Discussions with community leaders, both religious and secular

2006
Spring	Slam Poetry in the Sanctuary	African drumming, Sufi poets and labyrinth walks? Par for the course at Christ Church Cathedral's Art & Soul Café
Summer	Taking God for Coffee	Midrash evenings bring together people from all kinds of life experiences to share their commentary on culture...right there at the Bottleworks, Coffee Cartel and wherever else people gather
Fall	Clear Vision Through Stained Glass	A new kind of church for a newly re-energized city, and a relationship where each needs the other
2005
Jan	Be It Resolved	A new year, a new crop of resolutions, including a few of our aldermanic types weighing in
Mar	Look Out, Old School: Here Comes the New School	Remember the Deaniacs? Locally, they didn't disappear with the scream
May	Disturbing the Comfortable	So close and yet so far: the latest upstart candidate in St. Louis city politics reflects on his fast-and-furious campaign
Sep	What Are Same-Sex Couples Doing in Church?	At one local UCC church, they're worshipping — and welcomed — just like any other couple would be
Dec	Learning the Lessons of Hurricane Katrina	Missouri's policies echo the nation's that led to abandonment for our most vulnerable citizens
2004
Feb	At Home with the Strong, Silent Types	Get prepared to get quiet — silent waiting, at the heart of Quakerism, is a wellspring for questions, answers and renewed faith
May	Best Tool in the Rehabber's Toolbox	Hammers and drills are important in the quest to revitalize the city, but it might all be for nothing if the Historic Tax Credit disappears
Jun	Stakeholders Speak	After months of meetings and some contention, the Advance St. Louis process has come up with its recommendations. Here, the thoughts of four folks who were on the inside.
Nov	Hey, Baby, What's Your Dosha?	Get in touch with your body, mind and soul at the new Ayurveda Temple in town
Dec	Red and Blue Make...Policy Fights?	Statistics, margins and ruminations on a growing schism between urbanized and exurbanized regions of Missouri
2003
Jan	Remembrances of the Campaign	It's not easy being Green, but sometimes it gets you on C-SPAN with the chance to speak your mind
Feb	Representin' for St. Louis	Missouri State Rep. Michael Daus (D-67th District), a 29-year-old legislator, has a bit more than a year on the job behind him...and no longer thinks "lobbyist" is a dirty word
Mar	In Conversation with Barb Geisman	The city's chief development official discusses Downtown's prognosis for 2003
Apr	Got Shabbat?	The city, once home to a thriving Jewish institutional presence before mass suburban exodus, is enjoying a traditional worship revival
May	The Prime of Jim Shrewsbury	A conversation with the aldermanic president, by his own estimation a powerful politician eager for the challenges ahead
Jun	Park Full of Pagans	The annual Pagan Picnic brings out earth-worshippers, Wiccans and some folks who just want to wear fairy wings
Jul	Taking a Stand	Metropolitan Congregations United for St. Louis invites you to hold our elected leaders accountable
Aug	An Education in Justice	The St. Louis Catholic Archdiocese has sidestepped collective bargaining efforts by its teachers, leading some to conclude that eight years of patience is enough
Sep	Rooting for Republicans	Long wandering in the city wilderness, St. Louis Republicans mount a new campaign for respect and political success
Oct	Stand in the Place Where You Live	Pack up and head west, with some other congregations? It might've been the safe bet ... but it wasn't St. John's way.
Nov	Schools in the Balance	School board members and supporters say they're shrill and opportunistic; "The Community" vows that it won't be ignored. No matter what you think of their arguments, things in the SLPS are likely to get a whole lot worse before they get better.
Dec	Race and the St. Louis Public School Board — A Prequel	For those who think the current school politics are the most sensational times ever, a primer on the board's past dalliances with white supremacy
2002
Jan	Democrats, Divided	In the city's 15th Ward, a new Democratic organization plans to change business as usual in local politics
Feb	What if God Was One of Us?	The ministry at Genesis House Coffeehouse is diverse, messy and undeniably beautiful, just like the city it seeks to serve
Mar	Return of the Prodigal Speechwriter	A conversation with Mark Ribbing — Special Assistant to the Mayor for the Slay administration — on politics, the possibilities of cities and coming home
Apr	A Politician with Punch	Twenty-fifth Ward Alderman Dan Kirner's been honored for his work as an amateur boxing judge, with a recent Hall of Fame induction
May	Presidential Aspirations	The two candidates for President of the St. Louis Board of Aldermen explain their reasons for running
Jun	All God's Children Get the Blues	Honoring the music of broken hearts and busted dreams at Union Avenue Christian Church's weekly "Rhythm and Roots" service
Jul	Putting Together the City's Tech Puzzle	Technology czar Chris Dornfeld has been given the unenviable task of making countless city information systems — with ridiculously outdated software — play nice together
Aug	A Tale of Two Communities	Now ministering in the city neighborhoods she used to leave en route to her West County church, this pastor has found new and more urgent calls for help.
Sep	Bittersweet Season	Labor Day always marks the back-to-school, back-to-the-grindstone end to the joys of summer. So we asked our elected officials: what did you do over your summer vacation?
Oct	Man with a Plan	Rollin Stanley, the city's director of Planning and Urban Design, arrived from Toronto with an urban vision he hopes St. Louis developers will buy
Nov	Committed to the Core	So, a pastor, a rabbi and a priest walk into a ballroom at the Chase Park Plaza hotel...but the influence of Metropolitan Congregations United is no joke
Dec	Crunkin' for Christ	Kickin' it at worship with St. Louis' hip-hop generation
2001
Jan	Civics Lesson	Former deputy mayor Mike Jones holds forth about the political culture of St. Louis
Feb	Elephant Stampede	Republican mayoral candidates' visions for our city
Mar	The Sanctuary and the Street	Father Mike Lydon of St. Pius church finds a mission in the modern world
Apr	I2: The Oxygen of High Public Places	Take a deep breath and prepare for the summit of public leadership
May	Hearing Aids on the Frontlines of Democracy	A fly-on-the-wall view of the April election
Jun	Young'un on Board	Michael McMillan is still the youngest member of the St. Louis Board of Aldermen, five years after his election
Jul	Reflections of the Newly Elected	Freshman legislator Jennifer Florida discusses her first few months on the Board of Aldermen
Aug	Ward Wars	A conversation about ward redistricting and political reality with 10th Ward Alderman Craig Schmid
Sep	French Church in a French City	They're parlez-ing Francais at the Harmony Baptist Church, where the Sunday service ends with a side order of fruit
Oct	Islamic in St. Louis: Before and After	A local Muslim woman reflects on life since September 11
Nov	All We Are Saying...	St. Louis' anti-war community takes it to the street in an effort to get local citizens to think differently about actions the State undertakes on their behalf
Dec	How Many is Too Many?	The faith-based group Voices for Survival sees human overpopulation as a threat to God's creatures, great and small

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