Oak Knoll News

We are hiring a Finance Manager. Read the full position description and share with those interested!

In a continuing effort to keep the congregation informed on the issue of affordable housing, the Oak Knoll Beacon Housing Committee likes to share relevant housing articles, information and events. The following message is from the a January Beacon rally titled "Faith in Home."   Over 300 Beacon supporters rallied to advocate for affordable and supportive housing in Minnesota. Six Beacon Oak Knoll members were in attendance. Pictured is four Minnesota State, Hennepin County,

At Oak Knoll, we support March Food Share Month by partnering with ICA. This March, we are collecting non-perishable goods in the Narthex from March 1 - April 6. Want to support financially? You can give in person at the church office or online by selecting Ministry Partner Support. Traditionally, the spring is a time when contributions of food and financial support begin to decline. ICA joins hundreds of other food shelves in Minnesota to encourage contributions during Marc

In a continuing effort to keep the congregation informed on the issue of affordable housing, the Oak Knoll Beacon Housing Committee likes to share relevant housing articles, information and events. The following message is from the 2025 Beacon year-end report.   A Message from Chris LaTondresse   Dear Supporters,   This past year has tested our community in profound ways, especially our friends and neighbors overcoming homelessness. Across Minnesota, we see a rising need for

I want to thank you for electing me as president of the Oak Knoll congregation for the coming year. I’m looking forward to the opportunity to serve our church community.   First, I want to extend my gratitude to Marget Schmidtke for her leadership and steady hand as congregation president in 2025, and to Ben Larson for his expert oversight of our financials as treasurer the past two years. Thanks to both of you for your service to Oak Knoll.  Thanks also to Emily Heyne as wel

Staff of Mwangaza, a registered non-governmental organization (NGO) in Tanzania that works in schools and communities to promote peace and education. “If you want to go fast, go alone. If you want to go far, go together.”                                          – African Proverb   On January 1, Lutheran Partners in Global Ministry (LPGM) officially merged with another nonprofit, Friends of Mwangaza (FOM), to support Mwangaza Education for Partnership (Mwangaza) in Tanzania.

Greetings! I wanted to share some wonderful news with you all. Oak Knoll has generously donated over 1000lbs of products and food to our mission partner, the ICA food shelf, in the past few months. This incredible response has truly made a difference in supporting our neighbors in need during the holiday season. We received a fantastic variety of donations, including personal care items, paper products, pet food (because furry friends need love too!), and a wide selection of

Written by Matt Cerar, Music Director   Lent is coming soon! In February, the vocal choir will provide a few wonderful selections for our February 15th service as we wrap up the season and head into lent. On Ash Wednesday, Amy Runge will provide special music for our 6:30pm service. We will then have Wednesday evening services throughout Lent, which will feature Holden Evening Prayer, as well as “Bless This Night” - our new liturgy that we introduced last year. Both settings

In January, the children settled back into their school routines, and we began to study the season of winter. Children enjoyed various activities such as comparing snowflakes, observing changes in ice, learning and retelling Jan Brett’s story The Mitten  and   creating several winter inspired art projects. With the milder temps the first part of the month, we were able to enjoy outside time and our new snow.   In January we opened enrollment for current families and to new fa

Written by Christina Black, Children, Youth, & Family Ministry Director Prayers and Hopes for the New Year   At January’s Confirmation and Sunday school Dinner & Family Night, we reflected on how we are all connected in Christ. As members of one body, we lift one another up—encouraging, supporting, and praying for each other. Together we wrote prayers and hopes for the new year and linked them into a paper chain as a reminder of our shared faith and connection.     54 Boxes,

Curious Readers is an online group that studies different theological books throughout the year. We choose books that are accessible and thought-provoking. Each week we read one chapter of the book and then questions are posted to our email group. Over the course of the week, people answer some or all of the questions, and group discussion ensues. This group will begin for the season the week of February 9th.   This winter/spring we will be reading Sarah Bessy’s book, Field N

Rick Johnson will present a 9-week Bible History class on Monday nights from March 23rd to May 18th . The class will be held from 7-8:30pm in the Rose Room. Through Old Testament Bible readings, historical background readings, class member participation, and videos, we will look at Old Testament biblical leaders- women and men-covering: the period of the Judges, Samson, Ruth, Samuel and David. This class is for anyone interested in learning about the Old Testament regardless

What if the opposite of being bound is being whole? Our world is filled with things that hold us captive. These things that bind us prevent us from living the whole, abundant life that God has promised us.   This Lenten season, through the story of Joseph in the book of Genesis, we will explore how God meets us as captives and leads us to wholeness.   Wednesday Evening Services:   Join us on Wednesday evenings during Lent for soup supper at 5:45pm followed by Lenten worship a

My oh my how time flies by! I can hardly believe that it is already February!   January was a quiet month after the hustle and bustle of the Christmas season. It has also been busy at the same time. We had our Annual Meeting this month, where we got to celebrate our highs over the last year and get excited about our ministries to come. I got to help plan the Vatican Unveiled Trip to the Mall of America. It was such an amazing time seeing so many different church history artif

Packing hygiene kits for Lutheran Social Services at Oak Knoll Lutheran Church. January—Amazing Grace Lutheran Church Amazing Grace is Oak Knoll’s   relationship partner. It was formed in 2018 to bring the Gospel to the Hmong and to bring the Hmong to the amazing grace of God. They are located at St. Philips Lutheran Church in Fridley. Representative: Pastor Jay Rudi   February—Lutheran World Relief LWR reaches out to people around the world to help those experiencing poverty

In a continuing effort to keep the congregation informed on the issue of affordable housing, the Oak Knoll Beacon Housing Committee likes to share relevant housing articles, information and events.     Relationships Sustain Hope for a Better Future: A reflection from Rev. Emily Goldthwaite, Director of Congregational Organizing     We are living in a time of significant tension. It feels on a nearly daily basis that our deepest, shared values of inclusion and abundance are of

December was a joyous month for our program. The classrooms kept busy preparing for the Christmas season by making special gifts for their families and helping to decorate our classrooms. Our dramatic play centers included Santa’s workshop and a hot cocoa station for the children to explore. We built our own version of a gingerbread house, worked on patterning with candy canes and learned the story of Jesus’ miraculous birth in Chapel. We celebrated the holiday season with ou

Hello OKLC!   Happy New Year to you all! I hope that everyone had a safe and happy Christmas holiday. As we enter into the new year, I am excited to see how our shared ministry continues to bring God’s blessings and love to our world.   December was a fun month! Breakfast with Santa was such a fun event. Seeing families from the neighborhood and many of our preschool families coming together for a morning of crafts, music, food, and Santa was such a delightful time. It is alw

Written by Christina Black, Children, Youth, & Family Ministry Director Thank you, Confirmation Students!   We had several confirmation students help lead crafts at Breakfast with Santa. They did a tremendous job helping the little kids. They even had a chance to visit Santa!    Congrats  to our Actors and Sunday Schoolers   It always comes together! The children and youth did such a fantastic job in our Christmas program. Thank you to everyone who participated and helped to

Thank you for your generous commitment and support of our ministry together as a community!   We are thrilled to share that   98 households have made commitments totaling $488,000 for 2026 ministry. This reflects the glad and generous hearts of this beloved community.   Thank You!     Your faithful response ensures that Oak Knoll will continue to be a place where Jesus’ love and grace are proclaimed, lived, and shared as we: GATHER  in vibrant, life-giving worship and fellows

Office   The office upgrade is now complete with new countertops, desks, and other office furniture in the front of the office. Thank you to John Burman, Fred Moore, and Steve Anderson for their hard work in completing this project! This project was funded by the Dedicated Building Fund.   If you are interested in giving to support projects like this, you may select the Oak Knoll Building Improvement Fund on online giving or write it on the memo line. Thank you for helping ma

Oak Knoll Congregational Council did not meet in December but instead gathered for a Christmas celebration at the home of council member, Fred Moore. It was a lovely evening of good food and fellowship.  A well-deserved break for the Council after a year of hard work. We will meet early in January to discuss the 2026 budget and plan for the Annual Meeting (my last responsibility as your Council president!)  It has been my honor to serve as president; I will turn the reins ove

Written by Matt Cerar, Music Director Happy 2026! The music never rests at Oak Knoll. The vocal choir will restart rehearsals on January 14th to prepare for the winter season. If you are interested in joining the choir, January 14th would be a great opportunity to start! January will bring more wonderful music to our Sunday services. The Bell Choir will be back to provide music at our January 18th service, and the Oak Knoll Choir will sing on January 25th. If you are interest

In a continuing effort to keep the congregation informed on the issue of affordable housing, the Oak Knoll Beacon Housing Committee likes to share relevant housing articles, information and events.     “Light the Way” Beacon Annual Fundraiser   On September 9th, 2025,  Beacon Interfaith Housing Collaborative held their annual fundraiser. Over 600 people attended. Beacon has been an Oak Knoll mission partner for a number of years. A number of Beacon committee members attended