Say Yes to Serving This Summer. Be Surprised by Joy.

Story from Beth McGrew-King:

I helped with the community meal for the first time recently. And what a gift to work alongside the team! 

What struck me as I worked with the volunteers was their deep care for the community and the way they’ve gotten to know the people they serve over the years. They learn names of regulars, know their food preferences, and listen to their stories – all over the simple and quick exchange of asking how many meals are needed, whether someone would like bread or prefers the sweet pastries (if we have them that week).  

There was great joy in serving together – in greeting people as they arrived, in sharing bread (and this particular week – lots of delicious pastries!), in making accommodations as we were able for dietary restrictions, in partnering together in the kitchen to assemble meals.  

Also, while I thought I’d prefer being in the kitchen assembling meals, I loved being outside talking with cars and running food and getting to know folks as they drove up. I found myself surprised by joy and gratitude as I felt connected to community in new and lifegiving ways. All from choosing to set aside the hour and half to care for others, being present and open to what might happen.  

Was it hot? Yes, it was. Was it worth being warm? Also, hands down, yes! 

And so, I’m inviting you to check out volunteering with the Community Meal this summer!  

There are many open volunteer shifts in July and August while most of our regular youth volunteers are on summer break. Volunteering with the meal is a tangible and simple way to care for community – whether you’d prefer to be assembling to-go meals in the kitchen, talking to drive-up folks outside, bringing meals out to cars, or prepping food in the afternoons.  

There’s opportunity for everyone to participate – no experience required, and families or small groups are welcome to sign up together!  

Beth McGrew-King, Director of Faith Formation

Be part of building community in Plymouth this summer by supporting the Community Meal. Sign up here today:  https://tinyurl.com/bde2emsn.

A Glimpse of God's Beloved Community

A Glimpse of God's Beloved Community 

On Pride Sunday, Mount Olivet gathered as one community for worship, music, Holy Communion, and brunch around the table. It was a morning marked by joy, welcome, reflection, and deep gratitude.

This year's Pride worship invited us to reflect on the theme "Reframing Our Resistance: Lament, Foundation, Joy, and Courage." Together, we acknowledged the pain and exclusion that many LGBTQIA+ people continue to experience while also celebrating the enduring promise of God's love and the call of the church to be a place of belonging, dignity, and hope.

Through Scripture, prayer, and beautiful music composed by LGBTQIA+ songwriters, we were reminded of the God who sees and accompanies those who feel marginalized or forgotten. We reflected on Jesus' persistent commitment to mercy, healing, and human flourishing. Again and again, worship pointed us toward the truth that every person is created in God's image and held in God's love.

The spirit of worship continued after the final hymn as people gathered for brunch, conversation, and connection in the Community Room. New connections were made, stories were shared, and laughter filled the room. These moments around the table are a reminder that church is not only a place where we worship together, but a community where we learn to see one another more fully as beloved children of God.

We caught a glimpse of God's beloved community on Pride Sunday, and it was beautiful!

We invite you to enjoy the photos below. We will continue to celebrate God's love, God's welcome, and God's call to build communities where everyone is welcomed, loved, and valued.

Thank you for your support of MO Youth!

Thank you, Mount Olivet community, for your generosity and support of Mount Olivet Youth! Your support of the March pancake breakfast, the May plant sale, and YouthStock, helped students and adult leaders raise over $11,000 to support the Service Learning trip to Denver, Colorado this summer (July 11-18).  

As a first this year, ALL 100 envelopes for YouthStock were claimed, and students were able to exceed their fundraising goal! Thank you for your joyful commitment to support young people in a tangible way! 

When the Faith Formation Co-Op Team listened to MO youth and adults talk about significant influences on their faith, youth trips were named repeatedly by both youth and adults. This sacred time away from the routines of daily life and in community with their peers and trusted adults has a lifelong impact. Students visit new places, learn as they serve alongside community organizations, and deepen relationships with God and each other.  

Transportation costs have drastically increased over the past five years, and your generosity makes these impactful trips affordable for students, adult leaders and their families.  

Thank you, Mount Olivet community, for investing in the faith of our young people! Please keep students and their leaders in your prayers as they prepare for the Service Learning Trip, as they travel, and as they learn and grow together.  

Come and pray for them as we commission their trip during Dinner Church on Wednesday, July 8. And welcome students and leaders back from Colorado and hear their stories on Sunday, July 26 for a Gathered as One Sunday (10am) followed by brunch.  

 Photos

Accessibility, Welcome, and Worship in the Grove

The vision for this deck began in 2025 when Mount Olivet's Church Council identified a need to make outdoor worship in the Grove more accessible and welcoming. What started as an idea soon became an opportunity when Beth McGrew-King connected with Ron Frehner to explore whether Eagle Scout candidate, Sam Wood, might be able to work on a project at the church.

The timing was perfect. Sam was looking for an Eagle Scout project, and together they envisioned a space that would help more people fully participate in outdoor worship. The location was carefully chosen to provide easy access from the parking lot while also taking advantage of the beautiful shade provided by trees planted by Greg Funfar five years ago.

This project quickly became a true community effort. Sam, his family, and several Mount Olivet volunteers gave many hours of planning, construction, and labor to bring the vision to life. We are especially grateful to Sam and his parents, Kari and Scott, and to Sam's buddy, Jacob Engelbert, for their dedication and leadership throughout the project. You can hear directly from Sam in a short video, found below.

Many Mount Olivet members also shared their time and expertise, including Ken Murray, Tim Strommen, Rick Carlson, Caleb Murray, Eric Murray, Ronn Seim, Sean McNally, Scott Linge, and Ron Frehner. In addition, Mount Olivet received a generous donation of $7,000 to help cover the cost of materials, deck furniture, and landscaping, which will be designed by Toni Hartung. All labor was donated by volunteers.

More than a deck, this project is a lasting gift of accessibility, welcome, and belonging. It reflects our commitment to ensuring that everyone can gather, worship, and experience God's presence in the beauty of the Grove for generations to come.

Interview with Sam Wood

Pictures of the Process of Building the Deck

Northport Every Meal: Faithful Presence, One Food Bag at a Time

A Reflection by Pastor Desirée 

Last week, I had the privilege of joining Mount Olivet's Every Meal volunteer team for their final shift of the school year at Northport Elementary School in Brooklyn Center. I arrived expecting to observe a meaningful ministry. I left deeply moved by the people who make it happen. 

Every Meal is a Minnesota nonprofit dedicated to addressing child hunger by helping fill food gaps when children are not in school and don't have access to school meal programs. Through partnerships with schools and volunteers, Every Meal provides nutritious weekend food bags for children and families experiencing food insecurity.  

Every Meal is also one of Mount Olivet's ministry partners. Through the work of our Benevolence Board, 10% of members' pledged giving is distributed to support organizations that share our commitment to loving and serving our neighbors. Every Meal is one of the recipients of that generosity, helping ensure that children and families have access to nutritious food when school meals are not available. 

What makes the program especially thoughtful is that families can choose from several food bag options designed around different cultural food traditions and dietary preferences, helping ensure that the food provided is both familiar and meaningful to the families receiving it. 

But this story is not only about an organization. It is about people. 

What struck me most was the faithfulness of our Mount Olivet team. Week after week, they show up. They know the routine. They know the school. Most importantly, they know the children and families who rely on this support. 

The work itself is remarkably efficient. This team moves with the ease and confidence that comes from years of serving together. Food is sorted, counted, and distributed with care and precision. There is a rhythm to their work. There is also laughter. Throughout the shift, there was gentle teasing, stories shared, and plenty of smiles. It was clear that this is a group that genuinely enjoys one another. Their camaraderie is not separate from the ministry; it is part of what sustains it. The joy they bring to the work is contagious. 

As we talked, team members spoke not about the tasks they perform, but about the children. They spoke about recognizing faces year after year. They spoke about caring for families they may never know well but have come to love through consistent presence. They spoke about the importance of knowing that these bags of food will help make the weekend a little easier for a family facing difficult circumstances. 

Again and again, I heard the same theme: relationships matter. 

While the children may not know every volunteer's name, they know someone cares enough to show up. They know that each week there will be food waiting for them. This ministry reminds us of the power of faithfulness. Faithful ministry and love of neighbor look like showing up on a regular school day. It looks like carrying boxes and loading carts. It looks like doing the same thing week after week because you know it matters. 

After our shift, the team gathered at 50's Grill for ice cream and conversation to celebrate another year of service. As I listened to their stories, I found myself grateful for the countless ways God works through ordinary people doing extraordinary things with consistency, compassion, and love. 

The Every Meal team embodies what it means to be the church beyond our walls. They are feeding hungry children, certainly. But they are also offering dignity, care, and hope. They are reminding families that they are seen and valued. And they are demonstrating that acts of faithfulness, repeated week after week, can change lives. 

Thank you to every member of this remarkable team. Your commitment, your joy, and your love for the Northport community are an inspiration. Mount Olivet is blessed by your ministry, and so are the children and families you serve. 

If reading about this ministry inspires you to help out on the ministry team or donate financially, please reach out to me, and I will connect you! 

Gathered as One: Building Community in Worship & at the Table

A message from Lauren Schroeder, Council President 

Earlier this year, Mount Olivet’s council and staff gathered for a visioning session focused on the future of our congregation and the kind of community we are called to be. As we listened to one another and reflected on our life together, one theme kept surfacing again and again: the necessity and desire for more opportunities to build relationships and connect with one another on Sunday mornings. 

Many of us come to worship each week longing not only for meaningful worship, but also for a deeper sense of belonging and connection. Your council and staff have heard a desire for more opportunities to linger, share conversation, meet new people, and strengthen relationships across generations. 

In response, throughout 2026 we will begin scheduling a Gathered as One Sunday each month. On these Sundays, the whole congregation will gather for one shared worship service at 10 AM, followed by food and conversation in the Community Room. Some of these Sundays will also align with holiday weekends or special celebrations already happening in the life of our church. 

Our hope is simple: that by gathering together more intentionally, we continue growing not only in faith, but also in relationship with one another. Around tables, in conversation, and through shared experiences, community is formed. 

You can find the Gathered as One summer schedule HERE. 

We will continue sharing reminders throughout the summer and the remainder of the year, but we would also appreciate your help spreading the word, especially for those folks who may not be connected via email or social media. We are excited for this new rhythm in the life of Mount Olivet and look forward to gathering together with you! 

Celebrating the 2025-2026 Faith Formation Program Year

What a journey this year has been!

We welcomed Chef/Deacon Bridgette when we began a new Wednesday meal before worship, and it’s been a joy to eat in community and connect while kids play each week.

A few more highlights from the year beyond the weekly worship and programming:

· Mount Olivet called Pastor Desirée as lead pastor in October

· Youth Bible Studies on Sundays

· Thanksgiving Pie Bingo returned in November with a FULL community room.

· Welcoming Interim Pastor Michelle in December

· Senior High Lock-In in December

· A fun all ages nativity with carols and cocoa before Christmas

· Becoming a Reconciling in Christ congregation at the annual meeting in February.

· Youth planned and led worship on a Sunday & Wednesday in early March

· Children and youth leading in worship on Sundays and Wednesdays all year

· Palm Sunday worship and the Rally for Love & Justice at the Capitol

· Looking for Jesus mini figures all over church a few weeks ago

· Youth Retreats in October, January and May.

We’ve experienced a lot together this program year!

I’m so grateful for the youth and adults who’ve led us through the course of the year – from volunteering in the kitchen, to leading in worship with communion, prayers, singing and more. Thank you to all the guides who’ve shown up week after week to invest their time in children and youth. It takes a community to make all of this happen, and so many of you showed up in really beautiful ways to share God’s love with young people!

Thank you for all the ways you’ve shown up this year!

As we wrapped up the program year on May 6, we wrote thank you notes to share gratitude with people who’ve positively impacted us over the year and spent time sharing with each other what has been meaningful at church – along with nine square and youth room games. And there were popsicles too! We look forward to what’s coming up next with Dinner Church, beginning Wednesday, June 3 at 5:45pm.

God’s peace,

Beth McGrew-King

Pictures form Faith Formation 2025-2026 Year

Claiming Who We Are: Mount Olivet Becomes Reconciling in Christ

A Reflection from Pastor Desirée

There are moments in the life of a congregation when something long hoped for finally becomes clear. Not because it was rushed. Not because it was trendy, but because the time was right.

At Mount Olivet, becoming a Reconciling in Christ congregation in 2026 feels like one of those moments. This past Sunday, Mount Olivet celebrated becoming Reconciling in Christ with joy and gratitude. We worshipped with prayers and liturgy written by our partner ReconcilingWorks. We sang songs composed by our Queer siblings in Christ. During the postlude, we danced with a rainbow unicorn to “Pink Pony Club,” a song especially meaningful to many in the LGBTQIA+ community who have often felt more accepted in nightclubs than in churches. Then we gathered around tables in our community room for a bountiful meal and ice cream! You can see pictures of this amazing day HERE.

Reconciling in Christ (RIC) is a public commitment to welcome, celebrate, and advocate for LGBTQIA+ people in the full life of the church. It is a way of saying clearly what we believe about the wideness of God’s love and the dignity of every person created in God’s image.

Yet this milestone is about more than a designation. It is about identity.

When I first arrived at Mount Olivet fifteen months ago, I remember feeling surprised that Mount Olivet had not become an RIC congregation years earlier. There was already such a deep spirit of warmth, openness, and generosity here. The seeds had long been planted. But sometimes congregations, like people, grow into clarity in seasons rather than all at once.

There is an ancient Greek word often used in the church: kairos. It means more than ordinary clock time. It points to a significant time, a grace-filled moment, a season when something becomes possible because God is especially at work.

Chronological time asks, “What time is it?”

Kairos asks, “What is this time for?”

This time, it seems, is for courage.

This time is for clarity.

This time is for witness.

We live in a moment when many LGBTQIA+ neighbors, especially transgender people and youth, are facing renewed hostility, harmful rhetoric, and setbacks in public life. In such a season, a congregation’s welcome cannot remain vague or assumed. Love needs language. Belonging needs visibility.

That is precisely why Mount Olivet’s decision matters now.

Becoming Reconciling in Christ does not change who this congregation has been at its best. It reveals it more fully. It names publicly what has been growing inside our walls and in our hearts. It aligns values with action. It tells people who may be searching, wounded, or uncertain: There is a place for you here. In fact, we are not complete without you.

And perhaps that is one of the gifts of God’s timing. What may have seemed delayed can become deeply meaningful when it arrives in the moment it is most needed. Congregational identity is never static. It is always unfolding as communities listen for the Spirit, respond to the needs of the world, and ask what faithfulness requires in the present tense.

Mount Olivet’s answer in this season is clear. We are called to be a community of welcome. We are called to be a people of courage. We are called to embody the love of Christ without condition. And in God’s good timing, we are becoming more fully who we already are.

With Love and Deep Gratitude ~ Pastor Desirée

MO Food Ministries: Feeding Hunger, Growing Connection

MO Food Ministries: Feeding Hunger, Growing Connection

“If we didn’t attend Wednesday Meals, I’m not sure we would have met your family and discovered that you live just two blocks away. That’s exactly why we decided to come here, to build community and connections closer to where we live.” ~ From one parent to another at the Wednesday meal

An invitation for you to be a part of an amazing ministry…

Something sacred happens when people gather around a table. As Mount Olivet fully lives into our mission, we invite you to prayerfully consider joining in a $25,000 spring appeal to ensure we have the capacity to maintain and expand our food ministries.

If you recall, in our 2026 appeal, we set our sights on three primary initiatives:

1. Open Hearts – to expand our food ministries

2. Open Doors – to transform our community room into a versatile place of welcome

3. Open Arms – to deepen partnerships, making us more responsive to community needs

While our pledges did not entirely meet the scope of our original plans, we feel called to focus our energy on our food ministries. Now, one-time gifts totaling $25,000 will allow us to fully implement the Open Hearts initiative. Amid the strain and uncertainty of our world, Mount Olivet has responded – with compassion, steadiness, and a clear commitment to love our neighbors. It’s an exciting time to be a part of this congregation.

Your gift will help alleviate hunger!

Our food ministries feed a deeper hunger, not only hunger for food, but hunger for connection, recognition, and belonging. You may give online here to support the spring appeal.

Monday Community Meal

In partnership with Loaves & Fishes, we prepare a free and nutritious meal served to all people, without exception. So far in 2026, we have served an average of 162 meals on Monday nights, including a recent all-time high of 212! Many of our neighbors receive their meal to go, often bringing food back to family members or sharing it with others. We honor that need.

Now we imagine a next step – offering an open invitation to stay and dine in community for those who wish, providing an opportunity for connection when it feels right.

Wednesday Dinners

On Wednesday evenings, our congregation gathers for a shared meal before worship and faith formation. Right now, this meal primarily serves Mount Olivet members, many of whom already attend Wednesday worship and faith formation. But the meal is becoming something more.

We are seeing relationships form across generations. Children recognize one another. Parents make connections. A sense of community is taking root. One young participant, just six years old, recently pointed with excitement and exclaimed…

“Daddy, those are my friends!”

We envision our Wednesday meal becoming an even greater intergenerational gathering space, bridging our Sunday and Wednesday communities as we expand opportunities for adult faith formation. In time, we imagine this table growing wider, welcoming neighbors from beyond our congregation. In addition, we continue working to source food from sustainable farmers, artisans, and markets with the goal of creating a more sacred food system that stewards our natural resources responsibly.

Why does Food Ministries at Mount Olivet matter?

By supporting Mount Olivet food ministries, you address not only hunger itself, but the inequities that determine who eats well and who goes without. You break down the social and economic barriers that keep too many families from nourishing meals. You alleviate isolation and strengthen community bonds.

We invite you to join this work by donating to our spring appeal. Together, with gifts of all sizes above regular giving, whether $2,500, $250, or $25, we will raise the $25,000 to make this possible.

You may give online here or send a check to the church, specifying “food ministries” in the memo line.

With gratitude and hope,

Desirée Uhrich, Lead Pastor

Lauren Schroeder, President

Wally Palm, Vice President

Deb McDonald, Treasurer

Joe Himmelberg, Secretary