Mark your calendars for 6 to 8 p.m. Tuesday, Oct. 11, for the virtual kickoff of Leadership Matters featuring Diana Butler Bass, one of the nation’s most trusted commentators on religion and culture.

Leadership Matters, a collaborative initiative of the Damascus Project and the Wisconsin Conference Leadership Forward Campaign, is an 18-month series of conversations with experts concerning best leadership practices. The series is designed for clergy and lay leaders, and it will include ample space for sharing of resources and support. Watch for additional details, including how to register, in forthcoming issues of Wisconsin Conference Life.

Butler Bass is the author of 11 books. Her byline has appeared in outlets including the New York Times, Washington Post, CNN.com, Atlantic.com, USA Today, Huffington Post, Christian Century and Sojourners. Learn more about her online at dianabutlerbass.com. Cost of the Oct. 11 event is $10 a person. Watch for registration details in future issues of Wisconsin Conference Life.

The list accounts for many of the major online/print outlets across the state, along with Wisconsin Public Radio. However, we need your help building it out. Click here to access the list, and follow the directions to add local online/print, radio and TV outlets that we missed. With your help, the list will grow rapidly.

Register here. Registration is $50. Limited financial assistance is available. Registration deadline is Sept. 15.

To register for “A Taste of Heavenly Meetings, visit the Damascus Project Network.

Would you like to share this class with others in your congregation? Here are links to a bulletin insert:

Watch the video below to hear the instructor talk about A Taste of Heavenly Meetings:

Date: Aug. 24

“I've sensed my clergy colleagues around the Conference are still reeling from the stresses, unknowns, and swift changes of this pandemic time,” Abbott wrote in an email. “For some, our creativity has diminished as a result. I desired to ‘meet us where we are’ and create a complete liturgy for Catalyst Day that is not only easy to set into motion but also fun, participatory, and theologically creative. Use a little, use a lot, or use it as a diving board into wherever God is calling!”

The liturgy is recommended for use on Sept. 11 or on a date of your choice. Click to download the liturgy. The Wisconsin Conference’s Catalyst program provides grants of up to $5,000 to support innovative ministries that push beyond church walls, engaging the wider community in work that’s often aligned with the Conference’s social justice mission. To learn more, email Conference Grants Coordinator Mary Kuenning Gross.

Labor Day weekend marks the start of this year’s Labor in the Pulpits/On the Bimah/In the Minbar Program, a monthlong initiative of Worker Justice Wisconsin that calls on faith communities to celebrate the dignity of work and support low-wage and immigrant workers, and commit to advocating for well-paying jobs with hours that allow workers to live full, healthy lives. Worker Justice Wisconsin is a Madison-based nonprofit that brings together faith and labor allies to empower workers.

This year’s theme is “Being Faith Allies,” and faith communities are encouraged to reflect on this question: As people of faith, what is our role in ensuring that low-wage and immigrant workers are treated with the dignity and respect they deserve? Worker Justice Wisconsin offers various ways for congregations to participate, including sharing WJW resources with the community and providing financial support to the organization. To confirm your congregation’s participation, please register here. Visit the WJW website for more information resources to jump-start Labor in the Pulpits in your congregation. Questions? Email WJW’s faith outreach coordinator, Gretchen Baumgardt.

United Theological Seminary of the Twin Cities is inviting students, alumni, current and former faculty members and friends to the kickoff celebration of the institution’s 60^th anniversary. The event is scheduled for 8:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. Sept. 28. The theme of the celebration, “Many Voices United,” honors the ecumenical origins of the seminary, its dedication to educating leaders for church and society, and its incorporation into the curriculum of principles of social transformation, interreligious engagement and public theology.

Deadline to register for the kickoff event is Sept. 16. Visit this link to learn more and register. There is an option to view the program online.

Is this you or someone you know?

The Damascus Project would love to help.

Check out our fall courses for lay leaders, seekers in faith and clergy.

Advent Prep: Get ready to get ready will help you prepare for the season of preparation. 

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

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