Author: Gordon Govier

“Where else but in Madison can you wake up at 7:30, have a brat in a pancake, and go to church?” That’s one way Brat Fest director Tim Metcalf describes the community worship service that has been a part of Madison’s Brat Fest for the past three years. But it was clear as Metcalf announced the new and returning features of Lifest at Brat Fest, it’s much more than that. About 50 faith based group leaders, Christian business operators, and volunteers gathered at Upper House last January for the announcement of the 2017 worship service speaker, some of the headliner…

The congregants at Grace Episcopal Church on the Capitol Square work tirelessly in service to the homeless. And Sunday, in a first-time event, parishioners made a practical as well as symbolic gesture by tying scarves to nearby trees offering additional warmth to anyone who might need it. Each winter scarf had a tag attached that read, “I’m not lost. Please feel free to take me with you if you are cold.”

This morning I attended the Memorial Service for Elizabeth Worth Alexander (Betty) at the Oakwood West Village Resurrection Chapel. About 200 people were there to honor the life and legacy of one of Madison’s Saints.  Family, folks from her church, people from InterVarsity Christian Fellowship — an international evangelical Christian organization headquartered in Madison where her husband, John was President in the ‘60s, and friends like me. We all wanted to pay tribute to a woman and family who have laid a solid Christian foundation in Madison. John and Betty opened their home in University Heights to establish Bible Studies,…

Ever wonder about what God thinks about Donald Trump? Or what he thinks about the fighting that is tearing apart Syria? Or what he thinks about global warming or other issues that are debated in our time? Those are not exactly the perspectives being taught in the Perspectives on the World Christian Movement course being offered once again in Madison, but the course does offer a good handle on figuring out what’s happening in the world in the context of God’s purposes.  

Every year a select group of international actors presents a dress rehearsal, opening night, and final performance all at the same time, at the University of Wisconsin Badger Internationals Christmas dinner. The amateur actors dress for the part, and follow the script and the directions of the stage manager. For most in the audience and in the cast, it’s the first time they’ve heard the story of Jesus’ birth.

Thousands of miles away, in the little town of Bethlehem, a UW-Madison professor’s work is helping to keep the walls of a centuries-old church standing. The Church of the Nativity in the West Bank city of Bethlehem was first built in 339 A.D. on what is said to be the location of Jesus Christ’s birthplace. The historic significance of such a long-standing structure and the religious significance of the church make it a major tourist attraction.

SPRING GREEN — A baby named Jesus has been front and center this weekend as Christians worldwide celebrate their Savior’s birth. But for one congregation, a second gift has arrived this Christmas season. It’s not as important as the first but has been anticipated for months, helps ease the pain of a devastating fire and returns church activity to the historic corner of Monroe and North Lexington streets in this Sauk County village’s downtown.

MENOMINEE, MI – Freedom From Religion Foundation (FFRF) admits it falsely intimidated city officials in order to remove a Nativity scene from a City of Menominee park. When Liberty Counsel got involved, FFRF’s efforts were thwarted.

A bricklayer by trade, John works as a construction worker during the summer months. Once winter sets in, construction work becomes scarce. John said he has applied for numerous jobs in retail and food service, but because of a felony record for blue collar crimes, no driver’s license and no transportation, no company has hired him. So in the winter John panhandles.

MADISON, Wis. (WMTV) — While most were bundled up indoors, the Iglesia Resauracion y Vida church took a trip downtown to pick up strangers in the cold. They invited the homeless to come stay the night to escape the bitter cold temperatures. “It’s definitely in temperatures like these that we think about people that don’t have a warm place to go to at night so that’s why were here and why were doing this,” church outreach manager, Erika Tucua said.