The Rev. William R. Wineke is the new interim minister at First Congregational United Church of Christ, Platteville, and Mount Zion Congregational United Church of Christ, Cornelia.

An ordained UCC minister for the past 43 years, Wineke has previously served congregations in Madison, New Glarus, Colby and Athens. He also was chaplain of the Wisconsin Rescue Mission in Madison for 35 years.

Wineke may be better known locally as a reporter and columnist for the Wisconsin State Journal for more than four decades. He retired from the paper in 2008 and now writes a weekly opinion column and does music and theater reviews for Channel 3000.com, the WISC-TV web site in Madison.

Wineke is a 1965 graduate of UW–Madison and a 1969 graduate of the Chicago Theological Seminary. Prior to his seminary graduation, he worked with the national Office of Communication of the United Church of Christ, then located in New York City, and as public relations director of the Chicago Theological Seminary.

He and his wife, Jacqueline, live in Stoughton.