The Saint Paul Area Synod works in collaboration with ELCA Congregational and Synodical Mission to spread the gospel of Jesus Christ by reaching out to diverse groups to invite and gather them into worshiping communities.
Mission in Action
The Mission in Action campaign is designed to help tell the stories of our new, missional ministries in the Saint Paul Area Synod, all of which are seeking to embody Christ’s presence in new ways and among new communities.
For each ministry described below, there are links to a bulletin insert, newsletter article, and a brief slide show. We hope these resources will be widely used throughout the synod, and that congregations and individuals will be inspired to support these ministries by lifting them up in prayer, sharing financial resources, and contacting the mission developer to learn about other ways to be supportive. Each ministry relies on financial support from Churchwide and synodical grants, as well as support from local congregations and individuals. We are grateful for your generosity, and for the many ways we engage in Mission in Action together.
Full Mission in Action description (PDF)
The Saint Paul Area Synod presently has eight new mission starts under development:
Pueblo de Fe, St. Paul
Pueblo de Fe grew out of Holy Trinity-San Martin Lutheran, which voted in 2006 to sell its building, cease as a congregation, and support the start of a bi-lingual congregation on St. Paul’s West Side. Pueblo de Fe is served by Jacqueline Belzer at 612.703.4752 as ministry coordinator and worships on Sundays at 1:00 p.m. at St. Stephen's, 1575 Charlton St., West St. Paul.
Bulletin insert (PDF)
Bulletin insert (JPEG)
Bulletin insert (TIFF)
Joy Fellowship at Circle Pine for Chinese in Northern St. Paul Suburbs
Joy Fellowship is an outreach group to serve Chinese Christians in the Northern St. Paul Suburbs. They current meet at 6:30 p.m., Saturdays, biweekly at Our Savior's Lutheran Church, 9185 North Lexington Avenue, Circle Pines, MN 55014. The program includes potlucks, singing, adult Bible study, and youth and children education. Joy Fellowship grew out of Minnesota Faith Chinese Lutheran Church, the only Lutheran Chinese Church in Minnesota. Contact the Rev. Shen Lin at 651.324.6898, or at Joy group of www.faithchinesechurch.org.
Bulletin insert (PDF)
Bulletin insert (JPEG)
Bulletin insert (TIFF)
Good Samaritan, St. Paul
Good Samaritan is a new outreach to the Hmong community on St. Paul’s East Side. They meet at Grace Lutheran Church, 1730 Old Hudson Rd., for bible study at 12:00 noon and worship at 1:00 p.m. The Rev. William Siong is seeking to reach out to the second-generation Hmong community to develop a ministry in which people from all Hmong clans are welcome. Contact Pastor Siong at 651.815.7118 or hmoobntseeg@yahoo.com.
Bulletin insert (PDF)
Bulletin insert (JPEG)
Bulletin insert (TIFF)
Humble Walk, St. Paul
Humble Walk is a “worshipping community of seekers,” that “seeks to create faith community in St. Paul’s West 7th neighborhood by meeting people where they are and inviting them into relationship with one another and with God.” Begun in 2008, they meet weekly for worship on Sundays at 4:30 p.m. in the Acme Scenic Arts Gallery at 941 West 7th St., St. Paul. Contact the Rev. Jodi Houge at 651.786.9028, or visit www.humblewalkchurch.org.
Bulletin insert (PDF)
Bulletin insert (JPEG)
Bulletin insert (TIFF)
Spirit of Truth, St. Paul
Spirit of Truth is a justice-centered, relationship-based community that began meeting in 2009 out of St. Matthew’s Lutheran Church, St. Paul. They gather for worship on Sunday mornings at 11:00 am at St. Paul-Reformation Lutheran Church (100 Oxford Street) and regularly schedule actions that give public expression to their conviction that "Love is the center of creation, and justice is the public expression of love. We look to live out this belief through our prayers, in our relationships, and by acting together for justice in our neighborhoods." For more information, contact the Rev. Grant Stevensen at 651.720.5084.
Bulletin insert (PDF)
Bulletin insert (JPEG)
Bulletin insert (TIFF)
House of Mercy, St. Paul
Founded in the spring of 1996, House of Mercy offers “a discriminating blend of high church and low, of tradition and innovation, sincere worship and healthy skepticism.” The congregation has roots in the American Baptist Church, but became affiliated with the ELCA in 2008. They meet for worship on Sundays at Hamline Church, 1514 Englewood Ave., St. Paul at 5:00 p.m. and are led by the Rev. Russell Rathbun, the Rev. Debbie Blue, and Mike Russell. For more information, call the Rev. Russell Rathbun at 651.283.9758 or see www.houseofmercy.org.
Bulletin insert (PDF)
Bulletin insert (JPEG)
Bulletin insert (TIFF)
Shobi’s Table, St. Paul
This ministry was formed in 2011 out of the Wellness Center ministry at First Lutheran Church in St. Paul, seeking to provide radical hospitality for all, centered in Word and Sacrament. This vision is rooted in the story of Shobi (2 Samuel 17), who provided hospitality for David and his troops. Margaret Kelly is the leader of this new community, and they began worshiping in the fall of 2011. For more information, contact Margaret at 612.770.6209 or shobistable@gmail.com.
Bulletin insert (PDF)
Bulletin insert (JPEG)
Bulletin insert (TIFF)
Ministry Explorations
Lydia's Place
Lydia’s Place is a new ELCA ministry exploration in the West University/280 Central Corridor, along the new Green Line light rail scheduled for full operation in 2014. One aspect of this exploration will center on the opportunity for a new word and sacrament community in an area rapidly transforming from warehouse and light industrial to a residential neighborhood with a strong emphasis on arts and the creative industry.
The second aspect will explore the opportunity of a collaborative co-working space grounded in the Lutheran understanding of vocation - a space where entrepreneurs, self-employed and home-based white collar professionals can access the vital business resources they don’t have in a home office, the community they so desperately lack, and room to explore how God has gifted them to bless others with their skills and talents.
This co-working space will in turn provide the financial and material support for the word and sacrament community, hopefully lessening the financial and logistical issues that often hinder new church plants.
For more information, contact Scott Simmons at 612.859.1134 or at scott@lydiaplace.com. "Like" Lydia's Place on facebook at www.facebook.com/lydiaplaceelca
Native American Ministry, St. Paul
This ministry is an ecumenical partnership with Episcopal, United Methodist, and Presbyterian partners, formed in 2012. Guy Sederski, a licensed local lay preacher in the United Methodist Church, has been called to conduct a 12-month ministry exploration, with the goal of presenting a ministry proposal in early 2014 for an ecumenical, inter-tribal Word and Sacrament ministry in the Saint Paul area.
For additional information, contact the Rev. Paul Erickson, assistant to the bishop for evangelical mission, at 651.224.4313.
