Writer, pastor brings faith and care-of-creation connections to Oshkosh Oct. 1

Judy Russell
·6 min read

The Oshkosh area community will have an opportunity on Oct. 1 to hear and meet the Rev. Daniel Cooperrider, renowned for his teaching on the connections between faith and taking care of God’s creation.

Cooperrider, a writer, teacher and pastor in the United Church of Christ, is the author of “Speak with the Earth and It Will Teach You.” He is the winner of a Gold Award in the Nautilus Book Awards in 2023. Acclaimed as a “powerful speaker,” he will speak from the pulpit of First Congregational Church in Oshkosh at 11 a.m. Oct. 1. The church is at 137 Algoma Blvd.

There will be a reception for him before the service. After the service there will be a potluck luncheon, where his paperback book, which sells for $24.95, will be available for purchase. The book is also available as an e-book.

He “lives on the edge of the driftless region” in Madison, Wisconsin, on ancestral Ho-Chunk land with his spouse, the Rev. Dr. Julia Burkey – senior pastor of Orchard Ridge UCC – and “their young wild one, Reverie Faye.”

A graduate of the University of Chicago and the University of Chicago Divinity School, Cooperrider “writes at the intersections of theology, environmental ethics, poetry, aesthetics, and climate justice.”

Bill McKibben, author of “The End of Nature,” said this about Cooperrider’s book: “This is a volume that’s equal parts charming and necessary. As we try to grapple with the greatest crisis humans have ever faced, it would be of immeasurable value to have the Bible helping, not hindering. And as Daniel Cooperrider makes clear, that also makes for good theology. This book will make a serious difference!”

Cooperrider was invited to speak during worship at FCC by the church’s Life-Long Learning Ministry Group, Worship Ministry Group, and the Green Team.

For more information, call 920-426-9931.

Here's news from area churches:

  • “The Chosen” TV program, beginning with Season 1, and its study program premiere Monday at Christ Our Savior Lutheran Church in Oshkosh. Showings will be at noon and 6 p.m. in Fellowship Hall, 1860 Wisconsin St. The church, according to its newsletter, has installed a 70-inch TV in the hall and has purchased the discussion study that goes with “The Chosen.” Those coming for the noon showing can bring a lunch. Those coming to the 6 p.m. showing can bring their family, and refreshments will be provided. The TV program is a multi-season series that centers on the life of Jesus and the different people who followed or otherwise interacted with him. For more information, call 920-235-4850.

  • Soup and soup fixings is the focus in September for food donations to the Oshkosh Area Community Pantry. Suggestions for donations include cream or chunky soups; rice and pasta; chili beans and chili seasonings; chicken, beef and vegetable broths; oyster and saltine crackers; corn bread mix; split green peas; chicken and beef stock; biscuit mix, and shelf-stable soup mixes.

  • Pre-orders are due Oct. 2 for the St. Jude Parish Cookbook, “A Taste of Heaven.” The book, with more than 350 recipes from more than 100 contributors, will have a sturdy cover and be bound in a three-ring binder. Recipes are grouped in handy categories, and the book includes indexes of contributors and recipes for ease of reference. The book, printed by Morris Press Cookbooks, is expected to be available mid-November. The cost is $20 per copy, payable when you pick up the cookbook. If you prefer to prepay, make checks payable to St. Jude Parish and write “cookbook” on the Memo line. Order online at stjudeoshkosh.org/cookbook, or contact Rob Saley at 920-235-7412 or rsaley@stjudeoshkosh.org. Pre-order forms also are available in the parish office, 1025 W. Fifth Ave.

  • Community members are welcome to join the celebration at First English Lutheran Church in Oshkosh for Dennis Sphatt’s 50th anniversary as organist at First English. The event, which is Sept. 23, will include a light supper in the church auditorium after the 5 p.m. Saturday worship service. The church is at 1013 Minnesota St. For more information, contact Kay Dobberke Brauer, Community Outreach Coordinator, 920-231-9890

  • St. Raphael Parish in Oshkosh is sponsoring a bus trip to the Fireside Theater production of “SCROOGE, The Musical.” The trip is Nov. 17 and includes tickets, Gold Star motor coach transportation, dinner, gratuities for wait staff and bus driver, for $120. The bus will leave the church parking lot at 8:30 a.m., arrive in time for lunch at 11:15 a.m. There are four selections offered for dinner. The professional cast of singers and dancers will take the stage at 1:30 p.m. Reservations, meal choices and payments are due to the parish office by Oct. 20. For reservations, contact the parish office, 920-233-8044. For more information, contact Tom or Maureen Donovan at 920-379-0569.

  • Registration is underway for the Salvation Army’s Oshkosh Seasonal Assistance Programs. This includes Coats for Kids and the Toy Shop/Toys for Tots, for children from birth to age 18. Registration for Coats for Kids ends Oct. 23. Registration for Toy Shop/Toys for Tots ends Nov. 27. There is no in-person registration. To register, call the Salvation Army office on or before the deadlines, 920-232-7660. Ask for Al Rolph, Lisa Winkler or Patty Zastrow.Distribution will take place on the dates and at the locations provided at the time of registration, and will be done by appointment only. All registered families will be mailed or emailed appointment cards. These cards, along with a photo ID, need to be presented at time of pickup.

  • A Healing Mass, with sacramental anointing of the sick, will be held this Wednesday at 11 a.m. at the Sacred Heart site of St. Jude Parish, 519 Knapp St., Oshkosh. After the Mass, there will be a light lunch in Leannah Hall (free will offering suggested). This event is sponsored by the St. Jude Young-at-Heart group.

  • Do you knit or crochet? Prayer shawls are in demand, including shawls to be distributed by Christian Action Ministry in Winneconne. The shawls are delivered to nursing homes, Bella Medical Clinic in Oshkosh, “and to those who need the comfort of prayers” in both of the St. Mary parishes in Omro and Winneconne. You may drop off your completed prayer shawls at the Omro or Winneconne parish offices, at 210 Pleasant Drive in Winneconne, or 730 Madison Ave. in Omro. If you need yarn for your project, contact Sue, 920-528-7712, or Peggy, 920-685-2258.

  • More than 800 families have donated thousands of items for the 35th Trash ‘n Treasure Rummage Sale this coming Saturday at St. Paul Lutheran Church in Sheboygan Falls. The event, from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m., will also include a brat fry and bake sale. Among the sale items will be household goods, antiques, furniture, toys, jewelry, books glassware, sporting goods, tools, and holiday items. The church is at 730 County PPP. For more information, call 920-467-6880.

Thought for the Day: Diversity is being invited to the party; inclusion is being asked to dance. — Vera Myers

Judy Russell of Oshkosh writes about happenings at area centers of worship. To submit news for her consideration, email oshkoshsubmit@thenorthwestern.com with the subject “Church news.” Deadline is 5 p.m. Mondays.

This article originally appeared on Appleton Post-Crescent: Writer, pastor to talk on faith and care-of-creation connections