January 2, 2026
Dear Church,
As we enter into a new calendar year, I wanted to take a moment to reflect on the generosity and care of this congregation over the past year! Oftentimes, we don’t take the time to reflect on the depth of connection held in this place and community. And I also know that as we continue to live out love in the world, it’s important to take strength from that work.
Through our Noisy Offerings, Grace supported EveryMeal (Cedar Park Elementary), ReconcilingWorks, Mental Health Connect, and DARTS. Starting this week, we will once again be donating our Noisy Offering to EveryMeal, recognizing our long-term partnership with Cedar Park Elementary, and our partnership with Diamond Path that started this past fall.
In March, we recognized Minnesota Foodshare Month, and collected donations for the Apple Valley Food Shelf housed at Shepherd of the Valley. Then at our Easter service, we took a special split offering for the Apple Valley Eco-Advocates.
Our building holds multiple community events and groups, including Al-Anon, DARTS Breathing Space, the local Scout troop, a water health forum, and more! We continue to deepen our onsite partnerships with the LINK’s CORE Drop-In Center and the Lake Area Discovery Center.
In the fall, we did a school supply drive, and an impromptu food drive in response to SNAP cuts and reductions. Most recently, our Giving Tree supported 6 local organizations in getting holiday gifts to their communities. And on Christmas Eve, we took a special split offering to support the Lutheran Campus Ministry at the U of M.
And of course, a reflection on generosity would be incomplete without celebrating the launch of the Grace to Flourish Capital Campaign, where we went above and beyond our initial goal, which should allow us to complete the projects as-planned, despite increased labor and material costs across the board.
Church, here’s the beautiful thing about this community – I know that this isn’t an exhaustive list of our practices of generosity! There are things I missed, or things I don’t know about, and when we weave in our own personal practices of generosity – from holding the door for a stranger to bringing a grieving neighbor a meal – we’d fill a lot of pages.
May 2026 be another year of joyfully living out Christ’s love in the world!
In Christ,
Pastor Reed
Every Friday, we send an email to the congregation and any others who would like to learn more about the Grace community. The last four Friday emails are posted below.