by Rev. Jacoba Koppert

The delegates at the 2018 Annual Meeting voted to undergo a study of the Doctrine of Discovery by congregations so that next spring we are ready to vote as to whether we believe this doctrine should be repudiated (rejected, retracted). I have heard several say that they do not know what all this means. Let me try to explain.

When the explorers of the 1400s (Columbus and others) set out to explore the world, the Pope decreed in the "Doctrine of Discovery" that if they found any inhabitants on the land across the ocean, they were to force them to become Christians, and if the inhabitants refused, their land was to be taken from them and they should be enslaved or killed. That Decree was the basis of treaties and laws in the US that forced indigenous people to move from one place to another as the Europeans took over the land where the Indians first lived. That Decree by the Pope in the 1400s and the treaties and laws based on it continue to be among the laws still used by US courts to make their decisions concerning Indian Affairs and Lands.

Several members of the Northwest Association have been meeting with members of the Hocak (pronounced Ho-Chunk) UCC church in Black River Falls this year. We are hearing their story, learning much and growing in relationship. The Doctrine of Discovery that was supported by the church through the years has, over time, caused the Indians and also the Hawaiians and Alaskan Natives to lose their lives, land, culture, traditions and language. To acknowledge what our ancestors did and to repudiate the Doctrine may help further relationships between us.

Churches are asked to learn about the Doctrine of Discovery and how it continues to affect the Tribes. At the April 5-6, 2019, Combined Annual Meeting for the Conference and Associations, delegates will be asked to vote to Repudiate the Doctrine of Discovery. Study guides are available at wcucc.org/doctrineofdiscovery and at ucc.org; Ho-Chunk Tribe members of the Hocak UCC Church in Black River Falls are willing to come to speak with UCC Churches. You can contact Rev. David McBride to make arrangements for speakers. Congregations that study this issue are asked to return this Study Response form by March 31, 2019, to Lisa Hart or the Conference office, 4459 Gray Rd, DeForest, WI, 53532. The Conference needs a response from 1/3 of churches in order for this issue to appear in the agenda at Annual Meeting.

• Epiphany Retreat: Dec. 27 - January 1 - Moon Beach
• Jesus Core retreat - Sponsored by Wisconsin Conference UCC and Pilgrim Center: January 11-13, 2019
• MLK Jr. Day Anti-Racism Training and Retreat - Sponsored by Wisconsin Conference UCC and Moon Beach: January 20-22, 2019
• "Care for the Caregiver" - A Retreat for Parents and Caregivers: January 25-27, 2019 - Moon Beach

 

by the Insurance Board

A Damascus Project course

• Discover what happens in the act of reading and what the implications are for reading the Bible, so that the Bible can become a source of wonder, wisdom, and inspiration for you;
• Learn some specific tools to increase your competence and strengthen your confidence in reading and interpreting the Bible;
• Spark your spiritual imagination so that you might understand and appreciate more deeply the circumstances of your own life by finding your story in the sacred stories of the Bible;
• Become better equipped to respond to and lead today's changing church by engaging your community's stories with the sacred stories of the Bible.

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June 14-28, 2020

 

• Salem UCC in Verona is searching for a Director of Youth Ministry. This is a half-time position with formal training and experience in Christian Education preferred, to coordinate youth activities for middle school and high school. Salary negotiable. Send references and resume to Salem UCC, P.O. Box 930125, Verona, WI 53593-0125 or call 608-845-7315.  

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