
1949
First Sunday of Advent, The Mission of the Good Shepherd is established with members from St. Paul’s Christ Church and St. Clement’s. We’re the first new congregation in the metropolitan area in more than 30 years.
First Sunday of Advent, The Mission of the Good Shepherd is established with members from St. Paul’s Christ Church and St. Clement’s. We’re the first new congregation in the metropolitan area in more than 30 years.

1950
A building site is selected at the intersection of Highway 36 and North Hamline Avenue and the mission is dedicated to St. Christopher. Construction begins.
1951
The first services are held at the present site (September 15, 1951), boasting a congregation of 19 families and individuals.
1952
The congregation gains parish status.
1952-1968
The building is expanded three times, adding classrooms and the present main worship space, which is completed in the fall of 1968.
A building site is selected at the intersection of Highway 36 and North Hamline Avenue and the mission is dedicated to St. Christopher. Construction begins.
1951
The first services are held at the present site (September 15, 1951), boasting a congregation of 19 families and individuals.
1952
The congregation gains parish status.
1952-1968
The building is expanded three times, adding classrooms and the present main worship space, which is completed in the fall of 1968.

1968-1970
The State of Minnesota expands Highway 36, acquiring parish grounds as an approach, which imparts our moniker “St. Christopher’s in the Cloverleaf.”
1970s
Typical of first-ring suburbs, St. Christopher’s expands to capacity, boasting hundreds of children in our Sunday school program and hitting the peak of membership.
In the mid-70s, we begin our resettlement program to gain status as a national leader in the resettlement of Vietnamese refugees. Our Outreach ministry is established and continues today, providing leadership and sweat equity to serve a variety of causes, including First Nations Kitchen, Habitat for Humanity and Meals on Wheels.
1994
The Lower Narthex is completed, adding a new main entrance and providing handicapped accessibility to the entire complex.
2011 and Beyond
In the 2010s our Parish began a Renewal Campaign, seeking ways to re-enliven as well as give birth to new missional endeavors, and take care of our physical plant. As part of the renewal efforts of the parish, our main worship space was remodeled to more clearly match the theology expressed in the 1979 Book of Common Prayer, making what we pray be cohesive with the manual acts of worship. A new organ was purchased. A commercial kitchen was built and the Parish Hall remodeled. Painting, new carpeting facility wide, new lighting, new windows were also part of this renewal effort. Our central courtyard was reconfigured to allow easier access thereby making it a central part of our facility. And solar panels were installed on the south side of the church’s south-facing peaked roof, with a Cross created in the negative space of the solar panels. This project not only reduced our electrical consumption and our carbon footprint, but says to the world that speeds past us on Highway 36 that we are good stewards and helping to care for God’s creation.
We have begun to make our missional presence more clearly felt in the neighborhood in which we are blessed to serve. We have created a close partnership with our neighborhood food shelf, providing them with: weekly offerings from our Sunday service; almost daily delivery of fresh fruits and vegetables grown in our on-site giving garden; and providing a monthly free dinner to all who are in any kind of need.
Lay leadership is a hallmark of our collective life and ministry, both within our parish and the Episcopal Church in Minnesota. Throughout our history, we’ve promoted and sustained lay involvement in all aspects of our parish life
The State of Minnesota expands Highway 36, acquiring parish grounds as an approach, which imparts our moniker “St. Christopher’s in the Cloverleaf.”
1970s
Typical of first-ring suburbs, St. Christopher’s expands to capacity, boasting hundreds of children in our Sunday school program and hitting the peak of membership.
In the mid-70s, we begin our resettlement program to gain status as a national leader in the resettlement of Vietnamese refugees. Our Outreach ministry is established and continues today, providing leadership and sweat equity to serve a variety of causes, including First Nations Kitchen, Habitat for Humanity and Meals on Wheels.
1994
The Lower Narthex is completed, adding a new main entrance and providing handicapped accessibility to the entire complex.
2011 and Beyond
In the 2010s our Parish began a Renewal Campaign, seeking ways to re-enliven as well as give birth to new missional endeavors, and take care of our physical plant. As part of the renewal efforts of the parish, our main worship space was remodeled to more clearly match the theology expressed in the 1979 Book of Common Prayer, making what we pray be cohesive with the manual acts of worship. A new organ was purchased. A commercial kitchen was built and the Parish Hall remodeled. Painting, new carpeting facility wide, new lighting, new windows were also part of this renewal effort. Our central courtyard was reconfigured to allow easier access thereby making it a central part of our facility. And solar panels were installed on the south side of the church’s south-facing peaked roof, with a Cross created in the negative space of the solar panels. This project not only reduced our electrical consumption and our carbon footprint, but says to the world that speeds past us on Highway 36 that we are good stewards and helping to care for God’s creation.
We have begun to make our missional presence more clearly felt in the neighborhood in which we are blessed to serve. We have created a close partnership with our neighborhood food shelf, providing them with: weekly offerings from our Sunday service; almost daily delivery of fresh fruits and vegetables grown in our on-site giving garden; and providing a monthly free dinner to all who are in any kind of need.
Lay leadership is a hallmark of our collective life and ministry, both within our parish and the Episcopal Church in Minnesota. Throughout our history, we’ve promoted and sustained lay involvement in all aspects of our parish life
Rectors:
The Rev. Vincent Anderson, first rector, 1950-57
The Rev. Gary Pielemeier, second rector, 1957-67
The Rev. Henry Hoover, third rector,1967-84
The Rev. Ed Leidel, fourth rector, 1986-96
(consecrated Bishop of Eastern Michigan in 1997)
The Rev. Michael Hanley, fifth rector, 1998-2010
(consecrated Bishop of Oregon in 2010)
The Rev. John F. Dwyer, sixth rector, 2011-2017
The Rev. Vincent Anderson, first rector, 1950-57
The Rev. Gary Pielemeier, second rector, 1957-67
The Rev. Henry Hoover, third rector,1967-84
The Rev. Ed Leidel, fourth rector, 1986-96
(consecrated Bishop of Eastern Michigan in 1997)
The Rev. Michael Hanley, fifth rector, 1998-2010
(consecrated Bishop of Oregon in 2010)
The Rev. John F. Dwyer, sixth rector, 2011-2017