Morningside Hills United Church of Christ sits on Morningside Road in Edina, just across the southwest Minneapolis border, in a neighborhood where families still walk or bike to Sunday services. The congregation identifies as Open and Affirming within the United Church of Christ and describes itself as "a loving community where people renew their spirits, grow in faith, and act for justice." It is the same community that has, for decades, opened its lower level to a preschool and, since 2010, to a thriving youth theater company.
A Season of Intentional Interim
The congregation is currently in a period of intentional interim reflection, a structured process churches enter before calling new settled pastoral leadership. The Rev. Dr. Budd Friend-Jones serves as Interim Minister, walking the community through exercises of remembering, discovery, and growth. The Rev. Dr. Frank Bennett joins the staff as Community Minister. The interim time, the church explains, is meant "to build and rebuild ties and relationships" and "to call forth dreams and new visions." Visitors, neighbors, new members, and longtime participants are all welcome to share the journey.
Sunday Mornings at 10
Worship is held at 10:00 a.m. every Sunday, both in person and online via Zoom. Guests are greeted with a warm welcome as they come through the upper glass doors or by elevator to the main sanctuary level. Many stop for coffee or tea beforehand; afterward, the hour-long service gives way to refreshments and informal conversation in the gathering space.
Worship is shaped around relevant themes, drawing on Scripture and connecting it to the present moment. Most Sundays include a sermon and an open prayer time where worshippers voice their prayers and celebrations. Many Sundays also feature community presentations on a range of topics for those who want to continue in guided discussion.
Street parking is available nearby, and a bike rack sits just outside the entrance for cyclists. The church shares that "no matter who you are, or where you are on life's journey, you are welcome here."
Worship That Blends Old and New
Music is integral to the service. The Chancel Choir, Morningside Bells, or the house band, Mass Chaos, contribute on a rotating basis. A blend of brief choruses, ensemble performances, contemporary songs, occasional music videos, and traditional hymns fills the sanctuary each week.
Music Director Jack Johnston leads the Chancel Choir, a four-part ensemble that rehearses Sunday mornings before worship and sings on select Sundays. The choir's repertoire ranges from traditional hymns to contemporary pieces, often with instrumental accompaniment, and all skill levels are welcome. Morningside Bells, led by Brian Mironer, is the church's handbell choir. They rehearse Thursday evenings at 6:45 p.m. and perform on select Sundays and special occasions.
Children, Youth, and the Prayground
Children are part of the worshiping community at Morningside Hills. Kids in kindergarten through fifth grade join the first 15 minutes of worship with their families and then head to Sunday School with Director of Faith Formation Kami Winter. Lessons are designed to run in tandem with the Sunday worship series so families can discuss the same topics at home. Sunday School highlights include crafts, games, service projects, and discussion-based activities.
Children five and under are invited to the nursery, a large lower-level space that doubles as the preschool's weekday classroom. Filled with toys and designed for active play, it offers a comfortable environment for the youngest members of the congregation. Families who prefer to stay together can use the Prayground, a child-friendly space in the back of the sanctuary designed for all ages to worship side by side.
On many Sundays, a youth drop-in space upstairs from the sanctuary offers supervised time for children and youth to keep connecting after worship. Youth Group meets periodically on Wednesday evenings for middle and high school students, combining social time, discussion, and off-site volunteer opportunities.
Adults at Morningside Hills
Adults find several entry points. Tuesday Morning Bible Study meets at 10:00 a.m. via Zoom. Wednesday evenings bring a meditation group, also on Zoom. First Wednesdays feature a Women's Fellowship. Monthly enrichment includes an Alzheimer's Caregiver Support Group and a Breakfast Fellowship, alongside book groups, gardening, and multigenerational programs. The church invites members to put faith into action through outreach partnerships with local non-profit organizations.
The church office is open Monday through Thursday from 9:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m., and a Friday newsletter keeps the wider community connected.
Edina Morningside Preschool
The church is home to Edina Morningside Preschool, a half-day play-based program that runs Tuesday through Friday. Morning sessions run 9:00 a.m. to 12:00 p.m., with an extended session to 1:30 p.m. for families who want a longer day. Extended-session students bring a nut-free lunch from home. The preschool focuses on the whole child, weaving art, music, language, and cooking into an enriched environment with a low child-to-teacher ratio and an outdoor playground alongside indoor space for large-muscle play.
Director Destiny Rock studied Early Childhood Development at the University of Minnesota and brings experience working with elementary and teen-aged children in Minneapolis. Lead Preschool Teacher Beth Neisen works alongside her. Registration is open, and tours can be scheduled through the church office.
Morningside Theatre Company
Tucked into the church's lower level, Morningside Theatre Company has been bringing youth theater to the neighborhood since 2010. Founders Jim Lansing, Kelly Newell, and Jane Williams staged Into the Woods JR that first summer with just nine young actors in Fellowship Hall. Sixteen years later, MTC runs year-round with camps, classes, intensives, and community productions for grades K through 12. The company offers partial and full need-based scholarships.
Artistic Director Ella Williams is an MTC alumna who played in that very first production as a child and has since worked her way up through every role. She holds a BFA in Musical Theatre from the University of South Dakota and also directs Edina High School's theater program. Managing Director JJ Gisselquist has music-directed more than fifteen MTC productions and brings experience from the Minnesota Opera and Twin Cities theater. Gigi deGrood serves as Teaching Artist and Designer, and Josie Kasik is Marketing Director.
MTC's annual fall elementary musical is followed by Musical Theater Dance classes for middle and high school students, fall workshops, and a community variety show each December. A winter workshop runs over the holiday break. Each spring brings a community theater production, and recent seasons have used the Edina Performing Arts Center for the larger shows. Summer programming includes elementary musicals, junior musicals, and a high school intensive that performs at Hopkins High School.
Rooted in the United Church of Christ
Morningside Hills is part of the United Church of Christ, a denomination known for what it calls "extravagant welcome" and a string of historic firsts. The UCC was the first historically White denomination to ordain African Americans, women, and openly gay people, and the first Christian denomination to affirm the right of same-gender couples to marry. The denomination's theology centers on a "still-speaking God who is all-loving and inclusive," and Morningside Hills lives that identity through its Open and Affirming welcome.
The church keeps close a quote from Gracie Allen: "Never place a period where God has placed a comma." That sense of openness and continuing story shapes everything from Sunday worship to the productions in the lower-level theater. Morningside Hills UCC is a community still writing its next chapter, and anyone walking through those upper glass doors is invited to write it alongside.