Anti-racism training that includes honest discussions of America’s fraught racial history is taking place in the Wisconsin Conference and beyond thanks to some UCC clergy and UCC-adjacent organizations and allies determined to reckon with Christianity’s role in creating and reinforcing institutions and attitudes that contribute to white supremacy and damage to African-descended people.

This Black History Month, these efforts are providing a sharp counterpoint to the very public pushback by critics who claim that lessons on race are themselves racist and constitute an effort to shame white educators and students for decisions and actions that took place generations ago.

Advocates contend the church is a perfect venue for tough discussions around race because racism itself amounts to a spiritual sickness and because of injustices such as the now-discredited Doctrine of Discovery. The doctrine originated with a papal bull issued in 1493 that declared that any land not inhabited by Christians was available to be "discovered," claimed and exploited by Christian rulers. It became the basis of European claims in the Americas.

“If you think about it, the churches are the architects of this ideology that actually goes against the teachings of Jesus,” said the Rev. Kris Watson, a UCC pastor, lawyer and founder of Nurturing Justice, a New York-based organization that provides education around justice issues. “What we practice now is empire Christianity, not the movement of the Way started by a brown-skinned Galilean Jew.”

One strategy for facilitating healthy discussions around race is Sacred Conversations to End Racism, a UCC initiative that uses a variety of resources – books, documentaries, art and music among them – to explore the stories of African cultures, many of which are unfamiliar to Americans of European descent.

“Because Sacred Conversations is faith-based, we talk about racism being a deep spiritual malformation that robs us all of our humanity, even those of us who benefit from systems of power and privilege,” said the Rev. Laura McLeod, pastor of Brookfield Congregational Church and a Sacred Conversations facilitator. She has led two Sacred Conversations series for her congregation and last year spearheaded Anti-Racism for Youth, an initiative aimed at empowering the next generation of racial justice advocates.

Laura facilitated the January launch of a Sacred Conversations series at First Congregational UCC in Eau Claire. Despite the presence of a large Hmong community, the congregation and Eau Claire itself are overwhelmingly white, with most of the community’s diversity coming from the medical community and the University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire. About 20 people, all white, are attending the conversations. The content of Sacred Conversations challenges participants’ worldview.

A typical reaction to the material is “I had no idea. Why didn’t we learn this in school?” said Shannon Joshi, First Congregational’s director of faith formation. Church is the perfect place for such learning to occur, she said, “especially because in so many places in the public sphere there is pushback against the teaching of racism.”

There’s one more quality that makes church the right spot to talk about racism.



“At its best, the church is a space where people with varying viewpoints can come together,” Shannon said. “The know and love one another. That opens an opportunity: When they disagree, they realize there’s love coming from the other end. That doesn’t happen in the community or the world anymore.”

Two things can be true at once:

Madeline Island is a gorgeous place to live and play during the summer. It can also be a lonely place for year-round residents, especially during the long winters. How do you help them cope with the deep isolation?

If you’re the congregation at St. John’s UCC in La Pointe, you invite everyone over for Thursday dinner and game nights during the winter months.

It’s a familiar role for St. John’s, which is the only church on the island that’s open year-round. Mass is celebrated by the small Catholic community only in the summer.

Everyone is welcome to eat and play, but the Thursday nights may be especially important to families with children.

“There aren’t a lot of things to do here on a regular basis,” said St. John's pastor, the Rev. Nathan Holst, who is married and has two children. “We wanted to provide a place to have fun and connect. It’s a space they can be that’s not just home.”

The dinners, which draw 15 or so people each week, are largely underwritten by a $2,000 Catalyst Grant from the Wisconsin Conference. The grant covers the cost of food and pays the local residents who cook it.

“We are considered the spiritual center of the island,” Nathan said. “We support a community garden and have a food shelf that’s open all the time. We’re known as a center that does outreach and supports the community.”

The ebb and flow of life on Madeline Island – not to mention the long, cold winters – makes isolation inevitable. The pastor can testify to that.



“Just personally, it took me a little time to adjust,” said Nathan, a Duluth native who arrived at St. John’s in August. “The day after Labor Day, the island changes dramatically. For a couple of months, in September and October, there are still some people. Once you get to November and December, it’s the year-rounders. It was a period where I felt a little trapped.”

Are you interested in part-time work? Two organizations aligned with the Wisconsin Conference are looking to hire.

The Damascus Project, the collaborative educational ministry of the Minnesota and Wisconsin conferences, seeks a part-time registrar to provide administrative support to the director and program participants. Learn more and apply. Questions? Email the Rev. Dr. Stephanie Perdew, director of the Damascus Project.

The Wisconsin Council for Health and Human Service Ministries, or CHHSM, is looking for a coordinator to work around 15 hours a month. CHHSM supports a number of UCC-affiliated human services organizations, and the coordinator would perform tasks that include maintaining the group’s social media presence and keeping agency representatives informed about council business. Email Petra Streiff with questions.

Registration is open for the Open and Affirming Coalition’s spring and summer webinar series, which launches next week with ONA 101, an introduction to the ONA journey.



Webinars will be offered from 6 to 7:30 p.m. on Feb. 27, March 19, April 23, May 28, June 25 and July 30. Recordings will be available for online viewing for 45 days after each live event. You can register for the entire series or for individual sessions. Click for more information and to register.

Responding To Anti-Immigration Talking Points As People of Faith

The Wisconsin Conference Immigration Justice Working Group will host a Zoom discussion with the Rev. Doug Pagitt, executive director of Vote Common Good and an expert on immigration issues and border policies and practices. He will respond to many of the most common anti-immigration talking points and myths and offer a factual and faith-based response to today's anti-immigrant rhetoric. 

Time: 6:30 to 8 p.m.

Date:  Thursday, Feb. 29

Register now

Conversation with the Supportive Ministries Team

The Supportive Ministries Team will host an hourlong Zoom conversation with ministry colleagues from around the Wisconsin Conference to explore questions that can “Nurture the Soul of the Beloved Community.”

Time: Noon

Date: Wednesday, March 6

Register now

Learn to use FreeWill

The Wisconsin Conference will host a webinar explaining FreeWill, a free, easy-to-use online tool for estate planning. FreeWill is a perfect way to ensure that your legacy continues to support the ministries you care most about.

Time: Noon

Date: Wednesday, March 6

Register now

Climate Change: An Opportunity to Reimagine Our World

Faith-based communities are in a unique position to address the changing climate and its effects on community members and the natural world. Nancy Turyk, an emerita water resource scientist at the University of Wisconsin-Stevens Point and chair of the Climate Change Work Group for Wisconsin’s Green Fire, will discuss the ways Wisconsin's climate is changing and some potential solutions. Presented by the Wisconsin Conference Creation Care Team.

Time: 7 p.m.

Date: Thursday, March 14

Register now

Celebrate the Mess

Join fellow faith formation leaders at the 2024 Messy Church USA National Conference. Messy Church offers a fresh approach to faith formation, a new form of church for families that uses creativity, celebration and hospitality to engage the stories our faith. The conference will include workshops, large group sessions and Messy Church-style worship and music.

Date: April 18-20

Place: Northfield Community Church, Northfield, Illinois

Learn more and register

Lakeland University Founders’ Day lecture

"Dreaming Courageously: Pope Francis' Vision for the 21st Century Catholic Church and the Challenge of LGBTQ+ Inclusion” is the subject of this year’s lecture, to be delivered by author and scholar Craig Ford.

Time: 6:30 to 8 p.m.

Date: March 5

Place: Younger Family Campus Center, Lakeland University

Register now

Save the date 

June 7-8: Wisconsin Conference Annual Meeting at Green Lake Conference Center.

July 17-20: 2024 Great Lakes and West Central Regional Youth Event at Augustana College in Rock Island, Illinois. 

Each year, the national office of the UCC asks every congregation to provide annual church information online. Why is this information requested? Here are 12 important reasons.

The Data Hub will be available through March 6.

To avoid potential delays, please be sure to enter your information as soon as possible. For instructions and helpful documents, click here. Please do not contact the National Setting. Deadline for reporting is March 6. 

The conference also requests church officer data. To submit, fill out this survey online. 

Thank you for providing this important information. Need more details? Check your snail mail -- each church was mailed a packet of information about Yearbook data for 2024. You can also email Nola Risse-Connolly for help.

Searching Churches

• Congregational UCC in Neenah is searching for a pastor. Details
• To see all searching churches, click here.
• Interim ministry openings: click here.

Wider Church Searches

• Current openings at the national United Church of Christ.

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.