With summer camp now over, Camp Shalom will begin a noticeable change. The camp, near Maquoketa, Iowa, has approximately 30 acres of grass that staff and volunteers mow each week with a supply of fuel and sturdy mowers. But this fall, about a third o…
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St. Paul’s spirit of teaching and learning carries through to two internship programs for college students – one in communications and one in youth ministries. Meet the 2018-2019 interns. Destiny Ellingsworth, communication intern Destiny is a junior…
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If someone were to ask me to tell them about grace, I’d probably try to explain it. I might talk about love that is unearned and unexpected. Or maybe I’d borrow from the apostle Paul who wrote how grace is unearned, a pure gift of love. Or I’d quote…
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When my two grown kids surprised me with a visit home last weekend, we got in a game of tennis. It was a blast. Depending on which of the four of us you ask about the game, however, four different perspectives will emerge. Mom’s shots were awesome. O…
Ramps, roofs, painting, flooring – St. Paul will be heading to rural Appalachia from October 13-20 to help make homes warmer, safer, and drier. The church’s years-long partnership with Appalachia Service Project (ASP) translates into one or two trips…
The anticipation of a new school year is in the air: school supplies, back packs, and the eagerness of learning new things. On Sunday, Aug. 19, St. Paul will hold its annual back-to-school blessing at 9 and 11:15 a.m. Students can bring bags up to th…
One St. Paul member built his own airplane from scratch. Another built a career from the seat of Navy P2Vs. Both share a love of the air. Richard Fidlar, retired Navy captain As a student at Davenport High School, some of Richard Fidlar’s budd…
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How can we make the Bible fun, and get its impact to stick? These are the two questions Pastor Kendra Thompson asks herself when planning programming for children and families. She will begin at St. Paul in mid-August as the pastor of children and fa…
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We are living in ordinary times – at least according to the church. What I mean to say is that the church goes through seasons just like the natural world. The big four church seasons are Advent, Christmas, Lent, and Easter. But now, from May 27 unti…
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On one recent Monday morning, it was really quite quiet outside the two-story brick building on the corner of 15th and Ripley streets in Davenport. The sun shone down. The birds chirped. The hostas and milkweed planted outside rustled in the breeze….
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Most of us, I would imagine, are creatures of habit. We have our usual morning routines. Or our typical bedtime sequence of events that tells our brains it’s time to sleep. Or we might drive the exact same route to and from work each day. While varie…
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Along with heat and humidity, the season of summer offers predictable sounds: rolling thunder, occasional fireworks, and outdoor concerts. One of the loudest sounds of summer comes from the buzzing cicadas. It is a high-pitched, electrical song that…