Community Partnerships
In 2026 a Neighboring Discovery Team was formed to help SOTH better understand its community, identify opportunities for faithful neighboring, and discern how the congregation's ministries, partnerships, and staffing priorities might align with its mission to love God and love neighbor. Through community interviews, demographic research, congregational surveys, intercultural development exploration, community asset mapping, and congregational listening sessions, the team discerned how Shepherd of the Hills might more faithfully live out its calling to love its neighbors.
Their process revealed a growing desire to move beyond the historically and primarily transactional forms of engagement – financial support and occasional volunteerism – and toward fewer, deeper, and more transformative and reciprocal relationships. This shift invites Shepherd to move from asking what we can do FOR our neighbors to asking what we might do WITH our neighbors – creating partnerships that foster mutual transformation, shared belonging, and spiritual growth.
The Neighboring Discovery Team recommended identifying, prioritizing, and focusing energy on a smaller number of transformational community partnerships over the next one to three years. While we continue to do service projects for the last three on the list below, we are experimenting with how to expand partnerships for the top six organizations to become reciprocal relationships that foster spiritual growth.
Going into 2027, current partners are:
ICA Food Shelf: Its mission is to offer hope while providing assistance to neighbors in need. Its clients are west metro residents who find themselves struggling to make ends meet. Services include food distribution; financial aid for rent, mortgage, and utilities; and employment assistance. ICA’s partners include businesses, organizations, and congregations. Its presence in our communities makes our neighborhoods more stable and secure.
Meals on Wheels:Twin Cities Meals on Wheels programs deliver nearly 1.5 million meals each year to our neighbors. The Hopkins—St. Louis Park Chapter operates inside Shepherd of the Hills. Meals on Wheels offers a range of options to suit your tastes and dietary needs. They’re here regardless of your ability to pay.; if you can pay, you’re helping somebody else who can’t.
Mental Health Connect:MHC believes mental health is health and that everyone deserves care and dignity. They value inclusion, collaboration, and hope as they accompany people navigating services.MHC is a collaborative of faith communities, working together to help destigmatize mental illness to make sure all people can find the free, customized, and confidential help they need.
Scout Troup #123 and Voyager Bay Camp: Scouts go sailing at Seabase, backpacking at Philmont, and dog sledding at Okpik, as well as Minnesota campouts. Troop 123 expanded in 2019 to welcome girls into a parallel troop. They meet in the same spot and share meetings. We are proud of our integrated activities.—weekly meetings, summer camp, and merit badge sessions. Voyager Bay Scout Camp is 80 acres of forested land with waterfront on Lake Washburn near Outing, MN. This property belongs to our Chartering Organization, Shepherd of the Hills Lutheran Church.
SMART Recovery: Meeting weekly on Monday and Thursday evenings, SMART Recovery’s 4-Point Program is the organization’s flagship secular program serving those with an addictive behavior, including both substance and activity/process addictions. Trained volunteer facilitators lead effective mutual support group discussions on these topics — building and maintaining motivation, coping with urges and cravings, managing thoughts, feelings, and behaviors, and living a balanced life.
Tapestry Church:Tapestry is a bilingual (Español/Inglés) and multicultural community that works to not only build bridges, but to cross them, too. We are working together to reach out and weave together the diversity of people living in our communities into what it means to be a united community of faith. We engage in deep listening to build compassion and trust. We intentionally enter into conversations with people different from ourselves. We are transformed through our relationships and through the work of the Holy Spirit.
Reach & Restore: This organization provides needy families with resources to provide a sense of hope and be a support to get back on their feet. This may include physical needs such as household items, furniture, locating housing, or transportation, and personal needs such as moral support, friendship, tutoring, counseling, or spiritual guidance.
ResourceWest: This responsive community-based organization strengthens the west metro community by connecting individuals and families to resources. Its services focus on stabilizing households by addressing basic needs and supporting households in making changes that will lead to sustainable self-sufficiency.
Sojourner Project: Sojourner’s founders endeavored to honor the principles for which [Sojourner Truth] stood and to continue her efforts to provide hope, safety, and support to those victimized by violence and abuse. Our commitment has not wavered and this is evidenced in our current agency mission and goals.
Shepherd of the Hills is also part of the Minneapolis ELCA Synod and partners with Good Samaritan United Methodist Church in Edina for children’s and youth events. In addition, members of our community of faith are active citizens of the cities of Hopkins and Edina. Many of our members are part of the Hopkins Rotary Club, Hopkins Lions, the Hopkins Activity Center, and the Hopkins Historical Society, and we collaborate with them on projects in and around our community.
Previous partners and those who receive(d) support through Shepherd of the Hills Foundation include:
The Foundation annually supports Lutheran Social Service of Minnesota and Lutheran Disaster Response.
Beacon Interfaith Housing Collaborative: Beacon is an interfaith collaborative of congregations committed to ending homelessness through housing, the Families Moving Forward shelter program, and public advocacy.
Blake Road Corridor Collaborative: The BRCC is a partnership of governmental and community organizations working to address community concerns in the Blake Road area of Hopkins. In addition to Blake Road area businesses and residents, organizations involved in the BRCC include: Shepherd of the Hills Lutheran Church, The City of Hopkins, Hopkins-Minnetonka Recreation Services, the Hopkins Police Department, Hopkins Public Schools & Community Education, the ICA Food Shelf, ResourceWest, Community Action Partnership of Suburban Hennepin County (CAPSH), 43 Hoops Basketball Academy, Twin Cities LISC, and The Blake School.
Edina Community Foundation: This organization works to create a better and stronger community in which people who live and work here can contribute to helping others in need; have an enhanced sense of public safety in their homes and in the community; come together to enjoy cultural activities, opportunities for community dialogue and other public events; and enjoy beautiful parks, neighborhoods, buildings, public art, and music.
HealthPartners Frauenshuh Cancer Center: A cancer diagnosis can feel overwhelming. We’re here to guide you every step of the way. From your first appointment through treatment and recovery, we provide award-winning cancer care, the latest treatment options, and support for you and your family.
Loaves and Fishes: Our mission is to provide healthy meals to Minnesotans in areas where need is greatest. We are guided by our vision that all people – regardless of socioeconomic, cultural, religious, or ethnic background – deserve to meet their basic needs for food, dignity, and respect.
Lutheran Campus Ministry: We are a grace-filled, Christ-centered community, welcoming to all University students. That includes you! Your stories and gifts make you the unique person you are and when you show up they shape and form us as a community as well. Whether conservative or liberal, introvert or extrovert, city kid or country kid, engineer or English major, queer or straight, questioning or certain, and all the identities in between and beyond, there’s a place for you here. Though it says “Lutheran” in our name, you don’t have to be Lutheran (or even know anything about church) to get involved.
Melrose Center: At Melrose Center, we’ve provided compassionate, expert care for all types of eating disorders for people of every age and gender for over 35 years. We’ve helped guide thousands of people toward recovery using evidence-based treatment. This means that we base our programs on the latest research and treatments proven to help. Recovery is possible, and we’re here to help you get there.
Move Forward: This nonprofit, community-based organization provides free and confidential crisis counseling and referral services to youth (ages 12-21) and their families in partnership with Eden Prairie, Hopkins, St. Louis Park, and Wayzata school districts, and Main Street School of Performing Arts.
Project for Pride in Living: This nonprofit organization is dedicated to empowering low-income people to become self-reliant through integrated services. It works with individuals and families to achieve greater self-sufficiency through housing, employment training, support services, and education.
St. David’s Center: St. David’s Center is a regional leader in child and family development, working to create a healthy, vibrant society in which every member fully contributes to its success. We offer therapeutic, educational, and support services, including mental health and pediatric therapies, autism treatment, home visiting, an inclusive preschool, and disability services. Over 4,000 children and families access these services at our two early intervention centers in Minneapolis and Minnetonka, more than 30 partner sites, and hundreds of homes across the community.