A Joyful Commitment to Home
St. Stephen Lutheran Church, Congregational Spotlight. Written by Dylan Novacek, Content Specialist
“Joyful urgency are two words you don’t often see together,” said Pastor Tom Olson, of St. Stephen Lutheran Church in Bloomington. “There is joy in tending to what is critically important for your neighbor. There is nothing more urgent than having a roof over your head in Minnesota.”
Speaking at our congregation convening, Tom looked at the audience and saw many new faces sitting in St. Stephen’s chapel. Despite being brand new to Beacon, the congregation welcomed members of our collaborative to their building as they hosted our first convening in nearly two years. Celebrating this work with us, St. Stephen has deepened their commitment to the vision that all people have a home.
“Hosting the convening was a great experience,” Tom smiled. “My favorite part of the night was feeling the energy in the room and hearing all the congregations listed off during the roll-call. It feels great to say that we’re a part of this movement too!”
Inspired by their vision to worship, connect and serve, the congregants at St. Stephen have always had a passion for social justice work. When the pandemic began, along with the unrest following George Floyd’s murder, the congregation paused to reflect on their values.
“We’ve always had a heart for this kind of work,” said Julie Magnus, Director of Community Advocacy and Action (pictured). “Beacon became the next critical step for our congregation. After everything that has happened, we’ve truly felt this joyful urgency to take action.”
Through her position, Julie has a long history of connecting her congregation to outreach opportunities. When they began getting connected with Beacon, she felt it was the perfect fit. Using Beacon as a vehicle for advocacy and action, St. Stephen is deepening their commitment to home and growing their understanding about justice, housing, and systemic racism.
“Before the pandemic, we were on the cusp of starting a new strategic planning process,” Tom noted. “Instead, we paused and went into a time of congregational discernment. We took time to listen to the needs of the community and rediscovered the soul of our church. We realized the soul of our church is rooted in people living and engaging with the world through their faith.”
As they listened to their community, the congregation began having important conversations about the intersection of racism and housing.
“We’re learning more about racial justice and inequities. That requires a lot of self-discovery about white privilege and what that means,” Julie reflected. “As we learned more, our congregation began seeing these connections. Homelessness and housing insecurity is embedded within a history of racism.
“There is so much to learn. And that’s where Beacon comes in,” Julie continued. “We want to help and learn as much as we can. Being with Beacon elevates our ability to do this work. They are especially helpful in pointing the way when it comes to advocacy and public policy. Understanding pieces like the rent vouchers can be so complicated. Luckily, Beacon is on top of it all and leads the way!”
Joining with over 100 other congregations, Julie and Tom know that there is strength in numbers. While hosting the convening, they saw our work come to life and felt energized for the road ahead.
“The speakers and their stories were so inspiring,” Julie said. “It was just so meaningful and moving. When we hear this work described by Beacon, it feels so possible. The more faith communities come together and use their influence, the more we get done. That’s the power of having many voices!”
“I get excited about changing the systems that create homelessness and making progress in this work,” Tom cheered. “We talk a lot about the gifts that came to us during the pandemic. I would say this is one of them. We have the opportunity to meet people differently to change hearts and minds.”
With a new year ahead of us Beacon is building power to create new homes, shelter families, and combat the policies that create homelessness in the first place. With our current housing crisis, it takes bold solutions like Bring It Home, MN to see that all people have a home. And it’s only possible because of the 100+ congregations of the Beacon collaborative united in this mission.
(Pictured: Tom speaking at the convening)
“Communities exist to come together and care for each other,” Tom insisted. “Now especially, it is urgent and can feel so dire.”
Even before the pandemic, and even before joining our collaborative, St. Stephen believed in joyful urgency. Acting upon this moment, the congregation sees the importance of home and is eager to live into their faith values in such a bold way.
“We need to change systems and create more permanent solutions,” Julie exclaimed. “When someone is without a safe place to call home, the problem feels overwhelming. But the joyful part is when you realize you are part of a collaborative that is working to change that. The joyful part of this work is that change is possible. When you work with Beacon, the ability to create change is elevated.”
Beacon is the power of faith communities in action! We invite you to join us and take action for home. Learn how your congregation can get involved with Beacon by emailing Deb Rodgers at drodgers@beaconinterfaith.org. To see upcoming ways to get involved, click here.
