Author: Gordon Govier

Pastors and leaders of Madison-area churches – 65 of them – shared an open letter addressed to the African-American parishioners at their congregation and to the African-American community as a whole resolving to “preach, teach, and advocate against the sins of racism.” “We want to express our deep sorrow for the suspicion and double standard we have held towards people of color in this land,” they wrote. “We repent for this evil and ask for your forgiveness. We recognize that institutional and systematic racism are prevalent in our land. The tragic events that continue to happen serve as evidence of…

A Washington, D.C.-based law firm that specializes in religious liberty cases has sent a letter to Dane County and city of Madison officials saying their coronavirus reopening plan discriminates against the Madison Catholic Diocese. In a letter sent Wednesday on behalf of the diocese to Mayor Satya Rhodes-Conway, County Executive Joe Parisi and Janel Heinrich, director of the joint city-county health department, attorneys with the nonprofit Becket Fund for Religious Liberty and three other law firms say the county’s Forward Dane plan unconstitutionally singles out churches for tougher gathering restrictions than many other venues.

This week we have seen the repeat of the protests and riots of the 1960s. They have been triggered by a white policeman’s murder of an unarmed black man named George Floyd in Minneapolis. The unrest goes deeper, way deeper. The racial injustice African Americans experience every day, and the lack of progress or interest in addressing it is fueling the massive protests we see in the news every day. Here is a historical perspective. In 1968 the federal government recognized the danger of continued civil unrest on a national scale. If the root causes were not dealt with our…

MADISON — The Diocese of Madison, under the leadership of Bishop Donald J. Hying, is launching a bold new initiative called “Go Make Disciples” in order to renew our commitment to the mission of evangelization. As we approach the 75th Anniversary of the establishment of the Diocese of Madison, which we will celebrate in 2021, Bishop Hying is calling all of us in this beautiful diocese to answer that call in a new and deeper way by re-committing ourselves to the life-giving mission of evangelization, that is, to proclaim — by our words and by the testimony of our lives…

The Psalm 46 fund, launched in early April to respond to immediate needs of African American and Latino families caused by job losses and other hardships caused by the coronavirus pandemic, has raised more than $290,000, organizers announced in an interview on Real Talk with Henry Sanders, Madison365’s video show and podcast. Rev. Marcus Allen, senior pastor at Mt. Zion Baptist Church and president of the African American Council of Churches (AACC), joined Lighthouse Church pastor Marcio Sierra as guests on the show. “This fund has been very beneficial for us and those in our community,” Allen said. “And (it’s)…

When houses of worship across the state closed their buildings in mid-March as part of the effort to stop the spread of coronavirus, something unexpected happened. “The building is closed, but the church is open,” said the Rev. Charlie Berthoud, pastor at Covenant Presbyterian Church on Madison’s West Side. As religious leaders scrambled to create ways of worshiping safely, many found that more people are exploring their faith and actively participating online than were doing so in person. And some groups say they’ll maintain their heightened digital presence even after opening for in-person worship services.

What started as a small food drive to help those in need has generated more support than the members of Christ Church Episcopal in Whitefish Bay ever expected, bringing in more than 200 bags of food for a Milwaukee food pantry. The church’s outreach committee wanted to find a way to help residents in Milwaukee’s Harambee neighborhood, as St. Vincent de Paul had ended its meal program there due to coronavirus safety concerns. The meal program operates out of All Peoples Church, 2600 N. 2nd St, with which Christ Church has a partnership.

Gray skies and steady rain didn’t dampen the spirits of congregations around Wisconsin on Sunday as they gathered for the first time in two months after the state Supreme Court removed restrictions put in place to reduce the spread of COVID-19. “When I last stood here, I believe it was March 8, a Sunday morning, we had a very normal worship service that day,” said Dave Marriott, lead pastor at Lakewood Baptist Church in Pewaukee. “I never thought for a moment that it would be two solid months until we gathered again.”

“A changed world begins with us … and a changed us begins when we pray.” Eugene Peterson Collaboration Project’s mission is to foster collaboration between churches for good of our community to the glory of God and the flourishing of all people. Since founding, the primary way this mission was accomplished was by gathering groups of people together to share best practice, encourage one another, and seek out ways to work together in service to the most vulnerable around us. Then March began and everything changed. When COVID-19 overturned our way of living, it was no longer possible to come…

MADISON, Wis. (WMTV) — The state Supreme Court ruling striking down the “Safer at Home” extension statewide won’t end the restrictions in Dane County. Soon after the decision was handed down, Public Health Madison & Dane County issued a statement declaring health officials would use its own authority to issue an order that implements portions of the now-defunct Safer at Home order. Its new order will utilize all regulations enacted by the “Safer at Home” extension, except churches will be treated as essential businesses. That means they will be allowed to operate at 25 percent capacity.