January 5 News & Notes Interactive Question

Tri-Presbytery January Devotional

To the saints of Winnebago Presbytery: Merry Christmas, Happy New Year, and Blessed Epiphany!

To be Presbyterian is to be connectional. We know that the church isn’t just our particular congregation. We in Winnebago Presbytery, are 28 connected churches in northeast Wisconsin.

Attached to this email is a three-week devotional, with reflections from church leaders in Winnebago as well as Milwaukee and John Knox Presbyteries. We compiled this devotional for the people of our churches with several hopes:

• to help strengthen our sense of connection,
• to learn about neighboring churches and ministries,
• to continue our explorations of collaboration with neighboring presbyteries,
• and to encourage spiritual growth

Please share this with congregational leaders and whoever else might be interested.

As leaders in Winnebago Presbytery, we have been involved in conversations with leaders from the other two presbyteries that have been meeting to discuss collaboration in our changing times. We realize that no matter what changes might come, it is vital for us as leaders to stay rooted and grounded in God’s word and God’s love, and to keep our eyes open to see and know our neighbors.

Grace and peace,

Matt Sauer, Sue Buck, Rachel Wann, and Dan Crump

2024 Annual Checklist Documents

Clerks, Pastors, and Church Office Staff will be receiving the 2024 Annual Congregational Checklist Documents from Stated Clerk, Bob Boswell, and Administrative Assistant, Miranda Halsey very soon. We intend to get hardcopies in the mail, updated documents on the website, and digital copies sent via email by the end of next week (1/12). Included in the packet, you will find:

• Checklist with a list of all the documents and their due dates;
• General mission pledge form;
• CCLI and CVLI licensing invoice;
• Proof of insurance report;
• Per capita apportionment notice/invoice;
• Contact information form;
• Necrology report form for 2023;
• Loan information report form; and
• 2024 compensation packet/terms of call report form.

As a reminder, you may need other staff members to help with these forms (Finance, Administrative Assistant, etc.). Please compile the items and send them to the presbytery no later than the due dates shown on the checklist.

As always, if you have any questions, please contact Miranda Halsey at miranda@winnebagopresbytery.org.

United Church Camps, Inc.

2024 Registration Announcement

• All Cedar Valley art workshops are open now
• Moon Beach winter events are open now
• Moon Beach summer family camps registration opens on Monday, January 8, 2024 at 9:00 a.m.
• Daycholah Center summer camp registration opens on Monday, January 15, 2024 at 9:00 a.m.
• Camp AweSum Family Camps registration opens on Monday, January 15, 2024 at 9:00 a.m.

View the event calendar showing all camps and events here.

Wisconsin Council of Churches

Upcoming Event: Housing Justice and Congregational Futures - February 1st, 8:30-2:00 p.m. at St. Michael's Parish in Wausau

The way we gather is in a season of transition. Many faith communities have large buildings that were used in an era when congregations were larger and had busier schedules with events happening throughout the week. Some believe that they may conclude ministry in that place in the next 5-10 years. It is time for us to re-examine our buildings and ask how they can continue to serve our communities.

One widespread community need across Wisconsin is safe, affordable housing. [... What would it] look like if faith communities used our assets such as buildings, people, and faith that calls us to love our neighbor [and] to advocate for housing justice in our cities[?]

Faith communities in north central Wisconsin are invited to join together to share, listen, and dream about how they could have an impact on their communities through housing justice.

Read More.

Samaritan Counseling

Creating Hope: An Antidote to Suicide Roundtable Gathering Event

Samaritan held two lunch hour rountables in 2023 and the conversation and community building is powerful. They will continue to gather in 2024, with the first meeting taking place Thursday, January 11th.

They will continue to unpack the conversation started in November by Rev. Dr. Kevin Mundell from Our Saviour's UCC in Ripon on being a Christian Church in a secular age. You need not have been present in November to get something out of this conversation!

What: Creating Hope Rountable Discussion

When: Thursday, January 11th, 2024 11:30 a.m. - 1:00 p.m.

Where: Samaritan, Inc. 1205 Province Terrace, Menasha

RSVP: shomburg@samaritanfoxvalley.com 920-886-9319 Ext. 155. A light lunch will be served so they would like to know how many to expect.

Also, please save the date for Creating Hope 2024 featuring Rev. Dr. Kevin Mundell: April 18, 2024, hosted at Samaritan. More details to come.

Presbytery of Milwaukee Helps Congregation's Vitality to Shine

By Beth Waltemath - Presbyterian News Service

[In November], the Presbytery of Milwaukee celebrated the completion of a two-year focus on Congregational Vitality during its final standing meeting of 2023.

The presbytery, which meets four times each year, structured its meetings over a two-year period to highlight and investigate one of the Seven Marks as described in the Vital Congregations Initiative.

In between meetings, congregations were encouraged through grants, prompts, and videos provided by the presbytery to go deeper into how the congregations might show these marks. The Presbytery of Milwaukee took a similar approach to the three foci of the Matthew 25 Movement, spending a year discussing systemic poverty during presbytery meetings and another year learning about structural racism and efforts to dismantle it among congregations. For the third Matthew 25 foci — building congregational vitality — the presbytery’s council turned to the materials of the Vital Congregations Initiative and dedicated two years of its gatherings and resource development to cover the topics of caring relationships, lifelong discipleship, outward incarnational focus, empowered servant leadership, ecclesial health, Spirit-inspired worship, and intentional authentic evangelism.

Read More.