Construction is set to take place beginning next Monday, June 8, 2026, at Hennepin Avenue United Methodist Church (511 Groveland Ave). They are getting their steeple and cross removed so that it can be replaced.
The church building and Dignity Center will be open during regular hours. All entrances to the parking lot and parking will still be available. For more details on this project, visit: http://haumc.org/steeple-cross-removal/
Due to the natural deterioration of their cross over the past 110 years, it will be removed and replaced. Plans are in the works to recast a new cross and reinstall it, ideally, in October.
Due to crane operations, street closures on Groveland are scheduled to occur Monday, June 8 to Thursday, June 11, from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. Groveland closures will take place between Lyndale Ave and Clifton Place; both those streets will be accessible. Lyndale Ave and Clifton will not be blocked or closed. However, sidewalks/alleys around the sanctuary will be blocked off for safety during crane operations. Some sidewalks around the sanctuary will be closed.
Icons matter. Our steeple and cross have stood for 110 years. The skyline of Minneapolis is graced by the elegance and proclamation of our steeple and cross. The grace of the spire draws eyes upward toward the beauty, promise and power of the cross.
Next week our cross will be lifted from the steeple. Why? As with all things, our cross has experienced the effects of 111 years of rain and snow and time. The cross is literally falling apart. It has become unsafe.
While we are removing the cross we will be able to ascertain the health of the cladding on the steeple.
Plans are already underway to fabricate a cross identical to the old cross. Our plan is that the cross will be lifted up onto the steeple sometime this fall.
In the meantime, I am honest about the pain I will experience seeing that cross come down and the steeple capped for a time. To what will the steeple point? What will it feel like to have a long-treasured icon taken from our building and the panorama of the Minneapolis skyline?
It will feel like the ache accompanied by change. New life and a sound cross are witnesses to the power of the Spirit moving in this place and in all of creation. The space created by absenting the cross for a time will give us a chance to commit to the iconic meaning of our ministry.
We are a church committed to transformation and new life. 111 years ago the cross was placed. The years over which it reigned were dense with power.
The cross being crafted will grace our building and this city with the promise it proclaims: New life and transformation in the way of Jesus call to each and to all.
Take a breath with me. Mark the power of this time. Give thanks. Believe in all that is yet to come.
Pastor Elizabeth
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