OCTOBER 2018

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135 E. Larch St.

Rhinelander, WI 54501

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(715) 365-1535

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www.rhinelanderucc.org

E-MAIL US rhiucc@newnorth.net

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A “God Is Still Speaking”

church and an Open and

Affirming congregation

A publication of First Congregational United Church of Christ

Don’t Forget to Vote!!

From Pastor Topher . . .

November 6 is an important day - Voting Day.

It’s an important day because our democracy isn’t a democracy unless we participate in it. And, boy, oh boy, does our democracy need some participation! Did you know a Princeton study from 2014 concluded that the United States’ government has actually become closer to an oligarchy than a de-mocracy? (An oligarchy - for those asleep on that day of Social Stud-ies - is a government controlled by a small group of rich and powerful elites.) It doesn’t have to be this way of course! To regain our democracy, all we have to do is use it. In other words, VOTE. But there is a problem. Many people, particularly people of my generation, don’t see much of a choice when it comes to voting. We have a two-party system, and neither party is very inspiring. We find ourselves voting AGAINST the other guys more often than FOR anyone. What’s the point of voting when neither choice is what you actually want? At times like these, I like to ask the age–old question: What would Jesus do? Or, in this case: How would Jesus vote?

I think that’s a great ques-tion, and we’re going to spend the month of October asking it! Just like us, Jesus was a citizen navi-gating imperfect political parties. In fact, he had FOUR of them to deal with! They were the Essenes, the Zealots, the Sadducees, and the Pharisees. Each of them were right in some ways, wrong in oth-ers, great in some respects, and awful in others. Obviously they didn’t correlate exactly to the pol-itics of 21st century America. But by looking at how Jesus reacted to them could teach us a lot about how we should respond to our political challenges. (Spoiler alert: Jesus was just as dissatis-fied with his choices as we are, so don’t expect any easy answers!) So please join us for VOTE JESUS, all throughout October. And don’t forget to vote!

Rev. Topher Mehlhoff

In October, instead of Movies That Matter, we will be doing Dinner and a Movie. Come for dinner, stay for a movie! On Saturday, October 27 we will be hosting a Spaghetti Dinner as a fund-raiser for KIN from 4:30 to 7:00 p.m. We will be showing the movie “BOG” in conjunction with that fundraiser. If you missed the 40th anniversary showing of “BOG” at the Rouman Cin-ema, come and see it for free. We will do two showings, one at 5:30 and one at 7:00.

If you are not familiar with the movie, it was shot in Oneida Co. and was supposed to be a horror flick, much like “Jaws.” With the mediocre (at best) acting, terrible editing, and probably the worst kissing scene you will ever see, this movie is hilariously bad! Support a great cause and have a few laughs. The fundraising dinner is open to all and so is the movie. Invite friends, neighbors and co-workers. Let’s raise some money for KIN and have a good time!

Help Raise $$$ for KIN

KIN: Kids Impacting

Our Neighborhood

KIN is in need of our help to continue to operate in our neigh-borhood. KIN is located down-town on Brown St. right here in Rhinelander. Their function is to offer a program focused on the prevention of and interven-tion with homeless, runaway/throwaway, and at-risk youth in Oneida and Vilas Counties. I have brochures available that highlight more about KIN and the programs they offer. To help KIN, I am hosting a Spaghetti Dinner at our church

on Saturday, October 27. I am asking you to help me with this endeavor. There are several ways you can help: ٠ Help cook on the 27th ٠ Help serve ٠ Help with clean up/dishes ٠ Make a dessert (whatever you like); drop off on the 27th ٠ Donate supplies for the meal ٠ And most of all, attend the dinner and the movie! I will have a table set up in Fellowship Hall in the coming weeks to answer any questions and enlist your support. You can also email me at vanbu-ren1@charter.net. Thank you!

Merlin Van Buren

Co-Chair, Board of Directors

Calling All Youth!

Youth Group will start on Wednesday, October 3.

We will be meeting the first and third Wednesday

of each month from 5:30 to 7:00 p.m.

All youth 13 and older are welcome to attend!

Dinner and a Movie - October 27

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A Big Thank You to everyone who helped to make Pastor Topher’s installa-tion service and pizza party such a wonderful occasion! The music during the service was wonder-ful, the Fellowship Hall tables and centerpieces were beautiful, and the food was delicious. Thanks to all who worked so hard to make the day a very spe-cial time for all of us to remem-ber. Pastor Dale Bishop was heard to remark that our church still knows how to throw a great party!

Backpack Mission a Success!

The Outreach Board distributed 97 completely stocked backpacks to 45 families. An additional seven high school students received needed sup-plies. This was a HUGE success and much appreciated by the recipients. Outreach wishes to thank the Job Center for collecting supplies, the Sal-vation Army for monetary donation, and our congregation for significant contributions. Special thanks to Amanda, Ralph, Rita and Jackie for assembling the supplies and getting them to the school kids.

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Love Rhinelander is an event to help members of our community with household tasks. Our church is partnering with United Methodist to provide help with fall chores to those who have requested assis-tance through the Oneida Co. Sen-ior Center. We will meet here at UCC at 9:00 a.m. on Saturday, 10/6/18 (rain date 10/13/18) for a blessing and dispatch of teams. Lunch will be provided here at UCC and then back to work until 3:00 p.m.

Volunteers for work teams, con-tact Jackie Schmieder at 715-550-1419. Volunteers to help with lunch, contact Mary Moxon at 715-282-6506. Those needing help with fall chores, contact Jackie at the number above OR Oneida County Senior Center at 715-369-6170. This is a fine opportunity to get to know folks you work with and to make the world a better place for those we can help.

Thank YOU!

Electronic Giving Available!

Love Rhinelander Returns

Our church is currently offering an electronic option for making one-time or reg-

ular weekly or monthly offerings. Contributions can now be debited automati-

cally from your checking or savings account or processed using your credit or

debit card. Our new electronic giving program through VANCO offers conven-

ience for you and much needed donation consistency for our congregation. If

you are currently giving on a weekly basis, you will no longer need to write out

52 checks a year or prepare 52 envelopes. And when you travel or when ill-

ness or other circumstances prevent you from attending services, this program

will allow your weekly offering to continue on an uninterrupted basis. You can

access online giving directly by going to our website: rhinelanderucc.org and

clicking on the “Donate Today” button. If you don’t have computer access, you

can get an authorization form from the church office. For you savvy mobile

phone users, there is a free app. go to the app store or Google Play and

search for “GivePlus Church.”

Lay Readers for October

Oct. 7 Sharon Schroeder Oct. 14 Julie Russell Oct. 21 Tim O’Connor Oct. 28 Beth Kost

Our First Wednesday Night Dinner!

We’re Back!! At least for one night! Thanks to those of you who volunteered to help with this first dinner! WHEN: Wednesday, October 3 TIME: Serving starts at 5:00 p.m. WHAT: Oven roasted pork loin; black beans/yellow rice with fresh tomatoes, green onions, cilantro, sour cream; green salad; pretzel cheesecake COST: Free-will offering - give what you can!

Stay tuned for more info on our November dinners!

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We have a new Facebook page! Go give it a “like”

so we can increase its exposure. Plus you’ll receive

news and updates on your Facebook feed. It’s at:

facebook.com/uccrhinelander

October 1

Mary Peterson

Linda Herber

October 3

Amanda Jahn

October 4

Sandra McKitrick

October 5

Coleen Wendt

October 8

Carl Corey

Carole Arndt

October 9

Emma Wendt

October 10

Wally Dahlquist

October 11

Sondie Wilson

October 14

Brandon Michie

October 15

Bill Hoppe

October 18

Mary Dork

October 20

Leah Fox

October 21

Brandyn Dahlquist

October 24

Roger Wagner

October 26

Linda Boyd

Allen Ring

October 28

Steve Dahlquist

October 31

Samantha Michie

Executive Council Meeting Highlights 9-18-2018

Pastor Topher reported worship going well with attendance trending up. He’s playing more games with folks! The installation service was great - thanks from Topher. He would like to continue to officiate at Three Lakes through Christmas (our needs to be factored into planning at Three Lakes). Outreach: Backpack update given. Thanks to the Job Center and Salvation army for sup-port of backpack mission. Working on Love Rhinelander for 10/6, rain date 10/13. Spiritual Life: Video equipment used this past Sunday; well received. Working on timing of Passing of the Peace in worship and more time for silent prayer. Website issues being worked on by Topher and Mary Dork. Facebook working well. Trustees: Stewardship campaign to begin in October with letters and pledge cards sent out; also will be announcements on Sunday mornings. Building & Grounds: Ice machine repaired, but leak damage to side panel to be ad-dressed (Frasier Kitchens). Music room shelf repaired. Aspen Tree Service bit lower than Tip Top. Birchfield will continue landscaping and will replant dead birch at no charge and surrounding flower bed (monies available in landscaping account). Heating system still needs repairs; Dahlquist will be contacted to determine when that will happen. The board would like to have a hand man who could be called for small repairs; by EC vote the board will be allowed $2,500 for emergency repairs without authorization from Trustees. Board has been contacted about having a drop box for Warm for Winter outside the church. Tom Jerow & Steven Schreier would maintain box. It has become unmanageable at Leschke’s house, and Friendly Village has not been receptive to having it at the W for W location. Trustees will check with insurance company re: liability. Christian Ed: Kids’ Studio started last Sunday - 4 in attendance. Pastor/Parish Committee complete (Dale Smith, Julie Russell, Judy Thoms). Personnel Committee formed and will be meeting soon. Update on Wed. Night Suppers: first one planned for October 3rd; planning for one per month at this time with free-will offering taken. Next meeting: Tuesday, October 16 - 5:00 p.m.

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We Wish to See Jesus

Installation of Topher Mehlhoff First Congregational United Church of Christ, Rhinelander, Wisconsin

September 8, 2018 Dale L. Bishop

After Topher honored me by asking me to preach for his Service of Installation, it occurred to me that, give or take a couple of months, this installation comes exactly ten years after my ordination and installation in this very church. So Topher, let me begin this little homily by wishing you joy in your ministry here, the kind of joy I experienced with this congregation. The preacher at my installation, and I’m guessing a few people here will remember him, was Bob Lee, who was my friend and mentor. Bob was also here for my last service of worship as Pastor and Teacher of this congregation before my retirement. He himself had retired as Pastor of First Con-gregational UCC in Burlington, Vermont, just a few months earlier, and by emails and phone calls we had be-gun to mentor each other into the not-so-brave new world of retirement. He died, suddenly, from a heart attack, just two months after that last visit here. I miss him. When I was preparing for my first Holy Week with this congregation, I wrote to Bob, asking him for advice about my first Palm Sunday service as pastor of this, or for that matter any, congregation. With its mixed emo-tions and mixed messages, Palm Sunday can be a complicated and challenging day for pastors and parishioners alike. Bob replied, “Just remember that your assignment, should you choose to accept it, is to be the ass that carries Jesus into town.” It was classic Bob Lee humor, but like the best humor, it carries a precious kernel of truth. Because what Bob said about the role of the pastor on Palm Sunday is relevant not only to Palm Sunday but to each and every day that you, Topher, continue to pursue this mysterious and wonderful calling of pastor. Your assignment, should you choose to accept it, is to be the ass that carries Jesus into town—not to aspire to be Jesus, but to be that humble beast of burden that carries Jesus, that lifts him up just high enough so that other people will see him, see him for who he is. So yes, you are called to carry Jesus. You will carry Jesus into places where he is not only welcome, but longed for—into hospital rooms and nursing homes, to the bedsides of the dying, to those darkened homes of people who are homebound and lonely. And you will carry him into places where, even in the church, immediate concerns will sometimes obscure the need for his presence: you’ll carry him into church meetings about budgets and bylaws, about building mainte-nance and plowing the parking lot. And you will do your best to make sure that even in the most mundane of discussions, people will be able to see Jesus although they hadn’t expected to. And you will introduce Jesus to confirmands who are confirmands only because their parents want them to be, and you will do your best to convince them that getting to know Jesus will be the most important thing they will do in their lives. And, if you’re really doing your job, you will carry Jesus into places where he is not welcome. On Palm Sunday and Holy Week, we’re reminded that Jesus first was welcomed deliriously and then he wasn’t. That’s because Jesus has a way of shaking things up. You’ll remember that there were important people, many of them reli-gious leaders, who didn’t like the way Jesus challenged them, when he called out hypocrisy when he saw it; when he challenged their narrowness, their lack of compassion, their eagerness to exclude those who were al-ready excluded from polite society. Do your best not to spend too much time in polite society; Jesus is (continued on back of this page)

Included in our Newsletter by popular demand -

Rev. Dale Bishop’s Sermon on the Occasion of Pastor Topher’s Installation

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(continued from other side)

consistently uncomfortable there, and he tends to make polite society uncomfortable with him too. He touches the untouchable, hangs around with the disreputable, even dares to love them. You will, perhaps, be told to stick to religion and stay out of politics. But that’s one of the difficult things about carrying Jesus, because his ethic doesn’t respect the boundary between faith and politics. Jesus never imposed politics on his faith; but he did apply his faith to the politics of his time. The distinction is important. And, as important as anything I’ve said, as pastor of this church, you will open yourself to having Jesus car-ried to you, sometimes by the seemingly unlikeliest people. Traditionally, the preacher at an installation service is supposed to address not only the pastor being installed but also the members of the congregation who have called that person to be their pastor. And I think it’s a sound tradition, and besides, for some of you it will be a familiar experience to have me preach at you, alt-hough it’s been a while. I encourage you to put yourself at the roadside as your pastor does his best to carry Jesus into town, or into the church. Look first of all for Jesus, not at the one who is carrying him. Don’t expect him to be Jesus. He’s a good person and all, and I know that he’s a gifted preacher, but there will be times when he will disappoint you, just as there will be times when you will disappoint him. Support him with your prayers, with your hugs, yes with your pastries, and yes, even with your disagreement. But disagree honestly and openly, not in the parking lot or in little email circles. Unless things have changed since I was here, I know this to be a thoughtful congregation, not just “nice” thoughtful but in having thoughts thoughtful. Honor him and yourselves by taking what he says and does seriously, by engaging him. On the pulpit of the church that my friend Bob served in Vermont, facing the pastor and not the congregation was a wooden plaque that said, “We wish to see Jesus.” It’s a slightly more inclusive variation of a passage from the twelfth chapter of John, when a group of Greeks approached the disciples asking for an audience with Jesus. Every Sunday, Bob, or whoever else might occupy the pulpit on that particular day, could not avoid seeing that plea as he rose to preach. “We wish to see Jesus.” What a wonderful, and daunting, remind-er to a preacher! After all, you have the right name for it. You all know, of course, that the name “Topher” is a shortened ver-sion of Christopher. Christopher is one of those names that isn’t just a name. It’s a prayer. The name means “bearer of Christ” and whether or not his parents intended Topher’s name to be a prayer, it is a prayer now. Topher, be true to your name: be a bearer of Christ. My prayer—dare I ask that it be our prayer?—is that together this congregation and this pastor will seek to answer the question that Jesus posed to his disciples in the passage we read from Mark. “Who do you say that I am?” Your answer will inevitably be incomplete; it will continue to evolve as you live your lives together. In fact, your common quest for the answer to that question will not, and should not, reach a final conclusion. Be-cause once you think you have everything figured out will be when you are in the deepest trouble. But know this: when Jesus comes to town, everything changes. And that’s a good thing. Amen.