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• What's in store for Delta board?

• 'A clean place for them to come and eat'

• Lodi animal commission responds to allegations

• Galt man arrested on suspicion of threatening, robbing grandmother

• Galt congressman seeks role of minority leader

• Regional Roundup

November 2nd, 2009

• Deputies name suspect in fatal Acampo shooting

November 7th, 2009

• Lodi High graduate was at Fort Hood

• Lining up for flu shots in Lodi

• Tour packs buses as birdwatchers admire Sandhill cranes

• City of Lodi staff looking into possibility of limiting number of taco trucks

• Daytime thieves targeting Lodi homes

• Lodi High School rally featured on 'Good Day Sacramento'

• Out of control

• Homicide suspect Anthony Hubbard arraigned

• Regional Roundup

• New Lodi Memorial rule to combat spread of H1N1: Visitors must be older than 16

November 6th, 2009

• Short sales make up nearly half of Lodi market

• Regional Roundup

• Lodi man accused of smuggling drugs, weapons for inmates at state prison

• 'I-5 Strangler' sentenced to 6 terms of life

• Jury convicts Acampo man of torture, assault of his girlfriend

• Young girl is 200,000th person to assemble AIDS, HIV care kit

• Woman in wheelchair struck by car

November 5th, 2009

• A lower Lodi Lake

• Streetside scarecrows

• San Joaquin County considers moratorium on new Williamson Act contracts

• Speakers address Lodi Unified School District budget shortfalls, plea to keep programs

• Armed robbers still targeting Lodi shops

• Regional Roundup

• California voters have final say over $11 billion water bond

• Weekend bus service to continue until Lodi City Council makes decision

• Paul Tebbel shines spotlight on sandhill cranes

• Your complete guide to Sandhill Crane Festival

• David Diskin is first to give an invocation under new city of Lodi policy

• Man wanted in Acampo homicide gives up to San Joaquin County Sheriff's detectives

November 4th, 2009

• Candle fire

• Rep. Jerry McNerney sets telephone town hall for Thursday

• Regional Roundup

• Lodi City Council weighs raising fares to restore some bus service

• Galt City Council argues over ordinance hiring residents

• San Joaquin County sues state over prison hospital planned for Stockton

• Big win for Allen Baroni in reclamation election

• California sends Democratic loyalist John Garamendi to Congress

• Bicycling father raising awareness of teen suicide

• Jason Behrmann is unanimously named Galt's city manager

November 3rd, 2009

• 500 attend service for Kyle Coumas

• Correction

• Galt considers ordinance that would require city contractors to hire locally

• Regional Roundup

• Have you seen a missing guide dog puppy in Lodi?

• Galt man dies after weekend Highway 12 crash

• Jason Behrmann is top candidate for Galt city manager

• Deputies name suspect in fatal Acampo shooting

• Clarification

November 2nd, 2009

• Downtown Lodi trick or treat

• Public Meetings

• Correction

• Kyle Coumas funeral today

• Regional Roundup

• Sandhill Cranes Festival comes to Lodi next weekend

• Lamborghini lovers gather for show, fine wine, luncheon in Woodbridge

• Lodi's 'Biggest Loser' Christy Richesin runs 5K Halloween race

• 27-year-old man shot to death Saturday night in front of Acampo home

• Group investigates reports of haunting

October 31st, 2009

• Area schools have no plans of closing due to H1N1 virus

• Tokay High evacuation

• Gated communities in Lodi

• Finishing touches on Hill House replica

• Regional Roundup

• In remembrance of Kyle Coumas

• Lodi-area Halloween events

• City of Lodi settles case of mistaken identity

• Lodi a reflection of Halloween's retail emergence

• Izzy Laviola and Seth Siddle-Mitchell crowned Tokay homecoming queen and king

The following stories have received the most reader comments during the last 7 days.

• Bible is entwined with American civic life (135)
• I predict: A conservative tide will rise in 2010 (71)
• David Diskin is first to give an invocation under new city of Lodi policy (70)
• Universal health care solves big problems (59)
• The Treaty of Tripoli hoax (58)
• Here's what my father knew about the assassination of JFK (35)
• Stuck in neutral? Hardly! (32)
• Words from our forefathers (27)
• City of Lodi staff looking into possibility of limiting number of taco trucks (20)
• Majority cannot deprive the minority (20)

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Pastor Profile

Emanuel Lutheran Church has new pastor

Chris Townsend has been named the new pastor of Emanuel Lutheran Church in Lodi. He gave his first Lodi sermon last Sunday.

Townsend, 48, replaces Bill Crabtree, who left Emanuel in May 2007 after 18 years for Silverdale, Wash., west of Seattle.

Townsend comes to Lodi from Victory Lutheran Church in Mesa, Ariz. He also served at another church in Mesa and one in Lake Havasu City, also in Arizona.

About 300 people worship at Emanuel each week.

Townsend and his wife, Sara, celebrated their 25th anniversary in the summer. They have no children. Anyone who wants to communicate with Townsend may send an e-mail to chriselc@clearwire.net.

Townsend responded to a questionnaire via e-mail with News-Sentinel Religion Editor Ross Farrow.

Q: Where did you grow up?

A: A wonderful small town, Clarkston, Mich. Lodi reminds me a great deal of my childhood town.

Q: Describe one of your strongest childhood memories.

A: Swimming across Deer Lake (8 years old) and playing for the Detroit Catholic League Basketball Championship (17 years old).

Q: What prompted you to become a pastor?

A: Receiving multiple blessings and encouragements from God, who called upon me to do something greater with my life. While being an active lay person in the church, my pastor, Bud Roufs, encouraged me to pray about becoming a pastor. That is when God began to really work on my heart.

Q: What is one of your most prized possessions?

A: I have multiple, so this is a hard one to answer. I have the first Bible my wife gave to me, my first rifle that my dad gave me, and three framed sports items. One is a Lance Armstrong limited-edition work regarding his seven Tour de France wins and a LiveStrong wristband (I am a cancer survivor). The second is a framed Detroit Red Wings hockey team pennant signed by Mr. Hockey himself, Gordie Howe. And the third is a Wayne Gretsky (The Great One) signed hockey stick.

Q: What is one of the most difficult decisions you have had to make?

A: In 2006, to go on another mission trip in a remote area of Guatemala. The year before, I was diagnosed with a blood disorder that causes blood clots, and the doctor placed me on blood thinners (comudin). So if I was injured and started to bleed in this remote area, I may not survive.

I prayed about the good I could do in God's name and said yes to the mission trip, but God graced me by sending two doctors on the trip!

Q: When have you questioned your faith?

A: While at Our Lady of Lakes, a Roman Catholic high school, I began to question some of the teaching that the priests were giving and was criticized for asking questions. That brought on doubt, but I overcame that doubt in a short period of time, when I realized that man errs, not God.

Q: For what do you most often ask for forgiveness?

A: I go to God often seeking His forgiveness because I am sinful by nature. The Apostle Paul wrote, and I agree, that I will always fall short of the glory of God. My admission here may be bold, but you asked, the most common sin that creeps into my life is sloth. But God is a God of overwhelming grace. He forgives me of my sins when I confess and repent.

As a disciple of Jesus Christ, I am fully aware of the words from the New Testament Book of Hebrews that shares that God will not remember my sins or iniquities!

Q: If you weren't a pastor, what do you think you would be doing?

A: I would be leading a team somewhere in the workforce. I consider myself to be a servant leader. By that, I mean that I am willing to clean up the garbage or get on the computer and build a Power Point presentation.

I will not ask someone to do something that I am not willing to attempt to do myself. Before becoming a pastor, I was a physical plant director. I started out on a roofing crew before a variety of promotions. Within this facility, we had a team of men and women who maintained more than 800,000 square feet of building space and 190 acres of landscape. I greatly enjoyed leading those teams and seeing people grow personally and professionally to be greater servant leaders.

Q: What is your proudest achievement?

A: There are a number that come to mind: being joyfully married to my wife, Sara, for 25 years and still going strong, sharing God's Word on five of the seven continents during mission trips, winning the battle against cancer that consumed two-and-a-half years of my life, completing two marathons for cancer fundraising and completing three 150-mile bike races to raise money for multiple sclerosis.

Q: What is your favorite scripture passage, and why?

A: Acts 1:8, because it gives followers of Jesus Christ clear direction.

Q: Do you have any other hobbies, sports, diversions?

A: I love to restore cars (last project was a 1966 Mustang), bow hunting, watching hockey, NASCAR and football. I also enjoy walking, hiking and biking.

Q: Aside from the Bible and other religious materials, what are your favorite books?

A: Any book about William Booney (Billy the Kid), American history and leadership. One of my favorite books of all time is "Orbiting the Giant Hairball" by Gordon MacKenzie.

Q: What is your favorite TV show and movie?

A: TV: "The Unit"; movie: "Road House" or "Brave heart."

Q: Which celebrity would you most like to meet? Why?

A: Lance Armstrong — to talk about surviving the same kind of cancer and how to better impact the world.

Q: If you were on a desert island, what three CDs would you take along and why?

A: Would bring my iPod, so no limit! Kirk Franklin — "The Fight of My Life," Bruce Springsteen — "Born in the USA" and anything by the Supertones!

Q: Anything you would like to add?

A: Favorite candy bar: Fastbreak. Favorite fast food: Animal-style fries from In-N-Out.

This story was updated at 2:10 p.m. Saturday, Nov. 15, 2008, to correct the day of Chris Townsend's first sermon.