As a Bible study group in St. Paul lamented gun violence in the community and the world, they wondered, “What can we do?”

The Rev. Kirsten Fryer told them about her friend who’s a retired pastor in Madison, Wis., and has taken on the mission of “Guns to Garden Tools.” It’s part of a national movement of taking firearms that have been surrendered and using blacksmithing to convert them into garden tools.

Bethlehem Lutheran Church in the Midway in St. Paul, where Fryer is pastor, and the House of Mercy church are hosting a community event Saturday. Fryer’s friend, the retired Rev. Jeff Wild, will have his blacksmithing forge and anvil to demonstrate how he creates garden tools. There will also be seed planting and garden demonstrations, a community art project and free food.

Biblical verses from the books of Micah and Isaiah inspired the work: “They shall beat their swords into plowshares, and their spears into pruning hooks.”

Fryer said of turning guns into garden tools, “What does it look like for us to take this thing that was meant to take life and create something that makes life?”

The churches, which share a building, have a pocket prairie with plants native to Minnesota at their corner on Roy Street and Shields Avenue. They plan to use some of the tools that Wild creates in the garden.

Part of a national effort

Wild was inspired by the book, “Beating Guns: Hope for People Who Are Weary of Violence,” which was intended by authors Shane Claiborne and Michael Martin to show why Christians should be concerned about gun violence and how they can be part of the solution.

Martin founded RAWtools (it’s “war” spelled backwards), which has programs on turning guns into garden tools.

Wild is affiliated with RAWtools and involved with Presbyterian Peace Fellowship, which trains leaders to organize safe surrender and gun buyback events. They disassemble and make inoperable the guns that are handed over to them.

“We hear some very meaningful stories from people who have experienced trauma because of a firearm,” Wild said. Last year, a woman who surrendered a handgun to Wild told him it was the gun her father used to take his life.

Wild said he’s also struck by the funerals he presided over during his 34 years as a pastor — a dozen were men who died by suicide and half of those were with a firearm.

In Minnesota, firearms were used in 45% of suicide deaths, 65% of homicide deaths and 54% of interpersonal violence homicide deaths from 2015 to 2020, according to the Minnesota Department of Health. People can call 988 if they are in emotional distress or crisis, or the Minnesota DayOne domestic violence hotline at 866-223-1111.

‘Ali’s Garden’

To make the tools Saturday, Wild will be bringing parts from firearms that were surrendered in the Madison area in recent weeks. Bethlehem Lutheran wasn’t ready to take on a gun surrender event this year, but might consider it in the future, Fryer said.

People seeking to surrender a firearm in St. Paul at any time can call police at 651-291-1111 and ask to speak with an officer about it.

Also Saturday, the church will dedicate a garden at the front of the building as “Ali’s Garden.” It’s in memory of Ali Reed, who was fatally shot last June 25 in Minneapolis. Reed, 26, was baptized at Bethlehem Lutheran and his funeral was held there.

“Ali was very much loved by his family and is missed every day,” said his mother, Amber Webber. His life was ended “simply by being at the wrong place at the wrong time. We may never understand why he was murdered. Ali had a kind soul, always willing to help out where needed and without judgment.”

Webber said she sees a need for better gun control and stricter penalties, “so firearms stop being easily accessible to troubled youth and other offenders. The young men out here senselessly shooting and ending the lives of others needs to stop. My son’s life mattered.”

At the end of Saturday’s gathering, the church will hold a Service of Lament for Victims of Gun Violence.

Gun to Garden Tools community event

Where: Bethlehem Lutheran Church in the Midway and House of Mercy parking lot, 436 N. Roy St., St. Paul.

When: Saturday, noon to 3 p.m. for community art projects, seed planting, gun violence information, free gun locks. Blacksmithing demonstrations 12:30, 1:30 and 2:30 p.m. Ask the Gardener at 1 and 2 p.m. Habanero Tacos truck will be there with free tacos until 2 p.m. Service of Lament at 2:45 p.m. The church is planning to hold the event rain or shine.

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As soon as officials decided to create the position of executive director of Ramsey/Washington Recycling & Energy, Trista Martinson began lobbying people to apply.

Trista Martinson (Courtesy of the Ramsey County Board of Commissioners)

“I worked hard to recruit people,” said Martinson, chair of the Ramsey County Board. “I kept saying, ‘This job is my dream job. We have to find the right person.’ I kept saying that over and over and calling people and saying, ‘You should apply for this job. It is my dream job, and here’s why.’ I said that enough to where someone said to me, ‘It’s your dream job. You should apply.’ I hadn’t even considered that.”

Martinson took that advice, she said, and submitted an application “at the last moment.”

On Thursday, officials in Ramsey and Washington counties announced that Martinson, 49, of St. Paul, will step down from her elected position and lead the partnership through which the counties manage waste. She will start in early August.

Martinson, who has represented District 3 in Ramsey County since 2019 and has served as board chair since 2022, said applying and interviewing for the position she helped create was nerve-wracking.

“I was nervous because I was so passionate about the position and the job and because I really, truly wanted the best person to lead this organization,” she said. “Its potential is, literally, endless.”

National search

Officials conducted a national search for the position. Twenty-seven people applied and four finalists were interviewed.

Martinson, who recused herself from the search process, was chosen for her “strategic vision, unwavering commitment to public service and collaborative spirit,” said R&E Board Chairman Fran Miron, who also is vice chair of the Washington County Board. “She is an exceptional choice as our first executive director. She was such a quality candidate, and her passion for the mission, vision and work that we are doing at the center is second to none.”

The team charged with making the hiring decision included Miron; Ramsey County Commissioner Victoria Reinhardt; Michael Reed, a division manager for Ramsey County Public Health who oversees the department’s recycling and energy division; Dave Brummel, director of Washington Public Health and Environment; Rae Eden Frank, a deputy director of Ramsey County Public Health; and Kelli Hall, the R&E human resources manager.

The fact that Martinson was on the Ramsey County Board was “a detriment in many ways,” Reinhardt said. “She had to really shine — and she did.”

“She was absolutely the best candidate for this job with her vision of where (R&E) is now and where it will be in the future,” Reinhardt said. “We need someone like Trista who is really strong in the environmental field and who has the executive skills to pull everyone together.”

Martinson “rose to the top” during the interview process because she “demonstrated a strong passion and commitment for the environment and climate resiliency, a strong ability to lead people, programs and operations, and a demonstrated ability to work with local units of government,” Reed said. “She brought a unique viewpoint and skillset, working as a county commissioner. She also has established relationships in the community, including working closely with nonprofits.”

Martinson’s salary has yet to be approved; the hiring range for the position was $154,500-$191,000. The compensation is paid for out of the R&E Center’s facility budget, not out of Ramsey or Washington County budgets, Reed said.

Ramsey and Washington counties have worked collaboratively since the 1980s to manage waste. In 2016, the counties jointly purchased the center in Newport.

Recycling & Energy is governed by a joint powers nine-member R&E Board, which is comprised of commissioners from both counties. The organization serves more than 800,000 residents and 70,000 businesses.

‘This is what I want to be doing’

While on the Ramsey County Board, Martinson has worked to make climate resiliency a countywide strategic priority, she said. She also has been an advocate for environmental and climate justice.

She’s particularly proud of the work she has done with her colleagues and R&E staff to support the rollout of a new food scraps pickup program, which will soon be the largest residential co-collection food scrap recycling program in the state. It will divert up to 20 percent of waste in Ramsey and Washington counties, she said.

Martinson, along with other commissioners, has been a vocal advocate for investing in a composting facility in Louisville Township in Scott County to process the food scraps and other organic material into clean energy.

“This is the work that energizes me and inspires me,” said Martinson, adding that her longtime mentor and “environmental guru” was Reinhardt, an environmental and waste-to-energy advocate. “This is what I want to be doing.”

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Growing up in Little Falls, Minn., Martinson loved spending time outdoors, she said. “My parents were always outside looking for me, and they usually found me hidden in a raspberry patch or up a tree.”

One of her first jobs in high school was working for the Mississippi River Headwaters doing water testing and plant and soil recordings, she said. “Keeping the environment clean and readily available has always been important to me,” she said.

Prior to joining the Ramsey County Board, Martinson served in a variety of leadership, advocacy and lobbying roles including positions at the Minnesota Assistance Council for Veterans, Minnesota Humanities Center and Twin Cities Habitat for Humanity. She also served, for a combined 16 years, in the U.S Navy, U.S Marine Corps Reserve and Minnesota National Guard. She completed her last five years of military service as a company commander.

Martinson is the founder of the Women Veterans Initiative, a nonprofit organization that advocates to build equity in services to develop innovative programs to address the needs of women Veterans. She also has served as a Ramsey County Veterans Court Advocate.

She has taken classes at the University of St. Thomas and will graduate this summer with a degree in communications and public policy from Metro State University in St. Paul.

Martinson has five sons: Taavo, Hunter, Kaelen, Soren and Aren. She lives in the Como neighborhood and enjoys gardening and spending time outdoors.

Special election

Martinson will formally resign from the county board before she starts her new position on Aug. 1.

A special election will be held either this fall or winter to fill her seat; her term expires at the end of 2026.

“I feel good about where Ramsey County is and all the work I’ve done there for the last five years,” she said. “We have such a strong leadership team. Not everyone can say that about their county, but we do. There are going to be some great candidates that step forward, I have no doubt.”

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More forecasted rain for Friday caused the Minnesota State High School League to split its four state baseball title games across two days at Target Field, the league announced Thursday evening.

The new schedule is as follows:

FRIDAY

Class A Championship: No. 2 Parkers Prairie (25-1) vs. No. 4 Springfield (24-2), 12 p.m.

Class 2A Championship: No. 2 Rockford (25-5) vs. No. 4 Foley (23-4), a minimum of 45 minutes after the conclusion of the Class A title game

SATURDAY

Class 3A Championship: No. 3 Mahtomedi (22-4) vs. No. 4 Totino-Grace (18-8), 11 a.m.

Class 4A Championship: No. 3 East Ridge (20-6) vs. No. 5 Mounds View (20-8), a minimum of 45 minutes after the conclusion of the Class 4A title game.

The League said the decision was made in cooperation with the Minnesota Twins, their grounds crew and meteorological resources.

The games were originally moved from Monday to Friday because of rain early in the week.

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