On a corner of Lyndale Avenue South in the heart of Richfield, Oak Grove Lutheran Church has been a steady presence for more than 80 years. The congregation began in 1934, when two people living on Oak Grove Boulevard dreamed of a church closer to home than the one they attended on Minneapolis's West Bank. They started with nine children in Sunday School held in their living room. Their mothers organized a Ladies Aid, a choir formed, and volunteers built a small structure. By October 1935 Oak Grove Lutheran Church was officially organized as part of what was then known as The Lutheran Free Church.
Today Oak Grove is part of the Minneapolis Area Synod within the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA). Its mission is to put the love of Jesus into action as the church welcomes, serves, and loves all. The vision calls members to learn and grow in relationship with God, to be a warm and accepting community that proclaims God's gracious love in a spirit of celebration, and to compassionately address the hurts and hopes of the community and world around them. Core values running through that vision include loving one another with the compassion Christ shows, welcoming all with hospitality, accepting each person with respect and dignity, worshipping through music and ministry rooted in Lutheran heritage while embracing new expressions, growing in faith rooted in the Gospel, and generously sharing time, talents, and resources with neighbors near and far.
Sunday Morning at 10:00
Sunday worship takes place at 10:00 a.m. each week. Holy Communion is celebrated every Sunday, and all are welcome at the table. Hearing devices are available for those who need them, and ushers can provide assistance. Children are always welcome in worship, with activity bags available from the ushers for younger visitors. A staffed nursery is not currently available.
Services are livestreamed on the church's Facebook page, so members and friends who cannot attend in person can follow along live or watch the recording later. Bulletins for the upcoming Sunday, including announcements, can be downloaded in advance.
From a Living Room to Sunday School Today
Faith formation for children has been part of Oak Grove since the very first nine students met in a living room in 1934. Today Sunday School is held from 11:00 a.m. to noon, immediately after worship, during the school year. It is open to children from preschool (age 3) through fifth grade, with registration available online and through a printable form.
Confirmation gathers students in sixth through eighth grades on Wednesday evenings from 6:30 to 7:30 p.m. during the school year. Pastor Ellery Dykeman walks with these students and their families through the program. Each summer the church also offers Vacation Bible School, typically held outdoors in July, for children from preschool through sixth grade.
Many summers also bring Camp Wapogasset, a Lutheran camp where Oak Grove young people from grades 3 through 11 spend a week learning to be disciples of Jesus. The congregation raises funds each year to help families who would not otherwise be able to send their children to camp.
Along the way, Oak Grove marks what the church calls Milestones: Baptism, First Bible, First Communion, Confirmation, the day a young person receives a driver's license, and Demystifying Death, a program that walks families through conversations about dying as part of the same journey of faith.
Adults in the Fireside Room and the Church Library
Adults at Oak Grove have several long-standing places to study and grow together. Circles are women's small Bible study groups that meet monthly for study, fellowship, and service. A Saturday Morning Men's Bible Study gathers at 8:00 a.m. in the church library, year-round, for a time of study, prayer, and support. On Wednesday mornings from 9:30 to 10:30 a.m., a Bible study open to members and friends meets in the Fireside Room. The group, led by Pastor Lee, typically works through one Book of the Bible at a time, and no prior Bible experience is necessary.
Choirs, Bells, and a Lutheran Heritage of Music
Music has been part of Oak Grove since the beginning, when the congregation's earliest members formed a choir not long after those first nine children met in a living room. Today the church welcomes instrumentalists and vocal soloists or groups to share their gifts in worship year-round.
Chorale is the choir for senior high students through adults, with rehearsals on Wednesday evenings and some Sunday mornings from September through May. Joy Bells is a handbell group for people age 16 through adult, rehearsing on Saturdays from 9:00 to 10:00 a.m. during the school year and playing in worship about once a month. A Wee Praise Choir introduces younger singers to leading worship as well. Morva Klein serves as organist, Carol Olson directs Chorale and the Wee Praise Choir, and Julie Tvete and Elisa Tvete lead the bell choirs.
Quilts, VEAP, and the Warming Garden on the Fence
The congregation's outreach work is woven into weekly life. Care Club meets every Tuesday at 10:00 a.m. to make quilts that are donated to Lutheran World Relief and to neighbors in the community. Oak Grove also collects food and raises funds for VEAP, the Volunteers Enlisted to Assist People, a human services agency that serves Richfield, Bloomington, Edina, and a portion of Minneapolis with food, transportation, energy assistance, school supplies, and a holiday toy drive.
Outside on the south side of the building, where Lyndale meets 71st, the Community Warming Garden fence holds hand-knit hats and mittens through the colder months, freely available to anyone who needs them. Oak Grove has long supported global mission in places such as Hong Kong, the Central African Republic, and China, as well as local ministries like Meals on Wheels and a transitional housing program for families in need in Richfield.
Oak Grove Children's Center
The congregation founded Oak Grove Children's Center to serve the wider Richfield community with quality childcare for children from six weeks old through kindergarten. Erin Draeger directs the on-site center, and families can call the church office to ask about openings.