FEBRUARY CALENDAR (Click here first)
Tuesday, January 10th, 2012Please click on the link below to view the calendar …
Norway Grove Memorial Lutheran Church - DeForest, WI
Archive for January, 2012
FEBRUARY WORSHIP ASSISTANT SCHEDULE (Click here first)
Tuesday, January 10th, 2012Now click on the link below to view the schedule …
NEW PASTOR IN TOWN!
Tuesday, January 10th, 2012Welcome to Pastor Ron & Mary Strobel, and their son Benjamin! They arrived in DeForest in late December, and Pastor Ron led us in worship on Sunday, January 1st.
Pastor Ron is looking forward to meeting and getting to know everyone at Norway Grove. Please note his walk-in office hours are:
Tuesdays - 6:30 - 9:00 p.m.
Wednesdays* - 9:00 a.m. - Noon
Saturdays - 8:00 a.m. - 12:30 p.m.
*On the second Wednesdays of the month, Pastor Ron will lead worship services at Walnut Grove and Parkside in DeForest, so walk-in office hours will switch to Thursdays, 9:00 a.m. to noon.
These are not the only times you will find Pastor Ron at Norway Grove, but these are times when you can come in without an appointment and expect to find him here, barring emergencies of course!
STEWARDSHIP RECAP
Tuesday, January 10th, 2012Results to date …
As part of our Stewardship communications late in 2011, we highlighted the good and not-so-good news regarding giving. The good news in 2011 is giving exceeded expenses. The not-so-good news is that 2011 giving did not meet the full ministry needs of the congregation.
Below are results to date of our Saddlebag Stewardship Drive. Again, there’s a mix of good news and not-so-good news.
Not-so-good news: Unfortunately, we still have one Saddlebag that has NOT been returned, so our Stewardship results are not complete. From the Saddlebags returned, 51 families have made pledges totaling $126,755. This amount leaves us well short of our 2012 budget need.
Good news: Many families answered the call to increase giving. In 2010, from the 77 families that contributed $500 or more, the average annual gift was $1,965. From the 51 pledges received to date, the average pledge is $2,485 – a $500+ increase! We continue to have 75-80 active families in our congregation. If we are able to average nearly $2,500 in annual giving from all active families, our budget goal becomes attainable!
A few final notes:
To all those families that completed pledges and participated in the Saddlebag Relay – thank you! A special thanks to all families that pledged to increase their financial support to Norway Grove remember, it’s imperative we increasing giving! Please continue to consider additional gifts to the congregation to support our budget needs and to address ongoing facility needs.
WORSHIP OPPORTUNITY REMINDER!
Tuesday, January 10th, 2012W.O.W.
Worship On Wednesday - The first Wednesday of each month
Potluck Supper at 6:00 p.m.
Followed by Worship at 6:30 p.m.
All Confirmation and Kings Kids students, as well as their parents, and anyone who is looking for an alternative worship to Sunday mornings is invited to join us for this Contemporary Communion Worship! See you there!
MUSIC NOTES FOR JANUARY
Tuesday, January 10th, 2012“Joy to the world! The Lord is come!” Each year we joyfully sing these words as the opening line of our beloved hymn, “Joy to the World”. It reminds us of the greatest gift ever given to any of us – the gift of Jesus, God’s son, given to us all as our Savior.
It might interest you to know that “Joy to the World” was created by two men who lived half a world away from each other and were separated by nearly a century, yet had the same revolutionary spirit, the same desire to create new, exciting music for the common people, and the same “troublemaker” label.
Isaac Watts, who wrote the words for “Joy to the World”, grew up in England, the son of a cobbler and tailor who was imprisoned for teaching radical ideas to the people. Young
Isaac followed in his father’s footsteps, questioning why things had to remain as they were, and why church music had to be so dull and uninspiring. He used Psalm 98 as the basis for “Joy to the World”, although he used a different tune.
Lowell Mason was born 44 years later in New Jersey. He wanted a career writing music, but since he couldn’t make a living at it, he became a banker. One of his crowning achievements was the tune “Antioch”, which was inspired by two songs from Handel’s “Messiah”: “Lift Up Your Heads” and “Comfort Ye”. This became the tune we sing today when we sing “Joy to the World.”
To quote Ace Collins in his book Stories Behind the Best-Loved Songs of Christmas: “It remains a mystery how this hymn became known as a Christmas carol. Inspired by Old Testament Scripture – with no words alluding to the birth of Jesus other than the phrase, “the Lord is come” – “Joy to the World “ would seem to be a song for all seasons, something to be sung in July as much as in December. Nevertheless, for some reason Americans embraced “Joy to the World” as a holiday standard…Because it does not use as its inspiration anything from the first four gospels of the New Testament, it also stands as a unique non-Christmas Christmas standard.”
As we enter a new year, let us continue to sing “Joy to the world, the Lord is come!” To that we can also add, thanks to God for our new pastor, Rev. Ron Strobel, who began his journey with us here at NGMLC on January 1. Welcome Pastor Ron and family!
Elaine Jaeke, Norway Grove Choir and Tone Chimes Director