The Wisconsin Conference UCC has launched an appeal to support recovery efforts in the Southeast following the devastation caused by Hurricane Helene. Funds donated to the Conference will be forwarded to Church World Service. Give today.

Who’s to blame for the decades-long decline in church attendance and membership? The clergy? Lay leaders? Ourselves?

The answer is none of the above, says Bob Smietana, author of “Reorganized Religion: The Reshaping of the American Church and Why it Matters.” Instead, the erosion of engagement with our religious institutions is part of long-term demographic and cultural changes outside our control. But even amid decline, small successes are sprinkled throughout church life in the form of ministries that change people’s lives. Some takeaways from Bob’s Leadership Matters Lecture, hosted by the Damascus Project:

American culture has changed I. In the postwar years, “American culture was like a moving walkway to churches,” Bob said. “It would bring people to your door, and you’d tell them about American Christianity, and that that’s what good people do.” Today, “the job is to help convince people that maybe this is something you want to take part in. That they might show up is a big deal. Then they have to be convinced that they might stay.”

American culture has changed II. “Almost all Americans were Christian” when he was born in 1965, Bob said. “Almost all Americans were white. Men were in charge. The nuclear family was the center of life. Going to church was what good people did.” Now, however, the United States is far more racially diverse. “We’re increasingly egalitarian. Increasingly LGBT affirming. The largest (religious) group is the nones,” he said.

End of an era. “We’re at the end of a churchgoing boom (that extended) from postwar to the ’90s,” Bob said. “Basically, people got old. They’ve been replaced by a younger generation, fewer of whom go to church and who have fewer kids than their parents.”

We’re moving more. “If you move, you get out of the habit of going to church,” he said. “If you previously had a bad church experience, you’re wary. You think the church doesn’t love you. And if it was a good church, you’re looking for it in your new neighborhood. The denominational name may be the same, but the experience is different.”

Leaders need strong soft skills. Clergy and lay leaders alike need to know how to gather people together, connect with those outside the congregation, and empower others to do the same. “We’re going to have to get out and talk to our neighbors and invite them to come,” he said. Just as important, we need to learn to resolve differences. “People in my church don’t know how to belong to each other,” he said. “If they disagree, they leave.”

Celebrate the good you do. “You are essential to your community for all the things you do,” Bob said. “You are a place where people can gather for free. You’re one place that is meant to be for other people.

Relationships are more important than programs. “The genius of human beings is that we’re interdependent,” he said. “The Achilles’ heel is that we think we’re not. The need for a community that’s not transactional is super important. Programs can’t replace that."

Planning is underway for the 2025 Annual Meeting of the Wisconsin Conference, scheduled for June 5-7 at Green Lake Conference Center. Organizers are now accepting proposals for workshop presentations. Do you have an idea for a session that will inspire faith, build community and promote justice? Submit your proposal today.



Deadline for proposals is Nov. 15.

The 2024 campaign season is entering its final weeks, which means our social media feeds, TVs, mailboxes and computer screens are crammed with political messages, many of them a toxic mix of misinformation and hatred. It’s exhausting.

The UCC’s Join the Movement Toward Racial Justice team has made a priority of individuals’ health, safety and emotional well-being before and after the election. The team has compiled an Election Season Spiritual Care Package – a set of self-care practices, prayers and art – to provide an antidote to the anger and grief around us. 

Access the Election Season Spiritual Care Package.

The United Church of Christ has designated Oct. 13 Access Sunday, when congregations will celebrate the gifts of persons with disabilities and the strides that the church has made in becoming more inclusive and more accessible to all. Here, the Wisconsin Conference Older Adult Ministries Working Group describes how it created an easy-to-use resource for congregations working to become more accessible.

Ask an older person what their greatest challenge is about being at church, and you may be surprised. Lois commented that her church’s entrance doors were too heavy for her to open. John moved to a different church that had an updated sound system linking to his hearing aids.

What does building accessibility mean for older adults and those who are physically challenged?

Surveys conducted by the Older Adult Ministries’ Working Group found that accessibility can mean different things to different people. Most people thought of a ramp or designated parking space, but few mentioned the sound system, restrooms or curb cuts. With so many aspects to building accessibility, the working group decided to create a simple guide for our Conference churches.

We started with UCC Disabilities Ministries, whose website contains important definitions and a checklist for congregations. From there, we decided to outline first steps for low-cost, or less-costly actions to improve accessibility. The new resource’s examples include suggestions for large-print bulletins, lighting, microphone use, and, for churches that use video screens, accessibility for those with low vision.

Download the Church Building and Program Accessibility Resource.

The resource is free for church groups to use. Access Sunday, Oct. 13, is the perfect time to introduce this new resource to your church.

To learn more, email Jan Aerie, coordinator of the Wisconsin Conference Older Adult Ministries Working Group; Lisa Hart, associate conference minister for faith formation and justice ministries; or Conference Minister Franz Rigert.

Is your congregation studying the issue of a just peace between Israel and the Palestinian people? Here are some additional resources, courtesy of the Wisconsin Conference Palestine Justice Working Group.

• Kairos USA is an organization that works to unify and mobilize American Christians – lay, academic and clergy – to take a prophetic stance for a just peace in response to the pleas of Palestinian Christians to stand with them in their struggle for freedom. A study guide is available on the organization’s website.
• Kairos USA’s executive director, Mark Braverman, is a Jewish-American Palestinian rights activist. He tells his story of realizing that the Palestinian Jewish Rabbi Jesus teaches a different truth than the Zionist teachings he grew up learning in a 10-minute talk, “How to be a Jew after the Nakba.”

Each of these is a valuable resource for congregations studying the issue of a just peace between Israel and the Palestinian people in preparation for the 2025 Conference Annual Meeting, where delegates may vote whether to adopt the Declaration for a Just Peace Between Israel and Palestine adopted at the UCC’s 2021 General Synod.

Supportive Ministries conversation

The Supportive Ministries Team offers two opportunities each month to join a discussion on topics raised in its monthly newsletter. The next conversations, "Embracing the Joy of Transformation," will take place by Zoom at noon and 7 p.m. on Thursday, Oct. 3.

Register here for the noon discussion

Register here for the 7:00 p.m. discussion

Let’s talk about bullying

How can people of faith address the pain caused by bullying? If you have experienced bullying, know someone who is a bully or want to work to reduce bullying, this conversation is for you. Facilitator is the Rev. Bev. Davis.

Time: 7 p.m.

Date: Oct. 8

Register today

Mass incarceration movie and panel

ESTHER, an interfaith social justice advocacy organization (the acronym stands for Empowerment Solidarity Truth Hope Equity Reform) based in the Fox Valley, will host a virtual and in-person showing of “Justice in Crisis: Mass Incarceration in America,” followed by a panel discussion and Q&A. The event is part of ESTHER’s 20th anniversary celebration.

Time: 6 to 8 p.m.

Date: Oct. 8

Place: Room A170, Fox Valley Technical College, 1825 N. Bluemound Road, Appleton.

Register now

Local Church Profile system training

Following the launch this spring of the digital local church profile portal, MESA continues to offer monthly general orientations to the new system for search committees. Church staff members are welcome to attend trainings, too. Email the Rev. Jeff Nelson, minister for ministerial calls and transitions with questions. The training schedule for the rest of the year:

6 to 7 p.m. Oct. 9. Register now

6 to 7 p.m. Nov. 6. Register now

Deeper Water confirmation event

Spend an evening with singer, songwriter and UCC pastor Christopher Grundy exploring the spiritual journey that begins to move out into deeper water during confirmation. Youth and adults alike will be inspired by this evening of songs, stories, and prayer.

Time: 7 to 8:15 p.m.

Date: Oct. 10

Place: Bradley Theatre at Lakeland University, Sheboygan

Register now

Ministerial boundary training

Boundary training for authorized ministers and Members In Discernment in the Wisconsin Conference will be held online with LeaderWise. You can find more information on LeaderWise on their website.This training is a two-day (three hours each day) training session. You must attend both days to receive boundary training credit.

Date: October 16 and 17

Time: 9 a.m. to noon

Register here

Help others become ONA

The Conference ONA Team will host a one-day training event for individuals and groups from our churches interested in helping other congregations navigate the journey to Open and Affirming status.

Time: 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.

Date: Oct. 19

Place: First Congregational UCC, 120 Kuckkan Lane, Watertown

Register now

End the year strong: Making the most of year-end giving

November and December can be the strongest months for giving in charities. How can we make the most of this generous time in our culture? The conversation will lift up ideas and messages to promote giving to congregations.

Time: 6:30 to 7:30 p.m.

Date: Oct. 23

Place: Zoom

Register now

Palestine Justice Working Group

The Wisconsin Conference work group educates UCC members about the state of Israeli-Palestinian relations and advocates for justice for all Palestinians. The group meets by Zoom on the fourth Monday of each month. Meetings are open to all.

Time: 7 p.m.  

Date: Oct. 29

Register now

Sermon talk

Join Associate Conference Minister Michael Jones for a Zoom discussion of biblical texts and sermon ideas, with the focus on topics for the month ahead. Whether you use the Revised Common Lectionary or the Narrative Lectionary or choose your own texts, this discussion is for you. Sessions take place at noon on the first Tuesday of each month.

Time: Noon

Date: Nov. 5

Register now

Faith Formation Retreats

Registration is now open for all three Youth Faith Formation Retreats planned for 2024-2025. Retreats will take place at Daycholah Center on the weekends of Nov. 8-10, Feb. 21-23 and Feb. 28-March 2. We offer the same retreat three times so that more young people can participate. Our planning team is creating a retreat that focuses on sacred space, sacred rituals and worship. We will have opportunities to explore Daycholah Center, engage in some fun and games, and hang out with old and new friends.

Register for the Nov. 8-10 retreat

Register for the Feb. 21-23 retreat

Register for the Feb. 28- March 2 retreat

Virtual boundary training for retired ministers

Maintaining healthy boundaries is challenging at any stage in ministry and it is particularly tender and difficult attending to boundaries as we transition out of our last call, and while in retirement. The Revs. Tara Barber and Melanie Oommen will offer this focused Boundary Awareness Training for those entering and living in retirement. This training meets the Wisconsin Conference Commission on Church and Ministry requirements for boundary training for authorized ministers. 

Time: 12:30 to 3:30 p.m.

Date: Nov. 13

Register now

Save the date

Annual Meeting 2025: Intensive workshop June 5 at Daycholah Center; Annual Meeting June 6-7 at Green Lake Conference Center.

Top image: The National Guard, CC BY 2.0 , via Wikimedia Commons. Florida National Guard in Keaton Beach, Florida (Hurricane Helene).

This newsletter is made possible by contributions to Our Church's Wider Mission Basic Support.

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

Wisconsin Conference United Church of Christ

W1000 Spring Grove Road, Ripon, WI 54971

mail@wcucc.org

www.wcucc.org