This is our halfway point of the year with the Communicator, and the last one until the start of September (we skip the month of August every year). So I thought it would be a good time to bring everyone up to date on current news and issues in a few areas – a bit of a potpourri, as it were.

Language Classes: The first year of Mindekirken-hosted Norwegian language classes has finished, and everyone involved is very happy with the outcome. We had around 70 students on a continuing basis through the three-quarter "school year", everything went well, and we’re looking ahead to next fall. This is, in my mind, a big positive for our church – it’s bringing new people into the building, getting them to know who we are and where we are. Good things will come of this.

Call Committee: As you doubtless all know, we are in the process of searching for a new pastor. Pastor Gillebo and his wife Jorid will be returning to Norway next February, which doesn’t give us a lot of time. The good news is that we’ve got a number of applications in hand from interested Norwegian clergy, and work is going ahead on the process literally as I write this. We are also taking a look to see if there are any American pastors who would be a good fit for us, though we continue to look to Norway first. One never knows how the Call process will turn out, but at this point I’m feeling quite positive about it.

Basement: The one area of our beautiful new addition that remains a work in progress is the basement that we added to it literally during construction. It’s a sizeable space that could be put to a variety of uses. We have had a committee meeting over the last few months to discuss how best to proceed with finishing it, and work is well along for a proposal in that regard. Over the next few months we will be getting more people involved in the process so that by the time a final plan evolves it will hopefully be the product of many of us, and thus agreeable to the congregation as a whole. I know that I haven’t put down very much specific here, but it’s a large topic being fitted into a small space! Anyone with questions or comments can feel free to contact myself or Priscilla Sorknes, our Trustees’ Chair.

Overall: As we get close to the halfway point of the year, I’m happy with how things are going. We’d always like to see more people at Sunday services, get more people involved in the activities that help support those worship services (ushers, altar guild, church coffee), and get more people involved in the other volunteer projects with which Mindekirken is associated. We’d like to attract more new members than we do, although this is true of every church, and we do continue to receive new applications for both full and associate members on a regular basis. We can always, with God’s help, make things better for our church, its members, and the world that we serve. But let me close this little message with a thought that’s maybe easy to forget sometimes: Mindekirken is a special place, with a unique heritage and worship, and an extraordinarily warm and caring congregation. It’s a church that is worth working for, to preserve and to improve. My personal thanks to all of you reading this for your continued caring and support.

John Casey, Congregation President