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 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…
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…
Heart Room: Learn more February 19 at 4pm
Save The Date – Heart Room Presentation on Feb. 19Download
Heart Room Information
You can learn more about the Heart Room Program by reading this online or downloading a copy. There are also print copies available at church. 2022 Heart Room Program Info_1.20.23Download
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…
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…
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…
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…
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…
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…
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…
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…
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…
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…
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 –…
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,…
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…
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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ORUCC Car Donation
Car donation for friend in need WANTED: CAR FOR FRIEND IN NEED On March 29, a friend will be released from Oregon Correctional Services. He has spent many of his 60 years in and out of prison, but many things, at present, are very promising, including having a job in Windsor. Baxter has been with him for almost 6 years and both are aware that having reliable transportation is a key part…
Faithful Action for Justice
News and opportunities from our mission teams Faithful Action for Justice Orchard Ridge United Church of Christ February 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…
Amnesty International labels Israel an apartheid state
By Thomas Beilman and Rev. Diane Dulin On February 1st, after four years of research, Amnesty International, a leading human rights organization, issued a long-awaited report: Israel’s apartheid against Palestinians: Cruel system of domination and crime against humanity. Explained Amnesty International’s Secretary General Agnès Callamard, “Our report reveals the true extent of Israel’s apartheid regime. Whether they live in Gaza, East Jerusalem and the rest of the West Bank, or Israel itself,…
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Faithful Action for Justice – January 2022
News and information from our justice-focused mission teams and groups: Heart Room, Immigration Justice, Care of Creation, Racial Justice, Christian Witness and Service, and others.
Faithful Action for Justice December 2021
News and opportunities from our mission teams Faithful Action for Justice Orchard Ridge United Church of Christ December 2021Welcome 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…
Housing assistance program
ORUCC’s Christian Witness and Service Ministry sponsors a number of programs focused on housing issues in Southwest Madison. One is Keeping Neighbors Connected (KNC) is a coalition of partners promoting school and family stability in the southwest Madison neighborhood. Orchard Ridge UCC, Good Shepherd Lutheran and Saint Maria Goretti Catholic are the funding partner churches. Joining Forces for Families (JFF), Early Childhood Initiative (ECI), and the Southwest Madison school Social Workers are…
Heart Room family takes a big step forward
In spite of some pandemic-caused setbacks, SV will leave ORUCC’s Heart Room program in May as a wonderful example of what determined individuals can do for themselves even in tough times. SV was homeless when she and her boys entered Heart Room three years ago. With the boost provided by Heart Room’s income supplement and the passionate social workers who worked with her, she was able to rent a home near ORUCC…
Faithful Action for Justice November 2021
News and opportunities from our mission teams Faithful Action for Justice Orchard Ridge United Church of Christ Welcome to Faithful Action for Justice Announcements. Representatives from ORUCC’s “Justice” missions (Care of Creation, Immigration Justice, Heart Room, Racial Justice, Christian Witness and Service) met recently with Pastor Julia about communicating and coordinating our efforts. This email newsletter is one of our ideas. We plan to provide short blurbs about issues and…
Greetings from Casa Alitas #3
Hello from Casa Alitas and Tucson (fast becoming my favorite city)! It’s been a very full and rewarding week, and now that I’ve settled into what might be called a routine, it’s time to come home. I will have been here a month as of Wednesday, November 17 and I admit to a longing to see friends and family (in person), walking in the arboretum, and sleeping in my own bed. The…
Greetings from Casa Alitas #2
Hello Friends, I so much appreciated the Sunday morning sermon on thin places. I was particularly aware of this presence with God at the top of Mt. Lemmon outside Tucson on Saturday. I was invited to join a friend, Marian (Jill Westberg’s first cousin) for a drive up the mountain, all 10,000 feet, and observe the changes in scenery as we ascended, first desert, then pines, then golden aspen. As in Wisconsin,…
Greetings from Tucson and Casa Alitas
Hi Bonnie – Thank you for your email. I’m going to use my response to you as a way of providing a brief update to a few others also. First off, it’s been a packed and wonderful few days, reorienting to Casa Alitas and settling in at my Mennonite Tucson home-away-from home. To answer your question, the number of migrants arriving at Casa Alitas is unpredictable and varies from 12 to 200…
Wisconsin Faith Voices for Justice
We would like to keep you informed of organizations in our community that are involved in racial justice issues. ORUCC joined Wisconsin Faith Voices for Justice last year. They are committed to provide education and awareness (as well as partnering with other social justice groups) to advocate for systemic changes that address the root causes poverty, racial inequities, and social injustice. Wisconsin Faith Voices for Justice (WFVJ) officially began in 2012 and…
Immigration justice video
The recording of the October 3 immigrant justice webinar sponsored by the Dane Sanctuary Coalition is now available on the Dane Sanctuary YouTube channel. This webinar is an update on immigration law issues in the area.