Edina Morningside and Linden Hills United Church of Christ, a progressive Christian community, experiences music as essential to the heart and life of our congregation. We envision that our next Director of Music and Liturgical Arts will forge caring, invigorating, and enriching relationships throughout our community, while leading our worship music, liturgical arts, and the broader missions of our music ministry. The successful candidate will combine an inclusive personality and values with musical talents and leadership skills, helping this community further resonate with joy, love, and Spirit. Read more and find out how to apply in the job posting here–we hope to hear from you soon!
An established theatre program in a church basement. We work fast and fun, to bring the best of our students’ abilities to the stage!
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Contact Us:
[email protected] – Camp Information
[email protected] – Artistic Director
[email protected] – Box Office
Greetings from EMC Music to musicians and creators of all kinds at Linden Hills UCC,
What a whirlwind this year and spring has been?!? I just want to name the truth of that at the global and national level, but also for your community specifically. To sit with Big Decisions (TM) and all the grief-loss-possibilities-
As you feel called and led, I welcome you to join in the music making ensembles at Edina Morningside. There are traditional ensembles of adult choir and handbells where you can step into pretty easily (if you’re interested in handbells, please drop me a line before coming to rehearsal … I’ll need to consider where to add bells in the 4th octave). There is a guitar-bass-drum “band” ensemble (“Mass Chaos”) in the process of getting its sea legs and looking for more players and singers to deepen its bench. If you play other instruments, small ensembles and solo/duets are possible and welcome. For any and all of these, please drop me an email at [email protected] so I can add you to the email list and get you the most up-to-date info.
Some of you popped into Heart Songs, an informal no-performance virtual song circle for expressing our lament, longing, and love that I offer on the side. As we move into warmer weather, plans are underway for having an outdoor, in-person monthly version at EMC. Likewise I hope to lead Dances of Universal Peace, a pluralistic expression of prayer and joy in song and circle dance, with the community this summer. Please consider participating in these activities when dates are scheduled.
Lastly, I invite you into conversation with me. Perhaps you’d like to tell me about your past musical experiences. Or there’s something else you’d like to explore that’s not already part of the range of happenings at EMC. I would love to hear it and see how it can be supported. One of my interests beyond EMC is building community and meaningful connection with other folks that are mixed race and people of color like myself (Check out Biracial & Rural and Freeing Refrains on my website). The process of Linden Hills and Edina Morningside considering this merger has me deeply curious and intrigued. How might we take your “you” and our “us” and become a “we.” At this moment, I sing this song by my friend Charles Murphy, “Love take a walk with me … and spirit guide my feet.”
In holy song and breath,
Conie B (she/they)
EMC Music Director
Public Heart Artist at Points of Light Music
Jambo, Daylight Partners! – Class Sizes Increase as Daylight Takes New Students
Now more than ever Daylight needs your continued support. The COVID epidemic hit the Kenyan economy hard – especially in the poor rural areas. Daylight staff felt compassion for the number of children whose families could no longer afford the $350 a year to send them to public school. It was a natural choice for the staff to wrap their loving arm around the additional 100 students, bringing the attendance level on the Kapenguria campus to 450 students, a 30% increase in the student population.
As a result, Daylight’s daily operational costs have risen. Class sizes have increased from an average of 30 to 40 students per classroom. The need for beds and mattresses, chairs and desks for those new students is overwhelming. Donations toward the cost of these specific needs would be greatly appreciated! We thank you in advance for supporting Daylight by helping to fund these items.
With this increase in student enrollment, Daylight’s ongoing expenses have increased as well: teacher salaries, food, uniforms and curriculum to name a few. We anticipate a need for a 20 – 30% increase in our sustaining giving to meet the growing and ongoing financial needs of Daylight.
Please give some serious thought to deepening your commitment to these wonderful children or by increasing your annual gift at this time. I am hoping that you will join us in whatever way you can.
Here are some other way that you partner with Daylight to have immediate impact.
Student desks (80 needed) $50 each, Mattresses (50 needed) $80 each, Chairs (50 needed $16 each Metal Bunk Beds (20needed) $120 each.
Please identify the item(s) you are funding in the memo spot and mail checks to:
Daylight Center and School
P.O. Box 40533
St. Paul, MN 55104
Please join us in-person or online on Sunday, January 23rd as we worship together and welcome members of the VAIL Place community to EMC! Below please see an introduction from VAIL’s enrollment coordinator:
My name is Katie Leverentz (she/her) and I am so excited to be joining you all on Sunday, January 23rd! I work at Vail Place as the Enrollment Coordinator. You may have seen a few new faces around church recently- Frank, Miles, and John are all members of the “Vail Uptown Clubhouse”. Vail Place has a transitional employment program, where folks who need work experience for a variety of reasons can get a short term job in the community.
We began a partnership with Edina Morningside Community Church several months ago thanks to one of our volunteers, Bob Griggs, who has known Pastor Oby for many years. John, Frank, and Miles clean the church space and preschool every week – and they are loving it! Edina Morningside has been such a warm and welcoming place for our members to gain work experience- so much so that one Clubhouse member goes to church there now!
More of us want to come meet you all and tell you about our Clubhouse- and bring some treats! The Clubhouse is an amazing supportive community for adults living with serious mental illnesses where we all work together to run the Clubhouse. Please come chat with us after the service on Sunday, January 23rd! Looking forward to seeing you then!
Jambo, Daylight Partners! – Urgent Update
2021 has had its share of challenges. COVID has impacted Africa in many ways. It was a major cause of a recent recession in Kenya. Signs of recovery are beginning however, in rural West Pokot County, home of Daylight’s main campus, many families have yet to feel the recovery leaving many families unable to pay for public education for their children. Some families are able to provide a single meal each day for their children.
Daylight Center and School is viewed in the community of Kapenguria as a beacon of light and hope.
They have recently opened their arms and hearts to 100 community children in need to join their Primary School campus. This means 100 more meals to prepare each day, additional curriculum, uniforms and transportation needs.
Can you open your hearts to these children in need?
In this season I’m reminded that the Christ-child, God’s greatest gift, was delivered in the most humble way – a barn manger – and to the most humble of people – Shepherds working in their fields.
This Christmas, if you want to make a lasting, meaningful gift, please consider a year end gift to Daylight. The Christ-Child story teaches us to never forget that God has entrusted us with the care of the least of these and that he left an example of generosity for us to follow. Your generosity will be multiplied by the hard working staff at Daylight.
Please take a moment to give. Go to: www.daylightcenter.org click on the “Support us” tab and give.
Have you ever wanted to learn more from a birth doula, or tour a funeral home (without the grief that normally brings one there)? Join our Life in a Day experience alongside the confirmation families next Saturday, November 6th! See the details for the day below and RSVP to [email protected]. Middle school youth and older welcome; masks required indoors.
How does our garden grow? Very well indeed!
With school back in session, our team at Daylight has been very busy tending to the garden and providing the students with many vegetables and other nutritious food. Jaluo does much of the farming and gardening at Daylight and we are so thankful for his hard work and upkeep. Students love to help in the garden, too.
Flowers are also being planted at Daylight – aren’t they beautiful? And thanks to an additional monthly allocation to the food and nutrition budget, Daylight students and staff are able to take a goat each week to add much needed protein to their diet.
Thank you to all our supporters for making the dream of an education a reality for so many amazing students and future leaders!
We are so happy to share that the Daylight staff was able to get their first vaccine recently! 
The group traveled together to the Kapenguria County Referral Hospital to receive their first dose of the Oxford-AstraZeneca COVID-19 vaccine on August 23rd. They will return in November to receive their second dose. Currently only 27.8% of people in Kenya are fully vaccinated so we are happy that our staff has been able to start the process.
We are so thankful that our staff and students at Daylight School have all stayed healthy through the pandemic so far and we appreciate all the kindness, generosity, prayers and love you give to our friends in Kenya!
In 2019, our Computer Lab was built with financial support and a construction team from Autumn Ridge Church in Rochester in partnership with Kenyan parents and local Kenyan contractors. It continues to be a very important part of our students’ learning.
Our students learn typing skills, and how to use Microsoft Word and search for information on the internet. Throughout the week classes will take turns learning on the laptops in the computer lab. The rest of week they will be learning in their classes with chalk, pencil, and paper.
The Kenyan government wants to fulfill its promise of transforming Kenya into a middle-income nation by 2030 and achieving the sustainable development goals of providing universal access to the internet and ensuring that youth and adults have skills for employment and entrepreneurship.
Our students are thankful for the opportunity to use their computers, they work together with their classmates to share and learn.
Due to the COVID-19 Pandemic the 2021 school year is just getting started on July 26th. Please keep our students in your thoughts and prayers as they start their journey!
Thank you to all of you who make sure we can feed, educate, and show love to all our amazing students.