An overview of Rally Week and our Chapel!
Our second annual Rally Week!
We kicked off Rally Week on Sunday with joy and energy, gathering for worship and celebrating the start of a new program year. After worship, everyone spilled out onto the plaza for a congregational picnic—sharing food, laughter, and stories as we reconnected after the summer months. The week rolled on with a flurry of events that brought our community together in big and small ways.
Monday night brought out the competitive spirit with a lively trivia night in the Coffee Shop, where teams tackled super awesome (and surprisingly tricky!) questions. On Tuesday, sweet treats and smiling faces filled the parking lot during our drive-thru ice cream social. Wednesday marked the official start of our Wednesday programming with pizza, choirs, and youth group all buzzing with excitement and fresh beginnings.
Thursday evening, volunteers headed to Feed My Starving Children in Chanhassen and packed an incredible 78 boxes—providing 44,928 meals for children in need. Friday night transformed our parking lot into an outdoor theater for Monsters Inc. Despite the screen nearly toppling over, the show went on, and families enjoyed popcorn, candy, and laughter under the stars. We wrapped up the week at the Fulton Festival, where we shared about our upcoming “Stories the Land Holds” education series, engaged with our neighbors, and marveled as kids explored fossils provided by Laurie Johnson.
All in all, Rally Week was a joyful, connection-filled launch into a wonderful new programmatic year together!
Written by Mara Halvorson, Marketing and Communications Specialist
The Wayfarers’ Chapel
If you have ever wandered down the Foundation bridge on the south side of the sanctuary, past The Rev. Dr. Karl Jacobson Heritage Parlor — just before you go down the stairs to the Ewing exit — you will discover a door on your left marked “Wayfarers’ Chapel.” There, tucked behind the east wall of the sanctuary, you will find a lovely room.
On the left is the brick wall that is shared with the sanctuary. On the right is a wood-paneled wall with five stained-glass windows.
In the front hangs a box that, when opened, becomes a triptych featuring a carving of Jesus as the Good Shepherd in the center, accompanied by readings from the Gospel of John to his right and left.
An altar stands below the triptych, set off by an altar rail. The room and its beauty invite you to sit, be still, and know God in the loveliness and quietness of the space.
This room has been used throughout the years for special kinds of worship and prayer. In the days before weekly communion in church, a communion service was held there after church for those who wanted it more often than once a month. There have been weddings held there, even though it seats only about 50 people. Funerals and memorial services have also been conducted there. Special midweek Lenten services, both morning and evening, have been held there. Some remember when Pastor Deb Samuelson held morning prayer from the Benedictine tradition in the chapel. Many have used it for private prayer.
A few weeks ago, Andrea Norman wondered if we couldn’t clean up the chapel so that people could come and pray, especially for the work of the call committee. She got help from Mark Halvorson and Tor Johnson to set the chairs in order, and from Pastor Deb and Joan Tanger to clean the place up. Now it is ready for you to come, sit quietly, and pray. It is available for use anytime the church office is open, as well as on Wednesday evenings and Sunday mornings. We are excited to host worship services and experiences in the chapel in the months to come. In the meantime, stop by the chapel to take in the simplicity and beauty of the space. You will be blessed by it.
Written by Pastor Peter Samuelson, Interim Lead Pastor