Our Work with Angel Tree

At Genesis, we divide our work with the city into 2 categories. The first category is our Mercy work. These tend to be one-time, as-needed events. For instance, we’ve worked with Second Harvest Heartland to distribute food, we’ve assembled and distributed homeless care kits, we’ve prepared and served meals at the Greater Minneapolis Crisis Nursery, etc. The second category is our Justice work. These are ongoing and gradually increasing relationships with a handful of local care and outreach agencies. The four agencies that fall into this category are:

1. MVNA
2. Engage Global
3. Prison Fellowship
4. Little Earth of the United Tribes

This Christmas season, we are excited to participate in one of Prison Fellowship’s programs - Angel Tree. Here is a brief summary of what Angel Tree is and does:

Every child has a story. For 2.7 million American children, that story is filled with the abandonment, loneliness and shame that come from having a mom or dad in prison. For many, it may also include following their parents down the same destructive road to incarceration.

Angel Tree, a program of Prison Fellowship, reaches out to the children of inmates and their families with the love of Christ. This unique program gives your church an opportunity to share Christ’s love by helping to meet the physical, emotional, and spiritual needs of the families of prisoners.

We have been assigned 6 children. Over the course of the next month we will meet with them and their caregivers, provide them with Christmas presents on behalf of their incarcerated parent, and show them the love of Jesus through words and actions. Please pray for us, these children, their caregivers, and their parents, that through this ministry the love of Jesus and the Christmas message would shine brightly!

Invest in us and our work in S. Minneapolis - Click Here
Pray for us and our work in S. Minneapolis - Click Here
Participate in the life of the Community - Click Here or Here

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It's Been a Few Weeks

You may have noticed that it’s been a few weeks since the last post. Winter came early this year, so I’m going to use that as my excuse. Since it has been a few weeks, I thought it would be good to bring you up-to-speed on a few key things:

1. Bi-Vocational Work - On Thursday, November 6 I started my short-term work as the custodian for Trinity First Lutheran Church and School. The regular custodian is on medical leave until the end of December. This position has been a huge blessing from God for both us and Trinity First. It has provided me a bridge from my Parks and Rec position to whatever He has in store for us in the new year. It also allows for uninterrupted custodial work at Trinity First during this medical leave.
2. Miracle Grow Community - On November 8, we launched our Miracle Grow Community. If you didn’t get a chance, you can read about what that is here. We launched with 4 families/individuals and 2 others who were unable to make it but plan to be involved. These participants are either current or potential missional leaders from throughout the region - S. Minneapolis, St. Paul, Bloomington, and even Waconia.
3. Children and Youth Discipleship Leader - In the past couple of weeks we were able to hire Katherine as our new Children and Youth Discipleship Leader. She is a freshman at Concordia, St. Paul. She not only has an impressive history discipling children, but that also happens to be her area of study in college. It truly is a win-win - Katherine provides for us expertise in this area and we are able to provide her with a platform to grow in her skills and put the book-learning into practice.
4. Large Group Worship - We are getting closer and closer to launching the large group worship component of Genesis. We have already had several planning sessions. On December 7, we will have a “dry run” and walk through everything. Then, on January 4, we will have our “preview service.” You are more than welcome to attend, although we won’t publicize this service. Lastly, on Sunday, January 25 in the evening (exact time TBD) at Mt. Zion Lutheran Church in Minneapolis, we will have the launch of our public worship service. We DEFINITELY want you to attend that if you are able! Then, beginning in February, we will have the regular rhythm of meeting in our different Gospel Communities the first 3 (or 4) weeks of the month and then having our monthly large group worship service at Mt. Zion on the last Sunday of each month.

We have taken some big steps in the previous months and are excited to see what the Spirit does through the big steps that are ahead of us in the coming months! 

Invest in us and our work in S. Minneapolis - Click Here
Pray for us and our work in S. Minneapolis - Click Here
Participate in the life of the Community - Click Here or Here

#PlantTheGospel