Author: Gordon Govier

“We’re all in this together.” This phrase is everywhere in response to the COVID-19 pandemic. But we can’t be together physically. So when the church thinks about collaboration during these times, what it looks like to “be in it together,” we need to get creative. Like other pastors, Pastor Dave Jacobson of City on a Hill Church looked at this unique moment and asked himself, “How can we leverage this opportunity?” That led to a creative, collaborative idea that may not have ever happened back when everything was “normal” – a multi-church online worship night. The United Night of Worship will feature…

Lynne Chase had heard about efforts Lighthouse Church was making to care for those affected by our pandemic and was on her way with some donations gathered by her own congregation, Christ Church Madison. As she was driving over there a few weeks ago, she wound up listening to Jon Anderson from the Collaboration Project interviewing Lighthouse Church Pastor Marcio Sierra, Jr. and Mt. Zion Baptist Pastor Marcus Allen about their newly-formed Psalm 46 Relief Fund. She said she just started to “get tingly” at the vision they were laying out.

MADISON (WKOW) — The Salvation Army is adjusting its services to help people in need during the COVID-19 pandemic. The organization continues its work in pandemic relief offering shelter to women and families, operating a feeding program with community partners, and providing relief supplies to those in need.

I hated Madison. My plan had been to stay in the DC area for the rest of my life. The only other suitable options would have been another major city rich with black culture. But as I’d searched for jobs, God had closed every door in Washington—and opened the door wide in Madison.

Last Wednesday, when Rev. Marcus Allen of Mt. Zion Baptist Church held a virtual Bible study, he expressed to his church family how much he missed seeing them. Right then, Gloria Ladson-Billings, the deacon at the church, knew she was going to do something special. That following Sunday, May 3, Ladson-Billings, who is a faculty member at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, brought together at least 70 congregation members to participate in a surprise parade in front of Allen’s home. Allen, his wife Terra Allen, and their three children stood outside on their lawn as more than 30 cars drove by…

As public schools shut down due to the COVID-19 outbreak, parents across the country find themselves homeschooling their children. For many, this is an eye-opening experience revealing exactly what their children are being taught at school. Parents in one school district had this epiphany well before the shutdown. And it wasn’t positive. When parents in Madison, Wisconsin learned that their children were being taught experimental theories about gender identity, they were understandably upset. Under a new school district policy, children as young as kindergarten were being exposed to the idea that gender “is a spectrum” and that you can choose…

The first Monday of May is celebrated as the National Day of Prayer and in the year 2020 there is a lot to pray about. But unlike other years, there will be no large gatherings at the state capitol building in Madison. This year’s theme, “Pray God’s Glory Across the Earth”, is based on Habakkuk 2:14, and reminds us that this promise, “for the earth will be filled with the knowledge of the glory of the Lord as the waters cover the sea.” is for us today. National Day of Prayer (NDP) Task Force President, Kathy Branzell, said,“Unprecedented times call…

Once upon a time – before the growth of evangelical and non-denominational churches, before the surge of people identifying with no particular religious tradition – an organization known as the Wisconsin Council of Churches was at the heart of connecting and representing mainstream Protestant denominations in this state. Today, it is at the heart of the movement among churches to connect in new ways, to not let the institutional and even theological differences that can divide people get in the way of finding ways to work together to serve the community – and to better reflect the ideals when people talk…

Thanks to a connection from local grocer Tim Metcalfe, Boys and Girls Club of Dane County CEO Michael Johnson was able to score a large quantity of surgical masks and is already distributing them to Black churches and other community organizations. Johnson received a donation of 10,000 masks from Metcalfe’s Markets co-owners Tim and Kevin Metcalfe. He is making those available free of charge to health care facilities and community centers. Additionally, anyone who works at a nursing home or assisted living facility can go to any Boys and Girls Club, show work ID and pick up 10 free masks.

The Spring 2020 ALTERNATIVES newsletter from Care Net of Dane County announces that longtime CEO Liz Osborn is stepping down. On April 1, 2020, she was succeeded by Sara Patterson, who has been in leadrship with Care Net for the past four years. Care Net operates out of a two story building on Mac Arthur Road on Madison’s east side, a building that contains not only a medical clinic that offers free services but also The Elizabeth House, a safe home where pregnant women can live free of charge.  Last year Care Net also began operating a mobile clinic, serving…