Blessing of Our Interim Sacred Settlement
Sunday, January 15, 2023
This day will be full of celebration as we formally welcome Valerie Roy and the Bearys – Misha, James, Avia (and Bella), to their new homes. A variety of activities will take place throughout the morning and then again in the early evening to acknowledge all that God is doing in and through this new ministry. There will be opportunities to meet our new neighbors and ministry partners as well as tour the homes and common house. And we will ask for God’s blessing as this new expression of our community of faith is inaugurated.
Sunday Forum @ 9:40am
Gabrielle Clowdus, visionary and co-founder of Settled, will be with us to describe the significance and promise of using a “full community” approach to addressing chronic homelessness. She’ll describe how the research she conducted as a PhD candidate in architecture at the University of MN has led her to uncover a more promising and affordable way to address the needs of the chronically homeless in the Twin Cities. Her own life of faith inspired her to co-create this new non-profit organization, working alongside faith communities throughout the metro to make real a new model for sustainable communities and relationships that serve the homeless. Learn more about Gabrielle here.
Following the forum and again after the 10:45am service, there will be a chance to visit the tiny homes and the common house. Meet Valerie, the Bearys (and their dog Bella). There will also be a table of goods for sale that are created in the Settled Workshop which offers purposeful work for current and future residents of Sacred Settlements.
House Blessing & Celebration @ 5pm
We will be joined by the variety of partners who have made this interim sacred settlement possible and to claim God’s blessing onto and into these new homes and their occupants. Staff and supporters of Settled will be with us, along with residents and partners of the inaugural Scared Settlement at Mosaic Christian Community in St. Paul. Each tiny house was funded and built by another church and pastors and members of these congregations will come to share in the celebration. In addition to creating the homes, Lord of Life Lutheran Church in Maple Grove and Trinity Lutheran Church in Stillwater have also helped to prepare the “Common House” – a renovated classroom opposite the main office and we’ll give thanks for their remarkable commitment to this project and the vision it represents. Again, there will be a chance to tour the homes and Common House, while also enjoying some food (catered by Valerie), music, and fellowship with our new neighbors. The Settled Workshop table of goods will be on display for sale too.
