Norwegian Lutheran Memorial Church DEN NORSK LUTHERSKE MINNEKIRKE 2614 NORTH KEDZIE BOULEVARD • CHICAGO, ILLINOIS 60647
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Inside this issue: Pastor’s Greeting
2
President’s Greeting
3
Numbers to Ponder
4
Mission Backpack
5
Book Review
6
Short Stories by Lynn 7 NNL/Expedition
8
News from Norway
10
Pictoral Review
11
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2614 N. Kedzie Blvd., Chicago Service every Sunday at 11 a.m.
Signs of Easter at Minnekirken In your hearts revere Christ as Lord. Always be prepared to give an answer to everyone who asks you to give the reason for the hope that you have. But do this with gentleness and respect. ~ 1 Peter 3:15 Road signs are essen al for us in our travels. They tell us the city or town we are in, what road we are on, the safe speed to travel on the road, and warn us of upcoming hazards. Ul mately, road signs inform us of what’s necessary for us to safely reach our des na on. In the same manner, I wonder if you have ever thought that God wants you to be a road sign. Wait…how can I be a road sign to Christ? Do our ac ons, a tudes, and reac ons point to Jesus? A sign that is faded or obstructed has li le use. When the Department of Transporta on sees a sign that is faded, they recycle it and replace it with a new one, and if a sign is obstructed by a tree, the tree is trimmed. This Lent and Easter de, we at Minnekirken will reflect on the things in our life that God wants to repair, refresh or prune out so our signs can more clearly reflect the love of God in Christ. The placement of road signs is also im-
portant, a er all what good is a sign warning about a sharp curve in the middle of the curve! Lent reminds us that now is the me to be a road sign for Christ. Pray that God will give you the message to put on your sign. Your part is to revere Christ as Lord and to trust that you will be placed where your faith can be clearly seen, in an opportune manner. Let’s always remember to be prepared to share our hope in Christ with gentleness and respect. God, we thank you for all of the signs in our lives that have pointed us to You. Now, God we pray that we can be a road sign for you. Use us as instruments to help pilgrims here on Earth, who like us are passing though, to reach Your des na on of eternal velkommen! By Your grace, God, we ask that you would deepen our reverence this Lent and Easter de; guide us; and prepare us in Jesus’ Name. Amen
Introducing...Your 2018 Church Board KONTAKT magazine is published by the congregation of the Norwegian Lutheran Memorial Church, 2614 N. Kedzie Blvd. Chicago, IL 60647 (773)252-7335 Email: minnekirkenchicago@aol.com Editor: Leandra Trifunovich. (847)292-9999 leandrat@sbcglobal.net
President Vice President Secretary Asst. Secretary Treasurer Asst. Treasurer Financial Secy.
Bev Covyeau Kari Diesen-Dahl Karena Dahl Inger Sweeney Shawn Murphy Eva Pettersen Rotheim Kay Long 1
Asst. Fin. Secy Deacon Deacon Trustee Trustee
Barbra Kronborg -Mogil Jill Crooker 0HWWH 3HWWHUVHQ Christian Covyeau Andy Bruli
3lease contact a board member if you are interested in serving.
Let’s Do This Lent... It feels like it’s becoming a year of numbers, to me.
believe that if the Church is to be the grace place that God Perhaps it’s because I’m having a hard me leaving 2017 be- intends us to be, thenͶin this day and age especiallyͶthe hind with its yearlong emphasis on the 500th Anniversary of Church needs to be the seed bed for reconciliation, for civil the Lutheran Reforma on: 1 German Monk + 95 Theses = 80 society, for a ŚŽůLJ coming together. Too often extreme ideas million Lutherans worldwide. And for those who might like to have surrounded themselves with utter like-mindedness and so radicalisms are born. God’s grace in Christ calls us to both add the total number of Protestants to this Reforma on be who we are—each one ĨƵůůLJ ŬŶŽǁŶ ĂŶĚ loved by God— equa on, we are talking 559 million! This is according to a and to be together, in community—albeit messy recent analysis by Gordon-Conwell Theological Seminary’s communityͶ despite all our differences! Center for the Study of Global Chris anity as reported in an ar cle en tled “Chris anity 2017: Five Hundred Years of Let’s do that this Lent. Though we come from very different Protestant Chris anity.”[1] places, we come together for one reason—to be transformed into the “fullness of Christ” (Ephesians 4:13). Paul throws out That’s a lot of Protestants! some more numbers in Ephesians: There ŝƐ ŽŶĞ body and ŽŶĞ And it sure seems like Spirit, just as also you were called in ŽŶĞ hope of your calling; there is no less to protest ŽŶĞ Lord, ŽŶĞ faith, ŽŶĞ baptism, one God and Father of all about today than there who is over all and through all and in all. Everything else was 500 years ago. But aside, these are the fundamentals that bind us together as lest we forget, the main the Body of Christ. thrust of the Reforma on was less about the abuse of power—though there was plenty of that going around in Luther’s day!—and more about the basis of authority. Is it the pope, church councils, personal opinion? Luther’s “here I stand,” was upon none of the above. He stood on the Holy Scriptures—the 66 books of the Bible.
I’m calling Lent 2018 at Minnekirken: “Route 66: Our Lenten High Way.” The theme of Lent 2018 is one of personal piety and humility—reclaiming Jesus’ descrip ons of what it means to prac ce our faith in Ma hew 6 and how that sanc fies us and makes us more “alive to God” as Paul describes in Romans 6. During this season I will be using road signs for theme related children’s lessons and am invi ng members and friends of Minnekirken to write Lenten devo onals to share We’ve had to reflect quite a bit about this stand in our increasingly conten ous U. S. of A. For many would say that the with others, each inspired by road signs of their choice. There’s a page in this Kontakt that explains this so that our Bible is the very thing that divides us on so many issues: readers might feel velkommen to submit devo onals as well. abor- on, homosexuality, separa on of church and state, even the unique claim of our Lord and Savior to be “the way, On the back of that same page is also an invita on for you to purchase Easter flowers to memorialize loved ones and beauthe truth, and the life.” And yet, while some would dispute fy our sanctuary on Easter Sunday! Pick up your flowers and that seem-ingly exclusive claim—on social grounds, if not spiritual grounds—like Luther before me, I con nue to stand take them home after our 11:00 a.m. festival worship on on the Bible because it con nues to reveal to me God’s Word April 1st. By all these ways we can celebrate ŽƵƌ community iŶ ŚƌŝƐƚ͕ ƚŚĞ Η,ŝŐŚ tĂLJΗ ǁĞ ƚƌĂǀĞů ƚŽŐĞƚŚĞƌ͊ in the Flesh. There is a holy otherness to Jesus’ way of life, the truth He taught, and even the eternal life in the love of I do find this year’s Lent and Easter dates to be both humorGod that He secureĚ for us by way of His life, death, ous and profound—with Ash Wednesday coinciding with Valresurrection, and ascension. All of this moves me to believe, en ne’s Day and Easter Sunday with April Fools! Paul taught teach͕ and confess that: “Salva on comes no other way; no that being “fools for Christ” (1 Corinthians 4:10) means other name has been or will be given to us by which we can pu ng aside all arrogance and a tudes of superiority that be saved, only this one” (Acts 4:12). we might love and serve others as God loved and served us in Christ Jesus. The Apostle Paul said of himself: ΗWhen we are The ironic thing about considering the Bible divisive is that reviled, we bless; when we are persecuted, we endure; when ^ƚ͘ WĂƵů ĂƐƐĞƌƚƐ ƚŚĂƚ the Gospel of Jesus Christ ŝƐ the we are slandered, we try to conciliate.Η Such is the civility of “ministry of reconciliation!” The 66 books of the Bible find the Body of Christ. Such is the foolishness of the way, the their theologi-cal unity in the idea the God has a plan to restore the friend-shipƐ ŝŶ God’s creation that wĞƌĞ broken in truth, and the life of Christ. Such is my hope for Minnekirken. the Garden of Eden. Sadly that brokenness has extended far May we be a beacon of every good thing that we want our outward—across space and time, races, cultures, even to the community, our na on, and our world to be. point of affecting DNA and vital ecosystems—so much so that See you in worship, Pastor David Schoenknecht our world feels irreconcilable. But that’s not my stance. I 2
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Ny Fra Norge “According to a new report called the “Good Country Index,” which ranked 163 countries by their contribu ons to the global community, Norway takes the second place in climate and preserving the planet category, and 13th place overall. In To compile the Good Country Index, the researchers created seven big categories: Science & Technology, Culture, Interna onal Peace & Security, World Order, Planet & Climate, Prosperity & Equality, and Health & Wellbeing. The data came from sources like the United Na ons and the World Bank and it aims to measure the countries’ posi ve contribu on to whole planet and humanity. Taking into all categories, Sweden has been ranked the best country of the world. TPN
maternity clinic before giving birth, since the box is only delivered a er your first appointment.
Norway ranked in 1st place as the country most likely to survive a climate change apocalypse, and the place we should all flee to, according to the research by Eco Expert. The research inves gated the survival prospects of 181 countries using data from the ND Gain Index which considers the loca on, terrain, infra-structure and na onal resources to determine the coun-tries most at risk to extreme weather disasters and how prepared they are to deal with poten ally life threatening devasta on. Norway ranked in 1st place as the country most likely to survive a climate change apocalypse, thanks to its loca on and The Canadian travel agency Flightnetwork asked 600 travel na onal resources, making it the place we should all flee journalists, editors, bloggers and agencies and has come to, should the planet turn on us. Neighbouring Nordic up with a list of what they claim to be 50 best beaches in countries including Finland (3rd), Sweden (4th), Denmark the world. Værøy beach in Lofoten comes in the 23rd (6th), and Iceland (8th) also land 5 out of the 10 top spots. place among 1800 beaches from all over the world. – Værøy is truly one of the most unique and dis nc ve Norwegian pop singer Sigrid has won BBC Music’s Sound of beaches on earth. You will not only be surprised by the 2018 last week. The award is given to the most exci ng crystal clear water but also the impressive mountains that new music for the year ahead. 21-year-old Sigrid becomes form the backdrop of an alien place, wrote the agency. one of the youngest ever ar sts to receive the honour – – Værøy is magical, the jury in Flightnetwork noted. beaten only by Adele, who was 19 when she received the Værøy is an island and municipality in Nordland county, award in 2008. “It’s a huge honour,” she told the BBC. “I Norway. It is part of the tradi onal district of Lofoten. don’t know how to explain it.”Sigrid Solbakk Raabe (born 5 September 1996), known professionally as simply Sigrid, is New Jersey is the first American state to offer baby boxes both a singer and songwriter. In 2017 she achieved interto all new parents ŵŽĚĞůĞĚ on na onal success with the single “Don’t Kill My Vibe”. Influthe Finnish maternity package enced by Lorde, Robyn and Joni Mitchell, the star has beconcept that dates back to the come known for catchy, quirky and literate pop songs. 1930s. The concept aims to provide a prac cal starter kit for new A Norwegian’s flight from Oslo to Munich was interrupted parents with clothing and other because of a problem with the toilets. Ironically 84 of the items in a box that doubles as a passengers were plumbers. According to Dagbladet’s retemporary bed for newborns. port, the plane took off from Oslo Gardermoen but had to Package Wrogramme in Finland in Skagerak just outside the Øs old coast before it land provides parents-to-be with a package of about 50 had to turn back to Gardermoen to fix the prob-lem. baby items including clothing, socks, and a winter romper Among the passengers, there were 84 plumbers who were in a cardboard box that doubles as a crib. The goal is to on their way out for a trip to Munich with their plumbing provide close to 105,000 baby boxes this year. In Finland, company Rørkjøp. The managing director of the company, the idea of the baby box dates back to the 1930s when it Frank Olsen said to Dagbladet that they would have liked was offered in exchange for prenatal visits as a way to to fix the toilet, but unfortunately it had to be done from curb infant mortality. Today Finland’s infant mortality rate the outside.– We did not take the risk to send a plumber is one of the world’s lowest at 2.52 for every 1,000 births, outside at 10,000 meters high, he ƐĂŝĚ ƚŽ ĂŐďůĂĚĞƚ͘The less than half that of the United States. Also available now technicians at Gardermoen fixed the problem and the in the United States at Target, the Finnish Baby Box, acplane could once again took off to Mu-nich. cording to Anu Partanen (The Nordic Theory of Everything) is “one of Finland’s most uncontroversial and beloved tradi ons. The box also encourages everyone to visit the 10
Easter Gree ngs from Church President Bev Coyveau Easter greetings and God Påske til alle sammen! It’s been another exciting year at Minnekirken! We continue to be very blessed to have Pastor David Schoenknecht who enthusiastically embraces our Norwegian culture and is constantly striving to incorporate new programs and increase our membership.
In June there will be an Art Fair in Logan Square. October celebrates the Centennial of the Monument.
We are currently in a spending freeze due to extensive We were a part of “Open House Chicago” for the first time. To everyone’s surprise we had 1,700 people visit us building repairs on the over a two day period. We made waffles and sold Norwe- Church and on the Parsonage. We have an approxigian chocolate. Thank you to all of the volunteers that mate $20,000 deficit, made this possible. which is down from The front of Minnekirken was featured in a recent episode $32,000 last spring. We will continue to keep our belts tightened until we are at least at a breakeven point. of “Chicago Fire”. Nothing was filmed inside the hall or the church͕ ďƵƚ ĚŽ ĐŚĞĐŬ ŽƵƚ ƚŚĞ DĂƌĐŚ ϴƚŚ ĞƉŝƐŽĚĞ͊ As I have mentioned before, the Grace Furniture building is being redeveloped into a “boutique hotel”. Preliminary We have had some wonderful events in 2017 and look forward to continuing our success. Thank you to our Mu- plans include a restaurant on the first floor, a rooftop bar, sic Director, Dr. Yeeseon Kwon͕ who directs our May 17th & and a patio on the side off of Milwaukee Avenue by the Christmas concerts and the Minnekirken church choir. We CTA. Along with our attorney, a meeting was held with the Project Manager and the developer’s Attorney for this have also enjoyed the Logan Square Cresendo children’s project. The plans are to expand their footprint in the back choir directed by our talented Evelyn Finne. of the building and build a kitchen. Our concerns are access to our parking spaces among other things. The meetThe Music Concert in October featuring Julie Coucheron ing was very productive and we expect to have a good and Deanna Breiwick was absolutely amazing. I still feel working relationship with our new neighbors. goosebumps thinking about it.
The Taste of Norway was a lot of fun. Pastor David has mastered our traditional soup recipe. This annual fundraising event generated over $8,000. Many thanks again to our wonderful volunteers. A special thanks to Matt Nygaard who stood outside with an umbrella for the entire day inviting people to participate.
There are still talks underway to make the Logan Square circle more pedestrian friendly. I attended a neighborhood meeting and strongly expressed our concerns to retain parking in front of our Landmarked Church. It is my pleasure and honor to serve the Norwegian Lutheran Memorial Church. Beverly Covyeau Council President
We continue to host monthly meetings every third Thursday with Logan Square Preservation. Upcoming events going on in Logan Square to note: In September, the LSP will have another architectural house walk. We look forward to exploring some of the fantastic historic properties in Logan Square. Many of these properties have a Norwegian influence. We of course will be a part of this housewalk and will be making our famous waffles. You won’t want to miss this event. Volunteers are needed.
There are four ques ons of value in life... What is sacred? Of what is the spirit made? What is worth living for, and what is worth dying for? The answer to each is the same. Only love. —Don Juan DeMarco 3
More Minnekirken numbers to ponder, to celebrate, and to pray about: In 2017 we received $10,747 in Kontakt donations, that is nearly 8.5% of our total 2017 income—mange tusen takk, Kontakt readers! You are a blessing to Minnekirken in so many ways. Our annual worship attendance jumped by 28% and our annual income
increased by 16% in 2017! Takket være Gud!
In 2017 both our Expedition Norway Vacation Bible School and our Logan
Square Crescendo! community kid’s choir more than DOUBLED in attendance over 2016! This is so great and we want to reach even more neighborhood families through something we are calling “Mission: Backpack.” Look in this Kontakt for even more details about that! La oss holde det oppe!
We had 5 youth confirm their faith at Minnekirken in 2016 and we pre-
pared 4 kids to receive their first communion at a Holy Communion Funshop last December. Takket være Gud!
Our “Northern Lights” hurricane relief concert with world-class pianist Julie Coucheron and soloist Deanna Brei-
wick raised over $2000. Mange tusen takk!
We had over 1700 people tour Minnekirken over the weekend of the Chicago
Architectural Foundation’s Open House Chicago! Over that October weekend we sold over 400 Norwegian waffles! Til Gud være ære!
Our Minnekirken Choir enjoyed its biggest participation in years! We had 12 of
us singing for our annual Christmas concert. We like to think we “rocked the house,” but there we so many phenomenal performances and such great attendance this year that everyone deserves a huge round of applause, especially Minnekirken’s Music Director, Dr. Yeeseon Kwon! Til Gud være ære!
x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x
If 99.9 percent is good enough, then…
Two million documents will be lost by the IRS this year. 811,000 faulty rolls of 35mm film will be loaded this year. 22,000 checks will be deducted from the wrong bank accounts in the next 60 minutes. 1,314 phone calls will be misplaced by telecommunica on services every minute. 12 babies will be given to the wrong parents each day. 268,500 defec ve res will be shipped this year. 14,208 defec ve personal computers will be shipped this year. 103,260 income tax returns will be processed incorrectly this year. 2,488,200 books will be shipped in the next 12 months with the wrong cover. 5,517,200 cases of so drinks produced in the next 12 months will be fla er than a bad re. Two plane landings daily at O’Hare Interna onal Airport in Chicago will be unsafe. 3,056 copies of tomorrow’s Wall Street Journal will be missing one of the three sec ons. 18,322 pieces of mail will be mishandled in the next hour. 291 pacemaker opera ons will be performed incorrectly this year. 880,000 credit cards in circula on will turn out to have incorrect cardholder informa on on their magne c strips. $955 malfunc on automa c teller machines will be installed in the next 12 months. 20,000 incorrect drug prescrip ons will be wri en in the next 12 months. 114,500 mismatched pairs of shoes will be shipped this year. $761,900 will be spent in the next 12 months on tapes and compact discs that won’t play. 107 incorrect medical procedures will be performed by the end of the day today. 315 entries in Webster’s Third New Interna onal Dic onary of the English Language will turn out to be misspelled. Communicator, (InSight, Syncrude Canada Ltd., Communica ons Division), p. 6
Our Taste of Norway raised over $8000 that combined with other sources of in-
come, like the filming of an episode of Chicago Fire at Minnekirken (scheduled for March 8th), helped us reduce the deficit we incurred from roof repairs and tuckpointing from $32,000 to $20,000! Vi er så takknemlige!
Speaking of Taste of Norway, the Pastor’s family keeps working to perfect the ertesuppe! They made over ϱ0 ƋƵĂƌƚƐ this year and it all sold out! La oss holde det oppe! While there’s certainly more numbers we could ponder and celebrate, Pastor is looking ahead into 2018 with two other numbers in mind. Pray with him that Minnekirken might go from 2017’s Reformation 500 to 2018’s Reformation 50-100! That fifty dash one-hundred! With a dash of faith, a dash of thanksgiving, a dash of love for one anoth-er, a dash of commitment, and a dash of desire to build up the Body of Christ that is Minnekirken it’s Wastor’s prayer that͘͘͘
͘͘͘2018 becomes the year Minnekirken reaches an average worship attendance of 50 and enjoys 100 worshippers in a service at least once a quarter! We were in the 90s last Easter Sunday, let’s go for 100 this year! Ved Guds nåde! tĞ ĂůƐŽ ŚŽƉĞ ƚŽ ƌĞŐƵůĂƌůLJ ďƌŽĂĚĐĂƐƚ ŽƵƌ ϭϭ͗ϬϬ Ă͘ŵ͘ ^ƵŶĚĂLJ ƐĞƌǀŝĐĞ ǀŝĂ &ĂĐĞŬ >ŝǀĞ͊ Easter 2018 Kontakt Kontributors… Be y Geilen Pr. David schoenknecht Lynn ^ove Maxson Bev Coyveau
The resurrec on gives my life meaning and direc on and the opportunity to start over no ma er what my circumstances. —Robert Fla 4
BIG CHANGES IN STORE FOR LOGAN SQUARE? You may not be aware of this, but in recogni on of the Logan Square Bicentennial the Chicago Department of Transporta on has been holding neighborhood mee ngs to discuss major changes in the square that—when combined with the Grace Furniture building restora on into a bou que hotel right next to church—could result in some significant impact related to both temporary and long term access to Minnekirken. The leadership of Minnekirken, especially in conjunc on with Logan Square Preserva on, have been monitoring these developments closely. More details on the CDOT project can be found on the Chicago Complete Streets Website: h p://chicagocompletestreets.org/por olio/ milwaukeeloganbelmont/. You can learn more about the bou que hotel project from this Chicago Tribune ar cle: h p://www.chicagotribune.com/ business/columnists/ori/ct-biz-logan-square-hotel-ryan-ori20171030-story.html. There are many other online ar cles to help you keep up on the latest, but above all keep us in your prayers at this me so that our ministry might not be hindered in any away. Rather, we pray, that our opportuni es for the sake of the Gospel would be increased by God’s grace as a result of these developments. That would be fantas sk! 9
Happy Spring! With 17de mai fast approaching, your Norwegian Na onal League delegates Are busy preparing for our main event. When asked to share their 17de mai favorite part, this is what was said: Steve: the smiles that are generated at the parade Frances & Roald: great display of Norwegian pride Thomas: gree ng old friends Nancy: spirit of our ancestry Glenna: the colorful and fes ve bunads Lynn: making new friends and sharing Norwegian culture Jill: fellowship and dancing Sue: Norwegian heritage and food Elsie: reminds me of being in Norway as a 5yr old & ge ng the measles on May 15th. Watched the spectacular parade from Bestemor’s living room window Barbara: marching bands, the grand march, flags, family & friends Join us as we celebrate another 17de mai together! Banquet at the Park Ridge Country Club, Saturday May 19th Parade in Park Ridge, Sunday May 20th For details: www.nnleague.org
Over Advent of 2017 we introduced a new—year long— “Reverse Advent” giving ini a ve at Minnekirken. It’s called MISSION: BACKPACK. Inspired by a fellow LCMC congrega on in St. Charles, IL, we are hoping to reach out to kids and their families in the Logan Square neighborhood by way of backpacks filled with school supplies.
Talking to the leadership of Hosanna! Lutheran Church we learned that in 2017 they gave out a total of 740 back packs, serving over 200 families, 23 communi es, 2 schools, 2 social service agencies and a mission trip to Honduras! They also gave 5 books per child and Bibles to families. They had 156 volunteers contribute almost 500 hours for this amazing effort! Minnekirken isn’t nearly at the level of Hosanna! yet, but the families of our neighborhood are even more in need of this kind of assistance. If you would like to help make MISSION: BACKPACK the same kind of potent outreach tool
that’s been successful elsewhere, please contribute. We have lists of school supplies that we can email to you or your special dona on checks earmarked MISSION: BACKPACK will be used to give our Logan Square families something to smile about! While the money and school supply contribu ons will help Minnekirken be a force for good and for God in our community, volunteers who have a heart for making this happen would also be appreciated! Call the church office at (773) 252-7335 or email office.nlmc@gmail.com to indicate you desire to help!
Did you know? Even though Hosanna! Lutheran Church in St Charles and Minnekirken on Logan Square seem to be very different congrega ons—one urban, the other suburban; one in a new facility, the other in a 108 year old landmark building; one with lots of parking the other with not so much; one with tradi onal worship styles and the other with a contemporary style; etc.—we both share much in common! i We are both congrega ons of the Lutheran Congrega ons in Mission for Christ
(www.lcmc.net). In fact, Hosanna! was very helpful in our becoming an LCMC church!
Expedition Norway:
i
2018 Edition!
Kari Diesen-Dahl’s daughter, Tamara Masciopinto and family͕ attend Hosanna! Tamara was instrumental in connec ng Pastor Schoenknecht, who with his family are also members of Hosanna!, with Minnekirken in the spring of 2015.
i
EŽǁ Hosanna! is in the midst of a pastoral vacancy and Pastor Schoenknecht, as of January 29, 2018, has stepped
ŝŶ ƚŽ help with Bible Studies, weekday and Saturday worship, and covering for Pastor John Nelson of Hosanna! on his Friday off. Because Pastor Schoenknecht will also be leading an occasional 8:00 a.m. Sunday worship service at Hosanna!, pray for his safe travels as he swoops downtown!
Pack your suitcase for Norway! We’ll share the sights, sounds, smells, and tastes of life in Norway with kids from our community while helping them discover God’s eternal love for the world.
This comradery has inspired numerous ministry ideas like Mission: Backpack, Trunk or Treat, and other ways we may be a blessing to our community. Many of the food items used in our soup suppers and other fellowship events come to us free of charge through Hosannas! Food ministry that gleans grocery items form the shelves of Costco, Jewel, and other stores.
In this cross-cultural Vaca on Bible School kids will experience bold Bible adventures, kid-friendly Norwegian food, games played by kids around the world, and daily video visits with kids in Norway. Space is limited and so we are capping registraƟon at 100 kids, ages PK-6th grade.
Preregister today at h ps://vbspro.events/p/events/minnekirken (scan the QR code!) or call (773) 252-7335 / Email: office.nlmc@gmail.com We are going to be changing up the curriculum a bit this year so volunteers on the VBS team would be very much appreciated. Do let us know ASAP if you can help in August!
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God bless our both our unique and our shared ministries in the years to come! 5
BOOK REVIEW The Nordic Theory of Everything: In Search of a Be er Life
10 A Day Is The Way
from the government, not from their employer; their children will s ll have good day care and school opportunies if their business fails. In the US, by contrast, small
The popula ons of Finland, Norway and Denmark, be- business owners and employees lack financial security, tween five and six million each, plus roughly ten million in and true anxiety about money is a common state of most of the popula on.
Sweden and a third of a million in Iceland, makes a total popula on of roughly 27
Nordic countries show an “excep onal com-
million for “The Nordic Countries.” The
mitment to individualism.” This she says is
United States, by comparison is now about
the opposite of the unfree socialism which
327 million.
Nordic countries saw, disliked and fought against in nearby Russia. Nordics see them-
Author Anu Partanen as a young woman from Finland found much to complain
selves as having adapted to modern life with
about while living in the United States.
modern coopera ve solu ons; they reject
A er going back and forth between Fin-
labels such as “socialism” and “nanny welfare
land and the United States, not only in her
state” as bogus nega vity. “People every-
mind and wri ng, but also physically, she
where in the world prefer more freedom ra-
ther than less,” Partanen comments dryly.
appears to be se ling down in America. She married an American.
“Social mobility without social investments is simply not possible. So if you start to give up on public schools
However, she likes to argue in how many ways Nordic countries put the United States to shame, especially in
and a collec ve system for enabling individual social mo-
financial freedom and security in everyday life.
bility, you’re going to end up with inequality, gated communi es, collapse of trust, a dysfunc onal poli cal sys-
Partanen says that from a dedica on to equity and
tem. All these things you see now in the United States,”
“The Nordic Theory of Love,” star ng with caring for ba-
the author has concluded. Anu Partanen’s book cites, in
bies and children, Nordic governments help ci zens to
a lively way, many telling suppor ng details for the argu-
achieve financial independence from their parents,
ment that the Nordic countries now show a model, and a
spouses, and employers, increasing their freedom and opportuni es in life. Entrepreneurs, for example, are sup-
way forward, for the U.S. –- B. Geilen
ported to try a new business—their health care comes
Lynn Sove Maxson
Some mes, I would hear comments when people thought I was out of hearing zone. They would remark These are not the 10 ommandments that I am always happy and smiling. which we live by but simple smiles! It is hard to remember when I had this This is a blessing I thank God for and it thought and started it but TYJ (dhank is so easy and so rewarding. You zou͕ Jesus͊) for enriching my life and I don’t have to go out of your way for hope others. the opportunity is endless daily.
My goal was to give and receive ten smiles a day in any way and any place. At first I was conscious of trying to get smiles from strangers, friends and family. Then as I was rewarded by the smiles and hopefully plan ng seeds of
Here Luther is speaking of godly men, who sense the vexa on and troubles of the world. It is their downcast hearts that he wants to encourage. It is to them that he recommends merriment.’ -- Eric W. Gritsch, The Wit of Mar n Luther, pp. 71-2 6
While stopped wai ng for a train to pass, I saw a tall dis nguished man headed for the train sta on in the cold. He was wearing an unusual knit stocking cap. I rolled down my car window and yelled, “love your hat!”.
away unpleasant. We have to learn to see something posi ve in each and every person no ma er their origin Lynn Sove Maxson because it does not determine value. Try to turn strangers into friends. The highest form of communica on is cenOne of the greatest gi s I received from my parents was the apprecia on tered in the heart. of posi ve a tude. My mother alRecently I read a very good book ways spoke of PMA (posi ve mental which reflected these ideals and a tude) and my father said you can more. It is Attitude of Gratitude by M. do and be anything with the right a - J. Ryan. It stresses how to give and tude. It takes prac ce to learn how to receive joy everyday of your life. Alopen up each moment of your life. so, it talked about older people who Each moment gives us a brand new are schooled in mistakes or what is chance and there are too many not right, lacking and painful. That is thoughts and feelings which could why it is important to return to gra sweep us into nega vity. tude! This helps us return to our nat-
A tude is All
He turned to me with the biggest smile and said thank you. We both went on with a warm feeling. Leaving the medical center a er some tests, I saw an elderly couple struggling along to their car in the handicap sec on. I said to them, “Now, no racing in the parking lot!” They both turned with the biggest smiles ever and the woman said, “He always goes a li le faster than me!” All three of us parted with joy. TYJ Take each moment to enjoy sharing a li le joy, the rewards are priceless.
ce what is right and not wrong. Recently I turned 75, or as my husband said, 3/4s of a century. Where did the years go? Many people complain about their aches and pains and being old. A lot of them are younger than I am. My good friend of over 50 years and my mentor, is 90! She just invited me to join the church bell choir with her. I did and we are having a ball.
“Mental sunshine will cause the flowers of peace, happiness and prosperity to grow upon the face of the Earth. Be a creator of mental sunshine.” Graffi on a wall in Berkeley, California. We have to cling to pleasant and push ural state of joyfulness, where we no-
Commentary by MarƟn Luther on Ecclesiastes 9:8 ‘“You are living in the midst of vanity. Therefore enjoy life, and do not let yourself come to ruin through your indigna on, but drive the grief from your mind. You cannot mock the world more effec vely than by laughing when it grows angry. Let it be enough for you that you have a gracious God. For what is the malice of the world in comparison with the sweetness of God?”
pay forward to the recipients, it became a comfortable habit.
Velkommen Alle Sammen! March 25 March 30 April 1 April 22 May 17 May 20 June 19
WĂůŵ ^ƵŶĚĂLJͬFantastisk 4th—11:00 a.m. Family worship and Sunday School Good Friday “Tenebrae” Service 7 p.m. Easter Sunday 9:30 Easter Breakfast (free will offering) 11:00 a.m. Fes val Worship FantaskƟsk 4th—11:00 a.m. family worship and Sunday School SyƩende Mai Norwegian ConsƟtuƟon Day Concert 7:30 p.m. Norwegian ConsƟtuƟon Day Parade in Hodges Park, Park Ridge, Sunday Service begins at 10:30 a.m. Arne Ekra family and his will be with us for 4 weeks as our summer pastor.
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