The Place of Questions in the Practice of our Faith(The following story is by Wendell Berry, a writer, teacher and farmer who lives with his family and farms in Kentucky)Jaber Crow was born in Goforth, Kentucky. His parents died within a month of each other when he was only three months old. For the next ten years, he stayed with his aunt and uncle, a fine loving couple. They died and he was placed in an orphanage, which was not a happy experience, but he survived. Things got better for him when he thought he had a “call” from God. He loved books and was a good student. However the bible faced him with important and unanswered questions. Finally, he got up the nerve to confront a professor who was known behind his back as “Old Grit.” He was a professor to be feared. What follows is the dialogue between them:Student, “I have a lot of questions.”  Professor, “Perhaps you would like to say what they are.”    Student, “Well, for instance Jesus said for us to love our enemies, how can it ever be right to kill our enemies? And if he said not to pray in public, how come we’re all the time praying in public? And if Jesus’ own prayer in the Garden wasn’t granted, what is there for us to pray for, except ‘thy will be done’ which there’s no use in praying, because it will be done anyhow.”  Professor, “You have any more?”  Student, “Well, for instance, suppose you prayed for something and you got it, how do you know how you got it? How do you know you didn’t get it because you were going to get it whether you prayed or not? So how do you know if it does any good to pray? You would need proof, wouldn’t you?”  The professor nodded.  Student, “But there is no way to get proof.”  The professor agreed and then asked, “Do you have an answer?”  Student, “No—so I reckon what it all comes down to is how can I preach if I don’t have any answers?”  Professor, “No, I don’t believe you can.”  Student, “For a while, I had this feeling that maybe I had been called.”  Professor, “You may have been right. But not to what you thought. Not to what you think. You have been given questions to which you cannot be given answers. You will have to live them out, perhaps a little at a time.”  Student, “And how long will that take?”  Professor, “I don’t know. As long as you live perhaps.”  Student, “That could be a long time.”  Professor, “I will tell you a further mystery. It may take longer.”During the course of my long life, I have grown suspicious of what has been called an “answering theology.” Some years ago a slogan was flying around the country, bumper stickers, etc., “Jesus is the answer.” Answer to what? So many of the cock-sure answers I have received on television and elsewhere seem to be given by people who haven’t been living where I am living. It has also been my experience that many of the questions I struggle with today, I will probably be struggling with   tomorrow and the next day. I have come to believe that an active faith has a bunch of questions   following in its shadows.  Henri Nowen, “The voice of God speaks only through wounded selves.”

Peace, Pastor Bud

Celebration of Life Bricks can be purchased for $60 per brick - These bricks can commemorate anything you wish – and are available for everyone to purchase. Personalize a brick as a memorial to a loved one, or to honor a birthday or an anniversary. Brick Personalization Forms are available at the usher’s table at church.

About 7 years ago, the Youth Encounter Christian band, Captive Free, joined NGMLC for confirmation one night, and a concert the following night. Rod and Carol Nilsestuen hosted one of the band members, Alex Musegula, in their home for the several days Captive Free was in DeForest.Alex is from Uganda and was spending a year in the United States sharing his faith with middle school & high school youth, performing at Youth Quake, Construction Zone and College campuses in the Midwest region of the USA. During that year, Rod and Carol became close friends with Alex. In fact, it is not uncommon to hear the Nilsestuen family refer to Alex as their “4^th son”.  (Alex was raised by grandparents, as his parents died years ago.)Alex has a younger brother, Innocent, who was also being raised by his grandparents. Several years ago, his grandparents died, leaving Innocent without anyone to raise him. Alex expressed his concern for his young brother and Carol came to me with this concern. We put our heads together and five years ago the NGMLC Confirmation students took up the challenge to help Innocent go to school … and so began Project Innocent. This fall, Innocent - who is now 15 years old - will begin the 5-year process of High School! He loves English and Science and likes playing and reading during his free time. Innocent recently told Alex that “when God help him with tuition he would like to study to be a doctor so that he may treat those who cannot afford at no cost.”You, the congregation at NGMLC, will have the opportunity to help our confirmation students carry out Innocent’s dream of an education. It will take approximately $900 to feed, house, clothe and send Innocent to school for a year.Fundraising efforts will begin soon and we thank you in advance for any support you may choose to give. Please contact Lori Fons, Tom Kreis or myself with any questions you may have.

Peace - Anne Staniforth

“I have never been anywhere but sick … In a sense sickness is a place, more instructive than a long trip to Europe … Sickness before death is a very appropriate time and I think those who don’t have it miss one of God’s mercies. In contract success is almost wholly negative — it isolates, breeds vanity and distracts from the real work that brought it on in the first place.”  —Flannery O’connor, well-known author, died at the age of 39 from Lupus.

Choir rehearsals will begin on Wednesday, September 22^nd, at 7 p.m.  I look forward to seeing the current members again after a summer of resting your voices. New members are very welcome. Our choir is a unique group of people – they are a family who love to sing together, share a good joke or two, and generally have a good time while learning new music. We will again be doing a Christmas mini-cantata, hopefully, and we will begin learning a new setting from the ELW to introduce to the congregation in 2011.

Our rehearsal times will be a little erratic since the confirmation/King’s Kids are meeting together this year, so some weeks we will meet at 7 and some weeks at 7:30. You will be given a schedule. The plan is to sing an anthem once a month and to help out at other times as we are needed.Tone chimes will begin on Sunday, October 3^rd, following worship. We will also be playing once a month. There is a lot of music that we began working on last year that needs to be polished up, and I have some very nice Christmas music to work on. New members are welcome here also. We have a wonderful core group of chimers who have come a long way from our first attempts at playing the chimes. They have learned new techniques, have learned to play multiple chimes, and can play any and all of the three octaves of chimes that we have. I encourage those who have not yet experienced the fun of chiming to come give it a try.An addition for this year will be the chance for our children to learn to play the tone chimes. Following Sunday school, beginning October 3^rd, I encourage any of our youth who would like to play chimes to come to the sanctuary. We will practice for approximately 30 minutes each week. Initially, you will be learning how to play the chimes and how to read the music. I’m looking forward to seeing you – please come!

Elaine Jaeke

I picked up my copy of “The Message” today and it opened to Psalms 108:1-2. Here’s what this verrsion says: “I’m ready, God, so ready, ready from head to toe. Ready to sing, ready to raise a God-song: ‘Wake, soul! Wake, lute! Wake up, you sleepyhead sun!’”

What a remarkable truth! Summer is coming to an end. Labor Day is upon us– a traditional signal that fall is here. School starts, as does Sunday school. The Grape Harvest Festival and the 60^th Anniversary celebration will happen. Choir, tone chimes and band rehearsals begin, and, as the Psalmist says, I’m ready!

I’m ready to sing, ready to play, ready to “raise a God-song”. I feel renewed hope and enthusiasm at Norway Grove. We are moving ahead, looking to the future, beginning to rebuild that sense of family that we lost for awhile. We’ve seen old friends return and, tragically, we’ve said good-bye to friends whose time on earth seems to be cut short as well as good-bye to yet another pastor. Youth Rock is happening again in October, bringing with it another visit from Captive Free. Don Falkos, renowned story teller, will be here Rally Sunday. Things are moving at Norway Grove!With only one service, juggling traditional worship with the Praise Band, contemporary worship, choir and tone chimes is a little more complicated, but I’m excited about worship. Plans are to bring back “Make a Joyful Noise”, a service we began to use almost 25 years ago. Our more traditional service will be a blend of parts of the various settings from the ELW that we’ve been using. Jill and I chose these parts based on the enthusiasm we hear from you when they have been sung in the past. The band has its own service. Worship will once again be exciting!I’m “ready from head to toe.” I’m ready to move ahead. I’m ready to sing new praises to the God who, through all our turmoil and tragedy, remains firmly by our side, leading us, teaching us, loving us. How about you? Are you ready?

Elaine Jaeke

                                Attendance            Giving

July 4                     34                  $3,410.25

July 11                    66                  $4,623.00

July 18                    68                 $1,775.00

July 25                  128                 $3,243.50

August 1                 52                 $3,205.59

August 8                87                 $4,870.58

August 15              74                 $3,503.00

August 22             93                 $3,118.00

August 29             97                 $3,374.25