Lutheran Church of Christ the Redeemer Plants Seed of Home for Emerson Village
Written by Emily Goldthwaite Fries and Lauren Daumueller
Lutheran Church of Christ the Redeemer knows there is a significant need for more affordable housing in Minneapolis, and they are committed to being a part of the solution. Since the 1960s, this church has owned and maintained a single-family home in that they have maintained as rare affordable rental housing in Southwest Minneapolis. It hasn’t always been easy, but the duties of being a landlord were a labor of love, a sign of their commitment to housing justice.
Last year, the church decided it was time to sell, but they knew they wanted to continue their legacy of supporting affordable housing. Leaders at this church have experience advocating with Beacon, and they have learned how private donations help leverage the public investment required to create new affordable homes. This was how their prayerful stewardship led them to the decision to support homes for families in North Minneapolis at Emerson Village.
Pastor Mary Albing shared that the church treasures a long relationship with the Northside Achievement Zone (NAZ), an organization dedicated to closing achievement gaps and ending generational poverty in North Minneapolis. They have benefited from outreach in their church community, learning from NAZ about systemic issues that have shut families out of stable housing. When they learned that NAZ would be working with Project for Pride in Living, Beacon’s service partner at Emerson Village, they decided to make two significant gifts – one to NAZ, and one to Beacon.
Lutheran Church of Christ the Redeemer made the powerful decision to reinvest the wealth from their land sale into a Northside neighborhood that has suffered the effects of under-investment in housing for many years. Their gift to Beacon was a Seed of Home at Emerson Village. For each new home that Beacon develops, it takes about $15,000 for all the work we do before the shovel ever hits the dirt – congregational organizing, building community support, site acquisition, and building and service design. These early investments are instrumental in making supportive and affordable family homes a reality. Each gift of $15,000 plants a Seed of Home.
Seeds of Home demonstrate the power of the Beacon collaborative when we take action to affirm that quality affordable housing belongs in all communities. Lutheran Church of Christ the Redeemer is in the good company of other faith communities in the collaborative who have made generous gifts that reach beyond their own neighbors. This is how we build a transformed world where all people have a home.
To learn more about Seeds of Home and how your congregation can make a gift, contact Beacon’s Donor Engagement Manager Sarah Coen-Frei at scoenfrei@beaconinterfaith.org.
