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.

Norway Grove’s first-ever Youth Rock! event was held on Saturday, September 20^th, and it was amazing!  We had 70 YOUTH, ages 5 to 17, come to experience a positive message which was presented through music led by the Norway Grove Praise Band, group building activities led by Jenna Ziemer, karate instruction from Tony Armstrong, and inspirational speaking from Fran Hewuse.  About half of the kids opted to stay for an overnight lock-in, which included gathering around a campfire for songs and a skit, coming in for quiet song time in the sanctuary, participating in Guitar Hero tournaments, watching the movie “Evan Almighty”, enjoying a delicious breakfast, and attending the 8:00 church service on Sunday morning.  It was an inspiring evening for everyone involved, and we really felt a strong connection to the youth of our congregation and community.   We hope this will be the first of many Youth Rock! events to come!  We have so many people to thank for the success of the evening!  Big thank you’s go out to Pete and Nichole Bachman for grilling burgers and hot dogs and serving the evening meal, to Steve Eicher for helping set-up the sanctuary and running the sound system and screen, to Veronica Eicher for helping set-up, getting kids registered and for staying overnight, to Kris Smith for coming in at 6:00 Sunday morning to help make breakfast, to Beth and Randy Krey for helping clean-up after the breakfast, to Kris Urban for making the nametags and keeping the lemonade jug filled all night, to Karen Kreis and Diane Hewuse for helping set-up and providing an extra hand throughout the night, to Dave Midthun, Jim Buchheim, and Tom Buchheim for helping with the candle lighting prayers, to Carol Janisch for participating with the group building activities and keeping the kids energized, to Teresa Midthun for staying overnight and helping pop the popcorn for the movie, to Kathy Williams for helping with basement clean-up, to the band members for all of their hard work, enthusiasm and ideas about how to make the big night a success, to Jenna, Fran, Joe, and Tony for sharing their talents and inspiring the youth, to Laura McGoveran for her help with all of the mailings and publicity, and to all of the parents who shared a few extra minutes with us helping organize kids, cleaning up rooms or sending along food and drinks to share. Your volunteerism was awesome and you helped make this a memorable night for so many kids!  Thank you!!

Jill Buchheim, Tom Hewuse, Tom Kreis, Troy Janisch, and Pastor Kathy