This month's story, "Up I Will Grow", was written and illustrated by Eric Childers. The story is read by Mayor Rudy Wright of Hickory, North Carolina. Hickory-native Eric Childers was educated at Lenoir-Rhyne University, Wake Forest University, and the Lutheran Theological Seminary at Philadelphia. He completed his Ph.D. at the University of Virginia. In January 2012, he will begin service as pastor of St. John’s Lutheran Church in Cherryville, North Carolina. Eric and his wife, Kristi, have two children, Jack and Katie. Rudy Wright is Mayor of the City of Hickory, in Western North Carolina. Learn more about the City of Hickory at www.hickorync.gov.