Author: Gordon Govier

The Madison-based Freedom From Religion Foundation’s lawsuit that attempted to stop Texas Governor Rick Perry from sponsoring a Day of Prayer this Saturday at Houston’s Reliant Stadium was rejected by a federal judge last week. The Houston Day of Prayer is called The Response – A Call to Prayer for a Nation in Crisis. A number of national religious leaders are associated with The Response, including Don Wildmon of the American Family Association, Mike Bickle of the International House of Prayer-Kansas City, Tony Evans of the Urban Alternative, and James and Shirley Dobson. Although there’s no official connection, the leaders of…

CHICAGO — When transfer quarterback Russell Wilson joined the University of Wisconsin football team about a month ago from North Carolina State, UW players had a meeting to let Wilson introduce himself. Two players who played key roles in Wilson’s recruitment were Nick Toon and Aaron Henry. Henry is from Immokalee, Fla., and as one of the leaders of a bible-study group on the team, his faith is an important part of his daily life. Wilson is from Richmond, Va., and also has a strong faith. The two hit it off immediately.

Pastor Alex Gee of Fountain of Life Church kicked off the New Beginnings Conference at City Church last evening with a strong message on unity. “You want the glory of God? There’s got to be unity,” he said. Pastors from several Madison churches will be speaking at the conference, which runs through Saturday morning, with services at 10am and 7pm. Sam Dharam of Youth With a Mission speaks Thursday morning, Nic Gibson of High Point Church speaks Friday morning and Glenn Smith of Metro Believers Church speaks Saturday morning. Brian White, who grew up on Madison’s east side and is now…

Illinois Gov. Pat Quinn and National Infrastructures Minister Dr. Uzi Landau signed a Memorandum of Understanding in Jerusalem on Sunday establishing a “Sister Lakes” relationship between Lake Michigan and the Kinneret (Sea of Galilee), to foster an educational exchange for research toward maintaining the two very critical bodies of water.

  Each afternoon and evening during this week’s Dane County Fair at the Alliant Energy Center, an evangelistic youth outreach will take place in Exhibition Hall D. The outreach is being conducted by Out of the Box Ministries, of Rio, in cooperation with local churches: City Church, New Crossing Church, Capital City Church, Asbury United Methodist Church, Lakeshore Church and Metro Believers.

The nation’s third-largest Lutheran denomination moved to clarify its views on the Catholic Church Monday, after being drawn into the national political debate by presidential candidate Michele Bachmann. The Wauwatosa-based Wisconsin Evangelical Lutheran Synod, the most theologically conservative of the nation’s three main Lutheran denominations, issued a statement on its website explaining its long-held tenet that the Catholic papacy is the anti-Christ. But it said that position is born of doctrinal differences rather than anti-Catholic bigotry.    

For the second consecutive year, a Madison church is planning a day of freebies for the community, including Jiffy Lube oil changes and Sonic hamburgers. Asbury United Methodist Church, 6101 University Ave., says it will spend about $6,000 Saturday to give people an economic boost – or to simply put smiles on their faces. “We liked the reactions we got last year,” said the Rev. Harold Zimmick, lead pastor.

Soft heart, swift kick. A Baptist minister and developer said he will apply the same tough-love rental policy he has for 25 years at a proposed new five-room boarding house he plans to open inside a South Side building formerly used to treat ailing pets. “I will evict in a heartbeat,” Larry Jackson said, pointing to numerous previous tenants. “But I will also give them a chance.”

The Salvation Army of Dane County has been turning to an additional fundraising campaign, “Christmas in July,” to fund its food programs as the foundering economy has stretched household budgets to the breaking point. The demand for assistance is up, both from people in need and people needed to help Salvation Army help others.

Twenty-four families from Elmbrook Church in Brookfield are poised to open their homes to children in crisis. The families have been certified through a Chicago-based nonprofit that recruits volunteers to take in children temporarily while their parents or guardians work through personal problems. Distressed parents are already calling the newly formed Safe Families for Children Milwaukee seeking help, said director Traci Weldie of Watertown. But no child has been placed. The program has been stalled by a Wisconsin law…