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

Step by step, in perhaps small ways, the connection with our companion synod, the Northern Evangelical Lutheran Church in India, (NELC), is growing. One of the goals currently being fostered is the connection between young people here in the United States and in India. I wanted to share our recent experience in this venture. Our synod was fortunate enough to invite a young person from India to attend the Church-wide Youth gathering in New Orleans in July, and have it come to fruition. Martin Handsdak, the son of a pastor from our companion synod, was selected by the NELC to participate in this adventure. Several local congregations, along with Sugar Creek Bible Camp, participated in hosting Martin while he spent time here in Wisconsin. Norway Grove Memorial Lutheran Church combined with Christ Lutheran Church in DeForest to attend the Youth Gathering, so we invited him to spend time in  DeForest, living with the Hoffman family from Christ Lutheran Church, along with their 5 children, (three of which attended the gathering, along with both parents, Kent and Julie). Tom and Will Hewuse, Michelle Cesario, and I who are the four from Norway Grove that went on the trip to New Orleans, were able to spend time getting to know him here in Wisconsin, as well as in New Orleans.In October of 2007, on the last Synod trip to the NELC, unbeknownst to me at the time, I had met Martin’s father at the recording studio located in the Mission Compound. In fact, Martin’s father took us on a most fabulous field trip up into the mountains of India, where we were able to witness the great work God is doing in reaching out to people there with the Good News of Jesus Christ. With connections already forming between the NELC and the South Central Synod of and my connection and participation in the companion synod team, it was a natural fit to want to get to know Martin.The first time I met Martin in New Orleans, I got out my camera. There just happened to be some pictures still stored there from the trip to his home. Being a bit home sick, and culturally way out of his normal routine, it was a pleasure to see his face light up when I showed him pictures of his home town, the Mission house, his friends, and even his father at the recording studio. The connection was made.

Our group of young people bonded very well with Martin. We worshipped together, played together, ate together, and even went on a swamp tour together. Memories of our connecting will be around for along time. What delightful young man and wonderful experience to share each others culture and faith in Jesus Christ. By the time he left New Orleans, there were hugs enough to go around and tears in our eyes. Talk of how to meet again was of interest.  Perhaps now, some youth will travel to India, so see where Martin lives, and the connection will grow even deeper?

I must take care of my own needs, I must survive.Another barrier to generosity may be our insistence that we have to hold tight to what we have or we will simply not survive. It is interesting to analyze what we deem necessary for survival. If you started a list, what would be on it?In the story of the Prodigal Son, (Luke 15:11-32), there was a time when the younger son thought he would be better off in a distant country. He took his share of his father’s wealth and went away. There he   squandered his property in dissolute living. He then hired himself out to feed pigs in the field. His despair was so great that he discovered the cornhusks in the pig troughs were really all he needed for survival.Has there been a time in your life when you discovered the minimum necessary for survival? How long have you carried this list in your head? Many American families remember the Great Depression. This was a time when many people learned to live on the bare necessities. There simply was not much available, and       survival from one season to the next was often a struggle. While most people recovered from this experience,  the understanding of bare necessities and survival have guided their understanding of generosity.Giving is sometimes done begrudgingly, not because of present blessings, but because of past struggles. How has your understanding of generosity changed through God’s blessings?Prayer: O God of abundance, remind me what it means to have the bare necessities. Remind me also that you  provide for my survival. As you grant me blessings, help me not to judge my generosity by the circumstances of the past, but by your present blessings. Amen. The money Leadership devotion is developed by the Evangelical Outreach and Congregational Mission Unit of the ELCA 

As I am writing this page, the group going to New Orleans for the church-wide youth gathering, has its first   delay … in Columbus, Wisconsin. We had to arrive one hour before the train was to depart, only to find out upon check-in that the train has to come from Seattle, and it has multiple stops along the way. So, we wait, and hope that our connection on the City of New Orleans train will be easily made.Connections easily made. The concept is easy, but in reality, schedules may be off, and stops along the way may take longer than anyone could anticipate. The man in the ticket office commented to us how frustrating it was for him to know that one train comes from Seattle every 24 hours, and yet, the freight trains have priority. One would think that these things could be figured out, and freight trains and passenger trains could ride on the rails with ease, on schedule. Is it communication, or power struggle, or conflict of interest? Who knows, but for some reason, the situation is one that train people deal with every day. While we are waiting, I am thinking about the congregational update meeting held on May 30^th. Somehow, something happened there, where the train that some people were expecting, never even made it into the station. God, I hope that doesn’t happen to us today. That would be bad.I think intentions were good on behalf of the council, to update people on what was happening, but could have gone farther into detail. Are we running a deficit ministry plan? Yes, we are, and that was mentioned. We have been  running a deficit for the past 6 years. With credit tightening, and jobs less secure than before, it is a little scary. Will the bank continue to lend us money? Should we take our debt and roll it over into long term debt? Should we not only tighten our belts to reduce ministry, but does the congregation really want us to cut staff? That was not spoken at the  update meeting. No one wants to make staff cuts, but do you as the congregation deem that necessary to balance our budget? Or, as I suggested, do we concentrate our efforts on increasing revenue and being more creative in our spending and projects?As for the ministry survey, the executive summary was presented and the feedback is that people wanted to know more details. A variety of individual and small groups opinions were expressed in the survey, and we are working through making sense out of what all this means. It will take some time. It is true that the council is struggling with the issues presented there. One of the suggestions was to get a strategic planning committee together. I am really excited about that. I have wanted to form this committee since arriving at Norway Grove, and it seems that one thing or another has continued to delay this effort. This will be a top priority for me to work on this fall. Are you interested in being on this committee? There will be a selection process to include the diversity of the congregation. A small group will lead the congregation in collecting more information, reviewing our history, assessing what the community thinks of the Norway Grove congregation….how they know of us, and what is it like for someone to come into our midst from the outside. The strategic planning task force will make recommendations to the congregation as to future direction. Where is God calling us to in 2009 and 2010?  What is God’s plan for us?Initially, you may have seen the new mission statement for the congregation. We needed to at least have some interim direction while we get this process under way. I would not be surprised if it got tweaked or changed when the strategic plan is completed. The Grape Harvest festival is also something that I am convinced will be helpful to the congregation. It may not produce a ton of revenue in the first year, but it has huge potential for unifying the congregation, and for producing some income. Both of these things are a priority for me. Please look elsewhere in this newsletter, and keep your eyes open to ways you can help and participate in this endeavor.Lastly, I want to encourage all people to speak up, and let me know when they have an issue, or a concern, or a joy they would like to share. My guess is that it could be a long standing difficulty for some people to speak their minds here at Norway Grove when others have carried a strong position. It saddens my heart to think that people do not feel welcome to share their opinions directly and openly in public meetings. It should always be the case that this happens.This brings me to the announcement of the next congregational update meeting. It is scheduled for Sunday,    August 30^th, following the 9:00 service. I will not leave there until every question, concern, issue has been addressed. As your pastor, I am concerned for your spiritual welfare. All people have equal voice and equal worth. At the same time, we are seeking to follow God’s will for direction in the life of the congregation. This balance sometimes comes out that we do not always get our way, but when we are following God’s way, how can it not be good? I look forward to meeting with you again, for having a second change to hear your voices on behalf of the congregation, and I also look forward to a busy and fruitful fall.Thanks be to God!

Pastor Kathy