Area s churches plot post-pandemic course
Susan DeVilder
The Star Courier
On a Saturday in March, members of the Church of Peace set out with a lofty goal. Armed with door hangers, about 20 volunteers spread out from Kewanee to Neponset and the rural area in between carrying the message: Churches are open and your church family is missing you.
“Our goal was to get a door hanger on every residence,” said Andrew Christman, who does double duty as pastor for both the Church of Peace and the State Road Community Church.
Since the start of the pandemic, churches have shuttered their doors, offering congregants an opportunity to worship through online virtual services or through pre-recorded messages. But the COVID-19 vaccine has offered up hope for a chance to fill the pews again.
Kewanee s United Methodist caught in middle of national theological debate
Susan DeVilder
The Star Courier
Last month, conservative leaders within the United Methodist Church announced plans to form a new denomination, the Global Methodist Church, with a doctrine that would not recognize same sex-marriage. The split will require churches across the country to pick a side, and in Kewanee, the pastor of the First United Methodist Church, said he has no idea which side that will be.
“Which way do I think it will go? I don’t have a clue,” said Kevin Drane, who has been the pastor of the Kewanee church for three years.