Norwegian Lutheran Memorial Church (Minneapolis)

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Coordinates: 44°57′43″N 93°15′36″W / 44.961997, -93.259978 The Norwegian Lutheran Memorial Church of Minneapolis (Norwegian Den Norske Lutherske Mindekirke), better known as Mindekirken, is a Lutheran church in Minneapolis in the U.S. state of Minnesota. It is one of two American churches still using Norwegian as a primary liturgical language, the other being Minnekirken in Chicago, Illinois.[1]

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[edit] History

The congregation of Mindekirken was formed in 1922 in response to the rapid abandonment of Norwegian in favor of English among Norwegian Lutheran churches at that time.

The Norse-American Centennial Celebration that was held in Saint Paul, Minnesota in 1925 to commemorate the 1825 arrival of the Norwegian immigrant ship Restaurationen helped provide the impetus for a "memorial" church to be built to house the new congregation. Mindekirken was finally dedicated on May 4, 1930.

[edit] Mission

Mindekirken's mission statement reads: "To serve as a spiritual center for the Scandinavian American Community, worshiping in both Norwegian and English. To be a warm and inviting place for visitors and members alike, where people join in fellowship across different ages and cultural backgrounds. To encourage activities such as Leiv Eriksson International Festival, Syttende Mai Celebration, concerts, festive dinners and language classes."

[edit] External links

[edit] References

  1. ^ Grodahl Biever, Joe (2004). "The Founding of Mindekirken" University of Minnesota.