MC News
The Rev. Alex Gee doesn’t want to “bash Madison.” Nor does he think “we’re fine just the way we are.” His coalition of influential African-American residents, called Justified Anger, just released its “Our Madison Plan” to address racial disparities in education, incarceration and the economy. He met last week with the Wisconsin State Journal editorial board.
Majors Paul and Sue Moore may have had a short span leading The Salvation Army in La Crosse, but they have left their mark locally and statewide during decades of service to the international Christian service organization. The Moores, who have been commanding officers in La Crosse for four years, will retire June 21, having led not only The Salvation Army’s work in the Coulee Region but also corps in Madison, Fond du Lac, Janesville and Waukegan during their 27 years in the Badger State.
After reading about how the churches of Portland, Oregon began putting aside their theological differences in order to ask the mayor of their city, “How can we best help?”, I wondered if it would be possible for the churches of Madison to do the same. The story is told in this article by ASSIST News Service, (and in this article), and in a lot more detail in the new book Unlikely by Kevin Palau, son of the well known evangelist Luis Palau. And then I realized, it is starting to happen in Madison. There are several local examples,
MADISON, Wisconsin – The Reverend Bishop Morlino of the Madison Diocese visited Care Net on Tuesday, June 2nd, 2015 surrounded by children of various ages who have lived in The Elizabeth House. Care Net staff and volunteers were grateful for the opportunity to pray with the bishop. The children received a blessing from Bishop Morlino.
The day after the March 6 shooting death of Tony Robinson, dozens of clergy members gathered at Christ the Solid Rock Baptist Church to pray. The group’s composition crossed all boundaries — racial, ethnic, denominational, theological. “You just don’t have that every day in Madison,” said the Rev. Paula Harris, pastor of St. Luke’s Episcopal Church in Madison and one of those present. The gathering became the impetus for an interfaith clergy coalition, one that continues to meet and whose value became publicly evident on May 12.
Hundreds of people, including many of Madison’s top business and community leaders, gathered Friday night to hear how a group of influential African-American residents calling themselves the Justified Anger coalition plans to lead a broad-based attack on pronounced racial disparities in the city. The event at the Alliant Energy Center’s Exhibition Hall felt like a party early on, with tables of refreshments and music from a neo-soul band. It turned serious as the Rev. Alex Gee, the effort’s leader, issued a fervent call to action.
EAU CLAIRE, Wis. (WEA) — A budget amendment may put to rest an ongoing clash between religion and government. Amish families in Wisconsin would be exempt from building codes they say go against their religion under a provision in the state budget added by the Legislature’s budget committee.
The sun shone brightly in a bright blue sky for the Sunday morning worship service at Brat Fest. Last year, that is. This year, not so much. A small crowd of about 75 was welcomed by Never Claim, a Christian band from Portland as the worship service began at the Lifest stage. By the end of the service two, maybe three times that number had gathered, huddled under umbrellas. Last year the first community worship service at Brat Fest drew a crowd of about 1,000.
Madison-based InterVarsity Christian Fellowship has announced that InterVarsity President Alec Hill has been diagnosed with myelodysplasia, a cancer of the bone marrow, which requires rigorous treatment. As a result of this news, Alec will enter cancer treatment on June 10. The InterVarsity Board of Trustees will meet in early June, at which point an interim president will be appointed.
The Rev. Leonard Thompson Sr., the recently arrived interim pastor of Mr. Zion Baptist Church, could have lived anywhere when he moved to Madison. He and his wife chose an apartment two blocks from Mt. Zion, impressing many church members. The church is on the city’s South Side, in a neighborhood with high rates of poverty and unemployment. Thompson, 63, said he was not attempting to make any grand political statement with his housing choice, he just liked the convenience.