Pastor Arlen Solem

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Hello! I am Pastor Arlen Solem!

I was born in Pelican Rapids, MN which is about 45 miles southeast of Fargo, ND. We moved to Duluth, MN when I was 6 years old. We would move again a couple more times in my childhood with the last stop being in Cameroon, West Africa where my parents were missionaries. This experience changed my life greatly and made my world become much larger.

In my adulthood, I have lived in several states including Minnesota, Texas, Iowa, Illinois, and Wisconsin. My family and I moved to Columbia Heights in the fall of 2016 from Milwaukee. My wife is also a pastor’s kid and works as a vocational rehabilitation counselor with the VA. We have 3 children. They keep us very busy.

My experience with older adults began as a toddler when my dad would often bring one of the kids to visit congregation members who were homebound or in nursing homes. I would continue this in college when I worked as a nurses’ aide. I have served as a pastor at an inner city church in Milwaukee and my chaplaincy experience includes hospital and hospice chaplaincy. Previous to beginning my new call as Emerald Crest campus pastor, I served at Augustana Health Care Center in downtown Minneapolis.

I love visiting with older adults and performing the sensory worship services that are provided each week at all of our houses. This worship is specially designed for people win memory care and includes well-known hymns, Bible passages and Holy Communion. Depending on the house and the cognition level, this service may also include an interactive sermon that engages the senses. Friends and family are also invited to attend. It would be wonderful to see you there.

Worship schedule:

For those residents who do not identify as Christian or do not want to attend these worship services, I do my best to connect them with spiritual care leaders of their own faith. I also know that many people do not have any religion or faith. For those people, I do my best to get to know them and help them to find and express meaning in the ways that they find meaning or spirituality.

I also would like to invite you to support groups that we hold for the family and friends of our residents. These are held monthly and are a great way for people to connect with others who are sharing some common experiences and to help people through the joys and pains of having a loved one with memory issues. Not only is compassionate camaraderie provided but also practical information and suggestions about managing the stress and change of care giving. These meetings are from 5:00 PM to about 6:00 PM. We do occasionally miss a meeting and do our best to contact people when this happens. Otherwise the monthly schedule is as follows:

Burnsville: 2nd Tuesday of each month, meet in House 4 Sunroom and via Zoom
Shakopee: 1st Monday of each month, meet in House 3 Sunroom and via Zoom
Minnetonka & Victoria: 4th Thursday of each month, meet in Minnetonka’s House 2 basement and via Zoom

God Bless You!

Reverend Arlen Solem

Chaplain and Campus Pastor

In gratitude, thank you so much to all of our volunteers and donors who make all of the work we do at Cassia possible. Your contributions are greatly appreciated and needed to ensure we are able to fulfill our mission.

For questions about our spiritual care program, or if you would like spiritual care and support for you or your loved one, contact Chaplain Arlen Solem at 612-263-0503. or Arlen.Solem@cassialife.org.

At Emerald Crest, we offer a deep knowledge of memory care in a specialized assisted living setting for seniors with Alzheimer’s and dementia-related conditions. We encourage you to contact us directly with any questions or request a tour. For tours and general information, please contact Elizabeth Wendel at 952-908-2215.

Emerald Crest by Cassia provides memory care in a unique environment, specifically designed to support those with cognitive issues. Utilizing this exceptional model of care, individuals with dementia, Alzheimer’s and related conditions can flourish in positive relationships and participation in meaningful activities. Memory care is offered in the Minneapolis – Saint Paul area with communities in four convenient locations: Shakopee, Burnsville, Minnetonka and Victoria, MN.