Mark your calendars now for September 26^th! Plans are well underway for the 60^th Anniversary Celebration here at Norway Grove.  Worship begins at 9:00 a.m. At 10:00 we will have a program. At 11:00 am, there will be a potluck meal.  Former pastors are planning on returning for the event and it will be a celebration you will not want to miss!!! Rally Sunday we will take a group photo, special music is being lined up, and historical information and faith stories are being well documented.  There is still room for you to help with the planning of this event….send or email your photos, history, stories, that you would like to share.  Monday evenings at 6:30 p.m. is the time to meet at the Church to help out.

Last year was a grape start to the annual Grape Harvest Festival. This year, the festival will be in conjunction with the Anniversary Celebration, so we anticipate even more people here to enjoy the fun time.

At 12:00 p.m. on September 26^th, the Harvest festival begins. Again, we are looking for your contribution of home canned goods for the harvest booth, and baskets and items for the silent auction. Art work was a big hit last time, so bring on in those quality paintings and prints that you don’t currently have a place for in your home.

The grape harvest was fine this past fall, and the wine of 2009 is going to be another good year, so come and bid early and often for this rare opportunity to have Norway Grove vineyard wine in your home.

Adventure trips went over so well last year that we are encouraging you to think of an adventure trip that you would like to auction off this year. Hunting, fishing, kayaking, canoeing….whatever kind of trip you would like to take someone else on, (maybe you have a cottage that you would like to auction off for a week end????) Its all for a good cause, (the Ministry of Norway Grove), so thanks in advance for your generosity.   Contact Rick Johnson, Kris Smith for the Silent Auction, or pastor Kathy with any questions you may have.

Summertime Worship for June….Wednesdays at 6:30 pm, and Sundays at 9:00 a.m.  At many Worship Services this summer, a picture in time will be explored from a picture posted on the time line each week….How have events and ministry efforts of the past brought us forward to ministry now?  And, what lies ahead in God’s plan for Norway Grove for the future? With God, all is good!!!June 2^nd and June 6^th  Mary Weber preaching. Holy Communion on Wednesday evening only. NO Communion on Sunday June 6^th.

Sometimes giving generously is not always about the immediate need. It may be in addition to the immediate need. Our life experience teaches us what to anticipate or expect. How have you given generously to someone because you could foresee their circumstances?

Again we look at the familiar story of “The Good Samaritan.” A simple man traveling down the road gives directly. He meets the immediate need that appears before him—the need of the man who fell among thieves. His immediate needs were evident, but the Samaritan saw beyond these to provide for future care. Have gave two denarii to the innkeeper and said, “Take care of him; and when I come back, I will repay you whatever more you spend.”

How can we be generous to not only the immediate needs, but also those that others may not see? This can be difficult, because it sometimes requires trust of people or organizations we do not know. We may think that since we do not know them they don’t deserve anything good. Perhaps the need is foreseen, but the people nearby are not all that appealing. Yet if we are to be like the Samaritan, we are challenged to take this step in faith. How willing are you to give of your time and money to those you do not know well? How do you build relationships that establish trust?

Prayer:   O God of abundance, help me not to judge the foolishness of a man who would travel alone on a lonely road surrounded with danger. Instead, help me to be generous in my time and money that I might grow in faith and trust in others with the gifts you have entrusted to me . Amen 

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