God påske! And the Winner Is….
MINNEKIRKEN We are so pleased to share the news that Minnekirken has been honored by the Norwegian National League with the title of 2019 Norwegian Constitution Day Parade Grand Marshall! Church President Bev Coyveau will head up 2019 parade on May 19th in Park Ridge as well as represent the church at the banquet at the Park Ridge County Club. We hope a good showing of our Minnekirken members and friends will attend this year’s activities to help us celebrate and cheer us on. For more information on this honor, see page 8.
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www.minnekirken-chicago.org
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Minnekirken-Norwegian Lutheran Memorial Church Or simply scan the QR code below
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2614 N. Kedzie Blvd., Chicago Service every Sunday at 11 a.m. KONTAKT magazine is published by the congregation of the Norwegian Lutheran Memorial Church, 2614 N. Kedzie Blvd. Chicago, IL 60647 (773)252-7335 Email: Office.nlmc@gmail.com Editor: Leandra Trifunovich. (847)292-9999 leandrat@sbcglobal.net
Easter/Spring 2019 Emoticons for Lent and Eastertide We may think at times that our emotions are more of a curse than a blessing, but without them, our ability to communicate with one another would be severely limited. Perhaps that’s why emoticons have played an ever larger role in our conversations—our digital conversations, that is. In a recent blog about smart phone use, Salesforce asked the question: “What are Consumers Doing on their Smartphones, Anyway?” As it turns out 80% of them are messaging one another in some way, shape, or form! Of all the things that people are doing, the growth in digital communication since 2016 has jumped by over 500%! Compare that to just a 31% growth for online shopping! Face-toface conversation, mail, even now email is falling by the wayside as other more instantaneous forms of messaging—especially texting—become the norm. But anyone who’s spent much time texting knows that it has a major flaw—it’s very hard to communicate nuanced inflection, expression, and—above all—emotion in a text! It’s amazing how what we don’t say in words can
communicate so much more than the words themselves. Which is why the Salesforce article notes that this has “given birth to a whole new pantheon of visual languages – memes, emoticons, and emojis.” It’s rather surprising that Norwegians, who are renowned for their stoicism* are such avid users of emoticons. Perhaps emoticons have gone mainstream as legitimate ways to express emotion in our text-based conversations. For Norwegians and others, perhaps, is it an easier way to show what we feel than say it? So here’s the question then: What would be the emojis we would use for emotionally charged and complicated seasons of the Church Year such as Lent and Eastertide? Join us for 11:00 am worship at Minnekirken as we prepare for Påske 2019 by our contemplation of “Hellige følelser/Holy Emotions.” *
Famously and hilariously described in Julien Bourrelle’s 2015 book “The Social Guidebook to Norway.”
Your 2019 Church Board, Ready and Willing to Serve... President Vice President Secretary Asst. Secretary Treasurer Asst. Treasurer Financial Secy.
Bev Covyeau Kari Diesen-Dahl Karena Dahl Inger Sweeney Matthew Nygaard Eva Pettersen Rotheim Kay Long 1
Asst. Fin. Secy Deacon Deacon Trustee Trustee
Barbra Kronborg -Mogil Jill Crooker Mette Pettersen Christian Covyeau Andy Bruli
Please contact a board member if you are interested in serving.
A Year of Ups and Downs If you reread my Spring 2018 article of the Kontakt you’ll note that I started out by saying that 2018 “feels like it’s becoming a year of numbers, to me.” In many ways 2018 was a year of great numbers for Minnekirken:
The “Taste of Norway” (always the Saturday before Thanksgiving)was huge – our receipts were over 20% higher than the year before! That’s our big fundraiser of the year and so many wonderful members, friends, neighbors, and supporters came through for us! Our Sunday morning collections and other regular giving in 2018 was over $20,000 more than in 2017. That’s another big number for Minnekirken! Praise God from whom all blessings flow! Literally, thousands of visitors came through our doors again for Open House Chicago, the Logan Square House Walk, and other tours like the Chicago Historical Museum’s “Chicago Churches and Synagogues” bus tour curated by Rolf Achilles. Rolf revealed that Minnekirken’s tin ceiling is the best preserved of any he’s seen in Chicago’s many landmark churches!
Some other “big” numbers for Minnekirken in 2018 include a steep climb in our Facebook page likes!
We were able to surpass the 1000 “Likes” mark and still continue our strong Norwegian connections! Well over 10% of the 6000 fans that visit our page each month are from Norway and four out of the top ten places they check in from are Norwegian cities: Oslo, Kristianstad, and Bergen are second, third, and fourth after Chicago! Park Ridge is #5! Largely thanks to Facebook promotions and shares over 200 needy neighborhood families learned about our 2018 Mission: Backpack drive. Thanks to the experience and generosity of our sister congregation, Hosanna! Lutheran Church in St. Charles, Illinois, last August’s distribution of loaded school backpacks went like clockwork! What a blessing it was to be a part of that. And what a blessing you can be by designating donations or volunteering for Minnekirken’s Mission: Backpack drive in 2019! One of my favorite “big” numbers of 2018 has to be the growth of our seasonal adult choir under the direction of Dr. Yeeseon Kwon. If every choir member in 2018 came to a single performance, we would number well over twenty-singers strong! I think our Christmas choir and the 100 worshipers on Christmas Day that enjoyed their musical offerings provided a wonderful way end 2018 with rejoicing!
Full pastoral disclosure, however, moves me to temper these and other awesome numbers, with a few more sobering statistics. Minnekirken experienced an overall drop in worship attendance of about 14% in 2018. The percentage of young children in church dropped even more. This was particularly diffi2
cult for me in that we’ve worked so hard at increasing our service to kids and their families over the past few years. Please persist with me in prayer over our worship priorities. As we plan for Lent and Easter, please pray that the hearts and minds of God’s people—young and old—would be stirred to make Minnekirken their hjem for sjelen—home for the soul! We know Logan Square can be a difficult place for many of our members and friends to regularly come to. Getting into the city can be quite the trek at times! But we truly appreciate the patience and effort of all who make that pilgrimage whether it’s every Sunday or occasionally. Please know your presence with us in worship is deeply encouraging! See you at Minnekirken, Pastor David Schoenknecht
Easter Greetings from Church President Bev Coyveau Erika's family store. This produced a significant income and we are very grateful.
It's hard to believe that we are writing about Easter and Spring coming after this Polar Vortex we experienced. Hope everyone survived unscathed.
Our friends at Logan Square Preservation have asked us to reach out for any old photos of We have had a busy year and have been openLogan Square and of the Norske Club. Please ing our doors to the community to bring more contact us if you have any photos that you people into the Church. It's important to grow would like to share. LSP works very hard in the the Church's presence in the neighborhood , which we neighborhood to beautify and preserve these wonderful have been successful in doing. Logan Square is one of the buildings, many that have a Norwegian influence. They fastest growing neighborhoods in Chicago. If you haven't are currently working on helping other Churches in the been here lately stop by and see what's going on. Stay area restore their stained glass windows, just as they did after service and explore one of the many new restaurants with us. We are thankful to have such great friends! in the area. The front of our Church is in need of tuckpointing. Our During our Open House Chicago in October, Steven J. Jalovely older building needs to be maintained and restored cobsen, the great grandson of Alfred Jacobsen visited Min- to its original glory. We are a real gem in the neighbornekirken with his family. They came to see the window hood and we have been doing a good job in keeping this that was dedicated to their great grandfather and decided up. This really says a lot about how our present and past to pay for the restoration of this beautiful window. What congregations has kept things going in these times of a blessing! I feel like divine intervention was at work many neighborhood churches closing. For example, the here! Many thanks to Steven and his family for this most Grace Church on the corner of Wrightwood and Kimball is generous donation. Pictures of their family are included in now on the market for sale. this article. Weather permitting this window will be reThere has been a change in the developers for the Grace moved and boarded up for four to six weeks while this is being restored. We will be taking pictures of the restora- Furniture building next door. The new developers, Blue tion process and final result. Star properties, want to reduce the number of hotel rooms and add a fifth floor banquet hall. We continue to Our annual Taste of Norway was a huge success! Many keep a close watch on this project to ensure that it does thanks to all of our bakers who diligently baked every Sat- not adversely affect our Church. urday for months to make this happen. We are so very thankful for our wonderful volunteers. Our beloved Harr It enriches my life to work with such wonderful people at sisters have been coming for years to participate. Also we Church. I am grateful for the opportunity to serve Minneappreciate Elizabeth Eikeland who bakes and makes beau- kirken and look forward to a successful 2019. tiful baskets for our raffle table. Sincerely, A special thanks to our Treasurer Matt Nygaard & his wife Beverly Covyeau Erika who donated wonderful Norwegian treasures from 3
Open House Chicago Brings in Descendants of Original Window Sponsor Last October 13, 2018, Steven Jacobsen was in town from California visiting family and suggested they take an outing to visit Minnekirken. He had recently heard stories from his father about one of the stained-glass windows in Minnekirken’s sanctuary that Steven’s great grandparents, Alfred and Elizabeth Jacobsen sponsored. Steven thought it would be fun to stop by and see what the church and its windows looked like from the outside as it was a Saturday and they certainly didn’t expect the church to be open. Well everyone was game for the adventure and off they went. As luck (or divine intervention) would have it, October 13 was Open House Chicago and Minnekirken was wide open and accepting visitors all day long! To their delight, Steven, et al., were able to get up close and personal with the Jacobsen window and subsequently learn about the church’s efforts to refurbish all of the stained glass that was installed over a century ago. In honor of his ancestors, Steven plans to sponsor the refurbishing of the Jacobsen window so that generations to come will be able to continue to enjoy this piece of familial treasure, hear its stories and honor those that have made it possible to keep it beautifully intact. Tusen takk igjen Jacobsen-familien!
Above: Three generations of Jacobsens: Steven, with daughter Jennifer and granddaughter Sydney Sequoia Alfred and Elizabeth were both born in Lyngdal, Norway and emigrated to the US at the turn of the last century. Alfred was a “finish” carpenter and, according to family history, cut and installed the crown molding in the Palmer House.
Left top: Mabel, Jorgen, Agnes, Edward, Stanely, Alfred, Magnus and Elizabeth
Hello from Kåre Lindemann to Norway. Guri and I took off in our little VW to New York where we boarded the “Bergensfjord” bound for Oslo.
In 1965, I – Kåre Lindemann at age 21 - had just finished engineering junior college in Oslo and headed for Illinois Institute of Technology to finish my B.Sc. Because Chicago was unknown to me, I looked for places where Norwegian immigrants had settled. I learned about the old Norwegian neighborhood of Logan Square, with Minnekirken, Chicago Norske Klub, and Normennenes Singing Society on Kedzie.
In Norway, I was hired by Det Norske Veritas, a ship classification society. I served many years in their research division and then management until I retired in 2009.
Mr. and Mrs. Lindemann with,
Guri and I had two daughters, in 1973 and 1975. She initially stayed home with the children until they finished grammar school and then worked at DHL until she retired in 2011.
Donna and Diane Odegard. At Minnekirken I was first recruited to teach Sunday School and later as “klokker”. For some time, I stayed with By now our girls are both married and blessed us with 7 wonPastor Alf Vik and his wife Lillian. In the spring of 1966, I attend- derful grandchildren. Although we lost contact with my best ed a party in Normennenes Singing Society and met a lovely man, Guri’s best maid Grethe also returned to Norway after Norwegian girl, Guri Ødegård, We were engaged in Norway in some 5 years in Chicago. The three of us came together on September 1968. Feb. 8, 2019 and celebrated our 50th wedding anniversary.
Commuting back and forth to IIT was tedious so I looked for an apartment on campus. But in order to move in, we had to be married. So, we had a great wedding in Minnekirken on Feb. 8, 1969. Guri’s grandfather Hallgrim Odegard led the bride to the altar, where I waited with my best man – Per Sandberg who worked at the Norwegian Consulate. Guri’s first maid was Grethe Kristiansen. We had a large reception with almost the whole congregation of Minnekirken in “festsalen”.
Searching the Web for Minnekirken brought back many good memories. I was so pleased to learn that Kari Dahl still was active in Minnekirken. She, her then three girls and her husband Alf, were very pleasant acquaintances during our stay in Chicago. I believe that their daughter Karena – who I had in Sunday School – also is active in Minnekirken. Best wishes to Minnekirken.
In 1970 I finished my graduate work at IIT and decided to return 4
A History of the 17th of May Celebration Every nation has a national day but probably very few of them are so enthusiastically and uniquely celebrated as May 17th.
contact details are often spoofs and the slogans are often jokes. There are several traditional songs that are sung and played by Norwegian orchestras and marching bands during the 17th of May. “Yes, We Love this Country”, “Norway in Red, White and Blue”, “The Song of the King ” and “Seventeenth of May I’m so Glad” are the favorite songs and commonly heard.
History—The 17th of May was established as a National Day in 1814 as the Constitution of Norway was signed in Eidsvoll, declaring Norway as an independent nation. However, Norway was under Swedish rule at that time and the Swedes believed that the celebration was a provocation against Sweden and the royal family. After several attempted celebrations, King Carl Johan forbade celebrating the day. This prohibition triggered a higher level of ambition towards Norwegian independence and consequently an enthusiastic crowd gathered to protest at the main square of Christiana (Oslo), this led to what is known as the Battle of the Square of 1829. The Swedish authorities reacted to this spontaneous public meeting but their actions only increased the resistance. Henrik Wergeland had a key role in this resistance movement and in the following years helped to transform the day into a celebration for the children rather than a day of patriotic pride.
May 17th is usually associated with hot dogs, soda and ice cream. However, the food often depends on where people reside -- salmon and trout are common near the sea and rivers, while in mountain villages, people may eat rømmegrøt og spekkemat (porridge and cured meat).
In Norway, it is common to wear a bunad at various celebrations such as folk dances, weddings and especially during the May 17th National Day celebrations. In recent years, bunad use has reached far outside folk dancing, folk music, and particular holidays. Now accepted as proper gala attire, it is increasingly common to see people, dressed in a bunad for other formal occasions. For instance, the former Norwegian foreign minister, During the 1860’s, 17th of May became more established and Thorvald Stoltenberg, made history by presenting his accreditathe first barnetog (children’s parade) was launched in Christiania tion as ambassador to Margrethe II of Denmark dressed in a (Oslo) in 1870, in a parade consisting of only boys. In 1899 girls bunad. were allowed to join in the parade for the first time. Despite all the enthusiasm during the celebrations, 17th of May has not always been a conflict-free day. On several occasions, certain immigrant groups wanted to carry their original countries’ flags along with the Norwegian flag but they were encountered with a fierce opposition and a ban on the public display of non-Norwegian flags. Facing this opposition, some municipalities abolished the ban based on the demand of certain immigrant groups. Similarly, it was only in 2007 that the Sámi Flag, which represents the Sámi people who are nationally recognized as indigenous to Norway, was allowed to be displayed in Oslo during 17th of May.
Originally the day focused only on the Norwegian constitution but after 1905, the focus had been directed also towards the royal family. Moreover, during the Second World War, the day was not publically celebrated due to German occupation. Children have a special role in the celebrations. The children’s parades consist of marching, waving home-made Norwegian flags and carrying school banners. Parades can also vary in size from a few dozen people in the villages to tens of thousands in Oslo. Children in Oslo pass the Royal Palace, where royal family members wave back from the balcony. Another significant tradition regarding 17th of May is the appearance of Russ students. Celebrated in Norway since 1905, the Russ celebration involves the graduating class of high school. Each year, around 40, 000 graduating high school students called “Russ” can be recognized with their Russ hats and uniforms. The traditional Russ celebration starts in spring and ends on the 17th of May, a day with much celebration for Russ students. The day is marked by Russ parties, Russ buses, Russ newspapers and Russ cards. Russ cards (russekort) are mock business cards that the Russ students (graduating student) hand out to anyone that asks for them. It contains a picture, contact details, and a slogan. Usually the picture is a funny picture or a drawing of the Russ, a picture of a celebrity, or just a funny picture in general. The names and 5
The Famous, Fantastic Story of Flatholmen By Lynn Sove Maxson Recently an interesting and sharing couple visited Minnekirken, Wes and Carolyn Kott. They brought family photos and stories from the unique flat island near Stavanger called Flatholmen which houses one of Norway’s 202 lighthouses. It was built in 1862. The unique history of the area and lighthouse can be found on http:// lokhistorie.sola.kommune.no/ TanangersMinne/flatholmen1.htm This sounds like something to add to your next trip to Norway! Wes started sharing the family history with us through photos. His great grandfather was the lighthouse keeper from 1886 – 1892. His mother told his wife Carolyn that they had famous relatives here. His parents had traveled there in the early ’80s. In 1989 he took his parents there.
The two sisters watching with terror, the drama not too far from their warm kitchen. Bertina and Ester react immediately. Closing the door on their youngest brother, they hurry down to the boat-house. After a hell of a job, they get a rowboat on the water. With blisters starting to develop in their small hands, they reach the spot where the sailboat overturned. They can only find one, the younger brother Ansgard and when they after a lot of work, get him in the boat, he is lifeless. After rowing for what seems an eternity, they reach the boathouse, get the unconscious kid ashore and try to bring him back to life. Earlier one of the smaller children had fallen into a swampy pond on the island and they had watched how their father had revived him. They started up by doing what their now dead father had done. During this work, they still remembered the duties of a lighthouse-keeper, so the light got lit. The sailors passing the island couldn’t have imagined the drama taking place on the island.
The famous, fantastic story is about a statue of two girls, Bertine and Ester, 12 and 15, they were to become known as “the two brave girls at the lighthouse”. They are Wes’s 2 great aunts. The beautiful statue was erect- The girls succeeded again and brought their brother back ed in “Habn” (the name of the oldest places Tananger.) in to life. Four frightened, fatherless, children alone on this 1990. dark and isolated island, and still, the light shines from the lighthouse. The next day they got the attention of “It all started on the morning of January 24, 1894. The some lobster fishermen and help was sent for. lighthouse-keeper's wife and one of the six children, a boy were going to Stavanger. The father thought this was Their story is spread all over many countries and is in the good training for the elder boys too, so he brought the 3rd grade reading two of them on the trip too. The weather wasn’t too book used by the bad and the kids needed practice maneuvering the schools in Norway." sailboat in rough weather. Left back on the island were In 2003 there was a the two oldest daughters, 12 and 15 years old and the youngest, a boy. After doing some shopping, the father family reunion of and his two sons Torvald and Ansgard, 10 and 8 years old, Wes’s family in Flatholmen. There left the safe harbor of Tananger and set sail for were 100 members Flatholmen. Passing the point “Tangen” he must have noticed the increased wind and bigger waves. Still, four present with 12 from of his children were left on the island and the light had to America. One man, be lit. After all, he had done this in worse weather than Lars Softestad, told this. Good training for his boys. Wes that he had relatives in America, The daughters followed their progress from the kitchen the great-grandson of window. A shower of hail approached the sailors, and Wes and Caroline Kott share pictures of the lighthouse, Wes’s amazing family history during gusts from that shower was big enough to capsize the grandson of the coffee hour in Minnekirken’s festsalen. little boat. All three fell into the freezing cold water. rescued boy!! 6
Another Logan Square Church Becomes a Gentrification Casualty Over the last 40 years, Chicago churches of all sizes and denominations have seen a precipitous drop in attendance and membership. As congregations shrink, some are closing the doors on houses of worship that have anchored neighborhoods for generations. Many of the old buildings, which are difficult and expensive to maintain, have fallen into disuse and disrepair, causing preservationists to scramble to save them from demolition. But a recent wave of developers snapping up neighborhood churches to convert into pricey private residences has preservationists and communities shifting their focus from saving the buildings to questioning how the former houses of worship are used in their next iterations. Logan Square Preservation President Andrew Schneider recently expressed dismay on Twitter about the conversion of the former Church of the Advent (2900 W Logan Blvd.) into pricey apartments – one tweet addressed the reuse of the church’s altar as a kitchen island.
representatives and the alderperson. We also will meet with the city Landmark Commission,” said Jean Dufresne, principal at Space Architects + Planners. Dufresne’s stance is that when churches close, and their original purpose is void, the primary reason to save them is for their historic and architectural value. While Schneider acknowledges that preserving the building’s street appearance is better than losing the building entirely, he said that churches’ role as community buildings make them a special case when considering their reuse. Back to that altar turned into kitchen island that some on Twitter found objectionable. Dufresne says the Episcopal Diocese left it behind – and argues that repurposing the altar saved it from a landfill. The Church of the Advent’s last treasurer, Todd van Alstyne, calls the reuse of the altar and other sacred objects “at best distasteful,” but he also blames the Episcopal Diocese for their treatment of the church. “Members of the congregation were informed that the building and all of its contents belonged to the diocese,” he said. “We had thought the diocese would have taken care to remove all sacramental furniture, memorial plaques, etc.
Schneider says that developers have an unfair edge in a gentrifying neighborhood like Logan Square when a small congregation owns a valuable piece of real estate. “In the case of Church of the Advent, if there wasn’t a strong market for developers for “When I was contacted by Andrew [Schneider] who told me that the diocese did not remove any of the sacramental furnithe building, would there have been a path to keep the doors ture, World War II memorial plaques and other memories left open and the congregation functioning? I think yes,” he said. by generations of parishioners, we frantically sprang into action But one of the architects behind the Church of the Advent pro- removing as much as we could,” he continued. “I asked the dioject points out that the input of community groups and officials cese why they did not remove anything. I was told it was too is sought out before changes are made. “In all of our religious expensive to do so.” conversions, we will have meetings with community groups and
Velkommen Alle Sammen! 9 a.m.- Telemark Rosemaling Class - contact the church office to 12 noon register for this class. See related article on page 8. Fri., April 19 7:00 p.m. Good Friday Service Sun. April 21 9:30 a.m. Easter Sunday Breakfast 11 a.m. Easter Celebration Service Sun., April 28 11 a.m. Fantastisk 4th with Sunday School Fri. May 17 6:30 p.m. 17th of May Concert Sun. May 19 12 noon Parade kick off (at Talcott and Cumberland Aves.) Banquet at Park Ridge Country Club honoring the 6 p.m. parade’s 2019 Grand Marshall…Minnekirken! Sat. April 6
Plate by Lorraine Straw
SCHEDULE NOTES: Every Sunday morning at 9:30 a.m. all are welcome to “Lean into the Lectionary” Bible study with Pastor All are welcome to attend weekly choir rehearsals beginning at 10:15 am before the regular service in preparation for Easter Festival Sunday and the Syttende Mai Concert. LOOKING AHEAD: Guest Pastor Dr. Kenneth Andresen - Sundays June 23, and 30 Guest Pastor Arne Ekra - Sundays July 7,14, and 21 VBS dates to be determined in August—watch bulletins and Facebook for details. 7
Greetings from the Norwegian National League! Happy Spring with all its joys: flowers, Easter, 17de mai! The NNL 17de mai celebration of the annual parade and banquet will be a same day event on Sunday, May 19th. The parade kick-off is at 1:00pm, with the banquet at 5:00pm. Each year the NNL delegates nominate organizations in our Norwegian community for their involvement in perpetuating our heritage. This year Minnekirken was invited and accepted the honor to serve as the Grand Marshal group! Church Board President Bev Covyeau will represent the church in both the parade and at the banquet. I hope you will attend the celebration, cheering on Minnekirken! For details, please refer to our website: nnleague.org
Telemark Rosemaling
Sincerely,
Lynn Sove Maxson
Barbra Kronborg-Mogil NNL President
Rosemaling is the cultural art of Norway. Each area has its own distinct style. This includes background colors, palette colors, motives and embellishments. Some styles include realistic motifs or symbols while others have creative fantasy designs.
Minnekirken is Named 2019 Parade Grand Marshall
Telemark is asymmetrical based on Rococo shells and C scrolls from the Greek acanthus vine. They grow into the "C" and "S" shapes of the style and there are fanciful flowers and tear drops coming from the root. The colors come from fall foliage in the mountains of Telemark mountains.
Every year since it’s founding in 1899, the Norwegian National League has honored an individual or organization with the title of “Grand Marshall” for the 17th of May parade. The honoree is a person or organization that best embodies, supports and promotes Norwegian traditions and culture through multiple means throughout the Chicagoland area. Past honorees include: Perry Straw (2013) Robert & Evy Alsaker (2006) Ray Nilsen (2002), Cy Wittrock(1993), Mette Spies (1990), Barney Jacobson (1991) and Rev. Talbert Ronning (1985). In the past they’ve also had Honorary Grand Marshalls such as Celeste Holm, Arlene Dahl and Orion Samuelson and Berit Brorby & Svein Ludvigsen of the Norwegian Parliament!
Minnekirken will be having a beginning Telemark class on April 6, from 9am to 12pm.
Tuckpointing, Windows, a Dishwasher and More In 2019 Minnekirken will need more tuckpointing (see picture, right) and structural work on the front of the church, a new commercial-grade (expensive) dishwasher (as we need to wash a lot of coffee cups around here in a very short period of time!) and more stained glass window refurbishing. The property insurance also increased 6.5% in the last year. Uff da.
We are delighted to announce that the 2019 honor will be bestowed on Minnekirken. Church President Bev Coyveau will lead the 2019 parade as well as offer words of welcome to those in attendance. We hope that Minnekirken’s members, friends and family will be able attend the parade on Sunday, May 19th in Hodges Park in Park Ridge to cheer us on as well as attend the NNL banquet at the Park Ridge Country Club where the honor will be bestowed.
Our small congregation is doing its best to maintain, but we could always use more help! If you are able to help, please use the enclosed envelope to send in your Easter donation. We have several options for making a donation electronically (even from Norway), so please contact the Treasurer, Matt Nygaard at treas.nlmc@gmail.com for more information.
Hip hip hurrah!
Tusen Takk! God Paaske! Og Velkommen alle sammen! 8
This is a story by Paul Harvey with acknowledgement to Rev. Harry Pritchett Jr.,director of All Saints Episcopal Church in Atlanta, who called Mr. Harvey's attention to...
A Boy Named Phillip
He was 9--in a Sunday school class of 8-year olds. Eight-year-olds can be cruel. The third-graders did not welcome Phillip to their group. Not just because he was older. He was "different." He suffered from Down's Syndrome and its obvious manifestations: facial characteristics, slow responses, symptoms of retardation. One Sunday after Easter, the Sunday school teacher gathered some of those plastic eggs that pull apart in the middle -- the kind in which some ladies' pantyhose were packaged. The Sunday school teacher gave one of these plastic eggs to each child. On that beautiful spring day each child was to go outdoors and discover for himself some symbol of "new life" and place that symbolic seed or leaf or whatever inside his egg. They would then open their eggs one by one, and each youngster would explain how his find was a symbol of "new life." So ... The youngsters gathered 'round on the appointed day and put their eggs on a table, and the teacher began to open them. One child had found a flower. All the children "oohed" and "aahed" at the lovely symbol of new life. In another was a butterfly. "Beautiful," the girls said. And it's not easy for an 8-year-old to say "beautiful". Another egg opened to reveal a rock. Some of the children laughed. "That's crazy!" one said. "How's a rock supposed to be like a new life?'". Immediately a little boy spoke up and said, "That's mine. I knew everybody would get flowers and leaves and butterflies and all that stuff, so I got a rock to be different." Everyone laughed. The teacher opened the last one, and there was nothing in it. "That's not fair," someone said. "That's stupid," said another. The teacher felt a tug on his shirt. It was Phillip. Looking up he said, "It's mine. I did it. It's empty. I have new life because the tomb is empty." The class fell silent. From that day on Phillip became part of the group. They welcomed him. Whatever had made him different was never mentioned again. Phillip's family had known he would not live a long life; just too many things wrong with the tiny body. That summer, overcome with infection, Phillip died. On the day of his funeral nine 8-year-old boys and girls confronted the reality of death and marched up to the altar -- not with flowers. Nine children with their Sunday school teacher placed on the casket of their friend their gift of love - an empty egg. After conducting a google search, Pastor David Schoenknecht came across the following from theAscent.pub...
3 Brilliant Norwegian Concepts That Will Make You Happier This kind of gratitude journaling is a great practice.
Friluftsliv – the fresh air life. It’s about “being exposed to nature and fresh air as a means for clearing up the thoughts. And studies have found that “Gratitude and mindfulness, beauty and serenity are inherent in nature. The silence of nature quiets the mind and offers a person the opportunity to get in touch with the core of the self.”
Finally, there’s something called Fredagstaco: Or Taco Friday’s. Believe or not in Norway that’s a thing. But it’s really more about having family rituals. Consistent, loving, gathering togethers. Certainly, church can be that too. The Norwegian cultural phenonema of Taco Friday’s is about knowing you have a place, a healthy home. Even rituals such as this can create connection, strengthen relationships, help you become happier, and bring both structure and meaning into your life.
Then there’s the hyttebok—the cabin book. This is “where you keep track of the good things in your life. All you have to do is think about a few things of you’ve experienced over the past days/week that you are grateful for.”
From: https://theascent.pub/3-brilliant-norwegian-concepts-that-will-makeyou-happier-293977e688de
Punography
I tried to catch some Fog. I mist. When Chemists die, they barium. Jokes about German sausage are the wurst. A soldier who survived mustard gas and pepper spray is now a seasoned veteran. I know a guy who’s addicted to brake fluid. He says he can stop any time. How does Moses make his tea. Hebrews it. I stayed up all night to see where the sun went. Then it dawned on me. This girls said she recognized me from the vegetarian clubs, but I never met herbivore. I’m reading a book about anti-gravity. I can’t put it down. I did a theatrical performance about puns. It was a play on words.
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They told me I had type A blood, but it was a Type O. A dyslexic man walks into a bra. Why were the Indians here first? They had reservations. Class trip to the Coca-cola factory I hope there’s no pop quiz. Energizer Bunny arrested: Charged with battery. I didn’t like my beard at first. Then it grew on me. What do you call a dinosaur with an extensive vocabulary? A thesaurus. When you get a bladder infection, urine trouble. What does a clock do when it’s hungry? It goes back four seconds. I wondered why the baseball was getting bigger. Then it hit me! Broken pencils are pointless.
Nytt Fra Norge The Norwegian Film Institute pays over NOK 47 million NOK (5.5 million USD) to get James Bond 25 to be filmed in Norway, through the state incentive scheme. It is the largest award for an international production ever, writes NRK. Bond 25 is the working title of the twenty-fifth film in the James Bond series produced by EON Productions for Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer. Like several previous films, Bond 25 will feature actor Daniel Craig in his fifth and final performance as James Bond. The film has a projected release date of 14th February 2020.
tek said that the large-scale defense games send a “very simple message. We are ready, and we are capable to meet any possible security threat coming to our NATO borders,” he said to VOA. NATO said the exercise is not an act of aggression, and the exercise’s commander said the alliance has invited Russia to observe.
The Norwegian cheese Fanaost was named as the world’s best cheese during the World Cheese Awards in Bergen, writes NRK. A total of 3,472 cheeses from all over the world participated in the competition to become the world’s best. Fanaost, according to the manufacturer, Half of all passenger cars sold in Norway in 2018 were ei- Ostegården, is a mild, round and semi-solid cheese that ther electric or hybrids — a world record, according to the resembles Gouda, made from pasteurized cow milk. Also Norwegian Road Federation. Even though Norway is one the silver medal in the prestigious competition went to of the world’s biggest oil producer and owes its richness to another Norwegian cheese. Genuine brown goat cheese importing oil, the country sets an exemplary world record from Stordalen Gardsbruk in Tinn shares the silver medal in shifting to sustainable energy solutions. The country with a French cheese. A truly global cheese event, the ambitiously plans to end sales of all gasoline-powered cars World Cheese Awards has been bringing together by 2025. In 2013, only 6% of the cars sold in the country cheesemakers, retailers, buyers, consumers and food were all-electric or plug-in hybrids. By 2017, Norway has commentators worldwide for over three decades. become the top-ranked country for electric-car sales with almost 40%. The top-selling car in Norway in 2018 was the Bergen municipality has taken a new approach to help electric Nissan Leaf. young people with psychological challenges and employed their first “street psychologist”. According to NRK’s reIn his New Year’s speech, King Harald focused on how im- port, Bergen’s first street psychologist Vilja Skårset walks around the city center to make contact with young people portant it is to respect each other and Norway is still a country where we can freely express ourselves, think and with different needs. She is looking for young people with special problems in their daily lives, but is also available to believe. He referred to Solomon’s proverb in the Bible: “Above all else, guard your heart, for it is the wellspring of those who just want to chat. Trauma, anxiety and depreslife.” Some excerpts from his speech…”We can guard our sion are the most common problems the young people tell heart by being friendly to each other. By conducting a re- about. Skårset notes that many of those they meet on the spectful conversation despite disagreement.” He also add- streets struggle with substance abuse. There are young ed a smile can make a difference to a person you meet on people who do not seek help themselves. That’s why the the street. He noted that Norway is built on the ability to offer with an easy-to-reach psychologist on the street is so compromise, whether it is in the family, the schoolyard, at important. work or in politics. “Being able to live well together despite differences and disagreements is perhaps one of the Easter 2019 Kontakt Kontributors… most important things to preserve, both in our close relaPr. David Schoenknecht tions, in Norway and in the world”, King Harald said. Lynn Sove Maxson Bev. Coyveau Kari Diesen-Dahl Barbra Kronborg-Mogil
About 50,000 NATO personnel from 31 NATO and partner countries have come to Norway to join Trident Juncture Exercise. The exercise is NATO’s largest drill since the end of the Cold War. The massive exercise involves about 65 ships, 250 aircraft and 10,000 vehicles. Talking to VOA, NATO’s Command Senior Enlisted Leader for Allied Command Operations, Command Sgt. Maj. Davor Pe-
If you want to touch the past, touch a rock. If you want to touch the present, touch a flower. If you want to touch the future, touch a life. —Author Unknown 10
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