Trinity Lutheran Church

Sundays, 9:00 a.m., Worship with Holy Communion or Service of the Word
In the sanctuary unless otherwise noted.

Sunday worship is also live streamed on our YouTube channel.
Follow us on Facebook: Trinity Lutheran Church Hovland.


Ship of Longing

On September 30, 2023, a votive ship was "raised" at Trinity. Designed and built by Mark Hansen, founder of the North House Folk School in Grand Marais, these ship models are very common in churches in the Nordic countries, especially Denmark. It is called the Ship of Longing. Boat of Longing is the title of a book by Norwegian-American author Ole E. Rolvaag, who taught at St. Olaf College. The ship honors those lost at sea (or on Lake Superior) and carries the pain and hopes of those who mourn loss. This particular boat took a year to build, and is appropriately named Valhala. Trinity produced a short video about the launch of the Ship of Longing and the construction of the current church building by members and students from St. Olaf College under the leadership of professors Arnold Flaten and Howard Hong. WDSE, PBS North, aired a short feature on the construction of the votive ship. In this Slice, Mark Hansen discusses the construction of the knarr.

Land Acknowledgement

Trinity Lutheran Church in Hovland, Minnesota, acknowledges it is located on the ancestral homelands of many indigenous peoples, including Anishinaabe (Ojibwe) people who inhabited a vast area around Gichigami (Lake Superior) and throughout what is today Ontario and Minnesota. We recognize and give thanks for their presence here since time immemorial. We especially recognize, respect, and honor our indigenous neighbors of the Grand Portage Band of Lake Superior Chippewa who continue to call this land their home.

As we live, worship, learn, and minister in this community, we pledge to honor the Creator’s continuing presence in this land, to lament the injustices in our history with indigenous peoples, to confess our complicity in it, and to commit ourselves to just and respectful relationships within our congregation, our community, and all of creation. We pledge to promote care for the woods, streams, lakes, and creatures here near Gichigami as we model good stewardship of these indigenous homelands. Furthermore, we pledge to listen to the history and stories of this place and the Anishinaabe who have lived here for generations.