Faithful Hospitality - Assisting Families Experiencing Homelessness
In May 2025, House of Prayer will partner with Faithful Hospitality (a ministry of Interfaith Action of Greater St. Paul) to host families in their program as part of their temporary shelter ministry. We need 2 enthusiastic volunteers each night to partner with Faithful Hospitality on-call staff to serve as overnight hosts (Sun-Sat) to help provide a safe and welcoming place to stay each night from May 1 – June 2. You will be greeting our guests, hanging out with families until about 8:30pm, then finding your private sleeping area (cot provided / no need to stay awake all night). Everyone will be on their way by 7am weekdays / 8am weekends. If you are not able to stay overnight but want to help, consider donating fresh fruit to share and/or volunteering from 6:30-8:30p to play with kids, assist overnight volunteers, and check-in guests. Training sessions will be Tuesday, April 22 at 6:30pm (Large Muscle Room) or Sunday, April 27 at 6:30pm on Zoom. Consider signing up with a friend! This is a direct way that we can support our neighbors. Sign Up below and you will be contacted to schedule a shift.
Connections with Richfield Schools
When House of Prayer began in 1953 and didn't have a building, the congregation met in the gym of what is now the Richfield Dual Language School.
We also partner with Every Meal (formerly The Sheridan Story) to provide food for students over the weekends. Many families depend on the food served at schools and weekends or school breaks can stretch their budgets. House of Prayer members generously support Sheridan Story with donations and by volunteering with members of Hope Church down the road to hand out food packs at Centennial Elementary each week.
We welcome you to join us in "Giving the Gift of Food" at Every Meal's very first packing-event competition at Mall of America on Wednesday, November 20th!
This will be a competitive morning of fun that you won't want to miss. In the spirit of collaboration, we have invited Oak Grove and Woodlake to help form a packing team. The first 10 volunteers to sign up will be on team “OAK WOOD HOPPERS.” We will also have room for a couple of alternate team members, so don’t be discouraged if you miss the cut. If you have more questions, you can contact Kim Houle at wifeofadrummerguy@gmail.com. But! If you’re ready to sign up, click on this link to join the team:
Supporting Richfield Parks
Richfield has many beautiful parks around town and relies on volunteers through the "Adopt-A-Park" program to help keep them litter-free. We've adopted Christian Park off Bloomington Ave and 69th St and have clean up days a couple times each summer where we invite neighbors to come and care for the park with us!
There are also many opportunities to volunteer at the Wood Lake Nature Center, a beautiful 150-acre natural area with hiking trails, nature programs, and lots of wildlife to see right in the middle of town. Possible roles for volunteers include helping in the office, bird watching, and assisting with special events.
Community Celebrations
Each year Richfield gathers to celebrate several important occasions and we make sure to be there! Some of these events include:
Having a table at Penn Fest each fall.
Joining in Richfield “Trunk or Treat” (Sponsored by the Chamber of Commerce) on Saturday, October 16, 2021, 4-7pm at the Morris Nielsen Funeral Home Parking Lot (6527 Portland Ave. S). Bring your family in costumes for some “not so” spooky trunk-or-treating.
Hosting our own Parking Lot Party at the end of summer
More? Where else should we participate?
The Veggie Table
Our area of town is what's known as a "food desert" - it can be hard to access food, especially fresh produce, without a car. The Veggie Table is a chance each summer for people who want fresh produce to come get it for free and spend some time socializing with neighbors. We partner with VEAP to provide the food and Aeon who hosts us at the parking lot of Season's Park Apartments (951 East 77th St). We hope you can join us as a volunteer, donor, or just to get produce!