News of Our Church

Meet Sarah Brouwer

We have called our next Lead Minister! Rev. Sarah Brouwer will begin her ministry at St. Paul's UCC on January 5, 2021. Sarah is currently the Associate Minister for Congregational Life at Westminster Presbyterian Church in Minneapolis. She began her work as an ordained minister at Second Church in Indianapolis as a Lake Fellow Resident in Pastoral Ministry. There she was mentored by seasoned ministers in a large church setting and led the Sunday evening service, where she preached regularly. In 2011, she was called to serve as Associate Minister for Member Care at Ladue Chapel Presbyterian Church in St. Louis, MO, where she developed a thriving ministry that expanded care ministries and led the Board of Deacons. She created a hospitality team that trained more than 100 greeters, planned large-scale fellowship events, revived a young adult ministry, and launched several successful social media and print campaigns. She taught and preached regularly, and while there helped found a clergy peer group called By the Vine.

At Westminster Sarah oversees communications, hospitality, women’s ministries, fellowship, young adult ministries, leadership development, weddings, and the Sunday evening service, Gathered at Five. The purpose of that service is to bring in a more diverse population, including young adults. Sarah is the lead content creator, preacher, communicator, pastor, and manages the budget for this growing, artful, casual, folksy, justice-focused little community. The spirit of this growing group is warm and welcoming, and through collaboration with musicians and volunteers, newer and younger folks have made their way to Westminster. Sarah has said the rewards of this service are great as she witnesses the lives God is transforming through worship, relationships, and service.

Sarah is a “PK” — a preacher’s kid — and was raised in Wheaton, IL, where she was given the gift of faith and affirmed in her call to ministry at First Presbyterian. She attended St. Olaf College, where she majored in studio art and art history. While under the care of Westminster, she earned her Master of Divinity from Luther Seminary. 

Worship with us online

Although we're not meeting in person as a community (to help prevent the spread of the new coronavirus), we offer live-streamed worship services on Sunday mornings at 10:30. Join us at that time by clicking here. You can also find recent services by clicking here.

Artisan Festival  |  Postponed till 2021

A Message from the Artisan Festival Team: Every year, the Summit Avenue Artisan Festival is a joyous occasion for St. Paul's UCC and also serves as our church's largest fundraiser. It was our goal to continue to support the church through an abbreviated version of the Artisan Festival this year with pot pie pre-order sales and an online auction. With rising cases of COVID expected through the coming months, we want to keep our church family safe. While we are pausing this year, we look forward to the festival's return in 2021! For now, if you'd like to support the church as you might have otherwise during the Artisan Festival, you can do so here. Thank you for understanding!

Take a walk through our rain gardens

See the guide below. And for more information, click here.

COVID-19 resources

We encourage you to stay informed about the pandemic and to reduce the risk of getting sick or infecting others. Don’t overwhelm yourself, but check the sites below when you’re looking for information. 

See specific topics below, but you can navigate to all of them (and more) by starting here: https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/index.html

How to protect yourself: 

https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/prepare/prevention.html

People who are at risk for severe illness: 

https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/specific-groups/high-risk-complications.html

Steps to prevent getting sick 

https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/specific-groups/get-ready.html

Cleaning and disinfection recommendations 

https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/prepare/disinfecting-your-home.html

Frequently asked questions 

https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/faq.html

The following websites also offer a wealth of information regarding COVID-19. 

Minnesota Department of Health

World Health Organization

Rev. Clare Gromoll chosen for Next Generation Leadership Initiative

Rev. Clare Gromoll (third from the right in the back row) has been admitted into a program at the national setting of the United Church of Christ called Next Generation Leadership Initiative (NGLI). It’s a six-year leadership development program for clergy who are relatively young, relatively new to the profession, and committed to local church ministry. Clare is one of 15 selected from 35 applicants for her NGLI cohort.

Make a pledge to the planet

Earth does not belong to us. We belong to the earth. ~ Chief Seattle

The Earthwise Team asks that you make a pledge for the planet. Below is a list of changes you can make to decrease your environmental footprint. Climate change is a big issue, and it seems impossible that small changes could make any difference. But we at St. Paul’s UCC know from experience that it really is accumulated small changes that make all the difference. Let’s make 2016 the year of accumulated small changes. Please, take the pledge to the planet. 

I will help to conserve energy.

• I pledge to plan my errand runs to minimize use of gas.
• I pledge to put my TV and its peripherals (cable, DVD, Roku, Xbox) on a power strip so I can turn everything off when not in use.
• I pledge to walk, ride a bike, or use public transportation on some of my outings.
• I pledge to use cold water when I wash my clothes.
• I pledge to opt in to wind energy.

I pledge to conserve the earth’s resources.

• I pledge to turn off the water while I brush my teeth.
• I pledge to help with Fair Trade Coffee Hour cleanup twice this year, so we don't have to switch back to paper.
• I pledge to reduce the packaging I purchase, whether that means bringing a container to the store for bulk or buying a big container of something rather than single serve.
• I pledge to eat less meat.

I pledge to help the environment by reducing waste and eating local, organic food.

• I pledge NOT to use a single cup coffee maker unless the pods are reusable.
• I pledge to buy 20% of my food organic or from local sources.
• I pledge to put my food scraps and coffee grounds in the compost or the garden, not the trash.
• I pledge to plant a garden or to shop at a farmers market this summer.
• I pledge to remember every day that the earth, its resources, and all its beings are not mine to take for granted.
• I pledge to ______________________________________________________ to help reduce my impact on the environment.

Please also see our Food Ethics Statement and Food Ethics Reading List.

Solar panels churning out electricity

Our solar panels are hard at work year-round, turning sunlight into electricity. Click here to see how they're doing!