All St. Paul Reads returns in-person for 2022 with Little Faith, the 2021 All Iowa Reads book selection, by Nickolas Butler. Inspired by true events near Butler’s current home in Eau Claire, Wis., and by his family and in-laws as well as his own fait…
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As we bid Todd a fond farewell, we also say hello to his successor, Miles Thompson. Miles has been a friendly face around St. Paul for many years, joining the church after his marriage to lifelong member, Margaret (Vogel). Since then he has regularly…
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Out of the 52 weekends in a year, there are very few where Todd Byerly is not found at the back of the Sanctuary and behind the technical booth, making sure everything runs smoothly. For nearly eight years, Todd has served as the Operations Director…
New Year’s resolutions seem to be a thing of the past, instead being swapped for more contemplative and long-lasting traditions and expressions of gratitude, exploration, and deeper human connection, especially following a few challenging years for m…
Since 2007, St. Paul people haven’t needed to keep their heads down and eyes in the red hymnals. Instead, eyes were up and engaged, with the needed words illuminated on the sanctuary screens. And beginning in mid-December, those screens were lit up e…
It has been such a delight and honor to read about the various ways members of this congregation have experienced joy, and I do mean various! From kids to cars, opportunities to communities, pets to places – even from smiles to tears – joy is everywh…
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I didn’t grow up in a happy family. Joy was not something I naturally searched for. I was searching for peace and calm in the chaos. I think the first time I experienced true, uncomplicated joy was the day our son Leo was born. After three and a half…
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The journey to identity and family can take a circuitous route. I was born in California in 1946. Esther Powell is listed as mother on my birth certificate. She was a mix of English, French, German, and Irish, born and raised in Pennsylvania. Mariano…
You are my sunshine, my only sunshine. You make me happy when skies are gray. You’ll never know, dear, how much I love you. Please don’t take my sunshine away. But the sunshine never really goes away, does it? It may appear that way but sometimes it’…
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Since 2007, this time of year always holds memories of B. I don’t mean the letter “B” but the person whose nickname it came from – Bianca Laura Vocke. Bianca was a 17-year-old girl in 2007, who passed away from a tragic car accident. For a devotion o…
On Sunday morning, we were blessed here at St. Paul with a wonderful performance of the nativity story by some of our dear kids. They sang, told, and showed us about what (or, rather, who) we celebrate at Christmas time: Jesus! Before the show, we go…
The New Year’s song, “Shchedryk,” written by Ukranian composer Mykola Leontovych, has a haunting, driving motif in F minor that is graced with cascading scales of melody. It was performed at Carnegie Hall just 100 years ago by the Ukranian National C…