Your Session has had a full fall so far. Below are highlights from the September and October meetings.

September 16, 2025

Plant, Grow, Share

The Session met with Walter (Rocky) Rockenstein, Presbytery Counsel, about a proposed agreement with Plant, Grow, Share. This agreement was sent to Plant, Grow, Share following the meeting.

Presbytery Report

Cathy Murphy and Chris van Lierop provided a report from the September 11 stated meeting. The 2026 per capita amount is increasing from $40.00 to $43.75 per member.

Marketing

Jill Wheeler reported on the Marketing Committee’s current work and plans. They will evaluate the church website and explore ideas, including search engine optimization, to spread the word about St. Luke.

Worship

The Worship Committee has been reconstituted and is working with Pastor Kristin and David Lohman on special services and Advent preparations.

Stewardship

The stewardship committee has begun meeting to prepare for the 2026 campaign. Stewardship Sunday will be November 9, 2025.

Children, Youth, & Families

Ministry highlights include growing numbers of children participating in worship, strong participation and excitement in Sunday School and OWL program, and new ideas for the future growth of the children and youth program.

Social Justice

The OST (Oglala Sioux Tribe) Partnership for Housing Inc. was approved as the recipient of December’s Change for Change offering.

October 21, 2025

Building & Grounds

The group successfully cleaned up the grounds for the winter on October 11. The church has reached its goal of collecting 1,000 pounds of plastic bags for the NexTrex plastic bag challenge. The roof and skylights were damaged by a hailstorm in September. HVAC equipment on the roof was also damaged. An insurance claim has been filed.

Finance

Treasurer Don Davies gave a report on the third-quarter financials. The Session approved a resolution, recommended by the Finance and Legacy Committees, to authorize the Finance Committee to take full responsibility for the oversight of all financial activities of the church in order to create a more centralized way of making or recommending financial decisions regarding budgeting and responding to funding requests as they arise. Prior to this, the Legacy Committee had been responsible for managing funding requests from the Legacy Fund and oversight of the investment portfolio.

Stewardship Committee

After a robust discussion, the Session decided to set a 2026 stewardship campaign goal of $525,000. Session also approved a fundraiser for OutFront Minnesota on November 9, 2025.

Deacons

The Deacons have been busy with recent funerals and planning for the Soup & Chili event on November 2. The new funeral co-coordinators are Maggie Corens and Connie Branson.

Human Resources Committee

The Minnesota Paid Leave law goes into effect on January 1, 2026. Human Resources is working on updating policies and practices to adhere to this new law. The annual staff review process has begun. Starting in January 2026, the new HR committee chair will be Christina Gregory.