A Reconciling Congregation on Hodgson Road
Peace United Methodist Church sits at 5050 Hodgson Road in Shoreview, a few minutes north of St. Paul. The congregation marks sixty years of ministry - a 60th-anniversary service of dedication was held on October 9, 2022 with Bishop David Bard - and the life that fills the building today reflects the breadth of the surrounding neighborhood. Two Hmong congregations worship in the same space, a Montessori preschool fills the weekdays, yoga and dance classes share the floor, scouts meet in the fellowship hall, and a fifty-plus voice chorale rehearses for community concerts. Peace describes itself, simply and directly, as "a progressive, multigenerational community of faith called to engage our world through the power of God's love."
Its mission is "reconciling and growing for everyone." Its vision is "partnering with God to experience the flourishing of all things." And its inclusion statement names the commitment in plain language: "affirming all people as a gift of God's love through a careful use of language in our liturgy and music, while celebrating and including all people at every level of leadership and service." Peace is an officially designated Reconciling Congregation within the United Methodist Church, and it has stated that it has not and does not intend to disaffiliate to the Global Methodist Church. The congregation remains within the connectional ministry of the Minnesota Annual Conference of the United Methodist Church and stands behind the Conference as it affirms the inclusion of all people.
Belong and Become on Sunday Mornings
Worship at Peace happens on Sundays at 10:00 a.m. The service blends traditional and contemporary elements: a call to worship, responsive readings and prayers, a reading from Scripture, congregational music that ranges across hymns, modern worship songs, and pieces that are simply spiritual, and a sermon that typically runs about twenty minutes and works from a specific theme. Pastor Jason Steffenhagen says the goal is for people to "simultaneously be known and loved, while challenged to grow and serve," and the tone of the gathering is intentionally casual. The congregation's own invitation is "come as you are."
Each Sunday is described as unique in its musical mix and liturgical feel, which fits the church's larger self-understanding as "eclectic." Worship leaders, musicians, and the pastor collaborate to choose music that supports the theme of each sermon series, and the Sunday bulletin is prepared alongside digital slides that walk visitors through every part of the service.
Nursery, Children's Church, and Encore
Families with children of every age find a place at Peace. A nursery is available throughout the morning for infants through pre-kindergartners. Children in kindergarten through fifth grade begin worship with their parents or loved ones and are then dismissed to Children's Church, which runs from 10:15 to 11:00 a.m. in two small groups, one for lower elementary and one for upper elementary.
Middle school and high school students are invited to participate in the Sunday worship service, and many also gather for Encore, the church's youth group. Encore meets on Sunday evenings from 6:30 to 8:00 p.m., September through June. The group explores questions of faith, culture, and politics, and at various points gathers for Service Saturdays when the youth take on a project for the church or the wider community.
Family Game Night extends the welcome to the entire congregation, not just households with children. Held on a Sunday evening each month from 5:00 to 6:30 p.m., the gathering brings out drinks and desserts provided by the church, with attendees invited to bring a dish or side to share. When the weather is warm, the group grills hot dogs over an open fire; when it is cold, the evening moves into the Fellowship Hall for pizza. Games are part of the fun, but the evening's deeper purpose is simply gathering as a church family.
Music That Reaches Beyond the Sanctuary
Music at Peace is "flexible and eclectic." The church has staged large musical productions in past seasons - "Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat" and "Jesus Christ Superstar" among them - and has hosted benefit concerts for community partners, including a pianist Don Irwin concert for the Good Neighbor Center and a Beatles tribute by Rubber Soul for the Ralph Reeder Food Shelf.
Three groups carry this tradition forward today. The Celebration Chorale, known as STEP, is open to anyone high-school age and older who enjoys singing; it sings two Sundays a month. Praise Singers is a select ensemble that sings periodically for worship, for special occasions, and takes musical programs to area retirement and assisted living facilities. The Ringers of Peace is the church's handbell choir for high school through adult ages, ringing in worship one Sunday a month from September through May and occasionally presenting concerts in the wider community. The Ringers have also produced a recording, "A Dazzling Bouquet," as a fundraiser for UMCOR (United Methodist Committee on Relief).
Adults in Conversation, Study, and Retreat
Peace invests deeply in adult formation. Book discussions happen periodically on Sunday evenings at 7:00 p.m., with the church choosing titles that feed both spiritual and personal growth. The current selection is "Where We Meet" by Rachel Gilmore, Tyler Sit, Matt Temple, and Candace Lewis. Earlier gatherings have worked through Marcus Borg's "The Heart of Christianity" and Diana Butler Bass's "Freeing Jesus," the latter becoming a series of Saturday-morning Zoom conversations hosted by former Pastor Gary Walpole that the church still archives online.
The Men's Connection gathers every other Tuesday at noon in the Gathering Place. The format is deliberately casual: men bring their own lunch and spend the hour sharing stories, listening to one another's faith journeys, and learning how to pray for one another.
L.I.F.E. - Living in Full Effectiveness - is a longstanding group for seniors who want to connect around learning, entertainment, and fellowship. Carol Mills helps coordinate both L.I.F.E. and the church's Prayer Chain, a network of members who provide care for one another.
Each fall, Peace hosts a women's retreat sponsored by its COSROW (Commission on the Status and Role of Women) ministry, an arm of the United Methodist Church that challenges the denomination to commit to the full participation of women. The retreat takes place off-site at a retreat center and includes a guest presenter, small-group conversation, crafts, worship on Sunday morning, and plenty of unstructured time for walking, journaling, and rest.
An Open Table and an Open Pulpit
One of the clearest statements Peace makes about itself concerns communion, also called the Lord's Supper or Eucharist. The church practices an open table: all who want to participate in the Christ-like way of grace, discipleship, humility, forgiveness, and love are invited to receive. The congregation understands the Eucharist as "a good gift" - the literal meaning of the Greek word - given to all, and in response given by all to others.
That same openness extends to leadership. Anyone can serve as a leader at Peace; no one is restricted from leadership based on gender, race, or sexual orientation. The church has also committed to supporting and honoring same-sex marriages in the same way it supports and honors other marriages. Its sanctuary is open to anyone who wants to make a commitment of love and fidelity through Christian marriage.
The Statement of Reconciliation that Peace has adopted is explicit: "Peace United Methodist Church is a place of peace for all that choose to enter the doors. We seek to be an inclusive Christian community believing that we are all children of God, and that God loves us all equally regardless of age, race, gender, ethnicity, religion, marital status, sexual orientation, socio-economic background, physical, mental and emotional abilities."
A Building Full of Neighbors
The 5050 Hodgson Road building is in use far beyond Sunday mornings. The Good Neighbor Center, a non-profit tutoring and mentoring program dedicated to the proposition that knowledge is power, operates on the grounds, as does the North Oaks Montessori Preschool and Childcare Center, which is open Monday through Friday from 7:30 a.m. to 5:00 p.m.
Two other congregations share the building: Hmong Faith Fellowship gathers on Sundays at 12:45 p.m. and Redeemer Salvation Church of God meets on Saturdays at 10:00 a.m. The Northern Lights Chorale rehearses in the space, and a range of smaller groups call Peace home, including YogaHotDish, Body Mind Circle Yoga, Dance with Cynthia, violin lessons with David Trelles, Boy Scout Troop 9625, and Cub Scout Pack 9525. The building also serves as a polling place for local elections.
This level of sharing shapes the way Peace talks about itself. The capital campaign launched in May 2025 - titled "Inviting & Sustaining For Everyone" - makes the point directly: Peace is not only a church on Sunday mornings. Its space is used by Hmong congregations, a preschool and childcare center, two yoga studios, a dance fitness class, the Boy Scouts, the Cub Scouts, a large community choir, violin instructors, a music instruction collective, and a polling place. The campaign's $150,000 goal is dedicated to re-siding the building, with the upper portion professionally installed and the lower portion a volunteer project, allowing members and friends to give either funds or time.
Good Neighbor Meals, Food Shelves, and Emma Norton
Service to neighbors takes many shapes. On the second Saturday of every month, Peace sends a team into St. Paul to help with the Good Neighbor Meal. The day has two shifts: food preparation in the morning at the Good Neighbor Center on Rice Street, and food service and clean-up in the afternoon at Faith Lutheran Church on Charles Avenue. Volunteers sign up when they are able, and monetary donations can be made to Peace UMC with "GNM" written in the memo line.
Beyond the monthly meal, Peace keeps long-standing relationships with organizations serving neighbors across the Twin Cities. The Ralph Reeder Food Shelf, a program of Mounds View Public Schools, provides emergency and supplemental food assistance to people experiencing food insecurity in the area. Emma Norton Services partners with women, children, and families who are homeless and navigating mental and chemical health challenges. Peace supports Emma Norton's work through gift cards, household supplies, and seasonal gift bags, particularly around the holidays, and the church community has consistently stepped up to gather the items most needed.
The school supply drive held each August is another example of the rhythm. On a Care-Giving Sunday, the congregation packs "welcome back to school" bags for sixth graders at Chippewa Middle School, while supplies pour in throughout the month for the children of the Good Neighbor Center.
The Little Free Library on the Sidewalk
Outside the main sanctuary doors, a small red Little Free Library anchors the church's commitment to reading and inclusion. Members seed it with books by authors and featuring characters from a wide variety of ethnic backgrounds, genders, ages, and abilities, including titles that are often banned in schools and libraries across the country. The library is treated as an outreach tool - one of the ways Peace tells the neighborhood who it is.
Inside the building, a reserve bookshelf in the Commons holds overflow titles. Volunteers keep the outdoor library stocked, focusing on themes by month - Black History Month and Valentine's Day in February, for example - and donations of money or gently used books are welcome throughout the year.
Faith in the Public Square: Not Neutral
In January 2025, Peace launched Not Neutral, a nimble advocacy group designed to rally around specific causes and opportunities in a timely manner. The catalyst was a wave of executive orders that the church's leaders viewed as targeting marginalized communities, particularly immigrants and transgender people. Not Neutral does not endorse political parties or candidates and does not directly oppose any particular elected official. Its purpose is to provide support for those being targeted by unjust policies and to advocate for changes that bring equity and opportunity for all.
The group sends weekly, sometimes daily, updates with calls to action. Members are encouraged to protest, to reach out to lawmakers at federal, state, and local levels, and to tangibly support non-profits providing resources to marginalized communities. Each communication ends with a reminder that the goal is not uniformity but community and transformation: "We aren't going to be neutral, but we don't have to be exactly the same either."
The church's public stances on politics are rooted in a careful distinction. Peace is not a partisan congregation and does not tell members how to vote. But it does talk openly about how political choices affect people who have been historically marginalized or oppressed. The Bible, the congregation notes, is often political. Jesus did not shy away from critiquing systems that benefit one group at the expense of another. The church will continue to emphasize God's love for all people, the need for systemic change, and the expectation that people of faith will tangibly serve and sacrifice for others.
Peace | The Podcast and Sunday Sermons Online
For those who cannot attend in person, Peace offers a weekly podcast. Peace | The Podcast can be found on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Amazon Music, and wherever podcasts are streamed; its home is at peacethepodcast.podbean.com. Most episodes are the Sunday morning messages, with a few additional elements of the Sunday service folded in.
Past seasons of audio content include the "Retrace" series Pastor Jason preached in the fall of 2023, working through the six passages often used to exclude the LGBTQ+ community and seeking, in the church's words, "a helpful deconstruction and reconstruction as we move towards the flourishing of all people." Older "Peace Conversations" recordings from former Pastor Gary Walpole explore Marcus Borg's "The Heart of Christianity" and Diana Butler Bass's "Freeing Jesus" through recorded Zoom sessions.
Seasons of the Christian Year at Peace
The congregation marks the seasons of the Christian year with care. Advent at Peace is described as both a humble and contemplative time and a joyful process of waiting and preparing. Resources for the season include craft ideas from members, articles, a Spotify playlist, and curated podcast episodes from shows like "Searching the Sacred" and "The RobCast."
Two Christmas Eve services are held each year: a Family Service at 4:00 p.m. with an interactive retelling of the Christmas story, and Carols & Candles at 9:00 p.m., a traditional and contemplative service culminating in the candlelit singing of "Silent Night."
Stewardship and Giving
Peace processes giving through SimpleChurch, where donors can give once or set up a recurring schedule, including contributions to the General Fund, the 5th Sunday Mortgage Program, and the Inviting & Sustaining For Everyone capital campaign. Donors may also help defray online transaction fees by selecting the 2 percent convenience fee option.
The 5th Sunday Program applies donations directly to the church's mortgage principal whenever a month contains a fifth Sunday. The Inviting & Sustaining For Everyone campaign, launched in May 2025, will resurface the building so that the many groups who share it - from the preschool to the Hmong congregations to the scouts to the chorale - can continue to call Peace home for years to come.
Joining the Life of Peace
Becoming part of Peace can take many forms. The church maintains an online directory that members can access through Instant Church Directory. A calendar of events is published publicly, and anyone wishing to reserve space in the building for any purpose is asked to contact the administrative assistant to confirm availability and current safety measures.
Volunteers are the backbone of the congregation. Hospitality teams set up snacks and coffee before services. Gardeners tend the beds around the building. Librarians restock the Little Free Library. Singers join the Celebration Chorale or Praise Singers. Musicians play with the Ringers of Peace. Cooks prepare Good Neighbor Meals. Readers show up for book discussions. Youth mentors walk alongside students at Encore. The list is long, and the church is open to new ideas and new talent. As its music page says, "What's your idea? What's your talent? Together, we can find a way for you to bring it to fruitful expression."
Leadership at Peace
The pastoral team is led by Pastor Jason Steffenhagen, whose framing verse is Romans 12:2 - "Be transformed by changing the way you think" - and whose ministry centers on the language of shalom: peace. Worship is shaped by Worship Leader Lauren Rotach, and children, youth, and family ministry is coordinated by Kassidy Rouse, who anchors her work in Mark 9:37 - "Whoever welcomes one of these little children in my name welcomes me."
The wider leadership of the church is exercised through a Leadership Council that brings together representatives from the Nominating Committee, Staff-Parish Relations Committee, Trustees, Finance, Hospitality, Care Team, and COSROW, along with two lay delegates to Annual Conference. The work of the council is supported by committees that care for the building, the budget, the pastor, and the spiritual life of the congregation.
Six decades in, Peace UMC continues to be a place where the language of welcome and the practice of welcome are held together - a congregation that sees its building as belonging to the neighborhood, its table as open to all, and its work in the world as inseparable from its worship within.