New minister at Church of Christ in Cape

Robert and Marla Housby have joined the ministerial staff at Church of Christ in Cape Girardeau.

The Housbys moved to Cape Girardeau from Burlington, Iowa. Robert Housby has been serving Church of Christ congregations since 1980. He studied at Abilene Christian University in Abilene, Texas. Marla Housby has worked in public education.

The couple have one son who will be attending Harding University.

Church to host homecoming picnic

St. Joseph parish in Apple Creek, Mo., will hold its annual homecoming and picnic Aug. 31. Food will be served from 2:30 to 7:30 p.m. Mass will be celebrated at 4 p.m. Bingo, games, a country store and music all will be available.

Former Salvation Army head in Cape retires

Maj. Elmer Trapp, and his wife, Sandra, have retired from the Salvation Army and now live in Cape Girardeau.

The Trapps served in the area for seven years before heading to Jefferson City in 1995.

"We always said we'd come back to Cape," Trapp said. The people here have good values and care for one another, he said. "That makes a difference."

The Trapps will continue to be active in the religious community even after their retirement. Elmer Trapp hopes to lead some evangelism campaigns and preach in area churches.

His work with the Salvation Army changed drastically over the years, particularly in areas of government assistance. "The only thing that's constant about the Army is that it changes," he said.

Trapp served 25 years in the Salvation Army; his wife served for 33 years.

During their career, they helped build new facilities for the communities where they served. The Salvation Army Center at 701 Good Hope in Cape Girardeau was built during the Trapps' tenure here. A building in Jefferson City also was their first project when arriving there.

The couple is on vacation until the retirements take effect in October.

Community service planned for Sept. 11

The Cape Girardeau and Jackson Ministerial Alliances will jointly host a community observance on Sept. 11.

The public event will begin at 6:15 p.m. at the grandstand area on the SEMO District fairgrounds. Speakers will be mayors Paul Sander of Jackson, Jay Knudtson of Cape Girardeau and Cape Girardeau County commissioner Gerald Jones.

Several area churches also are hosting events that day to mark the one-year anniversary of the terrorist attacks.

-- From staff reports