On Lenten Wednesday evenings, downstairs in Fellowship Hall, a crew of a half-dozen or so people scrape and wash plates during the congregational meal. On a few Saturday mornings each year, a crew combs the St. Paul neighborhood, picking up garbage,…
The sun shines through the brightly colored stained glass windows in the chapel at Wartburg Theological Seminary in Dubuque. A pipe organ rises to the ceiling, and rich brown brick creates a warm space. Every weekday at 9:30 a.m., the students, facul…
Pastor Chad McKenna asked the crowd gathered in Fellowship Hall this question: How many of you would say your lives are busy? By a show of hands, it was a room full of people who have their hands full with life – many with just one or two nights a we…
Pat Herath held onto her dream for 50 years. When Pat was in the second grade, a missionary visited her school telling stories of Africa. Pat knew then that someday, she wanted to help. Twenty five years later, Pat visited Africa. As an adult, she re…
Ever since I read about a woman named Betty Tudor more than 20 years ago, I have been unable to forget her tale. Her 19-year performance deserves an Oscar in the Academy Awards of Failure. A resident of Exeter, England, Ms. Tudor struggled to master…
There was a short lived game show that was on television from 2008-2009 called “Hole in the Wall.” Inspired by a Japanese television show, competitors were challenged to fit through a “hole in the wall.” A human form in various kinds of poses would b…
The Quad City Symphony Orchestra is celebrating its 100th anniversary this year. As part of the celebration, the symphony commissioned Bill Campbell, St. Paul member and coordinator of contemporary music, and others to write new music. Each composer…
One of God’s favorite tricks seems to be the hiding of certain Kingdom of Heaven treasures in unsuspecting places. Insert extraordinary objects into ordinary surroundings and you are bound to create surprise. It’s a play right out of the playbook of…
Jim Freeman, an 88-year-old in Spartanburg, S.C., has lived alone since his wife passed away. Trying to make ends meet using only his Social Security check, he receives meals and visits from Mobile Meals, A meal is cooked and delivered to him by volu…
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Andrew Harris’ first job as a police officer was in the small town of Denison, Iowa. A number of people who call Denison home speak Spanish, so the 22-year-old brushed up on his Spanish skills and got to work getting to know the residents of the comm…
At some point between the age of 4 and 14, we seem to lose a fair amount of our curiosity. If you want proof—just spend a few minutes in conversation with a preschooler. Some estimate that the average child asks somewhere between 100 to as many as 35…
Chris Barnett spent a significant portion of his childhood in an extremely abusive home setting. As he grew into his teen years, he entered the foster care system, living with two different families from age 14 to 18. “I credit that time for where I…