"This coming Sunday, of course, is Mother's Day. We will celebrate mothers and all the women who have offered us love and nurture in our lives. It is also the 75th anniversary of the first gathering of the congregation that would become Normandale Lutheran Church -- they gathered on Mother's Day in 1950. It's also a day when we will dedicate the memorial wall in Trinity Commons..."

Preaching

Pastor Hans Lee

Music

Cherub Choir, Children's Choir

Scripture

Acts 9: 36-43; Revelation 7:9-17; Psalm 23, John 10:22-30

At the conclusion of Sunday's worship service, the pastors will lead a procession out to Trinity Commons for a brief dedication of our memorial wall next to the columbarium. Weather permitting, following the dedication will be our typical hospitality time with coffee and donuts outdoors.

We are so excited to welcome these new members that were welcomed int our Normandale community this past Sunday, May 4th:



Jonathan Aller

Amber, Pete, Xavier & Archer Amundson

Zachary Hansberger

Jacob, Kelsey, Henry, Alice & Peter Hollins

Lucy Fisk & Dominic Mak

A Shift in Focus

As we continue to commemorate our 75th anniversary, you will notice that some of the elements that we celebrate shift in their area of focus. We have dwelled on our relationship with worship and faith and community formation. Now we sit with the celebration of how our leadership has developed over these past 75 years.

Grab your families, loved ones, and maybe a few friends, and come enjoy a delicious dinner in the middle of your week!

Only two community meals left: our last community meal until fall will be Wednesday, May 14!

For anyone 16 and over, these meals will only be $8! For our younger friends ages 3-15, it'll only $5, and 3 and under are free.

Here's the menu for tonight -- Wednesday, May 7:

• Chicken shawarma
• Potatoes
• Cucumber salad
• Kale salad
• Beets
• Pita
• Hummus
• Fresh fruit
• Fresh baked cookies

May 1, 2025

Dear Members of Normandale Lutheran Church,

I am writing with news of my plans to retire from the Director of Worship and Music position, effective November 23, 2025. With thanksgiving to God through our Savior Jesus Christ, and the Holy Spirit, I will complete a 40-year career in church music.

When I came to Normandale in the fall of 2021 as interim organist, and subsequently assumed the full-time Director of Worship and Music position after retiring from the faculty at Luther College in June of 2022, it was with my own understanding, and that of church leadership, that my tenure at Normandale would not be a long one. I set out to create a new combined choral director and organist role and to re-establish strength in the choirs and overall music ministry in the wake of the COVID 19 pandemic. Much of this work and re-organization is now in place, and with the change in lead pastor forthcoming, it is the right time for Normandale to build a pastor-musician team that will carry the ministry into the future. I am also ready for less commitment as I move ahead after an extensive career in academic and church work. It has been extremely rewarding, and my time here at Normandale has been a fabulous, welcoming, and spirit-led capstone to my career. For that I am most grateful!

As to next steps, a Worship and Music Transition Committee is being created to finalize a job description and lay the groundwork for a search to find a new, full-time Director of Worship and Music once a new lead pastor is in place. Council President Alison Pence will chair this new committee and I intend to be fully available during this time to assist in the process as needed and desired. After the summer when I will be away for two months, I look forward to launching another choir season, and to participating in the concluding events of Normandale’s 75th anniversary year that will include a hymn festival on November 9.

I hold this congregation in the highest regard and pray for its future as a beacon in our community, synod and beyond. The future, indeed, is very bright! In this season of new life and always, God walks with us!

With faithfulness and love,

Dr. Gregory Peterson

Director of Worship and Music

Coming up after worship on Sunday, May 18, Pastor Hans will meet with us in Fellowship Hall to offer perspective on what it was like to be the church at the epicenter of the 2020 uprising (Calvary Lutheran, located one block south of George Floyd Square), and what this experience has taught him about being the Church beyond walls. 

What can we learn? Our Racial Justice & Equity Team (RJET) will be providing an opportunity for both questions and discussion.

For additional context, we also invite you to read / review Ashes to Action, a book by Calvary Lutheran church member Shari Seifert, as well as recent PBS documentary Religion, Racism and Reconciliation featuring local speakers including Pastor Hans himself.

Come Worship with Us Out at Trinity Commons!

The Normandale Center for Healing & Wholeness is celebrating 25 years of serving seniors and their caregivers in the southwest metro and we invite you to celebrate with us!

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This special event will be hosted by KARE11's Emmy award-winning journalist and caregiver advocate Karla Hult, featuring lunch, a keynote presentation by Nick Buettner, VP of Community Engagement at the Blue Zones organization, friends and founders from the past, and more!

Enjoy entertainment and refreshments as you peruse our silent auction, connect with friends, play the wine wall, and more!

To Find out more, go to normandalecenter.org/25thanniversary.

Agenda

11:30 am – Noon | Arrival + Check-In

12:00 Noon | Welcome Remarks, Karla Hult of KARE11

12:10 - 12:30 pm | Lunch

12:30 - 1:30 pm | Introduction + Keynote Speaker,

Nick Buettner of the Blue Zones

1:30 - 2:00 pm | Get Involved!

Serving the Community One Meal at a Time

Receive Meals: Choice, Convenience, Flexibility

Meals on Wheels is here for anyone who can benefit from home-delivered meals with a focus on older adults and people with disabilities. Want help cooking or a break from doing it? Recovering from an illness or injury? Give Meals on Wheels a try today.

Volunteer: Deliver Nutrition and Independence

Looking for volunteer opportunities in the Minneapolis / St. Paul metro area that truly make a difference? Consider volunteering with Meals on Wheels. Deliver meals during the lunch hour and know that you’re helping provide nutritious food and social connection to your neighbors.

Contact Lori Olson via email or phone today to see how you can help!

Check Out What's Coming In the Weeks Ahead...

Last Second Wednesday until fall!

Cherub Choir

MEETS TONIGHT (5/7) from: 5:00 - 5:45pm

Children's Choir

MEETS TONIGHT (5/7) from: 6:00 - 6:45pm

Normandale Choir

MEETS NEXT WEEK (5/14) from: 6:30 - 8:00pm

Normandale Bells

MEETS TOMORROW (5/8) from: 5:45 - 6:45pm

Regular CYF Wednesday Programming

End-of-Year Party NEXT Wednesday, May 14

Come together to celebrate the end of the programming year!

All grades 5th-12th and families are all invited from 6:45-7:45pm into the back parking lot and Trinity Commons for treats, games, and time outside!

Come with Us to MOA on May 18!

Last travel offsite will be Sunday, May 18 evening to do something new together! Each event will begin at 7:00pm and cost $35.00 per participant.

Register before May 11 to save your spot!

Get Signed Up for Summer!

Come Volunteer with Us at VBS!

Anyone in 5th grade or older is eligible to volunteer for VBS!

This year, we explore God as our compass at TRUE NORTH and we need your help! We are looking for crew leaders, station assistants, snack makers, decorators, and more.

Tell us how you can help when you sign up. Volunteers receive a t-shirt for the week, get a snack each day, can be paired with a buddy, and get to form relationships with fun kids!