Wisconsin Conference This Week | | Turn summertime into learning time with the Damascus Project | |
If you’re a lay leader, authorized minister or Committee on Ministry member, make sure to check out the Damascus Project’s Introduction to the UCC Manual on Local Church. The course is free and serves as a guided tour of the Manual, conducted by members of the Wisconsin Conference staff. Sessions are scheduled from 6:30 to 8 p.m. May 28 and June 25. If your bailiwick is church finances, the course for you is Together for Tomorrow: Planned Giving in Your Congregation, led by the Rev. Andrew Warner, president of the Wisconsin Foundation UCC. Group meetings will take place from 6:30 to 8 p.m. on June 17 and July 15, with some homework in between. The course will help your congregation develop its own planned giving strategy.
| | Don’t stop there. Registration is open for fall courses. | | Registration for fall courses is now open on the Damascus Project website. First up is Cultivating Generous Congregations, which will meet from 6:30 to 8 p.m. on Wednesdays Aug. 26, Sept. 9 and 23, Oct. 7 and 21, and Nov. 4, with self-paced learning assigned between sessions. The course aims to provide clergy and lay leaders the skills needed to change the culture around giving within congregations. Looking for ways to navigate differences within your congregation? Check out Healthy Conflict and Communication, scheduled for 6:30 to 8 p.m. on Thursday evenings Oct. 1, 8, 22 and 29. | | Brookfield church to launch national justice learning project | | |
Brookfield Congregational UCC has announced plans for a nationwide learning opportunity created to prepare individuals and congregations to provide accompaniment to those engaged in the criminal justice system. Called Beloved Inside Out, the project will begin next month with a virtual meet-and-greet followed by a study of two books: Just Mercy by Bryan Stevenson and Dead Man Walking by Sister Helen Prejean. Organizers say the two books “will ground us in the realities of injustice, mercy, and the transformative power of presence.” Brookfield Congregational will collaborate on the project with Nurturing Justice Inc. and Milwaukee-based Onesimus Group MKE.
Read more about Beloved Inside Out: Download the flyer.
| | Don’t miss this opportunity to connect faith, ecology | | |
The Wisconsin and Minnesota conferences have teamed up to offer a new two-part intergenerational care-of-creation experience this summer called Freshwater Faithworks, which will explore the intersection of freshwater ecology and faith The first part is a three-night family camp scheduled for June 28-July 1 at Daycholah Center. A four-night service and learning trip to Minnesota designed for middle schoolers will take place from July 29 to Aug. 2.
Register now for family camp.
Register now for the middle-school trip.
| ICYMI: Learn how to build a generous congregation | |
If you’re looking for ways to increase giving in your church, consider attending Growing Generous Congregations, an in-person one-day workshop to be held from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. on Saturday, May 30, at United Theological Seminary of the Twin Cities. The workshop, co-sponsored by the seminary and the Minnesota Conference UCC, will use a curriculum created by the Lake Institute on Faith & Giving to help pastors and lay leaders think through their role in church finances, become better stewards of donors’ gifts, and awaken a spirit of generosity within their communities. Cost is $150 for each team of three to eight people.
Register now.
| Are you a church musician? Make sure to check out United in Spirit, Diverse in Sound, the biennial national conference of the United Church of Christ Musicians Association, scheduled for July 8-11 at First Community Church in Columbus, Ohio. . . . If you’re a member of your congregation’s Green Team, make plans to attend the 2026 Great Lakes Collaborative Retreat, scheduled for Aug. 23-25 at Five Oaks Retreat Center in Paris, Ontario | | -
Howard Hart, father-in-law of staff member Lisa Hart, died on May 10. 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. Donate to the General Fund | | |
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, WISE for Mental Health 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
| | | | |
