Notes of Joy for the Week of January 12, 2020
Our Mission Statement

We of Joy Lutheran Church foster 
grace-filled relationships with Christ
through worship, fellowship, and service. 
Gospel: Matthew 3:13-17
In the waters of the Jordan, Jesus is revealed as the beloved Son of God. Through this great epiphany, Jesus fulfills all righteousness and becomes the servant of God who will bring forth justice and be a light to the nations. In the waters of baptism we too are washed by the Word, anointed by the Spirit, and named God’s beloved children. Our baptismal mission is to proclaim good news to all who are oppressed or in need of God’s healing.
Saturday Morning Breakfast Group - Tomorrow!
Please join us Saturday, January 11 for our monthly church maintenance. 

We will be “de-decking” the halls of their bows of Christmas glory, and taking down the Christmas tree. This is a big job and we need help especially from a few folks comfortable working on a ladder. We also still need some help with snow removal around our back exits and secondary wheelchair ramp in the north parking area. 

We begin with breakfast at 9:00am, followed by building maintenance. We hope to be done around noon. Please bring a dish to share. All are welcome and no special skills are required!
Transition Steps: MSP Team
Before we can start the Call process for a new pastor, we need to write and approve a Ministry Site Profile for Joy Lutheran Church. This takes a team of 3 people appointed by the Church Council. 

They will be gathering demographics about our zip code areas, along with demographics about our membership. They will also be taking a number of surveys within our membership (electronically and hard copies ) which ask pertinent questions about who we are and how we see our priorities, values and leadership styles. These surveys are provided by the ELCA but administered by the MSP team who gathers all this data to form and write up a profile of Joy Lutheran. Each step is described with directions and the Bishop will train our MSP team. 

Thus we are seeking 3 people who have writing, listening , and data collection skills between themselves (i.e. you don’t need each of these skills), and an interest in offering their commitment to this important step. It will take at least 3-months. As we approach the completion of our ministry profile, we will also be seeking people to serve on the Call Committee - we hope to have each generation represented. These people may be needed for up to 4 months or until a new pastor is called. 

Obviously, all those who serve in these task forces will need to have the entire congregation’s best interest always in mind. Please keep this in prayer. If you have someone to recommend, please let a Council member or Pastor know.

Pastor Karen Sonray
Annual Congregation Meeting

Mark your calendars! Our annual meeting is scheduled for Sunday, January 26, 2020, after worship. We will gather in Brause Fellowship Hall for a potluck brunch, and review the past year, look to the future, approve a budget and elect new members to the church council.

Group leaders, please prepare an annual report of your activities for the year so we may include it in our report packet! We'd like your reports by January 17. Share your good news!
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Offering Envelopes
Offering envelopes that are preprinted with the date and envelop numbers will be here in approximately 2 weeks. We have generic envelopes you can use in the meantime. They are on the sideboard in the narthex. Thank you for your patience!
Church Council Nominations
The Congregation Council has general oversight on the life of our congregation, including: mission, long-range planning, involvement of members and supportive relationships within our staff and volunteers. Would you like to nominate someone to the Church Council (please ask them first)? If so, please let a Council Member or Pastor know. Terms are 3-years. Elections will be Jan. 26th at the annual meeting. Current members are: Sue Weimer, Pres.; Tom Bird, V.P.; Scooter Bentson, Sec.; Dina Torres, Treas.; Clarke Hemphill and Debbi Bird.
It's our 45th anniversary!
Join us for cake!
Sunday is our 45 th anniversary, as our congregation was officially organized January 12, 1975. Rev. Floyd Brause became our mission developer in 1972. Our first service was Oct. 1973, at the Homestead Elementary School with 91 people present. In 1974, we began worshiping in a building rented downtown, where we remained for 2-years. In 1976, we moved to Eagle River Elementary until construction was completed in April 1977 (groundbreaking was in 1976). From the beginning, one of the ministry visions was to provide a child care or preschool center for Eagle River area. 
Warm Accessories
It’s definitely cold outside!  Bring mittens, hats, socks, etc. of all sizes. Place them on our accessories tree or in the orange bin and we will make sure they get to folks in need! See Scooter Bentsen for more info.
Save the Date
The Blood Bank of Alaska's LIFEmobile will be at Joy Lutheran on Sunday, February 9! There is a sign-up sheet on the bulletin board in the narthex. You may also sign up via the link below. Appointment times are from 8:00-11:30am. Please see Nancy Hemsath if you have questions.

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. Even if you haven’t read the book of the month you are still welcome to join us. It’s a fun evening of discussion, sharing of ideas and respectful listening. And lots of socializing and laughter!

  • January 20 - Oregon Trail by Rinker Buck – Wayne & Judy Rush are hosting.
  • No Book Club in February 
  • March 16 – Akin by Emma Donoghue. Sue Weimer will host this one.

The year 2020 is the year of Book Club’s 10th Anniversary! Please mark your calendars for a celebration on Friday, June 5th. Once again our anniversary party/sleepover will be at the beautiful lake home of Gerry Norene on Nancy Lake.
Worship Assistant Schedule
There are a number of ways to give to 
Joy Lutheran Church:

  • Credit card or direct Bank Account donations - Go to our website www.Joy-lutheran.com and sign up for ongoing giving through our secure Vanco program. 

  • Checks or cash in our Sunday offerings - Checks can be sent to the church at 10111 E. Eagle River Loop Road, Eagle River, AK 99577.

  • IRA annual disbursement - you can sign up part of your annual disbursement to the Church. Talk with your IRA financial manager. 

  • In-kind donations - Like to shop for good deals? You can always donate supplies such as paper towels, napkins, toilet paper, etc. Save your receipt and we can add it to your contribution statement. 

  • Remember Joy Lutheran Church in your will - Consider giving the Church a percentage or stated amount of your Estate. 

  • Fred Meyer - Whenever you use your Rewards Card when shopping at Freddy’s, you will be helping earn a donation to Joy Lutheran from Fred Meyer. All you have to do is link your Rewards Card online and scan it every time you shop at Fred Meyer. Link your Rewards Card now. You will need to register on the FM site with your rewards number.

  • Amazon Smile - Register and shop at www.smile.amazon.com. You pay the same for your Amazon purchases, and a portion of Amazon’s corporate giving is shared with the non-profit you select.
Stay safe and cozy out there!
Joy Church Council Members
Sue Weimer
Scooter Bentson
Clarke Hemphill
Tom Bird
Debby Bird
Dina Torres, Treasurer


The next church council meeting is Tuesday, January 14 at 7:00pm.