After three years serving the Prescott and Lenox communities as joint pastor of two congregations, Rev. Steven Wainwright shifted his focus on Sept. 1 to the Prescott Community Christian Church as well as the Adams County community.

“I’m looking forward to being more involved in this area, as well as preparing for retirement a few years down the road,” said Wainwright. “I’m excited to be able to focus on the Prescott church, especially in the area of youth ministry.”

Born in Clarinda and graduating from Simpson College and the Dubuque Theological Seminary, Wainwright has served as a pastor for over 30 years, chaplain at Iowa Methodist Medical Center, as well as working as an alcohol and drug counselor and correctional officer.

“There’s no such thing as ‘part-time ministry,’” said Wainwright, who looks forward to concentrating his efforts on the Prescott congregation. “I look at this new calling, this new ministry, as a fresh start and am looking forward to the Prescott Community Christian Church becoming stronger both in numbers and spiritually,” said Wainwright. “It will be less stressful compared to juggling the two communities and will allow me to accomplish more, to develop close relationships, to do all the necessary visitation and put in the effort to grow and serve this church and community.”

Many hats

Aware of the many facets of ministry, Wainwright has been literally and figuratively well known over the years for wearing many different hats on the job, whether a fishing hat, camp hat or Johnny Appleseed hat.

Centering his work on Prescott and Adams County will allow Wainwright to build on his Hooked on Fishing, Not on Drugs (HOFNOD) program, as well as to continue developing the church camp he has helped to establish about nine miles northwest of Prescott. Meeting at the Prescott church on Thursdays after school starting on Sept. 15 and running through the school year, HOFNOD is a forum for “teaching skills to cope with the dangers of drugs as well as the joys of God’s outdoor creation,” said Wainwright, who has been offering the program for three years.

The church camp builds on the HOFNOD concept, offering a positive environment “to cope with drug and alcohol issues as well as build a relationship with Christ,” according to Wainwright.

Open to all denominations and serving over 200 individuals in the last two years, the camp offers primitive camping, fishing, canoeing, kayaking and a volleyball court and plans are in motion to build a shelter house. Wainwright offered three camps during the summer of 2011, and has plans for a junior high camp this fall.

New this year for the Prescott Community Christian Church will be a Christian Youth Fellowship on Wednesday nights at 6:30 p.m.

While expanding facets of his ministry, Wainwright also looks forward to developing older interests, offering tours of his family’s apple orchard. Wainwright’s outdoor loving Johnny Appleseed alter-ego shines forth when he discusses the orchard that has been in his family for over hundred years. LaDoga LaBlanche Orchards boasts over a thousand apple trees and provides yet another opportunity for Wainwright to share his love of the outdoors with others. Though a recent hailstorm cut the crop by 20 percent, he plans on offering tours of the facility to school and church groups this fall on Fridays and Saturdays this fall.

Though most of Wainwright’s hat wearing reflect his outdoor interests and fun personality, he may have the need for a hat to provide more coverage. Laying down a challenge to his congregation, Wainwright offered to shave his signature beard if his flock could recruit a strong turnout and fill the pews for the Sept. 11 service. “And if they fill the choir seating as well,” said Wainwright, “I’ll go so far as to shave my head.”

If they meet his challenge, Wainwright will, indeed, be reaching for a hat.

The Prescott Community Christian Church offers Sunday School for all ages at 9 a.m. and worship services at 10 a.m. For more information on HOFNOD, upcoming camps or orchard tours, call (712) 303-7766.

Artist Michael Wilson works on his painting, “Guardians of Liberty and Peace,” during his summer residency at the Corning Center for the Fine Arts. Wilson is donating the painting to the community, along with thousands of dollars in funding raised by the sale of prints of the work, to the American Red Cross during a Sept. 10 ceremony. Submitted photo

The Corning Center for the Fine Arts (CCFA) in Corning is observing the 10th anniversary of 9/11 with special Sept. 10 program honoring the First Responders who put themselves in harm’s way each day.

The title of the painting, created by CCFA artist-in-residence Michael Wilson, which will be presented to the community during the event, is based on a speech delivered by President Franklin Roosevelt on the fiftieth anniversary of the Statue of Liberty, when he stated, “Liberty and peace are living things. In each generation—if they are to be maintained—they must be guarded and vitalized anew.”

“I wanted to create a painting that gives us an opportunity to thank volunteers, specifically First Responders, for the service that they unselfishly provide to our communities,” said Wilson. “First Responders are the backbone of all communities, and in many small communities, they are volunteers.”

It was most important to Wilson, and the project’s intent, that local members of the community who serve as First Responders also serve as the models for the artwork, with Donnie Willett, Corning Fire Chief and Emergency Management Administration director; Alan Johannes, Adams County Sheriff; Megan Shatava, Alegent Health Mercy Hospital Licensed Practical Nurse and Sgt. 1^st Class John Stuart, Iowa Army National Guard agreeing to serve as subjects for the project.

“Michael Wilson was our very first “working artist” at CCFA when we opened our doors in September of 2005,” said CCFA Director Linda Shearer. “He has been a vital part of making the art center board think more globally and to proceed with the Guardians Dedication to honor those who serve.”

The completed three-foot by five-foot painting includes those four First Responders, the Statue of Liberty and the New York City skyline. The painting is on display at the Corning Center for Fine Arts until the September ceremony, after which time, it will be on permanent display at Alegent Mercy Hospital in Corning. The program will include musical performances and emergency vehicles from the Fire Department, the Police Department and the National Guard.

Prints of “Guardians of Liberty and Peace” are being sold to raise money to benefit the American Red Cross. The fundraising effort will continue through Dec. 31.

The public is invited to the special ceremony to honor First Responders and to commemorate the 10th Anniversary of 9/11. The CCFA Second Saturday event begins at 2 p.m. on Saturday, Sept. 10, at CCFA, located at 706 Davis Avenue.

For more information about the project and dedication, visit www.corningfinearts.com.