Idaho
New priest leads congregation at St. Luke’s Episcopal Church in Idaho Falls – East Idaho News
IDAHO FALLS – Father Akinpelu James Lawal is settling into his role as the new priest at St. Luke’s Episcopal Church in Idaho Falls.
The 35-year-old Nigerian man began his service on June 1. He replaces Mother Lea Colvill, who left after three years to take on a new call in Colorado.
After living in Idaho Falls for the last three weeks, Lawal tells EastIdahoNews.com “it’s been a beautiful experience” to see how the community has welcomed him.
“I have a family who has allowed me to stay with them until my apartment is ready. That is beautiful,” Lawal says.
Lawal felt some reluctance moving into a community where the majority of people are white. He wasn’t sure how he would be received, but he’s grateful for the warm reception.
“We stick together, we eat at the same table, we live under the same roof and we do things in common, so it’s been beautiful,” says Lawal.
This is his first time serving in this capacity and he’s glad to serve.
Although he has never set foot in Idaho and has no ties here, Lawal says he felt God’s call to come and serve in this area.
“God instructed me to come,” Lawal explains.
Lawal’s background
Lawal has been working as an ordained minister for the last five or six years, but started preaching long before that. Church service has been an integral part of his life.
Lawal stood before congregations as early as age 12.
“We had fellowship in a church that was supportive, that gave us a platform to minister. I started out as a drummer minister (playing drums in a Christian band during worship services). We also mounted a pulpit to teach the word of God,” Lawal recalls.
He was involved in Bible study groups, teaching other people. At one point, he became the youth president of the group.
These experiences shaped his decision to lead a life of ministry.
He had a conversion experience around age 28 that he says was similar to the Apostle Paul’s experience in the New Testament.
“I had a personal encounter with Christ,” he says.
Lawal says his mind was unsettled about whether or not he was a Christian. Despite years of church service, messaging from other ministers caused him to doubt.
“In Nigeria, preachers I listened to growing up (would say), ‘If you never come out and stand before the pulpit, you are not saved.’ That’s the message they were preaching and it affected me,” says Lawal.
Eventually, he came to realize what was true and the message was “very simple.”
“It’s about confessing that you belong to him. If you confess Jesus as your Lord and Savior and you believe in your heart, that’s salvation,” Lawal explains.
Hearing that wasn’t enough for Lawal, and he sought further guidance from God.
“If I am truly yours and I truly belong to this kingdom, I want to see you, God,” Lawal recalls saying in prayer. “He showed up that very night.”
Lawal says he saw Jesus on the cross four times in a dream. He heard God say to him that Jesus had gone to prepare a place for him. That settled his concerns and set him on a path of ministry.
“My call is even deeper than my conversion,” says Lawal. “It was after the order of Peter.”
Just like Peter was told “Put on your shoes … and follow me,” Lawal says he received a similar message.
Several years later, he remembers getting a prompting to look up in the sky. He looked up and saw a plane flying overhead.
“God said, ‘That will be your experience very soon,’” Lawal says. “I had never been on a plane before … but it came to pass.”
While attending seminary in St. Paul, Minnesota, he came across a verse in Isaiah that spoke to him and provided reassurance.
“Strangers will shepherd your flocks; foreigners will work your fields and vineyards,” Verse five of Isaiah 61 says. “And you will be called priests of the Lord, you will be named ministers of our God.”
He graduated from Luther Seminary and did ministerial work for a couple years before moving to Idaho Falls.
Lawal’s mission and message
Despite the challenges of being a minority in a new place with a different culture, he sees it as a great opportunity.
His mission, as he sees it, is to “pronounce and proclaim the name of Christ and the kingdom of God here in Idaho Falls.”
His message to people of all faiths is to “work together as a team” to see “how the light of the gospel can shine forth.”
“Let’s see how the love of God can be felt and seen everywhere. Let’s see how the banner and name of Christ alone will be lifted high,” he says.
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PAYETTE — A Payette mom’s bond was revoked Tuesday after she was charged with suffocating her twin children earlier this month and is believed to pose a danger to the life of her newborn child.
The case, which has drawn national headlines, concerns Andrea Renee Shaw, a 23-year-old Payette mother who in May 2025 said her 18-month-old fraternal twins died the same day, after receiving routine childhood vaccinations. In January, Shaw joined as a plaintiff in a federal lawsuit filed by Children’s Health Defense, an anti-vaccine organization founded by Robert F. Kennedy Jr., with several other plaintiffs claiming vaccine injury or death.
Kennedy, who now serves as secretary of Health and Human Services, is no longer part of the group after taking on the cabinet position, as was reported by the Associated Press.
In Idaho, the twins’ deaths prompted a 14-month investigation by the Payette County Sheriff’s Department. On June 29, the investigation yielded a grand jury indictment of Shaw on two counts of first-degree murder by suffocation. If convicted, Shaw can be punished by up to life in prison or the death penalty, and the court would have the ability to order the penalties be served consecutively, or back to back.
Tuesday’s arraignment at the Payette County Courthouse was primarily attended by Shaw’s relatives and members of the media. Payette County Judge Kiley Stuchlik, who serves Idaho’s Third Judicial District, presided.
A key consideration for Stuchlik on Tuesday was a request from Joseph Filicetti, the legal counsel for Shaw, to have her bond reduced from $2 million to $100,000. Filicetti said this would allow for Shaw to care for a newborn girl, who, according to court documents, was born by caesarean section on June 25, four days prior to Shaw’s grand jury indictment.
State prosecutors objected to the motion for bond reduction, noting at hand was a potential death penalty case and asserting, unlike her husband, Shaw’s story repeatedly changed during questioning. Prosecuting Attorney Mike Duke said releasing Shaw would ultimately put the newborn’s safety at risk.
“That child is the most at risk. We do not think she should be allowed to be anywhere near any children, let alone her own children,” Duke said.
Stuchlik decided to revoke bond entirely, stating Shaw posed a “risk of safety” to the newborn child that was not known to Stuchlik or prosecutors when the $2 million bond was initially set.
Also for consideration Tuesday was a request to have grand jury transcripts of witness testimony provided to prosecutors and defense counsel to prepare their respective cases.
Idaho
Idaho is home to the nation's first DarkSky Reserve. Now it's home to the nations first DarkSky Certified Resort
IDAHO FALLS, Idaho (KIFI) – A controversy is brewing as the City of Idaho Falls reviews its alcohol ordinance.
The goal is to consolidate four existing ordinances for beer, wine and liquor into a single law and ensure compliance with state code.
However, at its meeting last Thursday, the Idaho Falls City Council unanimously voted to remove the proposed ordinance from its agenda, in order to receive and consider additional public comment.
The proposed ordinance would:
1. Require commercial establishments selling, dispensing or permitting consumption of alcohol – including beer, wine or liquor – to have an alcohol license, alcohol catering permit or a charitable event permit.
2. Business events with 20 or less employees consuming alcohol at the business would be allowed.
3. Require alcohol servers to complete training every three years.
4. Individuals who violate the law could be charged with a misdemeanor.
Idaho Falls City Council President Jim Francis said the changes were the culmination of months of collaboration between law enforcement, business owners and city attorneys.
“We wanted to provide a safe environment – the primary point here – for public gatherings,” Francis said. “We recognize that certain antiquated elements of the current code are overly restrictive and needed to be addressed. We wanted to make the code more accessible to the public. We needed to address over-pouring issues. We wanted to reduce penalties where possible for violations, particularly the first offenses, and yet make the code clear enough to be enforceable consistently by law enforcement.”
But City Council Member John Radford said the changes represent an overreach by city government.
“I believe it’s a bad policy. What problem are we solving in the name of trying to solve a non-problem?” Radford said. “We’re becoming big brother around alcohol in your private property. I’m concerned that landlords will be at risk of being charged with a misdemeanor if they knowingly, which I made sure that was in there, because that is what we’ve been talking about, allowed people to drink in our business. We will be outside the norm of Idaho cities. This is a big step, and I don’t think the public has weighed in on this.”
At a City Council Work Session on June 1, Idaho Falls Chief of Police Bryce Johnson cited an increase in alcohol-related crime – particularly downtown – as a reason for the changes.
“DUI is there, but this would include sexual assaults, assaults, batteries, disturbances, urination, public vandalism, shooting – all sorts of crimes,” Johnson said.
But business owners are concerned about the potential impact on commercial enterprises.
“The ordinance doesn’t address the real problem – which is people drinking … at one event and then showing up in a bar or restaurant already hammered and causing problems anyway,” ” said Terri Ireland, representing the Idaho Falls Downtown Merchants Association. “The industry is really well-regulated by state and local laws already.”
The City of Idaho Falls began the process of updating its alcohol ordinance in January 2026, seeking input from community stakeholders.
Multiple community members spoke out about the ordinance.
For more in-depth information, you can read the full 39-page proposed alcohol ordinance here.
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