Author: Gordon Govier

At one point during the last 16 years of reporting on Madison’s Christian community, allgodspeople.com merged with another website, MadisonChristians.com. We added a well-produced directory of Madison churches to our website and retired the MadisonChristians.com URL. Now we’ve brought the URL back and have rebranded allgodspeople.com as MadisonChristians.com. While allgodspeople.com was creative and catchy, it doesn’t describe what we do. We’re a Madison Christian community internet portal. We aspire to be a place where Madison Christians go on the internet to find a connection to local churches, Christian events, Christian organizations and Christians in the business community.

Heartland Community Church chose to hold their regular Sunday service at Brat Fest! The inspiring worship band, Pastor John McNary and his team, and most of the Heartland congregation showed up in force to worship Jesus, at Brat Fest! This was an expression of the body of Christ in the middle of a public setting that features loud music, brats and beer. There was a welcoming, friendly, energetic, loving atmosphere that was palpable. Thank you Heartland for your leadership and presence. Flanking the music stage, sponsored by Life 102.5 Christian Radio station, was Madison Christian Giving Fund’s Ministry Marketplace, 25…

madisonchristians.com in its new identity as MadisonChristians.com will be at Brat Fest, at the Ministry Marketplace on Sunday, May 29. The morning begins with a 9am community worship service featuring Jon McNary, pastor of Heartland Church. Then from 10:30am to 8:00pm, Christian music will be featured at the BakerTilly/Life 102.5 stage, and local Christian ministries will be on hand in the Ministry Marketplace tent sponsored by the Madison Christian Giving Fund (MCGF). madisonchristians.com’s website update and rebranding as MadisonChristians.com is made possible by a 2022 grant from the MCGF. MadisonChristians.com is partnering with MCGF and other local organizations to improve…

How can churches use their building space in a collaborative way? Here are 3 impactful stories of ways that Dane County churches are currently sharing space for the greater good: (clip and paste URL) Read the story here: https://www.collaborationproject.us/stories/sharing-buildings-building-community  

Just when the Easter bustle started picking up, three teams from Faith Community Bible Church, City Church, and a Northside collaborative group at the YWAM Madison base dedicated rooms in their buildings for a 24-7 prayer vigil through all of Holy Week (the week leading up to Easter). In preparing for Easter, these churches created spaces for Christians from around the community to come together in prayer. Read more of this story here: https://www.collaborationproject.us/stories/holy-week-prayer  

MADISON, Wis. — When he was a little boy roaming the forests and marshes of Illinois, Rick Lindroth adored catching frogs and climbing trees. His dream came true when he became a full-time scientist, paid to make observations in nature. Even when he’s not on officially on the job, with binoculars dangling from his neck, he will effortlessly spot a bald eagle’s nest from his fly-fishing stream in Big Spring valley. The University of Wisconsin-Madison ecologist also belongs to an evangelical church and has struggled with deep despair over climate change. He has had a front-row seat observing the effects…

When Nick and Kerri Laper left Ukraine for an international vacation in mid-February, they had pondered to their travel agent about whether they’d be able to come back. At that point, there were rumblings of military action by the Russian military, but the Lapers’ travel agent had been more flippant about it, convinced an invasion wouldn’t happen. So the couple packed up their momentos just in case before leaving for vacation in Egypt – and haven’t returned since, as a no-fly zone was established in Ukraine.   Instead, the Lapers are now back at their Fitchburg home – where they…

This website, madisonchristians.com, is ancient by internet standards, having first gone online in 2006. It needs an overhaul.   And, thanks to the Madison Christian Giving Fund, an overhaul is coming. madisonchristians.com was among the 2022 grantees. That will enable this totally volunteer Madison Christian community internet portal to achieve a new look and new functionality. Finally, we can be mobile phone friendly, for instance.

Seventeen years ago, Fred Grossenbach, an advocate of the transforming power of the gospel, got a vision for 24-7 prayer on campus at the UW. He approached Peter Horton, on staff with InterVarsity and a member of Faith Community Bible Church, inviting him to consider spearheading a 24-7 prayer room. Peter asked the Lord about it, and he heard God clearly say, “This is for you.” He felt led to aim for 40 days of 24-7 prayer during Lent. Read more of this story at: https://www.collaborationproject.us/stories/holy-week-of-prayer  

MADISON, Wis. (RNS) — When she first became pastor of Lakeview Moravian Community, the Rev. Staci Marrese-Wheeler got a bit of advice from the church’s former pastor. “Get to know your neighbors,” she recalled him saying. She took the advice to heart, for both pragmatic and spiritual reasons. As a small congregation, Lakeview needed to work with other churches to serve their community. And working together sent a message that God was bigger than a single denomination. Read the rest of this story: https://religionnews.com/2022/03/08/in-madison-mainline-and-evangelicals-work-together-to-help-their-churches-thrive/