iowa

Iowa church a haven for tornado-ravaged community

A dozen tornados slashed through Iowa recently, leaving behind extensive property damage in their wake. Marshalltown, a community of about 25,000 residents, suffered catastrophic damage to its downtown area.

Advocates gather around threats to family farmers and other Iowans

Iowa Citizens for Community Improvement (CCI) hosts its annual convention tomorrow and expects nearly 1,000 people from across the state to share concerns facing family farms. CCI was organized in 1975 when a handful of clergy began working on housing, crime and safety, and other urban concerns. When the 1980s Farm Crisis hit, they expanded the work throughout rural Iowa to support farmers by helping them obtain nearly $37 million in desperately needed credit. The Presbyterian Hunger Program (PHP) supported that work financially for a number of years.

Harbingers of the harvest

As wagons of corn—not to mention truckloads of gravel and dirt—circle the United Church of Crawsfordsville, Iowa, surely the harvest is nearing. Or at least the church’s eagerly-awaited harvest supper and auction is.