ADULT FORUM OPPORTUNITY: Krista Lind

Sunday, October 11th
10:45am–12:00pm

Join us after worship from 10:45am–12:00pm as we welcome Deacon Krista Lind, Assistant to the Bishop for Vocational Formation with the Saint Paul Area Synod. She’ll guide us through what to expect in the call process as we begin discerning our next permanent senior pastor.

This is a valuable chance to hear directly from the Synod, learn what comes next, and ask questions as we move into this next chapter together.

All are invited and encouraged to attend.

The post Pastoral Transition: What’s Next first appeared on Como Park Lutheran Church, ELCA, RIC: Serving St. Paul, Falcon Heights and Roseville MN.]]> https://comoparklutheran.org/pastoral-transition-whats-next/feed/ 0 https://comoparklutheran.org/youth-haunted-hayride-friday-september-25/ https://comoparklutheran.org/youth-haunted-hayride-friday-september-25/#respond Mon, 21 Sep 2026 19:15:10 +0000 https://comoparklutheran.org/?p=13821   The Dead End Hayride is quickly becoming a CPLC favorite… so we’re heading back again this year! This haunted adventure includes a hayride, plus walking through spooky fields and buildings. Scary fun isn’t for everyone, and that’s perfectly okay – we have plenty of other youth events coming up throughout the year. Who: 7th–12th…

 

The Dead End Hayride is quickly becoming a CPLC favorite… so we’re heading back again this year! This haunted adventure includes a hayride, plus walking through spooky fields and buildings. Scary fun isn’t for everyone, and that’s perfectly okay – we have plenty of other youth events coming up throughout the year.

Who: 7th–12th graders — friends welcome!

What: A festive, fright-filled Haunted Hayride

Where: Dead End Hayride (about 30 minutes from church) — thedeadendhayride.com

When: Meet at church at 6:00 PM on Friday, Sept. 25. We’ll carpool together. Due to wait times, return is estimated around 10:00 PM.

RSVP: To secure a group rate, tickets will be purchased ahead of time. Please RSVP by Wednesday, Sept. 23.

Cost & Permission Slips: $20 per youth. Cash or checks may be made out to CPLC. Permission slips/waivers are available from David or can be signed at drop-off.

Questions & RSVP: Contact David Osterhouse at osterhouse@comoparklutheran.org

The post Youth Haunted Hayride – Friday, September 25 first appeared on Como Park Lutheran Church, ELCA, RIC: Serving St. Paul, Falcon Heights and Roseville MN.]]>

Rally Day marks the start of CPLC’s 2026–2027 Sunday School year! 

After worship, families are invited to tour classrooms and meet our teachers.

Registration for the 2026–2027 year is now open. Please register by Sunday, September 20 at bit.ly/cplcsundayschool.

Even if your information is already on file, please complete a new form for this school year. Updated registrations help us plan class sizes, prepare materials, accommodate dietary or other needs, and ensure current family and emergency contact information.

Note: September 20 is both Rally Day and the first day of Sunday School classes. During worship, we will also celebrate a Blessing of the Backpacks.

Questions or late sign‑ups? Contact Sunday School Superintendent Kelly Whitstone at 651‑435‑4181 or sundayschool@comoparklutheran.org.

During worship this Sunday, September 20th, the pastor will offer a special Blessing of the Backpacks as our children begin a new school year. Kids are invited to bring their backpacks to worship and come forward for a brief blessing and prayer. All children – preschool through high school – are encouraged to participate!

There’s nothing better than fresh food and community connection. The Como Park Farmers’ Market returns this season, bringing together local growers, makers, and neighbors in one vibrant space!

This year, the market will take place in the CPLC parking lot at 1545 Hamline Ave N in St. Paul and will be held every Thursday from 2:00–6:00 PM, running May 14 through October 29. Please note there will be no market on August 27 or September 3.

You’ll find a wide variety of locally grown and produced foods, along with handmade goods from area vendors. The market accepts SNAP/EBT and offers matching programs to help make fresh, local food more accessible to everyone.

We look forward to seeing you at the market and celebrating the best of the season together 🥕☀️🫜

Using SNAP/EBT at the Market: https://stpaulfarmersmarket.com/food-assistance-2/
Stop at the information tent or table at any market.

• Show your EBT card or ask for an EBT transaction. (EBT cards from other states are accepted.)
• Market staff will ask how much you’d like to charge to your card. This amount is deducted from your monthly SNAP balance.
• For example, if you deduct $10, you will receive $10 in tokens to spend with participating vendors.
• You will also receive $10 in Market Bucks and $10 in Produce Bucks—these are free matching dollars you can use to buy more fresh food.
• The market can match up to $10 per visit.
  • So if you charge $30, you’ll receive $30 in tokens, $10 in Market Bucks, and $10 in Produce Bucks.

Join us on August 25 from 6:00–8:00 p.m. for our Pre-Fair Neighborhood Block Party!

Bring a lawn chair and enjoy free ice cream for kids, snacks, beverages, lawn games, and a State Fair ticket drawing.

Free entry, everyone is welcome!

2025 Block Party: Two Saint Paul Parks and Recreation staff members welcome visitors beneath a blue canopy, with a colorful ring toss game set up nearby.

2025 Block Party: Families and neighbors gather near a bright blue food truck and Saint Paul Parks and Recreation tent during an outdoor community event.

2025 Block Party: A volunteer smiles behind Como Park Lutheran Church’s community outreach table, featuring a colorful display about supporting, donating to, and volunteering with the Grow-a-Row program.

2025 Block Party: Three volunteers smile beneath a canopy behind a table filled with assorted bags of chips at an outdoor community event.

The Director of Music Ministries plays a vital role in the spiritual life of Como Park Lutheran Church by providing musical leadership that enhances worship and reflects the mission, vision, and values of the congregation. The position combines responsibilities in worship accompaniment, choir direction, and music coordination for all worship services and special events. Additionally, the director oversees the maintenance and care of all musical instruments and equipment, ensuring their readiness and longevity.

Supervisor: Position reports directly to the Pastor.

Position: Three Quarter Time to Full-time.

Location: On-site role, Como Park Lutheran Church

Salary Range: $45,671 to $60,000

Benefits: Health and Retirement

Application Instructions: Interested candidates should email their résumé and a brief cover letter to pastor@comoparklutheran.org.

Misc.

Final hiring contingent upon satisfactory completion of a background check.

Primary Responsibilities

• Provide primary piano and organ accompaniment for Sunday worship and special services (e.g. Lent, Holy Week, Christmas Eve).
• Serve as music lead for weddings and funerals at Como Park Lutheran.
• Direct the Adult Choir and Bell Choir.
• Collaborate with the Pastor and Worship Committee to plan worship services and select appropriate music.
• Coordinate and schedule instrumentalists, vocalists, and special music offerings.
• Train and support cantors and liturgists.
• Encourage and empower volunteer music leaders within the congregation.
• Arrange for substitute musicians as needed.
• Participate in and help lead the Worship Committee, fostering appreciation for Lutheran Liturgy and Hymnody.
• Invite, rehearse with, and coordinate guest musicians, ensembles, and choirs.
• Oversee the care, maintenance, and replacement of all church-owned instruments and music equipment.

Required Skills and Qualifications

• Proficiency in piano and organ accompaniment.
• Bachelor’s degree or higher in Music or Music Education (preferred).
• Experience in choral direction.
• Passion for traditional liturgical worship and hymnody, with openness to contemporary styles.
• Ability to perform and appreciate diverse musical styles, including global and interfaith traditions.
• Experience working with children and adults in musical settings.
• Strong organizational, interpersonal, communication, and teaching skills.
• Commitment to ongoing professional development.

On Sunday, September 13, 2026, “God’s work. Our hands.” Sunday there’s an opportunity to celebrate who we are as the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America – one church, freed in Christ to love and serve our neighbor – by participating in a service project. We invite you to participate in one or both of the projects listed below.

Click this image for the flyer with both project details, or read the description below.

Neighborhood School Supply Drive – Help students go back to school prepared. CPLC will be collecting school supplies for students at Chelsea Heights Elementary, Falcon Heights Elementary, and Roseville Area High School.

Items to donate:

• Large and small backpacks
• Pencils
• Pens
• Crayons
• Markers
• Watercolor paint brushes
• Scissors
• Folders
• Notebooks

Pajama Kits – donate/ pack pajama kits for children ages 3 – 18. These kits are distributed through Lutheran Social Services. For children facing uncertainty, these kits offer dignity and familiarity during times of adjustment.

Items to donate:

Drawstring bag (to pack and transport the kit)

• 1 pair of pajamas (gender-neutral if possible; sized for ages 4 – 18)
• 1 pair of socks
• 1 pair of underwear
• 1 soft stuffed animal (small to medium-sized, cuddly, no battery- operated toys)
• Optional addition: 1 children’s book (new or gently used, age-appropriate, for youth – YA novel, journal or coloring/activity book)

If you are unable to join us on September 13^th, you can still participate in either service project. For the school Supply Drive, drop off school supplies in the blue barrel located in the Narthex any time before September 13^th.  For Pajama Kits, purchase items from the list above and drop off at church before September 13^th.

Please email Sue@comoparklutheran.org with any questions or to volunteer.

On Sunday, September 7th, 2025, CPLC and some of our neighbors participated in the ELCA National Day of Service. We tackled three projects:

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.

Photos below:

“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

Week 8 – PLANT DONATIONS: 80.25 lbs. Sixteen pounds from the church members’ gardens!

Week 9: 128 lbs total. 108 lbs of produce went to Keystone on July 31st. The remaining produce was sent to Peace House.

Week 10 Como Grow a Row: 98.5 lbs delivered to Keystone.

Week 15 Como Grow a Row:  25.75 lbs delivered to Keystone.

Como Park Lutheran will have a community table sharing upcoming events, volunteer opportunities, and ways to get involved – stop by and say hello!