Office Hours: M–Th 9:00 a.m.–4:00 p.m., F 9:00 a.m.–12:00 p.m. | | |
What Is All the Good? There are so many ways in which St. Paul's embodies this quote, attributed to John Wesley: “Do all the good you can, by all the means you can, in all the ways you can, in all the places you can, at all the times you can, to all the people you can, as long as ever you can.”
In that spirit, we are launching a new email focused on All the Good that we are doing in our church, our community, and our world. It's a small way to celebrate our big successes together. Every other month, we'll share a few highlights to reflect on how we are living out our Missional Priorities, which are represented by the acronym GROWS:
Grow through vibrant ministries with children, youth, and families.
Resist injustice by doing justice.
Open ourselves to be a place of ever-increasing welcome and belonging.
Work to develop deeper relationships, both inward and outward.
Sow seeds of faith by tending to the sacred within each of us, so we can be formed in Christ's image.
If you have something to submit for future All the Good emails, please send it to Andi Lewis. Welcome to All the Good. Welcome to St. Paul's!
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Grow through vibrant ministries with children, youth, and families.
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Young Leaders Camp St. Paul's hosted Young Leaders Camp July 13–16 for students who just completed grades 3–5. They focused on community building, service projects, and leadership skills that will carry these young leaders forward. The kids volunteered in a nonprofit's garden, wove plastic bags into mats for people who are unhoused, had a visit from therapy dog Valley, spent time with seniors with dementia, made videos about their experiences, and had a lot of fun learning and growing!
Join the Good: All kids age 4–6th grade are invited to join us for Sunday School from 10:15–11:15 a.m. During this time, children and pre-teens engage in hands-on activities including games, Bible stories, crafts, and snacks. On Wednesday evenings, they're invited to Midweek Faith Formation, which are fun, engaging evenings of learning, connection, and faith development. The church school year resumes the week of September 9, so don't miss out on the fun!
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Youth Be the Neighbor Trip June 14–18, a group of 17 middle school and high school students who are part of Youth Co-Op traveled to Columbia, Missouri. They worked with a UCC organization called Be the Neighbor to focus on disability advocacy and justice. They also threw in some service work along the way!
Join the Good: Youth Co-Op is a safe, welcoming, and collaborative youth ministry for students in grades 6–12. The current partner churches are Lovely Lane, St. Paul’s, and Trinity St. James UMC. We are committed to creating a space where all students are embraced—regardless of race, ethnicity, abilities, gender identity, expression, or sexual orientation. The church school year resumes September 9.
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ELC Playground On July 15, kids and adults had a blast at the ELC Playground Ribbon Cutting! It was exciting to see so many people appreciating this new space designed for kids of all abilities. We know that outdoor play is essential for children's development. This incredible new play space allows kids who attend the ELC and St. Paul's to play, learn, and grow well into the future!
Join the Good: Starting September 6, kids are invited to an Open Playground Time from 10:00–10:30 a.m. (following the 9:00 a.m. worship service). It’s a great opportunity for children to play, burn off some energy, and connect with friends while parents visit with one another. Beginning September 13, Open Playground Time will also serve as a fun time between worship and Sunday School, which begins at 10:30 a.m. Note: Children in 2nd grade and under must have a parent or guardian present during this time. We look forward to seeing you on the playground this fall!
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Resist injustice by doing justice.
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Protective Accompaniments On the first Tuesday of each month, members of St. Paul's, Escucha Mi Voz, Singing Resistance CR, and others stand with our immigrant neighbors as they check in with Immigration and Customs Enforcement. On August 4, more than 100 people sang songs of resistance and stood witness to the experiences of immigrants as they went through these stressful appointments. They even attracted the eye of several news sources, including Iowa Starting Line.
Join the Good: Learn about opportunities to resist injustice by doing justice by signing up for our Justice Mobilization List.
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Open ourselves to be a place of ever-increasing welcome and belonging.
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Shower Ministry Since last October, St. Paul's has opened its showers to people who are unhoused in our community on Sunday afternoons from 3:00–4:30 p.m. This spring, we added simple haircuts to help individuals look and feel their best. We serve as many as 30 people each Sunday afternoon, showing that the Shower Ministry is a much-needed service for our community.
Join the Good: Contact Kathy or Brad Colton to learn how you can help make this important ministry a success.
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African Nationals Evangelical Conference July 25–26, we had a delightful weekend of live African music, dancing, prayer, shared meals, and heartfelt worship at the African Nationals Evangelical Conference. Bishop Kennetha Bigham-Tsai, Pastor Vitalis Kyulule, Pastor Benoit Ambatobe, Rev. Robb McCoy, Pastor Daniel Niyonzima, a slew of talented musicians, a huge group of volunteers, and so many others made it a weekend to remember!
Join the Good: Join our African Nationals for worship every Sunday at 12:30 p.m. in the Sanctuary.
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Work to develop deeper relationships, both inward and outward.
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| |  | Valley Visits Valley, a trained therapy dog, accompanies Jennifer Miller to church, work, and anywhere someone needs a little extra comfort. As a therapy dog, Valley has been trained to give affection, comfort, and support. When she's working, she proudly wears a blue vest to indicate that she is a therapy dog who is currently on the job. Valley came from the CARES breeder program and underwent extensive training for more than a year before being paired with Jennifer. After they got home from their training in Kansas, Valley started going to work at Kenwood Leadership Academy with Jennifer. Valley has done a variety of tasks, including comforting a student involved in a car accident, helping students and staff with emotional regulation during stress and crisis, listening to students read, acting as a positive behavior or academic achievement reward, motivating students to follow directions, and more. Valley and Jennifer also visit regularly with people at Meth-Wick, Witwer Children's Therapy, and their homes. On May 10, we blessed Valley and welcomed her into our congregation.
Join the Good: Contact Jennifer to talk about having Valley visit you or a loved one to bring affection, comfort, and support!
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Flower Ministry For 30 years, Mary Jane Overmann organized flowers to have in the Sanctuary during worship. After her mother died, she began distributing the flowers to church members who are elderly, sick, or didn't get regular visitors. In April, Mary Jane handed over the reins to the important Flower Ministry to a team that includes Melanie Nollsch, Georgana Ridnour, Eunice Mardorf, and Janet Schroeder. Together they make sure that there are memorial or honorarium flowers in the Sanctuary each Sunday and that those flowers are then distributed to people from our church who could use a pick-me-up.
Join the Good: If you'd like to donate $35 for flowers in memory or honor of a loved one or important date, contact Melanie (319-270-6193).
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Sow seeds of faith by tending to the sacred within each of us, so we can be formed in Christ's image.
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Camino de Santiago Pilgrimage: A Reflection by Julie Kraft I am not the same person I was on March 12, 2026. Most people might observe me without noticing any difference. But I know, deep down, I am not the same.
On March 13, I set out with 13 others to walk the Camino de Santiago. Most of us were from St. Paul’s. Our group walked 115 km (71.5 miles) on the most popular route, the Camino Francés, a path believed to have been traveled by Saint James as he spread Christianity across Europe. It’s one of many trails in Europe that lead to Santiago de Compostela in Spain.
It’s hard to put into words the feelings one experiences on this pilgrimage, walking a rural trail that has been traversed by so many over centuries. It was awe-inspiring, humbling, and much more. Walking anywhere from 3 to 12 miles a day gives you much time to think, reflect, and simply take in the wonders of the world that many of us rarely stop to soak in. It’s also a unique opportunity to talk with others, listen to their life stories, and reflect on your own. Thousands of people come from around the world to make this pilgrimage, so meeting and conversing with people from other countries can be an everyday enriching experience.
I’m often asked whether I’d do it again. The answer is yes; I’d go back tomorrow. I view life differently. I didn’t find all the answers I was looking for in Spain; as it turned out, that pilgrimage was just the start of my journey.
And here’s my advice: start your own pilgrimage. Here. Now. Get outside. Daily if you can, even if it’s just 10 minutes. Use local trails or the sidewalks in your neighborhood. Then, talk with God while you’re out there. Listen to nature. Look for butterflies, or dragonflies, or hearts in random places—whatever sparks something in your soul. It can be life changing. I promise. I know.
—Julie Kraft
Join the Good: While the pilgrimage is over, the spiritual deepening doesn't have to be! St. Paul's regularly offers opportunities to sow the seeds of faith through book studies, artistic expressions of spirituality, and retreats. Watch the Outlook for upcoming events that speak to you.
| | | | St. Paul’s UMC recognizes that God is the giver of the gift of life itself. Through our tithes and offerings, we demonstrate in a tangible way our love for God and our neighbors. | | | | |
