Grace and Vocation on Cedar Lake Road

Westwood Lutheran Church has stood on the south shore of Cedar Lake Road in St. Louis Park since 1944, and the congregation that gathers there today describes itself with two words: grace and vocation. The church's motto is, "We are a vibrant and progressive community of people who come together to worship God, serve our neighbor, share our gifts and find support as we continue our spiritual journey." Around 450 people attend in person each Sunday, another 135 watch the livestream, and the congregation has welcomed thousands of new members and baptisms across its eight decades.

Westwood's physical home is a 1969 sanctuary designed by architect Ed Sovik, renovated in 2013, seating 500 on the main floor and 85 in the choir loft. Floor-to-ceiling windows let natural light pour across the seats, and the property extends out to a small lake with a deck, gardens, and a private courtyard. The same campus houses the Westwood Early Childhood Center, several meeting halls, and a columbarium tucked into a small chapel between the sanctuary and the commons.

The Twin Pillars: Grace and Vocation

Everything at Westwood is said to tie back to two confessions the congregation adopted after years of study beginning in 2014. Grace is the good news that God has claimed each person through Jesus Christ, no matter what, and that this gift is not earned but freely given. Vocation is how that claimed life is lived out: as God's hands and feet in every role, for the thriving of the neighbor. "In Holy Baptism, we confess that we have been claimed and named as a child of God and that we have been called in all of our vocations to be God's hands and feet in the world."

The congregation uses a long-running video series called This Matters! and a prayer called the Prayer of Good Courage to keep those pillars in front of members. The Prayer of Good Courage is printed each year in the annual report: "O God, you have called your servants to ventures of which we cannot see the ending, by paths as yet untrodden, through joys and perils unknown. Give us faith to go out with good courage, not knowing where we go, but only that your hand is leading us and your love supporting us, through Jesus Christ our Lord."

A Welcome as Wide as God's Embrace

Westwood is a Reconciling in Christ congregation and proudly displays that affiliation. Its welcome statement, adopted by the church council in October 2019, reads in part: "As God reaches out and gives unconditional welcome to all people, we follow God's lead in doing the same. All are equally welcomed - and included - in God's space, and Westwood is a richer community when our congregation reflects our world. Naturally, this welcome includes people of all sexual orientations, gender identities, gender expressions and relationship statuses." Even before same-sex marriage was legal in Minnesota, Westwood was blessing gay marriages and continues to perform them today.

The welcome extends across every line the church can name: sexuality, age, race, gender, culture, ability, and stage of faith. An LGBTQIA+ team organizes events including Westwood's Pride Night and a booth at the Golden Valley Pride Festival, and a Race Equity Team partners with the Center for Leadership and Neighborhood Engagement. The Core Values Team, formed in 2024, brings a core-values lens to all decisions across Interfaith Relationships, LGBTQIA+ Affirmation, Child Well-Being, Environmental Sustainability, and Race Equity.

Sunday Worship in Two Styles

On Sunday mornings during the program year, Westwood offers two worship services in the sanctuary. At 9 am the music is led by the A Cappella Choir and the organ. At 11 am the music is led by the contemporary Worship Team, with vocals, guitar, drums, and other instruments. Both services are livestreamed, and recordings are posted on the Westwood Vimeo channel; a weekly sermon podcast called Real Good Courage is available on Apple Podcasts and Spotify.

Bible and congregational song sit at the center of both services. From October through April, children in preschool through fifth grade are invited to leave after the Gospel reading for "The Message," a faith-talk time that returns them to their families in worship after the prayers. Between the two services, Westwood U runs from 10:10 to 10:50 am in the Westwood Room with presentations, speakers, videos, and discussions on the year's theme. Recent topics have included reflections from the Tanzania delegation, a professor's talk on the nature of communities, and group discussions on hospitality, interfaith community, and welcome.

PAUSE: The Midweek Service

On Wednesdays from October through April, Westwood hosts PAUSE Worship at 6:30 pm in the sanctuary. PAUSE is a contemplative-style service of candles and low lights where people gather "for this contemplative-style worship and are invited into prayer, reflection, healing, and wholeness." It began as a space to pause and breathe during the 2024 United States elections and has continued as a weekly practice. During Lent and Advent, PAUSE has also served as the chapel for the Westwood Early Childhood Center, weaving weekday and Sunday rhythms together.

Music Woven Through Worship

Music has been central at Westwood for more than sixty years. The A Cappella Choir, an adult mixed-voice ensemble that leads sung liturgy and provides anthems, rehearses Wednesdays from 7:15 to 9 pm. The Westwood Ringers, a handbell choir under Director Alanna Teragawa, rehearses Tuesdays from 6:30 to 7:45 pm and plays on the first Sunday of each month. The contemporary Worship Team rehearses Wednesdays from 7:30 to 9:30 pm. Cantemus, a 6th through 12th grade choir, rehearses Wednesdays from 5:15 to 6 pm, and the Children's Choir, open to preschoolers age four through sixth grade, rehearses Sunday mornings from 10:15 to 10:45 am.

The music program also maintains a Music Consort of soloists, duets, and small ensembles who provide occasional musical selections, and an Audiovisual Media team that runs livestream and recording. In recent years the A Cappella Choir has presented major works such as Mozart's Requiem and Handel's Messiah with regional partners, and the sanctuary's acoustics have made Westwood one of the most sought-after concert venues in the metro west, hosting groups including Magnum Chorum, VocalEssence, the Bach Society of Minnesota, the Minnesota Chorale, and the Twin Cities Gay Men's Chorus.

Children, Youth, and Families

The Children, Youth, and Family (CYF) ministry is led by Director Dannica Olsen and is built on five core convictions: parents are the most important adults in their child's faith life; God is active in every part of family life; each age connects to God in its own way; community is a gift; and baptismal promises shape the congregation's life together.

On Sundays during the program year, families begin worship together. After the Gospel reading, kids preschool through fifth grade head out to "The Message," a separate, age-appropriate session of faith talks, music, and activities, before rejoining their families in the sanctuary after the prayers. On Wednesday evenings from October through April, the rhythm continues with Faithful Families for early childhood through second grade at 5:45 pm, a community meal at 5 pm, 6th grade Pre-Confirmation at 6:30 pm, Confirmation classes and LAB for grades 7 through 9, and YOUTHERANS, the senior high youth group, at 7:30 pm. Older elementary children who are not yet in Confirmation have a dedicated fellowship hour called Pause 345.

Confirmation at Westwood runs from grades 7 through 10 and intentionally involves parents. Each month, students and a parent attend Parent/Student Learning with the pastors; on the remaining Wednesdays they gather in LAB (Learning And Belonging) for fellowship, service, and study. The first year covers the Old Testament, the second year the New Testament, and the third year Luther's Catechism, with mentorships and a personal faith statement completing the journey in tenth grade.

Summer programming includes Vacation Bible School, family camp at Camp Wapo, the SEEDS weekend camp, and service-learning trips for older youth. In 2025, 112 campers attended Vacation Bible School, 63 campers went to Camp Wapo, and 22 youth traveled to the Bay Area for a service-learning experience.

The Wednesday Community Meal

From mid-September through April, Westwood hosts a free-will-offering community meal each Wednesday from 5 to 6:30 pm in Good Shepherd Hall. A team of volunteers, the Community Meal Coordinator, and many local partners prepare an entrée, vegetable, fruit, and dessert for what has become one of the largest weekly gatherings on the campus, drawing around 300 people. Westwood members, families from the Early Childhood Center, and neighbors who are simply looking for a warm place to sit all eat together.

The meal is supported by goodwill donations, baked goods from member volunteers, and a regular pickup of bread from Breadsmith. The November Cause of the Month supports the program directly, and a volunteer team handles baking on Tuesdays, food preparation and serving on Wednesday afternoons, dishwashing, and after-meal laundry. The Community Meal Menu Hotline (952-767-5579) carries the week's menu.

Westwood Early Childhood Center

Sharing the Westwood campus, the Westwood Early Childhood Center is a Reggio Emilia-inspired preschool serving children and families in a Christian atmosphere. The center is open from 7:30 am to 5 pm and was, in 2024, marking its 40th anniversary of operation. In 2025 it served 116 children and their families under the leadership of Director Shannon Eide, the third director in the program's history.

WECC's philosophy treats children as active meaning-makers, teachers as co-creators of knowledge through observation and documentation, and parents as the child's first teacher. Natural materials, open-ended activities, and the arts run throughout the environment. Faith foundations are woven in through weekly chapel, mealtime prayers, family-focused services, and quarterly donation drives for the local emergency program STEP. The center also runs a scholarship fund supported by the September Cause of the Month so that children of all ages, from infants to preschoolers, can attend regardless of family finances.

Local Partnerships and the Wider World

Westwood lives out its vocation through long-term relationships with local and global partners. Locally, those partners include the St. Louis Park Emergency Program (STEP), Clare Housing (which provides supportive housing for people living with HIV/AIDS), Rise Early Learning Center, Every Meal (formerly The Sheridan Story), Redeemer Lutheran Church in Minneapolis's Harrison neighborhood, SLP Dinner at Your Door, UpWorks, and the Minneapolis Area Synod. Volunteers from Westwood serve meals, mentor, and sit on boards.

The international partnership is with Arusha Road Lutheran Church in Dodoma, Tanzania, and Dodoma Christian Medical Center (DCMC). The relationship began in 2004 when a Westwood delegation visited Arusha Road; since then, Westwood has traveled to Dodoma eight times and hosted Arusha Road visitors five times, most recently in 2025. Each spring, hundreds of volunteers gather at Westwood to package meals for children in Arusha Road's care who have lost parents, many to AIDS, with the goal of sending at least 50,000 meals annually. The congregation also supports the educational expenses of 40 orphans through Arusha Road's ministry and the work of DCMC, a 125-bed medical center serving central Tanzania with dental care, reproductive and child health, and rural community outreach.

Cause of the Month and Holiday Fair

Each month, Westwood's giving highlights a different Cause of the Month organization, ministry, or movement. Recent causes have included Dinner at Your Door (Meals on Wheels for St. Louis Park, Hopkins, and East Minnetonka), LSS Refugee Services, Camp Wapo scholarships, the Outreach food-packaging event, STEP, Clare Housing, Global Refuge, Redeemer Lutheran, the WECC scholarship fund, Every Meal, the Westwood Community Meal, and Arusha Road's orphan ministry support.

The annual Holiday Fair, held every November, is the church's largest intergenerational fundraiser. Across Friday, Saturday, and Sunday the fair fills the building with the Timeless Treasures thrift shop, a Silent Auction with more than fifty items, the Country Store and Chocolate Shoppe with homemade Scandinavian treats, candies, and baked goods, the Children's Shoppe, and a Westwood-Made booth of handcrafts. All proceeds are distributed as grants to organizations that improve the lives of others; since the year 2000, Holiday Fair grants have totaled more than $355,000.

Adults: Gather and Serve

Westwood is intentional about offering many smaller gatherings inside its larger size. The Men's Bible Study meets the first and third Wednesdays of each month at 9 am in room LL103. Women's Circles include Faithfully Velkommen, Grace Circle, Joy Circle, and Ruth Circle, each with Bible study, service projects, and fellowship. The History Book Club meets on the second Tuesday of each month at 7 pm in the library, and Theology on Tap is a flexible fellowship for anyone 21 and older. The Caring Response Team sends weekly phone calls, greeting cards, and support; the Lay Visitation Team brings monthly visits and communion to homebound members; and the Prayer Shawl Ministry knits and crochets shawls for those in need of comfort, including those newly baptized.

There are also affinity groups for parents. The Moms' Group meets monthly, the Dads' Group meets the first Friday of every month at 7 am at Angel Food Bakery in St. Louis Park, and a Parent Fellowship gathers around coffee during Children's Choir rehearsal. A Parent Ministry supports book studies, with a recent Lenten series on "Woven" by Meredith Miller.

The 3rd Chapter and Outdoor Ministries

The 3rd Chapter Ministry is Westwood's effort to walk alongside people in or approaching retirement. Activities include book studies (in person and online for snowbirds), a Progressive Dinner, summer Happy Hours, handwork gatherings, single women's groups, and service projects. Pastor Tania Haber leads the ministry and connects it to legacy giving and estate planning conversations with members.

For those drawn to the outdoors, the Westwood Sailing Ministry runs an annual trip around the twenty-two islands and six lighthouses of Apostle Islands National Lakeshore on Lake Superior, with certified Westwood skippers at the helm. The Westwood Canoeing Ministry heads into the Boundary Waters each summer, with food and gear provided and all levels of experience welcome. The Earth Day Celebration, held in the church's outdoor spaces, features a Creation-focused liturgy, a community meal, recycling and earth-friendly booths, and an advocacy session on the Boundary Waters Canoe Area.

Caring Through Every Season

Congregational care at Westwood is coordinated by Director Sara Moran and includes the Caring Response Team, the Lay Visitation Team, prayer shawl and quilting ministries, the Caring Response Team's weekly check-ins, and a Widows Support Group that meets every third Wednesday from 1 to 2 pm. Pastoral care is always available: the church office phone (952-545-5623) reaches the Pastor on Call twenty-four hours a day, and prayer requests can be submitted by email. Members are encouraged to call the church directly if they or a loved one is hospitalized, since hospitals no longer notify congregations of admissions.

Weddings, Baptisms, Communion, and the Columbarium

Westwood hosts weddings for both members and non-members and welcomes same-sex marriages. Couples complete a Wedding Request Form, a six-to-eight-month preparation process that includes a Prepare-Enrich Inventory, a Pre-Marriage Retreat led by an ELCA pastor and board-certified chaplain, and one or two private sessions with the officiating pastor. A Wedding Coordinator guides the planning of scripture, vows, and prayers. Weddings are typically scheduled on Saturdays between 11 am and 4 pm, with a rehearsal the evening before.

Baptisms at Westwood are scheduled on dates set by the church calendar, and a mandatory baptism class for first-time parents meets on the first Sunday of the month. Westwood practices open communion. The congregation's theological understanding is that communion is a gift for every one of us, that understanding is an impossible task, and that the gift can be received by anyone who wishes to receive it. Children of all ages are welcome at the table; parents are encouraged to direct their child to put their hands out and let the server know.

The Westwood Columbarium sits in a small chapel between the sanctuary and the commons, providing a permanent place on the church premises for the inurnment of cremated remains of members and their families. Each niche holds up to two urns and costs $2,500, including brass urns and an identification plate, with $500 of that amount a tax-deductible contribution. Funerals may be pre-planned at any time, and the church livestreams memorial services for those who cannot attend.

Caring for Creation

Environmental Sustainability is one of Westwood's five core values, and in 2024 the congregation was certified as one of thirty-five Minnesota congregations recognized by Minnesota Interfaith Power and Light as a Climate Justice Congregation. An Environmental Sustainability Team (the "Green Team") oversees a quarterly newsletter called A Greener Westwood, A Greener World, Buckthorn Removal weekends along the lakeshore and trail, eco-house tours, and advocacy. The team is currently working on native species, tree health, rainwater capture, and the church's path toward zero-waste operations.

Rooted in Hope: The Capital Appeal

In 2025 Westwood launched Rooted in Hope, a three-year, $1.4 million capital appeal running through May 2028. The appeal has three parts: fifty percent toward environmental sustainability, including high-efficiency HVAC components and a digital energy management system; thirty-six percent toward campus renewal, including sections of the roof, tuck-pointing, doors, flooring, and an upgraded AV system in Good Shepherd Hall; and fourteen percent toward welcome and security, including intelligent access control, enhanced cameras, protective window films, a welcome desk, and an emergency notification system. As of the close of 2025, more than $1.2 million had been pledged.

Leadership and the Staff Team

Westwood is led by Senior Pastor Jason Van Hunnik, Executive Pastor Sarah Scherschligt, and Pastor Tania Haber. The staff team also includes Director of Congregational Connection Aaron Schutte; Director of Operations Kim Good; Director of Congregational Care Sara Moran; Director of Worship Team and Young Adults Coordinator Elsa Lee; Cantor for Worship, Music and the Arts G. Phillip Shoultz III; Director of Handbell Ringers Alanna Teragawa; Director of Children, Youth and Family Ministry Dannica Olsen; Early Childhood Ministry Coordinator Ann Sundermeyer; Director of Communications Tricia Goede; Community Meal Coordinator Judy Christensen; Facility Manager Eli Somers; Accounting Coordinator Becky Armacost; and Church Office Manager Lisa Boers. Shannon Eide leads the Westwood Early Childhood Center.

Worship services are led by three pastors working in a shared-leadership model, and the congregation is governed by a Church Council elected from the membership. Annual reports from recent years are posted for transparency, including full financial reports, and the Westwood Lutheran Memorial Foundation, an endowment fund, distributes grants to the congregation and other partner organizations each year.

A Wide Welcome on the Lake

From its lake-side campus in St. Louis Park, Westwood Lutheran Church continues to live out a congregation-wide conviction that faith shows up in daily life. Whether through the 9 am choir-and-organ service, the 11 am band-led service, a Wednesday evening PAUSE, a handbell rehearsal in the sanctuary, a community meal in Good Shepherd Hall, a Vacation Bible School morning, a small group around a kitchen table, or a delegation halfway across the world in Dodoma, the church points back to the same two ideas: that every person is claimed by grace, and that grace sends each of them out into every corner of their lives as a neighbor's neighbor.