Volume 25, Issue 4 From the Publisher...
WisconsinChristianNews.com
Page 3
We Can’t Do It Without You
By Rob Pue August 2024
even did Grandma and Grandpa with their grandchil- dren; and great- grandchildren. And these were all for- mal portraits, com- plete with studio lighting and back- grounds, which I brought with me to give them the very best quality possi- ble. The portraits I made were cher- ished, and in most cases the last for- mal portraits peo- ple had of their elderly loved ones. After the work was done, everyone who
portraits of any stu- dio for miles around. Word got out and I had cou- ples coming to me to do their wed- dings from all over, including neighbor- ing states, so again, I was doing a lot of traveling. On those travels, I would often stop at the local Chris- tian bookstore. This was back when just about every town in the country had a Christian book-
my blood, though I didn’t know much about the business side of things. Still, as I traveled doing photography, and picking up copies of various Christian newspapers, I thought, “this is a great idea, but it could be done so much better.” And then God began speaking to my heart. “YOU should start a Christian newspaper for Wisconsin, Rob,” He said. “Oh, no, no... I think it’s a great idea, but You have the wrong guy, God... someone else should do this,” was my reply. I fought God on this idea for two years, with the Holy Spirit occasion- ally nudging me to start a Christian newspaper. “I have no time for some- thing like that! I have no experience in that, and besides, things are so busy with the studio, I couldn’t possi- bly do both,” I said. And God’s re- sponse was, “I don’t expect you to do both. Sell your studio and start a Christian newspaper.” “Great idea, wrong guy, God,” I said. Well, long story short — you can run but you can’t hide from God. His prodding became impossible to ignore. “When are you going to start that Christian newspaper, Rob?” And this was at a time when I was at the height of my creativity in the studio. I was making an excellent salary, and the business was prospering greatly. I had no reason to be unhappy. Yet every day I’d get up and go to work and I’d dread going there more each day, for no apparent reason.
Wisconsin Christian News is now in it’s 25th year of publication. Prior to starting the newspaper, I owned and operated a photography studio in my hometown, which I started from scratch. We built up a great business there, with over 300 regular clients. I did wedding photography, baby and child photography, family portraits, high school senior portraits, and the circle then continued as the babies I once did portraits of called on me to do their wedding photography, and then their children’s portraits. I greatly enjoyed the creativity and working with people. We also special- ized in formal portraits of senior citi- zens, and often times I took the studio to them, in nursing homes. I also did a lot of traveling for my work, as we set up a special program, which I coordinated with nursing home Activity Directors. Because it was often nearly impossible for nurs- ing home residents to go out to a stu- dio to have a nice portrait made, we went to them. And every time I went to a nursing home it was a special day. First, the residents would have their hair and makeup done by either the facility’s beautician, or we would call one in. The nursing staff would make sure the residents were all dressed in their finest. Sometimes we’d have husbands and wives pho- tographed together, and often times, the family would participate too, so we were able to do the individuals, couples and family portraits. We
store. And as I traveled to these other states, I found Christian newspapers at these stores. I’d always pick one up. As a side note, I’ve always been very interested in our family history, and in my studies, I learned that our fam- ily had the first newspaper ever pub- lished in Ireland, starting back in the 1600s. I also learned that in every generation of our family, there had been at least one person in the news- paper publishing industry and at least one person working in Christian ministry. I had also worked at a small county newspaper prior to opening my photography studio. And it seems now, I’m the last one left, combining both vocations — newspa- pers and ministry — into one. So apparently newspapering was in
was photographed would receive a free portrait, with no obligation to purchase anything. But many people ordered multiple copies to share with family and loved ones. As I said, these portraits were cherished, as they’d really have no other way to have such nice images of their par- ents, grandparents and great-grand- parents. At least one week a month, I would be traveling. I eventually ended up taking my mobile studio to nursing homes in nine states. The rest of the month, my schedule was full back at the main studio, and on weekends it was rare when I wasn’t doing a wed- ding. We developed a style and a sys- tem to create the best wedding
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