Hockey and church may not have much in common, but that didn’t matter to John Foley. In 1995, he formed a hockey ministry which has grown into a church.
Three years ago, Living Stones Covenant Church started offering church services in the South High auditorium. Unlike some churches, Living Stones is a non-denominational church, which means that anyone can attend and it is independent of any organized religious group. Pastor John Foley said the church is “a church of all nations, revering God…reaching out to others…receiving divine love.”
Living Stones grew out of a hockey ministry called the DinoMights, started by Foley in 1995. According to www.dinomights.com, Foley did not care about the stats, unlike many hockey programs, instead he cared about giving kids and youth the opportunity to play hockey.
Foley decided to start the church for the people in the hockey ministry. Several of his players were South students plus the South High auditorium had recently been renovated so Foley thought it was a good place to start a church.
Foley enjoys preaching at South, “I like when the theater has sets so I can climb up on them. They fixed up the auditorium just in time for us!”
Approximately 80 people attend each service. Foley says his members come from many different areas. Many of the church members are youth, coaches and tutors in the hockey ministry. He says they are a cross section of young, old, and diverse.
South High Head Engineer Thomas Wassmund helped organize the church with Foley. Wassmund said that the church has a band and a daycare. The church also does service projects and has various social events, including “Guys Nights Out” and “Girls Nights Out” each month.
Living Stones is just one church that has its services in a school building. Some other churches include City Church, which meets at Armatage, Sanctuary Covenant Church at Anwatin and Jacob’s Well at Field. All schools are in Minneapolis.
Living Stones church services are held every Sunday at 10:30 a.m. in the South High auditorium. Services are a little over an hour. For more information, visit http://livingstonescov.org/
