In May, the WCC Executive Director and ten other religious leaders in Wisconsin sent a letter to the Wisconsin Sheriffs & Deputy Sheriffs Association regarding their roles in community safety, including the safety of our immigrant neighbors.  The letter was transmitted via USPS and email, and we have neither received a response, nor an acknowledgment of our correspondence. We share the body of our faith and conscience letter here so that you may have a resource for discussing these matters with your local sheriff, whether you relate to them as a community leader, congregant, or friend.

For two decades, Rev. Matt Sauer has been a steady and courageous presence in Manitowoc and across Wisconsin. His ministry has always been rooted in the Gospel call to love God by loving our neighbors, especially those too often left behind.

It is time for you and me to be more like Jesus and to do Jesus' work.

Having been asked by multiple clergy colleagues about best practices for announcing, participating in and shepherding congregants to rallies, we have consulted some of our best sources and gathered their reflections into this brief document. May it help you remember your identity, be more effective, and be a bit safer, as you practice the work of Jesus and Justice in Public. 

"I am a human being. I'm not an animal." These powerful words, spoken by immigrant workers to Rebecca Meier-Rao, capture the heart of a crisis facing our communities—a crisis of dignity in the workplace.

Gun Violence Prevention Intern Zoe Scrivener offers her reflections and imaginations as her internship draws to a close.

Many people separate the words “immigration” and “justice.” The Franciscan Sisters of Perpetual Adoration (FSPA) does not. For more years than we can count, FSPA sisters, affiliates, and partners in mission have carried out immigration justice work. FSPA is a community of vowed Franciscan women centered in Eucharist, committed to being a loving presence through prayer, witness, and service. It is written in the FSPA constitutions of Unity in Diversity #40: “True to our Franciscan calling, we commit ourselves to building Christ’s Kingdom of justice and peace.” The challenge is to see the image of God in others and to construct bridges to meet them, wherever they are.

It is Holy Week. We don’t know specifically what the news will bring – except we do know.

People will gather to share meals and share stories, to find commonality and maybe a measure of hope in being together. If not exactly hope, then a sense of stability. If not stability, then comfort by being in one another’s presence.

Immigrants have been part of the fabric of the United States since its beginnings, but that has always come with tensions. Today, immigrant communities in the United States are under attack. While the system has been broken and immigrants have faced deportation for years, in 2025 the pressure has increased because of policies at all levels of government, but especially the federal level. This has resulted in families torn apart, increased discrimination, and many who are living in fear.

Next week is National Public Health Week, an event that aims to educate the public on key health issues and advocate for policies that promote community health. As this week of awareness approaches, it serves as a reminder to reflect on the urgent needs of our communities, including the need to address gun violence as a public health crisis.

We’ve written to you about being Chaplains to the Apocalypse and about confronting the “Big Ball of Yuck.” This week we’d like to introduce you to another idea that is keeping us going in these times. Some of you might be familiar with the idea of the next most faithful step. In their book Another Way: Living & Leading Change on Purpose, Stephen Lewis, Matthew Wesley Williams, and Dori Grinenko Baker describe a process for enacting the next most faithful step.

Every day, the current federal administration announces a new funding freeze or reduction in services. These cuts have collectively undermined the systems that we use to care for our most vulnerable neighbors both here in the United States and abroad. Today, one of those funding cuts directly impacted the ministry of the Wisconsin Council of Churches (WCC).

We, the undersigned, urge the federal government to protect the religious liberty of all people and we strongly condemn the rise of Christian Nationalism, a dangerous conflation of fundamentalist Christianity, conservative politics, and fierce patriotism which distorts what it means to be an American citizen and an engaged Christian in society.

An executive order signed by President Trump on February 6^th established a new “Task Force to Eradicate Anti-Christian Bias”. This Task Force has the duty to “identify any unlawful anti-Christian policies, practices, or conduct by an agency.”¹ This executive order is a threat to the religious pluralism enshrined in the constitution and does not protect Christians; rather it aligns the federal government with Christian Nationalism.

We live in a time when information is being consolidated onto fewer and fewer platforms owned by a small group of very wealthy and influential people. Many of us have come to rely on these platforms to distribute news about our churches and groups—live stream worship services and other events, invite people to activities, post articles, share photos, recruit volunteers, and otherwise promote good work.

Wisconsin voters who cast a ballot in the Spring Election on April 1 will be confronted with a question on their ballot that, if it receives a majority of “yes” votes, will amend the Wisconsin Constitution. It is important for all Wisconsin voters to understand why this question has been placed on the ballot and what it will mean for voters in our state if it receives a majority of “yes” votes. And it is important for all of us who profess to be followers of Jesus Christ to consider the purpose and potential impact of this proposed amendment in the context of our shared faith.

During the past few weeks, we have been meeting with pastors and leaders across the state and so many people are asking what they can do to effect change when the world seems overwhelming. Facing executive orders, broken systems, defunding of services, and the same injustices we’ve been struggling with for years sends us into a swirl of wondering where to start and what to do.

The first task of the 2025-2026 legislative session is to pass the biannual budget. You can watch Governor Tony Evers give his 2025-27 state budget address before a joint session of the State Senate and Assembly in the state Capitol on Tuesday, Feb 18th at 7:00 PM. There are many opportunities to engage in the budget process as various groups advocate for priorities. One group that the WCC has been involved in is Raising Wisconsin. Thank you to Dana for sharing her wisdom!