“You don’t have to be an avid gardener, and you don’t need an acre to plant. You can just make a decision to pick one spot, one pot, and grow something.”

Week 3 – PLANT DONATIONS: 26 LBS delivered to Keystone Community Services

Week 4 – PLANT DONATIONS:  34 lbs of produce between Keystone and Peace House Community

Week 6 – PLANT DONATIONS:  104.75 lbs of produce between Keystone and Peace House Community

Week 7 – PLANT DONATIONS:  6 lbs of produce

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Join us as we kick off our 4th season of Como Grow a Row with an educational event designed to cultivate knowledge, connection, and community growth.

Who’s joining us?

Click on each name to learn more

Get ready for an unforgettable evening of fun, fellowship, and fundraising at Como Park Lutheran Church on March 14, 2026.

This year’s Roaring 20s–themed event will feature dinner, live auction items, and and the opportunity to make a meaningful difference by supporting our ministries, both locally and around the world.

Tickets are SOLD OUT. You can still participate though!  Bid online or dedicate a donation to one of the causes we support as a church by clicking here. 

Last year, the auction raised more than $15,000 for ministries beyond our congregational walls. More than half of the funds raised remain in our local community, supporting organizations such as Plymouth Christian Youth Center, Chelsea Heights Elementary School, Como Connects, Roseville Area High School’s food shelf program, Meals on Wheels, Keystone Food Shelf, and Shobi’s Table. Internationally, we support mission partners in Tanzania and Guatemala. A member (or members) of our congregation is personally involved in every organization that receives funding.

We hope you will join us as we continue this tradition of supporting ministries that make a difference close to home and around the world.

Want to help out?

Check out our list of volunteer opportunities below!

Sunday

1. FOR ALL AGES:
   • Volunteers are needed to help record, edit, and post worship videos for Sunday live-streams. Please contact the Tech Team at 651-646-7127 or technology@comoparklutheran.org to let us know of your interest. (Training and support on the church’s equipment and software are provided.)
2. FOR ADULTS:
   • Greeters
   • Ushers
   • Welcome Desk
   • Coffee Servers
   • Communion Preparers
   • Communion Assistants/Servers
   • Readers
   • Liturgists: Lead the congregation by singing the liturgy, prayer and psalm.
     • CONTACT: Tom Ferry at 651-435-4176 (direct) or ferry@comoparklutheran.org
   • Bus Drivers (class B license required)
     • CONTACT: Jonathan Nye at 651-435-4175 (direct) or jonathan@comoparklutheran.org

3. FOR CHILDREN:
   • Acolytes: Youth can acolyte when they enter 6th grade
     • CONTACT: The church office at (651) 646-7127 or office@comoparklutheran.org
   • Also serve as liturgists, lectors, and ushers (See above.)

*If you would like to volunteer for any of the Sunday volunteer listings above, please contact the Volunteer Engagement Coordinator at 651-435-4175 (direct) or jonathan@comoparklutheran.org.

Social Outreach

1. COMO GROW A ROW (in partnership with Como Community Seed Library)
   • During the growing season, you can help us fight food insecurity through the Como Grow A Row initiative. This initiative is a way for church members, friends, and neighbors to dedicate a garden row to donate their produce to a local organization fighting food insecurity; Every Meal and Keystone Community Services both accept fresh produce. Sign up to participate HERE.
2. EVERY MEAL (in partnership with Chelsea Heights Elementary School)
   • During the school year, you can help with Every Meal‘s Weekend Meal Program, which is a mobile delivery solution that provides 4-5 pounds of substantive nutritious food to children directly at their school. At the end of each school week, meals are distributed into children’s backpacks for them to take home for the weekend. Volunteers are welcome to help distribute food to children’s backpacks at Chelsea Heights Elementary School. Watch the tutorial video for volunteers HERE.
   • To volunteer, SIGN UP HERE.
3. KEYSTONE COMMUNITY SERVICES
   • Go to keystoneservices.org/volunteer to see all of the available volunteer options.
4. MEALS ON WHEELS
   • Go to mealsonwheels-rc.org to see all of the available volunteer options.

*If you would like to volunteer for any of the Social Outreach volunteer listings above, please contact the Hunger Ministries, Kitchen, & Events Coordinator at 651-435-4173 (direct) or sue@comoparklutheran.org.

Global Outreach

1. TANZANIA
   • You can support a student in our companion congregation in Itungi Village, Tanzania with their schooling. A year of secondary school costs approximately $400, and a year of vocational education costs approximately $125. If you would like to support a student for a year, contact Laden@comoparklutheran.org or go to our donate page.
2. GUATEMALA
   • Our partner-parish church is the Christo Luz Del Mundo (Christ, the Light of the World) Congregation in Santa Amelia, Peten, Guatemala. This village church consists of mostly Mayan Guatemalans in the northern reaches of Guatemala.  The location of the village and the lack of electricity and running water there present a number of ministry needs all their own, but chief in the minds of the parish are some basic improvements to the church building and grounds to improve their viability and self-sufficiency. If you would like to support them, please contact Laden@comoparklutheran.org or go to our donate page.
3. MADAGASCAR
   • Madagascar is Como Park Lutheran Church’s oldest and largest outreach ministry. We help the East Africa Missions office of the ELCA, which is based in Nairobi, Kenya. Over the past 90 years, as the Malagasy Church has become more self-sufficient; therefore, our support has shifted from supporting Missionary Pastors to Regional support for indigenous church ministries, to modest support for their health care ministries. If you would like to support them, please contact Laden@comoparklutheran.org or go to our donate page.

*If you would like to volunteer, support, or donate for any of the Global Outreach listings above, please contact the Financial Comptroller at 651-646-7127 or Laden@comoparklutheran.org.

Family & Education

1. CONFIRMATION – EVERY WEDNESDAY
   • Confirmation (grades 7-8) meets every Wednesday at 7 PM in the Fireside Room.
2. YOUTH GROUP MEETING – EVERY WEDNESDAY
   • The Youth Group (grades 9-12) meets every Wednesday at 7 PM in the Youth Roo

*If you would like to volunteer for any of the Family & Education Committee’s events, please contact the Youth Director at 651-435-4174 (direct) or osterhouse@comoparklutheran.org.

Property

God’s house is your house. Will you help see to its maintenance?

If you’re the sort of person who…

• • notices burned out light bulbs,
  • dripping faucets,
  • sticking doors, and
  • walls that need painting,

and you can spare an hour each month to meet with a few others to…

• • survey our needs,
  • build lists, and
  • occasionally call a few vendors (or volunteers),

then the Property Committee would love to hear from you.

Help us see and respond to the building’s needs to keep it beautiful, welcoming and working for all. No wrenches required.

*If you are interested in helping and/or joining the Property Committee with maintaining the church building, please contact the the church office at (651) 646-7127 or office@comoparklutheran.org

If you have any questions or concerns, please contact the Church Office at 651-646-7127 or office@comoparklutheran.org.

Food Collection for Keystone

1 in 5 Minnesota households can’t afford the food they need. 26% of households with children are food insecure. 40% of households of color are food insecure. As Minnesotans face new challenges, including reduced federal funding, more people than ever are turning to Keystone Community Services.

Let’s help restock the shelves before the holidays!

November 1st – 30th

Drop off donations at
Como Park Lutheran Church
(1376 Hoyt Ave W, Saint Paul, MN 55108)

Monday-Friday Hours:
Walk-In > 9 AM – 1 PM
By Appointment > 1 PM – 5 PM
Sunday > 9 AM – 12 PM

Most Needed Items:
Canned Foods
Shelf-Stable Proteins
Cooking Staples
Quick-to-Eat Meals / Snacks
Baby Care Items & Food / Formula
Hygiene Products
Cash / Check (payable to Keystone Community Services or Como Park Lutheran Church with the memo line as Food Collection for Keystone)

*All items MUST be non-perishable and unopened.

For questions or concerns, contact Como Park Lutheran Church at 651-646-7127 or office@comoparklutheran.org.

“God’s work. Our hands.” Sunday

Day of Service

September 7, 2025

RECAP

On Sunday, September 7th, CPLC and some of our neighbors participated in the ELCA National Day of Service. We tackled three projects this year:

1. Camp Noah Birthday Cards. Camp Noah is a day camp that serves children in communities impacted by disaster, this project had our members decorating 68 children’s birthday cards.
2. Post-State Fair Neighborhood Cleanup. This volunteer team consisted of 4 children/youth and 7 adults, and were tasked with picking up trash and debris at Chelsea Heights Elementary School grounds as well as the nearby Como Park neighborhood. The team covered 1 square mile and collected 8 bags of trash. In addition, the District 10 Community Council donated the use of clean-up tools to decrease the physical need to constantly bend over and pick up trash.
3. Stenciling Storm Drains. Volunteers for this activity were broken into 3-4 team members that stenciled storm drains in Falcon Heights neighborhood that are in the Lake Como watershed to help spread awareness of preventing pollutants from getting into our waterways. Team members were comprised of 3 kids/youth and 6 adults, and were responsible for stenciling drains from north of Larpenteur Ave to Garden Ave, and west of Hamline Ave N to Arona Street. Teams utilized drain stencils from the Friends of the Mississippi organization.

Thank you to everyone who participated in these service projects. We would also like to extend a big thank you to District 10 Community Council, the Friends of the Mississippi organization for the use of their tools, and Thrivent Financial Services for helping with material costs.

Photos

Pre-Fair Neighborhood

Block Party

2025

Thank you to everyone who attended our Block Party on Tuesday, August 19, 2025 from 6-8 PM in our church parking lot. Special thanks to Sweet Fruci’s Ice Cream Truck, St. Paul Parks and Rec, and Thrivent Financial. And a very special thank you to all of the volunteers. This block party wouldn’t be a party if it was not for everyone. Thanks to All.

CONTACT: Church Office | 651-646-7127 | office@comoparklutheran.org / Sue Brogger | 651-435-4173 (direct) | sue@comoparklutheran.org

Photos