Stewartville United Methodist Church sits on a hill at the north end of Stewartville, Minnesota, a small town in Olmsted County southeast of Rochester. From its current building, dedicated in 1992, the congregation runs the Open Hearts Food Shelf, supports a network of Little Free Pantries across town, hosts an after-school program for local students, and gathers for Sunday morning worship that has welcomed the community since the railroad first reached town in 1891.
Sunday Worship at Nine
Worship at Stewartville UMC centers on song, scripture, prayer, and the two sacraments recognized in United Methodist tradition: Baptism and Holy Communion. The service gathers at 9:00 AM each Sunday, with fellowship time following the benediction. All who come - lifelong Christians, seekers, families, singles, or visitors from other traditions - are received as guests.
For those who cannot attend in person, services are recorded each Sunday morning and posted online by 10:30 AM. Recordings are available on the church's YouTube channel and on the recorded services page. Whether someone is in the pew or on the couch, the congregation's welcome extends to both.
A Congregation Shaped by Stewartville Since 1891
Methodism in Stewartville began with the railroad. In 1891, Eugene S. Wooldridge, Leander Duncanson, and other members of the High Forest Methodist Church decided to organize a local congregation in town. Rev. Josiah Royce of High Forest oversaw the construction of a church on a lot donated by Mr. Simpson at the corner of Highway 30 and Second Avenue SE, and Rev. Chaffee, the Presiding Elder, preached the dedicatory sermon on December 20, 1891. Within two years a parsonage was finished and an Epworth League - the forerunner of modern United Methodist youth work - was underway.
In 1899 the Methodists bought a brick church at 300 Second Street NW from the Presbyterian Society trustees, and the next year they sold their east-side building to the German Lutherans for one thousand dollars. From 1920 to 1929 the Methodists joined the Congregationalists for union services while the brick church was remodeled with a new entrance and belfry; services resumed there in 1929. By 1954 the church had been enlarged, a basement added for Sunday School classrooms and a kitchen, and a new parsonage built.
From 1965 to 1984 the church shared pastors with Sumner Center Methodist, then a rural congregation. By the 1980s lay leaders and members began talking seriously about a new building. On January 9, 1987, a New Site Committee met with Millie Sass Petersen about purchasing a fifteen-acre tract of farmland on the north end of town. She agreed, and the District Board of Church Location and Building approved the site. Ground was broken on October 13, 1991, with Pastor Mary Hurmence leading the ceremony. The first worship service in the new building was held September 13, 1992 - the same year the congregation officially took the name Stewartville United Methodist Church.
The focal point of the sanctuary is a twenty-foot by thirty-foot faceted glass cross in jewel-like colors, the visual heart of the church's theme: "Lift High the Cross." A parsonage across the street was completed in 2001 and paid off by 2010. On September 10, 2017, the congregation marked the building's twenty-fifth anniversary. The church has also partnered with STORM Ministries, hosting a STORM camp with students, adult chaperones, and STORM staff serving families and individuals within a thirty-mile radius.
Children's Ministry: Preschool Through Fourth Grade
Children from preschool through fourth grade are invited to Sunday School at 10:15 AM, right after worship and fellowship. The Children's Ministry uses crafts, stories, songs, and games to help young learners grow in faith and build intergenerational connections. The program is volunteer-run, and parents are always welcome to join or lead a class.
Milestone events run throughout the year, including a Fall Harvest Festival, a Christmas Program, intergenerational bingo, and family fun events. When the Kids' Choir is scheduled to perform in worship, children are asked to arrive by 8:45 AM. Kristin Gontea, the Director of Children, Youth, and Food Shelf Ministries, coordinates the program.
Youth Ministry: Fifth Through Twelfth Grade
Stewartville UMC's Youth Ministry is open to all students in grades five through twelve. Meetings run every Wednesday from 6:30 to 8:00 PM, beginning with a snack and a brief mental-health moment before breaking into smaller groups. Fifth through seventh graders gather with Anita Milburn for activities and learning; eighth graders meet with Gretchen Olson for Confirmation; ninth through twelfth graders work with Kristin Gontea on high-school programming. Once a month the whole group stays together for a large-group activity or service project.
Service is a central piece of youth ministry at SUMC. The annual calendar includes opportunities to help with the school Backpack Food Program, assist at the Open Hearts Food Shelf, support the Little Free Pantries, and prepare for mission trips. When Stewartville Public Schools cancel classes for weather, youth ministry meetings are canceled as well.
Confirmation in the Eighth Grade
Eighth graders meet every Wednesday from 6:30 to 8:00 PM for Confirmation. The class covers the fundamentals of Christianity - beliefs, community, scripture, and prayer - and folds in discussion, scripture study, service projects, and mentoring. Students are paired with adult mentors and asked to attend Confirmation Mentor Sunday on the first Sunday of each month, help with communion at least once, and complete a minimum of two sermon notes each month.
During Holy Week, Confirmation students are asked to attend or help with at least two of the season's services - Ash Wednesday, Maundy Thursday, Good Friday, or Easter. Service to the church and the wider community is required during the confirmation years. Examples include assisting with Sunday School classes, ushering on Sunday mornings, helping in the sound and video booth, keeping a Little Free Library stocked, or joining a Food Packaging Event in nearby Grand Meadow.
Be the Light: An After-School Program
Each October the church welcomes intermediate students to Be the Light, an intergenerational after-school ministry designed to support local third and fourth graders while creating leadership opportunities for middle and high school youth. The program meets each Wednesday from 3:15 to 5:30 PM at the church, running through May with breaks for holidays and school breaks.
Each afternoon includes homework assistance in reading, writing, and math, along with hands-on experiences in STEAM, music, art, and other creative activities. Middle and high school students serve as youth leaders, tutors, mentors, and activity leaders, developing communication and problem-solving skills while building relationships with younger children. Retired educators, parents, church members, and community partners volunteer alongside the youth to provide tutoring, enrichment activities, encouragement, and mentorship.
Be the Light draws its inspiration from Matthew 5:13-16 - the call to be salt and light in the world - and is modeled in part on the SALT tutoring and mentoring program at St. John's in Stewartville. Families with third- or fourth-grade students who may benefit from free tutoring, mentoring, and enrichment are encouraged to contact the church for more information about enrollment.
Open Hearts Food Shelf
The Open Hearts Food Shelf operates from the church building at 900 John Wesley Avenue NW, building on the work already begun by Stewartville's network of Little Free Pantries. It offers food and basic necessities to neighbors in need and is an Agency Partner of Channel One Regional Food Bank.
Open Hearts is open Mondays from 4:00 to 7:00 PM and Wednesdays from 9:00 AM to 12:00 PM. Items that are always needed include toilet paper, pastas, bread, milk, cheese, baking items, pancake mix, and syrup. Diapers in sizes two, four, five, and six, along with unscented wipes, are also in regular demand. The food shelf's philosophy is that no one should have to choose between paying bills and putting food on the table, and that every person who walks through the doors is met with compassion, dignity, and hope.
Volunteers can sign up online or at the Outreach Station at SUMC. Financial contributions support the food shelf's mission and help cover items that are not always donated.
Tackling Food Insecurity Together
SUMC is one of several area churches and organizations working to address food insecurity in Stewartville. The current sponsoring churches for the school Backpack Food Program are Zion Lutheran, St. John's Lutheran, Christian Church, and Stewartville United Methodist Church, along with the Stewartville Morning Lions. To supplement that work, six Little Free Pantries have been established around town, each sponsored by an area church: the Central School entrance, the Stewartville Public Library, the Middle School and High School main entrance, the Northern Ridge mailbox area, the Southern Hills main office, and the Zion Church inside entryway.
Garden Ministry and the Summer Farmers Market
The Garden Ministry began in 2022 with raised beds for common fruits and vegetables and has since expanded to include a cut flower garden and a pumpkin patch. During the summer, the team hosts a weekly Farmers Market on Wednesdays from 4:00 to 7:00 PM, where produce and flowers from the church garden are available alongside goods from other vendors.
Creative Arts Ministry
For those looking for an artistic outlet, the Creative Arts Ministry offers individual and group instruction in music and arts and crafts for all ages, faiths, and skill levels. Skilled area instructors lead lessons, classes, concerts, and projects meant to instill an appreciation of the arts while providing an inspiring place to engage with them. Music classes are coordinated through Kristin Gontea.
Mission and Beliefs
The mission of Stewartville United Methodist Church is to be a place that makes disciples of Jesus Christ for the transformation of the world. The congregation strives to be a welcoming community that encourages the faith of all people, regardless of where they are on their faith journey. Through Sunday worship, programs for children and youth, outreach, and Bible studies, the church seeks to love God and love its neighbors to the best of its abilities. The cross at the front of the sanctuary and the church's logo together carry the theme "Lift High the Cross" and the conviction that every person has been uniquely gifted and created by God, with a purpose bigger than themselves.
Leadership and Giving
Pastor Jeff Goeldi began serving Stewartville United Methodist Church in 2026, following Pastor Laura Nordstrom's tenure from 2020 to 2026. Pastor Goeldi grew up in northeastern Wisconsin and came to Minnesota for further education; he and his wife Deb have three adult children and grandchildren in Austria, Minnesota, and Florida. Kristin Gontea serves as Director of Children, Youth, and Food Shelf Ministries; she moved to the Stewartville area in 2013, runs Chickadee Music Studio, and lives on a hobby farm south of town with her family. Laurie Helmers is the church's organist, having been associated with SUMC since moving to Stewartville in 1982 as organist, pianist, choir director, and vocalist. Gretchen Olson leads the Confirmation class and Anita Milburn leads the fifth through seventh grade youth group.
Tithes and offerings can be given during worship, by mail to the church office, or online through the church's giving page. Gifts support church staff, outreach programs, building upkeep, supplies for youth groups, and ministries like the Open Hearts Food Shelf. The church is part of the Minnesota Conference of the United Methodist Church, the same regional body that has overseen Methodism in Stewartville since the first church was built in 1891.