St. Paul”'s Lutheran Congregation
1901 Portland Ave. Celebrates 132 Years of growth and the 1964 “March” to their 4th Sanctuary 50 years agoThe Golden Jubilee includes a Global Concert of multi-cultural and multi-language music May 4th and their Annual BridgeBuilder Award.
2014 BridgeBuilders Award Goes to Rev. Cher Moua
By Roland Wells
The Twin Cities”' rich cultural heritage will be highlighted for the seventh year by a huge concert event, “Global Worship 7,” 4 PM, Sunday, May 4 at the historic St. Paul”'s Church in downtown Minneapolis. Musicians from ten cultures will share an evening of unique and exciting worship. Music will include Latino, Oromo-Ethiopian, Vietnamese, Karen-Burmese, Hmong, Russian, African-American and more. The past several years have seen a standing-room only audience.
Global Worship is a unique concert of praise and worship by people from many cultures and languages. Musical styles are tremendously varied, with joyful Christian praise being led by folks in their colorful cultural clothing and exotic instruments from around the world.
The “BridgeBuilder Award” is given each year to an outstanding Twin Cities leader, chosen for their efforts in bringing together people of various cultures. This year”'s recipient will be Hmong-American leader, Rev. Cher Moua of Union Gospel Mission and the Cross-Cultural Evangelical Free Church on St. Paul”'s east side. Pastor Moua has been tireless in his work of uniting the Twin Cities”' Christian community through his work at the Union Gospel Mission, as well as serving on the boards of Bethel University, the Minnesota Prayer Breakfast, MissionShift, and the 2003 National Ethnic Workers”' Summit. Earlier recipients of the event”'s BridgeBuilder Award have included Robert E. Robinson and Dan and Sandy Adler.
This year the concert will be part of the congregation”'s Golden Jubilee of its 1964 move to their current location in south Minneapolis. Fifty years ago, freeway construction took their former building, and instead of moving to the suburbs, the congregation decided to remain in the core city. They moved eight blocks to the then-derelict First Presbyterian Church building and completely remodeled the amazing granite building. It”'s now home to four congregations and several non-profits.
Today over 800,000 immigrants live in the Twin Cities, one of the most diverse metro areas in the world. Per capita, we now have four times as many refugees as any other metro area in the US. This richness is reshaping the Christian community of the Twin Cities; rarely do we get to worship as one. Come and share, as Christians from all over the world gather to experience worship together. The church is located at 1901 Portland Avenue in Minneapolis. For more information see www.GlobalWorship.net or call 612-874-0133. A free-will offering will be received.
