The May Council meeting has been rescheduled for 7:00 pm, Thursday May 20^th. At the May meeting, the Council will be making a recommendation to the Congregation on the number of services starting in fall of 2010. Please contact a Council representative to voice your opinions or come to the meeting. Sunday, June 13^th, NGMLC will be having a Congregational Meeting after service. At this meeting, the Congregation will vote on the number of services starting in fall of 2010.  We will also be giving updates, answering questions and conducting some other items of business (including voting on possible changes to our Bylaws). If you’d like to review the Bylaw modifications prior to the meeting please contact Laura McGoveran or myself for a copy.

Respectively submitted by: Jim Simpson

Being aware of the personal and economic concerns people face, Norway Grove wants to “be there” for your prayer concerns. Beginning April 22^nd, and continuing every fourth Thursday of the month, our doors will be open from 6:30 - 7:30 p.m. for a Prayer Hour. During that special time, two or more persons will be present at church to pray with you, or you can just be present in a quiet time with God at the altar, in the pews, or in the Fellowship Room. You can come and go as you wish, and if you know someone in need of prayer invite them

April’s Council Meeting was conducted during the annual retreat on Saturday, April 10^th. The retreat and meeting was productive as we conducted many items of business and discussed much of the life of our church the most notable items are listed as follows:· How to address our current financial situation.· Scheduling a Congregational Meeting (June 13^th after service).· Reviewing the “Ministry Review Survey” that our Congregation filled out early in 2009 and how to address any remaining items in a timely manner.· Reviewing last year’s “Time and Talent” sheets to seek individual’s abilities to help our church.We discussed how to revitalize all of our committees and came up with an individualized plan for each committee. The Council’s goal is to have 5 of the 6 standing committees and the Staff Support Committee functioning by the end of May. With the remaining standing committee (Long-Term Planning Committee) functioning soon after.In March, we had three Council meetings. The regularly scheduled Council Meeting on Thursday, March 11, was our best attended Council meeting that I am aware of. At that meeting and the other meetings, we discussed Pastor’s decision to not accept the proposed reduction as shown in the 2010 budget approved by the Congregation. On Thursday, March 18^th, Council’s motion was to offer Pastor a 10% reduction in pay and time for the second quarter (April 1^st to June 30^th). The motion also mentioned that the reduction would not affect Pastor’s annual accumulation of vacation time. Pastor accepted the offer on Sunday March 21^st. Other notable items of business from the March 18^th meeting are as follows:

· Due to the reductions in staff regular business hours are changed for Friday. The new business hours for Friday are 8:00 am to 12:00 pm (noon)

· The first quarterly review of our financials was not well enough for Council to recommend an increase in staff’s compensation over the 90% approved in the budget.A new “Staff Performance Review Team” has been set up. The team is Jim Simpson as President, Tom Nelson as Vice President, Beth Krey as Secretary, and Vickie Adkins as Staff Support Committee Representative. The goal is to have all the reviews done before the end of May.Respectively submitted by: Jim Simpson

Early last year, many members of Norway Grove spent their valuable time in completing a “Ministry Review Survey.” Thank you very much for completing the review so completely and thoughtfully. Also, thank you to the team that took the time to compile and summarize the data. That team came up with recommendation for Council to take action on. During the recent annual retreat, Council reviewed those recommendations to verify that they were either completed or would be completed soon. A summary of our discussion for the recommendation is as follows:· Conduct the May 31^st, 2009 Congregation meeting – Completed last year, as well as other Congregational Meetings.

· Explore single Sunday service – Explored last for the 2009-2010 school year. This topic will be discussed again for the 2010-2011 school year. A Council recommendation will be given and acted on at the upcoming June 13^th Congregational Meeting.· Re-Establish Staff Support Committee – The Staff Support Committee was re-established last year with Beth Staniforth being the Committee Liaison to the Council. This committee has a term limit imposed by our Constitution. Vickie Adkins, the current Committee Liaison, will lead filling the vacant position/s. The goal is to have the position filled by the end of May.· Performance Plan for Pastor Kathy – This recommendation will be done during Pastor’s upcoming annual performance review.· Get Constitution Committees Operational – Some Committees have been meeting. The Worship and Music Committee is already fully operational. The Council’s goal is to have 5 of the 6 standing committees functioning by the end of May. The remaining standing committee (Long-Term Planning Committee) functioning soon after.· Reinforce the Behavior Covenant – Ongoing. If you would like to see a copy, please let Laura McGoveran or myself know.Other Recommendations pertaining to Pastor Kathy – These specific recommendations will be addressed during Pastor’s upcoming performance review (if not previously addressed).The 2009 Ministry Review Survey will continue to be a tremendous resource of ideas and comments. All your input will continue to go a long way to making NGMLC a better place and be a wonderful reference to help kick start our revitalized committees.

Respectively submitted by: Jim Simpson

If you search the Psalms, you will find numerous references to singing, singers, musical instruments, dance, etc.  Psalm 33:2-3 (as found in the ELW) states: “Praise the Lord with the lyre; make music for God with a ten-stringed harp. Sing for the Lord a new song; play your instruments skillfully with joyful sounds.”  Put another way, in the Message, the same passages read “Use guitars to reinforce your Hallelujahs! Play his praise on a grand piano! Invent your own new song to him; give him a trumpet fanfare.”  One of the most familiar passages is Psalm 98:4-6. I love the Message version: “Shout your praises to God, everybody! Let loose and sing! Strike up the band! Round up an orchestra to play for God, add on a hundred-voice choir. Feature trumpets and big trombones, fill the air with praises to King God.”We do follow Psalms 33 and 98 in part. We have a trumpet on the hymns, and with the whole congregation joining in the singing, we could easily have a hundred voice choir. We do “strike up the band” on a weekly basis; we have violinists to add to our orchestral sound; we have guitars and a grand piano. Now if we could only find a trombonist?  The psalmist might be chastising us for being Lutherans, however, as the “let loose and sing” part is not something we do easily. If we remember, however, that we are “filling the air with praises” to God, I think we can all forget that our voices aren’t the strongest, our pitch the purest, our words always correct. What matters is the praise we are singing, not the singing itself!

On May 2, at 2:00 p.m. you are all invited to experience the music of our Norway Grove family. We will be dedicating the wonderful portable keyboard given to us through the Fred Kiefer memorial by Jean Kiefer. Come and hear what this wonderful instrument can do! Enjoy the music of our tone chimers as well as instrumentalists and singers both young and old. It will be an afternoon that will make worthwhile being inside on a beautiful spring day. Refreshments will be furnished and a free will offering taken with the proceeds supporting the Relay for Life.            - Elaine Jaeke

pastor Kathy’s page

Recently, I went to a packed auditorium where everyone was dressed in Red, well at least many were dressed in Red, and the place was filled with excitement!  It was the UW Varsity Band Concert at the Kohl Center Madison…Bucky Badger was there, 250 band members, thousands of fans, and an allegiance to the University. Red was the color. The whole space was filled with a spirit….a school spirit.

Before Badger red came into vogue, and school spirit was the excitement of the day, there was red in the Church, especially for the day of Pentecost, where we celebrate the Holy Spirit coming into our lives and being born into the Church.

When the day of Pentecost had come, they were all together in one place. And suddenly form heaven there came a sound like the rush of a violent wind, and it filled the entire house where they were sitting. Divided tongues, as of fire, appeared among them, and a tongue rested on each of them. All of them were filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak in other languages, as the Spirit gave them ability. (Acts 1:1-4)

Pentecost Sunday comes on May 23^rd this year. It is an exciting time to be the Church as we welcome the Holy Spirit into this place and into our lives. It is life changing when we are led by the Holy Spirit in our lives. Appearing like the rush of a wind, or as divided tongues of fire resting on our shoulder, our entire lives are enveloped in this holiness.

Let us all gather in one space, (Norway Grove Memorial Lutheran Church), on Sunday May 23^rd, and wear red to celebrate the coming of the Holy Spirit on this incredible day of the Holy Spirit entering into the life of the Church.

In addition to this day being Pentecost, it is also the day where we bless our high School seniors, at the 10:30 Service, as they journey off into the world.

All of May is filled with many wonderful worship events before Pentecost even gets here. On May 2^nd, we celebrate Holy Communion with the 3^rd graders; on May 9^th, it is the final day of Sunday School for the year as well as it being Mother’s Day; May 16^th is when we Affirm 11 young people’s faith through the Rite of Confirmation.  All of these things happen because the Holy Spirit is here leading and guiding us on in faith and life in the Church.

Summer Worship hours begin on May 30^th…..one Service at 9:00 a.m. on Sunday, and one service on Wednesday evening in June and July at 6:30 p.m.

Life indeed goes on in God’s Church, with God’s plan. We are invited to participate fully in this.

It is an important time for all of us to engage fully in the Church so that we are able to continue all of the ministry that God has called us to. Many of you may know that we are experiencing some financial difficulties at this time. I have chosen to extend the 90% pay for my position through the end of June to see if we can somehow turn this situation around. Then we will be in conversation about this topic again. Your input and participation is important for the well-being and ministry of the Church that God has called us to. How is God calling you to promote unity in the Holy Spirit here in this place?

May the Holy Spirit within you shine more brightly than school Spirit shines for the Badgers!

God’s Blessing to you and yours!

pastor Kathy

Giving 

Generosity is a grace to be developed and practiced.

The Generosity Gene

Is generosity in your DNA? Is an understanding of generosity learned or inherited? Most people learn about generosity from their parents, grandparents, or other close family members. Who has been most influential in teaching you about generosity?

One of the most familiar stories in Scripture is “The Good Samaritan” (Luke 10:30-37). In this story a man walking down the road from Jerusalem to Jericho becomes a symbol recognized by people who don’t even know much about Christian faith. And yet the concept of giving of oneself to care for others crosses almost all cultural barriers.

Why does this story make such an impression? It is not where someone is from. It is not one’s position or profession in life. It is not the order in which the persons appear. It is how each person responds to an opportunity to practice generosity. Sometimes this opportunity is in the most unexpected circumstances.

The Samaritan is not expected to be generous to a Jew. His action cuts through to stereotypes. His behavior is truly counter-cultural. Jesus calls us to giving behaviors that are counter-cultural also. People who are generous have an opportunity to do the unexpected, even if this is not the daily expectation in their culture.

How do we as Christians practice generous living in a culture that seems to be moving further away from our faith practices? We turn to examples from Scripture and those close to us. It is by developing generous practices in our life and looking for ways to demonstrate these practices that we both reflect Christ and teach others. How have you demonstrated generosity recently? How have others learned from your example?

Prayer: O God of abundance, open my eyes to see those who are truly generous around me. Help me to be prepared for the unexpected and to be generous in unexpected ways. May I understand how my living examples shape the life of others. Amen.

Once again Norway Grove Memorial is sending a Habitat Team to Marquette, Michigan, July 17^th – 23^rd. Now, more than ever, your help is needed to build homes. We still have room for you to make this year your year. Here’s a reminder of upcoming dates:

Easter Breakfast - April 4^th  Sign up today!  Please join us for Easter Breakfast with your family!

Mother’s Day Flower Sale - May 9^th - Plan your order!

Flower Flat Sale - May 23^rd  Plan your garden!

4^th of July Parade - Come walk with us!

Thank you so much for your support! Proposed Motto:  “If We Build It, They Will Come!”

God Bless You All! Rick Johnson

On May 2^nd at 2:00, Norway Grove will be hosting our second annual “Celebration of the Arts” concert.  This is an afternoon concert celebrating the wonderful talent at Norway Grove.  Last year, members of all ages participated, and more than 75 people attended this delightful event.  The recital also featured a dedication ceremony for a third octave of tone chimes generously donated in memory of Mary Kelley by the Kelley Family.  A freewill offering was taken as a fundraiser for students who traveled to New Orleans for the ELCA National Youth Gathering last July.

This year’s recital will feature a dedication ceremony for another generous gift to our music department, a Kawai MP-5 Digital Keyboard.  Jean Kiefer and family are donating this 88-key portable keyboard in memory of Fred Kiefer.  The keyboard should arrive the week of April 12^th, which will give us plenty of time to play around with some of the great sounds and features on the instrument before the recital.

The Kawai MP-5 is approximately 45 pounds, has weighted keys which offer a similar touch to an acoustic piano, and comes with 256 high quality instrument sounds; including several beautiful piano, electric piano, and organ sounds that will compliment the Kawai Grand Piano currently in our sanctuary.  The keyboard we have purchased also comes with a carrying case with wheels, a keyboard stand, a folding bench, and a damper pedal.  It does not have internal speakers, so presently the sound will come through the church sound system and an external speaker will need to be purchased in the future.  After much research and several trips to area music stores, I feel we have done a great job of finding an impressive professional instrument at a surprisingly affordable price.

The addition of this keyboard allows us to become more mobile in our ministry.  We will use it at our monthly outreach services at Parkside Village and Walnut Grove Assisted Living Center.  The Praise Band will be able to take it to our concert at Jefferson Square in August, as well as opening up the opportunity for participation in other community or outdoor services.  It will allow us to be more creative in our music ministry as we find more ways to utilize it during church services and youth events.  It also enables us to move the Yamaha Clavinova back downstairs to be used during Sunday School music time and occasional choir rehearsals.  We are so grateful for this amazing gift!

If you are interested in participating in the Celebration of the Arts recital, please contact Jill Buchheim or Elaine Jaeke.  We love to celebrate the talent we have at this church!  It is also worth noting that a freewill offering will be taken this year as a fundraiser for Norway Grove’s Relay for Life team.  The relay will be held at the DeForest High School on July 30^th-31^st.  This is a life-changing event that gives everyone in communities across the globe a chance to celebrate the lives of people who have battled cancer, remember loved ones lost, and fight back against the disease.  Norway Grove is proud to have organized a dedicated team for several years.

Jill Buchheim, Music Director

Check out the beginnings of stories or poems written by this family of God. The beginning of this book is on the table in the narthex. It is not finished. We are waiting for your contribution of a favorite scripture, or an event in your life that would be meaningful in our walk together of learning about God, and what has influenced you that might help someone else. Just a little “walk with God.” John 14 has much to say about our walk. In the five passages in the Gospel of John, the Holy Spirit is defined and described both as to origin and as to mission. The Holy spirit, the Spirit of Truth, another Counselor, who will take the place of Jesus with the disciples, whom the world cannot receive, but the disciples only. Is that you and I? Alternately, Jesus Himself sends the Holy Spirit from God. His ministry as teacher will be: to remain with, and in the disciples forever, to teach them all things, and lead them into all the truth, to speak, not on his own authority, but as directed by Jesus, we will thus bear witness to Jesus and glorify Him, and remind others of what Jesus taught. Our  ministry is to carry on that work, by sharing our stories, and seeing God at work in ourselves.  John 15: 1  “I am the true vine, and God is the vinedresser.  Every branch of  mine that bears no fruit,  God takes away, and every branch that does bear fruit is pruned, that it may bear more fruit. Bear much fruit, abide in my love, so that Jesus’ joy may be in you, and your joy may be full.

We have all been pruned at sometime or another in our lives, and we all have stories to tell.  John 15:16

“No longer do I call you servants, for the servant does not know what his master is doing; but I have called you friends, for all that I have heard from God, I have made known to you. You did not choose me, but I chose you and appointed you that you should go and bear much fruit and that your fruit should abide; so that whatever you ask God in my name, may be given to you.  This I command you, to love one another.”                                                           From Evangelism