Holy Week Services 2026

40 Days of Hope:

A Lenten Journey with Place of Hope

Place of Hope Ministries in St. Cloud, Minnesota, is a long-standing, Christ-centered organization dedicated to serving people experiencing homelessness, poverty, addiction, and other life crises in Central Minnesota. They operate a hospitality center that offers free meals, clothing, personal care items, and shelter, and provide structured residential programs and supportive housing to help individuals and families transition from homelessness to stable, independent living. On a typical day, Place of Hope serves well over 100 people through meals, shelter, and outreach services, and partners with local churches and volunteers to meet urgent needs in our community.

Living Waters Lutheran Church supports this ministry because it reflects our shared commitment to love our neighbors, provide compassion and dignity to those in need, and work toward long-term hope and restoration for people experiencing homelessness in the St. Cloud area.

Outreach donations during Lent will be given to Place of Hope Ministries. 

In this season of Lent, we invite you to walk alongside people

experiencing homelessness and to pray for them.

Week 1: Returning to God (Repentance & Grace)

Day 1 – Ash Wednesday “Remember that you are dust…” (Genesis 3:19)Lent begins with humility. At Place of Hope, every person is treated with dignity — beloved dust, created and redeemed by God.

Day 2 Psalm 51:10 – “Create in me a clean heart…”Place of Hope offers space for new beginnings — a reflection of God’s daily work of renewal.

Day 3 Joel 2:13 – “Return to the Lord your God…”Lent calls us home to grace. Place of Hope walks with those returning to stability, faith, and community.

Day 4 Ephesians 2:8–9 – Saved by grace.We are not defined by our worst day. Grace — not achievement — is the foundation of both faith and recovery.

Day 5 Isaiah 58:6–7 – True fasting.True fasting loosens injustice and feeds the hungry. Supporting Place of Hope is Lenten faith in action.

Day 6 God meets us in vulnerability. So does this ministry — serving over 100 neighbors daily with compassion.

Day 7 – Sunday In worship, we are nourished by Word and Sacrament. Place of Hope nourishes bodies and spirits 365 days a year.

Week 2: Daily Bread

Day 8 Matthew 6:11 – “Give us this day our daily bread.”Place of Hope serves three meals a day, every day.

Day 9 Hospitality is holy work. A warm meal can be a sign of God’s presence.

Day 10 Jesus fed crowds before preaching to them. Meeting physical needs matters.

Day 11 ELCA Lutherans affirm that God works through ordinary means — including kitchens, volunteers, and shared tables.

Day 12 Food is more than calories. It is dignity, community, and care.

Day 13 Every meal served says: You matter.

Day 14 – Sunday At the Lord’s Table, we receive grace. In serving others, we extend it.

Week 3: Shelter & Safety

Day 15 Psalm 46:1 – “God is our refuge.”Place of Hope provides safe shelter to those without one.

Day 16 Housing is stability. Stability opens the door to healing.

Day 17 Lent reminds us that Jesus had “nowhere to lay his head.” Our neighbors know that reality today.

Day 18 Transitional housing offers more than a bed — it offers direction and support.

Day 19 Safety restores dignity.

Day 20 When churches partner locally, Christ’s body becomes visible in the community.

Day 21 – Sunday In baptism, we are claimed and given a home in Christ forever.

Week 4: Restoration & Transformation

Day 22 God specializes in resurrection stories.

Day 23 Structured programs at Place of Hope support recovery, accountability, and growth.

Day 24 Many staff and volunteers have walked similar roads — “homeless helping homeless.”

Day 25 Grace does not ignore struggle — it walks through it.

Day 26 Transformation takes time. Lent teaches patience.

Day 27 We believe in a God who makes all things new.

Day 28 – Sunday The cross is not the end of the story.

Week 5: Vocation & Community

Day 29 Martin Luther taught that we serve God by serving our neighbor.

Day 30 Every volunteer shift is a holy vocation.

Day 31 Church partnerships strengthen the wider community.

Day 32 Faith is lived in action — not just words.

Day 33 Compassion is contagious.

Day 34 Living Waters’ Lenten outreach is a sign of our shared mission in St. Cloud.

Day 35 – Sunday We are sent from worship to serve.

Holy Week: Hope Through the Cross

Day 36 – Palm Sunday Jesus entered the city humbly. God often works quietly and faithfully through local ministries.

Day 37 – Monday Love looks like service.

Day 38 – Tuesday Christ stands with the suffering.

Day 39 – Good Friday On the cross, Jesus joins human pain — including homelessness, hunger, and rejection.

Day 40 – Easter Vigil / Holy Saturday Reflection Hope waits in the dark.

Easter Morning (Bonus) Resurrection reminds us that despair never has the final word. Through ministries like Place of Hope, we see signs of new life rising right here in our community.