Normandale Lutheran Church Foundation

For full information about Normandale Lutheran Church Foundation please visit our site: www.normluth.org/foundation

Stewardship:

Mitch Albom is an author, playwright, journalist, and screenwriter who has written six books, including the international best seller, Tuesdays with Morrie, the bestselling memoir of all time. His newest book, Have a Little Faith, is also a personal memoir in which he describes his relationship with an eighty-two-year old Rabbi from his hometown who asks him to deliver his eulogy. Feeling unworthy to deliver the eulogy for this man of God, Albom insists on understanding him better. He visits and spends time with this Rabbi (whom he calls ‘Reb’ in the book) over an eight year period leading up to the Rabbi’s eventual death. Albom’s moving eulogy is written on the last pages of the book.

As I was reading Albom’s memoir over the holidays, I was also working with our Normandale Lutheran Church Foundation Board in making final plans for the Foundation’s seventh annual celebration brunch on January 9. One of my roles on the agenda that day would be to stand up and introduce the new Normandale Evangelical Lutheran Church Legacy Society. I now believe it wasn’t an accident that I was reading Mitch Albom’s book while preparing my brief remarks. Mitch Albom’s book provided a beautiful description of what this Legacy Society is all about. Let me share with you a few excerpts that illustrate what I mean.

Mitch shared another observation and lesson from ‘Reb.’ “That when a baby is born, the baby, not knowing any better, wants to grab everything as if to say the whole world is mine. But when an old person dies, they die with their hands open having learned the lesson we can take nothing with us.”

And finally an answer to this question. “Reb, what do people fear most about death?” He leaned forward and whispered, “Being Forgotten; to think that you died and no one will remember you.” The Reb called it ‘the second death.’

And so, on Saturday morning January 9, 2010, I was privileged in my role as Normandale Foundation Administrator, to stand and introduce the first members of the Normandale Evangelical Lutheran Church Legacy Society. A group of Normandale individuals and families has made a commitment to leave the Normandale Foundation a gift from their estate in order to preserve, protect, and enhance the mission and core ministries of our Church for future generations long after they are gone. The members of our Body of Christ called Normandale know that every blessing they have in this life belongs to God, that when they die they can take nothing with them, and who will never have to fear ‘the second death.’

I’m pleased to report to you that over the past year we have received 52 Legacy Gift commitments that thus far total over $3.1 million! This money will be used to support a variety of programs that include Normandale Church annual ongoing operations, the Normandale Foundation’s annual funding of new programs or ministry expansions, or our five core ministry endowment funds. I’ve published in this newsletter a list of our new Legacy Society. Please consider joining this growing group of Church members who want to ‘keep the light of Christ on’ for future generations of our Church. If you would like to learn more about becoming a member of the Legacy Society, contact Bill Marsella at 952-929-1697, ext 12 or bill@normluth.org.

Yours in Christ,

William Marsella,
Director of Stewardship & Development

bill@normluth.org

Who are the members of the Legacy Society?

Legacy Society members have made provisions to leave gifts from their estates to support the funding of Normandale ministries for future generations. If you would like to learn more about becoming a member of the Legacy Society, please contact Bill Marsella at 952-929-1697, ext. 12, or at bill@normluth.org.