By Ken Warren
Madison Christian Community (MCC), one of the faith communities supporting MOSES, is rather unique in the area. The church actually consists of two congregations from different denominations, Advent Lutheran of the Evangelical Lutheran Church of America (ELCA) and Community of Hope of the United Church of Christ (UCC). The building contains two sanctuaries where the two congregations typically have individual worship services. About 45 times a year the two congregations have the opportunity to worship together, with 10 to 12 of those being joint Sunday Morning services.The pastors are the Rev. Jen Petricca Bloesch of Community of Hope and the Rev. Nick Utphall of Advent Lutheran.
I had the opportunity to speak with the two pastors regarding the mission of the two congregations, the joint mission of MCC, and their intersection with MOSES. When asked about their knowledge of MOSES, both pastors acknowledged a general understanding of the mission of MOSES but less awareness of the specific current actions of the organization. Pastor Nick is more aware of the history of MOSES, as he has been involved for many years with criminal justice concerns through the Lutheran Office for Public Policy in Wisconsin (LOPPW). The issues and concerns of that organization overlap with those of WISDOM and MOSES. Pastor Jen, as a newer pastor in the area, is less familiar with the history of MOSES, but she is becoming more aware of some of the specific issues, as she has been researching social justice issues in Dane County for a sermon series.
Pastor Jen sees MOSES reflecting the beliefs of the UCC denomination because one of its strong principles is to honor the dignity of the individual, regardless of social, economic, or ethnic status. More specifically, in 2023 the UCC National Synod approved a resolution condemning prolonged solitary confinement as torture. Pastor Nick stresses the fact that the church is a voice for the voiceless. In 2013 the ELCA adopted a social statement that called for significant prison reform. (Click here to read the statement.) https://www.elca.org/faith/faith-and-society/social-statements/criminal-justice?_ga=2.168586020.466169373.1739233975-1457664399.1532463199
Financial support for MOSES comes through the unified body of Madison Christian Community (rather than through the individual congregations), as does much of MCC’s engagement with social issues. Both pastors see MOSES as reflecting the values and beliefs of MCC, and Pastor Nick points out that as a congregation heavily consisting of privileged white people, it is easier to give money to causes. Both pastors also point out that, besides financial support, the church has many programs directed toward the social needs of the community, and many members put their hands and minds to use for those causes, many of which overlap with MOSES’ aims. Additionally, many members are engaged in efforts for community welfare through organizations other than the church.
When asked how MOSES could best bring information and concerns to the attention of the members of MCC, Pastor Jen pointed out that on a national and state level, jail and prison advocacy is not on center stage. She suggests that some semi-regular education about prison reform issues, whether through announcements at services on Sunday morning, articles in the MCC weekly newsletter, or on the MCC webpage, would be of value. Pastor Nick caused this writer some discomfort when he stated that he was not aware that MOSES puts out a newsletter every two months. He pointed out that he gets regular emails from groups such as JustDane and will scan them for pertinent articles. It is obviously not effective to just place a couple of copies of the newsletter in the community area of the church, since its availability must be publicized. Pastor Nick also suggested presenting a “MOSES Fact of the Month” to the church.
Both Pastors Nick and Jen point out that the ideological orientation of MCC fits very well with the mission of MOSES. Pastor Jen says that she never fears repercussions from the congregation if she delivers a sermon on social concerns. Pastor Nick commented that he feels he preaches less on political issues than when he was at a previous church. At MCC, everyone is kind of on the same page. He suggested that a sermon should motivate us to think theologically (and act) about social concerns, and not just pat ourselves on the back for how right our political perspective is. Pastor Jen says that the important work is to turn that ideological orientation into meaningful action. MOSES can help in that way by letting the congregation know about specific actions our organization is taking and encouraging participation.