2004 Annual Report

Annual Report from Pastor Dale for 2004

The Sunday morning worship service where we meet the Lord through word and sacrament, is the heartbeat of Mindekirken. Worship takes place in a beautiful sanctuary, and a great music program enriches the services. Mindekirken has members from all over the Twin Cities and even farther away. Almost every Sunday we enjoy fellowship with visitors, of whom quite a few are visitors from Norway.

Mindekirken features much more than the Sunday morning services and coffee hours. In fact, we may even talk of several "congregations" for whom Mindekirken is a place for culture, education and christian fellowship. Think of the 150 people who meet for Norwegian language classes week after week. The Tuesday Open House draws an average of 75 for waffles, coffee and a cultural program. We should not forget the "food congregation," 600 for lutefisk every fall, and 200 for rømmegrøt every semester. In addition to this, we have great concerts. In 2004 the Ringebu Choir, Trolldom vocal group, Bjøro Håland, Robert Vaaler Wind Quintet, the Nordvendt and Ramsted Memorial concerts, Melissa Holm-Johansen, and the Choir Soloist Concert were highlights. The Syttende mai celebration with 600 participating in the worship and parade makes this church unique.

Then there are the fundraisers, with the Treasure Chest Sale as the big locomotive, and the Leiv Eriksson International Festival which gives the month of October a pan-Nordic flavor. At the end of the year we celebrate Christmas and New Year's eve according to Norwegian traditions.

I should not forget the group of women who meet every Thursday for quilting and Alle Kvinner Mission, the Tuesday morning prayer and Bible Study group, and the numerous committees under the big umbrella of the church council.

Did we do anything new in 2004? Yes. The Alpha course, attended by 25 students on 10 Wednesday evenings was a great achievement. Food, fellowship and Bible presentations were key words for the Alpha course. We also tried to establish Musical Sunday school, before the Family Services. Attendance could have been better, that applies also to the 11 am Sunday School.

Did we grow in 2004? Yes, we got 18 new full members and 18 associate members. However, worship service attendance decreased from 7149 in 2003 to 6866 in 2004. This is still better than in 2002 (6619). We had 5 weddings, 4 funerals, and 1 baptism in 2004.

The Communicator mailing list has grown from 1550 to 2000 this year. People from different countries access information on our web-site and read the pastor's sermons. A Dutch pastor, for instance, has used sermons from Mindekirken in his church.

Big projects have taken place both inside and outside the church. Our neighbor, The City County Federal Credit Union has almost finished their bank building and improved our parking lot. Utegruppa (Outdoor group) has planted new bushes, the Kitchen Committee has worked hard, Judy and Anita Kerssen have organized the repainting of the Fellowship Hall, and several volunteers have worked on the lower level finishing project. We ended 2004 with a slight surplus in the General Fund.

I judge Mindekirken to be a vibrant congregation with a unique education and cultural program. It seems to me that worship life in Norwegian and maintaining the Norwegian heritage makes Mindekirken on of the most interesting places for the American Norwegian community in the Midwest.

I would like to thank all of you who have shared of your time, talents and treasures to make Mindekirken such a wonderful place.

Minneapolis

Jan. 12, 2005

Jens Dale, Pastor

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