We will be studying Luther’s Catechism on Wednesdays during Lent.  Come for Soup at 6:00 p.m.  (If you have a favorite soup that you would like to share with Norway Grove, there is still time to sign up on a sign-up sheet on the usher’s table!)  Worship at 7:00 p.m., for about ½ hour. 

On February 17^th, Ash Wednesday started with Confession and the Forgiveness of Sins, along with the Imposition of Ashes and Holy Communion. 

February 24^th Topic was the 10 Commandments. The 8^th graders provided a skit for us on this evening called “Foundations”. Pastor Kathy’s reflection was on “Fear and Trust.”

March 3                Apostle’s Creed                                                Reflection     “I Believe”    by pastor Kathy

March 10             The Lord’s Prayer                            Veronica Eicher, Lay School participant, will be giving us

the message this evening.

March 17             Baptism                                               We have two baptisms this evening! 

Reflection “Baptized by God himself” by pastor Kathy

March 24             The Sacrament of the Altar          With Holy Communion this evening.

                                                                                                Reflection “God’s Standard” by pastor Kathy     

Holy Week

April 1                   Maundy Thursday                           With Holy Communion

7:00 p.m.                                             Message “What would you do if you knew this was your

                                                                Last Day on Earth?” by pastor Kathy

April 2                   Good Friday                                       Service of Light and Darkness Tenebrae Service

                                7:00 p.m.                                             Message “Behold the Life-giving Cross” by pastor Kathy

April 4                   Easter Festival Worship                 All services with Holy Communion           

                                Sunrise Service at 6:00 a.m.         Message “Why do You Look for the Living among the

Worship at 8 and 10:00 a.m.        Dead” by pastor Kathy

— Laura Simpson volunteered to be a co-superintendant of the Sunday School starting with the 2010 school year. We are seeking another co- Sunday School Superintendent to serve with Laura.  Veronica will help to train these people in.  Could this be a ministry that you are interested in? Please keep this ministry position in your prayers.  Contact Veronica Eicher, or pastor Kathy for more information.

An initial formational meeting was held on January 21^st. This committee has decided to meet on the fourth Thursday of every month at 6:30 p.m.  We welcome  Jill Buchheim, Elaine Jaeke, pastor Kathy, Dona Buchheim, Jan Kuchar, Kris Urban, Jennifer Johnson, Carol Janisch, Lisa Johnson, and Mary Weber to this committee!  And Welcome to Brad Urban, as the Council liaison to this committee. This is a welcome sign here at Norway Grove.

A new member seminar is underway. If you are interested in becoming a member of Norway Grove, there is still time. Talk with pastor Kathy about this opportunity.  New members will be accepted on March 14^th at both services.

For 2010, (a limited time only), landscaping bricks can be purchased in honor or in memory of a loved one. This includes inscription on the bricks. Be sure to get in on this special deal in honor of Norway Grove being 60 years old this year. Forms for purchasing bricks are on the usher’s table at Church.

Calling all Ladies Aid member s! (and women who have never been part of a woman’s group)

A ladies Aid meeting is being called, for April 24^th at 6:30 p.m., for old time’s sake, as well as for seeing if there is a need for an active woman’s group today.  Dessert will be served and a program will be provided.  We are seeking women’s input regarding Norway Grove, and how to make this anniversary celebration the best one ever. We are also wondering about Norway Grove fulfilling the needs of women within our Worshipping community.

Sunday, September 26th, 2010 is the celebration date and marks Norway Grove’s 60^th year of ministry.  You are invited to participate in the planning and in the celebrating!  We are working on a history book that includes using new technology for getting crisp pictures and a fresh perspective on the history of the faithful people who have made Norway Grove what it is today.

Identifying how God has been involved from the start, and continues to be present at Norway Grove is a great way to launch Norway Grove into the future with the power of the ever present Holy Spirit.  How do we fit into God’s narrative?

All of us are invited to share our faith stories as they relate to others our involvement here at Norway Grove.

You are invited to attend the next planning meeting on Monday evening, March 15^th, at 6:30 p.m. in the Conference Room.

PASTOR KATHY’S PAGE FOR MARCHkathrynulrich@charter.net

          Wow! Its hard to believe that the last six months have sped by since I began the Chaplaincy class at Meriter hospital.  I believe this time has enriched both me personally, and all the folks and ministry here at Norway Grove.  I know it has been a difficult time here at Norway Grove over the past six months with financial issues, amongst other things, but somehow, I see you getting stronger with each decision that you struggle with, and with each time in which you speak out about your cares and your concerns.

For me, balancing both the full time nature of the call here at Norway Grove, and working in the clinical and class time at Norway Grove has left me with a few sleepless nights, and sometime’s time off being only a change of location. Somehow, it has been enough, and it has worked.

My Sabbath has had to be quick on some days. Fortunately, as part of my class, meditation has been an important piece that I have completed in a group setting with the other chaplains.

Whereas, I have put in countless hours in the last six months, it has been energizing for me in both settings, the congregation, and in the hospital. 

Now that the class is over, it is time to solely focus on what’s happening here at Norway Grove.  Renewed energy within the congregation, new people becoming more engaged in the ministry, and people speaking out about their hopes and dreams for Norway Grove as the 60^th Anniversary year gears up, makes it an exciting time to be at Norway Grove.

Right now, we are in the middle of Lent, so that means double time for Worship, a focus on a closer relationship with God, and soup suppers every Wednesday! This year is very fun to be getting back to the basics of the Catechism during the Wednesday evening short, reflective Worship Services.

                Speaking of Worship Services, we are pleased to announce that the Music and Worship Committee has recently been established, so we on staff here at Norway Grove are looking forward to the input and fresh ideas from more members here at Church. Next, we are working with the Evangelism Committee on re-establishing nursery services during Worship.  There has even been talk about the property Committee officially re-forming, and also focusing on possibilities for the future of energy usage here at Norway Grove. With the 6 furnaces needing to be replaced, it is a great time to look at alternatives in that area, and see what makes best sense for Norway Grove, as we head into the future, and the next 60 years.

In my class, I have been learning more about myself, and about exhibiting stronger leadership skills.  I have been working on increasing my awarenesses, continuing to learn Family Systems Theory, writing verbatims regarding ministry situations, Theological papers, a pastoral concepts paper, and a Unit Case presentation on “Spirituality in the Recovery of Stroke.”  Core competencies in basic areas of ministry have been worked on during my time in this class. Leadership skills from a Family Systems approach have been helpful for me to closely study.

During my hospital Clinical time, I have had great opportunities to meet with people in all stages of sickness, surgeries, grief, addiction issues, and new leases on life. I have been gaining valuable experience and skills for dealing with just about any scenario you can think of in a hospital setting.  Sometimes people are alone and afraid, and sometimes people come to the hospital with large supportive families.

For some of you, I have been in the hospital when you have been there, so my response time has been very quick!  Sometimes, I have met you in the hall, as you arrived.  This has been a blessing to me.

I have been privileged to be with people and their new born babies, and I have been with people at the end of their long lives.  End of life has an expected time, and an unexpected time, and I have been honored to walk with people through the fullness of life, and through the heart break of life before it enters fully into the world.

The same is true here in the congregation, that we experience the heights and depth of life together.  Only the pace seems to move much more slowly due to the growing depth of relationships.  For 60 years, Norway Grove Memorial Lutheran Church has been experience life in God’s world.

We are rooted in the past, and we move towards the future. It is never more apparent in a congregation to recognize this than in an anniversary year. It is thrilling to be uncovering the history that has meaning to Norway Grove, and it is exciting to think about the future that God has in store for this place based on the ways in which God has continually walked with Norway Grove over the years.

I would like to share with you now the closing verses from Psalm 91, as they are translated in the Book, Psalms for Praying, an Invitation to wholeness, by Nan C. Merrill.

“Because you cleave to me in love, I will deliver you; I will protect you, who call upon my Name. When you call to Me, I will answer you; I will be with you in times of trouble, I will rescue you and reverence your life. All through the years, will I dwell in your heart, as Loving Companion Presence, forever”.

May it be ever so.

pastor Kathy

GREED

 When trust in God gets replaced by a quest for security, the quest for security may lead to greed. This is a very slippery step that can cause us to fall backward in our faith journey. Have you ever experienced greed?

Let’s look at Luke 12 again. Verses 13-15 read, “Someone in the crowd said to him, ‘Teacher, tell my brother to divide the family inheritance with me.’ But (Jesus) said to him, ‘friend, who set me to be a judge or arbitrator over you?’ And (Jesus) said to them, ‘Take care! Be on your guard against all kinds of greed; for one’s life does not consist in the abundance of possessions.’”

What are some life experiences where greed often becomes evident? Often before one’s parents pass away, there is plenty to live on. There is a sense of security. However, when it comes time to divide the inheritance, each member of the family wants their fair share. There may be constant bickering over relatively small items or amounts. This is one form of greed!

Have you ever read How Much Land Does a Man Need? by Leo Tolstoy? It is a short tale that describes a man who is offered all the land he can walk around in a day. He starts out reasonable enough, but his desire lead him in a larger and larger circle. As the sun is setting he is seen struggling and gasping to return in time to his starting point. He doesn’t make it. He collapses. The Cossack chieftain who had offered this gift of land looks down from his horse at the body lying in the tall, rich grass a few short feet from the goal and repeats the question, “How much land does a man need?” Enough to bury him.

The words of Jesus remind us to be on guard against all kinds of greed. God promises to provide for us what we need, not all we can desire or imagine. How do you draw the line between need and desire? This is where the struggle occurs. How far would you try to walk in one day?

Prayer: O God of abundance, spare me from greed. Speak to my heart and soul that I may not value an abundance of earthly possessions above your Word or your way.  Amen 

The money Leadership devotions are developed by the Evangelical Outreach and Congregational Mission Unit of the ELCA

Forgiveness is about letting go, really letting go of resentment and bitterness - both personal and global. Forgiveness requires strength of character, it requires courage, a courage that needs to be replenished daily and rekindled when it falters. Forgiveness requires a commitment to something other than revenge and the natural desire for retribution and/or an apology. It requires, since there are events and behaviors that are unforgivable, ultimate compassion.
To forgive someone or something implies that there has been a transgression. You have been violated, hurt, insulted, treated badly or inhumanely, or somehow suffered greatly by another’s actions. Something very valuable has been taken away; there has been grievous harm. Sometimes the transgression is factual; someone has been murdered, tortured, raped, neglected, beaten, publicly humiliated, or oppressed. Sometimes the transgression is subjective; we get our feelings hurt in ways that would not necessarily hurt someone else’s feelings. Someone forgot your name at a party, your child was overlooked for a scholarship, someone assaulted your leadership style, or your boss did not pick up your ideas. As author and Buddhist meditation teacher Sylvia Boorstein says, ‘We all have tucked away in our unconscious a little list of people who have hurt us in some way in our lives. And we keep the list even though they can no longer hurt us, as if forgiving them will
give us amnesia, and we’ll get hurt by them again.’
When we have been hurt, we show a feverish intensity to the situation, we hold a magnifying glass on the person or people who hurt us, and we are exquisitely aware of the effect the injury has had on us. Whether objective or subjective, we are faced with similar feelings of being upset and resentful of being treated wrongly. Whether subjective or objective, whether it is a slight or a grievous transgression, when the hurt and insult has created a bur in our psyche we are faced with the heroic task of being responsible for the resulting psychic pain.
Hatred, resentment, and a desire for revenge and getting even are heavy emotions that weigh us down. Heavy emotions, reliving the trauma or fight, and being tied to the past robs creativity, spontaneity, fun, and any semblance of a free life. We become virtual prisoners caged inside our own moods and dark thoughts, whether we are painfully tied to the traumatic insults waged against our bodies and spirits or fueling the flames of everyday grudges and insults. We instinctively know holding hate and resentment is not good for us, but being willing to let it go, knowing we are so justified in feeling a sense of outrage and a desire for justice, is another kettle of fish altogether. Author anonymous