A big welcome to the new pastor of the First Congregational Church, Isaac Fleming, who started leading worship services there on the first of the month.

He will be filling a big pair of shoes that belonged to Pastor Donald Ehler, who served the church for 39 years until his retirement in 2012.

Pastor Fleming has been interning at a number of churches for the last seven years, including the Faith Christian Church in Mauston. He also was the Assistant Activities Director at Heritage Manor in Elroy.

He, along with his wife, Vachelle, and two-year-old daughter, Zion, have moved into the church parsonage and are delighted to be starting a Hillsboro ministry.

A special Installation Service is scheduled for Sunday, Oct. 27, at 9:15 a.m.

            ***

In the meantime, Pastor Ehler has carried his career just about full circle. After coming to the First Congregational Church of Hillsboro from a church in Leon, Wisconsin, four decades ago, he has returned there to help with ministerial duties after the passing of its regular minister following an extended illness.

We spoke to Pastor Don and Darlene recently, and they reported keeping busy in retirement but also spending many quality hours with grandchildren, who just happen to be close neighbors in La Crosse!

***

The huge turnout for Charlene Darcy’s visitation was truly a fitting Hillsboro tribute to her lifetime of friendliness and to her entire family.

The line of friends waiting at 5 p.m. to enter the Picha Funeral Home for her wake, which began at 4 p.m., stretched down the pavement on Prairie Avenue from the front door all the way past City Hall.

And, it wasn’t much smaller two hours later!

In addition to giving folks plenty of time to trade memories of Charlene during the wait, it also provided for some reunions of old friends who had been out of touch.

She would love that aspect of the gathering.

            ***

Universal Law of Probability: The chance of a dropped open-face jelly sandwich landing face down on a living room floor is directly correlated to the newness and cost of the carpeting.