Who is my neighbor?



For the people of Middleton Community Church UCC, the answer to that question has become increasingly inclusive as the surrounding neighborhood has grown and the congregation has built relationships with individuals and organizations. The bond between the church and its neighbors will be on display again next month when MCC will facilitate its second Neighbor Day – a collaboration that brings together church members and members of the wider community to tackle a variety of service projects.

Are you concerned about the future of God’s beautiful, but fragile, creation? Plan to join members of the Wisconsin Conference Creation Care Team and environmental activists from around the region for the second annual Great Lakes Collaborative Retreat, scheduled for Aug. 18-20 at Cedar Valley Retreat Center in West Bend.

The retreat will offer two keynotes and workshops for:

• Beginners looking for ideas and actions for newly formed environmental justice teams.
• Activators who want to step beyond church and home projects and into relationships with their communities and other environmental justice organizations.
• Agitators ready to move into action to support individuals, congregations, and communities to advocate for diversification from fossil fuel and companies that continue to strip the land and pollute our water.

One keynote, “The Land Speaks,” will be provided by Roy and Jean Reddemann, a Native couple who for years have maintained a ceremonial space at Cedar Valley. Roy and Jean will discuss their stories with the land and the work they do to connect people to the land through spiritual activities. The second keynote, “Plastics and Our Health: An Urgent Call for Change,” will be delivered by Jane Dow, an environmental activist from Mankato, Minnesota.

Learn more and register.

The next round of Damascus Project course offerings gets underway July 9 with the first Zoom session of “We Are Still Here: Native Americans and the UCC,” an examination of the intersection of Native history with the UCC. The course will be led by Damascus Project Director Stephanie Perdew, a tribal citizen of the Cherokee Nation. Topics will include the Doctrine of Discovery, tribal boarding schools, and statements of the UCC General Synod. The course continues on Aug. 6 and 27. Register now.



Also on the schedule for this month is “Together for Tomorrow: Planned Giving,” led by the Rev. Andrew Warner, president of the Wisconsin Foundation UCC. The course will introduce learners to the concepts behind planned giving and help participants build an implementation plan for their own congregations. The course will meet by Zoom from 6 to 7:30 p.m. July 10 and 17. Register today.

The Rev. John T. McFadden is a retired UCC pastor who most recently served First Congregational UCC in Appleton and as a memory care chaplain. He and his spouse, Susan, helped found the Fox Valley Memory Project. Here, he explains how your congregation can care for the caregivers within. 

All of our congregations include persons who are providing care to an elder – spouse, parent, family member or friend – and often it’s someone contending with a form of dementia. Our state is resource-rich, the only one with a network of dementia care specialists serving every county and federally recognized tribe through Aging and Disability Resource Centers. It isn’t enough to simply include this information in the newsletter. Your dementia care specialist can be invited to do a presentation to the congregation, and the pastor or lay leader should become acquainted with this person and the many resources their programs offer.

There should be a focused effort to include your caregivers and those for whom they care in all dimensions of church life. The most helpful thing we can provide for our caregivers is the assurance that their loved one is not just welcome, but honored and valued. Those on the dementia journey can still be deeply moved by beloved hymns and familiar texts, and simply being greeted by name with a smile or hug is a profoundly spiritual experience.

There certainly are program initiatives that would greatly benefit our members and neighbors contending with dementia, such as memory cafes and respite care, but we need to begin by living the extravagant hospitality of the full Body of Christ.

To learn more, email Jan Aerie, coordinator of the Wisconsin Conference Older Adult Ministries Working Group; Lisa Hart, associate conference minister for faith formation and justice ministries; or Conference Minister Franz Rigert.

The Wisconsin Conference ONA team will host a one-day training event for individuals and groups from our churches interested in helping other congregations pursuing Open and Affirming status. The training is scheduled for 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Aug. 3 at Daycholah Center. The day will include a chance to watch “1946: The Mistranslation That Shifted Culture,” a documentary that tells the story of researchers who traced the origins of the anti-gay movement among Christians to a mistranslation of the Bible in 1946.

Cost for the event is $35 for individuals or $30 per person for congregations that send four or more people. The fee for the movie only is $10. Register now.



Questions? Email Lisa Hart, associate conference minister for faith formation and justice ministries.

Monthly Ministry Roundtable

July's topic is the new UCC Manual on Local Church, now available in draft form. "Since its inception, the United Church of Christ has sought to clarify how we live out covenant in community,” the introduction says. “Today, the Manual on Local Church is part of this ongoing work to discern and define our structure so that we can engage more fully in our faithful witness in the world." Participants will discuss the manual, its resources, and the many ways this resource can be used by local churches.

Time: 4 to 5:30 p.m.

Date: July 3

Register now

Read the draft of the Manual on Local Church

UCC Webinar: An Indigenous Translation of Scripture

The First Nations Version is an Indigenous translation of the Christian scriptures. It brings a fresh language to how these scriptures are conveyed and understood, notably through a decolonized rendering of the sacred texts that articulates a different understanding of how humans understand their relationship to both God and all of God's creation. In this webinar, we will hear from three members of the translation council that produced the First Nations Version. Even if you cannot make it at its scheduled time, still sign-up and we will send you a recording.

Time: 2 p.m.

Date: July 16

Register here

Introduction to Four-Way Covenants

Ministers who serve in settings other than a Local Church, or in addition to a Local Church, are aided by the use of Four (or more)-Way Covenants. These covenants are at their best when they build relationships and clarify boundaries. Facilitator will be the Rev. Anissa Glaser-Bacon, UCC minister for ministers in specialized settings and professional endorsement coordinator, who will explain the best use of this document for local and specialized settings. Sponsored by MESA.

Time: 2:30 to 4 p.m.

Date: July 18

Register now

Palestine Justice Working Group

The Wisconsin Conference work group educates UCC members about the state of Israeli-Palestinian relations and advocates for justice for all Palestinians. The group meets by Zoom on the fourth Monday of each month. Meetings are open to all. Facilitator is the Rev. Steve Davis. 

Time: 7 p.m.

Date: July 22

Register now

Narrative Budgets: Telling your Story by the Numbers 

A narrative budget that translates the line items of a traditional budget into a story of how your congregation makes a difference can be a helpful tool for a stewardship campaign or annual meeting. By telling the story of our congregations' impact, we can inspire generosity in our donors.

Time: 6:30 p.m.

Date: July 24

Register now

COM Café with the MESA Team

Engage in small-group conversations with the MESA Team on topics of interest to you. You can expect to hear what the MESA Team is working on and learn about emerging issues and emerging trends. At the COM Café you can engage the questions that are of greatest concern to you with others who care passionately about ministry with and on behalf of our authorized ministers. Members of the Committee on Ministry and Conference staff are welcome.

Time: 2:30 to 5 p.m.

Date: July 25

Register now