Tuesday Afternoon, March 17, 2020

Dear Members and Friends of Roseville Lutheran Church,

Throughout the past weeks your pastors, staff, and leadership have been in communication with each other regarding the needs of our community. Under the recommendations from the CDC and the Minnesota Department of Health we have made the decision to suspend all in-person gatherings through Wednesday, April 1, 2020.

Your staff has planned ways for us to continue to be a community together during this time of closures. 

Worship and Music

There will be no in-person worship services through Wednesday, April 1, 2020. We will be posting our Wednesday Lenten worship as well as Sunday morning services online. We encourage you to worship online together at: www.rosevillelutheran.org/worship/stream

Devotions are also being made available to you through emails such as this, and will be posted concurrently to the website at www.rosevillelutheran.org/stories. To be added to our email list, please click here.

Due to the CDC recommendations for no large gatherings, the pastors of RLC will be unable to preside over funerals in our Worship Center. Outdoor graveside services can be arranged during this time. The funeral home you are working with can assist you in arranging this.

Mission and Outreach

The need to care for and love our neighbor is essential during this time. We are connecting with our community partners to organize and assist in food distribution to our community. 

KEYSTONE COMMUNITY SERVICES
We are providing a drop off point for members and friends to bring in donated items of canned soup, canned fruit, peanut butter, and macaroni and cheese. Donations can be delivered to Roseville Lutheran’s Upper Lobby (entrance off of Ryan Avenue) Monday - Friday 9:00 a.m. - 4:00 p.m. If you prefer to make an online donation please visit www.rosevillelutheran.org/givenow.  

SHERIDAN STORY
With school closings upon us, students are in need of healthy and nourishing meals. Volunteers are needed at the warehouse to help pack food for these young people and their families. Click here to volunteer and help pack. The warehouse is located at 2723 Patton Road in Roseville. 

Children, Youth, and Family

Families of children and youth are invited to be a part of our greeting card ministry to send a personal note to other members, as well as other volunteer opportunities. Families in Cornerstone and Luther League will be getting an email from Julie and Abby with details about how you can participate in this.  

Confirmation students, small group leaders and mentors are encouraged to keep in contact whether that is through phone calls or something like Google Hangout. It is a wonderful way to stay connected to this community.

Next week, Audrey will be looking for youth who are able to deliver meals to homebound members. Contact her at to help out!

High school youth are invited for a devotion and fellowship at 10 a.m. on Thursday morning via Google Hangouts. Text @adontj at 81010 to join the text list and get a link to join us!

Look for more information coming from our CYF directors!

Care and Fellowship

During these weeks, pastors will be unable to visit those in the hospital or care centers. Please know that our prayers are with you and continue to notify the pastors of any needs at  

Over the next two weeks, the staff, our Care Team,  leadership and volunteers of RLC will be calling every family in the congregation to check in, to ask if there are prayer requests, to see if there is some way that we can be of assistance during this time. If you are interested in being part of our “Care Calling Team” please contact Dave Booms at

We are also seeking a potential pool of drivers to bring homemade sauce and pasta to those who are homebound during this time. In addition, there may be opportunities to get groceries and sundries to those that are quarantined due to age or illness. If you’re available, please contact Diane Sell at .

Stay Safe Online

Online scammers are continually inventing new ways to draw us into online “charitable giving” scams. Please know that Roseville Lutheran Church never solicits gifts over the phone. Any communication from Roseville Lutheran Church will come from our domain “ ” Please check this domain name carefully before replying to messages or clicking on links.

We are so grateful to all of you for your continued financial support of our ministry through  regular giving. We proclaim a God of abundance who provides for God’s people, and we trust in that promise. Your gifts support ministry and help sustain our community partners who are also reaching out to assist those around us.

Your Giving Advances Our Mission

There are several options for you to continue your donations during this time:

• Visit www.rosevillelutheran.org/offering to make a one-time gift or set up a recurring offering.
• Text-to-Give: Text <amount> to 651-383-1504. 
• Mail your gift to Roseville Lutheran Church, 1215 Roselawn Ave. W., Roseville, MN  55113
• Contact Laurel at 651-487-7752 x203 or with questions.

Many of us are familiar with the story of the exodus of the Hebrew nation as they left Egypt and set off to the promised land. For forty years they wandered in the desert and we are told in scripture that,

The Lord went in front of them in a pillar of cloud by day,
to lead them along the way, and in a pillar of fire by night,
to give them light, so that they might travel by day and by night.
Neither the pillar of cloud by day nor the pillar of fire by night
left its place in front of the people.

(Exodus 13: 21-22)

We are again reminded of God’s presence as Moses readies himself to take leave of the people. As he is doing so he summons Joshua to be commissioned to lead the people, after all of these years of wanderings, into the promised land. Moses speaks to Joshua and reminds him,

Be strong and bold; have no fear or dread of them,
because it is the Lord your God who goes with you;
God will not fail you or forsake you.

(Deut 31:6)

In this time of uncertainty we need to remind ourselves that God is steadfast in God’s love for us. God is steadfast in God’s presence. God is steadfast and will not fail us or forsake us.

Blessings to all of you,

Lauren J. Wrightsman
Senior Pastor

Here's a link to our previous letter to the congregation on March 12.