Congregational United Church of Christ sits on West Church Street in Evansville, a small city in Rock County, Wisconsin. The congregation describes itself as a welcoming, open and affirming church, and members of the surrounding community know it for its Sunday worship, its weekly sermon podcast, and its steady hand in local outreach, particularly through the Evansville Ecumenical Care Closet and its long partnership with AWARE Evansville.
A Sunday at 10:30 on West Church Street
Worship happens every Sunday at 10:30 a.m. The main entrance for the worship space is at the back of the sanctuary, and greeters wait at the front door of the building to point first-time visitors to restrooms, the sanctuary and Sunday programming. Ushers hand out a printed bulletin that contains the full order of service. The Pastor then stands at the door to the worship space after the postlude to greet each person on the way out.
The service is relatively traditional but flexible from week to week. Most Sundays follow a familiar pattern: a quiet prelude, a welcome from the Pastor, a responsive call to worship, a hymn, a prayer of invocation (or, in Lent, a prayer of confession followed by an Assurance of Pardon), a scripture reading by a lay reader, the sermon, another hymn, the pastoral prayer, the Lord's Prayer spoken in unison, announcements, communion on the first Sunday of the month and on special occasions, a final hymn, and a benediction. Hymns are drawn from the church hymnal, with numbers printed in the bulletin so visitors can follow along. Communion is open; anyone who wishes may participate, and anyone who prefers to pass may do so.
Visitors who use a wheelchair or walker will find a shorter pew reserved so they can sit with loved ones. Accessible parking is available, and the west door has a lift for those who need it.
Open and Affirming in Belief and Practice
Congregational UCC belongs to the United Church of Christ, a denomination whose motto is "God is Still Speaking." The congregation takes that conviction literally: it teaches that God is alive and at work in the world today and that God continues to speak. Its Open and Affirming statement rests on the idea that every person is created in God's image and is loved and blessed equally, and it cites Jesus' teaching that the two greatest commandments are to love God with all one's heart, soul, strength and mind and to love one's neighbor as oneself (Luke 10:25-28).
From that starting point, the church welcomes all persons in the full life and ministry of the congregation, including those of every race, ethnicity, age, sexual orientation, gender identity and expression, family structure, faith background, ability and economic circumstance.
Bible Study, Sermon Podcast and Pastor Bill's Reflections
The church takes Bible study seriously and runs several ongoing series. A "Bible Surprises" study moves through figures and themes such as Job, King Solomon, King Herod, Satan and the Prophets. A multi-session overview traces the arc of the Bible from the Torah through Israel's journey, the wisdom of Solomon, the patience of Job, the Garden of Eden, Cain and Abel, and the Tower of Babel. Each Lent the congregation gathers for a fresh six-session discussion; recent series have worked through Adam and Eve, a look at the Bible, the patience of Job, the Transfiguration, David and Bathsheba, and the teaching of Jesus.
Sermons are recorded each week and archived going back several years, available through the church and on Facebook. They are also released as a podcast on Apple, Anchor FM, Spotify and Amazon Music under the title "Pastor Bill's Sermons," with a parallel collection called "Pastor Bill On..." that gathers shorter topical reflections on subjects as varied as Mother's Day, Pentecost, Christian Nationalism, Respecting Muslims, the Patience of Job, the Wisdom of the Aged, the Theology of Poop, and a series titled "Bill's Thoughts." Recent sermon titles include "One More Thought About 9/11," "Love Your Enemies," "Making the World Angry," "Standing for Democracy," "The Blessing of Hypocrisy," "God Given Rights," "The Mosaic of Life," "Triumphal Arches" and "Was Jesus A Christian?"
The Evansville Ecumenical Care Closet
The Care Closet is the church's flagship community ministry. It combines a food pantry with a resale store of gently used household items and clothing. Anyone is welcome to shop in the store, and households may use the food pantry once a month for assistance. Congregational UCC supports the Closet through financial contributions and through monthly donations of items that SNAP benefits do not cover.
The Closet is a collaborative ministry, not a Congregational UCC project alone. It is run together with St. Paul Catholic Church, St. John's Lutheran Church, Oak Grove Church, Evansville United Methodist Church and Cooksville Lutheran Church. It is located at 206 South Madison Street in Evansville and can be reached at 608-882-4532.
AWARE Evansville and Other Outreach
Congregational UCC has been a steady partner of AWARE, a grassroots program created in 1998 to address the needs of Evansville's growing low-income population. AWARE's services reach struggling families, seniors and disabled adults who live within the Evansville School District. The church supports AWARE through school supply drives, the annual Coats for Kids program, donations of gloves, mittens and hats, and regular financial contributions.
The congregation also maintains a long-standing relationship with All God's Children in El Salvador, and members helped bring pedestrian safety flags to street crossings in Evansville so that people can more easily step into the road and be seen by oncoming traffic. The Mission Committee coordinates these efforts and frames them as part of how the church lives and grows in faith, giving people concrete ways to give money, prepare meals, sort donated goods or volunteer hands-on.
Visiting and Getting in Touch
The building is at 112 West Church Street in Evansville, with a mailing address of PO Box 146, Evansville, WI 53536. The phone number is 608-882-5475. Visitors are encouraged to come as they are. Those who would like to follow along with the order of service can review it before they arrive, and those who cannot attend in person can watch the service on the church's Facebook page.
Office hours are Monday, Wednesday and Thursday from 8 a.m. to noon, when the Secretary is on site. The Pastor, Bill Wineke, is assisted by Denise Jones, who serves as Assistant to the Pastor. Online giving is available, and the church publishes weekly announcements and a sermon podcast so members and friends can stay connected throughout the week.