NLC Together - Feb/Mar 2019

FEBRUARY/MARCH 2019 // I s s u e 1

N O R M A N DA L E L U T H E R A N C H U R C H / L E N T 2 0 1 9

lenten worship ash wednesday. march 6.

11:30 am & 7:00 pm

sundays. march 10 - april 7.

8:45 & 10:45 am.

5:00 pm taize evening prayer chapel worship. wednesdays. march 13 - april 10.

11:30 am & 7:00 pm

gather

join in community meals around the table. wednesdays. march 6 - april 10. dinner served 5:00-6:45 pm

reflect

visit the labyrinth in the chapel as an opportunity to walk the circle of prayer as we each reflect on our relationship with God, with others, and with ourselves. march 10 - april 20. (learn more on page 5.)

lent 2019

Together Feb/Mar 2019

In This Issue 2 / Lent at NLC 4 / Meeting in the Wilderness: Lenten Devotionals 8 / Welcoming Pastor Ian McConnell

Worship Together

Sundays // 8:45 & 10:45 am / Worship

10:00-10:40 am

Coffee, community, and faith formation

5:00 pm / Chapel Worship Wednesdays (March 6 - April 10)

11:30 am / Matins

7:00 pm / Lenten Vespers

Gather Around the Table

Wednesdays (March 6 - April 10)

5:00-6:45 pm / Community Dinner

11 / Staff Spotlight 12 / Give an Hour: Serve. Build. Connect 14 / Life @ NLC 16 / March Food Share Month

Visit Us Online

www.normluth.org www.facebook.com/normluth

Give Online

www.normluth.org/give

Our Mission Led by the Holy Spirit and living in God’s grace, Normandale Lutheran Church is a community proclaiming the Gospel of Jesus Christ through love, learning, worship, and service.

Welcoming Statement We affirm that all people are created in the image of God, and as beloved children of God, all are worthy of God’s love and grace. We welcome all people into full participation in the life and ministries of Normandale Lutheran Church.

We recognize that there are differences among us, but believe that we can love one another, even though we may not think alike. We proclaim this statement of welcome to all who have known the pain of exclusion or discrimination in the church and society.

Normandale Lutheran Church is committed to a ministry of reconciliation. We welcome and affirm our human family’s diversity of sexual orientation, gender identity, race, ethnicity, age, faith history, socioeconomic status, physical and mental ability. We embrace this diversity as a gift from God, and invite all into a faithful journey toward greater love, understanding, and reconciliation.

NLC Together // Feb/Mar 2019

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lenten devotionals

by Pastor Paul Pettersen

In Luke 4:1-14, Jesus faces temptation in the wilderness following his baptism, in which “the accuser” seeks to dissuade him from his call, promising food, powers, and kingdoms to rule. It is a radically honest conversation with himself, and the voices that are not from God.

Our 40-day journey through Lent will invite you into the radically honest conversation with self, temptation, and God, whereby we meet ourselves as we are, and subsequently welcome God’s refining power to transform our temptations into strength.

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Feb/Mar 2019 // NLC Together

reflect: the chapel labyrinth Lent 1 Week of March 10

read: Luke 4:1-4

During the season of Lent, beginning Sunday, March 10, we will have a prayer labyrinth at the center of our chapel space. It is an opportunity for individual pilgrims to walk the circle of prayer, reflecting on their relationship with God, with others, and with themselves. It is a meditative practice, encouraging the quieting of the soul, and increasing one’s capacity to listen, so that another voice may speak. All are welcome and encouraged to share in this practice.

reflect:

about labyrinths

“One does not live by bread alone”

A labyrinth is an ancient circular pattern found in many cultures around the world.

In its classical form, this sacred path has one concentric circular path with no possibility of going astray. Unlike a maze, there are no dead-ends or false trails in a labyrinth. Labyrinths have been found in almost every spiritual tradition in the past 4000-5000 years in such areas as Egypt, Greece, Italy, France, England, Sweden, Peru and North America. There is a labyrinth renaissance now in the United States gathering momentum and inspiring many to use this beautiful and powerful spiritual tool. The labyrinth engages the body, mind, and spirit through the focused attention needed to walk its twists and turns. Labyrinths are used for calming and releasing distractions, for ritual, celebration, for gaining spiritual insight on questions, prayer, games, and dancing.

Being hungry is essential to survival. Our hunger pangs remind us that food is our energy source, even our life source, should we not have it. And so, our Creator God provides daily sustenance, enough of what is good, that we might live well.

And yet, food and eating are more complicated than that. We live in relationship to our food, and it is a difficult relationship indeed. Our desires are greater than our needs. We often eat for entertainment, comfort, or perhaps self-defeat. We eat beyond our body’s need, or less than our body’s need, forgetting food’s source and purpose, that God is perfect providence, supplying us with abundant life.

Creator God, keep us mindful of what we put in our mouth, so that we might walk with you faithfully in our eating. Give us the self-control needed to eat well, giving thanks for the earth and all that you have made, through Jesus Christ. Amen.

continued on next page >

NLC Together // Feb/Mar 2019

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Lent 2

Lent 3

Week of March 17

Week of March 24

read:

read:

Matthew 6:19-21

Luke 4:5-8

reflect:

reflect:

On Wealth and Possessions

Worship Only God

There are competing voices in our heads, drawing us from God into valleys of self-deceit, self-loathing, and deep untruth about who we are. When Jesus was baptized, the heavens were torn open, and God came down in the form of a dove, and the voice from heaven was heard to say, “This is my child, dearly loved, with whom I am well-pleased.”

This is the one and only voice you need listen to. All the other voices, gathered along life’s way, telling us that we are not enough, that we are no good, that we are not worthy, are the false voices of the tempter, stripping us of our God-given beauty, and leading us into oblivion.

And so, as you listen in this season of Lent, hear our God speaking delight into you, leading you away from death into life!

How much is enough? The question we might ask of God is not how much should I give, but rather, how much may I justifiably keep? Money has the power to strike fear in us, igniting scarcity thinking, and driving us further into the abyss of accumulation, leading us into the false belief that contentment is somewhere at the bottom.

Jesus invites us into another way, saying, “Where your treasure is, there will your heart be also,” reminding us that life is not defined by the accumulation of material gain, but is found only in love for God and love for neighbor. As Jackie Robinson once said, “A life is not important, except in the impact it has on other lives.”

God of providence, teach us again to trust in you, to be content in little and content in much. Release our grip on wealth, and inspire us to share, so that all may know your care for daily needs, through Jesus Christ. Amen.

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Feb/Mar 2019 // NLC Together

Dear Jesus, give us power to renounce the voices that are not yours. Turn us again to you, that we might hear your love and grace from the cross, your claim upon our lives, and your promise of life with you.

We rise up and praise you for your gracious love.

Amen.

Lent 4

Lent 5

Week of March 31

Week of April 7

read:

read:

Luke 4:9-13

Luke 4:14

reflect:

reflect:

Power for Others

We are empowered not for our own glory, but for the purpose of empowering others. God has gifted us with strength, so that we might lift up the lowly, bring release to the captives, set free the oppressed, not to the gain our position, status, nor prestige, but to glorify our God in Jesus Christ.

Jesus reminds us, “Do not put the Lord your God to the test,” and with this statement, the tempter departed from him “until an opportune time.” We are not designed to defy God with our testing, knowing full well that God will accomplish what God intends. And, we will never be free from temptation in this life, but will always be vulnerable to fear, ultimately the final and greatest fear, death.

God of great power, we surrender our lives to you.

Teach us again to lay down our lives at the foot of your cross, where forgiveness, grace, and love abound, through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.

Power of the Spirit

As week seek the spiritual gifts of faithfulness and self-control, we are given what is needed from the Spirit. Facing down our fears, we learn that God meets us in the wilderness to supply our every need.

Poet Ranier Rilke once said, “Perhaps all the dragons in our lives are princesses who are only waiting to see us act, just once with beauty and courage. Perhaps everything that frightens us is, in its deepest essence, something helpless that wants our love.”

As followers of Jesus Christ, we will love in the face of fear. Everything terrible is something that needs our love, and at the foot of the cross, all fear is wrenched away. Renounce that which keeps you from God, and stand up to the tempter in the power of the Holy Spirit. You are God’s child; forgiven, loved, and free!

What wondrous love is this, O God, that you would come down and live among us, that you would meet our suffering and fear with redemptive love. We humbly offer our lives to you, empowered by your Holy Spirit, to offer love where terrible life is found, through Jesus Christ, our Lord. Amen.

NLC Together // Feb/Mar 2019

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Welcoming Pastor Ian McConnell and Family NLC's New Associate Pastor

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Feb/Mar 2019 // NLC Together

From the Call Committee I’d like to thank the NLC Church Council and Pastor Paul for the opportunity to be part of this Call process. The Committee has worked hard to find the best candidate to recommend to you for our Associate Pastor.

Let me review that process with you. We’ve been meeting every 3 weeks since June to share prayer, devotions and a meal together before going to work. We conducted focus groups with a number of congregants, interviewed the entire staff, held a town hall meeting, met with the Synod, and hosted the Bishop. Using that input as well as many other resources, we developed our Ministry Site Profile and posted it on the Synod website. Additionally we worked diligently behind the scenes with our collective contacts and resources to solicit strong candidates far beyond the pool provided by the Synod.

We evaluated a total of 16 candidates using their Ministry Profiles, talking with them directly, researching social media, and listening to their sermons. We were careful to consider both their experience and the way they interact, knowing that both are critical for success. Of the 16, 80% were female, half were from areas outside the state of MN, and six were referred by contacts other than the Synod. We were able to narrow the field to a handful of candidates based on their fit with our criteria. Interestingly, our top candidates were all referred by more than one source.

Throughout the process, we stayed focused on finding the best person for our open position. However, we were aware of the timing regarding the retirement of Pastor Dale. So, we will continue our work with candidates who indicated their primary passion is mission/outreach. We are also confident we can continue to identify a strong pool of candidates. And clearly we all share in the desire to have female leadership and will continue to keep that front/center in our work.

Throughout the process, we have felt the prayers of the congregation along with the guidance of the Holy Spirit. I’ve become very familiar with Proverbs 3:5, "Trust in the Lord with all your heart and do not lean on your own understanding. In all your ways acknowledge Him and He will make straight your paths." I can’t say the past seven months have all felt like a straight path for me. However, I can say, with confidence, Ian was clearly the top candidate for this Associate Pastor role. As with candidates who were referred outside of the Synod by personal connections, we were able to have insightful conversations regarding insights into the candidates. In addition, we’ve had the luxury to see Ian in

action. We’ve heard comments like “he is relatable to ALL ages” he is engaging with kids from 3 year olds up through Confirmands and beyond. Our youth love him saying he’s upbeat, smiles all the time and has really gotten to know them. He is experienced as having great energy and a zest for life. One staff person described him as “approachable, fun AND pastoral in style”. Another shared she has found him "extremely relatable”. People like his enthusiasm, his willingness to jump right in and his wide range of skills, interests and experiences. The current CYF staff has seamlessly woven him into the leadership of our youth ministry.

And while he is a first-call minister he has: • Over 10 years experience working in congregations as a youth and family minister.

• He has a BA in Communications from Augsburg College • He’s worked as a Youth minister in Wasilla, AK, Elk River, MN, Wenatchee, WA, and Redeemer Lutheran in S. Mpls.

• He is married to Rachel and has an infant son, Rollie, named after a beloved mentor he had at Westwood • He grew up and was on the staff at a suburban church, comparable in size to NLC • While he was there he was seen as passionate about adaptive change—he asked questions like, “What do we need to learn in order for us to become who we are called to be?”

• Track record of creating community, empowering congregations, and facilitating relationship building across generations.

• He’s affirming, loves creative collaboration and to build teams • He's an eager preacher who loves sharing the gospel of Jesus Christ.

Lastly, I wanted to share our committee’s deeply held belief that our call process has been led and guided by the Holy Spirit. Pastor Dale reminded us the Sunday we were commissioned, “God already knows who our next pastor will be.” Our job has been to listen carefully for God’s direction, work diligently and stay obedient knowing God is ever faithful in His promise to provide for us, what we need. We are committed to maintaining this focus as we continue the call process, moving forward.

Please join us in welcoming Ian to Normandale.

- Karen Newcomer, Chair of the Call Committee continued on next page > NLC Together // Feb/Mar 2019

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About Pastor Ian

Meeting Ian In the serendipitous ways of the Holy Spirit, Ian was presented to me as a viable option to cover a few pastoral bases during my sabbatical. We met for coffee and shared brief histories of our lives, during which I learned that Ian was married to Rachel Hunstad, who had been in my youth group at Oak Knoll Lutheran Church. He was raised in faith at Westwood Lutheran Church, sharing in confirmation small group with my nephew. He already knew my son and daughter-in-law, A.J. and Emily, and is a friend of Maggie Jones, our Director of Youth Ministry.

We are practically brothers by another mother from a different generation. Ian brings a deep love for God and God’s people, expressed through his kindness and attentive listening. He is wise in faith and passionate in justice. The Gospel has captured him to the depth of his being, and he will bring good news to all people in our midst.

Please join me in welcoming Ian, Rachel, and Rollie to our NLC family.

- Pastor Paul

I was raised in St. Louis Park, and grew up participating as a member at Westwood Lutheran Church, where I was lucky to not only have a pastor who cared deeply about me, but even more importantly an encouraging community surrounding my family. That experience of feeling warmly welcomed for who I am is one I try to emulate myself, and encourage congregations to live out as well. After spending most of my time in college at the University of Minnesota, I left school so that I could say “yes” to work in children, youth, and family ministry for churches in St. Louis Park, Elk River, North Minneapolis, and in Wasilla, Alaska.

Eventually, I graduated from Augsburg College with a degree in Communication and Film Production, started my Master of Divinity at Luther Seminary, and married Rachel Hunstad, who I grew up with as a friend from our home congregation. Of the many vocations to which I’ve been called, being Rachel’s spouse has been and remains the most important. Life together is truly a gift!

After returning from my pastoral internship in Wenatchee, Washington, I graduated from the seminary and got connected with Normandale Lutheran Church, where I have been working in video production for worship and social media, taking on some congregational development work, and assisting in worship leadership. Throughout the past eight months here at NLC, Rachel and I have come to truly love and appreciate this community, and I so look forward to joining you in your mission to proclaim the Gospel of Jesus Christ through love, learning, worship, and service.

I have been called to serve as your Associate Pastor to Emerging Generations. Knowing of course that we’re all in the process of emerging and growing throughout our lives, I will provide supervision to your fantastic Children, Youth, and Family staff, and am excited about letting the young among us lead into the future—they’re not the church of tomorrow, they’re fully here now!

10 Feb/Mar 2019 // NLC Together

Staff Spotlight Welcome Megan Pickard

Join us in welcoming Megan Pickard to the NLC staff! Megan is the Administrative Assistant to Reception and Hospitality on Tuesdays, Wednesdays, and Thursdays. Megan is energetic, confident, and a generous team player. Her job share partner, Kati Salmon, works Mondays and Fridays. Kati will also continue her previous duties as Hospitality Assistant. Megan and Kati are quickly learning their new roles and are a great team! Normandale is blessed by their organizational and technical skills, as well as by their warm and welcoming presence. Stop by the reception desk to say hello or contact either of them at pickardsalmon@normluth.org.

Hi, I am Megan Pickard! I grew up in Edina and currently live in Crystal with my husband Joe, our 2 boys, Wesley (2) and Bodie (7 months) and our very spoiled dog named Bailey. In my free time, I enjoy playing with my boys, visiting with my parents and siblings, as well as trying out fun, new restaurants around town. If you have any good spots, let me know! I also love being outside in the warmer months as much as possible. You’re likely to find me walking around Lake Harriet, Lake of the Isles or spending time at our local pool. I have recently transitioned to being a parttime working mom after Bodie joined our family. I was beyond blessed to have a position open up at Normandale that perfectly met our needs. I like to call it a God-Thing!

In the short time since joining the Normandale family, I am learning a lot and have greatly enjoyed meeting many of you, as well as partaking in the delicious Wednesday Night Dinners. This church is really doing so many great things for the community and I am proud to be apart of it.

Welcome Cheryl Nickelson Please welcome Cheryl Nickelson, our new Volunteer Coordinator at the Normandale Center for Healing & Wholeness.

In her new position, Cheryl will recruit, train and guide volunteers placed through the Center. Volunteers serve the needs of individual seniors and caregivers in the community through friendly visits, memory companionship, respite care, and evidence-based class facilitation. In addition, Cheryl coordinates the volunteers at contracted assisted living locations managed by the Center. Cheryl began her career in clinical social work, working with children and families and has seven years prior experience working at a senior residential facility. Cheryl received her Masters in Social Work from the University of Saint Thomas. She can be reached at 952.977.9374. Please stop by the Center to meet Cheryl and wish her well in her new position.

NLC Together // Feb/Mar 2019

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A NLC Council Challenge: Give An Hour Serve Others.

Build Relationships.

Connect Up!

NLC's Church Council challenges you to "Give an Hour"!

"Give an Hour" is a challenge to volunteer at something new for one hour every six months. Relationships and serving others is at the core of "Give an Hour," so we invite you to bring a friend with as well.

Our hope as a council is that this hour will have people be more aware of different activities and missions within NLC, connect and build new relationships, and most importantly, follow in the footsteps of Jesus by serving others.

We believe that it is God's design that each of us can make unique and personal contributions to our church community. When these contributions happen, it will have a multiplied effect on the entire community.

Read a few "Give an Hour" stories on the next page and consider how you can give an hour!

- Alley Ohe, Church Council President - Brad Dahlman, Church Council Member

12 Feb/Mar 2019 // NLC Together

Every year, melancholy seeps into me during the ten days before Christmas. When I was an oncologist, I gave patients a Christmas reprieve from their chemotherapy treatments so that they could enjoy the time unfettered by side effects. The clinic was filled only with patients who had intractable problems requiring constant attention. I did what I could, but more than once, the day ended with a few tears. It’s been more than 25 years since I’ve practiced and still the gloom comes to me during this season.

When I take my own dinner break I sit with two new members, Brian and Annika Joy. I learn that Brian is a pediatric intensive care specialist. He’s surprised when I seek a connection by telling him about my cousin, a nationally known pediatric cardiologist, but it’s Annika who almost leaps from her chair with this bit of information. “Does he have two children?” she asks. I nod affirmatively. “She was my best friend in grade school in Omaha!” In an instant I learn more about my cousin’s daughter than I ever heard at family gatherings.

Tonight, it is six days before Christmas and I’m donning an apron to serve the Wednesday night dinner at Normandale.

Our council challenged each other to spend just one hour twice a year serving Normandale in some way we had not in the past.

Our chef hands me a tray of carrots, pears, and onions and pushes me out of the kitchen.

The work is still unfinished so I say goodbye to my new friends, pick up some plates and pop back into the kitchen to discover a mountain of 100 plates waiting to be scraped, washed, dried and stacked. Thomas Warnke is methodically spraying and scraping trays of cooking pots and washing them in the machine. I’ve been in a kitchen like this before and there is nothing more fun than spraying. “Thomas,” I say, “I’ll bet you’re tired of dishwashing. Would you like me to take your place?”

“Nope,” he replies, “but you can load the dishes into the trays.”

A teenager has out maneuvered me. I load trays quickly and try to overwhelm him, but he keeps the pace perfectly. I’m relegated to the messy stuff and he’s having the fun. He will go far in life.

I rack the food in the serving table and meet Marv Hass, my co-server. He’s plating the pork and roasted potatoes while I try to convince young children to eat peas or carrots and pears.

Marv has thick glasses, a constant smile and an unending patter. He’s past 90 years, tells me he’s a former welfare fraud investigator, misses his wife who died 10 years ago, and introduces me to dozens of fellow church members I don’t know yet.

I can’t help but smile and see my own father in him. I try to hug him with a serving spoon dripping down his back.

Carrots, onions and pears tell me a lot about my fellow church members. There are the adventurers who can’t wait to try what I’m offering, while most children look at me with a puzzled expression and say, “No, thank you.” Some spend more than a few moments considering the combination and then walk away wondering if they refused something wonderful. I wonder if many of us began our faith walk the same way.

give an hour at sew day quilting

As I’m washing my hands to leave Marv pops back into the kitchen. “I hope I see you here in January,” he says. The melancholy lifts from my soul. I handed out some food and washed some dishes, but I received far more that evening than I gave. I shared with three different generations in one hour. I saw nothing but smiles all evening. I felt the Holy Spirit in a room of worshipers who were breaking bread. It was a wonderful Christmas gift from my church.

- Lee Newcomer

On a recent Thursday night, several fellow Abigail Circle members and I met with Normandale member Judy Henderson and helped her hand tie several quilts. Judy and her quilting friends make beautiful quilt squares and assemble them together using a sewing machine. They usually make about 50 quilts a year and send them to Lutheran World Relief. Last year, due to decline in help - Judy and her team were only able to complete 30 quilts.

Judy was very appreciative of our help! We learned from Judy the basics of how to hand tie a quilt - from threading the needle, measuring the yarn, inserting the needle through all three layers of the quilt and making double knots to tie the tails together. We enjoyed hearing about Judy's passion and mission as she creates beautiful quilts that are sent around the world. Judy is always looking for help in hand tying the quilts and it's a fun way to volunteer an hour or two.

- Karen Nelson

NLC Together // Feb/Mar 2019

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Life @ NLC

For the full calendar of NLC Happenings, visit www.normluth.org/events.

Community

Children & Family

Lenten Worship & Meals

Meeting in the Wilderness.Worship with us.

See worship times on page 2.

Come gather at the table.

Wednesdays, Mar 6 - Apr 10 Dinner served 5:00-6:45 pm All are welcome!

March is Food Share Month!

Through April 7 Grocery bags with suggested food shelf items will be distributed after services on March 3 and 10. Food and hygiene donations can be returned to church and put in the bins by any door by April 7. Cash or check donations also gratefully accepted; please make checks payable to Normandale Lutheran Church with Foodshare month on the memo line and place in the offering plate. Our donations will go to VEAP, serving our local area of Bloomington, Richfield, and Edina.

Thank you for your support.

Sponsored by Mission Outreach.

CAS Concert Series: Encore Wind Ensemble Sunday, March 10 | 3:00 pm Come and enjoy Music and Text with Jack Stamp, Guest Conductor and the Encore Wind Ensemble. Free and open to the public.

CAS Concert Series: Family Concert with the Civic Orchestra of Minneapolis Saturday, March 16 | 11:00 am Join this free concert perfect for all ages.

Kids can tour the orchestra and more!

New NLC Directory Update Wondering where the new NLC Photo Directory is? We apologize for the delay and thank you for your patience as we have been hard at work making sure it’s right. The final draft is now in the hands of the publisher, and we are anticipating a mid-to-late March arrival of the finished product!

14 Feb/Mar 2019 // NLC Together

Sign-up for Summer 2018!

Vacation Bible School

June 24-27 | 9:00 am - 12:00 noon Kids age 4 - 5th grade, come weather the shipwrecked storm with God's love!

Summer Stretch

July 9-11 | 9:00 am - 3:00 pm Kids completing 4th-6th grade, it's fun, it's adventure, it's service! Don't miss it!

Camp Vermilion

August 4-9 | Cook, MN All kids and youth grades 3-12, register by March 1!

Sign-up today at normluth.org/kids-summer!

Spring Break: No Sunday School Sunday, Mar 17 Enjoy your spring break!

Children & Family questions? Contact Kari Warnke at kari@normluth.org.

Youth Sign-up for Summer 2018!

Summer Stretch After Dark

July 16-18 | 4:00 - 9:00 pm Kids completing 7th-9th grade, it's a NEW night camp. Food, fun & more!

Camp Vermilion

August 4-9 | Cook, MN Don't miss it... including junior counselor opportunities! Register by March 1!

Spring Break: No Confirmation/HSHO Wednesday, March 20

Youth questions? Contact Maggie Jones at mjones@normluth.org.

Adults & Seniors Walking Club

Every Tuesday, 11:40 am - 12:10 pm Meet at west canopy entrance Join us for inspirational scripture and a walk!

Podiatry Clinic

Wednesday, Mar 6 & Thursday, Mar 7 9:00 am - 12:00 noon | Rooms 212-213 Seniors, take advantage of monthly foot care.

Appointments are required and can be made by calling Patti Hankes at 952.929.1698.

Alzheimer's Caregiver Education

Saturday, March 9 9:00 - 10:30 am | Rooms 209-211 Topic: Legal and Financial Mary Frances Price, Elder Law Attorney Many people are unprepared for the legal and financial consequences of a serious illness. As a complication of dementia, the affected person may lack the ability to make decisions related to legal and financial planning. Mary Frances Price will dive into the legal considerations that families should address and the tools to ensure that a person’s decisions are carried out.

Support groups meet immediately after the education session. Respite care available; reservation needed no later than one week prior.

Call Cheryl Nickelson at 952.977.9374 to reserve your spot.

Alzheimer's Caregiver Group

Saturday, March 9 | 10:30 am - 12:00 noon Wednesday, Mar 20 | 6:00-7:30 pm This free support group provides opportunities to share feelings and concerns, develop realistic expectations, and provide social contact with others, all in a confidential and supporting atmosphere. Choose the group that best fits your schedule.

Second Wednesday

Wednesday, March 13 | 10:00 am Seniors, come for coffee & conversation, worship, followed by lunch, and a program.

This month learn about high blood pressure with Parish Nurse, Susan O'Connell during social hour.

LIFT: Open Houses

Wednesday, Mar 20 10:00 am | Chapel - OR 5:30 pm | Rms 209-211 Normandale’s Small Group Ministry introduces “LIFT: Open House,” a new “come when you can” option! Small group discussions of faith are facilitated by NLC pastoral staff. Choose the time that fits your schedule!

Questions? Contact Jenny Bock at jbock@ normluth.org or 952.977.9349.

NLC Life in Pictures Dec 2018/Jan-Feb 2019: (clockwise, from top left)

NHM Christmas Party, Youth Bazaar Thank You ($5000 raised!), Wed Night Dinner Servers, Wrapping Gifts for Sponsor-a-Family, Theodicy Jazz, A Baptism Welcome, 8th Grade Retreat, Prepping for Dinner, ELEA Conference

Normandale Lutheran Church 6100 Normandale Road Edina, MN 55436

Our Mission Led by the Holy Spirit and living in God’s grace, Normandale Lutheran Church is a community proclaiming the Gospel of Jesus Christ through love, learning, worship, and service.

Connect With Us / 952.929.1697 / office@normluth.org / www.normluth.org / www.facebook.com/normluth

MARCH IS MINNESOTA FOOD SHARE MONTH! !

MARCH 3 & 10

Grocery bags with suggested food shelf items will be distributed after services on March 3 and 10.

Did you know that despite a better economy, the total number of people living in poverty in these communities is 53% higher than in 2008? The lack of affordable housing is a major factor, and food shelf visits help clients re-direct their limited income to rent.

VEAP can feed a person for a week for only $1.50!

MARCH 3 - APRIL 7

Food and hygiene donations can be returned to church and put in the bin by any door by April 7.

$

Cash or check donations also gratefully accepted; please make checks payable to Normandale Lutheran Church with Foodshare month on the memo line and place in the offering plate.

Our donations will go to VEAP, serving our local area of Bloomington, Richfield, and Edina.

NLC Together (USPS 673490) published February/March, April/May, June/July/August, September, October/November, and December by Normandale Lutheran Church of Edina, 6100 Normandale Road, Edina, MN 55436. Periodical postage paid at St. Paul, MN. POSTMASTER: Send address changes to NLC Together, 6100 Normandale Road, Edina, MN 55436.