January 22nd, 2026

Hello Church,
For nearly a decade now, Centennial UMC has been living into the holy and challenging work of being one church with two campuses. That season has brought many gifts – new relationships, new ministries, and new ways of serving our neighbors. It has also surfaced real strain, grief, and questions about how we live fully into our mission together when we are divided across campuses.

As we look toward the future of Centennial UMC, our hope is not simply to make a decision about buildings, but to discern – together – how our physical spaces can best serve God’s call for us to make disciples of Jesus Christ for the transformation of the world.

As part of that ongoing discernment, on Tuesday, February 10th from 6:00-8:30pm, we will be holding a second Respectful Conversation about Our Future Together at the Roseville campus Fellowship Hall.
We are partnering with the Minnesota Council of Churches’ Respectful Conversations initiative, and this will be the second of two planned conversations. Their model is designed for structured, facilitated conversation – not debate – with the goal of softening hearts, deepening understanding, and strengthening relationships within a community.

Below is what you can expect, why we’re doing this, and how to prepare.

What to expect

•  Advance registration is required. Please register using the link below. A meal will be provided, and space is somewhat limited to ensure a trained facilitator at each table. https://mnchurch.formstack.com/forms/how_we_got_here
  • If youth would like to participate in the conversation, please reach out to Pastor Lauren, Pastor Whitney, or Pastor Jen.
  • A meal and activities will also be provided for children & youth not participating in the Respectful Conversation. Room details at the Roseville campus will be shared closer to Feb. 10th
• Conversations will be guided by trained table facilitators who follow the Respectful Conversations method. Their role is not to advocate for any particular position, but to hold the space, guide the rhythm of conversation, and help participants feel heard.
• The goal is not to change minds but to listen, ask honest questions, and deepen mutual understanding.
• Our first Respectful conversation in November focused on looking back – how we came to be one church with two campuses. This second conversation will focus on looking forward – where we believe it is in the best interest of Centennial UMC to go with respect to our buildings.
• We expect the tone to be curious, respectful, and grounded in our shared identity as a faith community. Everyone will be encouraged to speak, to listen, and to ask clarifying questions.

Why we’re doing this
Moments like this are rarely easy, especially for a church that values honesty, curiosity, and showing up fully. They ask something of us, revealing both our fears and our hopes for the community we love. At Centennial, we believe following Jesus means engaging hard moments with humility, truth-telling, courage, and love – being authentic about what we’re feeling, thinking deeply about what’s at stake, and staying actively engaged with one another.

This conversation is an invitation to do just that: to honor the stories that have shaped us, to name what we hope for our church in the years and decades ahead, and to discern how our shared life – including our physical spaces – can best support our call to go out and build loving and just communities.

The 2016 merger and the launch of the St. Anthony Park campus stretched us in real ways, and we did not all experience that season the same way. Even so, it has been a successful and powerful teacher – showing us how to start something new, cultivate community, and engage neighbors with courage and creativity. This season invites us to carry those same lessons forward with gratitude for what has been and shared responsibility for the future we are shaping together.

Before the February 10th Respectful Conversation, we strongly encourage you to attend the all-church meeting on Wednesday, February 4th.

At that meeting, we will:

• Share the design work that has been done
• Reflect on the year-long process of listening, discernment, and evaluation that has brought us to this point
• Share the Leadership Board’s current leaning regarding the best option before us as we look toward the future of Centennial UMC.

We see and planned the February 10th Respectful Conversation as an important next step – creating space for people to respond to what is shared on February 4th with care, honesty, and mutual respect.

What to do now

1. Register in advance for the February 10th Respectful Conversation: https://mnchurch.formstack.com/forms/how_we_got_here
2.  Make plans to attend the all-church meeting on Wednesday February 4th. If you need to attend via Zoom or cannot attend at all on the day of, please reach out to Annika, amcclintock@centennialumc.org.
3. Come with a spirit of openness, patience, and curiosity, trusting that God is at work among us – even in uncertainty

A bit more about Respectful Conversations from the Minnesota Council of Churches website:

• These are structured, facilitated conversations designed not to change minds but to soften hearts.
• Since 2012, over 8,500 Minnesotans have participated across 300+ conversations on topics such as race, policing, internal budget challenges, and political divisions.
• On average, 70% of participants report having a stronger sense of empathy for those with different viewpoints, and over 95% agree they felt listened to and that the conversation was different than a polarizing debate.
• Months later, participants report better listening attitudes, more curiosity about opposed perspectives, and transformed relationships.

In other words: this is not a confrontational town hall or a Q&A session to rebut claims. It’s an intentional, guided space for listening and understanding.

We hope you will join us on both Wednesday February 4th for the all-church meeting, and on Tuesday February 10th for the Respectful Conversation. It is our prayer that through this process, Centennial UMC will grow stronger – together – in trust, clarity, and unity of purpose.

If you have questions or concerns ahead of time, feel free to reach out to Pastor Whitney, Pastor Jen, or the Leadership Board members.
Grace and Peace,

Pastor Whitney Sheridan
Lead Pastor

Pastor Jen Anderson
Executive Pastor

Wynn Richardson
Leadership Board Chair

January 7th, 2026

You are invited to an all-church meeting with Miller-Dunwiddie, Langer Construction, and the CUMC Leadership Board as part of our ongoing Our Future Together discernment process. This will take place on February 4th, from 5:30pm-7:30pm, in the Roseville Campus Fellowship Hall.

At this gathering, we will:

• Share an overview of the three campus design options that have been developed through this season of listening, study, and collaboration.
• Focus more fully on the option the Leadership Board is recommending, naming both the opportunities it offers and the challenges it raises. 
• Reflect on the prayerful discernment, values, and guiding principles that have shaped this recommendation. 

This meeting is intended to be a time of transparent sharing and faithful listening — offering the congregation a clear sense of the work that has been done, the considerations that are guiding us, and the direction the Leadership Board is recommending at this point in the process. There will be some time for questions, and we want to be clear that this meeting is not a final vote, but one important step as we continue discerning God's call for Centennial UMC together. 

A meal will be provided, and we ask that you please register ahead of time so we can plan accordingly. You can register HERE.

We invite you to join us as we seek to faithfully steward our buildings, resources, and ministry for the sake of God's mission, now and in the years to come. 

Pastor Whitney Sheridan
Lead Pastor

Wynn Richardson
Leadership Board Chair

October 16th, 2025

On Wednesday November 5th from 6:00-8:30pm we’ll be holding a Respectful Conversation about Consolidating to One Campus: How we got here in the fellowship hall at the Roseville Campus.

We’re partnering with the Minnesota Council of Church’s Respectful Conversations initiative, and this will be our first of two conversations. Their model is designed for structured, facilitated conversation – not debate – with the goal of softening hearts and building understanding.

Below is what you can expect, why we’re doing this, and how to prepare.

What to expect

• Advance registration is required. Please click the link below to register. A meal will be provided and space is somewhat limited (to ensure a trained facilitator is available for each table). https://MNChurch.formstack.com/forms/how_we_got_here
  • If youth would like to participate in the conversation, please reach out to Pastor Jen or Pastor Lauren. A meal and activities will also be provided in the Linden Lounge and Sanctuary for children & youth not participating in the Respectful Conversation.
• The session will be facilitated by trained table facilitators who follow the Respectful Conversations method. Their role is not to advocate for one position, but to hold the space, guide the rhythm of conversation, and help participants feel heard.
• The goal is not to change minds, but to listen, ask questions, and deepen mutual understanding.
• We’ll ground the conversation in a common factual foundation (not assumptions or partial recollections). That’s why we’re including a one-page fact sheet along with this email.
• This first session in November will look back at where we’ve been – how we came to be one church with two campuses. The date for our second conversation has not yet been set, but it will take place sometime between January and May, 2026 and will look forward to where we’re going with respect to our buildings.
• We expect the tone to be curious, respectful, and grounded in our shared identity as a faith community. Everyone will be encouraged to speak, to listen, and to ask clarifying questions.

Why we’re doing this
Divisive issues have the potential to fracture communities, even faith communities. We believe God calls us to a different path: one where we engage with one another in humility, integrity, and trust.

This conversation is an invitation: to name what we may not fully remember about the 2016 merger, to surface assumptions, to understand one another’s stories, and to discern together how we move forward.

Because several of us joined after the 2016 merger (or were too young at the time), memories differ. It’s easy for partial recollections or misinformation to influence how we talk about it. That is precisely why we want a shared, reliable baseline of facts – and a structure that allows space for genuine curiosity rather than re-litigating contested ground.

What to do now
1. Register in advance – https://MNChurch.formstack.com/forms/how_we_got_here
2. Read the one-page fact sheet, copied below and available in print at either campus.
3. Bring a spirit of openness, patience, and curiosity.

A bit more about Respectful Conversations from the Minnesota Council of Churches website:

• These are structured, facilitated conversations designed not to change minds but to soften hearts.
• Since 2012, over 8,500 Minnesotans have participated across 300+ conversations on topics such as race, policing, internal budget challenges, and political divisions.
• On average, 70% of participants report having a stronger sense of empathy for those with different viewpoints, and over 95% agree they felt listened to and that the conversation was different than a polarizing debate.
• Months later, participants report better listening attitudes, more curiosity about opposed perspectives, and transformed relationships.

In other words: this is not a confrontational town hall or a Q&A session to rebut claims. It’s an intentional, guided space for listening and understanding.

I hope you will join us on Wednesday November 5 and participate in this important conversation. It is our hope that through this process we will grow stronger as a congregation – together – in trust, clarity, and unity of purpose.

If you have questions or concerns ahead of time, feel free to reach out to Pastor Jen or our Leadership Board.

August 5th, 2025

This experienced firm will help guide us through the process of exploring our options by:

• Gathering data about our buildings, usage, and ministry needs
• Meeting with key stakeholders within each campus of Centennial UMC
• Developing multiple plans for discernment.

You can find an overview of their scope of work HERE!

September 11th, 2025