Praise & Worship

When we fi nally found the Guardian Angel Roadside Chapel tucked into the woods along South 24th Street in Clear Lake, after we’d asked for directions and still drove by the unmarked landmark, we met Scott Kennedy. He was there with his nephew, an Iowa State University student from the western U.S., cleaning the chapel and grounds for a funeral the next day. It’s diffi cult to envision a funeral inside this miniscule place of only a few short pews. But one was planned and the mess from an invading squirrel needed to be swept and gathered into garbage bags. Although I did not see it, my husband spotted the succumbed squirrel. I was more focused on the chapel interior with its beautiful center stained glass cross crafted by a local artist and side stained glass windows salvaged from Zion Lutheran Church. The cross was designed to attract the attention of travelers along nearby Interstate 35. This truly is a functional church with altar, organ and baptismal font. I was especially delighted to fi nd my favorite Bible verse — the scripture that has guided me through some rough patches in life — inscribed on a dedication plaque inside the entry: We know that in all things God works for good with those who love him. — Romans 8:28. Serendipitous? Perhaps. But more likely divine. It is the divine intervention of God that led Scott and others to construct the Guardian Angel Roadside Chapel in 1991 in honor of Scott’s aunt, Marguerite Williams. She was convinced that God protected her from kidnapping by a band of gypsies while growing up in Clear Lake. And later, while working at a Chicago medical clinic, Marguerite again experienced God’s protection when she encountered a gang of hoodlums. It was hoodlums, or more accurately criminals, who set fi re to the fi rst Guardian Angel Chapel a year after it was built, Scott shared. The blaze was to distract responders from a break-in across town. Undeterred, Scott and others determined to rebuild this chapel, which was rededicated on April 4, 1993. An informational paper I found inside the chapel states its purpose: This chapel was built as a witness to Christ. It is the hope and prayers of the builders that people worshipping here will be closer to Christ and will have their own guardian angel look after them.

Guardian Angel Roadside Chapel

South 24th Street The intricate stained glass cross in the chapel serves as a beacon to interstate travelers. Venture up the wooded drive, through the white gates adorned with angels, to the peaceful chapel built with a combination of salvaged materials from a local church and the talents of local artisans. Travelers feel rejuvenated after spending time at this peaceful sanctuary.

Lakeside Church

5419 240th St. | (641) 357-4019 | www.oakwoodrvpark.net In 1884 the Ladies Aid Society of Lakeside Church organized to build a proper place of worship to replace the services held at the rural schoolhouse. Six years later, a live Christmas tree was trimmed with strings of popcorn and cranberries and lighted candles, just in time for the rst church service to be held. Fully restored with turn of the century furnishings, the church takes you back to a simpler time.

WORSHIP IN THE PARK

Memorial Day weekend – Labor Day weekend Sundays 9:30 a.m. City Park

Audrey Kletscher Helbling blogs from Faribault, Minnesota, some 50 miles north of the Iowa border. Her writing and photography showcase a deep appreciation for the people, places and events of rural and small town Midwest America. That passion traces to her roots on a southwestern Minnesota dairy and crop farm, thus her aptly-named blog, Minnesota Prairie Roots.

CHURCHES

Agape Christian Family Church

2810 Highway 18 W. | (641) 357-8014 www.agapepage.com

Celebration Community Church 805 10th Ave. N. | (641) 357-0026

Clear Lake Christian Church

302 Highway 18 W. | (641) 357-4885 www.myclcc.net

Clear Lake Church of Christ

2010 14th Ave. N. | www.clearlakecc.com Sunday School - 9:30 a.m. Sunday Worship Service - 10:30 a.m.

Clear Lake Evangelical Free Church

1310 Highway 18 W. | (641) 357-7581 www.clearlakefree.org Sunday Worship Service - 9:30 a.m Sunday Classes - 11 a.m.

Clear Lake Regular Baptist Church

314 N. Sixth St. | (641) 357-5851 www.irbc.org

First Congregational Church

205 W. 10th Ave. N. | (641) 357-2818 www.congregationalcl.com Sunday School - 9 a.m. Sunday Worship Service - 10:10 a.m.

Galilean Lutheran Church Galilean Lutheran Church

4454 255th St. | (641) 357-2296 4454 255th St. | (641) 357-2296 www.luther95.org/GLC-CLIA

Harvest Bible Chapel

2200 N. 24th St. | (641) 357-7500 www.harvestclearlake.org

Redeemer Lutheran Church

301 S. Main Street, Ventura (641) 829-3650

ST. PATRICK’S CHURCH

St. Patrick’s Catholic Church

1001 9th Ave. S. | (641) 357-3214 (Rectory) www.stpatrick.weconnect.com Saturday Mass - 4 p.m. Sunday Mass - 9:30 a.m.

United Methodist Church

508 Second Ave. N. | (641) 357-5247 www.clearlakeumc.org Sunday Worship Services - 8:30 a.m., 11 a.m. Wednesday Worship Service 5:10 p.m.

Zion Lutheran Church

112 N. Fourth St. | (641) 357-5261 www.zionclearlake.org Saturday Worship Services 4 p.m., 5:30 p.m. Sunday Worship Services 8:30 a.m., 10 a.m.