Soo Line: With faith in 2026, area pastors share their hopes for the new year

by Soo Greiman  

As we welcome another year, I’ve always found it fascinating to hear what others are hoping for in the  months ahead. For the past 11 years, I’ve asked that very question to a group of Hudson-area residents who  never fail to respond thoughtfully and quickly. So again, in the early days of 2026, I reached out to five local  pastors and asked: “Would you be willing to share your hopes and thoughts for the new year with our readers?”  Almost all replied, “Sure! When would you like it?” Their cheerful readiness gets me every time. I’m pleased to  share the reflections from Rev. Dena Gable and Pastors Laurie Riley, Dave Kerkove, Scott Strachan and, newly  arrived, Paul Porter — as they each offer their hopes for the year ahead:  

 Zion Lutheran Church  

Pastor Scott Strachan 

 It’s hard to believe 2026 is already here, but I’m excited to see how God will continue working in the  lives of our congregation and the people in our community.  

 Hudson is a pretty special place — and I’ve seen firsthand how people here look out for each other. I’m  so grateful to be raising my three teenage kids in this town.  

 My hopes for 2026:  

 • For our country: Peace and unity. I believe there are deep wounds, and too often we’ve lost a shared  respect for individual expression. My hope is for respectful discourse and healing.  

 • For our community: That Hudson continues to be a place where people are welcomed and supported.   • For our congregation: That we continue to grow in our involvement — supporting not only our  community but those beyond.  

 In my prayers this year are peace among nations, wisdom for elected leaders, guidance for our  relationships, and for all of us to be led by the Holy Spirit daily.  

 Thank you — and I pray you have a blessed year ahead!  

Community Church of Hudson  

Pastor Paul Porter 

For myself, 2026 marks my first full year pastoring at Community Church of Hudson. My family and I  are starting to settle into life as new members of this community — and we’re so grateful to be here.   This year, I’ve shared a focus with our congregation:  

 “There’s Room at the Table.”  

 There’s room in our lives, our homes, our church — and especially in the kingdom of heaven.   God desires to invite all people to His table.  

 My hopes and prayers for 2026 are that, both individually and collectively, our church will grow a heart  for Hudson and extend that invitation — to God’s salvation in Jesus Christ — to those in need.   Moreover, I pray we boldly accept the challenge to reach out to Hudson with:   • Good news — the hope of Jesus  

 • Good words — filled with grace  

 • Good deeds — meeting real needs in our community  

 We are looking forward to what God has in store for 2026!  

South Waterloo Church of the Brethren  

Pastor Dave Kerkove 

 What hopes and prayers can I share with you that will be memorable throughout 2026? 

 Years ago, someone told me that an announcement needs to be read seven times to be remembered. I’m  not sure if that’s true — but in a smartphone-preoccupied world, our ability to remember (or memorize) doesn’t  seem to be improving.  

 So let me share a hope and prayer many of you likely memorized long before your first smartphone:   “But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and  self-control…”  

— Galatians 5:22–23  

 In my first sermon of the year, I invited worshipers to replace “the Spirit” with their own name:   “The fruit of Dave is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self control…”  

 What if we all started or ended each day with those words?  

 How might it shape our lives — and the lives of those around us?  

 With God’s help, may we bear fruit that lasts and transforms throughout 2026.   In Christ’s love, Dave Kerkove  

St. Timothy Lutheran Church  

The Rev. Dena Gable 

 I think 2025 was a difficult year for a lot of people, and it is hard to look forward to the next year  believing it won’t just be more of the same. The evidence of cruelty and evil around us is overwhelming, along  with the randomness of tragedy and death that touch our lives when we aren’t expecting it. It’s easy to despair,  to turn inward, to isolate. It’s easy to lose sight of what gives life purpose.  

 So, my hope for the coming year is that you do not lose hope.  

 I hope you look for what makes you joyful — and lean a little harder into those things.   I hope you connect with people around you.  

 I hope you laugh.  

 I hope someone tells you a story that makes the future seem bright.  

 I hope you find something worth believing in.  

 I hope you reach out to people you suspect might be struggling.  

 I hope you find a way to make the world a little bit better.  

 Hope is powerful. May it fill our hearts and our community — and lead us through the coming year. 

Hudson United Methodist Church  

Pastor Laurie Riley 

 What are my hopes for 2026?  

 I hope that my church continues to meet the needs of the people in Hudson and beyond — in ways that  allow people to see God in us as we freely share His love.  

 In 2025, we shared that love with youth through a one-day Vacation Bible School and weekly Sunday  School. Our youth group even adopted three Iowa National Guard members with connections to our church and  supported them while they were deployed.  

 I also celebrate that, with God’s help, we participated in several local, state, and global mission projects  — sharing God’s love with people we know and those we may never meet.  

 I find hope in the fact that my church — and many others — continue to find ways to extend God’s love.  My greatest hope is that 2026 becomes a year of change as we share with one another the gift of love that God  so freely gave to us. I also hope others may come to know Him through our lives.  

 What are my concerns?  

 My biggest concern is how the church — and I — can help those feeling lost, disconnected, and  unheard. So many are searching for a place to belong in a world that often seems more reactive than reflective. 

 I hear from people who feel judged for who they are or what they believe. That breaks my heart — and I  believe it breaks God’s too. This year, I feel challenged to make space for every person I encounter — to let  them be seen and heard for who they are. I think that’s what God is calling all of us to do. And I pray that with  His help, we can do that just a little better in 2026.