St. Brendan's in the Pines is a Christian ministry based outside of Isanti, MN in a home surrounded by almost 100 pine and spruce trees, and named in honor of St. Brendan the Navigator, a 4th century Celtic monk who traveled far and wide as what we would call today an evangelist and church planter. (The testimony of how God provided this place for us and the battle it took to get here will be the subject of a later post.)
St. Brendan's was established in September of 2007 for three primary purposes. First, as former missionaries to Russia, Belarus and Mexico, we know that the transition from the missions field to "normal" American society and life can be challenging. At St. Brendan's, we will provide a place where those returning from missionary service can rest, recover and return to their homeland without the pressures of life in an urban environment. Our guest room is also open, as available, to missionaries on furlough from foreign assignment, or doing fundraising for their mission activities.
St. Brendan's Travelers is our second area of ministry. Organized as a bicycle travel club, or "spoke" of a Christian cycling organization, the Travelers will provide training for those going into the missions field. In the course of actual field trips by the most common form of mechanized travle in the world, the bicycle, participants will learn ways to travel when motorized vehicles are not an option, and how to live in an unfamiliar environment. Professional medical training for missionaries is also available for those who serve in areas without access to medical care. In some cases we are also able to provide reconditioned mountain bikes for use by missionaries in their ministry.
Finally, after the celebration of Easter, we will be starting a small group fellowship at our home congregation, New Life! Lutheran Church in Oak Grove, MN. Starting with our "Travel the Road: Introduction to Missions", in April, we will begin a program of missions training that we hope will become a regular and growing ministry with a group of people who feel and believe as we do. On March 1st, 2008, St. Brendan's became a formal chapter of the Prayer Foundation, with ties to Discover Church-Brooklyn Park Lutheran, as well as a growing number of mission organizations,
Who Are We?
We are Hans and Ellen, and we are
born-again Christians, We are primarily what we consider "old-order" Lutherans (Salvation by grace, not works" and "Ye must be born again"). We are
monastic, and are members (lay oblate monks) of the Knights of Prayer Monastic Order based in Portland, Oregon and on the
Internet at
The Prayer Foundation. In 1944, Dietrich Bonhoeffer, the German
theologian wrote, "...
the restoration of the church will surely come only from a new type of monasticism which has nothing in common with the old but a complete lack of compromise in a life lived in accordance with the Sermon on the Mount in the discipleship of Christ..." We are
Charismatic, in our beliefs, worship and church affiliation. and believe that the gifts of the Holy Spirit described in the Books of Acts and 1st Corinthians are, and need to be active and functional in the church today. We are
missionaries, as stated above, and have served on short-term missions to Mexico, Belarus and Russia, and we have a commitment to help and support other missionaries. including those from
Overland Missions,
The World Race and our sending agency,
East European Missions Network. We are Celtic in our heritage; Ellen is from an Irish background and Hans is half Welsh.
We are Hans and Ellen, and we are born-again Christians, We are primarily what we consider "old-order" Lutherans (Salvation by grace, not works" and "Ye must be born again"). We are monastic, and are members (lay oblate monks) of the Knights of Prayer Monastic Order based in Portland, Oregon and on the Internet at The Prayer Foundation. In 1944, Dietrich Bonhoeffer, the German theologian wrote, "...the restoration of the church will surely come only from a new type of monasticism which has nothing in common with the old but a complete lack of compromise in a life lived in accordance with the Sermon on the Mount in the discipleship of Christ..." We are Charismatic, in our beliefs, worship and church affiliation. and believe that the gifts of the Holy Spirit described in the Books of Acts and 1st Corinthians are, and need to be active and functional in the church today. We are missionaries, as stated above, and have served on short-term missions to Mexico, Belarus and Russia, and we have a commitment to help and support other missionaries. including those from Overland Missions, The World Race and our sending agency, East European Missions Network. We are Celtic in our heritage; Ellen is from an Irish background and Hans is half Welsh.
