St. Paul’s San Pablo- an Immigrant Church For More Than 135 Years
This article is shared with us from the ELCA Circle Newsletter. You can find the original post here.
More than 135 years ago, St. Paul’s Lutheran Church in Minneapolis, Minn., began as a church serving the city’s growing Swedish population. Today the growing Spanish-speaking population served by the church knows it as San Pablo. Though the neighborhood the church serves might look different now, St. Paul’s commitment to its neighborhood has not changed. “St. Paul’s-San Pablo has always been an immigrant church,” says its current pastor, the Rev. Hierald Osorto. “Our ministry reflects our neighborhood. That was true 100 years ago; it’s true today.”
St. Paul’s considerable experience working with immigrants has made it an important resource for those hoping to settle in Minneapolis. Rather than compete with other resource providers, St. Paul’s offers help that is hard to get from other organizations. In addition to providing legal aid to the people it serves, St. Paul’s embodies the ELCA’s accompaniment model as a support system throughout the immigration process. Pastor Hierald says that the church looks to be compassionate as well as practical: “We offer firsthand guidance from people who have walked that path and will walk alongside their neighbor.”
One of St. Paul’s greatest assets is its century-old building, which is hard to miss in the midtown Phillips neighborhood. The church is a starting point for anyone in the community who is interested in organizing a meeting with politicians or the police, engaging youth in the arts or even finding free health care, thanks to students from the nearby University of Minnesota. In providing a facility for so much good work, St. Paul’s has become a fixture in its community. Its neighbors know and trust that the church will be there for them. Bishop Jen Nagel of the Minneapolis Area Synod sees the congregation’s devotion to its neighborhood rippling through the synod: “Pastor Hierald and the leaders at St. Paul’s-San Pablo show up for their neighbors, and they show up around the synod. Our synod’s focus is ‘church together,’ and they embody hospitality, inclusion, wisdom and joy. It’s palpable!”
Of all St. Paul’s programs and partnerships, Pastor Hierald is most proud of the church’s commitment to raising up leaders from within its own community: “We provide meaningful experiences for our community to see what leadership feels like. Spanish-speaking immigrants and their families are not just our neighbors but our siblings in faith, and they are the future of this church!” His pride in the people of St. Paul is clear when he says, “My community has a tremendous amount to contribute. They show up consistently and steadily as living symbols of the faithfulness of God.”
Ministries such as St. Paul’s-San Pablo are able to do their important work only because of your gifts to Where Needed Most. The congregation receives grants that enable it to focus on ministry rather than paying its bills. “We wouldn’t be able to show Christ’s love to our neighbors without this support,” Pastor Hierald wants Leadership Circle members to know. “And this multilingual, multicultural congregation could not afford a pastor.” His passion for his community and our shared mission is unmistakable, which gives Pastor Hierald a strong voice for the ELCA’s continued commitment to its churches as well as its neighbors: “The work of the church remains the same. We provide sanctuary because that is what the church does. Loving our neighbor, whoever they are, is what the church does. If the church cannot own our gospel identity when it matters most, then what are we doing?”
