Transform Minnesota

Announcing Sankofa 2025! Join us for our 6th Sankofa journey May 6-8, 2025!

is an intentionally multi-ethnic, experiential, and spiritual journey – a pilgrimage. Built on the practice of Sankofa from the Akan people of Ghana, this journey offers you the chance to engage and understand the history of the Civil Rights movement, legalized segregation, and chattel slavery in the U.S. By visiting museums and historic sites around the Southeastern United States, you will learn how this history impacts where we are today and how you can move forward in pursuit of authentic reconciliation!

Visit the link below for full trip details and to fill out an interest form!

Sankofa 2025 - Transform MN Sankofa 2025 is an intentionally multi-ethnic, experiential, and spiritual journey – a pilgrimage. As we travel across the Southeastern United States, we will engage our history by visiting sites important to the Civil Rights movement, along with exploring the history of slavery and legalized segr...

#10 We must reject political violence. Read and share these 10 Disciplines for Christian Civic Revival. It's urgent that we restore civility to our political environment. Read and download them here:
https://mcusercontent.com/c9c699783aad8b60a29429d1c/files/01f0e24e-585e-24a1-1b64-c48e08e6d1e8/0552_ANDCamp_10Disciplines_OnePager_1_.01.pdf?mc_cid=a9612dafdd

This month's Sankofa at Home brings us to Plymouth Avenue in Minneapolis. Running through the heart of North Minneapolis, Plymouth Avenue spans east-to-west from the Mississippi River to the Theodore Wirth Parkway through the North Loop, Near North, and Willard-Hay neighborhoods of Minneapolis.

Plymouth Avenue has seen its share of changes and tensions since the late 1800s, including unrest during the Long Hot Summers of the 1960s. Click below to read more about these events and the history of the surrounding neighborhoods.

Sankofa at Home - Transform MN Join us for a self-guided trip through sites related to the history or race and racism in Minnesota with Sankofa @ Home!

"As a pastor and leader, he called himself a biblicist and an actionist, meaning he had a devout faith in the authority of Scripture while believing right doctrine compelled the Christian into social action."

Our friend Justin Giboney wrote a piece for Christianity Today exploring the life of unsung civil rights hero Fred Shuttlesworth. Read more about how Shuttlesworth's ministry provides a clarion call to the biblical activism we still need to advance racial justice in America.

‘Rattlesnakes Don’t Commit Suicide’ This Juneteenth, the life of unsung civil rights hero Fred Shuttlesworth should be a clarion call to the biblical activism we still need to advance racial justice in America.

This month, Sankofa at Home heads north to the Clayton Jackson McGhie Memorial in Duluth. The memorial marks the site where three Black men - Elias Clayton, Elmer Jackson, and Isaac McGhie - were lynched on June 15, 1920.

With sculptures of the three men and two walls filled with quotes, the memorial is dedicated to the victims of lynching, to fostering racial justice, and to promoting healing and reconciliation in the community.

Click the link below to learn more:

Sankofa at Home - Transform MN Join us for a self-guided trip through sites related to the history or race and racism in Minnesota with Sankofa @ Home!

"Without a doubt this was the most productive, helpful conference I have attended focusing on the importance of faith and the public conversation." -Woody Roland, Retired Pastor of Missions, Autumn Ridge Church

More than 250 church leaders looking for a new way to approach the coming election cycle joined Transform Minnesota at Cedar Valley Church for Civic Revival.

The group, ranging from pastors to laypeople and students to elders, learned more about how Christians can prioritize their public witness and find language to speak into a landscape in need of Christian presence.

Click the link below to read more about the conference!

Renewing our Public Witness with Civic Revival - Transform MN More than 250 leaders learned new ways to approach the election cycle through Civic Revival and the Church Politics podcast.

Join Transform Minnesota and churches from around Minnesota for a community worship night commemorating and celebrating Juneteenth!

Juneteenth - a combination of the words “June” and “Nineteenth” - commemorates the end of slavery in the United States. Juneteenth is a day of remembrance; a day to commit to working towards dignity, unity, and equality for all people.

By acknowledging June 19 as a reminder of hope, the American Church can lead in the process of America’s healing. Transform Minnesota and a group of churches from around Minnesota invite you to connect with a diverse group of believers as we honor the history of Juneteenth and the ongoing journey toward racial justice.

Click the link below for more!
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Bethel Christian Fellowship - St. Paul

Christ Church International

Crosstown Covenant Church
Faith Baptist Church - North Minneapolis
Greater Friendship Missionary Baptist Church
Miracle City Church
New Hope Church
The Urban Refuge Church

Westgate Church
Westwood Community Church

Juneteenth Worship Gathering - Transform MN This inspiring night of worship and prayer will be hosted by Greater Friendship Missionary Baptist Church and led by a multiracial group of leaders. Please join Transform Minnesota and a group of churches across Minnesota for a community worship night commemorating and celebrating Juneteenth!

As part of last week's Civic Revival conference, And Campaign's Church Politics podcast with Justin Giboney and Chris Butler was recorded live at Cedar Valley Church!

You can hear the recording on the Church Politics podcast feed or watch the live recording at the link below!

The Church Politics Podcast LIVE

With this month’s Sankofa at Home, we turn our attention to George Floyd Square.

On May 25, 2020, George Perry Floyd, Jr., was killed by police in front of Cup Foods at the intersection of E 38th St and Chicago Ave in South Minneapolis. The corner was renamed in memory of Floyd, with an inauguration for the name held at the intersection on May 25, 2022.

This Sankofa @ Home marks the first post in our series related to present-day events. With this, we are offered a new way to reflect - through a lived community experience.

We also invite you to reflect on the differences in our experiences; the ways our lived experience informs an active pursuit of racial justice, reconciliation, and community healing; the creation of monuments; and more.

Click the link below to read more about George Floyd Square:

Sankofa at Home - Transform MN Join us for a self-guided trip through sites related to the history or race and racism in Minnesota with Sankofa @ Home!

What if one of the best ways to slow disagreement and division was by asking questions?

Kaitlyn Schiess seems to be building a brand on curiosity. From diving into the history of the Church and politics to interacting with leaders around the country, Kaitlyn has found that curiosity can be the best way to engage with and learn about our neighbors, especially during an election.

Are you curious about the relationship between the Church, the Bible, and the ballot? Then you won't want to miss the insight Kaitlyn has to offer!

Join us at Civic Revival on May 16! Click the link below to learn more:

Civic Revival - Transform MN Join us as Justin Giboney of the AND Campaign leads us in building a biblical approach to political engagement with compassion and conviction.

The Church Politics podcast is coming to Minnesota!

In conjunction with our Civic Revival conference and And Campaign’s Civic Revival Tour, the Church Politics podcast will hold a live recording at Cedar Valley Church on May 16 at 7:00 PM. Join us as Justin and Chris discuss major current events, take a deep dive into a local issue (with a special guest!), and interact with the audience during a live Q&A!

The event is free to the public; registration is required. Visit the link below for more

The Church Politics Podcast Live Recording - Transform MN Join us as Justin Giboney of the AND Campaign leads us in building a biblical approach to political engagement with compassion and conviction.

We've added FOUR new speakers to the Civic Revival lineup!

Join us as Kaitlyn Schiess, Chris Butler, Jason Adkins, and Ed Uszynski join Justin Giboney at Cedar Valley Church on May 16th to help us build a biblical approach to political engagement!

Click the link for more:

Civic Revival - Transform MN Join us as Justin Giboney of the AND Campaign leads us in building a biblical approach to political engagement with compassion and conviction.

Election years are not the only times politics plays a role in our lives. Join us as Justin Giboney covers disciplines for civic engagement based on biblical principles that we can use in an election year and beyond!

Civic Revival with Justin Giboney – May 16 at Cedar Valley Church. Learn more:

Civic Revival - Transform MN Join us as Justin Giboney of the AND Campaign leads us in building a biblical approach to political engagement with compassion and conviction.

This month, Sankofa at Home returns to southern Minnesota for a stop at Traverse des Sioux.

Traverse des Sioux is the location for the signing of the Treaty of Traverse des Sioux on July 23, 1851. Through this treaty and the subsequent Treaty of Mendota, the four Dakota bands living in Minnesota ceded 24 million acres of land to the U.S. Government.

Today, Traverse des Sioux includes the Treaty Site History Center in St. Peter with exhibits about the Dakota and the treaty. A trail system with informational markers, a marker for the location of treaty signing, and exhibits about the history of Nicollet County can also be found at the site.

Read more at the link below

Sankofa at Home - Transform MN Join us for a self-guided trip through sites related to the history or race and racism in Minnesota with Sankofa @ Home!

Join a Civic Revival - a new, revised approach to political engagement that seeks to be faithful to God and honor others, no matter the political viewpoint.

May 16 at Cedar Valley Church featuring Justin Giboney of the And Campaign

Civic Revival - Transform MN Join us as Justin Giboney of the AND Campaign leads us in building a biblical approach to political engagement with compassion and conviction.

Happy Easter from Transform Minnesota! Christ has died, Christ is risen, Christ will come again!

Faithfully engage your neighbors this election season!

Join us May 16 at Cedar Valley Church as Justin Giboney of the And Campaign helps us learn more about engaging our neighbors and approaching the polls from a biblical perspective.

Civic Revival - Transform MN Join us as Justin Giboney of the AND Campaign leads us in building a biblical approach to political engagement with compassion and conviction.

You don't have to do it alone!

At A Community of Belonging, Dr. Greg Coles helped us consider ways we can practice creating space in our lives such that our desire to be with one another is realized in living daily life together. In this way we can grow from a place of required autonomy to presence with and reliance on each other.

POSTPONED!

Our worship night with OneRace which had been scheduled for March 21 has been postponed. We anticipate rescheduling for a date in early summer. Stay tuned for updates!

Community Worship Gathering with Transform Minnesota & OneRace - Transform MN Join Transform Minnesota and OneRace Movement for a night of worship and prayer as we are inspired, encouraged, and reconnected with a community focused on the biblical call of justice and reconciliation.

This month, Sankofa at Home offers the chance to explore a number of historic Black churches in Minnesota. Churches like Pilgrim Baptist in St. Paul, St. James AME and Pilgrim Rest Missionary Baptist Church in Minneapolis, and more laid a foundation for the formation of more than 100 primarily Black congregations which exist in the state today.

Learn more about these churches at the link below.

Sankofa at Home - Transform MN Join us for a self-guided trip through sites related to the history or race and racism in Minnesota with Sankofa @ Home!

Thanks to everyone who joined us for A Community of Belonging!

A group of pastors and leaders committed to further understanding sexuality and gender beyond personal identity learned more about the way cultural practices of autonomy and individualism alter our understanding of humanity; the need for self-giving, interdependent relationships; and practical ways they can foster communities of belonging in their churches.

Read more about the event here:

Building a Community of Belonging in the Church - Transform MN Pastors and leaders worked to understand sexuality and gender beyond personal identity and learned more about fostering belonging in churches

We're just 4 weeks away from our Community Worship Gathering with OneRace!

Join us March 21 at 7:00 PM at Greater Friendship Missionary Baptist Church for an evening of worship and prayer as we are inspired, encouraged, and reconnected with a community focused on the biblical call of justice and reconciliation.

This event is free to attend! Click the link below for more details:

Community Worship Gathering with Transform Minnesota & OneRace - Transform MN Join Transform Minnesota and OneRace Movement for a night of worship and prayer as we are inspired, encouraged, and reconnected with a community focused on the biblical call of justice and reconciliation.

Crossing Relational Boundaries for Church Unity A significant breakthrough began in 2017 when 30 Black and white pastors from Minnesota went on a four-day Sankofa trip through the Southeast United States to explore our history of slavery, racism and segregation, and to learn how those systems affect us still today. The trip was repeated in follow...

Today is the last day to register for A Community of Belonging!

Click below to join us for this fresh conversation about sexuality and gender focused on building a community of belonging for everyone in the Church!

A Community of Belonging: Sexuality & Gender Beyond Personal Identity - Transform MN We hope to reimagine and revive the Church’s witness as a healthy and flourishing family that looks increasingly like Jesus! 

Whether you are experiencing the effects of trauma or walking alongside someone feeling those effects, there is a place to come begin a healing journey.

We're hosting a Virtual Healing Group on Tuesdays and Thursdays from March 5-21. In this safe, multi-session group led by certified facilitators, people with heart wounds can come together to find healing, engage with scripture, learn to feel safe, and know they are valued.

Learn more at the link below:

Trauma Healing Group - Virtual - Transform MN This Trauma Healing Group will take place Online. Exact dates are yet to be determined. Please fill out the interest survey to find out more information!

This month, Sankofa at Home brings us to the Rondo Commemorative Plaza in St. Paul.

The plaza commemorates the history of the Rondo neighborhood, laments the decisions which split the neighborhood in half, and celebrates the potential future of the area.

Learn more about the plaza and the history of Rondo below.

Sankofa at Home - Transform MN Join us for a self-guided trip through sites related to the history or race and racism in Minnesota with Sankofa @ Home!

Our next conference is coming up fast!

Registration for A Community of Belonging closes one week from today! Learn more and register at the link below:

A Community of Belonging: Sexuality & Gender Beyond Personal Identity - Transform MN We hope to reimagine and revive the Church’s witness as a healthy and flourishing family that looks increasingly like Jesus! 

As we seek to be a people of justice, our inspiration, encouragement, and hope must continue to be found in the cross of Jesus Christ.

Join Transform Minnesota and OneRace Movement on March 21 at 7:00 PM at Greater Friendship Missionary Baptist Church for a night of worship and prayer as we are inspired, encouraged, and reconnected with a community focused on the biblical call of justice and reconciliation.

A multiracial group of leaders from churches around the Twin Cities will lead us in worship and prayer, and OneRace Executive Director Josh Clemons will give a message calling us to courage and spiritual hope on the path towards racial justice and reconciliation.

This event is free to attend and does not require registration! Click the link below for more info.

Community Worship Gathering with Transform Minnesota & OneRace - Transform MN Join Transform Minnesota and OneRace Movement for a night of worship and prayer as we are inspired, encouraged, and reconnected with a community focused on the biblical call of justice and reconciliation.

An up-to-date workshop list is now available for A Community of Belonging!

See full descriptions for each of the workshops here:

A Community of Belonging: Sexuality & Gender Beyond Personal Identity - Transform MN We hope to reimagine and revive the Church’s witness as a healthy and flourishing family that looks increasingly like Jesus! 

Our partnership with the Trauma Healing Institute provides ways for many different groups to experience healing from trauma – including teens and youth.

We’re hosting a Trauma Healing Convening for youth pastors and workers to learn more about the UNSTUCK curriculum developed by the Trauma Healing Institute. This program is designed to provide support for teens who are or have faced disruptive events - ranging from natural disasters to epidemics, displacement, and incidents of violence or abuse. Anyone who works with youth in any context would benefit from this program – to provide spiritual care and emotional well-being to teens facing increasing anxiety about the world they live in.

Click the link to learn more:

Trauma Healing Convening Session - Transform MN This informational session focuses on a new Trauma Healing program specifically designed for youth leaders and volunteers to minister to teens.