Albert introduced himself as a homeless man living on the streets of Detroit after a fire in his apartment. He was eager to tell his story of what life was like living on the streets. We were patient listeners until he came to his pitch about donatin…
ChurchJazz, a Chicago-based jazz ministry, will come to paint the town jazz at St. Paul Lutheran Church on Sunday, July 26. This group of veteran musicians will play the Chicago Jazz Mass at the 9:20 and 11 a.m. services at St. Paul. It is free and o…
Poetry, she says, allows her to focus on little things that are overlooked, to slow down. Holly Norton writes about the satirical, the funny, the sad, the joyous, the absurd. “You slow down and end up really learning about the people around you. You…
It’s just a simple brown metal shed on the outside. Along the gravel road of Camp Shalom, the Craft Barn is tucked into the trees. A creeky door greets visitors. And so does Emily Crowe. “Welcome to the Craft Barn!” she says as a crew of kids on thei…
Under a blue sky, surrounded by green fields, little ones took turns climbing on the green and red tractors. They were welcomed to the Paustian family farm north of Walcott by Mike and Amy, and their kids Zachary, Elizabeth, and Madeline. The crew of…
Pastors Chad McKenna and Amanda Weinkauf are starting on a new leg of their faith journey this month, as their two-year time at St. Paul comes to a close. This weekend, a reception for them will be held after each service. If you’d like to donate to…
Who doesn’t like the Fourth of July? Well, dogs clearly don’t. Our soft-coated wheaten terrier, prior to her death last year, used to bark and wail with every firecracker. Her reaction to the vacuum cleaner was warm and cordial, by comparison. No won…
On the night of the strawberry moon, a sailboat made its way on the Mississippi River. Drenched in moonlight, the boat moved along the places where the pelicans come to sit in the evenings. Barges passed by as they hauled their goods to ports in the…
This photograph, from the archives of area historian and collector Doug Smith, was recently featured on the Facebook page of Davenport Iowa History. It captures the St. Paul’s Sunday School float in a June 1910 parade. At the time, St. Paul was locat…
Gayle Bisesi first set her sights on music at the young age of 3 – when her stage was her living room couch and her microphone a vacuum cleaner hose. “My earliest memories of music were in my home and at church, growing up in Decatur, Illinois. My mo…
A few months ago, I found myself sitting in an O’Hare airport terminal, waiting several hours for a delayed flight. I’d already exhausted most of my entertainment options—taking several laps up & down the long corridor of numbered gates, finishin…
They come from all over the country, from small towns and big cities. For several weeks this summer, 70 or so teenagers and their adult leaders will unpack their lives into the basement at St. Paul. They will live here for five days, serving i…