Our Mission
Our church, which is affiliated with the United Church of Christ, specifically strives to do these things:
- Offer a worship experience that nurtures the love of God's embrace
- Personify and glorify the example set by Jesus Christ by making room at His table for everyone
- Support the active presence of the Holy Spirit in our community.
Covenant of Fellowship
Value others: Value each other as God values us
Listen: Carefully listen to others, being open to and respecting their point of view Think unity: Realize that our unity in Christ is much greater than any differences we have Be positive: Think about and address church issues in a positive way Forgive: Forgive one another and ourselves as God forgives us Adopted September 9, 2012 |
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Meet Reverend Tom Porter
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The Reverend Tom Porter joined our congregation in February 2014. Upon graduating from Wittenberg University in Springfield, Ohio, and Yale Divinity School, New Haven, Connecticut, he served communities in Ohio and Wisconsin. His persona is best described as personable, comfortable, engaging, spontaneously humorous, and candid, all combined with empathy, total honesty, sincerity, and the essence of a deep and abiding dedication to his family, his church, and our God. Pastor Tom's sermons are intellectual, educational, and Bible-based, yet applicable in the context of today's busy lifestyle and diverse culture.
How good is that? Please join us every Sunday and, you too, will appreciate this extraordinary and gifted man. Tom's wife, Anne, is a nurse specializing in hospice care and, when time permits, she can be found participating in church activities including the chancel choir. Their daughter, Kealy, attended the University of Minnesota, majoring in Conservation Biology/Zoology with a special interest in Animal Rights, and currently is an intern in Seattle. Son Julian is a graduate of the University of Wisconsin and is currently considering medical school. He, too, is involved with animal rescue, currently in the Madison area. Reverend Porter can be contacted at pastorccoe@aol.com. |
Music Ministry
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Lydia Holsten, our Director of Music for the past 4+ years and one of our local area’s musical treasures, has been a church musician (choir director and organist) since the early 1960s. She is a lifetime member of the Minnesota Music Teachers Association (MMTA), has for 55 years led the music program at the Minnetonka Montessori School housed in our church building, and has taught hundreds of piano students, both children and adults, in her home on Lake Minnetonka for over 50 years.
Previously she was Director of Music at Holy Cross Lutheran Church, Excelsior, for 32 years. She has subbed at many local churches and she blesses older adults at Sunrise of Minnetonka and Beehive on Highway 41 by playing for them regularly. Lydia has a B.A. degree from Wagner College, Staten Island, New York, and attended New York University. In Minneapolis, she studied with Dorothy Curtis and Mary Chamberlain. She has a huge repertoire, can play by ear, and is a friend to all! We are blessed to enjoy her gifts on Sunday mornings. |
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Youth Ministry
Janet Holler, who has been an occupational therapist to children with special needs in multiple schools in the Eastern Carver County School District for over 20 years, has recently been named our Coordinator of Youth Programs. She has taught Sunday School at CCoE for 10 years and in her new role coordinates with Pastor Tom and the Board of Christian Education in the development and administration of the curriculum for Sunday School and for programming of all youth programs.
Janet and her husband, Jon, have two adult children, David (married to Carly) and Caroline, and three grandchildren. She graduated from Washington University in St. Louis, Missouri, and received her Masters Degree in education from St. Mary's University in Minneapolis.
Her creativity with the kids of our church, her very thoughtful messages, and her creative, caring teaching style amaze all of us at CCoE.
Janet and her husband, Jon, have two adult children, David (married to Carly) and Caroline, and three grandchildren. She graduated from Washington University in St. Louis, Missouri, and received her Masters Degree in education from St. Mary's University in Minneapolis.
Her creativity with the kids of our church, her very thoughtful messages, and her creative, caring teaching style amaze all of us at CCoE.
Our History
The Congregational Church of Excelsior, in operation for over 160 years, was organized in 1853 with 37 people but no building. The first building was dedicated in 1871. This building was torn down in the 1970s, and the current church built across from the old Excelsior School at the corner of 3rd and School Avenue.
The Church is a member of the United Church of Christ (UCC), a Protestant Christian denomination. Many UCC congregations choose to practice open communion, as we do. UCC congregations are independent in matters of doctrine and ministry and many develop and support their own rather than the national body's theological or moral stances.
Photo courtesy of Excelsior-Lake Minnetonka Historical Society
The Church is a member of the United Church of Christ (UCC), a Protestant Christian denomination. Many UCC congregations choose to practice open communion, as we do. UCC congregations are independent in matters of doctrine and ministry and many develop and support their own rather than the national body's theological or moral stances.
Photo courtesy of Excelsior-Lake Minnetonka Historical Society
