Several more of our congregations have been taking advantage of the last of the warm fall weather by having worship services outdoors (weather permitting) , including 1st Congregational UCC, Milton; Congregational UCC, Whitewater; Middleton Community UCC; 1st Congregational UCC, Janesville; St. John's UCC, Monroe; MCC (incl. Community of Hope UCC; and Salem UCC, Verona

In addition, several are offering small-group fellowship opportunities--1st UCC, Belleville; Orchard Ridge UCC, Madison; 1st Congregational UCC, Madison; and Middleton Community UCC.

Orchard Ridge UCC, Madison, had online Family Chat sessions to enable their members of share a bit of their lives during the pandemic challenges with one another.

Memorial UCC, Fitchburg, is gradually moving back into reopening their building by offering a blended Bible study in small groups and a Zoom option.

St. John's UCC, Monroe, is offering members a choice of attending stewardship meetings in their sanctuary or online.

1st Congregational UCC, Janesville, is welcoming more of their staff back into their office.

Outdoor movie nights were offered by Middleton Community UCC and Zwingli UCC, Monticello, in late August.

1st Congregational UCC, Madison, and Swiss UCC, New Glarus, had their confirmation services outside in front of their buildings. Swiss UCC added a confirmation parade to their celebration.

1st Congregational UCC, Janesville, is providing its members with the book, Faithful Families, Creating Sacred Moments at Home, by Traci Smith, to enable families to weave faith experiences into everyday activities at home.

The pastors of 1st Congregational UCC, Madison, called the attention of their members to a resource for taking care of ourselves during this pandemic time, the article , Your Surge Capacity Is Depleted--It's Why You Feel Awful, by Tara Haelle.

In a similar vein, Memorial UCC, Fitchburg, is having a weekly series of spiritual practices to handle living in a pandemic while carrying on with one's responsibilities In addition, they have a monthly contemplative prayer gathering, which uses the book, Earth, Our Original Monastery: Cultivating Wonder and Gratitude through Intimacy with Nature, by Christine Valters Painter.

To discourage large groups, community CROP Walks this October are being done by individuals at their own convenience. This includes ones promoted in their communities by 1st UCC, Belleville; Whitewater Congregational UCC; and Memorial UCC, Fitchburg; Lake Edge UCC, Madison, Plymouth Congregational UCC, Madison; and 1st Congregational UCC, Madison.

In a recent sermon, "Signs God Wants Carried in the Protest," Rev. Mark Yurs, pastor of Salem UCC, Verona, called attention to Habakkuk 2:2, "Write the vision, make it plain on tablets, so that a runner may read it."

The auctions of Platteville Congregational UCC and Swiss UCC, New Glarus (their annual Kilby event), will be held virtually this year. The latter will include Fair Trade products among their several baskets.

Several congregations are continuing their focus on racial issues. 1st Congregational UCC, Madison, has begun another four-week class of Racist Anonymous (RA).

McFarland UCC has formed a book group on the book, How to Be an Antiracist, by Ibram X. Kendi, to educate themselves on the racial situation

Orchard Ridge UCC, Madison, had a session in which reparations were explained and advocated. They also had a racial justice themed worship with a panel, "What's My Lane?"

In addition, in their monthly movie discussion, Orchard Ridge UCC, Madison, had a discussion of Selma.

MCC.Community of Hope UCC will be exploring racism and white supremacy from the perspective of trauma and body-centered psychology by using the book, My Grandmother's Hands: Racialized Trauma and the Pathway to mending Our Hearts and Bodies, by Resmaa Menakem.

But recently Rev. Kris Gorton, of Memorial UCC, Fitchburg, "paid the price," so to speak, of giving witness to her convictions. Disturbed by signs in the neighborhood advocating white supremacy, she had a letter to the editor published in the Cap Times. That was followed by a someone putting a sign reading, "wrong way," next to their church's, We Are Many United Against Hate sign.

The Big Read of the Dane Sanctuary Coalition (of which Plymouth Congregational UCC, Madison, is a member) is, The Death and Life of Aida Hernandez: A Border Story, by Aaron Bobrow Strain.

The Women's Book Study of 1st Congregational, Madison, for October and November will be The Vanishing Half, by Brit Bennett.

Congregations are beginning to explore ways to make their Sunday Schools more interesting, such as having them live on the You Tube Channel (Middleton Community UCC), delivering boxes of materials (Orchard Ridge UCC, Madison), and hoping to offer periodic face-to-face gatherings (1st Congregational UCC, Janesville).

Zwingli UCC, Monticello is encouraging their members put up their family tents or make blanket tent forts as a way to make the stories of the Hebrews' wandering in the wilderness come alive.

Lake Edge UCC, Madison, and Middleton Community UCC are again providing meals for the homeless families who stay at The Healing House.

Recognizing the new reality in which we live, Memorial UCC, Fitchburg, had a Handwashing Blessing during a recent worship service.

Working in partnership with the Catholic and United Methodist churches in Belleville, 1st UCC, Belleville provided Family Food Bags to the school children in their town.

A group in MCC/Community of Hope UCC that normally creates their prayer shawls for hospitalized and traumatized persons is offering them to members in this stressful time.

It's a challenging time to celebrate the long-time ministry of their retiring pastor, Rev. Jim Iliff, so Middleton Community UCC has had to get creative. They will have a kudoboard with messages of appreciation, a car parade and, possibly, an outdoor dinner.

United Church of Christ

The theme will be Speaking the Truth in Love: Growing up into Christ, Growing into Truth, Speaking Truth to Ourselves and the World (Ephesians 4:15-16)

Join the meeting via Zoom, 9:00-11:30.

   + Installation of Rev. Lorraine Ceniceros.

   +Worship of Lament and Grace

   +Telling our Stories of Racial Injustice

 +Annual Business Meeting

Registration has begun and you are encouraged to register as ministers, lay delegates, and visitors here. Copies of the proposed constitutional changes, including adding a reference that "meetings may be held by electronic means." will be mailed to churches and ministers in September. Deadline to register is Friday. September 25.

Rev. Robert C. Davis died September 2 at The Legacy at DeForest. He was Pastor Emeritus at Windsor UCC and had been pastor of Salem UCC, Verona. Here is a complete obituary.

https://us02web.zoom.us/j/84821180978  

To schedule a phone call or meeting, please click here:  https://calendly.com/support_with_lorraine

After reflecting how his summer sabbatical has reinvigorated him, Rev. Franz Rigert, our Conference Minister, goes on to say that "never in my fifty-four years do I remember living in such sobering times...(which) bring uncertainty, anxiety and distress...

"Yet together we continue this journey, seeking some unifying salve, some measure of kindness, some glimpse of hope, some steadfast reminder that God's Spirit yet yearns to fashion us into a beloved community..."

Our Wisconsin Conference is offering three opportunities to deal with the challenges of being the Church in these pandemic times.

One will be a facilitated discussion on October 4 and October 16, with a cost of $50 per church. Register your church here.

A second is a six-week course of the Damascus Project beginning October 1 with assignments in between. Find more information and registration here by Monday, September 28.

They alert us to a third offered by the Minnesota Conference--Courage to Lead: An Online offering for Faith Leaders. The first of several segments will be October 5 and 6. Here is the complete information.

ESTHER, a Fox Valley affiliate of WISDOM (a state-wide organization of justice-oriented congregations), invites to to hear Rev. Traci Blackmon, UCC Associate General Minister of Justice and Local Churches, as their keynote speaker at their Virtual Banquet.

The group has no plans to meet at this time.

The Contemporary Theology Book Group will next meet online by Zoom on Tuesday, October 20, 2:00 p.m., to discuss How to Be an Antiracist, by Ibram X. Kendi, through page 55. Though this has been a local Madison-area group, anyone can join it now that they're meeting by Zoom.

Associate Conference Minister:  

Moderator: 

Vice-Moderator:

Secretary:

Treasurer:

Division on Church & Ministry: 

Social Concerns Committee: 

Shalom Editor:

swacommunications@gmail.com