“GATHER US IN”At our recent meeting, the Church Council made the decision to implement an extensive calling (visitation) plan to reconnect with the membership of Norway Grove Lutheran. It will not be a visit asking for money but rather an opportunity to: 1) to hear your ideas about what you would like to see happen at Norway Grove and 2) how your gifts might be utilized to help make it happen. The visits will be made and completed (hopefully) the last two weeks of August.During the month of August, our “hymn-of-the-month” will be “Gather Us In.”

Gather us in the lost and forsaken; Gather us in the blind and the lame;

Call to us now and we shall awaken, We shall arise at the sound of our name …We are the young—our lives are a mystery; We are the old who yearn for your face …Gather us in the rich and the haughty; Gather us in the proud and the strong;Give us a heart so meek and so lowly; Give us the courage to enter the song.(M. Haugen)In this world of “love and shove” this hymn shares a needed reminder of how much we need each other. In Passion for Life we read these words: “The increasing coldness of human life, the increasing inability to feel for others and thus form communal relationships is a most ominous threat to the human future in Western Society, for without the formation of communities, there can be no solution to the dehumanizing which is taking place in the political, economic, cultural and natural dimensions of life.” (Juergen Moltmann)This thought came to mind when Norway Grove made the courageous decision to return to a one-service Sunday schedule. I hope the day is not far off when this congregation will return to the two-service schedule. But for now, we need each other in the “numbers” that one service encourages. We need each other to encourage community versus individualism; interdependence versus independence; cooperation versus competition. We need each other to remind us of how much we need each other.God has arranged the members of this gathering. We are God’s gift to one another. We are to care for one another. We are to give thanks for one another.Give us to drink the wine of compassion, Give us to eat the bread that is you;Nourish us well, and teach us to fashion; Lives that are holy and hearts that are true.It is the hope and prayer of these planned visits that our “Lord will indeed gather us in and give us the courage to enter the song.”

Peace, Pastor Bud

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

Christ is Risen! Christ is Risen indeed, Alleluia!!

“Why do you look for the living among the dead? He isn’t here—he’s been raised!”  (Luke 24:5-6)

The Resurrection.

Rising from the dead.

Life restored.

It is no mistake that we celebrate new life in the Spring.

With the incredibly warm weather we had this past March, plants are sending up shoots of new growth into the inviting warmth from the sun and wet soil from the melting snow.

It is the perfect time to celebrate ways in which life is coming from the earth and from God.  Our hearts, too seem to be warmed by the early taste of Spring this year.

Isn’t it incredible how you can feel your spirits lift when the weather goes from the dark and cold and seemingly unfriendly days of winter, to the colorful, warm, and inviting days of Spring?

Everything just seems more hopeful when new life appears following the dormancy of winter.

I can’t help but think about a lovely song that we sing at Easter that directly relates to the rising green….

“Now the green blade rises from the buried grain, wheat that in the dark earth many days has lain; love lives again, that with the dead has been; love is come again like wheat arising green.”

I love the way, LOVE is highlighted as being reborn after a time of seemingly being absent, perhaps viewed even as being non-existent, as if it has truly died….never to be seen again. It is a truly disheartening feeling to think that love has died. The good news, is that God has the power to overcome death.

Life and love can return to us, too. Life is fluid, cyclical, and there are more chances to get it right in our lives. We all make mistakes.  We can kill by our unkind words, or feed off of gossip at the expense of another person, or try to eliminate something that we don’t understand, or even make them look bad  because they have a differing opinion from ours. If they are right about their opinion, we may think, then we must be wrong, so we want to make others wrong so we can be right. Avoided conflict is like that. When we get to the point where we stand in our corner with people who only agree with us, and guess what the other person thinks, or feels, and place value judgments on the other, then we know we are in trouble. Truth and life and love are all drifting farther away from US, not THEM, when we get to that point.

“In the grave they laid him, love by hatred slain, thinking that he would never wake again, laid in the earth like grain that sleeps unseen; love is come again like wheat arising green.”

In the midst of these verses, where strong words like ‘love by hatred slain’ it is always tempered by God’s last words, ‘love is come again.’  This is what the resurrection of Christ is all about. Love coming again, where it has been slain. The answer to being restored to life is not in the continued story telling of the latest ways in which you think someone else is falling short…..that only continues the death march to an eternal winter.

The answer, instead goes in the opposite direction. The answer to restoring life lies in the ways in which we risk our very safety and life by reaching out to the ones who we don’t understand and who we fear oppose us. The answer lies in reaching past the barriers that we have set up for our own safety and having the courage to speak our truths to the ones who may potentially have a differing opinion from our own. Only then, can we share in the joy that comes from the life that is restored, from the place from which we fear love has died.  Living in community with one another is the lifting up of one another in love, support, compassion, and sometimes corrective measures. God has the ability to call us all back to life again, in our personal lives, in our families, and even in the Church.

“When our hearts are wintry, grieving, or in pain, your touch can call us back to life again, fields of our hearts that dead and bare have been; love is come again like wheat arising green.” 

Touch us, Lord, with your risen life. Call us back again where death has been in our hearts.

May it be ever so as we abide in your tremendous life-giving love for us, O God!

pastor Kathy

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

kathrynulrich@charter.net

February brings with it the lengthening of days, and the edging closer to spring. Spring means that we are close to Easter, and before Easter comes, we have the 40 days of Lent. Lent, meaning Spring, starts on February 17^th this year with Ash Wednesday. We Worship at 7:00 p.m.

Ashes are placed on our foreheads to indicate that we are from the dust, the adam, and to dust we shall return. This is held in sharp contrast to Holy Communion that is also present at this service. Yeah, we are from dust. We are human, and our bodies will not live forever. But, we also have Jesus. Jesus who came to earth out of God’s love for us. Jesus, who loves us so much that he is willing to die for us, forgive us our sins, make it possible for us to forgive one another, and to live a full and abundant life together in Jesus’ name.

During Lent, we consider our sinfulness, our need to repent and turn again towards God, and we live in hope of the coming resurrection of Jesus Christ that is celebrated on Easter.  This year, Easter falls on April 4^th.

Before Lent gets here, we have some more of the Gospel of Luke to explore.  Crazy, God given abundance awaits the followers of Jesus on the very first Sunday in February.  The story of Jesus filling the nets full for Simon, James and John is breath taking.  Imagine a catch that so abundant that the nets were beginning to break, and two boats full were beginning to sink.

“They came and filled both boats, so that they began to sink. But when Simon Peter saw it, he fell down at Jesus’ knees, saying, “Go away from me Lord, for I am a sinful man!”  (Luke 5:7-8).

 Simon Peter saw the good things, the abundance of Jesus, and was willing to turn God away because of his sinfulness, his unworthiness.  Jesus’ response was maybe unexpected?  Undeserved?

The grace that comes to us from God, even if we are not worthy, is not to be overlooked. There is forgiveness and it is for each and every one of us.

 During Lent, we attempt each year to come to terms with this. Yes, we need to face ourselves and the ways in which we fall short, but we don’t remain living there, or dying there.  We hear the rest of the story before knowing that our own death moves are overturned by Jesus’ life moves.

 Like the one Jesus tells as he gathers disciples.

Jesus’ unexpected, and perhaps undeserving response is this, “Do not be afraid; from now on you will be catching people.” (Luke 5:10)

So overwhelming was God’s unexpected grace for them, that when they brought the biggest catch they could ever imagine to shore, they left everything and followed Jesus!

May we all be so overwhelmed with God’s love and grace for us that we, too, drop the biggest earthly catch in our lives, leave every thing behind us, and follow Jesus.

Thanks be to God.

pastor Kathy

“THE YEAR of the LORD’S FAVOR”Grace and peace to you from our Lord and Savior Jesus the Christ as we begin a new decade!  Happy 2010 to you all!!Back at the beginning of Advent, we started a new year in the church. It is now the Year of St. Luke, the Great physician. Jesus came to heal the sick, give sight to the blind, and release the captives from their oppressors. Throughout the year, we will be following this Evangelist’s view of Scripture. However, John does take the front seat for Gospel texts a few times every year, according to the Lectionary (where our Sunday morning texts come from).Luke has Jesus giving his inaugural speech to us from chapter 4: “The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because he has anointed me to preach good news to the poor. He has sent me to proclaim freedom for the prisoners and recovery of sight for the blind, to release the oppressed, to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favor.” Luke 4:18-19  Jesus quotes the Prophet Isaiah, from the 61^st chapter, as Isaiah tells the people that it is the year of the Lord’s favor. I like the sound of this. It is the year of the Lord’s favor! This inaugural speech shapes the entire ministry according to St. Luke.The poor, the prisoners, the blind, and the oppressed, all find favor in the Lord. Jesus comes with Good News for the poor, proclamations of freedom to prisoners, recovery of sight to the blind, and release to the oppressed. We all are a part of God’s plan. How is it that we live within God’s plan for us and carry out this mission to those who need it most? Do we need to first have our own sight restored? Do we need to hear the Good News that comes to our poorness of Spirit? Are we being held prisoner by something within ourselves that holds us back from fully living out God’s grace to us in our lives? If so, are we ready to hear and act upon the proclamation of freedom that Jesus brings to us, as he walks through an angry crowd that is ready to throw him over the cliff? Is someone else oppressing us? If so, Jesus comes to release you.As we are working through answering these questions in our lives, we can live in community with one another at the same time. Jesus doesn’t come to save those who don’t need it. Jesus comes to the blind, and the poor, and the prisoners and to the oppressed. My guess is that in some way, each of us falls into at least one of these categories. Jesus comes for each and every one of us so that we can be restored to community with one another. The Good News is that we all are beloved by God, and part of God’s plan for the world. We are already good enough for the path that God has us on. The Good News is that it is the Year of the Lord’s favor, and salvation is at hand. God’s favor is in store for us. It is the year of the Lord’s favor.Thanks be to God!!! Amen.

Pastor Kathy

Please email or phone your prayer requests to Laura at the church office. Email is preferable, with the information as you wish it to be written, then Laura can forward it on to the Norway Grove Prayer Team. Prayer team members are the only ones who will have this information.

If you would like to participate in this prayer chain group, please let Laura know or Betty Olson know.

Bless you all.   - The Evangelism Team

Grace and peace to you from our Lord and Savior, Jesus the Christ.

I have been thinking about children lately, and how wonderful it is that we have so many ways for children of this congregation and the community to live and to grow. And more is on the horizon….a high school youth group active through out the community is developing, a nursery to serve families of our youngest members of this Worshipping community is being considered.

Mark 10:14 Jesus said, “Let the little children come to me, and do not hinder them, for the kingdom of heaven belongs to such as these.” 

I am excited to see the fall season under way here at Norway Grove! Seeing children in the Sunday School classrooms while learning about God’s love for them, and participating in Kings Kids and Confirmation, and having so many adults engaging in their faith journeys by teaching others, is truly heart warming. Thank you to everyone who is making the teaching of our children a priority.

The gates of heaven are open to us all through the eyes of our children. I want to thank everyone who supports the youth of this congregation in any way.

It is right to embrace children into the Church, to learn right along with them, and to give them the space, the nurture, and the support to begin their own journeys of faith.

Mark 9:37 “Whoever welcomes one of these little children in my name welcomes me; and whoever welcomes me does not welcome me but the one who sent me.” 

We welcome God into our midst when we welcome our children into the Church. It is good to know, isn’t it, that God is welcomed in many ways into the Church. Through Worship, through leadership, through participating in groups and activities for Christian fellowship and learning, through serving others, and by allowing others to serve us, Christ is made known.

John 1:12 Yet to all who received him, to those who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God– 

We welcome children. We welcome adults, we welcome and give thanks to those who have been around long enough to raise several generations into the faith. All of us are in this together as we struggle to determine our place, the mission to which God calls us all, and how God will use us on this day in this place.

All of us are children of God, no matter what our age is, our needs are, or our gifts are. Look around. See how you can assist others in making Norway Grove a successful place in a loving and uplifting way. Be bold in sharing your gifts. Together, beloved children of God, God’s Kingdom will come to us all.

Mark 10:16 And he took the children in his arms, put his hands on them and blessed them. Thanks be to God! 

Pastor Kathy

As part of continuing education, and doing my part to make Norway Grove the best place that I can help it to be, I have enrolled in a program through Meriter Hospital to receive one unit of Clinical Pastoral Education over the next six months.One day per week will be clinical work. One other day will be seminars, group learning, and education. CPE, as it is called, is a combination of theological study, psychological learning about who I am, and the Spiritual component all around us.

My focus will not only be a self study, but how I can best serve the congregation with the gifts God has given me. You can expect me to be easily available all day Monday, Wednesday and Friday, as well as Tuesday and Thursday evenings, and Sundays. At all times I am available for emergencies, so please call me when you have an emergency. The office number is 846-9711. (Home and cell numbers are available by calling the church office)

“To the Glory of God, I believe I am called….. to the measure of the full stature of Christ.”    –Ephesians 4:12The winds of change come with fall, and before we know it, we will be dealing with noticeably shorter days and raking leaves in our yards. If only summer could last a little longer……well, it can only last longer if we decide to pick up and move south.Life in the church changes in the fall as well as the weather. We look forward to welcoming you back for programming this September!In worship, too, there will be some changes. For the first six weeks of the fall season, we will have a sermon series that will lead up to “Grow One Sunday”, October 18^th.  (This is our consecration Sunday theme this year.) “Powersurge” is the name of the book we will be using to shape the series.We have been talking for quite some time of how to jump start the congregation. Powersurge really is an invitation to serious faith, and how a commitment to discipleship for God’s people releases the power of the Holy Spirit in people, in the ministries and in the mission of the church. The book is also available for you to study this fall. The author, Rev. Mike Foss, talks about developing power in the congregation to do ministry. It is a discipleship model. The disparity is growing between the life and ministry in the congregation and the real lives of people in our society. With God’s help, nothing is impossible. It is not business as usual in the church. Something needs to change for us to be effective in today’s age and circumstances with the power of the Gospel that is still so needed in our lives and in the life of people in the world. It is exciting! It is a road map for going where we have wanted to go for a long time now.For six weeks, we will look at a different mark of discipleship. Six ways in which we strive to attend to our faith journey.September 13^th Weekly Worship - “Nourished and Strengthened for Life”September 20^th Bible Reading - “The Bible as Central to Our Lives”September 27^th Prayer - “Lord, Teach Us to Pray”October 11^th Giving - “Who is the True Giver of Our Abundance?”October 18^th Grow One Sunday   October 25^th Spiritual Friendships - “Growing Spiritually Strong and Confident in God’s Love”November 1^st Service - “Affirming Discipleship in all of Life, Not just Life in the Church”Come and check it out. Join us on this incredible journey this fall! God’s peace and blessings to you as you prioritize and prepare for your activities this fall.

Pastor Kathy