Author: Gordon Govier

Twelve years ago Karin Krause called the Small Business Development Center to find out how to launch her dream. Today, after three dead ends , a lot of second guessing, and many miracles, her dream is starting to take shape in an old farmhouse on the west side of Madison. Many times she questioned whether she should give up or keep going. “It was awful,” she said. “You can’t get it out of your head and and you can’t get it going. But we knew God was with us. We never could have done it if we didn’t believe that.”

There have been concerted efforts over the years to draw more men into the faith realm, notably the Promise Keepers movement that filled arenas with prayerful men in the 1990s. Locally, many churches promote their men’s ministries, with varying degrees of success. When Christ Church built its new building in Mequon in 2009, it was designed to look like a North Woods lodge in an effort to make men feel more comfortable there, said the Rev. Bob Suhr, who has modeled his ELCA church on the nondenominational worship experience.

Six months ago almost to the day, a Milwaukee-area food ministry hit the road for Moore, Okla., where its members helped serve thousands of meals in a community devastated by a deadly tornado. Now four members of Feed My Sheep are returning to Moore to help prepare a Thanksgiving feast expected to draw as many as 1,500 people on Tuesday. “Part of it is just giving thanks for all the miracles we saw when we were there,” said Dave Van Abel, who founded the faith-based, nonprofit catering ministry at Elmbrook Church in Brookfield.

A federal judge has found unconstitutional a law that lets clergy members avoid paying income taxes on compensation that is designated part of a housing allowance. The decision Friday by U.S. District Judge Barbara Crabb could have far-reaching financial ramifications for pastors, who currently can use the untaxed income to pay rental housing costs or the costs of home ownership, including mortgage payments and property taxes.

MADISON — The so-called “drizzle” that had the appearance of a full-blown rain shower wasn’t enough to keep about three dozen people from coming out to mark the end of the 40 Days for Life vigil in Madison. 40 Days for Life is an annual vigil of prayer, fasting, and peacefully witnessing to end abortion. For the past several years, the vigil has taken place outside the Planned Parenthood clinic on Madison’s east side. This year’s vigil ran from September 25 to November 3.

JANESVILLE—Rutting bucks crash through a window or two at this time each year in Wisconsin, but the deer that ended up in the basement of a Janesville church Sunday is one for the books. The six-pointer apparently ran into the side of the building, stumbled and then leaned on a window that was close to the ground, said Andrew Moffitt, youth pastor at Bethel Baptist Church, 3300 Mount Zion Ave. on the city’s east side. The six-pointer apparently ran into the side of the building, stumbled and then leaned on a window that was close to the ground, said Andrew…

“This is a 2007 Ford cargo van. It’s also my home,” said Matt Cook. 28-year-old Matt Cook lives in a van– not because he has to but because he wants to. “There’s a lot of things in my life, possessions that don’t lend a lot of meaning. They’re just stuff.”

Barely known until now, Lighthouse Christian School hopes its voucher participation leads to the kind of growth it has long desired. Read more of this story.

It was a mere 40 miles between Call to Action’s national conference in downtown Milwaukee and the Women of Christ gathering in West Bend on Saturday. But, theologically, the two events might well have been on different planets.

The Winter Jam Christian music tour begins this week and will arrive in Madison but not until after the end of winter. The rock band Newsboys is headlining the tour, along with hiphop/rapper LeCrae, and 2012 American Idol finalist Colton Dixon. Evangelist Nick Hall is featured speaker.