The Sunday School children will present their Christmas Program on Sunday, December 16th during the 11:00 worship service. Mindy Mennicke will once again lead them in song as they remind us of the love, joy, peace, and hope that Christ brings to us. Rehearsal is Saturday (12/15) is from 1:00-2:30pm in the Parish Hall. Please contact Mindy at [email protected] if you have questions about rehearsals, prep, etc.

Join us for worship on Christmas Eve - December 24:
     2:00pm - ReFuel Christmas, Parish Hall
     4:00pm - Christmas Eve in the Sanctuary
There will be not be a worship service at House of Prayer on Christmas Day. Oak Grove Lutheran Church invites you to join them for Christmas Day worship at 10am ( 7045 Lyndale Ave S, Richfield).

2019 contribution envelopes are in the Narthex for you to pick -up. If you need envelopes assigned to you, please contact Jo at [email protected] or (612) 866-7110.

Please prayerfully consider a year-end gift to House of Prayer. All gifts received by 12/31/18 will be included on the year-end giving statement.  Many thanks! Contact Jo Shoberg at [email protected], with questions.

The LMT met on December 4 to discuss congregation feedback on calling an Associate Pastor. Over 65 families gave input. There was overwhelming support for Minister Kelly and the Associate Pastor position. Concern was raised about HOP's current deficit budget and the extra cost of hiring a full-time Associate Pastor.  The LMT listened and has determined from feedback submitted that additional resources were committed by the congregation to support Minister Kelly as the Associate Pastor at three-quarter time (30 hours/week) rather than the full-time position (40 hours/week) proposed. Minister Kelly is excited about the position and a call committee will be formed to move ahead. Direct any questions to Scott Wright ( [email protected]) or Monica Dorow ( [email protected]).

Menu for Wed, Dec. 19th: Spaghetti with sauce, garden salad, rolls, sherbet for dessert. Come join us at 5:30pm in Fellowship Hall!!

The Sunday School children are presenting their Christmas Program this Sunday at 11:00am worship! Thanks to Mindy and all the volunteers who helped make this year's program a fun and moving success. Next week the youth group will have our annual Christmas Party - make sure to bring a "white elephant" gift to exchange (something free you don't want anymore, can be quirky or funny).

February 1-3 the high schoolers are headed up to camp for a winter retreat! This will be a great chance to enjoy some time out in nature, go sledding or play broomball, build community with the youth group, and dive deeper into our faith. Talk to Ben Whalen for more information and please sign up by January 9.

Hello House of Prayer,
I'm Allyssa Hyde. As a member of the HOP congregation, I wanted to share what I have been doing this year. I am participating in the ELCA's amazing program called YAGM. This year of service invites young adults to become the hands and feet of Jesus. I have been serving at the Lutheran Church in Cambodia since September. My position includes teaching English classes and helping the Church with lessons and other day to day operations. It has been absolutely a life changing experience so far and I can't wait to see what the rest of the year has to offer. I would love any thoughts and prayers. You can follow my journey through my blog at  https://allyssahyde.wixsite.com/website/blog. If you feel called, I would greatly appreciate your financial support as well, you can find this information at  http://support.elca.org/site/TR/Events/General?px=1052891&pg=personal&fr_id=1181. 

With lots of love, Allyssa ( [email protected])

Have you noticed the shiny new trash and recycling cans in the Narthex?  The Creation Care Team selected them to help members and visitors become even more conscientious about ways to protect our environment. Please take to separate items as follows: RECYCLING (glass/plastic bottles/aluminum cans), CUPS/NAPKINS (paper coffee cups/napkins) and everything else in TRASH.

Would you like a visitor from one of our pastoral staff members? While we often hear of needs within the congregation, sometimes we are unaware of the needs within our family of faith. Pastor Ben or Minister Kelly would be happy to visit any of our members or friends who would like a pastoral visit. These visits could be health related but could be for any reason. Contact the church office via telephone 612-866-8471 or Pastor Ben via email [email protected].

In collaboration with Southview Seventh Day Adventist Church (that worships here on Saturdays) and at the request and in cooperation with the Minneapolis Police Chaplaincy we are collecting over the next 2 weeks, disposable hand warmers, bottled water and granola bars to be distributed on December 19th to the people living at the tent city at the intersection of Hiawatha Ave and Franklin Ave in Minneapolis. A collection box for these items will be placed in the Narthex.