GERMANTOWN — A lot has changed over the past 44 years. But one thing has remained consistent, Rev. Janis. K Doleschal's message.
“The ideas in the gospel are love god, love your neighbors as yourself," Rev. Jan said.
At the youthful age of 81, Rev. Jan is one of the longest-serving pastors in Wisconsin. She was ordained in the congregational church in 1982.
"Whole message that Jesus gave to people was a message of love, not a message of exclusivity, not a message of judgment, not a message of you can't be here. But a message of please come, God loves you, and this is a good place for you," she said.
She has served at a few different churches in the Milwaukee area, including Brown Deer United Church of Christ and Trinity United Church of Christ in Brookfield. Since 2020, she has been at St. John United Church of Christ in Germantown. She's lesbian. When that came out in the '80s, people didn't want her as the head of a church.
“I got some really nasty hate mail as a result of it," Rev. Jan said.
But Rev. Jan didn't back down. That's why she has been a reverend for four decades. One of her pastoral accomplishments is increasing the number of open and affirming churches in Wisconsin from about a dozen to roughly 85.
"Because it's very, very difficult in the LGBTQ+ community for individuals to find a church where they're not being judged and where they feel welcome," Rev. Jan said.
Watch the story about Rev. Jan here...
Her impact actually goes well beyond the church, too. She was inducted into the Wisconsin Athletic Hall of Fame in 1999 for her commitment to youth and women's sports.
“I created the girls' high school sports program at MPS, so it was uniforms, it was playing time, it was playing facilities," she said.
She literally wrote the book on women's sports for Milwaukee public schools, manuals, and resource guides for coaches, athletic directors, athletes, and parents. She was commissioner of the athletic department from 1974 to 2002.
“There was nothing. Nothing. We started from scratch," she said.
Something she is used to doing. She even helps homeless veterans furnish apartments with the Waukesha Elks Lodge. She is currently serving as the District Deputy Grand Exalted Ruler representing five different lodges.
“I'm telling you, they go in with nothing, so it's kitchenware, it's bathroom stuff, it's beds and furniture," Rev. Jan said.
So far, her team, along with the help of other organizations like the VA Hospital, has been able to house about 65 veterans.
None of this was easy. Being a lesbian pastor in the '80s, or diverting money from boys sports programs for girls athletics, made her a target for hate. But one thing kept her moving forward.
“Probably my faith.”
Which is why she has no signs of slowing down ministry duties, either.
Find out more information about the St. John United Church of Christ here.
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