Notes of Joy for the Week of November 24, 2019

Our Mission Statement We of Joy Lutheran Church foster  grace-filled relationships with Christ through worship, fellowship, and service. 

Gospel: Luke 23:33-43 Jeremiah’s promise of the execution of “justice and righteousness in the land” finds ironic fulfillment in the execution of Jesus of Nazareth, the King of the Jews. It appears so utterly contradictory that the king should be crucified with the criminal. This victory appears for all the world as ignominious defeat. Yet through the gate of death our Lord opens the door to paradise.

Let’s Send JOY to the Sailors of the USS Abraham Lincoln We will meet after church Sunday, 24 November to assemble and box items, complete customs forms and write personal notes.  OR - bring all snack and personal care items to the church so we can get them to the sailors by Christmas OR - donate money for postage or amazon gift cards OR - show up and take photos of elves at work! Sailors like Amazon Gift Cards ($20), snacks: Jerky, crackers, dried fruit, nuts, and hard candy. They need toothbrushes and Q tips. Remember, nothing perishable and no chocolate (it will melt)

Update from November 12 Council Meeting T his was the first council meeting we had with our new Interim Pastor Karen Sonray. It felt “right” to have a trained pastor back in our midst. At first I was going to say it was nice to have someone back at the helm but I realized there has always been someone at the helm and He has been guiding us every step of the way. He has lead Pastor Karen to our congregation and what a wonderful gift for our transition period. The formation of a Mission Profile Team is the next step in the transition process. This will consist of 3-4 members who will help articulate where we have been as a congregation and how we see ourselves in the future. We will all be involved in this process and Pastor Karen will help lead us. Because we are so close to Advent and the Christmas season, we will not begin pulling the team together until after the New Year. The Finance Committee has been putting in long hours and really digging into important issues such as insurance coverage, fine tuning our accounting practices and enhancing the reports to the congregation. This is grueling work and we want to thank Gary and Lai Ming, Clark, Dina and Jan for all their hard work. There was a drop in our income for October and even though income was slightly higher than our expenses, we all know our expenses will increase quite a bit now that winter is upon us along with the addition of the part time pastor salary. We continue to try and find ways to increase our income and we have a new piano instructor on Mondays but this is not a significant amount. Your continued support is so vital and appreciated.  We will have our Wednesday evening services during Advent preceded by a soup supper.  This year is unique with Christmas falling on Wednesday so we will only have 3 Wednesday night Advent services beginning December 4 th . Pastor Karen will lead a Thanksgiving Eve service on November 27 th  so please plan on joining us throughout this holiday season. Our next council meeting is December 10 th . Please talk to any of the council members if you have questions, comments or concerns. We are thankful for each and everyone of you! -Sue Weimer, Council President

Confirmation Confirmation class is after Sunday worship, from 10:45am - 12 noon. Bring a friend! Special Music If you would like to provide special music on an upcoming Sunday, let the office know or talk with Pastor Karen. Thanksgiving Eve Service We will gather on Thanksgiving Eve for worship at 7:00pm. Please join us for peaceful reflection and thankful prayer before the busy holiday festivities begin. Advent Soup Supper & Wednesday Evening Worship We begin midweek Advent worship Wednesday, Dec. 4, at 7:00pm. We start with soup supper at 6:15pm. The signup sheet to provide soup or bread is on the bulletin board.

Advent Wreath Making and Workshop Sunday, December 1st after worship Bring the family!   Bake sale  Fun stations for all ages (note: We are looking for a few folks to staff some stations. Crafts? Face painting? Ideas?)

Holy Communion Training     Saturday, Dec. 14  11:00 am - Elementary age               12 Noon - Kindergarten and under  Would you like Pastor to talk to your child about the meaning of Holy Communion and how we receive this special gift of Jesus? Or is your child in need of a refresher?  You can bring your child Saturday, Dec. 14 th for a short class. We will meet in the Sanctuary and Narthex area. Thank you. If you cannot attend at that date and time, speak with Pastor for a time that will work for you! She is also available by request before or after the midweek Advent soup supper or worship (Wednesday evenings in December before Christmas).

Christmas Lights Pastor is looking for some folks who might be interested in adding Christmas lights out on our western frontage to bring cheer and an invitation of Joy as we prepare to welcome the Christ child. We need to tackle the electricity issue to see if it’s possible to access electricity on that side of the parking lot. Is this something you have interest or expertise in? If so, talk to a Council member or Pastor Karen.

Thanksgiving Blessing Set-up Starts Sunday The Thanksgiving Blessing meal distribution is Monday, Nov. 25 from 3:00-8:00pm. They will begin setting up on Sunday. We are still looking for a few more Joy volunteers for the later hosting shift, a few delivery volunteers (must have good transportation and a ride-along buddy), and more snacks to serve at the event. COOOOKIES!! We need more snacks & cookies! If you would like to volunteer for one of Love INC's positions, click on the link: https://signup.com/go/hiTVSwV . Love INC is also seeking volunteers to place reminder calls in the days leading up to Thanksgiving Blessing. Callers will begin calling on Wednesday November 20 through November 25.  Please go to the link to signup for all volunteer assignments.  This is an exciting time to meet people and another way to participate.

JCDC is Hiring Preschool Teachers NOW! Joy Child Development Center is accepting applications for teachers.   Must b e 18 y.o. or older. Background checks required. If interested or have any questions about qualifications or hours, please contact the director, Robin O’Mara at 694-2755.

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 then move on to our book discussion. It’s fun and thought provoking! We have all grown from it. December 16 - The Moment of Lift by Melinda Gates - Sue Weimer will host. For our Christmas Party merriment this year, we will have a sock exchange! If you would like to participate, please bring a wrapped pair of socks. January 20 - Oregon Trail by Rinker Buck - Wayne & Judy Rush are hosting.   Everyone is welcome! If you haven’t read the book, just come and enjoy the evening with us.

Joy Church Council Members Sue Weimer Scooter Bentson Clarke Hemphill Tom Bird Debby Bird Dina Torres, Treasurer The next church council meeting is Tuesday, December 10 at 7:00pm.

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