Message Community

Greetings Message Community,

It was so good to be with you this Sunday! It was such a meaningful time of worship. If you missed it, then you can catch the video on this page.

We're headed into an important phase of our young community this month. On Sunday, April 16 we're hosting the first Vine Conference. It is a conference designed to help high school students find their way to young adult ministry in the ELCA. To that end, we're hosting Lutheran Outdoor Ministry, Camp Wapo, Gustavus, Augsburg, St. Olaf, ELCA Young Adults, Lutheran Campus Ministry Twin Cities, and more!

The work of Message Community will be to host these providers and the kids. The cherry on top is that we have a concert experience with Rachel Kurtz, Russ Parrish, and the Message Community Band. It will be epic.

How can you help?

You can:

-Set-Up | We need to move furniture around at different phases throughout the day--including the sanctuary chairs.

-Hospitality | Welcoming people, signing them in, and showing them where to go.

-Food | we're going to serve pizza rolls. So, we'll cook 'em, bus 'em, and clean 'em up.

-Assist providers | they'll have games, displays, and resources they will need to move around the building. You can help, like a roadie!

If you would like to help, then please respond to this post indicating your willingness and then we'll talk about how you can help!

-Jason

Greetings Message Community,

I looked at the ten-day forecast this morning, and I think that we may be headed for a long awaited thaw. Fingers crossed!

It is often the case that we're waiting for the next phase of life.

The next phase of a relationship
The next phase of school
The next phase of work

That is a unique adaptation to life that only humans possess. Your dog isn't thinking about the next level in their doggie training class.

The trouble with always looking ahead is that you vacate the moment. This morning, as cold and snowy as it was, had some real beauty.

The sun dog surrounding the sun
The dripping icicles hanging from my eaves
The steam rising from my coffee mug

This moment in our shared life as Message Community has beauty as well. While we may wonder when this thing will take off and grow or become what we hope it will be one day, it is important for us to be present with the ministry as it is right now.

A place for people in a similar life stage
A place with amazing worship
A place where anything can happen

So, don't miss it!

I hope to see you this weekend in worship at 5pm in the chapel.

-Jason

This is a picture of Prince of Peace Lutheran Church way back when it started at the Lucky Twin Drive-in. It reminds me that every community has a journey—including Message Community

Greetings Message Community,

"Who is a young adult?"

I get that question quite regularly when I tell people about Message Community. I think the subtext is, "will there be people like me there?" It's the adult version of the classic student ministry question, "who else is going?" :)

I understand that. I feel the same way. I'm looking for a tribe, and to be honest, some of my heart around MC is to create that space at Prince of Peace to improve my own sense of community.

Here is what I can and can't promise you around that question.

I can promise that out of the people that get the weekly email and follow this page, there is at least a small-group-worth of folks that are in the same stage of life as you. Take that to the bank.

The sneaky thing about Prince of Peace on the weekends and whenever we gather as a big church is that the YA community is so spread out that you can't see that reality.

What I can't promise you is that those people will be here every week or whenever we meet. That makes showing up and having nothing in common with people a very real possibility. As an extroverted introvert, I feel that on a cellular level.

Message Community and every other church rises on the power of people deciding to press through that social pain to find and claim a group as their own. There are very few ministries that take off on quality or personality. It's people wanting community.

So, why am I telling you all of this? To challenge you. The next couple of months include classes, worship nights, and one giant service project where you can come to claim some people. You don't know each other, so it isn't like you can plan these meetings in advance, so it'll take consistency. I hope that you'll use the connection points below to make the stars align.

Believe me, there are plenty of stars.

Best,

-Jason


Workshop: Theology and Politics | Monday, February 13 | 6:30-8:00pm | Prince of Peace

Christian T. Collins Winn is adjunct professor of religion at Augsburg University and teaching minister and theologian in residence at Meetinghouse Church in Minnesota. He previously served as professor of historical and systematic theology at Bethel University. In his book "Jesus, Jubilee, and the Politics of God's Reign," Christian argues that the kingdom of God is Jesus himself. Drawing on a wide breadth of liberation theology, the book's content amplifies the echoes of salvation history in contemporary struggles for social justice.

Worship Night + Apps | Sunday, February 19 | 5-7pm | Chapel

Gather with the Message Community for prayer, music, conversation at a new, earlier time. We'll still have apps afterwards and childcare will be provided. This evening will feature a big band and big sound. Invite a friend!

Workshop: George Floyd Woke Me Up. Now What? | Monday, March 6 | 6:30-8:00pm | Prince of Peace

A grace-based training program that equips leaders with tools and resources to facilitate transformative action in interculturality and anti-racism. In this workshop, Joe Davis and David Scherer provide embodied practices that help us get unstuck from the paralysis of fear and shame to take the next faithful move toward God's beloved community.