Justice news

News from our justice-oriented mission teams

NOTE: Consistent with UCC tradition and governance, our justice mission teams provide information on issues that are sometimes controversial, speaking to the congregation but not for the congregation. Only a vote of the full congregation can authorize official statements of ORUCC.

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ORUCC Faithful Action for Justice

ORUCC Justice Newsletter     Faithful Action for Justice Orchard Ridge United Church of Christ March 2024 Faithful Action for Justice provides announcements and information from ORUCC’s Justice missions (Care of Creation, Immigration Justice, Heart Room, Racial Justice, Christian Witness and Service, Palestine Justice). Nobody can do everything. Saying yes to some things requires saying no to others. Our health and obligations limit us. As you read, briefly celebrate and pray for…

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Report from MOSES

MOSES (Madison Organizing in Strength, Equity, and Solidarity for Criminal Legal System Reform) is part of WISDOM, a statewide social justice organization, and with Gamaliel, a national social justice network. Gamaliel’s Annual Report for 2023 talks about its support for building a focus on racial equity, immigration justice, integrated voter engagement, transformational justice, and more. MOSES Supporting Quality Literacy Curricula The Racial Justice for All Children task force in MOSES is advocating for policies to ensure…

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Webinar Recording Available

A webinar, “Declaration for a Just Peace Between Palestine and Israel” A Study of the 2021 UCC Resolution hosted by the Wisconsin Conference of the UCC was presented Wednesday, January 3rd. The recording is available here. This webinar will explores UCC’s 2021 Resolution of Witness describing Israel’s military occupation of Palestine an apartheid system. Note: This is a condensed version of the in-person presentations in July 2023 at ORUCC, with added information…

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Petition mailed to President Biden

Motivated by the urgent need to prevent death by starvation of masses of Palestinian men, women and children, members of ORUCC’s Palestine Justice Mission Team sent an urgent petition to President Joseph Biden. The petition recognizes the vital role that UNRWA (the United Nations Refugee and Works Administration) plays in the lives of everyday Palestinians, including Palestinian families in Gaza facing starvation and imminent death from lack of UNRWA-supplied food. The petition…

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Sunday, April 7, 9 a.m. – Meet Palestinian Christian Usama Nicola

Sunday, April 7 at 9:00 a.m. join us (from home or in the Swan room) for a Zoom interview with Usama Nicola. Usama (pictured below, right) is a tour guide extraordinaire and co-runs an organization–Wi’am: The Palestine Transformation Center — that helps Palestinian children and youth cope with the trauma of occupation. Usama is a deeply committed Christian living in Bethlehem, just blocks from the Church of the Nativity. ORUCC members Diane Dulin and Tom…

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Quilts for Gaza: Quilters Invited

The war in Gaza has left thousands of people homeless, injured and critically ill. Many of these people are newborn infants, young children, or teenagers. Although shipments of humanitarian aid for Gaza are very limited right now, in time it will become possible to send quilts to Gaza. A group of quilters from Orchard Ridge United Church of Christ is preparing for this opportunity by making small quilts for distribution to Gaza via our…

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How can I contribute now to help the people of Gaza?

You may be wondering how you can help meet the needs of people in Gaza. Here is an annotated list of nonprofits serving Gazans. All are proven, trusted organizations. Global Ministries of the United Church of Christ and Disciples of Christ (DOC). Middle East Children’s Alliance and its partners, working for the rights and the well-being of children in the Middle East, are providing emergency assistance to families who have fled their…

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Urgent petitions sent to Mark Pocan and Tammy Baldwin

Motivated by a need for action, members of ORUCC’s Palestine Justice Mission Team mailed time-sensitive petitions to Mark Pocan and Tammy Baldwin. The petitions highlight Israel’s deliberate blockage of humanitarian aid to Gaza—blockage that has led to ordinary men, women and children of Gaza starving and even dying of starvation. The petitions explain that this blockage of aid violates core provisions of the Fourth Geneva Convention, which to this day is the…

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With appreciation

Out of budgeted church funds in 2023, our Ministry of Christian Witness and Service (CWS) awarded $2,000 in response to the Urgent Appeal extended by UCC Global Ministries. The Appeal was supported by churches across Wisconsin and the entire UCC. Funds raised have been (and continue to be) forwarded to our Mission Partners actively working in Gaza: the Department of Service for Palestinian Refugees (DSPR) of the Middle East Council of Churches,…

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Movie Discussion, Tues, Nov 21, 7 p.m.

Many books, films and study guides are available for people trying to make sense of the Israel/Palestine conflict. The ORUCC Palestine Justice Mission Team recommends the widely acclaimed film Roadmap to Apartheid, narrated by Alice Walker. We invite you to watch this film on-line at a time convenient for you. Then join us for a discussion of the film on Tuesday, November 21 from 7:00 pm-8:00 pm at the Alfred Swan Room at…

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ORUCC Faithful Action for Justice

ORUCC Justice Newsletter     Faithful Action for Justice Orchard Ridge United Church of Christ August 2023 Faithful Action for Justice provides announcements and information from ORUCC’s Justice missions (Care of Creation, Immigration Justice, Heart Room, Racial Justice, Christian Witness and Service, Palestinian Justice). Nobody can do everything. Saying yes to some things requires saying no to others. Our health and obligations limit us. As you read, briefly celebrate and pray for…

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ORUCC Faithful Action for Justice

ORUCC Justice Newsletter     Faithful Action for Justice Orchard Ridge United Church of Christ June 2023 Faithful Action for Justice provides announcements and information from ORUCC’s Justice missions (Care of Creation, Immigration Justice, Heart Room, Racial Justice, Christian Witness and Service, Palestinian Justice). Nobody can do everything. Saying yes to some things requires saying no to others. Our health and obligations limit us. As you read, briefly celebrate and pray for…

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Native American Presentation: Celebrating the Tapestry of Humanity

On Friday June 2 at 7-9 pm and again on Saturday June 3 7-9 pm, Dawn and Art Shegonee will present a multimedia exhibit and program exploring the need for interconnectedness of our common humanity and our relationship to each other and to nonhuman life on this planet. This program is in person at McFarland United Church of Christ, 5710 Anthony Street, McFarland. It is free and open to the public. Please…

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ORUCC Faithful Action for Justice

ORUCC Justice Newsletter     Faithful Action for Justice Orchard Ridge United Church of Christ May 2023 Faithful Action for Justice provides announcements and information from ORUCC’s Justice missions (Care of Creation, Immigration Justice, Heart Room, Racial Justice, Christian Witness and Service, Palestinian Justice). Nobody can do everything. Saying yes to some things requires saying no to others. Our health and obligations limit us. As you read, briefly celebrate and pray for…

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Report on white christian* nationalism class

By Rev. Dr. David Anderman White christian nationalism is a hot topic right now – nationally and around ORUCC. Over 65 people participated in our nine-week class on white christian nationalism, including friends from five other congregations. Our main text was The 7 Deadly Sins of White Christian Nationalism: A Call to Action by Carter Heyward, supplemented by The Psychology of Christian Nationalism: Why People Are Drawn In and How to Talk…

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Attend Worker Justice Wisconsin’s Faith & Labor Breakfast on May 4?

Worker Justice Wisconsin’s Faith and Labor Breakfast Thursday, May 4, 8-10 am at Christ Presbyterian Church 944 E Gorham St., Madison Because Orchard Ridge United Church of Christ is a sponsor-church of Worker Justice Wisconsin, we have been offered a few free tickets for WJW’s annual Faith and Labor Breakfast. John Leonard, Ken Pennings and Paulette Harder will be attending as ORUCC’s representatives, but there are still a few tickets left. Please…

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ORUCC – Clothing & Shoe Drive

The Ministry of Christian Witness & Service is Organizing a Children’s Clothing and Shoe Drive During the Month of April The drive will benefit two local organizations at the same time: 1.     Good Shepherd Lutheran Church’s infant to teen clothing pantry. GSLC offers these much needed clothes to neighborhood families and those who come to the weekly food pantry. Currently the clothing bins are running low. GSLC and our area social workers always appreciate donations…

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ORUCC Faithful Action for Justice

ORUCC Justice Newsletter     Faithful Action for Justice Orchard Ridge United Church of Christ April 2023 Faithful Action for Justice provides announcements and information from ORUCC’s Justice missions (Care of Creation, Immigration Justice, Heart Room, Racial Justice, Christian Witness and Service, Palestinian Justice). Nobody can do everything. Saying yes to some things requires saying no to others. Our health and obligations limit us. As you read, briefly celebrate and pray for…

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Reflections – Casa Alitas and the Borderlands

March 12, 2023 One by one, they enter Casa Alitas, dragging large, orange onion bags containing all their belongings, all dressed in the same dark blue paper-like ‘scrubs’ they were given by Border Patrol. With the exception of women with young families, they have spent the last few days in a detention (prison) camp, a congregate setting, sleeping on a hard floor with foil ‘sheets’ and eating frozen burritos. Some left home…

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ORUCC Faithful Action for Justice

ORUCC Justice Newsletter     Faithful Action for Justice Orchard Ridge United Church of Christ March 2023 Faithful Action for Justice provides announcements and information from ORUCC’s Justice missions (Care of Creation, Immigration Justice, Heart Room, Racial Justice, Christian Witness and Service, Palestinian Justice). Nobody can do everything. Saying yes to some things requires saying no to others. Our health and obligations limit us. As you read, briefly celebrate and pray for…

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ORUCC Faithful Action for Justice

ORUCC Justice Newsletter     Faithful Action for Justice Orchard Ridge United Church of Christ February 2023 Faithful Action for Justice provides announcements and information from ORUCC’s Justice missions (Care of Creation, Immigration Justice, Heart Room, Racial Justice, Christian Witness and Service, Palestinian Justice). Nobody can do everything. Saying yes to some things requires saying no to others. Our health and obligations limit us. As you read, briefly celebrate and pray for…

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Confronting Christian Nationalism

A guest sermon on February 12 and an eight-week study group on Tuesday mornings 10:30-12 from February 28-April 18 led by ORUCC member Rev. Dr. David Anderman will address the challenges of white christian nationalism*. The study group will be hybrid (in person and virtual on Zoom) in the Swan seminar room at ORUCC. The Racial Justice Mission Team has been discussing this issue for over a year and we think it…

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Celebrating Dianne Stevens and the Greeting Card Ministry with Renewal

/ LuAnn Greiner, Dianne Stevens, Peg Kneueve Long-time ORUCC members know that since 2003 Dianne Stevens has been selling beautifully crafted “Secrets from the Garden” photo greeting card to support an anti-eviction fund. Her ministry raised over $27,000 that promoted housing stability for many individuals and families in our community. We are celebrating Dianne’s achievement and ministry by renewing it. It has been Dianne’s desire to pass her supplies and this ministry on…

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ORUCC Faithful Action for Justice

ORUCC Justice Newsletter     Faithful Action for Justice Orchard Ridge United Church of Christ December 2022 Faithful Action for Justice provides announcements and information from ORUCC’s Justice missions (Care of Creation, Immigration Justice, Heart Room, Racial Justice, Christian Witness and Service, Palestinian Justice). Nobody can do everything. Saying yes to some things requires saying no to others. Our health and obligations limit us. As you read, briefly celebrate and pray for…

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ORUCC Faithful Action for Justice

ORUCC Justice Newsletter     Faithful Action for Justice Orchard Ridge United Church of Christ November 2022 Faithful Action for Justice provides announcements and information from ORUCC’s Justice missions (Care of Creation, Immigration Justice, Heart Room, Racial Justice, Christian Witness and Service, Palestinian Justice). Nobody can do everything. Saying yes to some things requires saying no to others. Our health and obligations limit us. As you read, briefly celebrate and pray for…

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ORUCC Faithful Action for Justice

ORUCC Justice Newsletter     Faithful Action for Justice Orchard Ridge United Church of Christ October 2022 Faithful Action for Justice provides announcements and information from ORUCC’s Justice missions (Care of Creation, Immigration Justice, Heart Room, Racial Justice, Christian Witness and Service, Palestinian Justice). Nobody can do everything. Saying yes to some things requires saying no to others. Our health and obligations limit us. As you read, briefly celebrate and pray for…

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Disability Rights and Voting

The September statewide meeting of the Faithful Stance for Equity coalition included a very informative presentation by Barbara Beckert of the Wisconsin Disability Vote Coalition. People who are unable to get to the polls have the right to vote despite the passage of recent laws trying to make it more difficult to vote. People who are unable to get to the polls or a mailbox unassisted do have the right to have…

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ORUCC Joins MOSES: A Brief Introduction

The Racial Justice Mission Team is happy to announce that ORUCC has become a member congregation of MOSES, as recommended by the Ministry of Christian Witness and Service and approved by the Leadership Team.  RJMT will coordinate our engagement and communications.  As RJMT chair, Pam Oliver will be our representative on the MOSES Leadership Board, which serves as its board of directors. We are hoping that other members of ORUCC will want…

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ORUCC Faithful Action for Justice

ORUCC Justice Newsletter     Faithful Action for Justice Orchard Ridge United Church of Christ September 2022 Faithful Action for Justice provides announcements and information from ORUCC’s Justice missions (Care of Creation, Immigration Justice, Heart Room, Racial Justice, Christian Witness and Service, Palestinian Justice). Nobody can do everything. Saying yes to some things requires saying no to others. Our health and obligations limit us. As you read, briefly celebrate and pray for…

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Abortion Rights Discussion September 25

Mike Murray, VP of Public Affairs for Planned Parenthood of Wisconsin (PPWI), and Rabbi Bonnie Margulis, Chair of the Wisconsin Religious Coalition for Reproductive Choice WI-RCRC), will present on the current status of abortion access in Wisconsin. The presentation from PPWI will include a discussion of the current legal and legislative landscape, information on medical and surgical abortions and how PPWI is currently serving its patients to fill the needs. WI-RCRC will discuss the…

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Afghan Refugee Update: One Year Later

By Baxter Richardson One year ago, by August 30, 2021, the U.S. had evacuated 82,300 Afghans from Kabul airport. Of these, 13,000 arrived at Fort McCoy and of these, 70 families have been settled in Dane County, primarily in Madison. How are they doing after one year?Because of the size and suddenness of this influx and the almost total unpreparedness of the resettlement agencies (Jewish Social Services, the main resettlement agency in…

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Immigration Justice Team Celebrates Clothing Drive Success

By Ruthanne Landsness August 2022 was Casa Alitas clothing drive month for the Immigration Justice team. During that time, the team was thrilled to receive boxes and boxes and sacks and more sacks of clothing from the ORUCC, Mennonite and First Baptist congregations.  Each week, team members carefully sorted and boxed the clothing, making it ready for its trip to Casa Alitas in Tucson.  The Frank Room in the education wing was…

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Invitation to Join SMAC Community Workshops

This summer and fall, the Southwest Madison Action Coalition (SMAC) is partnering with UW-Extension Dane County and Good Shepard Lutheran Church to sponsor a series of free facilitated workshops focused on educating and developing community-based leaders with a goal of creating a two-year action agenda for a core group of leaders and participants. Each Saturday “Love Your Neighborhood” session will focus on a specific topic, will feature discussion leaders knowledgeable in the…

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ORUCC Faithful Action for Justice: June Newsletter

ORUCC June Justice Newsletter Faithful Action for Justice Orchard Ridge United Church of Christ June 2022 Welcome to Faithful Action for Justice Announcements, messages from ORUCC’s Justice missions (Care of Creation, Immigration Justice, Heart Room, Racial Justice, Christian Witness and Service). Nobody can do everything. Saying yes to some things requires saying no to others. Our health and obligations limit us. As you read, briefly celebrate and pray for people doing something…

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ORUCC Faithful Action for Justice: May Newsletter

ORUCC May Justice Newsletter Faithful Action for Justice Orchard Ridge United Church of Christ May 2022 Welcome to Faithful Action for Justice Announcements, messages from ORUCC’s Justice missions (Care of Creation, Immigration Justice, Heart Room, Racial Justice, Christian Witness and Service). Nobody can do everything. Saying yes to some things requires saying no to others. Our health and obligations limit us. As you read, briefly celebrate and pray for people doing something…

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ORUCC Faithful Action for Justice: April Newsletter

ORUCC April Justice Newsletter Faithful Action for Justice Orchard Ridge United Church of Christ April 2022 Welcome to Faithful Action for Justice Announcements, messages from ORUCC’s Justice missions (Care of Creation, Immigration Justice, Heart Room, Racial Justice, Christian Witness and Service). Nobody can do everything. Saying yes to some things requires saying no to others. Our health and obligations limit us. As you read, briefly celebrate and pray for people doing something…

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Taking a Faithful Stance for Equity

Report from ORUCC Racial Justice Mission Team member Karen Jaehnig Racism and white supremacy can only flourish if people of goodwill stay silent. People of faith care about racism and we care about equity. Still, when the time comes to speak up in a public forum, we feel ill-prepared, unsure of what to say, or simply do not know when an issue we care about is coming before our school board or…

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Greetings from Casa Alitas April 12, 2022

This weekend brings a close to my March-April 2022 volunteer time in Tucson and Casa Alitas. I return to Madison this coming Wednesday (the day before Maundy Thursday of Passion Week). This means packing in all those things on my “want to do before I leave” list. For me, this has meant a trip to wine country south of Tucson (I drank more wine that day than all of COVID time –…

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Greetings from Casa Alitas. March 30, 2022

Hello and greetings from sunny Tucson! It is a beautiful sunny spring day here, the birds are chirping, and I woke up to the aroma of freshly baked bread.  Life is good! This day stands in contrast to my arrival in Tucson, five hours later than scheduled and in the middle of the night, due to a change of flight plan in Dallas.  It was a full flight and few were complaining,…

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Faithful Action for Justice

[email protected] Faithful Action for Justice Orchard Ridge United Church of Christ March 2022 Welcome to Faithful Action for Justice Announcements, messages from ORUCC’s Justice missions (Care of Creation, Immigration Justice, Heart Room, Racial Justice, Christian Witness and Service). Nobody can do everything. Saying yes to some things requires saying no to others. Our health and obligations limit us. As you read, briefly celebrate and pray for people doing something you will not…

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Jane Ilgen Literacy Fund: Year 1 Progress Report

Jane Ilgen, a long-time member of ORUCC, established the “Jane Ilgen Literacy Fund” in the fall of 2020, reflecting her passion for early childhood education and racial equity, especially for African American children. To carry out Jane’s legacy after her passing in late 2020, ORUCC raised funds within the congregation for Jane’s endowment at the UCC Foundation, and for an internal ORUCC account to begin the project in 2021. Then, the Christian…

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What’s Next for Heart Room? Discussion March 27 at 9 a.m.

Heart Room is a pilot program that began in 2018 to help families with young children find and keep stable housing long-term.  Stable housing is a platform for children and families to thrive.  Heart Room is designed to empower families to meet their own goals. Compared to other rental assistance programs, Heart Room is very flexible in response to family goals and choices. The Heart Room pilot was initiated by ORUCC and…

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