~ Praise him with trumpet sound; praise him with lute and harp! Praise him with tambourine and dance; praise him with strings and pipe! Praise him with clanging cymbals; praise him with loud clashing cymbals! Let everything that breathes praise the Lord! Praise the Lord!  Psalm 150: 3-6

I thought I’d start this month’s newsletter article with a tongue-in-cheek piece I found online at www.CreativeYouthIdeas.com titled “Hymn Truths”. We are asked to consider, “Do we live a lifestyle in harmony with the hymns we sing?”
 · We sing “Sweet Hour of Prayer” and are content with 5-10 minutes.

· We sing “Onward Christian Soldier” and wait to be drafted into His service.

· We sing “O For a Thousand Tongues to Sing” and don’t use the one we have.

· We sing “There Shall be Showers of Blessings” but do not come to church when it rains.

· We sing “Blest Be The Tie That Binds” and let the least little offense sever it.

· We sing “Serve the Lord With Gladness” and gripe about all we have to do.

· We sing “The Whole Wide World For Jesus” and never invite our next door neighbor.

· We sing “We’re Marching to Zion” but fail to march to worship or Sunday School.

· We sing “I Love to Tell the Story” and never mention it all.

· We sing “Cast Thy Burden on the Lord” and worry ourselves into nervous breakdowns

Obviously this was written for the reader’s amusement and should not be taken too seriously, but it does remind us of the influence of music throughout our spiritual journey and the importance of song lyrics to support the teachings of the Bible. I recently read a Bible study in which God told Moses at the end of the wilderness wanderings that soon he would die, and that Joshua, not he, would lead the people into the Promised Land. God told Moses “soon the people will begin to prostitute themselves to the foreign gods of the land they are entering. They will forsake me, breaking my covenant”. God also warns, “I will hide my face from them” and “they will say ‘God is not in our midst.’”And what does God tell Moses and Joshua to do? “’Now write down for yourselves this song and teach it to the Israelites and have them sing it, so that it may be a witness for me against them. When I have brought them into the land flowing with milk and honey, the land I promised on oath to their forefathers, and when they eat their fill and thrive, they will turn to other gods and worship them, rejecting me and breaking my covenant. And when many disasters and difficulties come upon them, this song will testify against them, because it will not be forgotten by their descendants.’ So Moses wrote down this song that day and taught it to the Israelites.” (Deuteronomy 31:16-23)

During that time of great distress, God’s answer was to provide the people a song through Moses. It serves as a great reminder to those of us who practice music in the church today that we have been entrusted to continue that tradition. This means we are given a great responsibility in how we select our hymns for worship, accompany them, and even how we sing them. But we also need support, motivation, and encouragement as we do the work God has intended. This is particularly relevant at Norway Grove as we are currently forming a Worship and Music Committee. We have an amazing group of volunteers who are ready for the responsibility of reviewing previous worship experiences, as well as planning for upcoming  worship services and musical events. Their thoughts, ideas, and ability to enlist others to help with projects will greatly assist Norway Grove in reaching out better to God’s people and spreading God’s word. We are blessed to have their valuable input and honored that they are willing to share their gifts with us! If this is a committee that you would be interested in being a part of, please contact the office or a staff member to learn more.

Jill Buchheim, Music Director

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.

~ I rejoiced with those who said to me, “Let us go to the house of the LORD.”    Psalm 122:1At January’s annual congregational meeting, members in attendance learned of a Ministry Review Survey that had been developed. The Council felt it was  important that we – as a congregation – review Norway Grove’s ministry and outline opportunities for, and actions to, drive improvement. They asked for input regarding several key areas of the Church, including Council, Committees, Education, Pastor Kathy, and Music, as well as our member’s own current involvement. Council met at their annual retreat to discuss the findings, and on May 31^st, a congregational update meeting was held to reveal the results.It was wonderful to learn that 72.7 percent who responded “extremely like” our praise band, with an additional 20.5 percent answering they “like” the band. The performances by the choir and tone chimes were also lauded, and in general there was a pretty positive feeling about what is happening in terms of music at Norway Grove. There were also many uplifting comments regarding the Youth Rock! event our band members hosted for the youth last fall. Although Elaine Jaeke and I were not shown specific comments from the survey, we were    assured that respondents felt the music we are doing often sets a great tone for worship, and that we are      providing a good variety of music that appeals to a wide variety of worshipers.Thank you, Norway Grove, for your solid support of the music program and the direction we are going! Elaine and I make a good team and enjoy working together while brainstorming new ways to enhance the worship experience. But additional credit goes to our hard-working and dedicated volunteers who show up week after week to practice and perform with our groups. We are a remarkable congregation with much talent, and it’s awesome that so many are willing to share their gifts. Being a part of a music group allows folks to serve in an area where they are passionate, while providing an important connection to the church and its members.Also revealed in the survey is that our members continue to be somewhat divided between preferences for   traditional or blended style in worship and music. The blended service received a 47.6 percent “extremely like” and 38.1 percent “like” result, while the traditional worship had a significantly less 7.3 percent who “extremely liked” the service, but 51.2 percent who said they “liked” it. In response to those numbers, this fall we will introduce a service rotation we hope will appeal to the most people. The band will play at 8:00 a.m. services on the 2^nd and 4^th Sundays of the month and will play at 10:30 a.m. services on the 1^st and 3^rd Sundays.  The choir and tone chimes will plan their performances for the 8:00 a.m. services on the 1^st and 3^rd Sundays and the 10:30 a.m. services on the 2^nd and 4^th Sundays. Children will be performing at 10:30 a.m. services throughout the year. Band services will be a more contemporary-blended style, while piano-led services will be a more traditional-blended style. We will hold traditional services on special church days, such as Reformation Sunday, Christ the King Sunday, All-Saints Day, etc. Use of the organ resulted in some our lowest scores, with more than one-third of the respondents “somewhat disliking” and “disliking” it, so organ performances will likely be reserved for these traditional services only.I wish to thank everyone who filled out the survey, as well as those who have provided suggestions and advice over the past couple of years. Your input has been invaluable to Elaine and me. It also allows us to move forward in a direction that encourages participation, both from worshipers and music groups, while hopefully increasing our church’s weekly attendance and membership.

Jill Buchheim, Music Director