For the remainder of 2009, benevolence payments to the Synod have been suspended in order to meet basic internal financial obligations. Benevolence is money that goes to support ministry to the Synod and to the entire ELCA for helping others in ways that we could not accomplish by ourselves alone. It is a partnership that we have committed to. Reaching out beyond our selves in faith is a mark of a healthy congregation.  As a congregation, we strongly believe in the need and commitment of our benevolence to the Synod. The special recommendations committee and the congregational Council recommend asking each family to make one $50.00 contribution beyond their regular giving to the church for the purpose of benevolence. Are you able to help out in this area of giving? If so, please make sure you note this special congregational giving as “benevolence” on your envelope or check.

Grace and peace to you from our Lord and Savior, Jesus the Christ.

I have been thinking about children lately, and how wonderful it is that we have so many ways for children of this congregation and the community to live and to grow. And more is on the horizon….a high school youth group active through out the community is developing, a nursery to serve families of our youngest members of this Worshipping community is being considered.

Mark 10:14 Jesus said, “Let the little children come to me, and do not hinder them, for the kingdom of heaven belongs to such as these.” 

I am excited to see the fall season under way here at Norway Grove! Seeing children in the Sunday School classrooms while learning about God’s love for them, and participating in Kings Kids and Confirmation, and having so many adults engaging in their faith journeys by teaching others, is truly heart warming. Thank you to everyone who is making the teaching of our children a priority.

The gates of heaven are open to us all through the eyes of our children. I want to thank everyone who supports the youth of this congregation in any way.

It is right to embrace children into the Church, to learn right along with them, and to give them the space, the nurture, and the support to begin their own journeys of faith.

Mark 9:37 “Whoever welcomes one of these little children in my name welcomes me; and whoever welcomes me does not welcome me but the one who sent me.” 

We welcome God into our midst when we welcome our children into the Church. It is good to know, isn’t it, that God is welcomed in many ways into the Church. Through Worship, through leadership, through participating in groups and activities for Christian fellowship and learning, through serving others, and by allowing others to serve us, Christ is made known.

John 1:12 Yet to all who received him, to those who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God– 

We welcome children. We welcome adults, we welcome and give thanks to those who have been around long enough to raise several generations into the faith. All of us are in this together as we struggle to determine our place, the mission to which God calls us all, and how God will use us on this day in this place.

All of us are children of God, no matter what our age is, our needs are, or our gifts are. Look around. See how you can assist others in making Norway Grove a successful place in a loving and uplifting way. Be bold in sharing your gifts. Together, beloved children of God, God’s Kingdom will come to us all.

Mark 10:16 And he took the children in his arms, put his hands on them and blessed them. Thanks be to God! 

Pastor Kathy

Saturday, October 3^rd, 6:00 p.m.

Who:     Norway Grove Youth - Grades 2 to 12

Where:  Norway Grove Memorial Lutheran Church

When:   Check-in is at 6:00 pm in the sanctuary. 2^nd through 4^th grade students are invited to stay until 10:00 pm. Students in 5^th through 12^th grade can choose to stay overnight for a lock-in, or be picked up by parents at 10:00 pm.

Event Details:  Captive Free, a group of young adults who minister throughout the U.S., will assist Norway Grove’s Youth Leaders in guiding our kids though a faith-encouraging program of music, testimonies, and group-building activities. Those who stay overnight will have breakfast provided and should plan to attend the Sunday morning 8:00 a.m. service together.

So mark your calendars, tell your friends, and plan to join us for an evening of friendship, faith, and fun!

Contact:  For more details, contact Jill Buchheim.

As part of continuing education, and doing my part to make Norway Grove the best place that I can help it to be, I have enrolled in a program through Meriter Hospital to receive one unit of Clinical Pastoral Education over the next six months.One day per week will be clinical work. One other day will be seminars, group learning, and education. CPE, as it is called, is a combination of theological study, psychological learning about who I am, and the Spiritual component all around us.

My focus will not only be a self study, but how I can best serve the congregation with the gifts God has given me. You can expect me to be easily available all day Monday, Wednesday and Friday, as well as Tuesday and Thursday evenings, and Sundays. At all times I am available for emergencies, so please call me when you have an emergency. The office number is 846-9711. (Home and cell numbers are available by calling the church office)

“To the Glory of God, I believe I am called….. to the measure of the full stature of Christ.”    –Ephesians 4:12The winds of change come with fall, and before we know it, we will be dealing with noticeably shorter days and raking leaves in our yards. If only summer could last a little longer……well, it can only last longer if we decide to pick up and move south.Life in the church changes in the fall as well as the weather. We look forward to welcoming you back for programming this September!In worship, too, there will be some changes. For the first six weeks of the fall season, we will have a sermon series that will lead up to “Grow One Sunday”, October 18^th.  (This is our consecration Sunday theme this year.) “Powersurge” is the name of the book we will be using to shape the series.We have been talking for quite some time of how to jump start the congregation. Powersurge really is an invitation to serious faith, and how a commitment to discipleship for God’s people releases the power of the Holy Spirit in people, in the ministries and in the mission of the church. The book is also available for you to study this fall. The author, Rev. Mike Foss, talks about developing power in the congregation to do ministry. It is a discipleship model. The disparity is growing between the life and ministry in the congregation and the real lives of people in our society. With God’s help, nothing is impossible. It is not business as usual in the church. Something needs to change for us to be effective in today’s age and circumstances with the power of the Gospel that is still so needed in our lives and in the life of people in the world. It is exciting! It is a road map for going where we have wanted to go for a long time now.For six weeks, we will look at a different mark of discipleship. Six ways in which we strive to attend to our faith journey.September 13^th Weekly Worship - “Nourished and Strengthened for Life”September 20^th Bible Reading - “The Bible as Central to Our Lives”September 27^th Prayer - “Lord, Teach Us to Pray”October 11^th Giving - “Who is the True Giver of Our Abundance?”October 18^th Grow One Sunday   October 25^th Spiritual Friendships - “Growing Spiritually Strong and Confident in God’s Love”November 1^st Service - “Affirming Discipleship in all of Life, Not just Life in the Church”Come and check it out. Join us on this incredible journey this fall! God’s peace and blessings to you as you prioritize and prepare for your activities this fall.

Pastor Kathy

And We Don’t Where They Have Laid Him.” 

Perhaps you can help? Where is Jesus anyway? Is He in your heart? Is He some stranger that you hear about, but you just can’t figure out where He is? Who has the answers? Where is God when I need him? And the Holy Spirit?

Unfortunately, when distractions happen within a church body, like disagreements, anger, mistrust,  disappointments, we sometimes lose our faith. That is exactly what Satan wants. You can be sure he is at work in the church, and the only way to be rid of that evil force, is to “turn your eyes upon Jesus.”  That is where healing begins.Many churches have lost their focus, and forgotten what the church is really about. For a while, that happened here. People were hurt, and unfortunately, either went someplace else, or decided that the church wasn’t any different than any other place. Love and forgiveness got lost, Jesus and His Word got lost, and prayer.Why do we celebrate the resurrection of Jesus? For this reason: We believe that Easter is not just something that happened to Jesus, but something that can happen to all who believe and trust in Jesus. What happened to Jesus can happen to His followers. Our lives can be transformed. Through the power of the Spirit, we who trust in Him and believe in Him, share in His resurrected life. It was resurrection power that caused the church to grow from a handful of disciples to a movement that changed the mid-eastern world in a few decades.That kind of power is there for us. Are we ready to grasp it? Did Jesus do all the work? No, he walked with the disciples and sent them forth. Not one, but twelve. Those disciples taught more, and His followers grew.Are we at Norway Grove ready to grow spiritually, so that we can change, and grow together? God made us all different and unique for a reason. I might walk with someone and they can grow, but you can walk with someone, and it can make a difference. Will you make a choice to join in a spirituality walk to find where they have lain our Jesus? Tell us your “dream,” what kind of commitment do you want to make? All those who might not believe that you can make a difference, believe that God can.It does not matter if you haven’t opened a Bible for 20 years. There is always something to learn. The more I learn, the more I want to learn. There is nothing more exciting than walking with Jesus. Ask Him to be in your heart, ask Him to walk with you.  There’s a song that goes, “My God and I, we walk the fields together. We walk and talk as good friends should and do.” That is so true. That is called abundant life. “Watch and pray!” God invites us to play in the orchestra (meaning, doing His work.) God is like a conductor. We have all been given a part of the symphony to play. When we are all playing our part, it is a great and grand symphony that brings glory to the conductor, and much joy to us. We are doing what we were created for. Many people are just putting in time at work and living for the weekends. Those who are playing their part in the symphony enjoy each day.We invite you to invite your friends and neighbors to come with you to this church home. We have  invitations ready for you, with what is happening at Norway Grove. Let us all make this orchestra great and beautiful by every member working together. Let’s grow some interest groups and learn together about God’s word. We can be God’s army. We are all called to his mission. Thanks be to God for you! Step forward and volunteer, or participate. We are all given gifts. If you are good at something, say, “Here I am, Lord. Is it I, Lord?”

- Betty Olson

Step by step, in perhaps small ways, the connection with our companion synod, the Northern Evangelical Lutheran Church in India, (NELC), is growing. One of the goals currently being fostered is the connection between young people here in the United States and in India. I wanted to share our recent experience in this venture. Our synod was fortunate enough to invite a young person from India to attend the Church-wide Youth gathering in New Orleans in July, and have it come to fruition. Martin Handsdak, the son of a pastor from our companion synod, was selected by the NELC to participate in this adventure. Several local congregations, along with Sugar Creek Bible Camp, participated in hosting Martin while he spent time here in Wisconsin. Norway Grove Memorial Lutheran Church combined with Christ Lutheran Church in DeForest to attend the Youth Gathering, so we invited him to spend time in  DeForest, living with the Hoffman family from Christ Lutheran Church, along with their 5 children, (three of which attended the gathering, along with both parents, Kent and Julie). Tom and Will Hewuse, Michelle Cesario, and I who are the four from Norway Grove that went on the trip to New Orleans, were able to spend time getting to know him here in Wisconsin, as well as in New Orleans.In October of 2007, on the last Synod trip to the NELC, unbeknownst to me at the time, I had met Martin’s father at the recording studio located in the Mission Compound. In fact, Martin’s father took us on a most fabulous field trip up into the mountains of India, where we were able to witness the great work God is doing in reaching out to people there with the Good News of Jesus Christ. With connections already forming between the NELC and the South Central Synod of and my connection and participation in the companion synod team, it was a natural fit to want to get to know Martin.The first time I met Martin in New Orleans, I got out my camera. There just happened to be some pictures still stored there from the trip to his home. Being a bit home sick, and culturally way out of his normal routine, it was a pleasure to see his face light up when I showed him pictures of his home town, the Mission house, his friends, and even his father at the recording studio. The connection was made.

Our group of young people bonded very well with Martin. We worshipped together, played together, ate together, and even went on a swamp tour together. Memories of our connecting will be around for along time. What delightful young man and wonderful experience to share each others culture and faith in Jesus Christ. By the time he left New Orleans, there were hugs enough to go around and tears in our eyes. Talk of how to meet again was of interest.  Perhaps now, some youth will travel to India, so see where Martin lives, and the connection will grow even deeper?

I must take care of my own needs, I must survive.Another barrier to generosity may be our insistence that we have to hold tight to what we have or we will simply not survive. It is interesting to analyze what we deem necessary for survival. If you started a list, what would be on it?In the story of the Prodigal Son, (Luke 15:11-32), there was a time when the younger son thought he would be better off in a distant country. He took his share of his father’s wealth and went away. There he   squandered his property in dissolute living. He then hired himself out to feed pigs in the field. His despair was so great that he discovered the cornhusks in the pig troughs were really all he needed for survival.Has there been a time in your life when you discovered the minimum necessary for survival? How long have you carried this list in your head? Many American families remember the Great Depression. This was a time when many people learned to live on the bare necessities. There simply was not much available, and       survival from one season to the next was often a struggle. While most people recovered from this experience,  the understanding of bare necessities and survival have guided their understanding of generosity.Giving is sometimes done begrudgingly, not because of present blessings, but because of past struggles. How has your understanding of generosity changed through God’s blessings?Prayer: O God of abundance, remind me what it means to have the bare necessities. Remind me also that you  provide for my survival. As you grant me blessings, help me not to judge my generosity by the circumstances of the past, but by your present blessings. Amen. The money Leadership devotion is developed by the Evangelical Outreach and Congregational Mission Unit of the ELCA