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

Love in Action: One Family’s Palm Sunday Experience

Palm Sunday was so meaningful for me this year - both the church service at Mount Olivet, and then the rally in St. Paul. I wasn't initially signed up for the event at the Capitol, because I had another event to take my younger three children to right after church that day, but something kept stirring in me to attend, so we did!

Because we didn't go with the group, we ended up parking nearby and just walking straight to the Capitol on our own. We got there on the earlier side, before the people in the march arrived. After a bit of waiting, I noticed the marchers arriving. I wish I would have taken a video of that moment, to capture what it was like to see a large crowd of people coming over the hill on the left side of the building. They kept coming...and coming...and coming! It was very emotional to see everyone flooding onto the lawn, signs in hand and from churches around the state. What a powerful moment I won't soon forget!

It has been a hard season to be a Christian these last 5-10 years. So much has been publicly done "in Christ's name" that doesn't look much like the Jesus I read about in the Bible. I have not wavered in my love for God, but I have certainly wavered in feeling comfortable identifying as a Christian, wondering if by outing myself I will have people ascribe violent, racist, and hateful attributes to me. However, Palm Sunday felt powerful as I was reminded that my understanding of Christianity - a religion that is filled with love for neighbor and care for the vulnerable - is not a view I alone hold, but there are so many others like me who see it as our calling as Christians to love.

I am so grateful I got to be a part of the Palm Sunday Rally for Justice and Love, and I know this experience will stick with me and continue giving me hope on the hard days. I am not alone. We are not alone. And together, we can love and care for our neighbors.

~ Amber Harder, Mount Olivet Member

The Way of Jesus: Living the Resurrection Together

An Easter season reflection from Pastor Desirée

Easter does not end when the lilies fade or the alleluias quiet. It continues, unfolding in our lives as hope, newness, and transformation take root among us.

In these past months, many of us have felt how hope can ebb and flow. There are seasons when it feels strong and steady, and others when it seems to recede, revealing the weight of what we carry. And yet, Easter meets us right there. It reminds us that hope is not dependent on perfect circumstances.

Our hope is grounded in the living Christ, who meets us in our fragility and stays with us. The good news of Easter is not that everything suddenly becomes easy or resolved. The world is still the world. We still carry grief, fear, and uncertainty. But something has changed. Christ is risen. And because of that, we trust that God is always at work bringing life out of death, making all things new, even when we cannot yet see it.

This is the promise of new creation. Not a return to what was, but the unfolding of what God is still doing among us. As a community of faith, we are invited to look ahead with expectation. To follow the Spirit into places of connection, healing, and belonging. To trust that we are part of something larger than ourselves, a story still being written in love.

And this is where transformation begins. Not all at once, but in small, steady ways. In moments of courage. In acts of compassion. In choosing hope when it would be easier to give in to despair.

On that first Easter morning, the women went to the tomb expecting death, and instead encountered life. They ran with fear and great joy to share what they had seen. In many ways,

they were the midwives of hope, helping bring this new reality into the world. That is our calling now.

We are invited to live as people of the resurrection. To stand in the space between what is and what could be, grounded in Jesus’ life, death, and resurrection, and guided by the Spirit forward.

As you view these Easter Sunday photos in this LINK, may you see more than moments captured. May you glimpse signs of hope rising, new life emerging, and transformation already underway among us.

Christ is risen. And the story is still unfolding.

With love and gratitude ~ Pastor Desirée

Hosanna in the Sanctuary & the Streets: A Church That Shows Up

Pastor Desirée Reflects on the Palm Sunday March for Justice and Love

Palm Sunday always sends us somewhere. We gather, we hear the Word, we share the meal and then Jesus says, Go. This year, that sending was especially meaningful as more than 100 people from Mount Olivet Lutheran Church of Plymouth climbed onto school busses and made our way to the Capitol, joining 10,000 other Christians for the March and Rally for Justice and Love.

We are living in a time when truth is distorted, fear is amplified and power is too often used to harm the very people Jesus centers. We see policies and systems that neglect the hungry, abandon the sick and turn away the stranger. We see Christianity used as a cover for domination rather than a call to love. This is not the Way of Jesus.

And so, we went.

We went because following Jesus is not passive. It is embodied. It is public. It calls us to live what Jesus names so clearly in Matthew 25: feed the hungry, care for the sick and welcome the stranger. Love of neighbor is not a private belief. It is a lived witness.

Palm Sunday was never meant to be safe. The cries of Hosanna mean save us. Save now! It is a protest prayer rising from people who refuse to accept injustice as the final word. Jesus rides straight into the heart of empire, and he still does. And he invites us to go with him.

What mattered most was not just the size of the crowd, though 10,000 voices carry power. It was the clarity of our witness. Mount Olivet showed up with courage, with joy, and with a deep commitment to the kind of world God is bringing into being. You can view photographs of our time at the Capitol HERE. You can view photographs of our Palm Sunday worship HERE.

This is what the church is called to be. Not silent. Not neutral. But a people who follow Jesus into the world, trusting that love, justice, and mercy will have the final word.

With love and deep gratitude ~ Pastor Desirée

Compassion in Action:

Continuing Bob Carlson’s Legacy

This week, we remember Bob Carlson, whose birthday is March 25, and we give thanks for the legacy of compassion he left among us. After Bob’s passing, a special fund was created through memorial gifts, and today it continues because of your generosity. If you feel called, I invite you to join in this ministry, whether with a one-time gift or ongoing support. You can use this LINK to give. If you prefer a check or cash, please include a note to direct it to the Bob Carlson Compassion Fund. Checks or cash may be dropped off at the office.

I want to share just two glimpses of what that compassion looks like in real life.

Not too long ago, a woman and her teenage son reached out. They had been evicted, and everything they owned was in storage, about to be auctioned off. They asked for just enough help to buy a little more time. Because of this fund, we were able to pay it down to zero and give them breathing room to begin again.

Another family, with a young child, had been displaced by a medical crisis. They were staying in a hotel and needed just one more week before moving into a new home and starting a new job. Without help, they would have been sleeping in their car during that last snowstorm. Because of this fund, they didn’t have to.

This is what Bob’s compassion looks like, alive and moving among us.

My husband and I have made the decision to give to this fund on a recurring basis, in addition to our regular offering, because I see firsthand the profound relief and gratitude it brings to our neighbors in moments of real crisis.

Thank you for being a part of Bob’s vision and caring for God’s beloved ones. ~ Pastor Desirée

Youth and Children Lead Mount Olivet in Worship

This past Sunday, March 8, and Wednesday, March 11, youth and children led the Mount Olivet community in worship.

Youth Council, the Faith Formation Co-Op Team, adult leaders, Pastor Desirée, Pastor Michelle, Kim Capel, Rich Holleque, Tim Strommen and Beth McGrew-King planned together for weeks leading up to worship.

Thank you to student leaders who shared their gifts on Sunday and Wednesday, and thank you to Pastor Desirée, Pastor Michelle, staff and adult volunteers who invested in building relationships and sharing their wisdom in support of young people leading at Mount Olivet. And a shout out Bridgette Weber and the kitchen volunteers for feeding a full Community Room of 182 people a delicious pancake breakfast -- with bacon, sausage, and fruit! So much gratitude for the Mount Olivet community’s generous support of high school students attending the Denver, Colorado service learning trip this summer with over $1,000 raised for the trip so far.

Mount Olivet values being a place where children and youth lead, and where everyone can find their place to participate in God’s unfolding story. On Sunday and Wednesday, as a community, we experienced the Spirit bringing us together as students led in new ways, discovered new possibilities, and built intergenerational connections through volunteering and meals together.

Check out more photos from Sunday and Wednesday below.

Holy Week Resources for Families

Talking with children about the stories of Holy Week — the triumphal entry, the last supper, Jesus’ crucifixion and resurrection — can be difficult due to the heaviness and violence of the stories. Here are a few resources for talking with children about these stories in an age appropriate way.

• Look-and-Find Easter Stories for Young Children: This children’s book tells simple stories for the triumphal entry through Jesus' ascension along with look-and-find pictures for each story. Read one story per sitting, and go at the pace of your child's curiosity.

• Mary and the Gardener: Brings to life the Easter story as experienced by Mary Magdalene, the first person to see the risen Jesus.

• Faithful Families for Lent, Easter & Resurrection: Offers theological notes for parents for talking about Jesus’ crucifixion and resurrection in age appropriate ways along with at-home activities for Holy Week.

• Woven: Nurturing a Faith Your Kid Doesn't Have to Heal From: This book provides simple and concrete tools for talking about God and the Bible in developmentally relevant ways and adaptable for your family's particular values, interests and schedule.

Take a peek through Mary and the Gardener, Look-and-Find Easter Stories for Young Children, or Woven the next time you're at church. All three books are on the featured books cart in the Kids' Sensory Space. While we ask that books remain in the building for all to enjoy, you’re welcome to take them into the worship center with you or curl up with one in the living room or alcove when you’re on site.

Faith Formation Co-Op Announcement

Rich Holleque, on behalf of Mount Olivet, applied for and was selected to be part of the Faith Formation Co-Op.

The Faith Formation Co-Op, an initiative of the ELCA Youth Ministry Network in partnership with the ELCA, explores new frameworks for youth ministry in order to root young people in a lifelong and transformative faith in Jesus.

Each year a growing number of congregations are selected to be part of a co-hort. Each congregation is supported by a Guide, who accompanies the Congregation Team over the course of two years, as they listen, learn and experiment with new youth ministry practices in their congregations and communities.

A team of Mount Olivet members, council and staff has begun this two year process focusing on ministry with 5th-12th graders, and we will commission the team during the 10:45am worship this Sunday (11/3). Team members include Dan Roff, Tori Selzler, Kirsten Scheller, Adia Capistrant, Quinn Himmelberg, Feven Harder, Zac Harder, Rich Holleque, and Beth McGrew-King.

Join the team for a Listening Session and share your insights on the challenges today’s youth face and how we can support their future at Mount Olivet!

• Sunday, November 17 at 10am

• Wednesday, November 20 at 6:30pm

• 5th-8th Students, Wednesday, December 11 at 7pm

• Other dates coming soon!

Come and hear an update from the Faith Formation Co-Op Team about the listening process on Sunday, February 23 at 10am!

Find out more about the Co-Op HERE. Have questions about the process? Contact Rich Holleque.