While most of us were rolling over on the couch the day after Thanksgiving, or lining up outside a big box store to land a deal on a vacuum cleaner, a church community in Durham, North Carolina was struggling mightily. One of its own, an undocumented…
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Early Tuesday morning, just as the chilly day began, several teenagers pulled into the parking lot at St. Paul. They were there to see a project they worked on do its job. At the request of Matt Spencer, building manager, this welding class from Dave…
The Boys in the Bunkhouse: Servitude and Salvation in the Heartland is the 2019 All St. Paul Reads book. All St. Paul Reads is encouragement for all to read and talk about a single book title in the same year. In 2019, this dinner and discussion even…
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Editor’s note: Martha Barnds created a stippling of the north side of St. Paul. A notecard-sized reproduction is available at the Info Center through December. St. Paul has been my church home since we moved here from Pennsylvania. As a child, I spen…
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Advent is my favorite liturgical season, not as an expansion of Christmas, but as a time during which the church honors those seasons of our lives when God seems far off and silent, and gives a symbol to our longing for a communion that is yet unreal…
Growing up on a farm in the country brought a variety of beauty into my life. In the winter months, the beauty changed when it was snow covered. When I went outside to do the horses on winter nights, I would sometimes have to search for them in the f…
One recent fall afternoon, I spent time at Madison Market, the food pantry St. Paul leads at the J.B. Young Opportunity Center. I answered questions, assisted with shopping decisions when needed, bagged groceries, and helped keep the flow going. The…
This fall, I began teaching a course called “Lives that Matter” at the East Moline Correctional Center. The course is part of a “Graduated Release Initiative” that offers incarcerated individuals support before and after their release from prison to…
Asa, right, with his brother, Gabe. I remember the first time I felt completely alone. I was about six years old, and had been on a bike ride with my family, which consists of…
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In the great plains of South Africa, there’s a poor farming community called Nieu-Bethesda. One of the small houses stands out from the rest. The yard is full of statues – cement camels and mermaids, wise men and angels, and lots of owls. They are bi…
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One might say that our family’s commitment to faith isn’t restricted by distance. We have a 65-mile drive to worship and confirmation classes when we travel to St. Paul. The ministry offered here alone is worth every mile traveled. I can still rememb…
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Flying can be an isolating experience, which is ironic because airports and airplanes are usually crammed full of other people. But when you fly, your own needs and wants take up a substantial amount of space in your mind. Do you feel that way, too?…