SACRED SETTLEMENT: PRINCE OF PEACE

In July, 2022, the Roseville Police Department asked us if we would host Valerie and the old school bus she was living in on our property.  We said, “yes.”  Slowly we began building a relationship with Valerie and the others who care about her.  As these relationships grew, we learned about one powerful model for coming alongside those who have been shaped by chronic homelessness.  We don’t know yet where all this will lead in the future but we’re trusting God to help us each time we say, “yes.”

Just before Christmas and with the help of our new ministry partners at Settled., we upgraded Valerie’s RV to a tiny home, and brought in a second home for the Beary family who volunteered to become Valerie’s “intentional neighbors.”  We’re building a community of support around Valerie, and in the process, we’re being transformed.

In early 2023, we were notified by the City of Roseville that our tiny house community did not comply with City codes.  We worked closely with the City to find a pathway forward.  Fortunately, legislation to allow for churches like ours to host sacred settlements was signed into law and the City granted us an interim-use permit, good until the new law becomes effective on Jan. 1, 2024.

On Sunday, Oct. 1, 2023, Prince of Peace formally voted to make a long-term committment to living in community with the chronically homeless by hosting a permanent sacred settlement of tiny homes on our campus.  The initial settlement will be comprised of three homes and a shared common house inside our church building.  As the campus planning process continues, the possibility for an even larger settlement will be considered.

On March 17, 2024, we’ll be gathering in the courtyard of our sacred settlement to bless the third tiny house, a slightly larger house for our intentional neighbors.  The second house will be quickly freshened up and we’ll be saying “welcome home!” to another formerly homeless neighbor in the very near future.  We’re also renovating another space inside the church building to create a studio for the Settled workshop to provide “purposeful work” opportunities for our residents.  This spring and summer should see additional improvements to our homes, making them feel even more like home and living more deeply into the full-community model we have adopted.

The Most Recent News & Important Links

New Meeting Room & Studio Takes Shape

New Meeting Room & Studio Takes Shape

Have you noticed the construction zone in our west hallway?! We’re renovating the classroom in between the common house & youth room to help make another element of the full-community model a reality for our sacred settlement.  We hope to provide “purposeful work”...

At Home

On Sunday, March 17, we gathered to bless the third tiny home of our Sacred Settlement.  This marked another important milestone as we continue building our community of support for those experiencing chronic homelessness.  And, this is a great opportunity to reflect on the profound meaning of “home.”

Scroll down to see previous posts & the news archive

Settlement Stewardship Committee

  • Michael Stetzler
  • Kristin Bloxham, Office Administrator
  • Peter, Christ, Lead Pastor
  • Gabrielle Clowdus, Settled Visionary
  • Steve Schroeder, Property Manager

Settlement Care Team

  • Anne Christ, Team Lead
  • Barb Burkhardt
  • William Evanson
  • Gus Haugan
  • Lea Thornton
  • Eric Wettleland

If you have questions about the memorandum of understanding or the lease agreements that our neighbors have signed please contact Kristin in the office. 

Past information shared about our Interim Sacred Settlement:

Blessing a New Home

Blessing a New Home

Sacred Settlement Update It’s been hard to be patient, but our patience has been rewarded.  The third home passed its inspection last week.  After countless hours of preparation and the generous efforts of so many volunteers, the Beary Family made quick work...

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Mending Social

Mending Social

Sunday, March 17; 4:30pm Please join us on the third Sunday of the month at 4:30 in the Common Room for a “Mending Social”. Bring your worn-out, your tattered, your missing buttoned items and mend them alongside fellow menders hoping and working for a mended world. If...

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Community Dinner

Community Dinner

Sunday, March 17; 5:30-7pm We’re hosting another monthly dinner for our budding community. You are invited to join us on the 3rd Sunday evening of the month as we gather to share a meal, meet some new people, trade stories, and celebrate what God is making...

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More and More Beauty

More and More Beauty

Just today, the snows have returned to lay a wintry blanket over our tiny houses. The beauty of what we see on the outside offers just a glimpse of the the beauty that is emerging on the inside. Wrapped in love, our settlement continues to transform.

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One Whole Year

One Whole Year

The calendar year has turned over and these first few weeks of 2024 have ushered in the inescapable cold of winter. But there is warmth radiating from our Sacred Settlement. Our tiny homes continue offering a cozy escape from the physical and spiritual pain of life lived separated from community. The Common House bustles with activity and hospitality, warmed by the southern sun streaming in the windows. The community grows more active and the future holds so much promise.

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Community Dinner

Community Dinner

We’re hosting another monthly dinner for our budding community. You are invited to join us on the 3rd Sunday evening of the month as we gather to share a meal, meet some new people, trade stories, and celebrate what God is making possible in our midst.

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Mending Social

Mending Social

Next Mending Social - Sunday, January 21; 4:30pm Please join us on the third Sunday of the month at 4:30 in the Common Room for a "Mending Social". Bring your worn-out, your tattered, your missing buttoned items and mend them alongside fellow menders hoping and...

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Community Dinner & Christmas Party

Community Dinner & Christmas Party

Sunday, December 17, 5:30-7pm Pastor Peter and Anne are hoping you will join them to celebrate the first Christmas with our Sacred Settlement and to give thanks for another wonderful year of ministry with Prince of Peace. They'll be serving the Clam Chowder that was a...

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God Comes to Live Among Us

God Comes to Live Among Us

As we prepare to celebrate the first Christmas with our Sacred Settlement, it’s hard not to stand in awe of all that God has accomplished in the past twelve months.  Here’s just a sampling…

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A New Home

A New Home

A third tiny house has arrived on our campus!  Thanks to the amazing generosity of the leaders and staff of AbeTech, a Rogers, MN-based company, a new home is being prepared to help us expand our sacred settlement.  The home was constructed as a show of community support by AbeTech employees and they reached out to our partners at Settled. for a possible beneficiary of this effort.

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Community Dinner

Community Dinner

We’re hosting another monthly dinner for our budding community. You are invited to join us on the 3rd Sunday evening of the month as we gather to share a meal, meet some new people, trade stories, and celebrate what God is making possible in our midst.

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Thank you!

Thank you!

Read this message of gratitude from the Beary Family, the intentional neighbors who are serving our sacred settlement.

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When Interim Becomes Enduring

When Interim Becomes Enduring

Prince of Peace has dropped the “interim” designation from our settlement.  At a special meeting on Sunday, October 1, and after months of dedicated work by our Campus Planning Task Force, the congregation overwhelmingly supported making a long-term commitment to creating a home for the formerly homeless on our campus by employing the full-community model of tiny homes championed by our partners at Settled.

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Community Dinner

Community Dinner

Sunday, Oct. 15, 5:30-7pm – We’re hosting another monthly dinner for our budding community. You are invited to join us on the 3rd Sunday evening of the month as we gather to share a meal, meet some new people, trade stories, and celebrate what God is making possible in our midst.

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Do you know the full story?

Do you know the full story behind the proposed sacred settlement that we are developing?  Have you wondered about the motivations of our ministry partners at Settled?  Are you curious how a new law will help propel churches like Prince of Peace to be more effective in our callings to walk with the poor, bringing aid and comfort, while being transformed in the process? 

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Community Dinner

Community Dinner

You’re invited to our Sacred Settlement’s first monthly Community Dinner. Sunday, September 17, 5:30-7pm We’ll spend the third Sunday night of each month together, at the table, to share a meal, to laugh, to swap stories, to encourage one another, and to hear about opportunities to be involved.

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August 29 Campus Planning Task Force Update

August 29 Campus Planning Task Force Update

At the CPTF meeting on Monday, August 28, the Task Force reviewed this letter for the congregation.  Watch for it in the mail. August 29, 2023 Dear Members of Prince of Peace: On October 1 there will be an important congregational meeting.  Please mark this date...

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Interim Settlement News

Interim Settlement News

Summer is here.  Things are heating up! Quite literally and figuratively. We’re making improvements to our homes and we’re anticipating an Interim-Use permit from the City of Roseville. But we still need you help!

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Thank you – PoP-Up Carnival

Thank you – PoP-Up Carnival

Thank you to everyone who attended and planned the PoP-Up Carnival last Sunday, May 21! It was a wonderful celebration of community and learning about PoP's Interim Sacred Settlement.

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PoP-Up Carnival

PoP-Up Carnival

Sunday, May 21; 5:00 - 7:00pm Let's have a carnival! That's the way a "PoP-Up" team decided to invest for good.  Join us on Sunday, May 21 at 5:00pm for food, fun, information and fellowship.  Activities for all ages will include face-painting,...

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April 27, 2023 Campus Planning Task Force Update

April 27, 2023 Campus Planning Task Force Update

On Monday, April 24, the Roseville City Council met.  One item for their agenda was to “consider an extension to the May 5, 2023 compliance date for the removal of ‘micro-units’” at Prince of Peace.  The Council heard from city administrator Pat Trudgeon who had been...

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April 17 Campus Planning Task Force Meeting Overview

April 17 Campus Planning Task Force Meeting Overview

The Campus Planning Task Force (CPTF) met on Monday, April 17 to begin its work.  The CPTF was established by the Congregation Council at their March meeting to examine the following questions: Phase One What needs to be done with our current interim tiny...

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A Nice Surprise

A Nice Surprise

During our Easter Sunday celebrations yesterday, I had the joy of sharing some really exciting news on behalf of our partners in ministry with Lutheran Social Services of Minnesota and the St. Paul Area Synod.  Each year, LSS of MN recognizes one congregation in each of the six Minnesota synods for its leadership in social ministry and social justice in their community.  To honor each congregation’s work, they are presented the “Servant of Christ Award” at the synod’s annual assembly.  This year, they have announced that Prince of Peace has been selected to receive this award.

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Campus Planning Update

Campus Planning Update

March 30, 2023 Campus Planning Task Force Created At its regular March meeting, the Congregation Council passed a motion to create a Campus Planning Task Force (CPTF) to work on three questions: 1.         Phase One What needs...

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Campus Planning Task Force

Campus Planning Task Force

As you know, our tiny home settlement has been cited by the City of Roseville for noncompliance.  We have only a few weeks to address this challenge. To help us respond in the short term, and develop longer range plans, the congregation council is creating a...

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Prayers at the Door

This past Monday evening, over 50 members of our church, pastors and members from other Roseville area congregations and partner ministries, plus supporters of Settled and the Mosaic Sacred Settlement all arrived at City Hall to be a visible witness to the City Council as they heard our appeal of the staff ruling regarding our efforts to care for the homeless. Before we entered the council chambers, we gathered outside the front entry of City Hall to pray.

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Interim Sacred Settlement – What’s Next?

Interim Sacred Settlement – What’s Next?

Last Monday, March 6th, the Roseville City Council heard our appeal of the city’s determination that our tiny homes do not comply with applicable building codes and must be vacated. While they could have ordered us to vacate the homes within ten days, the City Council also seemed willing to work with us and voted to stay enforcement of the order for sixty days.

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Settled Community Dinner

Settled Community Dinner

Monday, March 6; 6:00pm You’re invited to Sacred Settlement Mosaic & Prince of Peace’s monthly Potluck Community Dinner!We will be spending the first Monday each month together, at the table, to share a meal, to laugh, to swap stories, to encourage one another,...

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Community Update

Community Update

Join members of our Affordable Housing and Sacred Settlement Teams on Wednesday, February 8 at 6:30pm, as we provide an update on the state of our Interim Sacred Settlement and efforts to take on the challenges of affordable housing in our neighborhood.

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Just the Beginning

Just the Beginning

For almost 25 years, Prince of Peace has owned the lot next door to the church — but what to do with the space? The congregation explored several ideas, long-time member Gus Haugan said, including creating an outdoor worship area overlooking the pond, creating...

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Blessing a Home

Yesterday, our community of faith made space in the busy-ness of our lives to stop for a moment and mark something important.  Together with our new partners in ministry and an extended collection of supporters, we took time to claim God’s blessings upon our newly occupied Interim Sacred Settlement. 

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Becoming Innkeepers

The sun was streaming through the windows as we sat around the table in the newly renovated “common house.”  We talked through the terms, policies, and many details of the housing agreements to be signed.  And then it happened.  Signatures were added to the documents and, boom, we created a new expression of community, in partnership with this collection of folks and all whom they represent.

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Welcome Home

Welcome Home

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...

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Tiny Homes Arrive at our Interim Sacred Settlement

Tiny Homes Arrive at our Interim Sacred Settlement

The tiny homes project, officially called an “interim sacred settlement,*” is nearly ready for occupancy. The homes, or “micro-units” arrived this week.  Preparation of the common area inside our building is nearing completion, and an agreement between PoP and...

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Progress on a Temporary Home for Valerie

Progress on a Temporary Home for Valerie

At the urging of many in the congregation and under the direction of the Council, the work in preparation for temporary homes for Valerie Roy and her resource neighbors is proceeding.  We are blessed to be working closely with our new ministry partners at Settled.  Here are the latest developments:

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Settled

Since late July, we have been sharing our church campus with Valerie.  Valerie doesn’t have a stable home but instead lives in an old school bus converted into a camper.  The Homeless Liaison with the Roseville Police Department reached out as they were trying to help Valerie find a more appropriate and safer place to park her camper.  In getting to know Valerie, hearing more of her story, and as she describes her longings for her future, one word keeps coming up: settled.

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