| NEWS YOU CAN USE |
MEANING OF PENTECOSTThe Day of PENTECOST is celebrated 50 days following Easter. As the Christian Easter occurs closely with the Jewish Passover, Christ and his disciples were together to celebrate their last Passover, when the events of Christ’s death and resurrection unfolded; so, too, there is a Jewish Feast of Pentecost (a Greek word meaning the 50th day) when in ancient times, the Jews would gather in Jerusalem for this feast at the end of the harvest. Thus, the disciples, being Jews, were together also in Jerusalem when the Holy Spirit was sent to them, as Christ had promised. This coming of the Holy Spirit empowered the disciples to go out to share the Good News with the multitudes gathered in Jerusalem AND they did so in many different languages!! This empowerment to spread Christ’s message and perform his mission in the world was the birth of the Christian Church. This festival of Pentecost became a most appropriate time for Baptisms and Affirmations of Baptism – the new birth of Christians coinciding with the birth of Christ’s church on earth. The color red is used to symbolize the fire by the Holy Spirit. Some traditions which developed were the blowing of trumpets at the singing of the “Veni, Sancte Spiritus” (Come, Holy Spirit), the releasing of doves and the scattering of roses. It is most appropriate to keep the Paschal candle lit through this Festival, to stress the unity of the whole season of Easter. It is also appropriate to decorate the church with an abundance of red flowers. If potted geraniums are used they can be planted outside to beautify the church grounds and be a constant reminder of the Holy Spirit in our lives. THE CROSS, when used to lead the procession into the sanctuary, is the symbolic representation of Jesus entering our midst as we gather to worship our God. It is appropriate to turn to face the cross, to acknowledge it as it passes where you are standing and to continue to follow it with your eyes until it reaches its resting place. If the cross is used to lead a recessional, again it is proper to acknowledge it as it passes where you stand and to follow it with your eyes as it symbolizes Christ leading us out into the world; after we have been fed with the Word of God and the sacrament of our Lord’s body and blood we are led into the world to serve as He has commanded us. TAKING FAITH HOMETaking Faith Home sheets are available at the Welcome Center today and also on this website. Using this tool will help you and your family grow in faith together. The bulletin insert for this week and the next 3 weeks ADOPT-A-HIGHWAY CLEANUPWith the change in seasons, comes the need for highway clean-up. McFarland Lutheran is the Adopt-A-Highway sponsor for a 2-mile stretch of County Hwy. B in the Town of Dunn, just south of McFarland. This is a great opportunity to enjoy the outdoors while sprucing up the landscape along the highway. We gather at the Dunn Town Hall (corner of Keenan Road and Hwy. B) at 9:00 a.m. This year the clean-up dates are Saturdays, May 25, July 20 and September 28. It takes about an hour to do the clean-up (both sides of Hwy. B, running approximately one mile east and one mile west from the Town Hall. If you would like to volunteer for any or all of the scheduled dates, please contact Jacqui Landerud at 212-3582 or daveandjacqui@gmail.com. Participants must be 16 or older. HOW THIRST ARE YOU?Water, water everywhere, but is it good to drink? Fresh water in Uganda is a rare source. Lack of safe water is responsible for up to 75% of deaths in addition; dysentery is the #3 killer in East Africa. McFarland Global Mission is partnering with Water 4 Kids International to raise funds to help build a fresh water well in a Uganda village. Global Mission will be fund raising for the next two months. This is an opportunity for our congregation to continue to support God’s Church throughout the world. Our goal for the project is $5,000. With Water 4 Kids, our congregation will have a personal connection to the village. There will be several ways to participate in the project. We will have a general appeal for contributions and we are going to sell McFarland Lutheran aluminum reusable water bottles starting May 26th. Please visit our display booth in the Narthex for more information. MUSICIANS NEEDEDMcFarland Lutheran Church is looking for musicians to participate in special music this summer. We are looking for all ages and all styles. Instrumental and vocal. Solos, duets, trios you name it. This is a great opportunity for young and old musicians alike to play in a very comfortable, no-pressure setting. Students who have participated in “Solo and Ensemble” could perform a piece they have worked on in the past. Children or adults studying piano will have an opportunity to play a piece they have learned. Or, if you are interested in singing or playing and do not have a piece of music ready to go, we could put something together and rehearse it for a few weeks in preparation for worship. If you are interested, please contact our Director of Music, Christopher Malueg at cmaluge@mcfarlandlutheran.org. Martin Luther said, “Next to the word of God, the noble art of music is the greatest treasure in the world.” Please consider offering your gift of music here at McFarland Lutheran. COUNCIL MINUTES IN SECONDSMinutes In Seconds reports the discussions and actions that have been taken by the church council. Look at the April 23rd "Minutes in Seconds". When approved, the official minutes will be posted on our web site and in the church newsletter. Please contact a member of the church council for more details. COUNCIL MINUTES FOR MARCH 26THCouncil Minutes reports the discussions and actions that have been taken by the church council. Look at the March 26th "Council Minutes". Please contact a member of the church council for more details. CHURCH COUNCILClick on, Council Contact Information to see a list of the Council Members and contact information. Please contact them with any of your ideas or concerns. NEWSLETTER BY EMAILWould you prefer the MLC newsletter to come via email? Send your request by email to office@mcfarlandlutheran.org. "LIKE" MCFARLAND LUTHERAN CHURCH!We now have an active Facebook page, complete with photos and announcements of upcoming events. If you have any questions or concerns, please contact Chris Landerud at clanderud@mcfarlandlutheran.org or 838-3184. |
Sharing God's Word,
Showing God's Love,
Serving God's World
We hope this website will help introduce you to McFarland Lutheran Church. We are a wonderful mix of children, parents, grandparents, teachers, government workers, trades people, business people, homemakers, health professionals, artists and entrepreneurs claimed by God’s love through Holy Baptism. Some love golfing, some love hunting, some love fishing, some love camping, others love music, the arts and curling up with a good book.
We gather weekly to laugh together, cry together, and support one another as we worship, share fellowship, and receive training as disciples of Jesus Christ. We are sent from our gatherings renewed in faith to reach out and serve our neighbors both here and around the world.
contact us
Office - 608-838-3184
Fax - 608-838-7207
View our Outreach Opportunities
how to find us
5529 Marsh Rd., McFarland, WI 53558
View our Opportunities to Serve
News You Can Use
SANCTUARY BUILDING COMMITTE
SANCTUARY BUILDING PROGESS
Over the last few weeks, our architect, Groth Design, has been working with Pastor Tim, Chris Malueg, church musicians and the Sanctuary Building Committee to plan the sanctuary floor space. Some adjustments to the seating arrangement and the platform have been made to accommodate our various styles of worship. We hope to have an updated version for everyone to view soon.
At this point we need to establish two sub-committees to work on Liturgical Arts, and Colors and Materials. The Colors and Materials sub-committee will work closely with the architect to make decisions on the color and material choices for walls, ceiling, flooring, pew/chairs and lighting. The committee will also work closely with the Liturgical Arts sub-committee. If you are interested in serving, please contact Andrea Wendorf at 834-3050 or tahwendorf@hotmail.com.
The Liturgical Arts sub-committee will study and make recommendations about the altar, ambo, baptismal font and cross design. If you are interested in serving on this committee, please contact Marilyn Vandeberg at 838-6334 or ron.vandeberg@frontier.com. This committee will begin meeting in the next two weeks. We would like four congregational members on each committee.
ARCHITECT PRESENTATION
The presentation made by our architect, Paul Barribeau, at the congregational listening session on March 17 and meeting notes are available on this website (see below).. If you weren't able to attend the presentation in person, you can read it online or download and read it. May God continue to guide our journey toward a new house of prayer!
March 17th Congregation Listening Session Presentation
March 17th Congregation Listening Session Meeting Notes
Video of the Architect's rendition of the new Worship Space
Sanctuary Building Committe Contact Information
CAPITAL CAMPAIGN
Called To Grow
The Capital Campaign gifts are being collected and counted! What are your options for fulfilling your pledge? If you receive envelopes boxes, place your gift in the building envelope. You may also place a check in the offering plate and write Capital Campaign on the Memo Line. Those wishing to use automatic bank transfers should complete a form (or update your form if you are currently using automatic transfers) and return it to Rita Jenkins at the church office. If you have any questions, please contact Rita Jenkins, 838-3184 ext.103 or email: rjenkins@mcfarlandlutheran.org.