Praying for Minnehaha
[Update: Cities Church is currently in the process of securing a Sunday meeting space for the rest of August. Details will be communicated shortly.]
Cities Church has greatly appreciated our partnership with Minnehaha Academy over the last three years, and as we consider their entire staff to be invaluable friends to our ministry, we have especially enjoyed getting to know their facilities staff on a personal level. Chiefly among that staff was John Carlson, the custodian at the Upper School who served Minnehaha and our church so faithfully as the site manager on Sunday mornings.
You could always count on John to be there, always smiling in his Redhawks polo and greeting whoever he saw. He joked with me on several occasions that he was a hundred years old. I believed him at first, because he was that exceptional. His warm personality and cheerful demeanor made him such a blessing to our church. He was the kind of old man that every man would want to be. His presence will be sorely missed.
Our prayers and condolences go out for his wife and family, as well as to the family of Ruth Berg. The tragedy of this morning’s explosion shakes our church, as it also shakes the expansive network connected to Minnehaha, including educators, alumni, and others who have benefited from this great institution. For over a hundred years, Minnehaha Academy has stood as a beacon for Christian education in Minneapolis, and we are confident that with God’s help she will persevere through this terrible ordeal.
God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble. Therefore we will not fear though the earth gives way, though the mountains be moved into the heart of the sea, though its waters roar and foam, though the mountains tremble at its swelling. – Psalm 46:1–3
Plans for Sunday, August 6
Due to the damage sustained by Minnehaha’s building, this Sunday we will be gathering for worship at the Riverview Theater (3800 42nd Avenue South) at 9:30am — and there will be no childcare. Street parking is available down 42nd Avenue and 38th Street.
Parents are encouraged to bring their children into the service, and the lobby will be open, but we will not be able to facilitate childcare at the theater.
Lunch Following at the Park
We are still planning to have a send-off lunch for Linda after the Sunday service! The plan is to meet at Hiawatha School Park (4305 E 42nd Street), which is directly down 42nd Avenue not far from The Riverview. Lunch is being catered. Bring your picnic blankets.
