Global warming is actually an intensely Biblical issue. God made us stewards of the earth to which we belong, just like the stewards in Jesus’s parables had a tight connection to the household and piece of land they were responsible for. But it is even more than that-- God gifted us with a world that sustains us like a child in the mother’s womb. In return, the Bible asks us to keep the world that surrounds and nurtures us in good condition. To top it off, God has given us another gift—a democratic government, so that each citizen is capable of input to the laws of the land. So now it comes time for us to take our rightful places as God’s stewards, to pay attention to God’s signs that we have less than 9 years to set things straight, to contact Members of Congress to ensure that the world that surrounds and protects our children and grandchildren is not convulsed by catastrophic storms, droughts, heat waves, flooded by poisonous, cancer-producing pollutants.

But contacting your legislators doesn’t have to be daunting! There are “creation care” coalitions like Interfaith Power and Light, which grew from a 1998 coalition of Episcopal Churches that got together to purchase renewable energy and ended up bringing together partners from many different faiths in 40 state affiliates and helped pass California’s landmark climate and clean energy laws. IPL can email you the information you need (such as important bills being voted on in Congress) and what to do about it. They have timely petitions you can sign, scripts for letters, phone-calls, tweets, op-ed pieces for local newspapers that you can tailor. You don’t have to respond to every alert; you are in control of your alerts and you can pick the ones you want to pursue. We could get worried over the increase of storms and disasters, or we can tap into God’s desire that we communicate the importance of doing something about it to our leaders.

Reason to Have Hope: A Public Health Response to Racism—a multi-part, online, interactive, and highly adaptable course created by the Council for Health and Human Service Ministries, UCC (CHHSM)—is now online! It was released in recognition of the Juneteenth holiday.

The innovative, user-friendly, self-paced curriculum is geared for a group learning environment, although you can go through it individually as well. It includes history, current events, theology, stories of resilience, and the intersections of race and social issues to help members of faith-based organizations and local churches learn from not only the material, but each other.

This virtual course is intended to support people in all settings of the church gain a deeper understanding of the harm that racism and white supremacy have on health and well-being. The material focuses on the systemic causes of health disparities for People of African Descent, Indigenous Peoples, and other People of Color, and how the work of health equity is tied to liberation for all.

Reason to Have Hope approaches the material with deep theological grounding. It details painful realities, but also relates stories of humanity, resistance and solutions from lived experience. It begins with a foundation on approaching racism as a public health crisis, and then dives into specific issues and topics. The final lessons offer a variety of approaches to ministry to inspire ways to take action in your own ministries and work.

Prayer pauses throughout the course provide a way to help you slow down, rest, and listen. The course concludes with a Benediction of Belonging.

This course grew out of the Resolution of Witness declaring racism as a public health crisis that CHHSM and the UCC Council on Racial and Ethnic Ministries (COREM) are bringing to UCC General Synod delegates this summer. We hope it provides the foundation and hope for all of us, together, to move all settings of CHHSM toward becoming an Anti-Racist organization. Enroll for free here.

We are grateful and hopeful to journey alongside you.

Mike, George, Elyse, Paula

The CHHSM Team

As part of our Catalyst grant project, the Wisconsin Gospellers teamed up with the UCC New York Conference Inspirational voices, and two of our German partners--the Edertal Schule (Frankenberg a.d. Eder) and Essen's Gospel and More Choir--to produce a virtual recording of Keith Christopher's "This is the Day". This has been a great opportunity to pursue our mission by bridging cultural divides to share God's word through song; we've all been both challenged and filled with joy.

We are so grateful to the Wisconsin Conference UCC for the grant money that helped make this possible. Please help us share this recording in churches around Wisconsin and beyond. The Wisconsin Gospellers are planning to resume safe, in-person rehearsals soon, and invite anyone who is interested in learning more about our ministry to email us or check out our website.

Please send your cards or notes, to be received by July 12, to: Deb Simon Retirement, Wisconsin Conference UCC, 4459 Gray Road, DeForest, WI, 53532.

Join us at Memory Camp 2021 as we relax and enjoy camp activities at beautiful Moon Beach Camp in St. Germain. Memory Camp is for people living with dementia and their families.

Because of the pandemic, we couldn’t have Memory Camp in 2020, but now we’re excited about our upcoming our camp session, August 16-19, 2021. All staff will be fully vaccinated by then. You can read more about safety protocols on the registration page.

Register for Memory Camp by July 18, 2021

If you don’t do websites, feel free to email Susan McFadden/call at 920-739-8695 with questions, or email Phoebe Spier/call 715-479-8255 at the camp and she can help you with the registration and answer your questions.

Please join the Wisconsin Council of Churches, First Congregational UCC Madison and the Interfaith Peace Working Group for a monthly Evensong service. In response to the needs of the world, we are hosting evenings of prayer, song, learning, and discussion. We hope that these services inspire faithful spiritual, social and political engagement. We welcome people of all faiths or of no faith. 

Join us on June 24th at 7pm with David Schultz leading the homily, Paula Hirschboeck making a presentation, and John Leonard providing music. Prajnatara Paula Hirschboeck is a Soto Zen priest and teacher. She guides Sophia Zen sangha in Madison and SE Wisconsin. Paula was also a Sinsinawa Dominican sister for 25 years and was a member of the Philosophy Department of Edgewood College from 1994-2010. During those years she and Sr. Maureen McDonnell founded “Wisdom’s Well” to offer support for interfaith contemplation and action.

United Church Camps Inc. (UCCI) is overjoyed to be welcoming guests back for summer camps and events. Time together in these sacred spaces for play, rest and reflection is exactly what we need right now. Event registration is still open, so take a look and plan to join us this summer at Moon Beach, Pilgrim Center and Cedar Valley.

Can't wait to see you! Also, take a look at our most recent newsletter here.

The General Fund of the Wisconsin Conference helps us connect, support, and resource pastors, leaders, and congregations. Your gift allows the Conference to provide relevant and timely help during the pandemic and beyond. Donate to the General Fund

To see all searching churches, click here.

The Conference Transitions feature appears monthly in the Wisconsin Conference Life. Please share your transition information, including church anniversaries, with the newsletter editor by emailing Nola.

The Kairos Call to Action Newsletter was created to support the efforts of congregations, families and individuals who want to be a part of the UCC’s Kairos Call to Action. Through this newsletter the Conference Creation Care Team will provide resources for study and worship, encourage advocacy on behalf of climate justice, and help congregations find and connect with partners who share this common concern and commitment.

Sign up for this newsletter here, and check out the latest issue here. 

This month's Parish Paper is "Is it Time to Relocate?" Access this issue and archived issues here!

The Wisconsin Conference UCC is an Open and Affirming Conference, and an Immigrant Welcoming Conference.