Tucked along the southeast corner of Diamond Lake in south Minneapolis, Diamond Lake Lutheran Church has anchored a stretch of Portland Avenue since 1940, when it began as a mission congregation of the Augustana Synod. The small red chapel that opened that year was modeled on a country church in Sweden. By 1952 the young congregation had outgrown it and built the present limestone sanctuary, a gothic-design space whose stained-glass windows still tell the story of the Christian faith today. Additions in 1960, a 1987 renovation, and a 2022 refresh that opened up new community gathering spaces have shaped the building members and visitors walk into now, a few blocks north of Highway 62 and easy to reach from the Diamond Lake Road exit off I-35W or the Portland Avenue exit off 62.
A Reconciling in Christ Congregation
Diamond Lake identifies itself as a Reconciling in Christ congregation of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA), part of the Minneapolis Area Synod. The congregation's welcome statement is unusually direct: people of all ages and abilities, family structures, sexual orientations, gender identities and expressions, races and ethnic backgrounds, and financial circumstances are explicitly named as part of the community. The statement acknowledges that the congregation, like every congregation, is fallible, but commits to building relationships with all who believe, doubt, question, seek, and wonder.
A land acknowledgment adopted for church functions notes that Diamond Lake gathers on the traditional land of the Wahpekute band of the Santee division of the Dakota people past and present, and acknowledges the genocide, ethnic cleansing, forced removal, and broken promises carried out by the State of Minnesota and the United States Government. The acknowledgment calls the congregation to ongoing learning about how to be better stewards of the land.
Sunday Mornings Around Coffee and Communion
Worship at Diamond Lake happens every Sunday at 9:30 a.m., with coffee, conversation, and Bogart's Doughnuts flowing in the commons from 9:00 to 9:30 a.m. and again after the service. The congregation describes its liturgy as a blend of structured liturgy, Bible readings, and a thoughtful sermon, with Holy Communion celebrated every Sunday. Music is a centerpiece. Dr. Kevin Hobbs plays both organ and grand piano, offering a weekly prelude and postlude on the piano. Dr. Bruce Gleason directs the choir, and Chuck Linderkamp leads the Carillon adult and teen handbell choir and the Children's Bell Choir, all of which often take part in worship.
Children are woven into the service rather than separated from it. Within the first twenty minutes of worship, Lead Pastor Rev. Andrea Roske-Metcalfe invites children forward for the Sermon on the Steps, a conversation that often draws surprising depth from the youngest worshipers. A Pray-Ground at the front of the sanctuary, busy bags, and a children's nook with games, books, and puzzles give kids room to move. A staffed nursery on the lower level is open from 9:15 to 11:45 a.m. for children under three, with a private nursing room available for parents who want it.
After worship, the Congregational Fellowship Hour runs until about 11:45 a.m., with rotating programming that ranges from intergenerational Sunday school on the day's Bible story arc to one-on-one conversations, service projects, puzzles and board games, and guest speakers.
Wednesday Evenings: A Whole Community Around Tables
Wednesday evenings during the program year (September through May) are when much of Diamond Lake's intergenerational life happens. A community meal is served at 5:30 p.m. in the Lakeview Room, with a suggested free-will donation of $5; the meal is especially useful for families juggling confirmation and other programming. At 6:30 p.m. the evening branches: Kids Club welcomes children from age three through sixth grade for Bible stories, large-muscle games, and arts and crafts (with seventh through twelfth graders serving as peer mentors), and the Lakeview Forum gathers adults for a weekly guest speaker - artists, educators, theologians, and performers who bring their own perspective on faith as a lifelong learning process.
Bible Study meets earlier in the evening at 4:30 p.m. in the Trailside Conference Room, an informal discussion that follows the narrative lectionary used in worship. The youth program begins at 5:30 p.m. with dinner and includes the youth musical rehearsal at 6 p.m., Kids Club support from 6:30 to 7:30 p.m., and Youth Group from 7:30 to 8 p.m. Wednesday activities pause on days when Minneapolis Public Schools are closed.
A Choir Program with Deep Roots
The music program at Diamond Lake reaches back decades and has earned a national reputation. The Diamond Lake Choir, directed by Dr. Bruce Gleason (now in his seventeenth year at the congregation), sings three Sundays a month from September through Mother's Day. Its repertoire runs from timeless classics and a cappella pieces to contemporary anthems with instrumentalists. Rehearsals are typically three Sunday mornings each month at 8:15 a.m. before worship, and newcomers are always welcome - a robe, folder, and a place in the section are ready.
The Carillon Choir, the adult and teen handbell ensemble, and the Children's Bell Choir (grades three through six) rehearse Monday evenings at 6:30 p.m. and 5:30 p.m. respectively, then play during worship once a month from October through May, plus special services in Advent, Christmas, Palm Sunday, and Good Friday. No music-reading experience is required for either bell choir. Handbells range from two to just over ten inches in diameter.
Every year children from fourth grade through high school stage an original youth musical; a Christmas program is rehearsed during Kids Club in late autumn, and the spring Cabaret doubles as a fundraiser for camp and retreat scholarships.
Children, Youth, and Family Faith Formation
Faith formation at Diamond Lake is built around milestones. Each child receives a Bible at age-appropriate stages: the Celebrate Wonder Storybook Bible for ages three through third grade, the Deep Blue Kids Bible for fourth through sixth grade, and the CEB Student Bible for seventh through twelfth grade. First Communion is celebrated on Maundy Thursday, with families invited to decide together when their child is ready.
Confirmation runs through seventh and eighth grade, with confirmation on Reformation Sunday (the last Sunday of October) of ninth grade; older youth who have not yet been confirmed are welcome to join. Classes meet one Sunday a month from 5 to 8 p.m., with dinner built in, and students complete a service reflection as part of the journey. Each year, high schoolers also travel on a service-learning trip to walk alongside and learn from people experiencing unhousing, addiction, mental health challenges, and other marginalizing experiences.
Seasonal festivals - Fall Festival, Boo Bash, Advent Festival, and Easter Egg Hunt - are free and open to the wider community. South Minneapolis Day Camp, a multi-church week in August, brings kids of all ages together for Bible lessons, music, games, and crafts, with high schoolers trained and paid to help lead. The annual fall retreat at Luther Park in Danbury, Wisconsin, is open to individuals, couples, families, and friends of the congregation.
Stained Glass That Teaches the Faith
The sanctuary's stained-glass windows, installed in 1952 and 1958, are themselves a teaching tool. The chancel Altar window, designed by Robert Berg and installed in 1952, places Christ at the center with the hand of God above and the descending dove of the Holy Spirit below, encircled by a nimbus for the Trinity. The didactic windows lining the cloistered side aisles, crafted in 1958 by Richard Heule under Berg's mentorship, walk the worshipper through the Christian story: the Prophecy (Advent), Nativity, Epiphany, Redemption, Resurrection, Ascension, Pentecost, and Trinity windows. Five narthex windows salvaged from the old Bethesda Hospital in St. Paul and installed at Diamond Lake in 1968 depict Bible scenes in a more traditional style, and the Meditation Room holds twenty-one art-glass medallions preserved from the original 1940 chapel.
Social Justice, Learning, and Community Resources
Diamond Lake's Justice work is woven into congregational life. Journey Toward Justice offers book discussions, tours to sacred sites, and multi-cultural events for ongoing learning about equity. Connect, a ministry that grew out of a two-year partnership with Augsburg University's Riverside Innovation Hub, focuses on being present in neighbors' lives and listening to their stories. The Lakeview Forum, the Wednesday evening speaker series, extends this learning with weekly outside voices. The Social Justice resource list includes books by Austin Channing Brown, Ibram X. Kendi, Robin DiAngelo, Ijeoma Oluo, Kaitlin B. Curtice, and Vine Deloria Jr., along with films such as 13th, Just Mercy, Jim Crow of the North, and Selma, and links to the ELCA Racial Justice and Truth and Healing Movement resources.
An Artist-Activist in Residence program embeds a creative practitioner for nine months at a time in the life of the congregation and the wider community, bringing art into worship, gatherings, and public engagement. The New Frontier Lutheran Radio Hour, performed live, celebrates church life with humor and reflection.
Beyond its walls, Diamond Lake maintains a curated list of community resources for food, shelter, and free meals in south Minneapolis, including New Creations Ministries Mother Jeanette Frazier Food Shelf, New Creation Baptist Church, Calvary Food Shelf, Minnehaha Food Shelf, Simpson Housing, Caring and Sharing Hands/Mary's Place, People Serving People, Higher Ground Minneapolis, and Hope Street.
Partner Organizations and Outreach
The congregation partners with several organizations in south Minneapolis and beyond. The Hale Page Diamond Lake Community Association works on local neighborhood priorities. Align Minneapolis is an interfaith collaboration of nineteen Minneapolis churches, synagogues, and mosques focused on homelessness and poverty. Lutheran Social Service of Minnesota, Meals on Wheels, Trust Inc. (which co-hosts the monthly Sunday Supper with entertainment and a free community meal), and Every Meal (closing the weekend food gap for school children) round out the partner list. Sunday Suppers offer free entertainment at 4 p.m. and supper from 5 to 6 p.m. one Sunday a month for members, friends, and the wider community.
Life Events and Congregational Care
Baptism, weddings, and funerals are welcomed as part of the church's life. Pastor Andrea typically meets with a family for about an hour to plan a funeral or memorial service, with a Consolation Committee providing home-baked cakes, beverages, and table service for a reception free of charge. Weddings are coordinated through Julie Sarff, the Wedding Coordinator, and information forms, fees, and confirmation forms are available online.
Congregational care is anchored by Parish Nurse Parker Webster, who offers health education, advocacy, spiritual presence, and connections to community resources, along with blood pressure screenings, flu shot clinics, meal trains, and home visits. A prayer shawl ministry knits shawls for members and friends experiencing illness, surgery, hospice care, rehabilitation, or grieving. Prayer requests can be shared confidentially with Pastor Andrea, with Parish Nurse Parker, with a private prayer chain, or with the wider congregation through Prayers of the People in worship.
Spaces and the Building
A 2022 renovation created new gathering spaces for community use. The Lakeview Room, the largest main-level room, holds up to 162 people and can open to the deck, the outdoor spaces, and the North Room for larger events. The Birch Room on the lower level offers more than 1,000 square feet for performances, classes, and presentations, fully accessible by elevator. Smaller classrooms on the lower level host music lessons, tutoring, and small meetings. The Trailside Conference Room seats twelve around a conference table with a 55-inch screen and windows that look out toward Diamond Lake. Equipment available for renters includes round and rectangle tables, child-size picnic tables, high chairs, AV carts, white boards, wired and wireless microphones, and easels. Diamond Lake rents its spaces to groups whose values align with its own; interested renters can contact the office.
Becoming Part of the Community
Membership Information Sessions are held every other month following worship, typically lasting about an hour, covering the vision and values of Diamond Lake and what membership means. New members are received into a congregation whose leadership includes Lead Pastor Rev. Andrea Roske-Metcalfe, Business Administrator Austen Hartke, Director of Community Outreach John Pedersen, Parish Nurse Parker Webster, Director of Communications Kristine Spanier, Facilities Manager Beya Leora, Choir Director Dr. Bruce Gleason, Organist Dr. Kevin Hobbs, and Director of Handbell Choirs Chuck Linderkamp, alongside a Congregational Council chaired by Council President James Powell.
Worship is livestreamed on YouTube Sundays at 9:30 a.m. for those who are homebound or traveling. Bulletins, announcements, and hymn lists for each week are available for download. Giving is accepted online, by mail to 5760 Portland Ave. So., or by text to 612-260-9719. The office is open Monday through Wednesday from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. and Thursday from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m., reachable at 612-866-2579 or dllc.office@dllc.org.