The Crane Lake Chapel, which is part of the Minnesota Conference's Mobile Ministry, is the only church in the tiny northern Minnesota town of Crane Lake. This fall, when church board members noticed that there was a house in the community that could use some work, they voted to approach the owner about helping her fix up the home. 

The homeowner had been ill and was unable to make the necessary fixes on her own—so she was thrilled to receive the call.

A group of about six volunteers, led by Thom and Nancy Hazlett, spent almost a week scraping and re-painting her house.

"I can't believe there are people who would do this for me!" the homeowner said.

The next Sunday morning, she showed up to thank the church members for their help. Now, she comes to worship most Sundays. 

"Some longtime local people feel excluded because they aren't church-going," Pastor Roger Parrish-Siggelkow said. "So we thought this would be a great way to show the community that we care."

The Mobile Ministry serves two congregations in the northernmost part of Minnesota, as well as the national wilderness area of Voyageurs National Park, where there is no visible church presence.