 

This fall, children will join adult worshippers for the entire service and Sunday school sessions will be put on hold.  Understanding that we learn through hearing and doing, the church has established an activity zone in the sanctuary for those who need to keep their hands busy as they listen and learn. 

Wendy Abel, moderator of the congregation, said the concept promotes the importance of cross+generational relationships.