A congregation of the Episcopal Church in Minnesota led by the Rt. Rev. Craig W. Loya St. Edward the Confessor Episcopal Church (865 Ferndale Rd. N., Wayzata MN 55391) is located 15 miles west of Minneapolis at the intersection of Orono, Plymouth and Wayzata. Our members come from a wide geography — Eden Prairie and Edina in the south, Delano and Corcoran in the west, Maple Grove in the north, Crystal and Arden Hills in the east, and communities in between.
Our Story
St. Edward’s was established in 1962 as a new parochial mission of St. Martin’s Episcopal Church. Groundbreaking for the new church took place on July 20, 1966, and on Jan. 30, 1968, St. Edward’s became an independent parish. St. Edward’s has been tested over time, including changes in our status as a parish, but members have been resilient and steadfast, and the church has overcome its trials. A crucial challenge came in April 2002 when the original church building was destroyed in a fire and questions were raised about whether the church should rebuild. However, after a vote of 90 percent in favor, the church was re-built. In May 2005, it was re-dedicated by Bishop James Jelinek in May 2005.
Today we have an older, long-time membership of 36 households. (54% are age 66 or older and 42% have attended for 21 years or more.) Our average Sunday attendance in 4Q2022 is 35 (in-person and online), and we are welcoming more visitors as we continue to emerge from pandemic restrictions and return to the community life we cherish.
We describe ourselves as a small, friendly and welcoming church that strives to live our mission statement –“a faith community where all are welcomed, all are fed, and all are loved.” We see being small as an asset. Everyone knows one another – no getting lost in the crowd! Our sense of community is that of an extended, multi-generational family, and members are eager to improve and build relationships with each other.
Our building has an open design that is flexible for a variety of uses with an abundance of natural light and excellent acoustics. A very special feature of the new building is a labyrinth inlaid in the floor of the worship space.
We typically follow Book of Common Prayer Rite II for Sunday worship but are open to other liturgies and contemporary prayers and music. We are blessed with an outstanding music / choir director and a choir that sounds larger than it is. Our members have expressed a desire for spiritual growth outside of Sunday worship, and we strive to provide these opportunities.
Like many churches, we are challenged to get volunteers for projects and lay leadership due to time constraints or health concerns. However, recently we have been encouraged by those volunteering for the first time to serve on Vestry and standing committees, such as Buildings & Grounds and a new Faith Formation Committee.