Wisconsin Conference This Week | | Get ready now for All-Conference Read | |
Help the Wisconsin Conference press forward in the work of antiracism by making plans now to join the All-Conference Read of Nice Racism, Robin DiAngelo’s examination of how well-meaning progressive white people perpetuate racial harm. Details of the All-Conference Read, including plans for virtual study groups, will be announced in April at Annual Meeting 2026. You can get a head start by purchasing Nice Racism at Penguin Random House or wherever books are sold. Let us know whether you plan to participate in the All-Conference read by emailing the Conference or calling 608-846-7880.
| | PJWG urges veto of legislation seen as threat to free speech | | |
The Palestine Justice Working Group is calling for Gov. Tony Evers to veto SB 445/AB 446, legislation that would require public bodies at the state and local levels to adopt the definition of “antisemitism” proposed by the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance. The PJWG opposes the legislation because of its potential to suppress advocacy for Palestine justice by, for example, effectively making criticism of Israel grounds for adding a “hate crime” enhancement to any criminal charge.
Register your opposition to the legislation.
Learn more.
| | ICYMI: OCWM Special Offerings orientation is Wednesday | | Join the Rev. Rachel McDonald, generosity officer for OCWM and Special Mission Offerings, on Zoom from 6:30 to 7:30 p.m. Wednesday, Feb. 25, to learn how to promote and celebrate wider giving in the UCC. Explore how a yearly cycle of Special Offering gifts provides a roadmap for generosity. Clergy, mission committee members, and anyone interested in giving will receive an overview of how Our Church's Wider Mission giving works in the UCC and gain helpful tips to bring back to your congregation. Register today. | | Webinar series to explore Manual on Local Church | | |
Beginning in March, members of the Wisconsin Conference staff will conduct a virtual guided tour of the Manual on Local Church: A Covenantal Framework and Guide for All Settings of the United Church of Christ. The sessions will take place from 6:30 to 8 p.m. March 12, March 26, May 28 and June 25. The Manual on Local Church is designed to strengthen our covenantal life and was created by a working group of clergy, laity, and members of the UCC’s national staff that included Lisa Hart of the Wisconsin Conference. This free series is underwritten by the Wisconsin Foundation UCC/Damascus Project’s Lilly Endowment Thriving Congregations grant.
Learn more and register.
| Sermon Talk resumes next month | |
Join Damascus Project Director Stephanie Perdew at noon on Tuesday, March 3, 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.
Join the conversation.
| Two MESA training opportunities on tap in March | |
The UCC’s Ministerial Excellence, Support and Authorization team will offer two virtual learning opportunities for clergy and lay people in March. Boundary Awareness Training for Retired Ministers, scheduled for 2:30 to 5:30 p.m. on Thursday, March 12, will explore the challenge of maintaining appropriate boundaries during a particularly tender time in pastors’ lives. Not Your Predecessor’s PPRC will provide a fresh take on the traditional Pastor/Parish Relations Committee – and what it takes to become a Pastoral Support Committee. The session will take place from 6:30 to 8 p.m. on Wednesday, March 18.
Register for Boundary Awareness Training for Retired Ministers.
Register for Not Your Predecessor’s PPRC.
| Register today for Annual Meeting 2026, set for April 10-11 at Green Lake Conference Center. Meeting theme is Cultivating Community: Rooted in Christ and Bearing Fruit. . . . The block of rooms at Green Lake reserved specifically for Annual Meeting attendees will be released after today, which means you may be competing for accommodations with other groups – and you pay wind up paying more. Register for accommodations and meals today. . . . The Damascus Project is teaming up with the BTS Center to host a Lenten study based on Speak with the Earth and It Will Teach You: A Field Guide to the Bible by Wisconsin UCC pastor Daniel Cooperrider. Learn more and register. . . .Registration is open for the first two 2026 cohorts of Animating Antiracism in Faith Formation, a program open to all church leaders looking to expand their cultural competency and examine the ways in which race and power are present in ministry. Register for Cohort A, which starts today. Register for Cohort B, which takes place in March. | | -
The Rev. Gerald O’Connor, father of the late Rev. Kathryn Kuhn, died Jan. 30. Obituary
| | Help others by donating 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 | |
This newsletter is made possible by contributions to Our Church's Wider Mission Basic Support.
Wisconsin Conference United Church of Christ
W1000 Spring Grove Road, Ripon, WI 54971
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