During the fall of 2009 our Sunday school is testing out a new schedule with instruction for pre-school children through 5th grade taking place during worship.  Children are invited to come with their parents to worship and participate in the Children's Time before being dismissed for classes.  At 11:00 they will join their parents for the fellowship time.

The Adult Bible Study Class will continue to meet at 8:50 a.m. and Wake Up Call for middle school students will continue to meet at 9:00 a.m. in the youth room.

For six weeks from October 1 through November 5, 2009  members and friends will have the opportunity to participate in a growth and study group, "Discovering Your Gifts, Vision, and Call," at 6:30 p.m. each Thursday evening.  The series will be led by a lay-clergy team including Betty Opelt, Jenny Romens Erickson, and Pastor Jim Mohr.

The sessions are especially designed for those who are concerned abou the pain and despair in the world and who yearn to help implement God's vision for creation.  It offers a process for discerning your vocation and a model for working with others who share your calling.

A sign up sheet will be available on the narthex bulletin board.  Course books may be obtained from the church office for $7.00.

Here is a list of the sessions:

• What Are My Unique Gifts?
• How Can I Call Forth Another's Gifts?
• Which Vision is Mine to Carry?
• What is God calling Me to Do?
• How Can I Work Together with Those Who Share My Call?
• How Can the Larger Community Support the Callings of Its Members?

Beginning October 2 you are invited to participate in a six-week learning experience on the theme of "Journeying With the Spirit."  Team taught by a lay-clergy team this series of two-hour sessions will help participants to experience such classic Christian practices as prayer, meditation, healing, and reconciliation.  Each session in this course will introduce a particular approach for spiritual growth and a specific aspect of prayer.

Course books are available in the church office for $7.00.  A sign up sheet is available in the entrance way.

On Tuesday, February 5 (which is also Shrove Tuesday or Mardi Gras, meaning "Fat Tuesday) we will have a one-session study on the devil.  Utilizing a resource from The Thoughtful Christian: Faithful Living in a Complex World, participants will have an opportunity to critically evaluate their personal beliefs about Satan, explain the development of the biblical presentation of Satan, and list the limitations of Satan's powers over human beings.  A sign-up sheet is available on the entranceway bulletin board.  A session will be offered at 10:00 a.m. with a repeat at 7:00 p.m.

Copies of the study guide will be available beforehand.

In the fall of 2007 we offered a six-week study series in the fall on Thursday evenings.

Entitled Encountering God in the Old Testament, this series was similar to courses taught the last two years in the Unwrapping Our Gifts and Unleashing Our Weekday Ministries series. The course was team taught by Natalie Hauge, Joe Eddy, and Pastor Jim.

In May the Wisconsin Conference of the United Church of Christ published a history of its first forty years. Among the authors of the book is our own pastor.

The history, edited by Barbara Dotts Paul, is entitled That All May Be One: Historical Essays on the Wisconsin Conference of the United Church of Christ. Its 120 pages offer a narrative history of how the UCC in Wisconsin was organized and grew over the years. Chapters include:

1. The Origins of the Wisconsin Conference, 1943-1962, by James D. Mohr.

2. The McCall Years, 1963-1966, by Richard L. Christensen

3. The Ralph Ley Years, 1966-1981, by Gerald W. And Cynthia E. Bertsch

4. The Frederick Trost Years, 1981-2001, by Justus F. Paul

There are also forewords by Frederick R. Trost and David S. Moyer. Copies are available for reading in both our church library and the Neillsville Public Library. Copies are also available for sale in the church office for $10.00.

In 2005 a group of ten people "unwrapped" the spiritual gifts God has given them.  In the fall of 2006 a group of fifteen people participated in a sequel to "unleash" our weekday ministries.  Through imaginative Bible studies, case studies, and supportive group discussion, participants discovered and strengthened their personal ways of ministering in our workplace, relationships, and world.  The course addressed such issues as living by one's core values, loving difficult people, being a friend to others, managing relationships of power and authority, building teamwork, standing up for the truth, creating change in one's everyday world, making peace, living with joy, and being witnesses of Christ.  The eight sessions will included:

Ministry of Presence

Ministry of Work

Ministry of Love

Ministry of Friendship

Ministry of Community Building

Ministry of Joy

Ministry of Power

Ministry of Peacemaking

In the fall of 2007 another similar experience will be offered by the "Unleashing Task Force."

This year's Sunday School Christmas Pageant will take place during worship on Sunday, December 16.  Practices begin in November.  For more information contact Wendy Sigurdson, superintendent.  743-6138.  Below is a picture from a previous year.