The Rojas family would like to share the following message with the Gloria Dei community. "Luis, Sebastian, and I give thanks to God for giving us life and for welcoming us into God's home, giving us food, clothing, health, and beautiful people who help us every day with everything we need. Thank...
Room 99 Project – September Update
The Rojas family is gearing up for fall! Their top priority is making sure the transition to school goes smoothly for Sebastian. They had a great tour of Riverview this week and are excited by the opportunities the school offers. Luis and Stephanie will begin EL (English Language) classes soon....
Room 99 Project — July Update
After two years, we are thrilled to announce that the renovation of Room 99 is complete! Thanks to the hard work of Langer Construction, the furniture assembly and tile expertise of Scott Keyes, the steady assistance of Clayton Gardner, and the wonderful volunteers who cleaned the space and unpacked, washed,...
Room 99 Project Update – June 2022
A lot is happening with Room 99! Recent highlights include a successful plumbing inspection, completion of electrical wiring, painting in the bathroom and main living space, installation of the flooring and baseboards, preparation for installing the heating and cooling unit, and installation of the door frames to the apartment and...
Room 99 Project Update – April 2022
Relieved. Excited. Ready. All of these describe how the Immigrant Justice Team reacted when we learned that the City of Saint Paul approved the building permit for Room 99 on April 1. Let the renovation begin! The permitting process, while lengthy, gave us time to look carefully at the space....
Room 99 Project Update – February 2022
Long-time Minnesotans have their own brand of faith in resurrection. We cling to the hope that, despite all the snow on the ground and the overnight lows, spring is around the corner. That hope is proving indispensable as we await the start of renovations to Room 99. This past month,...
Room 99 Project Update – January 2022
In our last update, we reported that Room 99 renovations could not begin until plans to satisfy Saint Paul zoning and code requirements had been approved by the City. We’re happy to report that we received zoning approval on Dec. 6, along with this nice comment: “Thank you for carrying...
Room 99 Project Update – December 2021
We are close. In our last update, we reported that Room 99 renovations could not begin until plans to satisfy Saint Paul zoning and code requirements had been approved by the City. We’re happy to report that we received zoning approval on Dec. 6, along with this nice comment: “Thank...
Room 99 Project Update – November 2021
From the moment we began to imagine housing asylum seekers at Gloria Dei, we’ve been learning. The month of November was no exception, with education happening on many fronts. - The Immigrant Justice Team hosted two Sunday Forums that detailed the experience of asylum seekers (Nov. 7) and provided an...
Room 99 Project Update – October 2021
On May 16, 2021, the congregation renewed its commitment to immigrant justice and voted to modify Room 99, an underused classroom, to add shower and clothes washing facilities and upgrade the current kitchenette. This is the latest on the project. October was an exciting month for the Room 99 project....