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The bell tower of Augustana Lutheran Church in Andover, Illinois, rises from the green fields and roadways of western Illinois. Inside is the 2,471-pound metal bell, shipped by railway from Ohio and installed in 1881. Don Norberg, church custodian, r…
On the first day of class, Jessica Schultz asks her students to write down their future goals. “To be happy” almost always is at the top of the list of responses, she said. “Happiness is built into the framework of our country,” said Jessica, an assi…
They break bread in worship, then they share a meal. The Golden Agers Worship & Luncheon is a joy-filled annual tradition at St. Paul. For those who are age 75 and older, it’s a time of togetherness – a message, songs, entertainment, and food. Th…
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The 17th time Leslie Hunter moved was when he went to college as an 18-year-old. He was the oldest of four, the son of teen parents who grew up around the corner from each other in Chicago. His parents were alcoholics. Step-fathers were physically an…
Fall Start-Up is when we return to the fullness of our Sunday-morning learning and worship life. Sunday worship returns to 8, 9:20, and 11:45 a.m., with Saturday worship at 5:30 p.m. Learning classes begin for all ages, 10:45-11:30 a.m. There’s no ne…
They met at Iowa State. She was studying child development, he was studying science. On August. 24, 1950, Jeannine Ahlgren and Darwyn VanGorp were united in marriage at the church Jeannine grew up in – the old St. Paul at 14th and Main in Davenport….
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The guy in front of me at Brady Street Stadium was dressed in full Davenport Central gear with a blue and red cap on his head and a blue and red sweatshirt keeping the late-evening chill at bay. If the concession stand would have been selling those b…
Words have gravity and power. We contemplate them and “chew” on them because at a deep level they contain our feelings, aspirations, and thoughts. In many respects, words are the currency of living. They make meaning for our lives and help us order o…
As a 15-year-old, Larry Minard asked his rather unapproachable pastor if he could come and practice on the church’s organ. The pastor offered to turn on the organ, and Larry sat down to play. He played for worship at church at 17, the old Lutheran li…
Every Sunday morning at 8:30 a.m., people anywhere with a radio or Internet access can hear worship from St. Paul. A previous week’s service is condensed and played on WOC1420 and on iheartradio.com. Three volunteers rotate through this weekly duty,…
It’s just a tiny, tiny speck on the bottom of a milkweed leaf. Shaped a bit like a football, this beginning of life gives Carol Seitz great joy. Carol, a master gardener, is one of the people who tend to a butterfly garden on the grounds of the Iowa…
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Dave Langrock stepped up to the plate during his first home game playing for the Cubs minor league team in Caldwell, Idaho. It was the mid-1960s, and Dave was just out of Wartburg College. He was the pitcher that game, and pitchers usually aren’t hit…