By Pastor Mark Woodward Maple Leaf Parish of the UMC Cherry Grove, Fountain, Preston, and Spring Valley: Faith  Churches (and Lenora)  I was sitting in the historic church at Lenora which was built in 1865.  Sunshine was streaming in the windows and the venerable sanctuary  was filled with a cheery warmth.  All around the room reminders of pioneer days spoke to me.  … [Read more...]

By Pastor Mark Woodward Maple Leaf Parish of the UMC Cherry Grove, Fountain, Preston, and Spring Valley: Faith  Churches (and Lenora)  Some time ago, the Preston Historical Society was busy getting ready for the construction  of their new Depot  Museum Building and in the process were doing a lot of cleaning, sorting and moving things around in preparation for the … [Read more...]

By Rev. Timothy Sandeno St. Johns Lutheran Church and School The past couple of decades have brought forth a number of television singing competitions. One such show is The Voice. It is not limited to our country or even just English viewing. It is has spread to more than 70 countries and regions with some 150 global commissions and spinoffs. Music can be powerful. Often … [Read more...]

By Pastor Mark Woodward Maple Leaf Parish of the UMC Cherry Grove, Fountain, Preston, and Spring Valley: Faith  Churches (and Lenora)  I had the privilege and blessing to attend Garrett-Evangelical Seminary on the campus of Northwestern University in Evanston, Illinois on the shore of Lake Michigan.  Those were indeed holy days.  My life was enriched by an inspiring … [Read more...]

By Pastor Kris Hertsgaard Kincaid Christ Lutheran Church Preston  When the earth shakes and the tomb stands empty, God reveals that resurrection is not only something we witness but something we live – here and now – as a community raised with Christ, learning to walk through a fearful world with great joy. Easter begins with a tremor. In Matthew’s telling of the … [Read more...]

By Pastor Jeff Jacobs Unity Lutheran Parish -  St. Paul, Saetersdal and  St. Matthew’s, Granger Decades before cell phones and internet, long before television or radio, the fastest way to send a message was by telegraph.  But it was not always the most precise, as a story from that era illustrates. In the 1890s, a wealthy lady was traveling through Europe when … [Read more...]

By Pastor Paul Hauschild Chatfield Lutheran and  Root Prairie Lutheran Once when Albert Einstein took a train from Princeton University, a conductor boarded to check the passengers’ tickets. When he reached Einstein, he began searching his jacket pockets for his ticket but couldn’t find it. He then looked in his trouser pockets, then in his small carry-on suitcase, … [Read more...]

By Pastor Mark Woodward Maple Leaf Parish of the UMC Cherry Grove, Fountain, Preston, and Spring Valley: Faith  Churches (and Lenora)  We are in the season of Lent.  The Lenten season is often overlooked by secular society, as Lent does not draw the attention and glamour often paid to the Advent season leading up to Christmas.  Lent is a quiet, personal and reflective … [Read more...]

By Rev. Peter Haugen St. Paul Evangelical Lutheran Church   On that first Maundy Thursday, our Lord Jesus proclaimed that a day is coming, the great and awesome day of the Lord, when He Himself will judge all people, separating the sheep from the goats, the Christian from the non-Christian. There is a rich irony in this. The Judge is about to be judged. Nevertheless, He … [Read more...]