A Letter from the Wisconsin Council of Churches

‘You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your mind.’ This is the greatest and first commandment. And a second is like it: ‘You shall love your neighbor as yourself.’ (Mt 22:34-40, NRSV)

The Board of Managers of the American Baptist Churches of Wisconsin calls upon our churches as well as other related organizations and partners to be educated on the Hindutva movement (Hindu Nationalism) which believes that Hindu faith and culture should shape the politics and government of India.

March of 2020 is a time when the Church became digital. Many of us had thought about our online presence, some had experimented with livestreaming services, but with the onset of the COVID pandemic and the danger of in-person gatherings, we were forced entirely online. The Church was not closed, but it looked incredibly different in those early days of the pandemic as so many experimented with different tools and approaches and quickly and bravely pivoted their ministry into digital space.

Concluding ministry was some of the hardest and holiest work I’ve ever done.” These words spoken by Rev. Diane Kenaston of the Good Friday Collaborative speak to the theme of a recent webinar she led with the WCC. Many congregations are struggling to pay bills and wondering if it’s faithful stewardship to spend so much on a building.

For the past several years, much of my work has taken place in digital space. COVID forced us online and I remained there as it is more efficient and cost-effective for a statewide organization to hold meetings online rather than driving everywhere. But this summer I hit the road as a part of a Digital Ministry Road Trip.