community

Awkward times at Brat Fest. Someone drops their brat in the dirt. Just keep walking. A young couple has a loud argument. Just keep walking. Somebody’s child loses it. Just keep walking. Heartland church pastor Jon McNary said that Jesus told a story about such an awkward event when he was asked how to get to heaven. Once again, McNary’s Sun Prairie church hosted the Sunday morning community worship service at Brat Fest, Madison’s annual Memorial Day weekend celebration at Alliant Energy Center’s Willow Island. Only this year they shared hosting with Madison’s Lighthouse Church. It was a bilingual service,…

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By David Dahmer, Madison 365 Every first and third Saturday of the month, the S.S. Morris Community African Methodist Episcopal (AME) Church food pantry ministry provides a variety of free grocery items and hygiene products to those in need in the greater Madison community. In the past few years, it has really begun to grow and serve more people. “It’s mind-blowing to me how beautiful this pantry has been and how God has just orchestrated this. It started as a simple conversation of how we could do this and within two months, we were doing it,” Lili Milton, a minister…

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By Patricio Crooker – Madison Capital Times – Led by retired Madison Police Chief David Couper, a crowd of protesters literally took up a cross on Saturday to send a message that President Donald Trump’s policies are cruel to vulnerable people. Marchers carried an 8-foot-long wooden cross, mimicking the suffering of Jesus Christ as he carried his own burden leading to his crucifixion, as told in the Christian bible. Couper and many of the other protesters are members of the clergy, representing a variety of faith communities. Read more of this story.

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Where else are you invited to a behind-the-scenes glimpse at how visionary, faithful Christians are creatively meeting needs in the local population, and then given the opportunity to vote on who might be the most deserving to receive extra needed funding? That’s was the format once again as United Madison Christian Givers (UMCG) met this week at the InterVarsity building in University Research Park, for their third quarterly Grant Award Meeting. Our previous reports are here: Winter and Spring.  “We are a Jesus-centered Christian organization,” UMCG president Josh Kaurich said as he introduced the evening. These ministries were then given the…

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This was year four of Madison’s collaborative week of service, and do we ever have the stories to back up the momentum and value of this experience! Over 300 volunteers from 24 Madison churches contributed 898 volunteer hours of work at 12 public schools and other sites around Madison. Most folks volunteer at one site: the site their church is working at, the site that works best for their schedule, or the one closest to their neighborhood. And with so many volunteer sites and different shifts, it’s hard to get the full view of this event. So, we gathered leaders…

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A rainy Sunday at the end of a stormy week revamped Brat Fest plans for the last day of the 3-day festival. The music acts were condensed from three outdoor stages to one indoor stage, in the Veterans Memorial Coliseum. Brats were still for sale but Friday’s Take Your Brat to Work drive-through lanes were revived. And the cornhole tournament was moved to the Arena, starting right after the church service. An enthusiastic crowd of several hundred worshipers filled the Arena for the 9:00 am church service. “They have moved heaven and earth to get us out of the…

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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…

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For Dane is an opportunity for churches in Dane County to unite in service to the greater community. The event is the last weekend in August, 26-27. But the deadline for churches to declare their interest in participating is March 31. For more information, go to https://www.collaborationproject.us/fordane2023.

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RACINE, Wis. – The Rev. William Dietzler is not a stand-at-the-pulpit kind of guy. The pastor of the St. Paul the Apostle Catholic Church often roams around the sanctuary as he delivers the homily to his parishioners on Sunday mornings. All eyes are upon Father Bill as he makes his way around the room – all except those of the deaf and hearing-impaired parishioners in the front pews. Their eyes are on Sue Kelley, the sign-language interpreter who takes Dietzler’s spoken words and turns them into visual signals so that the deaf community can understand them. Read more.

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The weather was perfect and the location right on target. Capital City Church (Assemblies of God) in Madison provided 32 helpers and Eagle Heights provided over 200 international residents in attendance for a sunny afternoon of various activities last Saturday.The outreach, targeted towards children, started off with a hot dog and Boca Burger cookout complete with fresh watermelon and cotton candy. Kids could then participate in various games such as a football toss, bow and arrow shooting and many more. All the children seemed to especially enjoy the large, blow-up race car in which they could bounce around in.After the…

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