Join us for Worship on Sunday - March 25, 9:30 a.m. Dick Iverson, from Sugar Creek Bible Camp in Ferryville, Wisconsin will be here to talk about camp life!

Please take note of the schedule change for Confirmation and Kings Kids:

February 8 - No Confirmation or Kings Kids
February 15 – Confirmation starts at 6:00 pm and Kings Kids at 6:30 pm
February 22 – Ash Wednesday, Confirmation and Kings Kids start at 6:00 pm and will participate in the Ash Wednesday Service.

Now click on the link below to view the schedule …

february-worship-asst-schedule.pdf

W.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!

Norway Grove began its first Worship on Wednesday (WoW!) service. The contemporary, youth-oriented service is held the first Wednesday of each month. In October, 85 attended the WoW! service which talked about the Human Condition. We asked: “Am I a bad person when I make a poor choice or break a rule (even if I think it’s not a good rule)?” We learned that God’s grace can be a powerful tool.The next WoW! service is scheduled for Wednesday November 2. Join us for the 6pm Potluck dinner before the service, which starts at 6:30.

Youth Quake was a great success this year! We had 17 kids participate throughout the weekend. Four 5th graders, two 6th graders, and eleven 8th graders celebrated with the six chaperones. We sang, laughed, swam, nearly cried and danced the whole weekend. Two bands, Captive Free and Fuller Still, entertained us throughout the weekend. The girls in our group really seemed to identify with the speaker for the weekend, Tiffany. She focused on being the you God created, positive peer pressure, and listening to God.

Our 8th grade group decided to brave the audience and put a skit on Saturday night. Ask them about their pet “Centi” sometime. Some of the best time was spent bonding with our groups. We hit the water slides, threw balls in the ball pit, feasted on pizza, spaghetti and pancakes as a group. The Ninga stars kept the boys busy, while the girls preferred hair braiding. My favorite times were the late night chat sessions over pretzels as we discussed our day. Helen and Don Brausen donated matching shirts for all participating kids. Lodging was donated by Jim and Renae Buchheim.

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

In past five years, confirmation has taken a different form from the confirmation classes most parents were a part of years ago, but the purpose is the same – to bring the students to the place where they can say with confidence, “Yes, I believe” on that day when they affirm their baptismal vows first made by their parents. We are seeking to plant the seeds of faith, and water them, and nurture them so that each student will develop a strong personal relationship with Jesus Christ.As a warm-up to confirmation, Kings Kids began in 2005 with 5^th and 6^th graders in mind. Kings Kids include times of worship, special small group learning sessions during Lent, music, prayer, faith sharing, humor, fun service projects, learning from others, and games. Getting comfortable with growing in faith for a lifetime is a goal.Music Director, Jill Buchheim, contributes to the excitement and fun for each gathering. We have relied on contributions from many volunteer guide leaders, chaperones, guest speakers and other supporters. They bring the joy of God upon us.

Students have the opportunity to contribute to the DeForest community in a variety of ways, including shopping for the food pantry, ringing bells for the Salvation Army and other activities. All students are encouraged to participate in Youth Quake - a regional weekend event for middle school youth designed to build a caring community among youth and adults, grow a faith in Jesus Christ, and develop healthy relationships among peers.

Are you on Facebook? Check out Norway Grove’s new Fan Page today! Log into your Facebook account and search for Norway Grove. Then be sure to click on the “Become a Fan” link.

Seventeen youth from Christ Lutheran Church and Norway Grove Memorial Lutheran Church are busily preparing for their trip to the National Youth Gathering this summer (July 22-26) in New Orleans. Please keep this group in your prayers as they plan for their trip to the Gathering. This Gathering will be different than previous Gatherings. The youth attending will enter into God’s presence in New Orleans to receive the witness of others and practice their faith through experiences in worship, prayer, play, service and learning. They will experience compassionate justice (serving as Jesus served) as they seek, serve and form relationships with the people of New Orleans. They will join in the effort to help the people continue to rebuild from Hurricane Katrina. They will hear the stories of those who lost their sisters, brothers, wives, husbands and children to the raging waters. Through all this, they will deepen their understanding of the basic Christian principles by which we live our baptismal calling to servanthood.

Fundraising has already started. A bake sale was held in early December raising over $300. Gift-wrapping was done at East Towne Mall on December 22. Thanks to all who helped! Over $990 was raised through this event.Super Bowl Sunday Subs took place on February 1, 2009. Thanks to all that ordered subs for the event!Our next fundraising event will be family Mardi Gras day on February 22, from 11:30am - 3:30pm, at Christ Lutheran. There will be games food, and a silent auction. Look at the weekly bulletin for further information.

HOW CAN YOU HELP? The cost to attend the Youth Gathering is expected to be $900-$1,000 per participant. To offset this cost, the youth are doing fundraising events and are seeking sponsorships and donations. A container for donations is available in the Fellowship Room on Sunday mornings. Checks can be made payable to: Youth Gathering - Christ Lutheran/Norway Grove.