Community
By Erin Gretzinger – Madison Capital Times – On the evening of Dec. 16 last year, Marcio Sierra Jr., the senior pastor of Lighthouse Church, felt his faith being tested. That morning, a 15-year-old student at Abundant Life Christian School opened fire on her teachers and classmates, leaving two dead and six more injured before she died of an apparent self-inflicted gunshot wound. Among those most gravely wounded was then 17-year-old Samy Garduno-Martinez, who attended Lighthouse and went to the church’s school up until he went to high school at Abundant Life. More than a dozen other alumni and other students from Sierra’s congregation…
By Fred Grossenbach – Dear Friends, Dane County is home to incredible Christian ministries—transforming lives through compassion, leadership, and service. Yet, so many of these efforts go unnoticed. What if more people knew? Imagine the impact we could have together. Last week, I attended the second quarterly meeting of United Madison Christian Givers. The event was held at the InterVarsity Christian Fellowship offices on Whitney Way and featured presentations by six Christian leaders in Dane County. About 65 people attended. What struck me was the reach and life-changing impact that each of these organizations has. Read more of this letter…
“Two Wisconsinites – a white Anglican priest and a Hispanic Evangelical pastor – are playing soccer against a team of youth in Mexico…” No, this isn’t the start of a joke, but rather a beautiful picture of joy during a joint Mission Trip involving two very different Madison churches. How did this come to be? Let’s back up to April of 2020. Fresh in the pandemic, the lunch staff at Lighthouse School came to Pastor Marcio and Principal Tia with an idea: to continue cooking hot meals for their kids, available for parking lot pickup. This idea grew. And with it,…
By Dcn. Kaitlyn Wallett – For the Collaboration Project – I moved to Madison in 2018 to help plant Christ Church Madison, having no connections in the city outside our little church plant community. I’d been on staff at our sending church for the last four years, alongside nearly two dozen incredible brothers and sisters, spiritual moms and dads, serving our congregation of 1000+, where I had worshiped since my first year of college. The shift to a brand new city, and a baby church with a two-person staff team was exciting, but also felt really isolating. I arrived in…
Madison WI (March 22, 2023) –What started in 2006 with one school, one teacher and twelve children, has now become a network of schools in Haiti that serve over 1,900 Haitian children and over 170 Haitian staff in nine schools. Madison business owners Doug and Lois Fearing, of Fearing’s Audio Video Security, became involved with Schools for Haiti in 2014. In addition to supporting individual children through child sponsorships, they host the Schools for Haiti Gala annually to raise funds for the non-profit. The 9th Annual Schools for Haiti Fundraising Gala & Silent Auction will take place on Saturday, April…
The public perception of Madison is incomplete. The so-called Athens of the Midwest is indeed the home to a world-class center of learning, the University of Wisconsin, and the home of the “Sifting and Winnowing” statement, “by which alone truth can be found.” But there is another truth plaque on the University of Wisconsin campus, on the corner of South Hall, which says. “Ye shall know the truth and the truth will make you free.” These are the words of Jesus. Every day, in the Madison area, followers of Jesus are putting the Gospel into practice. Prisoners are being set…
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.
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…
by Marcus Allen, Pastor of Mt. Zion Baptist Church, Madison For the last several months, I have been partnering with Upper House to plan and host an innovative event coming up this month— the Midwest Gospel Preaching Summit. When I approached Upper House with the idea, the Midwest GPS took on the shape I had hoped for—a spiritually invigorating event that will uplift and equip preachers and pastors of diverse congregations. How it might help us advance the kingdom of God in Madison and the surrounding region is something we can only imagine. I want you to be a part…
Boomerangs Resale Store was devastated by a fire on July 15th and has been operating out of a temporary site since August. On January 20-21 Boomerangs will have a Grand Reopening celebration, during regular business hours, to invite the community to see the new store in its original location and take advantage of the great deals they have to offer. The store is located at 1133 North Sherman Avenue at the Northgate Mall on the North side of Madison. The renovated space is bigger than before and will allow Boomerangs to offer a wider selection of furniture, clothing, housewares and more.