Author: Gordon Govier

Brent Seales studied robotic navigation as a graduate student at the University of Wisconsin—Madison (UW). He was also part of an InterVarsity Bible study with other graduate students. He could not have imagined that his computer science skills would someday help decipher a text of Scripture so ancient that only the Dead Sea Scrolls are older.

On the fourth Saturday of each month, Christ Presbyterian Church on Madison’s Near East Side opens its kitchen to students and scholars who are part of the church’s international outreach program. They cook a meal from their homeland for church members, outreach program volunteers and friends. The end result is an international selection of food likely unmatched in any restaurant in Madison.

Matthew and Johanna LaFond loaded their five daughters into a vehicle Thursday and drove eight hours to Madison from their home near Fargo, North Dakota, all because of an 11-year-old girl who died more than a century ago. The LaFonds were among the thousands who came Friday to view the remains of St. Maria Goretti, the youngest canonized saint in the Roman Catholic Church.

The future of interreligious dialogue is being discussed this week in Madison. A conference sponsored by the Lubar Institute for the Study of the Abrahamic Religions at the University of Wisconsin has drawn scholars from across the country for three days of … interreligious dialogue.

Franklin Graham, the son of Billy Graham and the president of the relief organization Samaritan’s Purse, has announced he is traveling to Madison and the other 49 state capitals to “proclaim the Gospel, rally prayer for our country, and encourage Christians to vote for candidates with biblical values.” The tour will take place in 2016.

EAU CLAIRE (WQOW) – A Wisconsin panel has approved an Eau Claire Amish family’s request for an exemption from the state building code. David Mortimer, who acts as an advocate for the Amish, says the Wisconsin Department of Safety and Professional Services (DSPS) approved John Yoder’s Religious Waiver from certain provisions of the Uniform Dwelling Code, including the requirement for smoke detectors and plumbing that meets state requirements. Eau Claire County officials had recommended that the request be rejected, saying lack of smoke detectors and proper plumbing is a threat to public health and safety.

“Good questions precede good solutions,” said John Terrill, the director of the Upper House on the UW-Madison campus. “That’s what Q is all about.”For the second time this year a diverse group of Madison area residents gathered at the Upper House for Q Commons, a provocative blend of ideas from local and national Christian leaders, well known and lesser known, designed to stimulate conversations and maybe some solutions. Q was originated by author Gabe Lyons who hosts the satellite feed that makes up half of the program.

Transforming philanthropy for Christian initiatives in Dane County is the mission of the Madison Christian Giving Fund. At a meeting at the Madison Club this morning, 54 people representing a variety of local churches and ministries worked at identifying the most pressing needs in the Madison area.

Rodger Frievalt used to be a believer pretty much only once a week – on Sundays when he went to church. Then, he said, miracles started happening before his eyes. Healing the sick. Restoring vision to the blind. And the dead returning to life.

CALEDONIA – Rawhide Boys Ranch, a faith-based ministry in the Fox Valley, celebrated 50 years on Saturday. The year was 1965. When John and Jan Gillespie saw a big house in Caledonia, “I made the comment, ‘Wouldn’t this make a nice boys home.'” The couple named the home Rawhide Boys Ranch. Over the years, the facility continued to grow.