Southern Utah, Death Valley, the Badlands and, closer to home, Wildcat Den, come to mind when I think of wilderness. For many, the term “wilderness” conjures up images of desolation and isolation. Because of their isolation, they also sometimes have…
Thirty years ago, our family went through a very tough few months. It began when Art’s dad was killed in a crash. Then, our Tupperware franchise was closed by the home office without warning. Art and I had no job or income. Art went into a deep depre…
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…