By Celine Klosterman
Coordinators of a popular speaker series making a trial run in Lee County hope the program helps young adults grow in faith with their peers.
Catholics in their 20s and 30s are welcome to attend the rural area’s first Theology on Tap event Aug. 5, from 6-8 p.m., in the basement of Pilot Grove Savings Bank. Msgr. Marvin Mottet, a retired priest of the Diocese of Davenport, will present “Healing, Deliverance and Exorcism.”
If the event draws enough interest, local Catholics will plan future Theology on Tap gatherings, according to Katie Burgess and Tom Kruse, two of the coordinators.
A ministry of RENEW International, the program brings young adults together in casual settings such as a bar or restaurant to hear a talk and discuss matters of faith.
“I think there are a lot of people out there like me who are looking for answers to questions about our religion,” said Kruse, 33, a member of St. Boniface Parish in Farmington.
St. Boniface parishioner Burgess, 28, wants Theology on Tap attendees to be able to seek those answers among people at a similar stage of life. “I hope people make more friendships with Catholics in our age group.” Parishes in the Lee County area are relatively spread out, making it more difficult for young adults to meet, she said. “We want to bring everybody together.” Doing so could increase Church involvement and Mass attendance, she said.
She and Kruse heard about Theology on Tap after two coordinators of the Quad-Cities speaker series visited Lee County to discuss bringing the program to the southeast corner of Iowa. Kruse also attended a session in Washington, where Catholics launched the speaker series in late 2010.
Snacks will be provided at the Aug. 5 gathering in Pilot Grove. Attendees may bring a beverage to the free event.
For more information, call Kruse at (319) 371-6749 or Burgess at (319) 470-8803 or visit www.renewtot.org.
