Davenport, Iowa - Leslie Hunter, chaplain and religious studies instructor at Holy Family School in Chicago, is St. Paul Lutheran Church's 2015 Faith & Life Series speaker. Hunter will present twice on Sunday, October 11, at St. Paul, 2136 Brady St., Davenport. The event is free and open to the public. His book will be for sale in the Book Corner.
His presentations will be:
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In the Grip of Grace: Sunday morning learning hour, 10:45 a.m.
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...By Our Love: Community-wide lecture, 7 p.m.
Each fall, the St. Paul congregation hosts the community-wide Faith & Life Series. The church brings persons of national stature to the Quad Cities - sparking new ideas about what it means to live faithfully. Previous presenters have included Greg Boyle, an urban priest and advocate for youth; Joan Chittister, a Catholic visionary and social advocate; and Bill McKibben, an environmentalist.
Leslie Hunter was born and raised in Chicago in an abusive household. The 17th time he moved was when he went to college. But no matter where he lived, he always knew how to find his way to Holy Family Church in the Cabrini-Green housing project area of Chicago.
At that church, Leslie preached his first sermon at the age of 15. "The whole congregation supported me, they applauded me. I was surrounded by people who said 'of course you're going to college. You can do this.'"
As a student at Concordia University Chicago, Leslie began his work at the church. He graduated with a degree in psychology, and served as parish minister and youth pastor at Holy Family. He led a program, Boys in the Hood, for boys and men age 7-young adult.
Leslie's tools of ministry are sermons, raps, short stories, and spoken word poetry. He now spends his days at Holy Family School, leading chapel and teaching kids about the Bible, Christianity, and other world religions. He travels around the country and speaks at various church, convention, and community functions.
He and his wife Elizabeth, who writes for The Lutheran magazine, have two young sons.
