I just read in the paper last week that this is looking like a very good year for corn farmers.  The weather has been ideal, and they are expecting a bumper crop (and the prices will be good because of ethanol!).  It seems to me that this is a time of harvest for WISDOM, and for all our organizations, as well.  We’ve had some issue wins, and we have had some major growth.  There is a lot more to do, but sometimes we need to take a moment to appreciate all the good that is happening – our own bumper crop.

RIC has been very active recently.  On October 13, the Sacred Ground Committee put on a terrific Housing Summit at Greater Mount Eagle Baptist Church.  RIC leaders managed to bring together about 10 groups who offer different kinds of assistance to low-income people who want to be home owners – everything from credit counseling to grants to help with a down payment.  The turnout was very good, and reports are that about 30 families started working with the different agencies.

Last night (October 29) was the RIC Public Meeting.   About 125 people attended (despite being opposite the Packer game AND a special Racine Unified School District Board meeting with some hot topics on the agenda).  It was an inspirational gathering, laying out a very ambitious agenda for RIC.  Perhaps the best part was seeing many new faces, both as speakers and in the audience.  RIC also put together a terrific 2007-08 Yearbook (Ad Book), which was first distributed at the Public Meeting.

MICAH has had a couple of HUGE victories.  Amid all the nonsense and chaos in the recent state budget debate, there was a provision that originated from, and was strongly supported by MICAH (and everyone else who came to the WISDOM Action Day last February).  In the Badger Care Plus section of the signed and approved budget is money for 24 new, full-time school nurses – who will serve the children in 37 high poverty Milwaukee Public Schools!

This is tremendous for many reasons:  The first is obvious – kids can’t learn well if they are sick!  This is a very tangible, concrete way to help close the “achievement gap” and help thousands of kids do better in school.  It is also great that this is NOT going to be out of the schools’ budgets; so other programs won’t suffer as a result.

In the meantime, MICAH had a big hand in helping to push to be sure that Milwaukee County received $18 million for the “Wiser Choice” program over the next three years.  This is money that will go directly to getting more drug and alcohol treatment to people who could not otherwise afford it.  They so far, also have been successful in getting almost $350,000 for AODA treatment restored to the County budget (reversing the County Executive’s cut).

Thousands of school children…  Thousands of sick people…  - MICAH leaders can be very, very proud that their efforts have had a profound and positive effect on exactly the people who need a break!  MICAH is also making progress on their major initiatives to ensure that good jobs will be available in areas where jobs have been scarce.

ESTHER is another very busy group these days.  They are bringing David Rusk to the Fox Valley for three days – from November 9-11.  (David Rusk is a “strategic partner” of the Gamaliel Foundation.  He is a renowned author thinker in the area of urban/suburban planning…)  Rusk has been working on a study of housing costs and patterns in the Fox Valley, and how it matches up with the kinds of jobs that are available in the public and private sectors.  Essentially, he is asking the question:  “Are we building the kind of housing that can be afforded by the people we need to do the jobs in our area?”  David Rusk will be speaking at several events.  The largest of these will be open to the public, on the 9th at noon.  He will also talk with school and civic officials, and even at one of our churches on Sunday morning.

On Sunday the 11th, David Rusk will be the keynote speaker at the ESTHER banquet.  In conjunction with the banquet, ESTHER will bring out its new Yearbook (Ad Book).

As if that wasn’t enough…  About 30 Spanish-speaking ESTHER leaders participated in an Outreach Training back in September.  In conjunction with the outreach and on-on-ones, they are also administering a survey.  Having already completed hundreds of surveys in the Appleton area and in the Oshkosh/Omro area;  on November 18, the outreach visitors will gather to look at the results of the survey;  to talk about the one-on-ones; and to plan for the next steps.

JOSHUA and ESTHER have established some of the kind of synergy that we have all hoped for.  As long as David Rusk is in Wisconsin, JOSHUA will have him for a day.  He’ll meet with the newspaper and with the Religious Leaders.  Then, there is a big public event in the afternoon/evening where he will present his analysis of Brown County. This event will be interesting because in addition to Rusk's   talk and analysis, there will be the unveiling of the new “Workforce Housing” video – which is a professionally-made piece that makes the case for building neighborhoods with housing that is appropriate for a wide range of income levels.  (JOSHUA received a grant to make this video – and ESTHER was able to get a special Fox Valley version of it made during the process!)  The meeting will also celebrate that the County is doing the right thing:  There is a very big piece of very valuable land (the former County Farm) that the County will be selling off.  They have agreed to require those bidding on the property to do so with plans that include mixed-income housing.  That is a big reason to celebrate.

JOSHUA has been busy in other ways, as well.  It seems that the Brown County Board and the Green Bay City Council are taking turns coming up with proposals and ordinances designed to make life more difficult for the some of the most defenseless people in the community – immigrants and the homeless.  JOSHUA has done its best to ensure that there is a response.

SOPHIA has also been working very hard at a County-level issue.  Specifically, they are battling to get $94,000 put into “pre-trial” programs.  One is specifically for intoxicated drivers; the other deals with many non-violent people with drug offenses.  These programs connect people with help and hold them accountable before they ever get to their trial.  In many cases, the offenders can demonstrate enough progress that they can stay out of jail.  Both programs have been very, very effective.  If they are not fully funded, however, they will serve only some of those who could be served (and, ironically, the County would have more people in jail—at a cost well above $94,000).  SOPHIA members have personally contacted every County Supervisor and have been a significant presence at every meeting and hearing.  Last year, it should be noted, that  SOPHIA made a similar effort to get a Day Reporting Center funded.  It was not included in the budget – but, the county “found” the money and started a Day Reporting center within six months. 

CUSH is on the verge of a very big victory.  It is a victory of perseverance.  Almost four years ago, CUSH won support from the City and County of Kenosha to help establish a permanent shelter for the homeless.  Since that time, there have been endless complications and bureaucratic tangles.  But, the end is near.  Earlier this month, about 50 CUSH members showed up and gatherings that signaled that the final hurdle (zoning) was being overcome.  Though not completely out of the woods yet, it does seem that groundbreaking for the new shelter will be in the next few months.  Though it has been draining and discouraging at times, I find it admirable that many people of faith in CUSH refused to give up hope.

That same perseverance will also pay off in the near future for the Teen Screen program – which helps to identify young people who are at risk for depression and even suicide.  Despite some very loud opposition that frightened the School Board for a time, CUSH has not gone away.  We have every reason to expect that CUSH will prevail on this issue in February.

With closure in sight on these two stubborn local issues, CUSH will have a new Issues Assembly on January 24.  (Let’s hope the new issues move a little more quickly!  If they don’t, though, you can bet CUSH won’t quit.)

Two years ago, Rock County’s Board of Supervisors were considering a plan by the Sheriff to greatly expand the size of the jail.  A friendly Board member told us, “it’s a done deal – no sense trying to fight it.”  JOB decided to fight it anyway.  Today, there is a new Sheriff, and still no jail expansion!   JOB has maintained its effort to resist the jail expansion.  It is also working on Health Care, and will sponsor a major health care forum in November.

 

AMOS (in La Crosse) will become the eighth official organization in WISDOM on Sunday, November 4.  Eight congregations will become charter members that afternoon.  Several more congregations are close to joining but will not be completely through the process in time for the big event.  Bishop April Larson (ELCA) will be a featured speaker at the AMOS Covenanting.       

 

JONAH will become the ninth WISDOM organization just one week later – on November 11!  They will be starting with the same number of charter members (8) and the same good prospects to add more congregations in the very near future.  Their featured speaker will be Bishop Keith Whitmore (Episcopal).  Because of a series of forums and events, JONAH is already pretty well known in the Eau Claire area, especially for matters related to health care and TIP.  JONAH looks to include members from the entire Chippewa Valley.

We did not get everything we hoped for in the State Budget, but there were some positives:

This is the really bad news for us from the state budget.  In the final negotiations around the state budget, the provision allowing for in-state tuition for children of undocumented workers was removed.  Sadly, it seems to have been traded away in the deal-making process.

We’ll deal with this more in the next report!  However, I want to call your attention to the Common Destiny reflection.

As we have our Common Destiny conversations and work to prepare for our April 12 WISDOM Leadership Assembly, we had an idea! Because every one of our meetings, in every one of our committees and organizations begins with a prayer or reflection; a way for us to be united a bit more as people with a Common Destiny would be for us to do some common reflecting.

This will be posted on the WISDOM web page,  I would ask you to try in November.  It should be do-able in about 5-7 minutes.  I would then request that you think of other reflections – from Scripture, from poetry, from history, from nature… that you have found that relate to the theme of “Common Destiny.  I will send one out every month – with the suggestion that we all, from Green Bay to La Crosse to Kenosha, take a few minutes to reflect together when we meet.

If you got involved because you want to make the world a better place, I think you came to the right place.  WISDOM is filled with outstanding people, and the result of your efforts is really remarkable.  I am really very proud to be associated with all of you and with everything mentioned above (as well as the dozen things I deleted for lack of space).