What if everybody in the Conference read – and talked about – Braiding Sweetgrass?

Almost everybody knows somebody who has read and loved Robin Wall Kimmerer’s essay collection, Braiding Sweetgrass: Indigenous Wisdom, Scientific Knowledge, and the Teachings of Plants. A favorite among people interested in nature and spirituality since its 2013 publication, the book finally made it onto The New York Times’ paperback bestseller list in early 2020 and is currently No. 15 on the Times’ list of print and e-book bestsellers.

The Conference Creation Care Team is encouraging congregations throughout the Conference to read Braiding Sweetgrass in the months ahead – a Big Read – in order to spur a statewide conversation as a response to the Kairos Call to Action on behalf of God’s good, but threatened, Creation.

Activities designed to participate in the Conference-wide Big Read of Braiding Sweetgrass could be a great way to jump start your congregation’s programming as people return from the summer holidays.

Braiding Sweetgrass has proven to have very wide appeal, so make sure to spread the word about what your congregation is doing with the book. Activities directed at “healing our relationship with the world” (to borrow a phrase of Kimmerer’s) resonate throughout our communities today.

In addition, Braiding Sweetgrass is great material for sermon preparation. “I wonder how Christian life would have to change if we believed God to be present to every creature as the divine power and love animating them from within,” said Duke University theologian Norman Wirzba, writing about the book in The Christian Century. “I wonder how the body of Christ would need to change if we believed the community of life to extend beyond people to include all the life that God loves.”

Do you have questions about the Big Read? Email Bob Ullman.

Braiding Sweetgrass author Robin Wall Kimmerer will be talking with all of us in the Wisconsin Conference on Saturday, Oct. 9, via Zoom, as part of a four-day event in Green Lake. The event, “Restoring Relationship With Mother Earth: A Four-Day Immersion Event on Ho Chunk Ancestral Lands,” will offer a Native American perspective on nature and ideas of creation care. Event co-sponsors are the Alliance for Justice Inc.,

During his absence, Rob’s duties will be covered by other members of the Conference staff and by the Rev. Dale Bishop of Eagle River. Dale and Franz are available to address concerns and questions.

Although the Wisconsin Conference staff is slowly returning to the office in DeForest, the Trost Center will remain closed on Mondays through September. The best way to reach staff members on Mondays is to call or email them directly. Find their email addresses and phone numbers here.

The Christian Education/Faith Formation Commission of the Wisconsin Conference offers a Communities of Practice (COP) program for educators as a parallel to the successful COP program for pastors in our conference. Lay volunteers or paid staff involved in Sunday school, youth group, or overall education/faith formation are supported and enriched by involvement in a COP with others practicing ministry in similar ways.

Groups will:

If you, or the faith formation leader/staff at your church, would appreciate the support of a network of Christian education/faith formation peers, register today! COP groups for 2021-2022 will start in September. The cost for the year is $250. For more information read the webpage or contact Lisa Hart.

Find information about all Generosity workshops on the Conference website.

Campaign materials: The 2021 UCC Stewardship Theme Materials are now available. These new stewardship materials help congregations tell their story while making a request for financial support. The materials include everything needed to run an effective campaign such as bulletin inserts, pledge cards, and graphics. A practical campaign guide provides support for leaders running their first campaign and offers suggestions for those looking to customize stewardship messages to their own setting. Stewardship Theme Materials | UCC Resources.

We want to know how your congregation plans to regather after months of virtual worship and meetings during the COVID-19 pandemic. What changes are likely permanent? What unmet needs did you discover in your community? How did the pandemic force you to innovate? Let us know by taking this simple survey.

The UCC’s next Creation Justice Webinar will feature one of the leading voices in environmentalism over recent decades: James Gustave Speth. Among his many accomplishments, Speth served in the Carter administration, founded the Natural Resources Defense Council, and spent 10 years as Dean of the Yale School of Forestry and Environmental Studies. In August, he is releasing a new book entitled, They Knew—The US Federal Government's Fifty-Year Role in Causing the Climate Crisis. Naomi Klein has described it as "a damning record that will become a potent tool for justice.” Even if you can’t make the scheduled time of 1 p.m. Eastern on Wednesday, Sept. 8, please sign up, and we will send you a recording. Register now!

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

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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 "Hospitality: Offering a Third Place to Gather." Access this issue and archived issues here!

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