Blog

March 12, 2020 Dear Pres House Community, Amidst the evolving news about COVID-19, we want to update you on how Pres House is responding in this uncertain time. We encourage you to check social media (Facebook, Instagram) and emails regularly as our response will continue to evolve with the situation. UW-Madison Protocols Pres House staff is in close communication with the UW-Madison administration and plans to follow the protocols they put in place. Additionally, the staff has been following the Center for Disease Control and Madison and Dane County’s Public Health Department for updates. In a time when fear and misinformation can also be a contagion, we encourage you to check reliable news sources for accurate information about what is going on. SELF-CARE IS COMMUNITY CARE It may be tempting to push through illness instead of staying home to rest. Let us remember that Sabbath is a commandment God gives…

On January 9th a group of folks from Pres House traveled to Panama City Beach, Florida to do rebuilding work from Hurricane Michael. This Break With a Purpose Trip was not what the team expected as we had planned to go to Puerto Rico. But the earthquake in Puerto Rico on January 7th caused us to change our plans. Here are reflections from some of the members of the 2020 BWAP team on what they learned and saw on the Florida panhandle. Many of these are forgotten stories. These reflections were shared during worship on February 2nd alongside the story of the Good Samaritan from Luke 10:25-37. You can also listen to the audio recording here: “Forgotten Stories Reflecting On BWAP 2020” ~ 02.02.2020 Luke 10:25-37 (Students Silas S., Theresa S., Shaniya A., Evan D.) Silas’s Story – 9:50 Theresa’s Story – 13:27 Shaniya’s Story – 17:03 Evan’s Story – 20:26

The first draft of this article was prepared as a handout for Queer Theology 101, a Nov. 21, 2019 event co-sponsored by Pres House and The Crossing. Developed by Benjamin Coakley (leader of Queer Students of Faith at The Crossing; they / them) and Rebecca Bedell (leader of Queerly Beloved at Pres House; she / her). Adapted for the website by Rebecca Bedell. These are our own deeply held beliefs. Why Queer Theology? We believe it is crucial to affirm and learn from LGBTQ people of faith as we live an inclusive doctrine worthy of Jesus Christ. Let's start with a set of grounding principles. Each of these points could take up an entire workshop, but debating them is not our main focus. We acknowledge and agree: Being queer (LGBTQ+) is not a choice. We see queer people across all eras and cultures. Read the American Psychological Association's research summary…

Macayla Church is a sophomore majoring in Psychology and Spanish, with a Certificate in Criminal Justice. She shared this story at Worship on October 6th, 2019, for the sermon series, "Questions Jesus Asked," with the focus on the question, "Does this offend you?" from John 6:41-71. You can also listen to her share it here. I grew up in a small town with about two thousand people in it, and I graduated in a class of 45. My parents told me that they believed in God, but we never went to church, and I never really knew what Christianity meant. It was up to me to decide what I believed in. When I was in 5th grade, I decided to start attending a small group at a local church that all my friends attended. It was the largest one in my area, even larger than the school. I have always…

Ebenezer Ojo is a junior majoring in Biochemistry. He shared this story during Sunday Worship on September 22nd, 2019. You can listen to it here. So a little bit about me. I was born in Nigeria and moved to Minnesota when I was about three years old. I grew up in a family with African parents who were very strict. So strict that I couldn’t even have sleepovers with the next door neighbor. So leaving home and coming to a place where I could be fully independent was refreshing but at the same time was a bit overwhelming as a freshmen coming to Madison. I was excited to be in a new community and to find new interests and people with the same commonalities as me. I came in with the idea that I would be able to do many different things and finding close friends would be easy and…

Shaniya Auxier is a second year student. She shared this story at Sunday Worship on September 15th, 2019. You can also listen to it here. Hey, y’all! I’m Shaniya, a second year studying Psychology with a certificate in Gender and Women’s studies, if you didn’t know, and I am delighted to share my coming to Pres House story with you. Unlike some others that I’ve met, I did not find Pres House right away. After Convocation, I came to Frunch, hopefully like many of you, and when I left, I didn’t step on Pres House property again until that October. The truth is, I wanted to be apart of a spiritual community; I wanted to find a church home on campus, but I was terrified. My family identifies as Christian, but doesn’t really practice or attend church, and when we did, all I had were negative experiences. So it was…

Jacob Dahl is a Chemistry major in his third year at UW-Madison. He shared this story from his freshman year at Sunday Worship on September 8th, 2019. You can also listen to it here. Hello, my name is Jacob Dahl. Freshman year, I didn’t know what I was doing. I had no friends, no idea where I’d be living next year, first time away from home, and college is hard. What I really needed however were some friends, which I happened to find here at Pres House. I’ve always had a hard time with friends as a child. Growing up in a small town and having the interests of reading, playing Nintendo video games, and disliking sports is just far enough out there that almost no one wanted to be my friend. I was also massively introverted and bad at talking to people. I still am, occasionally just saying whatever…

We asked experienced graduate students at UW-Madison what they wished they knew when they started as a new grad student. We hope you can learn from their advice for new graduate students! And this is just some of their wisdom. Come on over to Pres House on Tuesday, September 10 at 7pm for "What I Wish I Knew as a New Grad Student" to meet other grad students, enjoy dessert, and hear first-hand from experienced students what they wish they had known as new graduate students. And check out how to get connected to the Graduate Student Fellowship at Pres House. So here it is: "What I wish I knew" - advice for new graduate students: ON MOVING: What was something you wish you had brought with you to Madison that you didn't? What was something you brought that you didn't need? I wish I brought a bike to Madison. I moved…