Go here to find out about the land you live and work on and the indigenous people who traditionally inhabited it. Get curious and invite others to do the same. Think about bringing this practice of land acknowledgement to groups and gatherings you are part of.

Saint Mark’s, in partnership with the Minnesota Council of Churches Refugee Services, a local affiliate of Episcopal Migration Ministries, is co-sponsoring the resettlement of an Afghan refugee family in the local area. Episcopal Migration Ministries is the refugee resettlement ministry of The Episcopal Church, proudly carrying on a century-old legacy of Episcopal ministries that welcome immigrants and refugees. In that same spirit, we are seeking a team of 6-8 cathedral members to assist with various aspects of resettlement, under the leadership of cathedral member Lindsay Strand. Watch for an opportunity to join us October 28th when Kathryn Berger, Volunteer and Outreach Specialist of Minnesota Council of Churches Refugee Services, will be with us so we can listen and learn more about refugee resettlement and what refuges face, how ‘the system’ works and how we are being invited into partnership in ‘welcoming the stranger’. Registration will be coming soon. All are welcome.  Questions? Please contact Lindsay Strand.

Read an article from Episcopal News Service: ‘Episcopal Church Applauds U.S. Decision to Allow More Refugee Admissions here.

We have exciting news about a new tenant and community partner: Community Aid Network of MN (CANMN). CANMN is a volunteer-led mutual aid organization serving the residents of Minneapolis. CANMN works to build mutual aid bonds with Minneapolis neighbors, organize volunteers and redistribute resources to ensure everyone has the means for dignified survival.

Saint Mark’s Cathedral will be one of CAMMN’s new ‘drive up’ distribution site beginning in late October. For the last month plus CAMMN’s leadership has been seeking a new site since having to move from one of their distribution sites located at the Children’s Theater Company building. CANMN’s operations are funded entirely by individual monetary and food/supply donations. CANMN’s Saint Mark’s location will be open for distribution two half days a week. 

CANMN’s work provides peace of mind, increased food security, overall stability to the families of Minneapolis. Saint Mark’s is providing space as an in-kind donation. Saint Markans will have opportunities to support CANMN through onsite volunteering and more. We look forward to hearing how our members can come alongside CAMMN to help bring more goods and services to more people. This partnership with CANMN adds to and is a complement to the other organizations we support at Saint Mark’s, such as Groveland Food Shelf, The Dignity Center, the Student Resource Center at Minneapolis College, and Emerson Spanish Immersion Learning Center.

Go here to learn:

Contact The Venerable Rena Turnham, Archdeacon and Associate for Community Engagement here.

NEW THIS FALL at Saint Mark’s Cathedral starting Tuesday, October 5th, stop by our Monthly Virtual Community Engagement Connection Space ‘Called to Serve’ on the first Tuesday of the month at 7pm.

Grounded in prayer and through casual conversation, cathedral staff, clergy and members will help you to identify and connect your gifts and your passions with God’s mission of Beloved Community. This is the place to learn about and connect with local charity and relief opportunities as well as advocacy and social justice efforts, whether it be through an organized cathedral effort or with other community organizations, across ECMN, as part of local ecumenical and interfaith efforts, or even in your own neighborhood.

This monthly Zoom gathering space is also open to Abbey Way congregation members. Our first meeting is on October 5th and will be held on the first Tuesday of the month. Register here.

See the application here. Please apply by Sunday, October 17th.

If you have not been able to participate in the BISHOPx Forums, we encourage you to watch both the presentation by Dr. Catherine Meeks and the presentation by Bishop Loya to better familiarize yourself with the theological grounding for our racial justice and healing work.

If you have questions, please contact Rachel Babbitt, your Missioner for Community Engagement: rachel.b@episcopalmn.org

On Monday, October 18, at noon, Bishop Loya and other clergy will lead a multi-faith prayer gathering at 12:00 noon at the Minneapolis Federal Building, 212 Third Ave South, Minneapolis. We expect scores of people of all faiths to gather to pray in solidarity with those standing up for the earth in Washington DC. We are calling on our leaders ahead of the Glasgow world climate summit to make critical commitments to reduce carbon emissions and cut our addiction to fossil fuels. This is a child friendly event and lunch will be offered afterward. Learn more and sign up here.

Sts Luke & James in Minneapolis is hosting Sacred Ground Dialogue Circles this fall. The participants in previous Circles have been dedicated and impressed with all the new learnings. It’s a process of discovering things about American history that we never experienced during our years of attending school. Each week the homework assignments come to about two hours, depending how fast you read. It’s a combination of videos, articles, and/or sections of books that are available online. There are also two core books that we discuss in a peripheral way: Jesus and the Disinherited by Howard Thurman and Waking Up White by Debby Irving. We are doing this work on Zoom so we interact with people from many locations. For those who are interested in doing this important work. Please contact Gretchen Pickeral by email if you feel called to explore these topics. We have a waiting list for the next circle or two!

A Message from Stephanie Spellers can be found here.

Sacred Ground Summary can be found here.

Videos from Presiding Bishop Michael Curry and Sacred Ground Curriculum Developer Katrina Browne can be found here.

Learn more about The Dignity Center and the work of helping people in poverty on their path to stability here. Saint Mark’s supports the Dignity Center though an annual contribution, providing volunteers and running goods donation drives.

Bishop Loya and your team of missioners are excited to introduce the BISHOPx Forum, the offspring of last year's Leading Beyond the Blizzard gatherings and a deeper exploration of our four priorities. This fall, Bishop Loya will invite leaders from around the church for a monthly conversation to share their stories of racial justice & healing and congregational vitality. Clergy and lay leaders, as well as anyone interested with deeper engagement with these topics, are encouraged to attend! The format of these gatherings will keep us grounded in practices of discipleship, with breakout groups that will put you in conversation with folks from all over Minnesota—a great way to build relationships with others on the Way of Jesus.

Vitality: Dr. Sandra Montes, Dean of Chapel at Union Theological Seminary

The information below has been provided by the League of Women Voters Minneapolis, a non-partisan organization dedicated to voter education and promoting civic participation. LWVM empowers voters and defends democracy, teaching citizens to learn to use their voices, vote and connect with legislators. Thanks to Ellen Archibald, LWV Minneapolis member and cathedral member, for sharing these reminders and important information:

Join the Make Homes Happen (MHH) coalition (Align Minneapolis is a member organization) for a series of virtual candidate forums with a focus on affordable housing in Minneapolis! In these moderated virtual forums, you'll learn about candidates' viewpoints and priorities for housing in our city and have plenty of time to ask candidates your questions directly. Find the full schedule of events on the Make Homes Happen Facebook page, here.

MHH is a coalition of organizations advocating for affordable housing development, preservation, and the improvement of tenant rights in Minneapolis through education, advocacy, and public policy reform.

All Align Minneapolis member congregations are invited to join other community organizations in supporting People Serving People (PSP) Family Shelter by participating in a school supply drive, now through October 1st.

Drive Details:

A note from People Serving People about this drive:

These supplies will be used in two ways. First, our youngest guests will be able to access supplies throughout the year to use at school and at home. While many children do receive filled backpacks at the beginning of year, we all know from firsthand experience that supplies break, get lost, or end up not being what they need. We have also noticed that the backpacks tend to be filled with lower quality supplies that both break quickly and immediately make the kids stand out from their peers. That's why you will notice this list has specific, trusted brands. Second, the supplies will be used in our own classrooms so students can have the resources and tools that they need and deserve. By the community providing our classroom supplies, our monetary donations can be used to hire top quality teachers, offer safe spaces, and provide families with comprehensive programming as they move towards stability. Thank you for your generosity and support!

Saint Mark’s is a member congregation of Align Minneapolis, an interfaith collaboration of 17 Minneapolis churches, synagogues, and mosques and people with lived experiences working together to address homelessness and poverty. Align Minneapolis focuses on shifting from an immediate needs approach to long term solutions through a combination of education, advocacy, and action. To learn more about Align MPLS go here. To learn more about our housing advocacy ministry and how you can help, please contact cathedral member John Cuningham.

StreetSong MN is an exciting choir in Minneapolis which aims to unite voices for harmony and community. Comprised of persons ‘experienced’ in homelessness – i.e. persons currently or formerly homeless, and those who care about them, – StreetSong is led by Teri Larson and Bill Mathis, Music Directors of the Basilica of St. Mary, and Hennepin Avenue United Methodist Church. This choral collaborative is an enterprise of Align Minneapolis.

Street Song is starting its seventh year! Street Song is always open to new people, just to try it out or to jump in with both feet. They meet Mondays at Central Lutheran Church at 12:00 - Just show up! Street Song is a ministry of Align Minneapolis. Saint Mark’s cathedral is a member congregation of Align Minneapolis.

Interested in our shelter and housing advocacy ministry with Align MPLS? Contact cathedral member John Cuningham.

Interested in ECMN’s work as part of the Minnesota Sanctuary State Coalition, in partnership with the Minnesota Interfaith Coalition on Immigration? Contact Deacon Rena Turnham. *Lay leader(s) needed!*

Interested in our climate justice ministry with Minnesota Interfaith Power and Light (MNIPL)? Contact cathedral member Joe Ward.

Interested in our gun violence prevention advocacy ministry? Contact Deacon Rena Turnham. *Lay leader(s) needed!*

Looking for a good book for yourself or a group of friends or neighbors? Check out these selected reads. Please consider making your purchase through the Cathedral Book Shop.

The mission of Braver Angels is to bring Americans together to bridge the partisan divide and strengthen our democratic republic for the sake of the common good. Braver Angels is a bipartisan organization. To learn more about Braver Angels, go here.

Connect with Community Resources for Saint Markans and the larger community

Connect with the Episcopal Church in Minnesota

Connect with the Minnesota Council of Churches

Connect with the Episcopal Public Policy Network

Connect with Episcopal Relief and Development

Connect with Episcopal News Service

Connect with Episcopal Migration Ministries