Faith Leaders Covid-19 Thank You

March 23, 2021

Faith Leaders Covid-19 Thank You

As representatives of the interfaith community in Wisconsin, we want to say thank you to Health Care Workers and First Responders. You have been providing emergency care for over a year under very difficult conditions. Every day you have shouldered the responsibility of showing up for neighbors in need, respecting their humanity while serving them with love and care. You have worked to educate the public on the need for COVID-19 safety precautions even when that message has not always been received with the love and respect with which it was offered. We write today to let you know we see, hear, and appreciate all your hard work and sacrifices to bring health and healing to your patients and our community. 

Our thoughts and prayers are with you as every day you face the overwhelming challenges of being essential workers. We realize that the pandemic persists even as vaccines have begun  rolling out, and that getting through this will still take time. We want you to know that you are not alone, as you struggle to care for your patients in an often-overwhelmed health care system, while also caring for yourselves and your families.

Together, we give thanks:
For you as you go to work, and we pray that you come home healthy and safe;
For you who remind us that we are neighbors who need to love one another;
For the scientists, officials and people who are giving vaccinations to keep us safe;
For the places of worship, schools and businesses, and individuals that practice wearing masks, socially distancing, cleaning and changing the ways things are done– out of love for all our neighbors.

We support your work and efforts to educate our communities. Together as people of faith we commit to honoring and protecting one another, wearing masks, socially distancing, hand washing and getting vaccinated when we are able, realizing those are ways we can express our love for our neighbors.

Peace to you,

Faithful Action for a Healthy Wisconsin

Wisconsin Council of Churches, Rev. Kerri Parker, Executive Director
Wisconsin Faith Voices for Justice, Rabbi Bonnie Margulis, Executive Director
Racine Interfaith Coalition, Tamarine Hayward, Co-President
Wayman A.M.E.Church, Ernest J. Ni’A, Pastor
La Crosse Area Synod (ELCA)
Wisconsin Council of Rabbis, Rabbi Steven Adams, President
First Baptist Church of Madison, Rev. Tim Schaefer, Pastor
Circle Sanctuary, Rev. Selena Fox, Senior Minister
The NW Synod of Wisconsin ELCA, NWSWI Justice Team
Dominican Sisters of Sinsinawa
Trinity Lutheran Church-Eau Claire, Rev. Patrick Patterson, Lead Pastor
Milwaukee Zen Center, Rev. Reirin Gumbel
MICAH, Rev. Walter J Lanier, Chair, Religious Leaders Caucus
Progressive Baptist Church, Rev. Walter J Lanier, Pastor
Congregation Emanu-El B’ne Jeshurun Social Action Committee, Reenie Kavalar, Chair
Tippecanoe Presbyterian Church, Rev. Karen Hagen
Jewish Social Services of Madison, Dawn Berney, Executive Director
Worker Justice Wisconsin, Rebecca Meier-Rao, Executive Director
Madison Christian Community
Plymouth Congregational United Church of Christ of Madison
Interfaith Peace Working Group 
Plymouth Church UCC of Milwaukee

And the following individuals:

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Rev. Curt Anderson, retired UCC pastor, Milwaukee
Pastor Katie Baardseth, Midvale Community Lutheran Church, Madison, WI
Mr. Peter W. Bakken, Justice and Witness Coordinator, Wisconsin Council of Churches
Rev. Joseph Baring, Jr., Asst. to Pastor, SS Morris Community AME Church, Madison
Rabbi Renee Bauer, Jewish Social Services of Madison
Deacon David Rask Behling, Hunger and Justice Advocate NW Synod of Wisconsin ELCA
The Rev. Martha Branson Berger, Episcopal, Wauwatosa
Rabbi Marc E. Berkson, Congregation Emanu-El B’ne Jeshurun
Rev. Roger Bertschausen, Interim Minister, First Unitarian Society of Madison
Rabbi Jonathan Biatch, Temple Beth El, Madison, WI
Rev. Jen Bloesch, Middleton Community Church
Rev’d Dr. Christian D. Boyd, Presbytery of Milwaukee, Stated Clerk
Rev. Jamie Lee Brandt Brieske, Immanuel Lutheran Church, Eau Claire
Rev. Willie Brisco, member of MICAH and WISDOM
Rev. Sue Burwell, Cudahay, Retired
Rev. Scott Carlson, District Superintendent, South West District, Sun Prairie
Ms. Gloria Carter, President, Church Women United in Madison
Jennifer A. Christenson, ELCA, Green Bay
Rev. Cindy Crane, Director of the Lutheran Office for Public Policy in Wisconsin
Ms. Carolyn Joyce Cross, ABC, Oregon
Pastor Laura Crow, UCC, Middleton
Rev. Larry Engel, Five Points Lutheran 
Rev. Nicole Farley, Presbytery of Milwaukee, Moderator
Rev. Dr. Jerry Folk, retired ELCA clergy
Rev. Selena Fox, Senior Minister, Circle Sanctuary
Rev. Michael J. Goodwin, Memorial Presbyterian Church
Rev. Kris Gorton, Memorial UCC, Fitchburg
Rev. Karen Hagen, Tippecanoe Presbyterian Church
Rev. Ruth Hansen, Salem United Church of Christ, Wayne
The Rev. Dr. Paula Harris, Senior Pastor, St. John Evangelical Lutheran Church, Madison
Rev. Phil Haslanger, retired United Church of Christ pastor, Fitchburg WI 
Tamerin Hayward, Co-President, Racine Interfaith Coalition and member of WISDOM
Rev. Kim M. Henning, Senior Pastor, Grace Congregational UCC, Two Rivers
Ms. Janean Hill, ELCA, Mazomanie
Rev. Libby Howe, Assistant to the Bishop & Director for Evangelical Mission, La Crosse Area Synod (ELCA)
Rev. Sonja L. Ingebritsen, Community of Hope UCC/Madison Christian Community
Rev. Greg Jewison, Bethany United Methodist Church, Madison
Ms. Lisa M. Jones, Executive Director and Lead Organizer MICAH
Mrs. Balvir Kaur, Volunteer, Sikh Society of Madison Wisconsin 
Jane Hammatt Kavaloski, Quaker, member of the Interfaith Peace Working Group
Fr. Yeprem Kelegian, Diocese of the Armenian Church Representative to the WI Council of Churches
Rev. PyungAhn “Peace” Kim, Lodi United Methodist Church, Lead Pastor
Rev. Walter J Lanier, Pastor, Progressive Baptist Church, Chair, MICAH Religious Leaders Caucus
Rev. Jason Mack, Underwood Memorial Baptist Church, Madison
Rabbi Bonnie Margulis, Executive Director, Wisconsin Faith Voices for Justice
Cantor Deborah Martin, Cantor and spiritual leader of congregation Emanu-El of Waukesha
Sr. Pamela Mitchell,  Vicaress of the Dominican Sisters of Sinsinawa
Mallory Moore, Executive Director, The Crossing Campus Ministry, Madison
Janan Najeeb, President, Milwaukee Muslim Women’s Coalition
Pr. Peter Narum, St. James Lutheran Church, Verona
Ernest J. Ni’A, Pastor, Wayman A.M.E.Church 
Rev. Jennifer Nordstrom, Senior Minister, First Unitarian Society of Milwaukee
Pastor Andrew Nyren, Pastor, Prince of Peace Lutheran Church, Milwaukee
Reverend Gail A. O’Neal, Retired, UCC, Madison
Rev. Kerri Parker, Executive Director, Wisconsin Council of Churches 
Rev. Kenneth Pennings, Associate Pastor, Orchard Ridge United Church of Christ, Madison, Wisconsin 
Rev. Dr. Rich Pleva, Retired clergy UCC
Mr. Dennis Ray, Retired, Baptist, Madison
Rev. Joyce Rich, New London UMC
Pastor Blake Rohrer, Midvale Community Lutheran Church, Madison, WI
Rev. Marian Boyle Rohloff, pastor West Side Moravian Church, Green Bay & WISDOM President
Rev. Tanya Sadagopan, Minister, Janesville UCC First Congregational Church
Dr. Ibrahim Saeed, President, Islamic Community of Madison Area
Rev. Leslie Schenk, Plymouth Congregational United Church of Christ, Madison
Mrs. Pat Schock, DOC, Green Bay
Rev Larry Sexe, Board President WFVJ and retired ELCA clergy
Rev. Valerie Showalter, Madison Mennonite Church 
Rabbi Natalie Louise Shribman, Mayo Clinic, Eau Claire, CPE Student
Rev. Kimberly J. Stowell, Ripon, ELCA
Rev. Pat Siegler, Pastor, Zion Faith Community (ELCA)
Rev. Laurie Skow-Anderson, Bishop NW Synod of Wisconsin ELCA 
The Rev. Nick Utphall, Advent Lutheran of Madison Christian Community and WFVJ Board Member
Rev. Brad Van Fossen, Retired, UMC, Milwaukee
Ms. Donna L. Veatch, Chair, Committee on Immigrant & Refugee Ministries, UMC, Madison
Pastor Dave Werner, Retired, UMC, Madison
Mrs. Kathryn White, Member, Madison Friends Meeting
Rev. Evin Wilkins, Unity of Madison, Senior Minister
Mrs. Mallory Yanchus, Executive Director, The Crossing Campus Ministry, Madison
Ms. Rachel Yates, Presbytery of Milwaukee, Presbytery Executive
Rev. Dr. Chakravarthy Zadda, Senior Pastor, First Baptist Church, Waukesha

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Printable Copy of Thank You available below