News
Madison Christian Giving Fund Newsletter – Ten years ago, before the Madison Christian Giving Fund (MCGF”) came into existence, the newly formed Madison Christian Generosity Council received a very generous unsolicited donation in the sum of $50,000. The donors’ intent was clear: to distribute this money to organizations in the Madison area that advance the Kingdom of God. Since then, an astounding transformation has taken place. Over $1.1 million has been raised, and through a meticulous granting process, more than 60 Christian organizations and projects in Dane County have benefitted from this support. As a result, hundreds of people have…
Collaboration Project – Danielle Sill is from a family that regularly ran 5ks on major holidays. However, she claims she didn’t love running until she started training for the Madison Half Marathon with Team World Vision last year. “I started to enjoy it because I had other people to run with, and I knew I was running for a greater cause than just staying fit. Instead, I was running to help others receive clean water, making my miles feel more impactful.” Read more of this story.
By Melissa Perry, Wisconsin State Journal – Myzell Alexander moved from Arkansas to Madison after graduating from high school in 1961. The first thing that he was determined to do was find a church. “When I left home, my mother always told me, ‘When you leave, get involved with the church,’” he recalled. “So I started going to St. Paul.” Now, at 81 years old, Alexander has been a member of St. Paul African Methodist Episcopal Church for over 60 years. During those six decades, Alexander has attended countless Sunday services, served as an officer of the church and raised…
Dan Hummel, the Director of University Engagement at Upper House, is a University of Wisconsin-trained historian. After publishing his research on the relationship between evangelicals and Israel in 2019, he has a new book, The Rise and Fall of Dispensationalism: How the Evangelical Battle over the End Times Shaped a Nation, published by Eerdmans. A release party was held at Upper House earlier this spring, where Hummel talked about the book and answered questions. Now, a review of Hummel’s book by the distinguished historian George Marsden has just been published on the UW History department’s web page. The review, and of course…
“For God so loved the world,” proclaims the Gospel of John, which poses an intriguing question. Is this verse talking just about the people in the world or the whole of creation: animals, plants, the environment, etc.? Rev. Ed Brown would say the latter. Brown is the Executive Director of Care of Creation, a Madison-based ministry. Speaking in Jakarta, Indonesia, Brown compared God’s creation to an orchestra. “Every creature is an instrument in God’s orchestra,” he said. “We are not the conductor, God is. God wrote the music.” Brown described the human race as the special instruments of the orchestra,…
As the sun rises on a Wednesday morning in May, a vintage ‘65 Ford Mustang cruises up to a home just off Milwaukee Street on Madison’s east side. Dave Bechtold jumps up and helps the driver back the classic pony car in next to a bright yellow Dodge muscle car of more recent vintage. Before long the front yard and curb is filled with cars and motorcycles, as their owners sit nearby enjoying cups of coffee, donuts, and other breakfast fare. It’s another Dads at Dave’s morning. Each Wednesday during May and October, it’s a place for guys to hang…
By Pamela Cotant for the Wisconsin State Journal- When the COVID-19 pandemic shut down the 21-year run of Lamppost Players Children’s Theater, director Sharon Redinger figured the time just might be right to lower the curtain for good. The 21st year was 2019, and plays were not performed from 2020 to 2022. While other groups and activities were easing out of pandemic restrictions sometime during that period, Redinger wasn’t gearing back up. “I actually wondered if we were just done,” Redinger said. “Twenty-one years is a nice run.” Another reason it seemed like a natural ending was her agreement with…
PORTLAND, Oregon/CBN NEWS – Tucked away in a quiet Portland neighborhood is an animation studio that is opening the Bible to millions in a new and fresh way. An idea of some college buddies has become one of the most successful ways for people to understand the Bible. During their college days, long-time friends Tim Mackie and Jon Collins would kick around ideas on how to get more people to read the Bible and understand it better. After attending Bible college together, Jon served as a pastor before beginning a career making explainer videos for large companies. Tim got his…
The Wisconsin State Journal has chosen to honor five people who are over the age of 65 for their service to the local community, dedicating themselves to enriching the lives of others. Out of dozens of nominees contributed by Madison-area residents, these five were chosen by a panel of State Journal staff and AARP Wisconsin representatives. Three of the five acknowledged their Christian faith as part of their motivation to serve: Bernie Hartwig Adrianna Marks Andy Czerkas Also named were Oscar Mireles and Jim Latimer. The 5 Over 65 program is sponsored by AARP Wisconsin, Capitol Lakes, Quartz and Vista…
The 2022-2023 Annual Report of The Collaboration Project highlights 12 months of activities aimed at bringing together the Church of Dane County in unity to promote the flourishing of all. “The kind of unity is an opportunity for the Church to be a light and a source of great hope in our world today,” writes executive director Jon Anderson. “The greater community is deeply divided, and these divides threaten the ability for all to flourish, especially for the most vulnerable.” Check out the whole report here.