CROP Hunger Walk a success

A Church article with View Comments posted 26 October 2009.
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I had the opportunity this year to serve as Co-Coordinator of the Twin Cities CROP Hunger Walk in Sterling and Rock Falls, IL. The walk was last Sunday, October 18, and I’m pleased to report that it was a smashing success!

  • More than 110 walkers particpated.
  • We raised over $6,700 for Church World Service.
  • The stage is set for more successful walks in the year to come.

[I haven't been adding pictures to my blog in the last few weeks because WordPress 2.9 is coming soon, which will feature much better media management built-in. So watch for CROP Walk pictures in the coming weeks after it is released. Until then, the pictures are up on Facebook.]

Good Preaching Blog

A Church article with View Comments posted 26 October 2009.

Just found out that the pastor of my home congregation, Rev. Dr. Paul Moessner, has a new blog with sermons, etc. If you are a preacher, or a connoisseur of good preaching, you should check it out. (His sabbatical blog is interesting, too.)

Divine Impossibilities

A Church article with View Comments posted 12 October 2009.
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Occasion: 19th Sunday after Pentecost, Year B (Proper 23)
Text: Mark 10.17-31

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This sermon was prepared for services at St. John’s Lutheran Church, Sterling, IL on October 7 and 11 and for services at three area nursing homes.

Today we have a Gospel story that we love to explain away. No wonder – it’s very challenging. It is, after all, impossible for a camel to go through the eye of a needle. Here are some ways that people like us have tried to get around this parable:

Keep reading…

New church website launched!

A Church article with View Comments posted 3 October 2009.
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Our congregation in Dubuque, Lord of Life Lutheran Church, has launched a new website! I, along with those in the Lord of Life Website Task Force, are proud of the result and happy to announce it to the world. With the switching on of the new website, our email and calendaring infrastructure now is running on Google Apps. So, between the free Google Apps hosting and DreamHost’s free hosting for registered non-profit organizations, we have a sophisticated website and quality collaboration tools for free! Look for good things to come in the next few months as we prepare for Phase 2 of this project.

Beyond Justice

A Church article with View Comments posted 1 October 2009.
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This article ran in the October 2009 issue of The Messenger, the newsletter of St. John’s Lutheran Church, Sterling, IL.

In September, I attended the Tri-State Forum at Wartburg Theological Seminary, where I had the opportunity to hear Prof. Kathryn Koob of Wartburg College in Waverly, IA speak on the topic “Love your enemies… expect nothing in return.”

Keep reading…