Woodland Hill’s Sojourners Missional Communities is a ministry to help people learn to love together by building “families on mission.” This tight-knit, intentional community seeks to learn and grow in the ways of Jesus in a manner that impacts those outside the Church family and draws them in.
Josh Wanggaard is a Sojourners leader, and he and his wife, Amy, run the nonprofit Think Say Go, which includes Unity Meals, an outreach providing food in the Phillips neighborhood of Minneapolis. Travis is a team lead who works alongside Josh, and shared with us about what missional family looks like inside the ministry of Unity Meals.
I started attending Woodland around 2010, and met my wife, Lindsey, through a small group that formed during the Scandalous Love series. When I joined the SEM program, I talked to a fellow student, Tim, about his friend, Josh, who has a close relationship with the Muslim community. For a while, I’d been looking for something where Christians and Muslims can come together for a common cause.
In October 2025, I began helping Josh cook and serve food in a parking lot (and by “parking lot,” I mean space for about two cars) in the Phillips neighborhood of Minneapolis. I was hooked from the first time, and I told Josh he was stuck with me—pretty much forever. It felt like Robin finding Batman. I had talents I didn’t know how to use until Josh showed me, through his words and actions, what it looks like to be a real servant. I truly believe the Holy Spirit brought us together as family, with Josh as my big brother.
Unity Meals is first and always about relationships. Whether someone is experiencing food insecurity, homelessness, addiction or other economic hardships, we meet them exactly where they are. That often means walking the streets, alleyways, under bridges and into tent encampments—showing up with consistency, dignity and care.
We are intentionally interfaith—bringing together Muslims, Christians and those who choose not to label their faith. This creates space for volunteers and participants to share sidewalks and stories with people from different backgrounds, united by compassion and shared humanity rather than doctrine.
A Unity Meal only happens through partnership—nonprofits, grassroots groups, local businesses and individual volunteers all playing a part. The relationships that are formed are what keep people coming back—both those we serve and those who serve alongside us.
My godmother, Julie, was a rather unlikely volunteer. She lives out in the country on a farm, but calling her a “country girl” barely scratches the surface. She is also very particular about germs and cleanliness, so when she asked if she could see what I was doing with Unity Meals, I was shocked.
On the drive there, she kept repeating, “I know this isn’t for me.” But something shifted. She felt the Holy Spirit wash over her, and with it, her fear melted away. Before I knew it, Julie was out on the streets—serving food under bridges, praying with people who asked and offering her presence without hesitation.
On the drive home, she struggled to find words. It had been an emotional day in the best possible way. Finally, she said simply, “This is where God wants me.”
In my own experience, a favorite moment happened one evening while I was bagging meals and a gentleman asked if I would pray with him. He asked if he could be the one to pray and I nodded.
What followed was a gritty, honest prayer—raw and full of emotion. When he finished, we were both holding back tears. I looked at him and said, almost without thinking, “Wow, you’re really good at this.”
He choked on his words as he replied, “That was my very first prayer.”
I was stunned. This wasn’t a young man. And yet, he had chosen that moment—on the street, over a simple meal—to pray for the first time, and to invite me into it. I told him what an honor it was to be part of that sacred moment.
Unity Meals is about more than food. It’s about presence. It’s about dignity. And it’s about discovering that blessing others often changes us just as deeply.
Thank you Josh and Travis for showing us what a missional family looks like!
If you are interested in learning more about Sojourners, contact Kevin at kcallaghan@whchurch.org. For more information about Think Say Go or about Unity Meals, contact Josh at josh@thinksaygo.org or 612-488-5683.
