145 Engler Boulevard, Chaska Minnesota 55318  MAP

The Power of Forgiveness in Action - a four week adult course leb by Dr. Mona Gustafson Affinito - begins this Sunday at 10:45. 

A Presbyterian Church in Chaska, Minnesota Welcome to Shepherd of the Hill Presbyterian Church in Chaska ("SOTH Church"), host of Shepherd of the Hill Dialogues: examining critical public issues locally and globally.  SOTH Church is the only Presbyterian Church in Chaska and Carver County.  Pastor Gordon Stewart is known for his preaching and for his guest commentaries like this MPR commentary: Hammer-Strokes Against the Darkness. Looking for a welcoming church in Chaska or Carver County?  A first-time visitor said recently that Shepherd of the Hill "is the friendliest church - in fact, the friendliest group or organization of any kind - we've ever experienced." You'll be greeted warmly in a way that respects your need for space or privacy. We're small enough that you won't get lost. Your voice can make a difference.  Looking for a thoughtful church that lifts your heart and challenges your mind? SOTH Church in Chaska is blessed by the nationally recognized preaching of Pastor Gordon Stewart, whose sermons appear in two national sermon collections published by Harper-Collins. The Sermons page gives you a taste of what you'll hear in worship every Sunday.  And then there's Momoh Freeman, our Hill Liberian-born jazz-gospel-classical pianist, whose soulful renditions of familiar hymns like "Precious Lord", "Be Thou My Vision" and "Amazing Grace" combine classical, gospel and jazz in ways that take our breath away. The improvizations of Momoh Freeman bring a signature style to worship at SOTH Church. It's the unique signature of Momoh Freeman. Looking for something better than diatribes?  Shepherd of the Hill Presbyterian Church is known as the church in Chaska that hosts the Shepherd of the Hill Dialogues (see the Dialogues page). The Shepherd of the Hill Dialogues program gathers the wider public to examine critical public issues globally and locally. They tackle such things as interfaith relations among Christians, Jews and Muslims; climate change and sustainability; the connection between religion, terrorism and peacemaking; building a deeper sense of community; religion and the U.S. Constitution, and the huge transitions we face at this moment of our history. Pastor Gordon Stewart serves as Moderator of Shepherd of the Hill Dialogues. Our Pastor carries this more dialogical way of life over the airwaves of Minnesota Public Radio's "All Things Considered" (KNOW 91.1FM) in the form of an MPR commentary. See the Commentary page for pieces aired on "All Things Considered" or published by MPRNewsQ, MinnPost.com, the Chaska Herald and The Presbyterian Outlook. Looking for a more meaningful way of being in the world?  From the corner of State Highway 41 and Engler Boulevard, you'll see a huge rocking chair we call Jacob's Rocker, named after Jacob Miller, an Amish craftsman featured in an MPR commentary by Pastor Gordon Stewart following the tragic Amish school shooting in Pennsylvania several years ago. The rocking chair signifies the more natural, thoughtful, peaceful, and humble way of being in the world to which we aspire at SOTH Church.

Sunday Worship Sunday,March 14 - 9:30 AM Sermon: "The Exuberant Father" Shepherd of the Hill Presbyterian Church Pastor Gordon Stewart reflects on Jesus' understanding of the nature of God in one of his parables. Listen to an MPR commentary on "All Things Considered" following the death of Michael Jackson to get a sense of the integration of scripture and everyday life at SOTH Church.  Momoh Freeman, Shepherd of the Hill jazz-gospel-classical pianist leads the music. Shepherd of the Hill Presbyterian Church in Chaska adds a diffferent color to the religious landscape of Carver County - not better, just a bit different.  Worship at SOTH Church seeks to combine the best of structure and spontaneity with worship anchored in sacred Scripture and interpreted by thoughtfully prepared sermons delivered extemporaneously. Worship is spiced by the uniquely joyful jazz-gospel-classical music of Momoh Freeman. After visiting a number of other churches, many visitors have shared that SOTH Church was the first church where anyone took time to say hello.  A first time visitor remarked that Shepherd of the Hill "is the friendliest church - in fact, friendliest group or organization of any kind - we've ever experienced."   Click  here for a map. 145 Engler Blvd. in Chaska, MN 55318 Phone: (952) 448-3882 A congregation of the Presbyterian Church (USA) and the Presbytery of the Twin Cities Area, we celebrate God's unconditional love for everyone in the name of Christ and welcome you to the web site. We enjoy a rich tradition that holds the tension between the right of individual conscience, on the one hand, and the belief that we must not remain silent on the great issues of our time.

Feeding the Soul - Challenging the Mind Shepherd of the Hill Presbyterian Church in Chaska doesn't pretend to be the ideal church. For us, an "ideal church" is best described by the sign that hangs over the lunch counter at the Ideal Diner on Central Avenue in Northeast Minneapolis: "Where regular people feel special and special people feel regular." Everyone has a place at the table. The huge rocking chair on our front lawn invites passers-by to a friendlier, slower paced, more neighborly, and more peaceful way of living. When you walk in the front door, the first thing you'll see inside SOTH Church is an open food shelf that invites you to take what you need. No questions are asked. No embarrassing forms to fill out. But we don't sit and wait for the needs to come to us, and our mission goes beyond charity. We go where the needs are in ways described on the Mission page.  Shepherd of the Hill Dialogues is an essential part of how we view ourselves. Our core mission is "sharing the message of God's unconditional love for everyone." That means solid, thoughtful worship with a challenging word from the pulpit. It means local and international ministries of compassion and peacemaking. In March '06 we created Shepherd of the Hill Dialogues, a public forum that examines the hidden assumptions in our thinking the way Socrates did in ancient Athens. The Christian life, as we understand it, means a continuous reformation, an ongoing openness to truth and goodness wherever we find them and whatever their sources. The Shepherd of the Hill Dialogues program reflects the same thoughtful spirit as the Sunday sermons and educational offerings.

See the Dialogues page for detail of Spend an Evening with a Neighbor: "Riding the Bus with My Sister" A series of "Community Reads" and discussions at Carver County Libraries, a public dialogue on March 18, film showing of "Riding the Bus with My Sister" (April 8), meet the author, Rachel Simon (April 9), and a community dinner and talk with the author (April 10).  Go to Dialogues on the menu bar for more information. Co-sponsored by BEACON Council, Carver County Library, Chaska Human Rights Commission and Shepherd of the Hill Dialogues.  Also Stories of Hope and Healing Join SOTH Church Wednesday evening Lenten series focusing on stories of hope and healing in areas of vision and hearing loss, coping with mental illness and with limited mobility. Led by the Disability Task Force of the Presbytery of the Twin Cities Area. See NEWS page for detail.