I'm interested in hearing firsthand accounts of life at Shiloh, a religious community near Kalona, Iowa, with ties to the Church of the Living Word. The community was cultlike in the '70s and early '80s but turned rather mainstream after litigation between a minister named John Robert Stevens and his father, W.J. Stevens, divided up its assets.

I'm a staff writer in the Iowa City office of The Gazette, a daily newspaper headquartered in Cedar Rapids. My work e-mail address, which this site's software apparently filters out because it contains an apostrophe, is jim.o'neal@gazettecommunications.com

I'm most interested in on-the-record recollections but am open to tips and background information that will help in my research. If you know of others who might like to recall those days, please refer them to me.

Thanks

-- Jim, aka Iowa scribbler

x :D

Thanks for the links and background info. I'm acquiring a sense of John Robert Stevens' belief system. What I really need now are personal recollections of life at Shiloh. I welcome calls and e-mails.

Jim