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Charter Members of Normandale Hylands Church

In 1962 the Board of Missions of the Evangelical United Brethren Church purchased property on Normandale Boulevard in Bloomington, MN.  This was the last mission church started by the EUB Church in Minnesota before it merged with the Methodist Church to form the United Methodist Church in 1968.  Pastor Wayne Abdella and his family moved to Bloomington in June of 1967 and began seeking out a congregation for this church.

By September the future members of Normandale Hylands Church were meeting at the parsonage.  In October 1967, the first formal meeting of the church was held at Olson Elementary School.  There were fifteen families.

On December 3, 1967, thirty-six charter members joined.  They used a portable pulpit and folding chairs.  Sunday School classes and the nursery met in the halls of the school.  At the end of every worship service everything had to be put away.

On December 2, 1968, groundbreaking for the new church building began, and by October 1969, the new building was ready.  On a bright sunny day, all the church families formed a car caravan to the new church.  On November 16, 1969, the building was consecrated.

Background photography by Randy Dop

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Phone: 615-369-2334     Fax: 615-369-2330