Notes of Joy for the Week of June 30, 2019
Our Mission Statement

We of Joy Lutheran Church foster 
grace-filled relationships with Christ
through worship, fellowship, and service. 
Luke 9:51-62
We have no good apart from God. That makes our Lord’s call to follow him an invitation to freedom. This is freedom to revel in the Spirit’s fruits: love, joy, peace, patience, and the like. This is the path of life.

Sunday, Joy Lutheran and Pastor Martin both begin new journeys on the path of the grace-filled life as we say Farewell and Godspeed to Pastor Martin. May God be with us all until we meet again.
From Our Pastor...

A Time to Say Goodbye
 
I don’t think most of us like to say “goodbye.” Goodbyes confront us with the impermanence of our relationships and ultimately, the mortality of our lives.
 
But there is an end to all things – to plants and trees, to animals and people, to our connections to creation, and to our very selves. The reality of life is that there are ends. Ends are a part of life.
 
Our relationship began on an August morning almost 21 years ago. By calling me to be your pastor, you invited me and my family to work alongside you in the work of the Kingdom of God. We have known one another for many years, in many situations, and a variety of contexts. Working and living with and among one another allows a familiarity and an intimacy that most vocations never experience. Being a pastor is not a “9-to-5” type of occupation and being a congregation is a living community, not just a workplace. Our interactions are not a mere  transactional event such as when I go to Carr’s to buy food, but a  relational  one where we live together in highs and lows, griefs and celebrations, special days and ordinary ones. It has been good. It has been a joy and honor to be among you as your pastor.
 
But there is an end to things, even things that bring us joy.
 
It’s time to say goodbye. 
 
This Sunday, June 30 th , will be my last Sunday as your Pastor at Joy Lutheran in Eagle River, Alaska. I will say goodbye to being part of this worshipping community, one where I have served and has served me for twenty-one years. I will say goodbye to you, my Joy family for these years, and I will thank you for all that you have meant to me along the way.
 
We will say goodbye to one another, but the bonds of our love and fellowship will endure. We begin new journeys: different, separate, and united in the love and grace of Jesus. 
 
I leave you with this prayer found in our hymnal:
“O Lord God, you have called your servants to ventures of which we cannot see the ending, by paths as yet untrodden, through perils unknown. Give us faith to go out with good courage, not knowing where we go, but only that your hand is leading us and your love supporting us; through Jesus Christ our Lord.” (ELW – Evening Prayer)
 
Goodbye,
 
Pastor Martin
Farewell Potluck for Pastor Martin
This Sunday, June 30th is
Pastor Martin’s last day with us!
Come celebrate the 21 years he has guided us on our spiritual journey and wish him Godspeed as he starts his next calling in Virginia.
We are planning a potluck after service so bring a favorite dish and perhaps a favorite story to share. Please bring cards of well wishes if you would like or blank cards will be available for your use.
The Alaska Synod Call Process

You have a partner in the synod office who will guide you through 
a time-tested process shared across this church through which the 
Holy Spirit continues to work.

  1. The Bishop, with your Council’s approval, will appoint an Interim Pastor to serve with you.
  2. Your Council will establish a contract with the interim pastor and will negotiate responsibilities and compensation.
  3. The Council will appoint a team to write a Ministry Site Profile (a description of your congregation and the qualities you are looking for in a pastor).
  4. A Call Committee will be established according to the guidelines of your constitution.
  5. The synod office will provide orientation to your Call Committee.
  6. The Call Committee will receive the name(s) of potential candidates.
  7. The Call Committee will enter an interview process with candidates.
  8. The Call Committee will keep you informed of the progress of its work. The specifics of the potential candidates are all confidential at this point.
  9. After the Call Committee has a decision on a final candidate (with at least a 2/3 majority), they will meet with the Council to share information regarding the recommended candidate.
  10. The Council prepares a Letter of Definition of Compensation and Benefits for the candidate. A draft is sent to the synod office
  11. The Council will vote to recommend the candidate (with at least a 2/3 majority) to the congregation.
  12. Members of the congregation will be given the opportunity to meet the candidate.
  13. The Council will call a special congregational meeting to formally vote on the candidate.
  14. If a congregation votes “yes” (with a minimum 2/3 majority), the congregation then approves the compensation package (with a simple majority), a Letter of Call is signed and forwarded to the Bishop; The Definition of Compensation and Benefits is sent to the Pastor.
  15. The candidate has 30 days to consider the call.
  16. If the candidate accepts the call, an installation date is set with the bishop. If the candidate declines the call, the Call Committee goes back to work with the help of the synod bishop.

Through the whole process, your prayers are essential. Pray that the Holy Spirit guide you, your Call Committee, your Council and your synod in discerning who God is calling to serve as your next Pastor.

Alaska Synod, Evangelical Lutheran Church in America
1847 W Northern Lights Blvd. #2 
• Anchorage, AK 99517 elcaalaska@gmail.com • aksynodbishop@gmail.com
907-272-8899 • elcaalaska.net
It’s Coming!! It’s Coming!!
Service Sunday at Eagle River Nature Center!! Sunday July 21 st after an abbreviated worship service we will caravan out to the Eagle River Nature Center to help make the trails and viewing areas easier to navigate, stack wood, and perform any tasks that the staff and volunteers need us to do. 

Afterwards we can gather back at Joy for lunch & fellowship. We should be back at Joy by 1 PM.

Please sign up on the bulletin board so we can let the Nature Center know how many to expect. Please see Kathie Adams if you have questions.
Finance Update
We not only met our $2,000 matching pledge but far exceeded it!! Thanks to everyone that participated and special thanks to the wonderful members that came up with such a generous and fun incentive. We will have more detailed finance information soon. 

We have a new treasurer and a new Finance Committee is being formed. The members of this committee have many years of accounting related experience and they will be a dynamic resource as we move forward. We thank Steve Kruse again for serving as the former treasurer and we keep Steve and Michele in our prayers. 
Weekly Worship Assistant Schedule
Joy of Reading Book Club
The Joy of Reading Book Club meets the 3rd Monday of every month and gets started around 6:30 PM. We share a light dinner and discuss the book of the month with open minds. We have learned a lot!  

  • July – no meeting
  • August 19 – Marcia Hegna is hosting and the book is Pachinko by Min Jin Lee
  • September 16 – Lois Lester hosting and the book is Where the Crawdads Sing by Delia Owens
  • October 21 – Betty Veldhuis is hosting; the book is Born a Crime by Trevor Noah

All are welcome, even if you haven’t read the book. We will enjoy your company!