Resurrection City Church meets at Hamline Elementary School

Julie (center left) and Joel Stegman (center right) are co-pastors of the newly planted Resurrection City Church, which meets weekly at Hamline Elementary School. (Photo by Margie O’Loughlin)

By MARGIE O’LOUGHLIN

Resurrection City Church (RCC) is a newly planted church that meets in the cafeteria of Hamline Elementary School on Sundays at 9:30am. Their vision is to glorify God by seeing people, the city, and the world made new in Christ.

Julie Stegman and her co-pastor husband Joel live near the State Fairgrounds. “We’d been working at a church in downtown Minneapolis,” Julie said, “but felt like we really wanted to be more a part of the community where we lived. It seemed like the right time to plant our own church. Hamline Elementary School was welcoming, and willing to let us rent.”

To hear Stegman describe it, starting a church from scratch is a lot like starting a business. “A team of about 35 people helped us turn our vision into a reality,” she said. “Most of them live in the Hamline- Midway or Como neighborhoods, and some are people we’d met at our previous church. The team helps us set up in the cafeteria every week, among a hundred other things. We’re all at the school by 7am on Sundays, unfolding chairs and making coffee.”

RCC appears to be a young congregation, with an average age of less than 30. There are a lot of young families moving into the neighborhood, and the congregation reflects that. Stegman said, “We have a strong emphasis on community here. There are small, community groups that meet in people’s homes throughout the week to pray and to be a supportive part of each other’s lives. We’re also involved in the broader community; several of our members volunteer at Hamline Elementary School through their Reading Partners Program.”

On the first Monday of each month, RCC sponsors a conversation at Groundswell Coffee called “Views and Brews” from 7-9pm. According to Stegman, “This is a time to talk about life and faith, and anyone can come. We’re very polarized in our country right now. It’s hard to have respectful conversations with people we disagree with—we’re hoping this will be a place to have respectful conversations about many different things. The next meeting is scheduled for Mon., Apr. 1. The March discussion topic was: is Christianity still relevant?”

Stegman said, “Obviously, we believe it still is. We chose the name of our new church carefully because we see the resurrection as the sign that Jesus was exactly who he said who he was. We believe that he’s making people new every day; and that these people are being called to make their city new, and the broader world they live in.”

Hamline Elementary School is located at 1599 Englewood Ave. The parking lot on Hubbard St. offers the easiest access, near the Rec Center. Dress is casual, and the fellowship time wraps up around 11am. There is childcare for children under five, with a secure check-in process. Brake Bread donates muffins and pastries, and the RCC provides coffee. Email co-pastor Julie Stegman at julie@rescitychurch.org with any questions.