May’s Council Meeting was held on the third Thursday, due to scheduling conflicts. The meeting was productive. We conducted many items of business and discussed much about the life of our church the most notable items are listed as follows:

· We discussed the financing and attendance of the Habitat for Humanity Trip.

· Finances: Last year by this time, we had borrowed additional funds from our line-of-credit. This year we have not, mainly (as many of you know) because there are no additional funds to borrow from. Council continues to be cautiously optimistic but also uncomfortable going into summer when giving usually decreases. So if you have the means and the heart, please consider keeping your giving consistent (or maybe increasing) this summer.

· Number of services per Sunday: There are positive aspects to having either one or two services. Ultimately, Council recommended going temporarily to one service per Sunday and giving the Worship and Music Committee authority to hold multiple services when capacity may become an issue (Confirmation, the Christmas play, etc.). This recommendation, if approved at the upcoming Congregational meeting, would stay in effect till the 2011 Annual Meeting in January (at the latest). At the Annual meeting if desired we could have another Congregational vote on the number of services. If not desired we would revert back to two services as soon as possible.

We also discussed actions of the committees.During the month of June, your Council members will continue to work on revitalizing committees, complete all performance reviews and prepare for the upcoming Congregational meeting on June 13^th.

Respectively submitted by: Jim Simpson

To My Dear Friends at Norway Grove,

Thank you so much for your attendance and support at my ordination service on April 11. It was a joy to see so many people there from Norway Grove! Thank you for all of the cards with beautiful messages and the gifts to me, especially the beautiful cross! Thank you, Pastor Kathy, for your presence as my “sending” pastor. You have been a blessing to me over and over again. Words cannot describe my gratitude for you all. We are well here at Trinity in Manlius, Illinois. Cally is growing fast and keeping Steve and me on our toes. We are preparing for a busy day coming up on June 6 when I will be installed as the pastor at Trinity. I keep you in my prayers with joy and thanksgiving, and I pray that Norway Grove’s ministry continue to be a place that reflects God’s love and grace in the community. I am looking forward to Norway Grove’s 60^th anniversary celebration!

Peace!
Pastor Brenda Lovick

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

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

Council met Thursday, February 11^th, 2010. This was the first regular meeting of the newly elected Council. We discussed and planned for some events including: installation of the Council, the annual Council retreat (i.e. work day) and Ash Wednesday Soup Supper. We also discussed many other items, a summary of some of these items are as follows:  · The potential to reform a nursery during Sunday’s services. Veronica Eicher will work with others to hopefully restart a nursery in fall 2010.· Placing more training and importance on being a Greeter. Betty Olson is planning to lead an initial Greeter training class February 21^st.· The current lack of volunteers for Habitat for Humanity and the potential that this year’s trip may be canceled. Rick Johnson and others will place personal phone calls to our high school youth and hopefully bring more volunteers forward.· The budget, last month’s actuals and other information included in the Treasurer’s Report. Lisa Johnson led an informative discussion.· Assigning the Standing Committees to Council Members, so each committee has a designated “Liaison” to the Council. All standing committees now have a Liaison to the Council.

· Revision of the brick memorial rates to celebrate our 60^th anniversary. The rate was changed to $60.00 a brick for the anniversary year.

Discussion of how to reconcile the budget approved by the Congregation and Pastor Kathy Ulrich’s decision to not accept the reduced salary and continue at the salary stated in her last letter of call. The Synod and Bishop is to be contacted as soon as possible so Council will know what avenues are available to reconcile this difference. (FYI, the Bishop’s office was contacted the next day and the first meeting between members of our Council and the Bishop has not yet been scheduled but will likely be the week of March 7^th prior to our next Council meeting.)Council meetings are open to the public. As always you are invited to join us to bring forth your ideas and enter into the discussion. The Council regularly scheduled meeting is the second Thursday of the month starting at 7:00 pm. If you would like to be included in the Council meeting agenda and information distribution list, please let me know.Please continue to pray for and believe in the leadership of our Council. You have elected what I believe to be another great group of individuals that will continue to do what they feel is in the best interest of our congregation. Thank you for your support and the support you give to each other.

Prepared by Jim Simpson, President, please contact me with any questions or concerns (846-3564, jim.simpson@charter.net), thank you.

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

Many thanks to those who completed their service on our Church Council in January. They are Lisa Blaski, Betty Koenig, Lisa Johnson, Don Schultz, Beth Staniforth and our High School Representative, Nick Heisig.  Thanks also to those who accepted the call to serve, or continue serving, on Council. They are Sam Kirkland, Beth Krey, Vickie Laughren, Tom Nelson, Jim Simpson and Kris Smith. Our new High School Representative is Brad  Urban. They, along with Julie Haag-Heisig, Jackie Kelley, Dave Pahl and of course Pastor Kathy, make up our 2010 Church Council.

Dear Friends at Norway Grove,With great excitement, I am pleased to announce that I have been called by God and the church to serve Trinity Lutheran Church in Manlius , IL as their pastor!  I begin on February 1, and we are packing so that we can move into the parsonage before February 1.  My ordination will be on April 25, location to be determined.  When I think of you at Norway Grove, I think fondly of Philippians 1:3: “I thank my God every time I remember you…”  Although I’ve been away for many years, Norway Grove has always been my church family.  I am thankful for your prayers, support, and encouragement through my candidacy process and my call process.  Please know that I keep you in prayer today and always.  When I know more details about my ordination, I will let you know!

Peace be with you!  Brenda Lovick

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.