Featured Alum

Margaret Lovejoy, MART 2000

Margaret is the executive director of The Family Place in St. Paul, Minn., where she is living out her passion every day, educating and helping homeless families with children.

“Personally, every morning I ask for the strength to meet another day and every day I experience the miracle of receiving that strength.”

Margaret’s commitment to homeless families took root when she was a student in the Master of Arts program at United and the director of Project Home Program, an overnight emergency shelter for homeless families, which is a project of the St. Paul Area Council of Churches. This work provided a solid background for the ministry of providing for those with ‘the least’ in our communities. Her intention was, upon completion of her seminary degree, to further her education by studying for a doctorate that would enable her to teach those in seminary the theology of working with people living in poverty situations. Instead, she became aware that homeless families did not have a safe place to stay during the day and decided this was an opportunity to affect some change in this area. 

Margaret’s studies in liberation theology at United helped her to understand for justice to work, action had to be taken. In October 2001, a year after graduating from United, she founded The Family Place. Although the program is housed in the First Baptist Church in St. Paul, it is not affiliated with a church or religious community. Staff at The Family Place focus on helping families find placement in a shelter and providing a safe place for the families to stay during the day, thus enabling children to stay in their home schools. In addition, they offer meals and enrichment activities for the children and their parents.

The Family Place has become a ‘family’ place for United alums and others: Bob Fallat, a 2003 graduate, is the volunteer coordinator and fund development; William Englund, pastor of First Baptist Church, is a 1983 graduate; and Mary Farrell Bednarowski, emerita professor of religious studies, serves on the board of directors.

If you are interested in learning more about the program, you can visit their Web site at www.thefamplace.org or call Margaret at 651.207.1565.