“Decreasing Your Tax Burden and Increasing Your Impact” is the theme of a webinar sponsored by the Wisconsin Conference that will show attendees how to ease tax burdens through effective charitable giving, thereby ensuring their generosity goes further in support of the causes they care about. The webinar is scheduled for 2:30 to 3:30 p.m. Oct. 15. “Two-Way Giving: Life Income Agreements That Pay You” is the topic of a webinar from 2:30 to 3:30 p.m. Oct. 23 that will explore how charitable giving annuities and remainder trusts can turn a tax burden into an opportunity for lasting impact.

Register for the Oct. 15 webinar

Register for the Oct. 23 webinar

Singer, songwriter and UCC pastor Christopher Grundy will lead a singalong concert and music workshop from 9 to 11:30 a.m. Oct. 31 at Bradley Hall on the campus of Lakeland University in Plymouth. Theme of the event is “What We Sing Matters,” and participants will learn strategies to strengthen congregational singing. The event is free and open to anyone who is interested. A freewill offering will support the scholarship program of United Church Men & Women. Christopher is a longtime friend of the Wisconsin Conference who serves as dean of the chapel and professor of worship and preaching at Eden Theological Seminary in St. Louis. Register for the workshop by emailing baiop1950@gmail.com.

Are you passionate about preserving the Great Lakes? Mark your calendars now for the 2026 gathering of the Great Lakes Collaborative, scheduled for Aug. 23-25 at Five Oaks Retreat Center in Paris, Ontario. The collaborative is a community of disciples from the UCC conferences adjacent to the Great Lakes, plus the United Church of Canada, who are committed to defending these precious water resources. The collaborative gathered most recently in August at Tower Hill Camp and Retreat Center in Sawyer, Michigan. To learn more about the Ontario gathering or to join monthly Zoom meetings of the collective, email Kathy Douglas of the United Church of Canada.

Join the Wisconsin Conference Older Adult Ministry Task Force at 7 p.m. on Tuesday, Oct. 14, for a discussion on ways congregations can best serve individuals living with dementia. Discussion leaders will be Susan and John McFadden, authors of “Aging Together.” Register now. . . . Space is still available on the Wisconsin Conference trip to Alabama sites that played key roles in the Civil Rights movement, scheduled for Sunday, Feb. 1, through Friday, Feb. 6. Email Conference Minister Franz Rigert for more information or to sign up. . . . The deadline to receive the early-bird rate for the Nov. 21-23 Knock Knock Middle School Retreat is Friday, Oct. 17.. . . Registration for the Nov. 7-9 Youth Faith Formation Retreat will close Oct. 22 (or earlier if the event fills up). . . . 

The orientation retreat for participants in the Lay Faith and Ministry Communities of Practice will be held Oct. 31-Nov. 1. Theme of the retreat is “Prayer as Poetry.”. . . 

There’s still time to sign up for “Conflict Transformation (and Prevention) Skills for Churches,” offered by the Conference Conflict Transformation Team Oct. 24-25. All retreats will take place at Daycholah Center.

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