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• Lodi man takes taxidermy from hobby to profession

• Norm Mowery finding life in Carmel different, but rewarding

• Bethel Open Bible skips church, helps to clean up Lodi instead

• Public Meetings

February 8th, 2010

• Public Meetings

• Locals pick best, most memorable Super Bowl commercials

• Regional Roundup

February 6th, 2010

• The Home Depot hopes to join Costco at Reynolds Ranch

• Meet Larry, Curly and Moe

• Baboon business

• Regional Roundup

• Several Lodi venues let you watch the Super Bowl in style

• Lodi Library celebrates 100 years of serving the community

• Culinary craft

February 5th, 2010

• Kids, teachers help Haiti by collecting pennies for Learning Link

• Lodi, Galt students reach out to help Haiti earthquake survivors

• Tasered suspect claims he is Yosemite Sam

• Hours of sweat and work go into putting on crab feeds

• Things looking up for state's real estate

• Correction

• Regional Roundup

• Stray bullet strikes Lodi home; police suspect gang activity may be factor

February 4th, 2010

• Managers at Geweke Toyota answer questions about recall

• Lodi City Council votes to replace play structure at Century Park

• Lodi extends ban on pot shops for another year

• Mokelumne River triathlon set for June

• Family, friends to run half-marathon in memory of Galt family

February 3rd, 2010

• Correction

• Regional Roundup

• Delta College trustees again collide over stipend committee

• Lodi-area senators Dave Cox, Lois Wolk admit to gifts; Tom Berryhill case pending

• Lodi Unified School District president issues warning to speakers over cuts

• Galt City Council avoids budget cuts — for now

• New Lodi Memorial Hospital emergency room opens to the public without a hitch

• Bad bugs, weeds are hot topics at Grape Day

February 2nd, 2010

• Big rig plows 7 cars

• Local business leaders say tourism, Costco, Home Depot may play roles in city's future

• Former Lodian Erica Davis is first paraplegic woman to summit Kilimanjaro

• Jumpers across California

• Correction

• Regional Roundup

• No snow leopards, otters for Micke Grove

• McNerney leads in campaign cash

• Police: Train victim was a Lodi teen

February 1st, 2010

• Find cuddly alpacas not too far from Lodi

• Public Meetings

• Patients can expect faster, better service when Lodi Memorial Hospital's new emergency room opens

• Man killed by Amtrak train in Lodi

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

• Will terrorists be given Miranda warnings? (75)
• President Obama's first year (67)
• Lodi Unified School District president issues warning to speakers over cuts (64)
• Local business leaders say tourism, Costco, Home Depot may play roles in city's future (60)
• Islamic symbol in mosaic — what is all the fuss? (49)
• Many reject the politics of 'no' (45)
• Writer comments on Neely column (42)
• The Home Depot hopes to join Costco at Reynolds Ranch (41)
• Police: Train victim was a Lodi teen (31)
• Time to shed the convenient sham of 'Don't ask, don't tell' policy (31)

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Norm Mowery finding life in Carmel different, but rewarding

Norm Mowery was one of Lodi's best-known pastors and school district trustees during his 12 years in Lodi.

Mower, 61, was pastor of Lodi's First United Methodist Church, served on the Lodi Unified School District board for eight years, and was one of the founders of the Breakthrough Project, a group formed in the aftermath of a cross burning in early 1998 at Tokay High School.

Since 2003, Mowery has lived in Carmel, where he is pastor of Church of the Wayfarer, a half-block from Ocean Avenue, Carmel's main street.

Mowery began his career as minister of involvement, where he started a singles ministry at a Methodist church in Burlingame. He was a senior pastor in Berkeley, Marysville and Clovis before coming to Lodi in 1991.

In Lodi, Mowery was active in the ministerial association and helped bring together the Christian, Muslim and Jewish religions in Lodi by helping draft a Declaration of Peace, a document that denounces violence and encourages people to celebrate their differences.

The declaration, signed in 2002, was drafted in the aftermath of the 9/11 terrorist attacks. The effort culminated in a "Celebration of Abraham," a gathering of the three faiths who share a common bond through the patriarch, Abraham, and his sons, Isaac and Ishmael.

The Breakthrough Project, formed in 1998, promotes racial and ethnic unity and reaches out to victims of hate crimes.

Mowery and his wife, Linda, have two grown children who grew up in Lodi. His son ,Nathan, is married and lives in Cloverdale, and his daughter, Lori, lives in the San Diego area. They have two granddaughters.

Mowery responded to a questionnaire by News-Sentinel staff writer Ross Farrow. Q: How have you enjoyed your time in Carmel? Was it the right decision?

A: I have enjoyed my life in Carmel, but then, I enjoyed life in Lodi, Berkeley, Burlingame and wherever I have lived. Carmel is not better — just different. It is different from any other place I have lived and has many interesting people whom I come in contact with from all over the world.

It was the right decision to take the opportunity to serve the Church of the Wayfarer, even though it was a difficult one. I raised my children in Lodi and was a part of the fabric of the community. In coming here, my life changed dramatically, but in life, I have learned to grow with the changes.

It is different living in a community without house numbers and having few street lights or sidewalks.

Q: How is Church of the Wayfarer similar to or different from First United Methodist Church of Lodi?

A: The Church of the Wayfarer is somewhat of a "niche" church. There is no other church like it. Our name really fits our people. Sixty percent of the homes in Carmel-by-the-Sea are empty at any given time, and even the people who live here permanently travel the world. Only 10 percent of the homes have anyone under 18 living in them. This makes for some interesting opportunities and challenges for the church.

My church is across the street from the Cypress Inn, which is a dog-friendly hotel partly owned by Doris Day. I have a Blessing of the Animals every year with up to 50 dogs in worship.

Q: Do the different demographics in Carmel cause you to approach your congregation any differently than you did in Lodi?

A: I approach the congregation here and ministry the same as I did in Lodi. I have the same passion and enthusiasm for the church to be relevant in the real world and to bring people together. I am thrilled when I see the faith community working hand in hand with business leaders, politicians and service clubs.

Q: How big is your congregation?

A: The average attendance in worship is smaller here than the church in Lodi, but the ministry is much more diverse and challenging.

Q: Are you involved in school board or other activities in Carmel like you were in Lodi?

A: I am on the institutional review board of the Community Hospital of the Monterey Peninsula, served on the Red Cross board of directors, and am in numerous community organizations.

Q: How often do you go to the beach?

A: One of the best things that I did was to start a walking group. Shortly after I came here, I announced to the congregation that I found a bench down at the ocean where I go to meditate. After the service, one of our people said, "Norm, it is time to get off your bench and walk."

So we started a walking group along the ocean three days a week at 7 a.m. I look forward to those walks and really enjoy the beauty of nature.

Q: What are your recollections of Lodi, including your church, school board and Breakthrough Project involvement?

A: I only have fond memories of my ministry in Lodi. The highlight for me was the Sunday that a Catholic priest, Jewish rabbi, Muslim imam and I participated together in the Celebration of Abraham.

I feel good that the church connected with the community in a special way. I will always be grateful that the congregation supported my work beyond the local church and that many people in the church became involved in programs like the Breakthrough Project.

Q: Have you kept in touch with people in Lodi? Do you still get visitors who spend the weekend on the Monterey Peninsula and attend a service at Church of the Wayfarer?

A: Yes, we still get many visitors from Lodi. In fact, I had a wedding this month in my church here for a couple who used to live in Lodi. Many of the guests are from the Lodi community.

Q: Have you heard about the controversy surrounding invocations at Lodi City Council meetings? Do you think there should or shouldn't be invocations, especially with prayers "in Jesus' name"?

A: I saw the issue of the invocations at City Council on the national news. It is unfortunate that we have to fight about this. My feeling is that Jesus offers some good advice for all of us in Matthew 6:6: "When you pray, go into your room, close the door and pray to your Father, who is unseen."

I still believe in the separation of church and state. However, no one can stop a council member from bowing his or her head for a moment before the meetings if they choose to do so.

I think that the City Council should have some agreed-upon basic principles for governance, like honesty, kindness, civility, generosity and open communication. They should reaffirm them at the beginning of each meeting.

These are not unlike the life skills that we have in our schools, and not unlike the teachings of many faith groups.

Q: You said you might return to Lodi when you retire. Why? What makes Lodi special to you?

A: I love Lodi and will probably retire to our house there. I am now 61, but don't plan to retire for several more years. It's the people who draw me back. Linda and I have lifelong friends in Lodi. The best people in the world are there.

Linda still teaches kindergarten for Lodi Unified School District and lives in Lodi, so we have had a commuter marriage. This has not been easy. Linda either comes to Carmel on weekends, or I come to Lodi on Sunday evenings and take Monday off.

Q: What are your hobbies?

A: I enjoy the big events like the AT&T Golf Tournament and Concours on the Avenue. I am looking forward to the U.S. Open in 2010. I love driving the Big Sur coast, hiking and golfing. I enjoy meeting poets, authors, artists, car buffs, golfers and world-famous persons. Clint Eastwood attended worship once.

Q: Is there anything else you would like to add?

A: My greatest joy in life is to see people from different cultures, professions and life experiences working on a common cause to make this world a better place.

Contact reporter Ross Farrow at rossf@lodinews.com.

Editor's note: This is the latest in an occasional series on people who were once in the public spotlight in Lodi.