By Pastor Matt Flom
Outgoing Dean of the Rum River Conference
Pastor at St. Philip’s Lutheran Church, Fridley
When I think about the Minneapolis Area Synod’s theme for the year, Church Together, I instantly think of all the outreach ministries that the people of St. Philip’s shepherd. I came to St. Philip’s in Fridley back in 2018, and I’ve had such a great time seeing how the people here get involved in service. There are many outreach ministries here, but there are four that really stand out for their impact.
Members of the St. Philip Disaster Relief team made personal care kits for those impacted by Hurricane Helene
St. Philip’s Disaster Relief
The St. Philip’s Disaster Relief team started as an effort to help with the Hurricane Katrina disaster. Since then, they have gone on over 70 mission trips. The team rebuilds homes, schools, churches, and more. Folks from over a dozen different congregations, of several denominations, and from several different states regularly go on their trips. The mission is to rebuild homes, but they see themselves as primarily ministering to the people affected by natural disasters, helping to rebuild lives as well.
Preparing the food shelf
Food and Clothing Shelf
The food and clothing shelf offers guests the opportunity to come once a month to fill two grocery bags of food and one bag of clothes. Currently, they distribute more than two tons of food and more than seven hundred pounds of clothing each month. The food and clothing shelf has fridges and freezers so they can distribute not only dry goods – but also milk, meat, cheese, and eggs. If you are interested in supporting this ministry, there are many ways to get involved. They are also always looking for more Spanish interpreters.
St. Philip’s members at the annual garage sale
Annual Garage Sale
St. Philip’s is also known for its garage sale. It may not be the biggest garage sale in Christendom, but I believe it’s the grandest. Almost the entire building (41,000 square feet) is turned into a garage sale department store. Close to a hundred people from a half dozen congregations volunteer for three weeks in August. It opens on a Wednesday afternoon and the line to get in wraps around the building and through the parking lot. Last year, the team used the proceeds to give grants to a dozen service organizations in the metro area.
Curbside Community Meal
St. Philip’s has a curbside community meal each Wednesday. The number of meals served tends to vary, but lately, they’ve been distributing around 175 meals a week. Students from local high schools, members of other congregations, and members of the community come to volunteer. Each week, I get to walk down the car line and visit with guests and often pray with them. I call it our curbside congregation. One member of our church only came for the curbside meal and never once stepped foot in the building itself. When he passed away, I was honored when his family told me he wanted to have his funeral at the church. We never know how we might reach someone when we step out into the community in love!
There is so much more I could write about the servant hearts at St. Philip’s, but the trend you see from the folks here is a passion to serve others, working with all who have a heart to help, and having a lot of fun in the process. When we work together, across churches and denominations, to partner with organizations locally and globally, that’s where being Church Together really shines through.