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

"This coming Sunday, we have got the risen Jesus showing up... as he does so often in this Easter season. So we... are going to take a look at what does it mean when the risen Christ tells you that the person you fear... the person you don't want to be on your neighbor list... is on your neighbor list?"

Preaching

Pastor Maria Pederson

Music

Normandale Choir, Edina High School Brass Trio

Scripture

Acts 9:1-6 [7-20]; Revelation 5:11-14; Psalm 30, John 21:1-19

Acts 9

Join other like-minded members of our community to discuss how we will shape faith and community formation in 2026 and beyond.

Jim Meffert will lead the group in conversation that will help us determine where our energies lie and build consensus around possible next steps.

A light supper will be served during the 3-hour session. In order for us to prepare the amount of food that we will need, please register today to attend. All members ages 15 and up are invited!

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 next week -- Wednesday, May 7:

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

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!

​​

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!

Join the National Lutheran Choir for our spring concert: Healing for our Future, an honest yet hopeful exploration of the impact of gun violence on school communities. Presented alongside Cantus, St. Michael-Albertville High School Concert Choir, and Westminster Presbyterian Church Choir, this finale of our season seeks to unite communities in fostering healing, reducing harm, and building a safer future.

The highlight of this concert will be a World Premiere of a new piece by Melissa Dunphy titled “There is a Way,” Adapting text from Proverbs 14, Dunphy's new work emphasizes that "there is a way to wisdom and understanding," and that those who do good will find peace and uplift nations. In addition to Dunphy’s premiere, the program will feature a carefully curated repertoire that speaks to grief, healing, and hope. Selections include Requiem by Joshua Clausen, Samuel Barber’s Agnus Dei, and Mark Miller’s I Choose Love. 

Through music, poetry, and a post-concert talk-back, Healing for Our Future aims to inspire solidarity and hopeful determination for a better future. This event is open to all who wish to be part of this vital conversation.

Join the National Lutheran Choir for this program at Central Lutheran Church in Minneapolis, on Sunday, May 4th at 4pm. 

Adults and Seniors: $35 | Students: Pay what you can | 18 and Under: Free

Discounts for groups of 10+! Call the NLC office at 612-722-2301 for group tickets.

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!

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 Prayers for Peace until fall will be THIS Tuesday, May 6!

Join us in our chapel every Tuesday morning for a simple and timely service of piano, prayer, and reflection.

Last WWBS for the season will be on THIS Wednesday, May 7!

Bring your Bible; topical study guides for $10 per copy. 

Also available via livestream on our Facebook page.

Cherub Choir

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

Children's Choir

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

Normandale Choir

MEETS WEDNESDAY (5/7) from: 6:30 - 8:00pm

Normandale Bells

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

Sunday School End-Of-Year Party

Regular CYF Wednesday Programming

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!