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Annual creative writing awards ceremony goes virtual

Schools

The 16th annual Creative Writing Contest gives students a chance to shine by expressing themselves in their writing, said Andrea Anderson, SWWC Service Coopertive student enrichment coordinator. The program is designed to encourage the love of language and writing for all students as well as a way to recognize talented young writers. “Southwest Minnesota has many amazing young talented writers,” she said. Students in third through 12th grade entered this contest in one or more of the categories poetry, fiction and non-fiction. There were 256 entries received, from 177 students, ...

Faith Briefs

Faith

May Catholic Daughters meeting is canceled There will be NO meeting of the Catholic Daughters of the Americas on May 11 per the request not to congregate. If any Catholic Daughter wishes to give a donation for the Birthright Baby Shower, send to: Sharon Kinker, 615 Camden Drive, Marshall, MN. There will be voting for officers via email. If unable to email, call: Kathy Eveslage at 532-6313 with your vote. At this time, the meeting on June 8, will take place for Installation of Officers and our Clergy Appreciation. Priest who had controversial blog has been ...

SMSU Briefs for May 8

Schools

SMSU employees celebrate anniversaries A number of Southwest Minnesota State University employees are celebrating anniversaries at the institution. Normally, an employee recognition event is held to honor those celebrating 10-, 15-, 20-, 25-, 30-, 35- and 40-year anniversaries. There are also a number of employees who are retiring. That recognition event has been canceled, however, due to COVID-19. Employees celebrating anniversaries include: 10 years: Mu-wan Huang, Lori Engebretson, Monica Miller, Sonya Vierstraete, Tory Schreurs, Alan Matzner, Pam Gladis, Allison Monson, Kandy ...

Churches adapt services to social distancing

Faith

Ogden Newspapers PARKERSBURG, W.Va. —  The writer of the Book of Hebrews in the New Testament admonishes early Christians against “neglecting to meet together, as is the habit of some,” emphasizing the importance of communal worship. It’s a charge that contemporary Christians are adapting to meet in the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic. Some congregations gather in parking lots, while others livestream worship services and various activities online. “In place of ‘amens,’ people have just impromptu taken to honking their amens,” said the Rev. Kenn Sickle, with First ...

New Ulm church has drive-in service

Faith

New Ulm Journal NEW ULM — New Beginnings Church was empty Sunday, but the parking lot was full. New Beginnings Church was able to restart in-person church services by holding a drive-in service. The faithful remained in their vehicles while the Rev. Lonnie Carpenter led them with a sermon ...

Here's a Thought for April 24

Faith

Living Word Lutheran Church Have no fear… and run to the bunker! More than a decade ago I lived in a place where there was little variation in the weather (it was hot all the time — with no clouds) and everyone wore the exact same outfit every day and ate at the same cafeteria. It wasn’t a school or a penitentiary. It was a deployment to the Middle East. Life seemed to crawl at the speed of a pair of horses pulling a wagon uphill, which is about 4 mph. The simplicity (and speed) of life during a deployment is often complicated by the level of danger multiplied by human and other ...