MC News
Merely remembering and celebrating the life and legacy of the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. isn’t enough, a speaker told those at Madison’s annual observance honoring the civil rights leader at the state Capitol Monday. To advance the ideals King espoused, people must continue to live them and fight for them, said Muhibb Dyer, the keynote speaker at the longest-running state tribute to King in the nation, now in its 38th year. He said that’s especially important because disparities are still so wide and young African-American children — including those in Wisconsin — still don’t have the same opportunities as…
In three months, The Beacon has quickly become a refuge for the homeless, bringing comfort to some of the community’s most fragile individuals, but also attracting predators and crime while testing an operating model that relies almost exclusively on volunteers. On Oct. 16, Dane County and partners opened the day resource center offering showers, laundry, restrooms, kitchen, mail operation, lockers, food, computer lab, family space and offices for nonprofits at the property, five blocks from the Capitol at 615 E. Washington Ave. The operator, Catholic Charities Madison, had expected usage to gradually grow to about 150 a day. But on…
The Perspectives on the World Christian Movement is an opportunity for ordinary Christians to gain a global perspective on the spread of the Gospel around the world. Once again this unique opportunity is being offered to Madison area residents, featuring sessions taught by local residents who have global missions experience. Perspectives participants strengthen their foundation in the gospel by learning from the history, the strategies, the theology, and the practices of the world Christian movement. They go deeper in understanding how God works in communities and discover more how to live cross-culturally.
BELOIT – Would having your pet by your side make you more comfortable at church? Gridley Congregational Church, 1101 Partridge Ave., is inviting people and their (friendly) pets to services on the last Sunday of each month at 10 a.m. The first animal-friendly service will be Jan. 28. Pets should preferably be on a leash, or in a cage if necessary. Pastor Jerry Thomas, wife Cindy and minister-in-training Sean Williams want everyone to know they love animals and so does God. Pets have a soul and are great companions.
Nearly 400 people converged on First United Methodist Church for the Downtown church’s annual free Christmas meal, and they left Monday with their stomachs full and their hearts content. “It was a blessing to me,” said Virginia Cox, who said she will be homeless in one week. “It gave us life.” Cox, a first-timer at the holiday feast, came with her fiance, Thornton White, who said he has been living in his van since late November.
As the sun set at 4:26 p.m. Thursday, the ensuing darkness capped the shortest day of the year. But for some, it marked more than just the winter solstice — it was the start of months of cold winds and a snow-shrouded landscape that challenges survival. For the 10th year, members of Madison’s homeless community, faith leaders, advocates and friends honored homeless people who have died in the past year during the Longest Night memorial service.
Caring means having intimate and human connection with others. And it can be expressed in multiple ways — from helping an elderly person cross the street to fighting a house fire. But certain parts of America put this into practice more than others. As a whole, Americans have shown their care through charitable giving more and more. According to Giving USA, Americans donated over $390 billion in 2016, up 2.7% from the previous year. But even if you can’t afford to give away your income, there are plenty of other ways to show kindness to others.
Held captive by a determination to keep religion confined to churches and homes, the Freedom from Religion Foundation is demanding the Wisconsin Department of Corrections sever ties with an educational ministry that offers inmates a degree in Biblical studies. Modeled after the 22-year-old seminary housed at Angola Prison in Louisiana, the Wisconsin Inmate Education Association (WIEA) and Trinity International University (TIU) formed a partnership to create Operation Transformation, an educational program offering a Bachelor of Science in Biblical studies to inmates serving life or long-term sentences. After completing the four-year program, the inmates are reassigned to other prisons as “field ministers.”
Sadly, dozens of people die in Madison without a home, a funeral, a service, a remembrance of their lives or even an obituary. The “Longest Night: National Homeless Persons’ Memorial Service” is an opportunity to remember, honor, celebrate and mourn those often-invisible people in our community who have passed away. Houseless individuals, members of local faith communities and representatives from social service agencies, as well as the general public, will come together Thursday, Dec. 21, 3 p.m., for “Longest Night: National Homeless Persons’ Memorial Service” to remember and honor people who died without shelter in Dane County and elsewhere this…
This year, Willow Creek Community Church founder Bill Hybels announced that church volunteers would be ensuring that every single inmate in Illinois would be receiving a special Christmas gift bag this year. It’s part of Hybels’ newfound burden for incarcerated people. “I follow God’s son, Jesus Christ, who was blindingly clear about how I should engage with prisoners,” he told the church. “If I had passed away at 55 despite all that clear training and additionally because I’m a pastor, I would’ve had to explain to God that I didn’t pray for prisoners, that I had never visited one, I…