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By Jim Polzin – Wisconsin State Journal – They are separated by only 14 yards rushing in the University of Wisconsin football record books. There’s Brent Moss at No. 9 in program history with 3,428 career yards and Terrell Fletcher one spot below him at 3,414 yards. There’s an entire generation of UW fans who either were not yet born or too young to appreciate the greatness of that special tandem. They may not know this: There was a time the Badgers had seven individual 1,000-yard rushing seasons; that number is now 35, a surge that began with Moss and…

By Gayle Worland – Wisconsin State Journal – If you’re tussling with a turkey and side dishes to serve to a Thanksgiving crowd — and are happy that you only do it once a year — just think about Michelle Ogilvie. Ogilvie, as a volunteer, cooks about 150 hot, full, hearty meals every week, then gives them all away. They go to feed people who are experiencing homelessness, often serving as their best meal of the day. Ogilvie does the meal planning, recipe-hunting, grocery shopping and all the cooking and baking in her Fitchburg home kitchen. On her days “off,”…

By Rob Thomas – The CapTimes – “Go tell it on the mountain,” as the spiritual goes. Don Wickstrum, a Monroe businessman and assistant pastor at Grace Church in New Glarus, has devoted his life to spreading his faith and telling his story of overcoming personal adversity. Only when Wickstrum goes up the mountain to tell his story, he’s traveling at speeds of up to 140 miles per hour. Wickstrum, 43, is also an auto racer (known as the “Fastest Pastor”) who for years has competed in the Pikes Peak International Hill Climb, a twisting, 12-mile uphill race in Colorado…

By Fred Grossenbach – Our Lady Queen of Peace Catholic church hosted a city-wide Thanksgiving Service on Monday, November 21, 2022, that drew close to 1000 people from many different denominations to worship, pray, give thank offerings and enjoy fellowship. This service was co-sponsored by 26 different organizations. In this era of conflict and division it was heartwarming to see people from different perspectives and traditions come together for one purpose: to give thanks to the One who has blessed us all. Bishop Donald Hying of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Madison gave a message of Reflection. He pointed out…

By Melissa Perry – Wisconsin State Journal – More than 30 years ago, the Rev. Alex Gee had a proposal for his friends, a group of young, Black recent and soon-to-be graduates of UW-Madison, as they each looked ahead to their respective futures. Gee asked them to stay. He argued that they could forge a space for themselves and Black residents in Madison. “I had this vision of creating something that could make Madison an exciting place for young Black professionals to hang out,” Gee recalled. “What I was noticing in Madison is that the Black population was growing, but…

By Gordon Govier – Before COVID, the average church size in America was 137 people. Today it’s 65, according to veteran religion writer Bob Smietana, who shared some thoughts about the future of the American church in an UpperHouse forum, Friday, November 18, 2022. Smietana has been one of the top religion reporters in the country for over two decades and is currently National Reporter for the Religion News Service. Smietana’s book, Reorganized Religion – The Reshaping of the American Church and Why it Matters, just out in August, provided the focus for the forum, which attracted a diverse group…

By Gayle Worland – Wisconsin State Journal – More than 20 Christian congregations will gather Monday evening for the first Madison-area ecumenical Thanksgiving service in recent history. Church leaders from the Catholic, Orthodox, mainline Protestant, Evangelical and African American communities helped plan the one-hour service, scheduled for 6:30 p.m. Monday at Our Lady Queen of Peace Parish, 418 Holly Ave. The prayer service has room for more than 1,000 people and will emphasize commonalities across denominations, said organizer John Schmitz. Read more of this story.

Healthy and connected pastors/clergy are foundational to collaboration between churches and the flourishing of our communities. Since 2019, the Collaboration Project has been coming alongside over 100 pastors, clergy, and ministry leaders in Dane County. A NEW Ministry Co-Working Space is the Collaboration Project’s latest investment in pastoral support and connection for ministry practitioners across Dane County. The Co-Working space is located conveniently at 6506 Schroeder Rd, on Madison’s west side and offers a choice of working environments and common areas to network with other members. Find out more about this new facility at the Collaboration Project’s website.

“Fall Gospel Fest fills a certain niche, a certain void that we have here in Madison … It brings the biggest and brightest national gospel artists here where people can actually see them live and in person,” says Clyde Gaines, the organizer of the 18th annual Fall Gospel Fest. “Most of the time you’re seeing these artists you’ve going to other cities to see these gospel artists. Talented musicians have traveled to Madison from all over the world to perform in front of a live audience at Fall Gospel Fest, which annually features some of gospel music’s biggest and brightest…

By Fred Grossenbach, director of the Madison Christian Giving Fund – The Madison Christian Giving Fund (MCGF) is committed to investing in the success of our Ministry Partners.  Surveys have confirmed that fund raising is a top priority for our Capacity Building Workshops. On October 7, 2022,  about 40 people representing a wide cross-section of Madison-area Christian ministries, from hyper-local to international, attended a three hour interactive learning session led by Marcy Heim, a fund raising professional with over 20 years of experience. The participants learned that fund raising is about building relationships over time with people who have common…