Oak Knoll News

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

Thank You! Thank you to the Oak Knoll community for your kind donations of food items in the past month. Your demonstration of sharing the fruits of the kingdom is evident in your deeds. Your generosity is sincerely appreciated, particularly during this time of increased financial difficulties experienced by many. We extend a special thanks to Oak Knoll Christian Preschool and our Sunday school children for hosting additional ICA drives that contributed to our donation. We

Written by Matt Cerar, Music Director Join the Choir for Christmas! Everyone is welcome to join the Oak Knoll Choir as we prepare for our beautiful Christmas Eve services. Rehearsals will be held on December 3rd, 10th, and 17th, and we’ll sing at both services on Christmas Eve. The more voices, the merrier—come share in the joy of music this season! Music in December December will be filled with wonderful music during our Sunday services. The Oak Knoll Choir will sing on th

Did you know there are other Oak Knoll giving opportunities in addition to our regular monthly offering? Tax-Efficient Giving Via IRA If you are at least 70.5 years old and donate to charity, you should become familiar with qualified charitable distributions (QCDs). This could reduce your income tax bill! The QCD rule allows people over the age of 70 to avoid income tax on up to $100,000 (per year) of distributions made directly to a qualified charity, such as Oak Knoll

An estimated 6,000 youth experience homelessness on any given night in Minnesota. About half of these youth live in the Twin Cities area. They live on the street with just a backpack or nothing at all. Through Lutheran Social Service, we reach out to homeless youth. Winters are cold in Minnesota and being homeless is a chilling experience. That’s why we want to help keep everyone warm this winter. Through Oak Knoll we are collecting hats, gloves, scarves, socks and underw

As we begin to plan for another upcoming holiday season, many of us gather with heavy hearts as we remember individuals in our lives who have died and whose presence we miss. As a way to honor and give thanks to God for all the Saints, we invite you as people of Oak Knoll to purchase an ornament in honor/memory of your loved one(s) and bring it to church between December 7th and Christmas Day. As you bring your ornament(s) to church, simply fill out one of the tags provided

Preschool The washer and dryer in the Preschool area was replaced. This replacement was funded by the Preschool operating budget. Office The chairs in Pastor Jay’s office were replaced. This replacement was funded by the Church Operating Budget. The furniture and supplies have arrived to complete the office upgrade. This project that is funded by the Dedicated Building Fund, should be completed in the next couple of months. Building Exterior The nonworking exterio

Written by Christina Black, Children, Youth, & Family Ministry Director Thank You! We had another great year of selling butter braids. Thank you to everyone who purchased from the youth. The money will help fund summer camps. Thankful at Dinner & Family Night Sunday schoolers and their families once again enjoyed a mixing of the ages with a shared dinner during Wednesday night confirmation. After, the Sunday school group learned about being thankful by reading Ten Men He

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. This Is a Defining Moment for Supportive Housing Supportive housing is more than just a home. It combines affordable housing with on-site services to help individuals and families stay housed and work toward long-term stability. Supportive Housing is built off the values an

Hello OKLC! Time just keeps flying by! It is hard to believe that I have just completed month three of my internship! Thanks to everyone’s guidance and support, these past three months have been an amazing experience. November was a busy month! Between continuing with our Confirmation programming, catching up with fellow interns at my Fall Internship Cluster Retreat, and coming up with a full Thanksgiving worship liturgy for the first time, this month has been full of lea

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. This Is a Defining Moment for Supportive Housing Supportive housing is more than just a home. It combines affordable housing with on-site services to help individuals and families stay housed and work toward long-term stability. Supportive Housing is built off the values and da

In November, we held parent- teacher conferences and celebrated each child’s success. In the classroom, we reflected on the word “thankful.” The children enjoyed making Thanksgiving themed art and centerpieces for our classroom Thanksgiving feast. At our feast, the children worked together to create a special meal to share with their friends. We also collected food to donate to the local ICA food shelf last month. This was a wonderful learning opportunity for our children to

At the Council meeting in November, we continued our discussion about updating our bylaws and constitution. This work will continue into 2026. Pastor Jay and the Executive Committee are preparing to implement the new Minnesota Paid Family Leave program that is required by the state. We reviewed our financials and find ourselves in good shape as we finish up our year. Thanks for your reliable support and your continued giving during our generosity campaign. Heading into Than

Oak Knoll’s ministry partner Our Saviour’s Housing is a community of hope for those who need a home. Their Emergency Shelter serves homeless adults who are in immediate need of a safe place to sleep and access resources - the first step in transitioning from homelessness to home. In late 2023, Our Saviour’s Community Services was awarded a capital grant from the Minnesota Department of Human Services to renovate and expand their Emergency Shelter. With these funds, they hav