Another year has passed and this was my third and last as President for the Norwegian Lutheran Memorial Church. Again this year, the new Council started the year with a mini retreat planned to give the new council members a chance to get to know each other better. Thanks to Bernt and Kari Fosse for hosting this event.

In March I was trip leader for a group of 42 skiers on a trip to Iceland, Holmenkollen in Oslo, Lillehammer and Copenhagen, Denmark. While in Lillehammer, about 15 people from our group took the trip to Moelv to visit former Mindekirken Pastor Ole Amund Gillebo and his wife Jorid. True to the reputation of Norwegian hospitality, Ole Amund and Jorid gave us a hearty welcome and served a very delicious dinner.

After the dinner we had a tour of the parsonage they live in as well as a very informative tour of Ringsaker Kirke where Ole Amund serves as Sokneprest. Built before the Reformation, the church was originally Catholic Church. Some of the design of the church still shows its Catholic origin.

Soon after my trip to Norway spring was here and then the month of May with all its unique celebrations. Congratulations to the Syttende Mai Minnesota committee! You did it again! The Syttende Mai celebrations were a success. Three days filled with lots of great events to attend. The weather on Syttende Mai was a lot better than the forecast had promised.

Luckily, the City-County Federal Credit Union waited until after the Syttende Mai celebration to begin construction of their new offices just to the north of Mindekirken. First the asphalt on our parking lot disappeared. Next there was a great big construction fence erected around the entire parking lot. Just about at that time I started giving "parking lot forecasts and directions" in my weekly announcements. Then there was a big hole where our North parking lot used to be. That is where the central part of the drainage system was to be placed.

At this writing, there are a few touches left to be done, but we are able to use the parking lot and I think we all agree, it was worth the wait. We look forward to the day when we can welcome the City-County Federal Credit Union to their new location. Thank you for all your hard work and cooperation on this project.

After the Congregational Council finished its summer break it was with a bit of sadness that we had to activate the Call Committee again. By experience we know that it usually takes about a year to select and hire a Pastor from Norway. The Call Committee has met several times and started advertising in various newspapers in Norway. Pastor Dale plans to serve at Mindekirken until October 31, 2005. His wife, Trude will go back to Norway in June 2005 to resume her job as a journalist at a newspaper in Gjøvik.

A new Kitchen Committee, led by Kathy Sandom, met several times during the summer and fall. Their goal was to give the kitchen and the people who work there more support, direction and plan for the future. The committee got the Council’s full and enthusiastic support. After worship, Kirkekaffe is one of the most popular activities we have. Every Sunday after the services we gather in the fellowship hall for something to eat, coffee and good conversation.

Another active group is the Grounds Maintenance Committee also called "Utegruppa". They spent many hours assessing and determining ways to give Mindekirken real curb appeal. They started by pulling out all the old plants and bushes at the main entrance to the church. New hardy plants, amended soil and other landscaping features soon followed. Their goal is to be all ‘spruced up’ for Syttende Mai next spring.

The Stewardship program this year was simplified compared to the 3 to 4 weeks long program of years past. This year we had only Stewardship Sunday, November 14^th to spread the message. We asked the congregation to complete the time and talent sheets and the estimate of giving cards. These are part of the three components of Stewardship – Time, Talent and Treasure.

As a part of my Stewardship message, we put emphasis on the "Simply Giving" program and how it benefits both the giver and Mindekirken. The "Simply Giving" program is provided as a charitable service by Thrivent Financial. The idea is to make it easier for members of Lutheran churches to make their regular church contribution by using modern electronic funds transfer technology.

At the end of the year we had many wonderful Christmas services. The Santa Lucia Pageant on December 12^th and the special Christmas Eve service at 4pm on December 24^th were my personal favorites. Last but not least we had the New Year Eve Party and service, a new tradition started by Pastor Dale.

This is my last report as President of Mindekirken. It has been three fun and challenging years with many changes. I want to say thanks to all of you that have given me support and advice. In particular I want to say thanks to Pastor Dale for the time he has served at Mindekirken. You have been a great friend and you have always been ready with great advice when I needed it. I also want to say thanks to all the volunteers that put so much of their lives into projects at Mindekirken. With all your enthusiasm and willingness to serve it is easy to be the President of the Congregation. There are many others that I should have mentioned and I know it will come to me later. All of you just know who you are. Thank you and God bless you all.

Magne A. Hatlevik
President of the Congregation 2004