Click here to read our latest weekly eNews

Sign up to receive Gloria Dei eNews and other emails about activities, news and events at Gloria Dei. If you have ideas for Gloria Dei news stories or events, please submit them by noon on Monday (advance notice is always helpful). Complete this form to submit your idea.  Email the Communications Coordinator or the church office if you have any questions.

• Christmas Worship at Gloria Dei – Christmas EveChristmas Eve Worship forFamilies and Children2:30 p.m. (livestreamed) and 4 p.m.Christmas Eve Holy Communion7:30 p.m. (livestreamed) and 10 p.m.Chancel Choir and string/brass instrumentalists Christmas DayHoly CommunionWednesday, Dec. 2510 a.m. (livestreamed)First Sunday after ChristmasSunday, Dec. 29Holy Communion8:15 & 10:45 a.m. (livestreamed)Carols with Tim9:30 a.m.Gathering Place for all-ages carol sing-along. …
• Symbols of Advent – Blue – Lutherans began using blue, instead of purple and pink, in 1978 to note that Advent is different than Lent, which uses purple. There are, indeed, themes of quiet waiting, repentance, and a fasting from the full expression of Christmas. However, there is a joy, expectation and hope that can’t help but fill the… …
• Advent Practices for Home, Inspired by the Sunday Advent Liturgy – Silence as an Advent Practice: Find some time every day to sit in silence. Let God hold your life and the world. Put it all down for a time. Begin with this prayer: Stir up your Spirit, O Christ, and come. If you’re new with silence, give it a chance. Keeping silent is a spiritual… …
• Background on the Advent Liturgy at Gloria Dei – We gather with a time of silence. With so much noise in our world, with so many words that are false, or designed to divide, or crafted to manipulate us, silence is counter-cultural, healing, and prophetic. The liturgy will begin with an invitation to put down the words that hurt or destroy and to keep… …
• What will you get for the 2024 Giving Tree? – During the first couple weeks of Advent, you have the chance to make Christmas merrier for people less fortunate in our community. Gloria Dei’s custom of having a Giving Tree is back and there are nearly 500 individual gifts and gift cards to be purchased this year. Click here to find lists of needed gifts… …
• Music for a Time of Turmoil – Music and prayers at a time of national division and discernment will be offered in a simple, participatory Evensong liturgy, complemented by special music, at 5 p.m., Sunday, Nov. 10, in the sanctuary of Gloria Dei Lutheran Church, St. Paul. Baritone soloist Andrew Wilkowske, with Chancel Choir and Orchestra, will present Vaughan Williams’ “Five Mystical… …
• Kick-Off Sunday is Coming! – Kick-Off Sunday 2024 is Sept. 8. We’ll gather for worship at our summer schedule times of 8:15 and 10 a.m. Then at 11 a.m. will gather for food and fellowship on the front lawn (weather-permitting). Enjoy a potluck meal (and bring your best dish!), check out a new variety of animals at the petting zone… …
• Volunteer to Host Immigrants Overnight Through Faithful Hospitality – In October, Gloria Dei will become a mobile shelter location as part of Interfaith Actions’ Faithful Hospitality program. Every night in October, Gloria Dei will host 4-7 immigrant families who are experiencing homelessness and seeking asylum.We need your help.Two adult volunteers are needed each night to stay overnight at church starting October 1 through October… …
• Soul Food Book Discussion Group – Soul Food, a group that discusses books from a faith perspective, meets weekly during the school year from 9:30-11 a.m., on Wednesday mornings. We begin each week with a prayerful reading of the coming Sunday’s gospel text and prayer. Then, we discuss a few chapters from a book we’ve chosen to read together, including time for… …
• Soul Food Selects Title for a New Year of Reading – 2024-2025 Book Choices Soul Food is Gloria Dei’s Wednesday morning book discussion group, which meets weekly to discuss a few chapters of a book at a time from a spiritual perspective. We’ve brainstormed a list of 24 titles to consider reading during the next program year at Soul Food. We’d love to have you with… …
• Bread of Life Sundays start July 28 – Jesus calls himself the bread of life, nourishing our bodies and spirits with all for which we hunger and sending us out to feed our neighbors. For five Sundays this summer, we will hear from John 6, which gives us a chance to explore the bread of life theme and have some fun. Plan now… …
• Sign up for the Giving Garden – Giving Garden 2024Thank you for your support and interest in helping with Gloria Dei’s 2024 Giving Garden Ministry. Click here to to learn more and sign up to help. …
• Fridays at Noon in June Organ Recitals are Back – Back by popular demand, next month will feature the Friday at Noon in June OrganRecitals. These 30-minute organ recitals will feature our beautiful Letourneau pipe organ and will be followed by fellowship over cookies and lemonade in the Gathering Place. Come and enjoy some beautiful music and hear a variety of talented performers!June 7 — Sr. Stacie… …
• Join Us for a Cruise on the Mississippi on July 12 – Enjoy a fun summer boat ride on the Mississippi River to renew friendships and build new ones in our Gloria Dei community. We will cruise the on the Betsey Northrup Riverboat on Friday, July 12, from 7-9 p.m. Boarding starts at 6:30 p.m. on Harriet Island near downtown St. Paul. All ages are encouraged to… …
• Simple Starts to Addressing Mental Health Issues –  During Mental Health Month, Gloria Dei is raising awareness of the important role mental health plays in our lives. We are encouraging members of the community to take action toward protecting their mental and over wellbeing. Modern life can have a significant impact on mental health – for better or for worse. The disturbing imagery… …
• Holy Week 2024 – Palm/Passion Sunday, March 24: Procession with Palms, Passion According to Mark; 8:15 and 10:45 a.m. (livestreamed); Intergenerational Palm Sunday Experience in the Fellowship Hall, 9:30 a.m.Maundy Thursday, March 28: Children’s Experience 6 p.m.; Announcement of Forgiveness, Holy Communion and Stripping of the Altar, 6:30 p.m. (livestreamed). *Note new time.Good Friday, March 29: Prayers for Those For Those… …
• Get to Know the JUSTmove Duo Next Week – “If we can’t talk about racism inour churches, where can we talk about it?” JUSTmove helps people of faith have courageousconversations that build bridges across cultural differences. The duo of Joe Davis (left) and David Scherer will be a constant presence at Gloria Dei this coming week. On Wednesday (March 13), they will be participating in Lent… …
• Lent 2024: Created for Community – The invitation to Lent spoken on Ash Wednesday reminds us that we enter this season together “with the whole church.” It goes on to state that “we are created for communion with God, to love one another, and to live in harmony with creation.” Though many common Lenten practices rightly invite us to individual acts… …
• VBS Registration is Now Open – Registration is now open for Gloria Dei’s Vacation Bible School, scheduled for June 24-27. Click here to check out the VBS website for all the info and to submit registrations. We are partnering with Camp Onomia this summer. The ELCA camping organization will send its counselors to Gloria Dei for the week to help provide… …
• A Tale of Depression and Gender Identity – By Maren Sandra Jansen of the Gloria Dei Mental Health & Recovery MinistryI’ve lived much of my life with depression and major depression. From depression memories as a young child, through my teenage years and through most of my adult years when I was given the diagnosis of major depression. Finally, after years of therapy and… …
• Advent 2023: All Earth is Hopeful – Sunday marks the start of Advent and our spiritual preparation to meet Christ at the end of time and in the babe in the manger. As the nights get darker, for four weeks the church lights more candles, a sign of flickering hope in a world that needs a word of grace and love. These… …
• It’s time for the 2023 Giving Tree! – A Christmas tradition here at Gloria Dei is sharing gifts with homeless youth and families who are facing financial challenges. In partnership with Neighborhood House, LSS Metro Homeless Youth Services and – new this year – the Mendota Mdewankanton Dakota Tribal Community, we have the same opportunity again this year. You can also take a… …
• Mental Health and Recovery Minute: September is Suicide Prevention Month – What do you do if someone you know is considering taking their own life? Help is three digits away by calling or texting 988. You can also do many things to be ready for when a crisis occurs. First, learn about mental health. Make It OK, NAMI, Mental Health Minnesota and the National Institute of Mental Health are good… …
• Scones and Ministry Fair on Sunday, May 21 – The 2022-23 Gloria Dei program year will finish with a flourish on Sunday, May 21. Shobi’s Table, the St. Paul Synod’s food truck mission, will be onsite providing tasty baked good treats after both services. Deacon Kari Olsen, mission director for Shobi’s Table, will be our guest preacher that day. After each service her crew… …
• Connections between mental health and housing – Housing is more than just protection from the outdoor elements. Safe and stable housing is a basic need, and it can be difficult or impossible to care for your mental health if that need is not met. Stable Housing Stable (or secure) housing means that you aren’t living in uncertainty about your housing situation and… …
• The Pastoral Call Process Begins – The Congregational Council is initiating the call process for our associate pastor. A first step is identifying candidates for the Call Committee. The Gloria Dei Constitution and By-laws provides for a Call Committee consisting of seven voting members, appointed by the Council. The term of the Committee will begin in June, 2023,  and will conclude… …
• Skills to Help Deal with Anxiety – Last Sunday’s forum featured Fidgety Fairy Tales Theater Troupe’s performance about anxiety and mental health. Below are additional skills that the Mental Health Ministry would like to share that may help in dealing with anxiety:   To help decrease our anxiety, help us make better decisions, and process information more rationally, we first need to change… …
• March Congregational Council Update – By Scott Karli, President, Congregational Council These past months have been a whirlwind. Highs and lows. On January 29 we celebrated and dedicated the renewed sanctuary, the culmination of Rise, O Church. The following week we were informed of the resignation of Pastor Javen. We have learned, processed and grieved together, and will continue to… …
• Holy Week at Gloria Dei 2023 – Here is the schedule of services for Holy Week at Gloria Dei for 2023. Maundy Thursday, April 6: Announcement of Forgiveness, and Stripping of the Altar, noon and 7 p.m. (livestreamed); Children’s Experience 5 p.m. Good Friday, April: 7: Prayers for the Well-Being of Young People outside the Jimmy Lee Recreation Center, noon; Children’s Experience, 5 p.m.; Passion… …
• March is Problem Gambling Month – For many, the culmination of the NCAA basketball season is a fun, exciting time. For others, March Madness is another opportunity to engage in an activity that has gone from recreational to addictive. March is Problem Gambling Month, a chance to look at personal gambling habits or those of a loved one and learn about… …
• Mental Health Minute: Benefits of Lifelong Learning – Throughout life, learning is one of the things that we can do to keep our brains healthy. People of all ages benefit from formal and informal learning, whether you are learning a new skill, new ideas, languages or even memorizing trivia. Learning boosts mental health, especially when it is done intentionally. Try something that interests… …
• Mental Health Minute: A Reminder on Seasonal Affective Disorder – The our heavy-duty winter the season can take a noticeable toll on us all. Being pent up inside can lead to the onset of depression, commonly known as Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD). According to the NIMH, https://www.nimh.nih.gov/health/publications/seasonal-affective-disorder, symptoms of SAD can include: depressed mood, weight gain, sleeping more than usual, and an urge to “hibernate”.… …
• Bishop Eaton, ELCA bishops join Epiphany worship Jan. 6 – Gloria Dei welcomes ELCA Presiding Bishop Elizabeth Eaton at a candlelight service of Holy Communion on Friday, Jan. 6, at 7 p.m. to celebrate the arrival of the magi to the newborn Christ. Epiphany signals the end of the 12 days of Christmas and the beginning of a season of light that lasts until Lent. Gloria Dei also… …
• Rise, O Church celebration events are announced – What comes after completing a big project? Some big celebrations, of course! Listed at below are the first round of special services, events and concerts that will commemorate the completion of the Rise, O Church sanctuary renewal and new organ installation project. More events will be added to this list as scheduling is finalized. All… …
• Year-end Congregational Council update – Greetings, The Congregational Council convened regular monthly meetings on November 15 and again December 15. At the forefront of those meetings was a review of the financial standing of the church, with an eye toward the 2023 budget. That proposed budget will be recommended by the Finance Committee, reviewed by Council, shared with the congregation… …
• Advent Evening Prayer, Wednesday Supper Canceled – Due to a frightful weather forecast, Advent Evening Prayer tomorrow night has been canceled. The Wednesday Supper is also canceled but youth and adult choir rehearsals are still scheduled. You’re also welcome to watch a replay of last week’s Advent Evening Prayer here on Gloria Dei’s YouTube channel. …
• Mental Health Minute: Be Still Amid the Advent Chaos – by Gloria Dei and Mental Health Ministry member Ellen Whitted Shopping lists, over extended schedules, mall parking lots that are filled with impatient shoppers, one more holiday card to send, grocery shopping… be still. An added commitment because you forgot about the school band concert, shoveling snow, buying the last Christmas tree in the lot,… …
• A Thanksgiving Message from Room 99 – The Rojas family would like to share the following message with the Gloria Dei community. “Luis, Sebastian, and I give thanks to God for giving us life and for welcoming us into God’s home, giving us food, clothing, health, and beautiful people who help us every day with everything we need. Thank you to the pastors for… …
• Preparing for a “Less is More” Christmas – Advent starts this Sunday (Nov. 27), a time for reflection as we prepare to celebrate the birth of Jesus. Over the course of the last few years, many of us have learned to scale back and think about the holidays in simpler terms. This season Gloria Dei is making available an Advent devotional resource, A Less… …
• Participate in the 2022 Giving Tree – Each year we help others celebrate Christmas by sharing gifts with youth and families who are facing financial challenges. In partnership with Neighborhood House and Rezek House, Gloria Dei has the opportunity to share our blessings. Please use one or more of the forms below (there were too many gift requests to fit on a… …
• Mental Health Minute: Housing Help Provides Stability – Everyone needs safe, decent, stable housing. For some of the most vulnerable people in America — people with mental illness, chronic health conditions, histories of trauma, and other struggles — a home helps them to get adequate treatment and start on the path toward recovery. But some conditions make it difficult for people to maintain… …
• Seeing the light about Seasonal Affective Disorder – The drastic shortening of daylight as we approach winter is noticeable to all. For some, this change signals the onset of depression, commonly known as Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD). According to the NIMH, symptoms of SAD can include: depressed mood, weight gain, sleeping more than usual, and an urge to “hibernate”. The onset of SAD… …
• “A Part of Me Feels______” – These five words are a relatively straightforward way to connect with yourself as you strive for clarity and happiness in your life. Of course, it’s the sixth word that may cause you to pause, look within yourself, and try to discern a specific emotion. “These five words can start a helpful shift. It’s a process… …
• Youth Trips Summer 2023 – Click here for more information on Camp Wapo for Grades 7-8 Click here for more information on Guatemala ’23 Click here for more information on North Carolina ’23 …
• Story Telling Cohort: Sharing a Life Narrative– Rescheduled for 2023 – Wednesdays 1:30 – 3:00 p.m. January 25, February 1, 8, 15 Click here to register. Resolving to learn something new? Join a storytelling cohort, based on the principles and techniques championed by The Moth Radio Hour. We will meet for four Wednesday afternoons, when we will learn a little bit about the craft of storytelling,… …
• October Congregational Council Recap – The Congregational Council met for its regular monthly meeting on October 18. Treasurer Ben Finkelstein reported that our giving in the second and third quarters was down, behind both our budget expectations and our giving last year. This decline now constitutes a trend. Council discussion reminds us that giving in the life of Gloria Dei… …
• Trunk or Treat is Sunday, October 30 from 2:30 – 4:30 p.m. – Gloria Dei will be hosting its first Trunk or Treat event in over two years this Sunday, Oct. 30 from 2:30 – 4:30 p.m. There will be over 25 decorated trunks handing out candy, books and toys to trick or treaters! A St. Paul firetruck will be stopping by along with the St. Paul police… …
• Things you can do to help prevent suicides – Suicide is a public health crisis and is approached as such by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Every age group and community is impacted by suicide; fatalities are highest among middle-aged and older white men. Dr. Christine Moutier, Chief Medical Officer for the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention, “gleans hope from recent discoveries… …
• Room 99 Update: Gearing Up For Winter – The Rojas family (our asylum seekers from Peru living at Gloria Dei) has never seen snow. Never experienced subzero temperatures or wind chills. Let’s make sure they are prepared for their first Minnesota winter! As you get yourself and your children ready for the coming cold, is there gently used outerwear in your closet you… …
• Church Council September Update – The Congregational Council met for its regular monthly meeting on Sept. 20.   Treasurer Ben Finkelstein reported that our year-to-date offering income has fallen slightly behind our budgeted expectation. This, combined with elevated expenses, has begun to put pressure on our budget and our operational balances. We will keep an eye on this. Capital giving… …
• On World Mental Health Day, Oct. 10, Let’s Make Mental Health & Well-Being for All a Global Priority – Our world is reeling under the effects of the coronavirus pandemic, wars, displacement, and the climate emergency, all of which have consequences for the well-being of world citizens. Rates of people experiencing suicidal ideas are increasing globally and people with lived experiences of mental illnesses, their families and other populations continue to tell us that… …
• Gloria Dei is certified as a Climate Justice Congregation – Gloria Dei Lutheran Church has been certified as a Climate Justice Congregation by Minnesota Interfaith Power & Light (MNIPL), a statewide climate justice organization representing thousands of people of faith and conscience. Gloria Dei joins an elite group of 24 congregations around the state taking strong and effective actions to address climate change. MNIPL’s year-long… …
• Working Together to Do Reparations Well – Growing out of our Land Acknowledgment Statement, Gloria Dei leadership (Pastors, Staff, and Racial Justice Committee) realizes the words of the statement now need to take shape in our community. We, therefore, are now entering a time of active participation in establishing reparations and seeking relationships with Native American people and communities. This is action that… …
• Join us on Fall Kickoff Sunday, September 11 – The 2022-23 Gloria Dei program year will get rolling with Fall Kickoff on Sunday, Sept. 11. It will be the final week of summer service times of 8:15 and 10 a.m. At 11 a.m. the festivities will move outside for a potluck meal, live music, petting zoo and a ministries fair. We need volunteers! Can… …
• September is National Recovery Month: Substance abuse and mental health disorders often go together – National Recovery Month is marked nationally every September as a time to promote new treatment and practices to help people recover from substance use orders. It’s also a chance to celebrate a strong and proud recovery community and service providers and others who make recovery possible. Substance use disorder is a mental disorder that affects… …
• Room 99 Project – September Update – The Rojas family is gearing up for fall! Their top priority is making sure the transition to school goes smoothly for Sebastian. They had a great tour of Riverview this week and are excited by the opportunities the school offers. Luis and Stephanie will begin EL (English Language) classes soon. If you’ve had a chance… …
• Room 99 Project – August Update – We welcomed our first family (Luis, Stephanie, and Sebastian) into the Room 99 apartment a week ago! They are excited and relieved to have a safe and stable home. Already they’ve made connections with staff, families with kids, and our gardening group, and they visited the Highland Pool on the hottest day of the summer.… …
• June and July Congregation Council Update – The Congregational Council met for its standing monthly meetings on June 21 and July 19, respectively. Agenda items included Committee updates from Human Resources, Stewardship, Shared Ministry and more. Treasurer Ben Finkelstein reported on the June Financial Summary. After a strong first quarter of giving, offering income has slowed in the summer months. At the… …
• Soul Food Book Discussion Group Resumes this Fall – Soul Food returns this fall, and we’ll have an even better discussion if you are with us! Soul Food meets at Gloria Dei most Wednesday mornings of the school year, 9:30 – 11:00 a.m., to share faith, get to know others, and discuss a book from a Christian perspective. We’re starting to choose our books… …
• Room 99 Project — July Update – After two years, we are thrilled to announce that the renovation of Room 99 is complete! Thanks to the hard work of Langer Construction, the furniture assembly and tile expertise of Scott Keyes, the steady assistance of Clayton Gardner, and the wonderful volunteers who cleaned the space and unpacked, washed, and set up the kitchen… …
• Sanctuary Technology Update – We have successfully reentered our newly renovated sanctuary, and much of our tech has launched adequately, including screens, sound reinforcement, lighting, and livestream. Despite missing some key elements (due to supply chain issues), these systems are operational and we are learning how to use them better each week. We are grateful to our generous volunteers… …
• Latest eNews – Read our latest eNews. …
• Summer Guest Preaching Series – Bringing Good News Summer Guest Preaching Series This summer, Gloria Dei will welcome preachers from a variety of contexts to share a word from God with us. The grant that supports Pastor Bradley’s sabbatical journey also brings us a collection of pastors to share holy wisdom centered in the lectionary and informed by their diverse… …
• Message from Racial Justice Team – Gifts to the Community through Gloria Dei Children and Families From January to May of this year, the Racial Justice Committee completed the task of providing anti-racist and diverse children’s literature to the Sunday School children of Gloria Dei and their families, as well as to the Highland Park Elementary and Gloria Dei libraries. This… …
• Room 99 Project Update – June 2022 – A lot is happening with Room 99! Recent highlights include a successful plumbing inspection, completion of electrical wiring, painting in the bathroom and main living space, installation of the flooring and baseboards, preparation for installing the heating and cooling unit, and installation of the door frames to the apartment and bathroom.     The next… …
• Mental Health Minute – Our Gloria Dei Mental Health Ministry team of volunteers offers Mental Health Minutes as they work to educate, create awareness and support the mental health of our community. Below are past Mental Health Minutes that we sent in our weekly News from Gloria Dei emails, with the most recent at the top of the list.… …
• Latest eNews – Read the latest reflection from Pastor Javen and our eNews. …
• Gloria Dei Giving Garden 2022 – Hello everyone! My name is Kristina Ralston, and I am the volunteer coordinator for the Giving Garden this summer! My family and I (husband, Andrew, two children, Sylvia (12) and Gavin (10), and our cockapoo, Finnley) live near Mendota Heights, and are happy to be attending church again at Gloria Dei. I look forward to… …
• Women’s Synodical Convention – 33rd Saint Paul Area Synodical Women’s Organization Convention Register now for the 33rd Saint Paul Area Synodical Women’s Organization Convention. Saturday, July 16 from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. at Bethesda Lutheran Church in Inver Grove Heights with lunch provided. We invite all women at Gloria Dei, all ages, to attend. We also need a… …
• Meeting Recap – Recap of May 8, 2022, Congregational Meeting Click here to read the recap. …
• LED Screens – LED screens are up. Your hymnal and bulletin are safe. God’s gonna meet us in new ways. Greetings from your Assistant Director of Worship Production. What a wild ride we’ve been on these last two years! Before the pandemic found us in Minnesota, Gloria Dei’s video ministry comprised of about thirty videos that had supplemented… …
• Rise, O Church Project – Rise, O Church Project Status Report – April 2022 Over 150 people took a preview tour of the Sanctuary on April 23-24, and we look forward to worship with many more in our renewed Sanctuary beginning June 5, Pentecost Sunday. As we shared earlier, the pipe organ installation begins in late September with expected completion… …
• Staff Summer Sabbaticals – …
• – In gratitude to God, Gloria Dei supports the Saint Paul Area Synod’s Planting Hope Campaign. This campaign builds on the Synod’s strengths and calls us to stretch in new ways as a Synod. This Synod-wide campaign will equip a vibrant church to be sent into the world. We ask our Gloria Dei community to support… …
• Room 99 Project Update – April 2022 – Relieved. Excited. Ready. All of these describe how the Immigrant Justice Team reacted when we learned that the City of Saint Paul approved the building permit for Room 99 on April 1. Let the renovation begin! The permitting process, while lengthy, gave us time to look carefully at the space. We needed to square our… …
• Equipping Families to Talk about Racial Justice – Gloria Dei’s Racial Justice Committee periodically shares message about its work and opportunities for the Gloria Dei community to participate in work on racial justice. This message is from Mark Becker, a Racial Justice Committee member. One of the Racial Justice Committee’s favorite projects this year is distributing children’s books to the Sunday School children… …
• April is Volunteer Appreciation month – Gloria Dei Shared Ministries April is Volunteer Appreciation month, a time set aside to recognize the many contributions of volunteers to our society. It is a time when we, too, recognize the many ways Gloria Dei members, through their gifts of time and talent, carry out the mission and ministry of the congregation, even during… …
• Rise, O Church Status Report – February 2022 – The new steel beams are in, which allowed columns in the Sanctuary to be removed. See the latest status report for photos and more. …
• COVID Health & Safety as of March 1, 2022 – Effective March 1, 2022, our current practice at Gloria Dei is to wear masks for worship and in any gathering larger than 15 people. This extends to all Sunday morning activities (worship, Sunday School, Sunday Forum) and all Wednesday evening activities (Lenten worship, Confirmation). We recognize the declining case rates locally, and we want to… …
• Room 99 Project Update – February 2022 – Long-time Minnesotans have their own brand of faith in resurrection. We cling to the hope that, despite all the snow on the ground and the overnight lows, spring is around the corner. That hope is proving indispensable as we await the start of renovations to Room 99. This past month, our architect provided Langer, the… …
• A Note from Council President Cathy Sedacca – Gloria Dei Church Council President Animal lover and selfie-taker February 2022 At the February Council meeting, we reviewed the Treasurer’s Report. Giving is off to a good start at this early point in the year. We approved participation in the Saint Paul Area Synod’s “Planting Hope” campaign. Gloria Dei’s goal is to contribute $50,000. We… …
• Annual Meeting Recap and Rise, O Church Update – Read a recap of items discussed during our 2022 Annual Meeting held on Sunday, Feb. 13, 2022, including an update on our Rise, O Church construction project. …
• Racial Justice Committee Work – Gloria Dei’s Racial Justice Committee develops a strategic plan and coordinates Gloria Dei’s activities in support of racial justice and equality. View a timeline of the committee’s work since it’s inception to today. …
• Prayer of the Day and Readings – For the week of May 23 – 29, 2022 You may use this resource (content also below) for your home devotional life. Scripture readings for each day flow from the Sunday readings, and prepare us for the following Sunday. You may use the Prayer of the Day as a daily centering prayer. Prayer of the… …
• Like A Pebble in A Pond – Gloria Dei’s Racial Justice Committee periodically shares message about its work and opportunities for the Gloria Dei community to participate in work on racial justice. This message is from Mark Becker, a Racial Justice Committee member. The Gloria Dei Little Library Project began Sunday, Jan. 23, 2022, with the delivery of Racial Justice books to… …
• Room 99 Project Update – January 2022 – In our last update, we reported that Room 99 renovations could not begin until plans to satisfy Saint Paul zoning and code requirements had been approved by the City. We’re happy to report that we received zoning approval on Dec. 6, along with this nice comment: “Thank you for carrying out your mission to make… …
• Rise, O Church Status Report – December 2021 – Hope Amid Change Our new year, 2022, is here. The year we expect the “Rise, O Church” Sanctuary renewal to be complete. Excavation and construction continue, and we see progress. In this pandemic time, we hear about supply chain issues and workforce issues that impact all industries, including the construction industry. We learned that despite… …
• Room 99 Project Update – December 2021 – We are close. In our last update, we reported that Room 99 renovations could not begin until plans to satisfy Saint Paul zoning and code requirements had been approved by the City. We’re happy to report that we received zoning approval on Dec. 6, along with this nice comment: “Thank you for carrying out your… …
• Local Newspapers from Other Cultural/Ethnic Groups – If you are interested in reading local newspapers from other cultural/ethnic groups in the Twin Cities, Gloria Dei’s Racial Justice Committee suggests the following: – MN Spokesman-Recorder ($35 a year; weekly paper). Oldest Black-owned newspaper in MN. See website to subscribe. – The Circle (online; monthly). Native American news and arts. – Sahan Journal (online; free).… …
• Rise, O Church Status Report – November 2021 – The foundations have been strengthened and the existing beams and columns scanned for needed reinforcement. The steel has been ordered as needed for the kitchen and Fellowship Hall ceiling to support the new chancel platform. Some demolition has begun in the Sanctuary to prepare for the removal of the columns, and to prepare for installation… …
• Room 99 Project Update – November 2021 – From the moment we began to imagine housing asylum seekers at Gloria Dei, we’ve been learning. The month of November was no exception, with education happening on many fronts. – The Immigrant Justice Team hosted two Sunday Forums that detailed the experience of asylum seekers (Nov. 7) and provided an update on Room 99 (Nov.… …
• Confirmation Winter Retreat – Click here for more info on our Confirmation Winter Retreats, 2022 …
• Room 99 Project Update – October 2021 – On May 16, 2021, the congregation renewed its commitment to immigrant justice and voted to modify Room 99, an underused classroom, to add shower and clothes washing facilities and upgrade the current kitchenette. This is the latest on the project. October was an exciting month for the Room 99 project. The big news is that… …
• Rise, O Church Status Report – October 2021 – Beginning on Oct. 5 the church was a flurry of activity with many volunteers and staff removing and relocating items from the Sanctuary and spaces that will be impacted below the Sanctuary. Music Director Tim Strand led a team to dismantle the existing organ, and many of its parts will be reused on other organ… …
• Gloria Dei Supports Beacon Interfaith Housing Collaborative – $10,000 Gift Approved by Council At the October 2021 Church Council meeting, the Gloria Dei Gifts, Grants and Memorials Committee (GGM) recommended a $10,000 gift to Beacon Interfaith Housing Collaborative (Beacon). As seed money, this gift will support a planned project to develop permanent affordable and supportive housing for families in Ramsey County. Our Beacon… …
• Volunteer with the Weekend Backpack Program – We need volunteers to help in two ways. We are purchasing our nutritious foods for the Weekend Backpack Program. Purchase healthy snacks at Target or Aldi as they have a better selection of healthy snacks. You can drop them off at the church in the Sharing Place (Room 98), just past the New Member bulletin… …
• Room 99 Project Update – September 2021 – On May 16, 2021, the congregation renewed its commitment to immigrant justice and voted to modify Room 99, an underused classroom, to add shower and clothes washing facilities and upgrade the current kitchenette. This is the latest on the project. Anticipation is growing around the Room 99 ministry! Months of planning and meetings have brought… …
• Join the Room 99 Preparation Effort – —Message by Lenore Franzen As the Immigrant Justice Team prepares Room 99 to serve as temporary housing for asylum seekers, we’ve been busy with many tasks: – Meeting with the construction company – Building a network of community partners – Ordering kitchen cabinets – Planning and putting processes in place that will support this ministry… …
• Caring for Creation: Green Workspace – And one called to another and said, “Holy, holy, holy is the Lord of hosts; the whole earth is full of His glory. ~ Isaiah 6:3 When Earth was created, God entrusted us as its stewards and calls us to care for it and each other in all our actions. When we make environmentally-wise choices… …
• Shared Ministry at Gloria Dei – …
• Gloria Dei Supported Dakota Wacipi (Pow Wow) – A reflection from Mark Becker, who co-leads the Gloria Dei Racial Justice Committee, about his experience at the Dakota Mendota Mdewakaton Wacipi (Pow Wow) the weekend of Sept. 10-12, 2021. Gloria Dei was invited to join with Cherokee Park United Church to help support the 2021 Dakota Mendota Mdewakaton Wacipi (Pow Wow). Living into our… …
• Rise, O Church Status Report – September 2021 – From the outside it may have looked quiet, but it’s been a busy summer for the “Rise, O Church” Sanctuary renewal project. On Sunday, Oct. 3, we will gather in the Sanctuary for the last worship services for several months. [click here to read more] …
• Room 99 Project Update – August 2021 – On May 16, 2021, the congregation renewed its commitment to immigrant justice and voted to modify Room 99, an underused classroom, to add shower and clothes washing facilities and upgrade the current kitchenette. This is the latest on the project. Gloria Dei is one month closer to creating a safe, welcoming home for asylum seekers… …
• Help Me Connect Website Helps Young Families Find Local Services – The Help Me Connect website helps families navigate local community, county and state resources. Help Me Connect is for pregnant and parenting families of children up to eight years old. Families, care providers and others who support families can use Help Me Connect to find many services, some listed below. Healthy development and screening. Developmental… …
• Caring for Creation – Read the latest tips and information provided by the Gloria Dei Caring for Creation team. Greener Transportation To this end I strenuously contend with all the energy Christ so powerfully works in me. ~ Colossians 1:29 In the same way, faith by itself, if not accompanied by action, is dead. ~ James 2:17 When Earth… …
• Room 99 Project Update – July 2021 – On May 16, 2021, the congregation renewed its commitment to immigrant justice and voted to modify Room 99, an underused classroom, to add shower and clothes washing facilities and upgrade the current kitchenette. This is the latest on the project. As we prepare for the renovation of Room 99, we continue to engage with a… …
• Guatemalan Paintings Available for Purchase – Updated July 2021 – Salvador Reanda, the painter of La Ultima Cena (The Last Supper), which hangs above the altar in the Gloria Dei sanctuary, and the owner of the Galeria Expresiones in Santiago Atitlan, Guatemala, continues to make the gallery’s paintings available for sale and shipment to the U.S. The Guatemalan economy, particularly around Lake Atitlan, has suffered… …
• Gloria Dei Financial Update – Gloria Dei Financial Update as of July 31, 2021. If you have questions, please contact Beverly Sargent, Finance and Administration Director. …
• Room 99 Project Update – June 2021 – Since the Gloria Dei congregational vote to approve the modification of Room 99, an underused classroom, to add shower and clothes washing facilities and upgrade the current kitchenette, the Immigrant Justice Team has been busy. Here’s a recap of our activities this past month, as well as the projected timeline. Activities – We’ve met with… …
• Class of 2021 Recognition – During online worship on June 6 we recognized many of our graduates. In case you missed it, you can watch the video here. Congratulations to all our graduates! …
• 9th and 10th Graders Prepare LWR Care Kits – During Lent 2021, our 9th and 10th graders met with their adult mentors in one-on-one online meetings to discuss their faith each week. Some mentors used a curriculum provided by Lutheran World Relief (LWR). Melanie Ronneberg, the adult mentor for 9th grader Gabriel Ishaq, said, “I enjoyed reviewing the Lutheran World Relief stories during lent,… …
• Caring for Creation: Water for Life – Wherever the river goes, every living creature that swarms will live, and there will be very many fish, once these waters reach there. It will become fresh; and everything will live where the river goes. ~ Ezekiel 47:9 When Earth was created, God entrusted us as its stewards and calls us to care for it… …
• Proposal for Room 99 – Approved May 16 – Room 99 Housing To view the recording of the the Immigrant Support Team’s congregational update on April 27 about the Room 99 housing proposal, click here. Representatives from two faith communities that are currently housing immigrants shared their experiences and answer questions. The Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs) (updated April 29, 2021) may help answer your… …
• Confirmation Credo Projects 2021 – Our 10th graders completed a number of fantastic credo projects this year. Even though they are not able to share them with you in person, please take a few minutes to look the projects over to see the good work the Spirit has done through the whole church in faithful instruction and careful consideration to… …
• Gloria Dei Lutheran Signs Historic Covenant with Two Other Churches – On Sunday, April 11, 2021, Gloria Dei signed an historic covenant in accompaniment with Easter Lutheran Church in Eagan, MN, and El Divino Salvador Del Mundo, a member congregation of the Iglesia Luterana Agustina De Guatemala. The three churches agreed to walk together in friendship and solidarity. Below is a video of the gathering, the… …
• Caring for Creation: Appreciating Nature – The heavens declare the glory of God; the skies proclaim the work of his hands. Day after day they pour forth speech; night after night they reveal knowledge. They have no speech, they use no words; no sound is heard from them. Yet their voice goes out into all the earth, their words to the… …
• Gloria Dei Opposes Racism Against Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders – A Message from the Gloria Dei Racial Justice Committee As followers of Christ, our mission is to stand with victims of racism in all of the ways it is expressed. We recognize the terror felt by Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders during this year, as blame has falsely been placed on them for the pandemic. This… …
• Right Time Wednesdays –   Youth grades 7-12, join us for December Right Time Wednesdays: Advent days of service. We’ll be tying no-sew fleece hats to benefit The Bridge for Youth, a street outreach for those experiencing homelessness, making dog toys for animal rescue, and packing backpacks for Highland Elementary. Come anytime between 4:30-6:30 p.m. in the Minnesota Room… …
• Caring for Creation: The Web of Life – When Earth was created, God entrusted us as its stewards and calls us to care for it and each other in all our actions. When we make environmentally-wise choices we are celebrating and respecting creation, giving thanks for Earth’s abundant resources, and being good stewards with what we’re given. Genesis 2:15 tells us, ”The Lord… …
• Caring for Creation: Advocate for Environmentally Friendly Legislation – But let justice roll on like a river, righteousness like a never failing stream. ~ Amos 5:24 Justice and only justice you shall follow, that you may live and inherit the land that the lord your God is giving you. ~ Deuteronomy 16:20 Open your mouth, judge righteously, defend the rights of the poor and… …
• Gloria Dei Caring for Creation 2020 Update on Energy Use Reduction Projects – When the COVID-19 shutdown occurred, Gloria Dei locked its doors, turned off the boilers and shut off all unnecessary electricity demands. Beverly Sargent, Director of Finance and Administration, and Clayton Gardner, new-to-GDLC Maintenance Supervisor, quickly noted that we were not seeing energy cost reductions as anticipated and dug in. With the help of a 2017… …
• Reporting and Responding to Sexual Misconduct – Safe Community at Gloria Dei The Gloria Dei Congregation is committed to preventing sexual misconduct within the church and throughout our communities by rostered ministers, other employees, congregation members, participants, or volunteers, and to responding promptly with justice and compassion when such misconduct occurs. While there have been no reported incidents of this nature at… …
• Stay in Community – But speaking the truth in love, we must grow up in every way into the one who is the head, into Christ, from whom the whole body, joined and knit together by every ligament with which it is equipped, as each part is working properly, promotes the body’s growth in building itself up in love.… …
• Caring 4 Creation: Reuse and Repair – Do not conform to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is – his good, pleasing and perfect will. ~ Romans 12:2 When Earth was created, God entrusted us as its stewards and calls us to care… …
• Gratitude Toward Creation – Whatever you do in word or deed, do all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks through Him to God the Father. ~ Colossians 3:17 In everything give thanks; for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus. ~ 1 Thessalonians 5:18 When Earth was created, God entrusted us as its stewards… …
• Global Missions Team Update – December 2020 – In late October, 10 Gloria Dei Lutheran Church members met to discuss the initiatives of our mission partners in Tanzania and Guatemala. We wanted to share our updates with the congregation, even though travel to both countries has been paused during the COVID-19 pandemic. If you want to join the Global Mission Team at Gloria… …
• Learning About Our Environment – The heart of the discerning acquires knowledge, for the ears of the wise seek it out. ~ Proverbs 18:15 When Earth was created, God entrusted us as its stewards and calls us to care for it and each other in all our actions. When we make environmentally-wise choices we are celebrating and respecting creation, giving… …
• Sanctuary Movement Status: Immigration, Refugees and Gloria Dei’s Commitment to our Neighbors – Thank you to all who participated in the October 18 Forum on immigration issues. Special thanks to Gloria Dei member Monica Dooner Lindgren, our presenter, who provides legal services to the immigrant community. Gloria Dei’s Immigrant Support Team provided an update on immigration issues and ways we are responding. Ongoing changes in our federal government’s… …
• Energy Efficiency at Home – The heavens are yours, the earth is also yours; the world and all that is in it – you have founded them. ~ Psalms 89:1 When Earth was created, God entrusted us as its stewards and calls us to care for it and each other in all our actions. When we make environmentally-wise choices we… …
• Creation Care – God first created Earth, and then created humankind. And the first task to humankind was to see that God’s creation was good and to care for it – to till and keep the Garden of Eden, and to care for the plants and animals on all the land and sea. Joining together to care for… …
• Breathless – by Lenore Franzen, Gloria Dei member Sometimes there are no words, and there shouldn’t be. George Floyd is trying to tell us something. His first message was clear, urgent: he couldn’t breathe because of the pressure Derek Chauvin applied to his neck for more than eight minutes before Mr. Floyd died of asphyxiation. But as… …
• Rise O, Church Update – At the May 10 online congregational meeting it was reported that the Rise, O Church campaign has been paused until sometime this fall when we will reassess whether it is prudent to start up again. The congregation was assured that it remains an active, ongoing project with much activity and planning taking place while we… …
• Gloria Dei Community for Young Adults – 20-Somethings/30-Somethings Group By Chloe Ahlf Six years ago, I sat down with Meredith Pain, Rachel Manz and Megan Henry for the first time. We had all, separately, approached the pastors about a ministry group within Gloria Dei that focused on young adults. Nothing existed. So, Pastor Lois brought the four of us together to dream… …
• Support for our Community – Ways to Find Assistance Saint Paul Meal Distribution for Families in Need  The City of Saint Paul has partnered with Youthprise, Arts-Us and the Sanneh Foundation to provide free meal service to Saint Paul families in need. Families with minor children in the home will be eligible to pick up one meal bag per child per week. Each meal bag contains seven… …
• Coronavirus Fast Five Tips – By Parish Nurse Jill Stewart Health experts report that we are approaching the peak of the current COVID outbreak. We will need to be careful to protect ourselves for a while. In the meantime, all aspects of the outbreak are being studied and some helpful information is emerging. Handwashing is still the most important way… …
• Virtually Present or Truly Present:  On Deciding to Celebrate Holy Communion Online for Maundy Thursday and Easter Sunday – by Pastor Bradley E. Schmeling, Gloria Dei Lutheran Church, Saint Paul, Minnesota Read Pastor Bradley’s full message. Summary: Gloria Dei celebrated Holy Communion on Maundy Thursday and Easter Sunday in its online worship services. We will continue to include Holy Communion on the last Sunday of the month while we continue online worship. This time of… …
• Be Hospital Ready – “Being ready” means having a plan for what to do when we need to respond quickly and efficiently. We plan and practice for severe weather and keep jumper cables in our cars. It is a good idea to have a contingency plan for going to the hospital, especially during this pandemic. First, recognize when it… …
• Instructions to Access Zoom – Worship online with Gloria Dei on Zoom (printable PDF version) You can use Zoom without a Zoom account. Your device (computer, phone, tablet) and operating system, and other factors will affect your Zoom experience, including how you access it for the first time. The instructions below are general, based on some experiences. The most important… …
• Ways to Give at Gloria Dei – Your giving matters, especially now as we move to online worship services in response to the COVID-19 pandemic. Gloria Dei offers several ways you can continue to support our ministry, the call to love, welcome, care, heal, and do justice. Electronic, recurring payments help provide the most steady income stream for our church. We thank… …
• Rooted in Beauty – In addition to our beautiful Gloria Dei music program, Gloria Dei is blessed to have an Art Committee that helps us uphold our guiding principle: Rooted in Beauty – we seek transformation through music and art. We also have an Art Gallery, in our lower level, and encourage you to take time to explore the… …
• Inside the Campaign – Inside the Campaign with Timothy Strand Tim Strand has been the Gloria Dei Music Director for 10 years. Our Rise, O Church campaign will help Gloria Dei get a new pipe organ, which means Tim’s musical talent will shine even more in our worship and music programs. By the way, Tim is the composer of… …
• Rise, O Church Sanctuary Renewal – Join us for our upcoming Rise, O Church events. Learn more about our sanctuary renewal at https://www.riseochurch.info/. …
• Sign Up for Flowers and Donut Holes Online – We appreciate everyone who provides altar flowers and donut holes for our Sunday worship. Beginning this year, you can now place your order online, if you like. Order altar flowers.                        Order donut holes. You can also call the church office at 651-699-1378 to place your order. The price is now $60 for each and you… …
• ISAIAH Core Team – What Can we Learn from the Prophets? – Kyle Anderson, a seminarian from Gloria Dei, shares an assignment that connects the message of the prophets with the work of ISAIAH today. …
• Stories of Faith in Action – Gloria Dei, the Saint Paul Area Synod and the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA) Gloria Dei Lutheran Church is part of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA), one of the largest Christian denominations in the United States, with about 4 million members in nearly 10,000 congregations across the United States, Puerto Rico and the U.S.… …
• Congregation Approves Sanctuary Renewal Proposal – Congregation approves the Sanctuary Master Plan and authorizes the “Rise, O Church” campaign to raise the needed funds for the implementation of this plan. Thank you to everyone who attended the Oct. 13, 2019, meeting. Click here to request a copy of Gloria Dei Sanctuary Renewal proposal master plan. (Yes-196; No-16; Abstain-2). …
• The Importance of Getting Around: Health and Transportation – Some of the best things about church life involve being part of a faith community. Belonging is good for us because it provides a sense of purpose, social time, and it boosts health by reducing isolation and loneliness. When people have trouble getting to church – and other events or appointments – because they do… …
• Sanctuary Renewal Frequently Asked Questions – Frequently Asked Questions On Sunday, May 19th, the sanctuary renewal team presented the results of the design process to this point.  The following were the questions that were collected at the end of the meeting.  Some have been combined with other similar questions. If you would like further information, please contact one of the pastors… …
• Sanctuary Renewal: Summer of Conversations – On May 19, the Sanctuary Renewal Task Force presented the proposed design for congregational study, discussion, and consideration — today and in the months to come. SUMMER OF CONVERSATIONS  Join us in the nave, at the front of the sanctuary, between services from 9:20 – 9:50. May 26: Together we’ll walk through a spatial tour… …
• Sanctuary Renewal Master Plan Presentation – by Jim Hundt, Foresight Architects Foresight Architects has been creating master plans since our founding in 1993. Since that time, we have completed over 70 master plans for churches around the country – most of which have since been implemented. We felt then as we do today that it’s not good enough for us to… …
• Stepping Out: Renewing our Worship Space – Dear Friends, In the last couple of years, I’ve sometimes chosen to preach from the steps in front of the altar instead of the pulpit.  I don’t do it every time I preach because it’s a lot of work to memorize the sermon.  Some weeks, I have the time.  Others, I just don’t have the… …
• Sanctuary Redesign – by Mike Kruger, Chair of Sanctuary Task  Force Getting involved in the sanctuary redesign effort at Gloria Dei has been quite an adventure and an amazing experience for me! It started with Tim Strand’s demonstration one Sunday morning in the Chancel. He literally gave a “hands on” demonstration on why we needed to replace our… …
• Sanctuary Redesign Needs Assessment Report – In November over 120 people gathered to share their ideas on and input about the future of our worship space. Opinions, ideas, hopes, dreams and concerns were voiced and recorded.  We truly value everyone’s involvement and passion.  All of the information was gathered and submitted to our architect, Jim Hundt of Foresight Architects. Jim has… …
• Greetings from President of Agustinian Lutheran Church of Guatemala – Rev Karen Castillo, pesident of Agustinian Lutheran Church of Guatemala sends an update as 2019 begins. …
• Greetings from Colegio Luterano Agustino de Guatemala – Gloria Dei received this letter from our friends in Guatemala, sharing the good news and thank you for our support.  Translation is provided by Diego Gil. Dear sisters and brothers in Christ, through this letter, we send a fraternal greeting, wishing in God our Lord, you are enjoying the end of the year festivities, time… …
• Prevent Slip, Trip and Fall Injuries – Slips and falls are a leading factor in preventable injuries and deaths. In Minnesota, the rate of deadly falls is rising faster than rates for the US as a whole and we are one of the top states for serious or fatal injury from falls. That is not a good statistic to be known for!… …
• Meet Paul Friesen-Carper, New Assistant Director of Music – Paul begins his ministry with us this December. Here are some fun facts about Paul: 1) What was the first musical instrument you learned to play? Who taught you? My first instrument was the cello. I first was introduced to it when my father taught a beginning strings class for Wawasee Community Schools. I had… …
• Gloria Dei Welcomes Assistant Director of Music – Gloria Dei welcomes Paul Friesen-Carper as our new Assistant Director of Music. This newly-created position helps to expand our music program to include additional style and focus for congregational singing, as well as increased attention to the children’s music program.  Paul will help lead music on Sunday morning and will take over as the director… …
• Meet Kyrstin Schwartz, New Director of Children and Family Faith Formation – Kyrstin will begin her ministry with us on Dec. 3. Read her previous introduction.  We asked her some questions about life and ministry: 1) What kinds of things were you involved in at church as a kid and teen? I loved volunteering in the nursery, teaching VBS and Sunday School, singing in the youth choir,… …
• Fun Facts about Karen Earhuff, Church Office Coordinator – Fun facts about Karen Earhuff, Church Office Coordinator When did you start working at GDLC? I started to work here in February of 2008, I have been here over 10 years. What church are you a member of, and how long have you been a member there? I am a member of the Lutheran Church… …
• Gloria Dei introduces new Director of Children and Family Faith Formation – Kyrstin Schwartz joins Gloria Dei as Director of Children and Family Faith Formation. We’re excited to announce that Kyrstin Schwartz will be joining our staff as the full-time Director of Children and Family Faith Formation. She brings many years of experience in youth and children’s ministry in the Lutheran Church. Pastor Bradley said,  “The search… …
• Why Take on this Project? – On October 14th, Gloria Dei voted to put a down payment on an organ that can be rebuilt in our sanctuary and hired an architect to help us consider our worship needs for the present and future.  Join us after the second service on November 18th for a workshop with architect Jim Hundt to share… …
• A perspective on the Sacred Site Tour – by Steven Peterson I greatly enjoyed hearing a Native American perspective of Minnesota history as presented on the Sacred Sites Tour on October 6 and encourage others to consider this experience. Our guides, Jim Bear, a Mohican, and Bob, a Dakota, had story-telling styles that made their information easy to listen to, even when the… …
• Pastor Bradley’s Letter to Rabbi Adam Spilker, Mt. Zion Temple – Dear Rabbi Spilker, Adam, my colleague and friend, the people of God at Mount Zion Temple The people of Gloria Dei stand alongside the people of Mt. Zion Temple as well as the people of Tree of Life Congregation, crying out to God for healing; for an end to hatred and injustice; for the freedom to… …
• Project Home 2019 – In our mission statement, we proclaim: “By God’s grace, we are called to be a caring, healing and welcoming community who proclaim and celebrate the love of Jesus Christ, live as God’s servants and seek justice for all people.” During Advent, the season of waiting and giving, Gloria Dei lives into our mission by opening… …
• New Staff Member Spotlight, Elizabeth Trites – Meet Elizabeth Trites, our interim co-director of Schola Cantorum! When did you join GDLC? I started coming to Gloria Dei in September 2017. Tell us a little about your “day job” I teach Kindergarten – 8th grade students general music (singing, percussion, recorder, Orff instruments, etc.) at Woodbury Leadership Academy. How did you come to… …
• What?  Change the Chancel? – It’s actually not a new idea to adapt a building to house Christian worship. In fact, Gloria Dei has been adapting its building and its worship practices almost since the current building was constructed in 1950. In this presentation, I try to summarize the history of Christian architecture, with a special focus on the powerful… …
• Chancel Redesign and Organ Update from Congregation President – This is a follow up from the Sunday Forum held on October 7.  There are several additional opportunities to learn more about the process and the future of these potential changes. Gloria Dei Congregation, Thank you so much to the over 130 members who attended our forum on Sunday regarding the Organ and Chancel Redesign.… …
• ISAIAH: Faith Over Fear – Interview of Jeanne Wiger conducted by Amy Hinrichs Why did you join ISAIAH? “ I personally feel that we need to take action. We face the most divided country we’ve witnessed since the Civil War. Our country is falling apart. It so divided and that’s fearful to me. We need to tell our story as… …
• Join a Sunday Morning Pop-up Gathering! – Are you looking for a way to connect spiritually and socially with other members of Gloria Dei?  The monthly Pop-Up Gathering may be for you! You are invited to drop in for a Pop-Up Gathering on the second Sunday of each month, beginning in October.  The name comes from Gather magazine, a publication of the… …
• Guatemala Trip scheduled for July 26 – August 3, 2019 – “We worshipped with El Mirador Church in Guatemala City on Sunday morning,” Katie LeClair, youth director at Gloria Dei, remembers. “The entire church fed us an amazing lunch and we stayed the whole afternoon with them to help build floats for the Palm Sunday processional. While others were pounding nails and painting, I was getting a… …
• How’s your Hearing? Hearing checks available – Hearing loss is an issue that affects people of all ages. In the US, the prevalence is 10-15% according to the National Institutes of Health. People may be born with hearing problems or acquire them over their lifetimes due to disease, aging, and injury. Impaired hearing can affect balance and increase risk for falls; it… …
• Gloria Dei is a Monarch Waystation – Gloria Dei’s rain gardens have all the necessary components to be declared an official Monarch Waystation. …
• New Staff Member Spotlight – Chef Jessica Hauer – Fun Facts about new staff member Chef Jessica When did you join GDLC as a member? We started our journey as visitors in 2012 and became member in 2013 Who is in your family? I am married to Steve and we have 3 kids. Kaylee (13), Kristianna (11) and Briannah (almost 2) What is a… …
• Director of Faith Formation for Children and Families – Gloria Dei Lutheran Church in St. Paul is seeking a full-time Director of Faith Formation for Children and Families. We are a congregation that, by God’s grace, are called to be a caring, healing and welcoming community who proclaim and celebrate the love of Jesus Christ, live as God’s servants and seek justice for all… …
• Special Congregational Meeting scheduled for October 14 – At a September 25th Special Meeting, the Gloria Dei Congregational Council voted to accept and endorse resolutions from both the Organ Committee and the Chancel Redesign Task Force. Subsequently, the council also called a Congregational Meeting for October 14th for the purpose of reviewing these resolutions, gathering thoughts from the congregation, and voting on a… …
• ISAIAH: Systematic Advocacy – It suddenly made a lot of sense when I heard Martha Wegner, one of the original ISAIAH core team members at Gloria Dei, explain it this way. “We’re great at doing charity work here at Gloria Dei,” she told a group of us learning about the need for sick and safe leave time for St.… …
• Racial Injustice – Inclusion over Exclusion – I’m proud to be on the Isaiah team for Gloria Dei. Pastor Bradley gave us the image of huddling from a football perspective on Sunday, September 16.  Your Isaiah team is “huddling” to figure out our team strategy to reach our goal of a commitment from all voters at Gloria Dei to vote on November… …
• Caring and Healing in Palestine: The Urgent Need at the Lutheran Hospital in East Jerusalem. – By Pastor Bradley E. Schmeling The year after I graduated from seminary, I went to the Holy Land.  The Old Testament professor and archeologist who led the trip used Palestinian travel services and hotels to support our trip.  It opened my eyes to some of the deepest challenges that Palestinian people experience in Israel.  One… …
• Rooted in Generosity: sharing our resources and our building – Join us in this joyful work of investing our resources in Christ’s church. Likely, generosity will look different for all of us. What’s the next step for you? …
• Rooted in Generosity – by Lois Pallmeyer The rain garden on the north side of our property has been absolutely bursting with monarch butterflies for the past few weeks. Two Sundays ago, they stopped me in my tracks as I was leaving church, and reminded me of how we are rooted in such amazing generosity when we come to worship.… …
• Resources available during National Recovery Month – Gloria Dei’s Mental Health and Hope in Recovery ministries are offering resources to mark September’s National Recovery Month on Sunday, Sept. 23. Members of the ministries will be at tables with materials in the Gathering Place and near the library between services and after the 11:00 a.m. service. National Recovery Month is sponsored each September by… …
• ISAIAH: A Parish Nursing Perspective – ISAIAH is a great fit with Faith Community /Parish Nursing, which seeks to promote and support spiritual and physical well being of the congregation and broader community. …
• Working with Children, Youth and Vulnerable Adults at Gloria Dei – Gloria Dei takes seriously our work with vulnerable adults, youth and children. All volunteers who serve through our ministries are required to complete a background check and take an online training, as described in our Ministry Volunteer Handbook and church policies. (Please note: the Handbook is currently being revised to reflect our current staff, email… …
• ISAIAH: Action Over Inaction – Supporting Justice and Inclusivity – Amy Hinrichs interviews Kyle Anderson, chair of ISAIAH chapter At our recent ISAIAH training August 18, I asked Kyle Anderson….why join ISAIAH? “I was impressed by the energy of the people of Gloria Dei getting involved in the work to support Safe and Sick Time for St Paul.  When I joined Gloria Dei, ISAIAH was… …
• ISAIAH: Action Over Inaction – by Jacque Bieber I found out about Isaiah when they had the big meeting a few years ago in North Minneapolis. I wanted to find out more about an organization right here in the Twin Cities, devoted to social justice and community building that included people from all religions. I knew there was much for… …
• Third Chapter: Spirituality as We Age — Upcoming Events – If the 1st chapter of our story happens as we grow up (we go to school and are dependent on our parents) and the 2nd Chapter is the next 30 years (we get a job, head out on our own, maybe raise a family or cultivate relationships), the 3rd Chapter is what happens after we… …
• Adults Growing in Faith – Fall, 2018 – Join others as you deepen your faith and discover new ideas in spirituality.  Events occur throughout the week. Sunday Forum. Sunday morning, 9:30 a.m., September – May. Opportunities for deepening our faith and growing in awareness of ministries occurring in our community and throughout the world.  See information for upcoming forum discussions here. What?  Change… …
• Widows’ Group Offers Support, Healing by Lenore Franzen – When my husband Chris died suddenly at age 59, then my mother five days later, my world changed forever. I had little experience with loss on this scale, even less understanding of grief. I kept busy with settling two estates, a full-time job, and maintaining my house and yard. I didn’t have time to mourn.… …
• Hard Work and Wonder in Alaska –    By Hanna Saveraid During our Alaska mission trip, I was part of Construction Crew Two. We worked at a Youth With A Mission (YWAM) site where two missionary families lived, and were able to meet one of them, a husband and wife from New Zealand with two daughters, Emily and Rosemary. They generously made… …
• What’s behind the closed door? by Mary Jo Hallberg – You walk past the closed door every time you enter Gloria Dei via the parking lot.  Ever wonder what’s behind that closed door? Pastor Ann Bergstrom did and spoke of the closed door in a recent sermon: You see, with God, there is always something quietly, often invisibly, going on. There’s a closet door at… …
• Reflections on Fairbanks Trip – Reflections on a mission trip to Fairbanks, Alaska By Don Fulton and Luke Fulton On Monday our group of 25 from Gloria Dei were split into 2 groups. Our group that affectionally called ourselves “The Drill Team” were sent to the Village Network where we worked on a cabin. This was part of the vision… …
• Rally Sunday, 2018 — Rooted in Generosity! – Gather with us on Sunday, September 9, as we kick off a new year of programming, Sunday School, and ministries together. We’ll worship together at 8:15 and 10:45 (note fall worship schedule), and meet for Sunday School, GAPP, or forum at 9:30 a.m.* After the second service, we’ll move out for a celebration on the… …
• ISAIAH: Abundance Over Scarcity – by Barbara Salava For a long time, I felt overwhelmed, powerless and frustrated with how my community and the world we live in, were functioning.  As a nurse, I saw people struggling to obtain adequate healthcare while earning minimal wages including my brother. He has been a diabetic since childhood. Due to deteriorating health, he was… …
• ISAIAH: Faith not Fear – Gloria Dei member Lynn Rankinen talks about ISAIAH and shared values conversations: Faith not Fear and Abundance not Scarcity for the fall candidates. …
• What Does This Mean?  – New Adult Growing in Faith Opportunity for Fall 2018 – Join the pastors as we explore themes of Christian life, exploring the ancient teachings of the church even while taking our questions seriously.  …
• Happy News from Waverly Lutheran, our Partner Church! – A joyous announcement to Gloria Dei’s Harvest Homecoming alumni families! Waverly Lutheran is celebrating the addition of three new members, the newborn children of Daniel and Kendra Helvig. Dan and Kendra have taken over the teaching responsibilities of instructing our second graders in stewardship – the stewardship of the land. They drive the 2 ½… …
• Giving Garden Update – “Plant seeds, Pull Weeds, Harvest Hope.” ~ Anonymous Three little square raised garden beds are accomplishing a lot for the ministry of Jesus this summer! Approximately 15 volunteers are covering twenty weeks of gardening responsibilities: daily watering, weeding and harvesting on Sundays. Volunteers report that they are taking over 8 one-gallon bags each week to… …
• Iglesia Luterana Agustina de Guatemala Accepted into the Lutheran World Federation – We celebrate with our companions on their acceptance into the Lutheran World Federation. …
• Third Chapter’s Sacred Poetry Session – The sunny Gathering Space was fully occupied on the afternoon of Thursday, July 12th, by 15 participants considering SACRED POETRY.  Presenter, poet Ann Floreen Niedringhaus, provided three groups of questions along with packets of sample poems, poetry and writing books, and visual images.  The sections for each period of meditation and/or writing were:  SOURCES AND… …
• Churchwide Resources and Publications – Our denomination produces and offers a variety of rich and informative publications. …
• The Castaways Thank You!  – The five VBS days of “Shipwrecked” are now over. Everyone has been rescued and returned home! Vacation Bible School was a wonderful week for both children and adults, and we will all carry great memories from this time together. Each day began with singing, skits, and a new Bible Point followed by games, movies, science… …
• Gloria Dei Welcomes Dorcas and Her Family on Sunday, July 15 – Saint Paul Reformation has provided sanctuary to Dorcas and her three children, Daniel (11), Elizabeth (8) and Deborah (6) since September, 2017.  They came from the Southwestern Nigerian city of Ibadan, Oyo State, where Dorcas served as a teacher in a Christian school.  They arrived in Houston, Texas, in March of 2017 and petitioned for… …
• Gloria Dei Extends Its Commitment to Accompany Migrant Minors – At its June 19 meeting, the Congregation Council furthers its sanctuary support commitment made by the congregation in March, 2017. …
• We are Shipwrecked! – With an amazing crew of over 100 kids, helpers, and adults, Gloria Dei’s Summer Vacation Bible School is underway. We are playing, singing, creating, imagining, and learning in creative, happy ways.  Our week focuses on the key message that when we’re in trouble, Jesus Rescues and frees us to a life of joy and serving.… …
• It’s Been a Crazy Year! -or- How Are We Doing Financially? – This has been an odd year.  Because of tax law changes, more people prepaid their pledges than in any recent year.  At the end of 2017, we had received $51,336 in prepaid pledges.  In past years, that number has varied from $8,000 to 12,000.  What a difference!  That makes predicting the flow of offering income… …
• From the Midst of the Assembly, We Offer Our Prayers – The Prayers of Intercession are the time in the Sunday service when we lift up our real struggles, our genuine hopes, and our concrete dreams to God, who promises always to hear us. …
• Join our Friday Morning Book Group! – Soul Food will begin this fall, and we’ll have an even better discussion if you are with us! Soul Food meets at Gloria Dei most Friday mornings of the school year to share faith, get to know others, and discuss a book from a Christian perspective. We’re starting to choose our books for next year… …
• Gloria Dei’s Garden Gives Back to Community – We now enter our fifth year of volunteers gardening for support of Francis Basket, the Highland neighborhood food shelf. …
• Synod Assembly: Reflections on Restless and Resolute – This year’s Saint Paul Synod Assembly presented fresh new voices in the church. …
• Welcome to our new Parish Nurse – We asked our new Parish Nurse a few questions as a way to introduce her to the congregation. …
• Organ Committee Update from Task Force – The Organ Task Force is looking at exciting possibilities and a concrete proposal to address this ongoing issue. …
• Summer Spirituality – Nancy reflects on this question: How does God speak to you in the summer? …
• Gloria Dei Giving Garden – Come view the Gloria Dei Giving Garden on the south side of the church. We have raised beds that produce a harvest for Highland’s Food Shelf, Francis Basket. Cash and plant donations are needed, as well as members to sign up for a week of weeding/watering/harvesting throughout the entire season, into October. Sign up to… …
• Gloria Dei hosts Saint Paul synod conference on Racial Justice – Gloria Dei hosts conference in order to acknowledge and better understand racism and our white privilege. …
• Soil, Seeds and Spirituality – Third Chapter is a newer initiative at Gloria Dei, and serves as an expression and forum for talking about and experiencing the periods of growing and changing as we age. …
• Thoughts from the Water Tower: Faces of Grace – The month of May will be the final Water Tower rotation of the year – Faces of Grace. …
• Longer days and the hope of spring – Pastor Lois reflects upon the fact that the gift of spring will come, even if many of the signs of it are still hidden. …
• Stop! Look ! Listen! Read! Mental Health Awareness Month – The Mental Health Ministry team of Gloria Dei encourages members to think about their own lives, as well as the lives of those around them. …
• Guiding Principles: Question 1 – How will you engage worship so that it becomes more meaningful and relevant in your life? …
• Pastor Bradley Gives Invocation for Minnesota State of the State Address – On March 14, 2018, Pastor Bradley prayed at the Joint Session of the Minnesota legislature for Governor Dayton’s final State of the State Address. …
• Maundy Thursday Community Meal and Worship – Using an ancient liturgy from the second century, we’ll gather at tables in another room to sing and hear lessons. The night is designed to create a community of conversation and friendship. It’s a unique opportunity that we hope can open this night to a new understanding of what happened in the upper room with… …
• Thoughts from the Water Tower: March Rotation for 1st – 4th Graders – A criminal says: “God loves me even though I did wrong.” …
• Pastor Bradley Responds to Sunday’s Protester – We’re proud of our mission and we want everyone to know about what Jesus is doing here.  …
• Art Installation Veils the Chancel for Lent 2018 – It’s an old tradition to veil the cross during Lent or for the two weeks before Easter… …
• Children’s Experiences for Ash Wednesday and Holy Week – Gloria Dei invites children and young families to Children’s Experiences crafted uniquely for them… …
• Thoughts from the Water Tower: February Rotation for 1st – 4th Graders – by Deacon Pat Derry A Lost Son says: God loves my bad brother? Luke tells us that “tax collectors and sinners” were drawn to Jesus. How could someone who is drowning in the consequences of wrong choices, experience such gracious acceptance and not feel loved! By contrast, the “church leaders” of the time, Pharisees and… …
• Thoughts from the Water Tower – by Deacon Pat Derry From Martin Luther to Jonah: What’s the connection? What do you associate with the name of Martin Luther? •Grace alone, Faith alone, Word alone? The first Bible in German vernacular? “Here I Stand!” What do you associate with the name of Jonah? •Jonah and the Big Fish? Swallowed by a whale?… …
• Sanctuary Support Opportunities in January 2018 – What’s happening on Immigration and Sanctuary Support fronts?   Join the Gloria Dei Sanctuary Support Team at Adult Forum on Sunday, January 21 for an update on Gloria Dei’s efforts to support immigrants in our community and to discuss the current status of immigration actions locally and nationally. Our featured speaker will be Kathy Moccio,… …
• Walk into the New Year: Open Labyrinth Time – What are your hopes, plans, goals, questions, and concerns as you begin the new year? The spiritual practice of walking a labyrinth is a way to reflect on the movement of God in your life. On Tuesday, January 9 the canvas labyrinth will be available from 1:00-6:00 p.m. in The Gathering Place. Come, walk on… …
• Practice Hope — By Martha Wegner Member Blog, Day 20 – For the man or woman who is standing on the corner with a cardboard sign: here is a pair of new warm socks. And a “ticket of hope” good for one free meal at the Union Gospel Mission, along with lots of good people and programs there to give you hope. I keep bags of… …
• Practice Hope – By Julie Schulz. Member Blog, Day 18 – I’ve had my share the last few years. Our oldest son struggles with addiction. The fallout from that journey has put stress on my relationships with my husband and younger son. I’ve had two hospitalizations, one broken neck requiring surgery, and I discovered at age 48 that I was adopted, something I never knew or… …
• Practice Hope – By Meg Stevenson. Member Blog, Day 17 – This year, the Thanksgiving holiday was filled with many blessings, as so many of the people I love gathered over the four days. In many ways my family is my rock, but it is also very much my hope. This strong bond of love fuels my hope and sustains my spirit. Here is a photo… …
• Practice Hope – By Joanne Kendall. Member Blog, Day 16 – Waiting for the late-January (2018) birth of my first great-grandchild is a wonderful way for me to practice hope in Advent 2017. To welcome new life into the world always involves hope and expectation. It gives new significance, too, to these words of a 12th Century mystic, telling me that the birth of Christ continues… …
• Humor and Hope – By Susan Gangl. Member Blog, Day 15 – Humor gives us hope by approaching a situation from a new and unexpected perspective. When done properly – retaining respect for all involved – it can offer relief from the serious frame of mind in which we may find ourselves. Humor is harder and more elegant than wit (I’m good at wit; I know how… …
• Practicing Hope – By Tracy Taubert. Member Blog, Day 14 – My niece, along with three girlfriends, recently completed a cross-country bicycle trip from San Francisco to St. Augustine, FL. In addition to logging over 5,000 miles in three months on two wheels, they accumulated a wealth of wonderful stories of hope and faith to share. First of all, they biked under a banner of hope.… …
• Practice Hope – By Paula Hutchinson. Member Blog, Day 13 – God’s love shines light into my life. Even when I am caught up in the darkness of fear, sadness, or general unease that I can’t quite name, I’ve learned there are always glimmers of hope and goodness that are present if I’m awake and willing to look for them. The real trick for me is… …
• Practice Hope – By Pat Derry. Member Blog, Day 12 – It didn’t seem possible! Suddenly I was forced to sit quietly at home, leaving the work I loved! But vertigo was relentless; conversing for an hour was too much. I reluctantly accepted my new reality. My daughter became my guardian angel, and the care and prayers of family and church family lifted my spirits. I… …
• Writing Is An Act of Hope – By Martha Wegner. Member Blog, Day 11 – “I feel that writing is an act of hope, a sort of communion with our fellow [human beings].” – Isabelle Allende Last year, I made a commitment to put my Advent practice to work in a concrete and tangible way. My plan was to choose one of the Advent themes, act on that theme for… …
• Practice Hope – By Karen Earhuff. Member Blog, Day 10 – Thirteen years ago I had the most severe headache of my life. I was experiencing the bursting of a brain aneurysm. I went through surgery where 2 aneurysms were closed with titanium clips. I was in a sorry state, physically and mentally and spent 31 days at St. Joseph’s ICU. I was visited by a… …
• Practice Hope – By Jayne Hovda. Member Blog, Day 9 – I had been struggling with the concept of practicing hope because I was stuck on the idea that I first had to find hope. This is easy when I make my world small and look within my family and neighborhood because I am blessed in my life. The difficulty comes when I widen my world… …
• Practice Hope – By John Teipel. Member Blog, Day 8 – I was shocked! As a young 30-year-old runner, someone who’d been physically active and healthy all my life, I was stunned in 1999 when I felt like I was having a heart attack. In follow-up with a cardiologist, I learned that I needed a mitral valve replacement. No problem – it’s a routine surgery and… …
• Practice Hope – By Garth Englund. Member Blog, Day 7 – The world needs a little more hope. The discernment of my call to Seminary was, at a fundamental level, centered on a desire to help bring God’s hope shown in Jesus Christ to a world in need. Too often, unfortunately, rather than living as examples of hope, the followers of Christ have (both intentionally and… …
• Practicing Hope in the Work I Do For Pay – By Erika Taibl. Member blog post, Day 6 – I changed jobs this year. For three years, I worked in communications for a Fortune 200 food and agriculture company. I had challenging and good work to do. I had opportunities to learn and grow. I worked with talented people. I was compensated well. I was rising in the company, and I felt a connection… …
• Practicing Hope – by Drew Stever. Member Blog, Day 5 – “Trump administration rolls back protections for transgender students.” “Administration announces they will ban transgender people from serving in the military.” “Hate Violence Against Trans People Still ‘Disturbingly Common’” “Candace Towns is the 25th Trans Person Murdered in 2017” (posted on 11/2) It was around this time last year that I came out to my family… …
• Practicing Hope – by Dave Schutt. Member Blog, Day 4 – As a young man working in a lab in St. Paul, I looked up to the engineers I worked with and thought, “I can do that…I want to do that.” The path to get there was not an easy one but a few night classes, a good enough score on the GRE, and a fortuitous… …
• Hope That Goes Beyond – by Dan Lambrides. Member blog, Day 3 – You and I do it. We all do it: we speak as if hope and wish are synonyms, interchangeable words. The old Hebrew Bible and the New Testament provide a different view. We can sum it up: wish is circumstantial; hope is transcendent. Isaiah writes that though the strong, vibrant young “grow tired and weary,”… …
• Practice Hope – by Betsy Diekema. Member Blog, Day 2 – “Hope is the thing with feathers, that perches in the soul, and sings the tune without the words and never stops at all.” Emily Dickinson’s poem about hope has always been a favorite. Our crazy, stressful, uncertain world requires us to search for light and hope. In the darkest of times, God has always provided… …
• Practice Hope – by BethAnn Ahlers. Member blog, Day 1 – In January of 2016, I went in for my routine, annual physical. When examining me, the nurse practitioner said, “I feel a small lump. It’s probably just a cyst, but I want you to have some additional tests in addition to your mammogram.” I really wasn’t too worried at this point. Even after the mammogram… …
• The Reformation Continues – With a Voice of Singing In celebration of dear friends and musical influences, Magnum Chorum offers an evocative program of treasured choral works including Jennings’ jubilant With a Voice of Singing, Be Thou a Smooth Way by Johnson, Dickau’s inspired O Nata Lux, Spirit of Life by Aspaas, and the deeply reassuring Hope and Quietly Wait by Rudoi, reminding us that nothing can… …
• What’s in a Name? – Gloria Dei means The Glory of God in Latin. We recently asked ourselves what’s in a name and how does it help us remember that God’s glory is all around us. We are not the only Gloria Dei Lutheran Church as you can imagine. Conduct a Google search and many other churches who share the… …
• Reformation 500 – Gloria Dei and the Community Celebrates Reformation 500 The year 2017 marks the 500th anniversary of the Reformation. In 1517, the German monk Martin Luther drafted 95 points to spark a conversation about the corruption of the medieval Church. He then nailed his famous “95 Theses” to the door of the church in Wittenberg, where… …
• Two opportunities to support Sanctuary efforts – Act To Protect the Dreamers  The Sanctuary Support Team asks you to pray for the nearly 800,000 people who had received protection from deportation under the 2012 Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) program.  Sometimes referred to as “Dreamers,” these individuals were brought to the U.S. illegally as young children and have never known another… …