“People around Wisconsin don’t know what’s happening in Madison,” Linda Maris told a local gathering last week. Maris is president of National Christian Foundation Wisconsin and speaks to Christian gatherings around the state. She noted that the capital city has a reputation for many things, but not as a hub of Christian generosity.
Maris spoke at the Madison Christian Giving Fund‘s Re-Igniting A Movement of Generosity in Madison breakfast at Upper House on Wednesday, September 15. But only after a long line of beneficiaries of the Giving Fund’s generosity testified to the importance of the funds they received to support their ministry.
Tammy Fleming said MCGF’s financial grants were critical for helping Shelter From the Storm, a transitional shelter for single moms, become self-supporting.
Charles Moore of Impact Christian Schools thanked MCGF for financing which allowed the 95 teachers in Madison’s four Christian schools to receive professional development training.
Cheryl Knox reported that the closing of Madison area schools due to the pandemic greatly expanded the ministry of Child Evangelism Fellowship as they went online to share the Gospel with children who were at home instead of at school.
Tom Nebel of the Wisconsin Inmate Education Association said that there are 75 students at Waupun prison who are currently working on their Bible and Psychology degrees in the WIEA program, and it is not only transforming the prison but also the inmate’s families and their communities.
Earlier this year the first 20 graduates of the program received their diplomas. “It’s the first time an entire class (of Trinity International University, the sponsoring institution) graduated with honors,” Nebel said. The graduates then return to the prisons where they came from when they joined the program. “We are creating peer ministers who are deployed across (the Wisconsin Correctional) system,” he added.
Other organizations represented in the testimonial portion of the program included: The Impact Movement, CareNet of Dane County, Lighthouse Church and Christian School, Abolition Wisconsin, Every Daughter, Madison Area Jail Ministry, Zeteo Community and Restauracion y Vida Church.
“Where is God at work? You heard it right here,” said Fred Grossenbach, MCGF board member and emcee. “It’s a reach of the Gospel in places we don’t know about.”
Mike Powers, formerly of WNWC radio, was introduced as the new executive director of the Madison Christian Generosity Council, which sponsors the Giving Fund. “I sense God is taking this area to a new level of generosity,” he said.
The Generosity Council “supports connection and collaboration among Christian organizations. It exists to spread the Good News of God’s love for all.”
Through the Madison Christian Giving Fund the council has given grants to over 50 Madison-area ministries over the past seven years. Once again this fall, MCGF is soliciting applications from local organizations and donations from local Christians to support the good that God’s people are doing in Madison. The 2021 goal is to raise $400,000 annually to support Madison-area ministries.
“It’s amazing to be a part of what’s happening in Madison,” Linda Maris said. “Many people want to support Christian ministries but they don’t know where to give.” She used the illustration of something thrown into a pond to describe the impact of unified giving.
“It doesn’t matter if it’s a little pebble or a large boulder, there will be a ripple effect. When we release God’s resources for kingdom work, we don’t know the impact but we know we can trust God. And we know the needs are increasing.”
More information at: https://www.ncfgiving.com/wisconsin/madison-christian-generosity-council/ You can also contact Mike Powers at mpowers@ncfgiving.com or 262/796-9910.