Your Weekly News & Updates |
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From Rachel Yates, Presbytery Executive |
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As a country we must face the consequences of war. We have generations of people who fought in Afghanistan to preserve American interests; we have generations of people who lost loved ones in the conflict and still feel the pain of their deaths or lasting injuries. The war might be over, but we have a continuing responsibility to care for those Americans who fought on our behalf and at our direction. Both the VA and community organizations are ready to work with us to offer that care, from physical and emotional healing to job support to peer support as veterans face the realities of our withdrawal.
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The Presbytery Gathering will begin at 4:00 p.m. on Zoom. You must register to receive the Zoom link.
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PRESBYTERY INSTALLS REV. TERESA LARSON |
Congratulations to Immanuel Presbyterian Church and Rev. Teresa A. Larson on her installation as Associate Pastor. This past Sunday’s service linked our Reformed heritage with God’s ongoing call to service in the church. Thank you, Teresa, for saying yes! |
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THANK YOU FOR HELP IN COMBATING LABOR TRAFFICKING |
The Presbytery is helping five men who have been recovered from labor trafficking and are cooperating with federal authorities against the traffickers. Thank you to the many members and friends of Covenant, Crossroads, Forest Park, Heritage, Immanuel, Tippecanoe, and West Granville who donated or purchased new items to stock the two apartments. A special shout-out to Joann Steidinger with Crossroads, who organized our treasure hunt and tracked down needed items from her minivan! |
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2022 PRESBYTERY GATHERING DATES ANNOUNCED |
Mark your calendar! The 2022 dates for Presbytery Gatherings have been announced!
- Saturday, February 19 @ 9:00 a.m.
- Tuesday, May 24 @ 4:00 p.m.
- Tuesday, September 13 @ 4:00 p.m.
- Saturday, November 19 @ 9:00 a.m.
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Matthew 25: I was hungry and you fed me... |
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ASSISTING WITH AFGHAN ASYLUM SEEKERS |
Close to home, we are partnering with the Wisconsin Council of Churches to organize aid for Phase I of the effort – assisting people housed at Fort McCoy. Right now, the greatest need is coordination of the effort because many groups are doing different or duplicative things, without a structure in place to move donations where they need to go. If you or your congregation has an interest in supporting Phase I of the resettlement effort, please let Chris Halverson know. We anticipate needing hundreds of volunteers every day to assist in sorting donations or provide other support, but the structures are not in place to do this well right now. One specific need is: Are you aware of friends of the church in Madison, Milwaukee, Appleton, or Green Bay who might have a large warehouse which could be used to store quantities of donated household goods until they are needed? Please remember when you think about the space, that we are talking about items for 900 people across the state.
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REDEDICATION CEREMONY AT DAYCHOLAH CENTER VENERATES THE HISTORY, CULTURE, AND PRESENCE OF THE HO-CHUNK PEOPLE |
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On Indigenous People’s Day, United Church Camps, Inc. (UCCI) rededicated one of its outdoor ministry campuses as Daycholah Center. The name honors the Ho-Chunk people as the original keepers of this land, using the Ho-Chunk word for Green Lake: Daycholah. The new name and rededication represent a renewed commitment to preserving the sacred place for the spiritual renewal of all people.
“The renaming of this facility acknowledges...(read more)
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READY FOR SOME SELF-REFLECTION? |
7 things white Christians can do to address white supremacy at church
by Robert P. Jones
Since my book “White Too Long” came out in the summer of 2020, amid nationwide Black Lives Matter protests following the murder of George Floyd by Minneapolis police, I’ve had the privilege of speaking with dozens of predominately white congregations and denominational institutions about the legacy of white supremacy in American Christianity.
One of the most common questions I get — once people have moved past denial — is, “What do we do now?” (read more)
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News from the Denomination |
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THE CLIMATE IS CHANGING HYMN |
The Climate is Changing is a hymn-prayer was written by Carolyn Winfrey Gillette to support efforts to counter climate change, including at the United Nations Climate Change Conference in Glasgow, Scotland (October 31-November 12, 2021). COP26 (Conference of Participants) is the main decision-making body of 197 countries working to stabilize greenhouse gas emissions and to counter dangerous climate change.
Permission is given for free use of this hymn, including in online worship services.
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FIRST WOMAN ORDAINED BY PRESBYTERIAN CHURCH REFLECTS ON 65TH ANNIVERSARY |
The Rev. Dr. Margaret Towner featured on ‘A Matter of Faith’ podcast days before historic anniversary
The episode dropped just three days before the 65th anniversary of her ordination on Oct. 24, 1956, by Cayuga-Syracuse Presbytery in New York. While “A Matter of Faith” usually tackles several topics an episode, the Oct. 21 edition focuses solely on Towner and her stories.
Read more about Towner, who grew up active in the church, but did not feel called to ministry until after having served as a medical photographer for the Mayo Clinic.
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MEET BEAR, A DOG WHO SAVED OVER 100 KOALAS DURING THE AUSTRALIAN BUSHFIRES |
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Bear is the only dog in Australia who is trained to sniff and find koalas. Read more about Bear's heroic efforts during the 2019-2020 bushfires.
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UPCOMING COMMON GROUND TRAININGS |
Join Common Ground to learn about WHY and HOW we organize. All are welcome! |
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Intro to Power and Broad-Based Organizing
Thursday, November 4, 6:00pm – 8:30pm
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Relational Meetings
Thursday, November 11, 6:00pm – 8:30pm
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Research Actions and Cutting an Issue
Thursday, November 18, 6:00pm – 8:30pm]
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To RSVP for trainings click HERE
YOU MUST RSVP BY 5PM THE TUESDAY BEFORE TRAINING
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VOLUNTEER TO TUTOR WITH COMMON GROUND |
Common Ground has asked over 131 Milwaukee Public Schools parents, grandparents, teachers, principals, social workers, and community members what our children need to thrive in school. Parents, educators, and community members feel a robust tutoring program is essential for our children -- even more so given the disruption and trauma caused by the pandemic.
We successfully pushed Milwaukee Public Schools to allocate $10 million dollars of Federal COVID-recovery funds (ESSER III) for tutoring. We will be going through the RFP process to try to secure seed money for the volunteer tutoring program we wish to create. The old Interfaith/RSVP tutoring program with retirees as volunteers was well-regarded and could be an effective model. Common Ground wants to help start this program and is committed to recruiting volunteer tutors.
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CHURCHES NEEDED FOR COVID TESTING SITES |
Over the past six months, the Wisconsin Council of Churches Community Health Program has been asking congregations to serve as sites for vaccination clinics. WCC is proud to say they've helped facilitate 58 clinics and vaccinate at least 474 people. WCC is keeping up that work, and please do let them know if you're open to hosting a clinic.
The state of Wisconsin is bringing back COVID testing sites, at least through the winter months. Previously, these sites had been large and centralized. This time, they'll be more distributed. That leaves room for churches like yours to get testing out where it belongs, in your community. To volunteer, fill out this survey, and a DHS representative will get in touch to make arrangements.
One caution: they don't confirm the schedule until the week before, so it's best to be both flexible and ready to go on short notice. But the WCC team is always here to help, and after the event, your community is eligible for a $250 facility use payment.
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The Sower - August 2021 Newsletter for the Presbyterian Women in the Synod of Lakes and Prairies
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Future Presbytery Gathering Dates |
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- THURSDAY, November 18, 2021
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2022 PRESBYTERY GATHERING DATES
- Saturday, February 19 @ 9:00 a.m.
- Tuesday, May 24 @ 4:00 p.m.
- Tuesday, September 13 @ 4:00 p.m.
- Saturday, November 19 @ 9:00 a.m.
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Presbytery of Milwaukee
414-292-2740
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