Grace's Blog
January 29, 2026
Sharing Stories, Songs and Laughter.
Dear Grace Friends,
On Monday evening, I went to a night of storytelling and song called Morningside After Dark. Morningside After Dark happens in the basement of Minneapolis United Church of Christ church and has been offering nights of storytelling and song for 14 years. I heard about this event from my cousin Carrie, who has attended many in the past and once said, “I never think I’m going to get anything out of it, but I always leave having cried and feeling like it’s just what I needed.”
With everything going on in Minneapolis, I wasn’t sure if Monday’s program would still happen. Thankfully, it did. I met Carrie there, and we squeezed into a crowded basement, sitting on little yellow preschool-sized chairs next to the videographer and directly in front of towering piles of donated goods brought for the evening.
Just like Carrie, I wondered: What will I get out of this? It was 7:30 p.m., and I could have been at home in my pajamas. But like a balm in Gilead, the stories, poems, and songs spoke to our collective grief in Minnesota. We have been through a lot, and there is still so much unfolding around us. And yet—there is also so much good. Neighbors showing up for neighbors. Teachers advocating for their students. Those towering piles of donations. And a room full of people willing to gather, to name what has been hard, to sing, and even to laugh.
One speaker, a comedian, named that it might feel strange to laugh right now—but then gave us permission to do so. He reminded us that laughter is part of our humanity, and in seasons of fear and grief, our humanity is often what feels most threatened. So, with that invitation, we laughed. We laughed and we cried. And we remembered ourselves.
That same spirit filled Grace Lutheran Church on Tuesday night at our 3rd annual Variety Show. What a gift it was to share song and story, to be together in what I can only call joyful resistance. Our theme, On the Road Again, carried us through songs of movement, change, and the journeys that shape us. Performers of all ages and abilities offered their gifts, the audience listened with car snacks in hand, and the room was filled with delight.
In a world that often urges us to withdraw, these moments matter. They remind us who we are and whose we are. They strengthen us for the road ahead. I am deeply grateful to everyone who performed, to David Phelps for co-leading with me, and to all who showed up to be part of a night rooted in joy, courage, and community.
Grace is full of talent, yes—but even more, Grace is full of people willing to gather, to share, and to keep going together. And that is very good news indeed.
Grace and peace,
Pastor Maria Markman
January 22, 2026
10th Anniversary for Grace4Rakai
Dear Grace Friends!
This coming Sunday marks a milestone here at Grace. We are celebrating the 10-year anniversary of our Grace4Rakai Ministry Team. Our team met for the first time in August 2015 to support the growing ministries established by ACT (African Children Today) in Rakai, Uganda.
In November 2014, Ann Hill, Richard, and Johnson of ACT visited Grace for the first time. Richard and Johnson shared their story of how they were orphaned by the HIV/AIDS epidemic; through sponsorship, they gained a quality education. That year Grace sponsored 25 students and would add many more. In 2015 Grace took on a Lenten project to build a bakery to serve the people of Rakai with fresh bread. The bakery opened in November 2015 and employed 40 people; it was profitable from the first day.
Over the years, the ACT Junior School was built and the ACT High School followed, where more than 100 students would receive a quality education based on Christian values. These students and their families thrived through the sponsorship of the Grace community.
The Grace congregation supported the two ACT schools by funding construction of new dormitories, equipment for science labs, tables and chairs for their dining rooms, and contributions to a student scholarship fund. Our Grace Quilters have lovingly provided 250+ quilts over the past 10 years that comfort the students in their dormitories, reminding them of the great bond ACT has with Grace!
Led by the Holy Spirit, the Grace partnership established with ACT in Rakai over the past 10 years has impacted over a hundred children and their families. These students have the gift of a quality education and an opportunity for a better life. No single church congregation has made a larger impact on the vulnerable children of Rakai than Grace Lutheran in Andover!
This Sunday, January 25th and the following Wednesday, January 28th, we will be celebrating our Grace4Ministry at all worship services. Following the 10:15 AM service on Sunday, the Grace4Rakai Ministry team will be hosting a celebration luncheon at 11:30 in Fellowship Hall. Everyone is invited to attend and join in the celebration, even those who may be new to Grace are welcome to come and learn more!
The following Bible verse has guided our ministry team since 2015: “Now to him who is able to do immeasurably more than we ask or imagine, according to His power that is work within us, to Him be Glory. (Ephesians 3:21)
Thank you for all of your support!
Scott Christensen
Co-Team Leader, Grace4Rakai Ministry Team
January 15, 2026
When We Cannot Be Perfect: A Prayer for Grace in Difficult Times
I have a framed poem on the wall of my office. It was written for me and given to me at my ordination from my internship supervisor Jerry Tews. The second to last stanza says this:
God’s promised presence does not rest in your perfection
But in the integrity of the inner search for grace,
Promising to hold up your arms when you cannot
To bless you and yours with healing, laughter and hope.
I needed these words today. Maybe you do too. Our world is in a fragile state, and in particular those of us in Minnesota, as tensions continue to be high, violence and protests continue, and it feels as if the division between us grows deeper.
I was listening this morning to Chief of Police for the City of Minneapolis Brian O’Hara. He spoke about the job of building community within the city of Minneapolis, bringing down crime, and deescalating situations. I was nodding along because while I have NOTHING to do with bringing down the crime rate in our cities, I do understand other aspects of what he is saying about connection, building community, and deescalating. I have seen our Minnesota Police Officers and Law Enforcement work really hard in the last months and years, and my prayers are with them. I am continuing to pray for peace, understanding, and an end to the violence and division.
I know that I don’t always say things well, and I hold my own beliefs about what is going on. And I know some of you agree with me and others don’t. I am thankful when we continue the conversation and you share with me and others how you see things. When I think about what God does in our world, God helps us understand. God helps us communicate across borders and boundaries, and God continues to unite us in love.
My prayer is that we live into that blessing that Jerry wrote, that when we aren’t perfect (which for me is often) that we continue to do the inner search for grace. Grace for ourselves, grace for each other. At the end of the day, I believe that we all want the same things: to be loved, to be safe, to belong, and to be respected.
This is part of our baptismal identity that we belong to God and are made in God’s good image. And so, I continue to do the work of leaning on God, listening deeply to God and to others, and trusting God to lead us forward in love, compassion and faith. I am thankful that you are on this journey with me!
Blessings and love,
Pastor Joanna Mitchell
January 8, 2026
With Sighs Too Deep for Words
On Wednesday evenings, we rotate how we do prayers of the church. Sometimes we pray by lighting candles, other times we pray using only two words like thank you or help us. Last night, our prayers were post-it notes. Everyone is invited to submit their own post-it notes of gratitude and lament.
Truthfully, I was thankful that was our method of prayer because on the evening of the murder of Renee Nicole Good by an ICE officer, I didn’t quite have my own words to speak into the grief, and sadness for her family, her loved ones, and for our dear community in Minneapolis.
In my time at Grace there have been 3 very large shootings affecting our state: George Floyd, Representative Melissa Hortman and her husband Mark and now Renee Nicole Good. I don’t know what will come next. Thousands protested and prayed last night in the neighborhood where she had been killed. I’ve listened to news reports. While thousands gathered at a vigil, our Bible Study met as planned—subdued and sad, but together. I turned to Romans 8, when Paul reminds us that we do not know how to pray as we ought, but the Spirit intercedes for us, in sighs too deep for words. Indeed. I don’t have words that suffice. But when we prayed the post-it notes- we did pray for the family of Renee Nicole Good. We prayed for our city. We prayed for a change. We also prayed for easier things like stuffed tigers and returning to school, and teachers who are sick.
Prayers are indeed a gift given to us in times of lament. We get to collectively name our grief, and loss, our fear, and discomfort. We also hopefully find a way to hope in the midst of our prayers that we can find things to be thankful for. Prayers are the beginning, the foundation from which we move into action. We have to consider how we show up in love and care for our neighbor. The Gospel is about Good News for all people. All people. What happened yesterday was unjust and heart-breaking. And it’s not an isolated event.
Minnesota once again has the spotlight on us. Unfortunately, once again it’s for a horrible thing that has happened. I love our state. We are a people who care, who show up, who provide. There truly is no place I would rather live. And so, this morning, as I sit in the darkness of my house before the sun rises, I pray:
God, hear our prayers and our cries to you. We pray O God for the family of Renee Nicole Good as they grieve her death, and we pray for her friends, and neighbors. We pray for our State. For the Minnesota Spirit of compassion and care to be one that leads us forward in love. Give us the words to express our laments and also clear actions to be peace makers in a time that feels violent and oppositional. Help us to hear each other, to listen deeply, to be curious, to seek understanding and to act in ways of justice, mercy and peace, following your ways, your truth, your light. In Jesus’ name we pray. Amen
Blessing and love,
Pastor Joanna Mitchell
January 1, 2026
Blessings to you, Grace family, and Happy New Year!
The Gospel of John opens with these beautiful words: “The Word became flesh and moved into the neighborhood.” Through my work with faith and neighboring practices, this verse has become a guiding light for me. It reminds me that God is already at work in our neighborhoods—present, active, and near. Our call is not to bring God with us, but to join in what God is already doing, stepping out with open eyes and hearts to seek and discover God among our neighbors.
At the same time, many of us look at our neighborhoods and feel concern. We see division. We see neighbors who do not have enough. We feel the weight of uncertainty and struggle that surrounds us.
And yet, our faith does not allow us to remain stuck in the darkness. Instead, it calls us to be part of the light—to participate in God’s healing, justice, and hope, right here and right now. God’s kingdom is not only something we wait for; it is something we live into.
God declares in Isaiah 43:19, “See, I am doing a new thing!” As we step into this new year together, may we trust that God is already at work—making a way, renewing what is weary, and inviting us to join in the new thing God is bringing to life among us and around us.
Pastor Maria