Marseilles author Kent Terry has spent much of his life balancing adventure with service, climbing mountains, paddling remote waters, taking risks in nature and all while supporting hunger relief work through the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America.

His new book, Adventures in Faith - Faith in Adventures, tells stories of those experiences and how his faith has shaped them.

Proceeds from the book all go to the ELCA World Hunger program. Through speaking engagements and fundraising, Terry said he hopes his stories will inspire readers and help feed hungry children in the community and around the world.

Q: What inspired your book, Adventures in Faith ~ Faith in Adventures?

A: The book is exactly what the title promises. I’ve lived a life full of adventure, mountain climbing, ice climbing, skating, canoeing in the Boundary Waters, kayaking and more. Adventure naturally comes with danger, and that danger shaped my Christian faith in profound ways. Some stories are high-adventure, some are simple moments of observing faith in everyday life, but I hope readers drawn to either adventure or faith won’t be disappointed.

My first spark of writing actually came from the Daily Times newsroom. In my early 30s, with a new child at home and needing a second job, I became a sports stringer working with Dan Eilts. I loved the writing, I loved the sports, and yes - I loved seeing my byline in the Saturday morning paper. From there, I wrote short stories for my church newsletter and kept going.

Q: You’ve been involved with the ELCA World Hunger program for decades. How did that shape this book?

A: I’ve served on the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America World Hunger Subcommittee for the Northern Illinois Synod for 35 years. Around 2000, at a national gathering, we were introduced to Stand with Africa - a campaign responding to famine, war and the AIDS crisis. Sitting there, hearing about so many dying without even knowing why, I kept thinking: What can I do?

That led me to put my stories into a small, loose-leaf booklet. I sold it for $5 at churches and clubs, explaining the crisis in Africa. People responded to the stories, but even more to the mission. I raised $5,000 and was later recognized by the ELCA for that effort.

Q: What pushed you to turn that booklet into a fully published book?

A: It wasn’t so much the recognition as it was two experiences: having my story At Death’s Door appear worldwide in Rotarian magazine, and living through the 2013 flood. The Times printed my flood-recovery stories, which helped keep the recovery effort in the news long after the headlines faded. Those stories helped me raise $35,000.

Q: You’ve given to many causes, but hunger relief seems central to your mission. Why?

A: My wife and I support dozens of causes, but my heart is especially close to ELCA World Hunger. I know the staff personally. I’ve seen the programs firsthand, including in Mexico City, and I’ve attended gatherings across the U.S. and Canada. ELCA World Hunger doesn’t just feed people; it empowers them to feed themselves.

Q: What are your fundraising goals with the book?

A: I reached my goal of $4,000 by Thanksgiving and would love to hit $5,000 by Christmas, although a broken ankle from cross-country skiing last week has slowed my speaking engagements.

One of my favorite moments came just after publication. I had invested about $5,000 to have the book edited and published by a New York publisher, including paid illustrations. I planned to recoup the investment and then donate 75% of the proceeds to ELCA World Hunger. But at breakfast one morning, I put down my coffee, looked at my wife Ann and said, “We’re not waiting. We’re going to start feeding hungry kids now.” It was one of the best decisions I ever made.

Q: What has the response been like?

A: Incredible. I can send dozens of Facebook posts. Sharing these stories has been a joy.

Q: What do you hope readers take away?

A: That Jesus is active in our lives, even in moments of adventure, in ways we may not recognize. Faith helps us see things differently. I hope young people, especially, can be strengthened in their faith. And of course, this book supports my mission to feed hungry children - whether they are in Chicago, our own community or across the world. A hungry child is a hungry child, and God loves them all.

Q: What’s next for you?

A: I plan to keep telling stories and selling books to support hunger relief. I also host a weekly story segment on WRWO public radio and enjoy speaking engagements. My long-term dream is for the book to sell widely enough to provide steady support for ELCA World Hunger, though competition is fierce; 1,000 books are published every day.

As for another book? Probably not, unless a publisher comes to me. I have plenty of stories, but not the big anchor stories that define this book.