Author: Gordon Govier

Romano Johnson shows up for an interview like a walking work of art — wearing a crisp haircut, the sharp zigzags and sculpted lines he shaved himself, a pair of creased white trousers, and a stylish black dress shirt he painted with broad strokes of color to make it one-of-a-kind. One of his life’s dreams, he admits during the interview, is to be a barber. But for now, Johnson has to settle for being one of the fastest-rising talents on the Midwestern art scene.

Museums the world over, including Madison’s Chazen Museum, are filled with religious art. But the connection between art and religious faith today is not what it once was. Many Christian artists feel the disconnect profoundly. Madison artist Cam Anderson, the executive director of Christians in Visual Arts – a national organization based in Madison, remembers the first time he realized the pursuit of art could impact how others viewed his faith. And conversely, how genuine Christian devotion could impact his standing in the art community.

“How can we advance good in Madison?” That was the question that Q Commons was all about, said John Terrill, the executive director of the Stephen and Lauren Brown Foundation, as Upper|House on the University of Wisconsin campus hosted the largest turnout yet for the series. Two Q Commons events were held last year, during the first year of Upper|House operations. Last week about 300 people filled Upper|House at 365 East Campus Mall to hear from several local entrepreneurs as well as four national thought leaders. “We want to create space to move forward together,” Q founder Gabe Lyons announced…

A report in TIME magazine incorrectly stated that InterVarsity Christian Fellowship (which has its national office in Madison) was firing employees who support gay marriage. This is not accurate.  No InterVarsity employee will be fired for their views on gay marriage.

In Madison’s early days, immediately following the construction of the first capitol in 1844, there were few other public buildings in the city. Thus the capitol became, in the words of historian David Mollenhoff, “the most popular temporary house of worship in Madison’s history.”

An unassuming church on Madison’s east side is set to become the first location outside of Milwaukee to host a faith-based employment program championed by Wisconsin’s senior U.S. senator. The first Madison class of The Joseph Project — and the 14th since the program began in Milwaukee — will meet in October at the Capital City Sanctuary Church of God on Jenifer Street, led by Superintendent Raymond Davis.

An unassuming church on Madison’s east side is set to become the first location outside of Milwaukee to host a faith-based employment program championed by Wisconsin’s senior U.S. senator. The first Madison class of The Joseph Project — and the 14th since the program began in Milwaukee — will meet in October at the Capital City Sanctuary Church of God on Jenifer Street, led by Superintendent Raymond Davis.

Christian Music Broadcasters has revealed the winners of its 2016 CMB Station of the Year Awards. Winners were announced at Momentum 2016 during the CMB Awards Dinner on September 7, 2016. Life 102.5 (WNWC)/Madison, WI was the winner for medium market stations.

The Madison Christian Giving Fund has begun its annual fundraising campaign with the goal of raising $150,000 to donate to Madison-area ministries next year. The goal was announced at a dinner at the Radisson Hotel last week, where participants heard reports from representatives of five ministry outreaches that were supported this year. A total of $220,000 has been raised and distributed over the past three years since the Madison Giving Fund began, according to fund chairman Scott Haumersen. “We are trying to increase the capacity for giving in Madison,” he said. The fund has sponsored four workshops this year to…

When Madison and its surrounding areas were being settled, many of these new communities were brought together by their places of worship so that the settlers — often immigrants — could gather together and celebrate their faith in their own language or tradition. Now, more than 150 years later in some cases, there are few remaining buildings still standing from that bygone era. The handful that are still standing represent the dedication, determination and dreams of those who erected them.