St. Paul Chapel and University Center in Iowa City

Mark and Leslie Gannon,
members at St. Paul's Chapel

The "Sorting Stein" places "Home Away From Home"

chapelite and university student Katie Pearce
with host family Mark and Leslie Gannon.

Home Away From Home
By Leslie Gannon

During my very first meeting with Pastor Mons about joining St. Paul’s Chapel, he asked me the “Why” question. “Why,” as in, “Why St. Paul’s?” He clarified by explaining that the Chapel doesn’t offer the usual trappings for adults that a normal congregation does. There is no LWML, no Altar Guild, no Auxiliary, for example. “At St. Paul’s,” he explained, “it’s all about the students.” My answer to him was that nonetheless we liked St. Paul’s traditional Divine Service, the ambiance of the Chapel, and the sermons we had heard. We joined the congregation shortly thereafter.

But the longer we’ve been members of St. Paul’s the more we have come to realize it is all about the students.

When my husband Mark and I moved to Iowa City, we had four nieces, two nephews, and Mark’s son all in various stages of their Uof I education. Seeing a need, we decided to have a semi-monthly “Family Night” in our home. It was an evening in which the kids could come to our house, have a home-cooked meal, do a load of laundry, and just hang out with family. We had ethnic themes, movie nights, birthday celebrations, game nights, and a whole lot of fun. Once they all graduated and moved on, we really missed those nights with them.

As we got to know St. Paul’s better, met members and students, we realized that the “Family Night” would fit St. Paul’s mission perfectly. We explained it to Pastor Mons and he agreed. After a few months of planning, promotion, and collecting names, we matched nine students with seven of the St. Paul’s permanent member families. It was a great start.

The program is just only off the ground, but we are sure that the participants (and St. Paul’s) will be blessed by these new relationships!