September, 2001

Friends of Mindekirken

Thinking about all the people who know about Mindekirken and like to visit

here for special occasions, I have learned that quite a few would like to have some kind of a more substantial relationship.

During this summer I have heard two comments on this from people out there.

Do I need to be a member of Mindekirken to attend the Sunday morning worship service?

The answer is very short and simple; No!

Nobody is required to hold any kind of formal membership to attend anything at Mindekirken. The Church is wide open. You are so welcome to enjoy the worship services, concerts and whatever.

With Norwegian background it is amazing with the church membership system in this country, the registration form in the pews and the offering envelopes and so forth. This is a kind of adjustment to the American way of running a church, and it is to the benefit of the church and congregation. In this particular context I think the system is working out fine.

Of course it is valuable to be a member and have the rights and responsibilities according to the membership regulations, and Mindekirken is pleased to have many new members every year. To have membership is beneficial for the individual as well as for the congregational fellowship.

To make it clear once again, membership is not required to attend church on Sunday morning. The entrance door is wide open and you are very much welcome to attend and enjoy the rich content of a traditional worship service. The hymns and music and the sermon conveys a great variety of style and topics.

If you have some suggestions, just come forward, I appreciate it very much.

I may not be interested in becoming a member, but I want to be a friend of Mindekirken. May I?

The answer is just as simple and short as the previous one; Yes!

Many of you on the Communicator mailing list are devoted members of other churches. That is just fine. Stay there. But many have their second (associate) membership at Mindekirken, this is just fine as well. What I have learned is that quite a few are not associate members, and that might be an option for many. I will encourage you to consider becoming an associate member of Mindekirken. I think you will benefit from it as well.

What I also have learned is that many Norwegians do not hold any membership in any Church. I assume this is quite a big group.

This is partly because of the fact that many people in Norway are not Church-goers on a regular basis and it is hard to change even if we move to theUSA.

This is partly because of some disagreement with Lutheran doctrines and maybe they have no interest in religion and faith affairs as well?

It does not matter.

If you are interested in the Norwegian heritage and listen to the Norwegian language and even want to learn more Norwegian, you are more than welcome to attend language classes and Sunday services for that purpose.

From many conversations I have learned how many of you are interested in just being a friend of Mindekirken. If you are not interested in Mindekirken as church-fellowship but you would like to join the heritage-fellowship of Mindekirken, you are very much welcome.

Mindekirken represents a very valuable part of Norwegian-American history and can provide some church-architecture, decoration and ornaments and literature of particular interest. Recently the new addition is furnished in traditional Norwegian and it has become really nice. The new Entrance Hall and Hall Way offer a warm Norwegian welcome. The Multipurpose Room will be furnished in a proper way in the near future. This part of the building is very different from the Sanctuary, which is furnished for the purpose of worship.

For many good reasons you are welcome to visit Mindekirken soon and become a friend of Mindekirken.

Ole Amund Gillebo

The Norwegian Lutheran Memorial Church ·  924 E. 21st St, Minneapolis, MN 55404-2952 ·  (612)874-0716