ADVISORY: 

Lent begins Wednesday, February 17th. For any who would like to make use of Lenten devotionals for the season, we offer these options:

Luther Seminary is providing the "Awesome Mystery" devotional series for Lent. You may download a free hard copy, or subscribe to have them appear in your inbox each day...simply click HERE.

From Lutheran Hour Ministries you may enjoy "The Marks of Love," devotions from the Gospel of Mark, as either a podcast or readable online, beginning February 17th.

Prefer to download or make use of a hardcopy booklet? Augsburg Publishing has "A Story to Tell" available in large print and as an ebook (Kindle, Google Play, Nook, Kobo, and Apple Books) HERE ($3).

Concordia Publishing offers their seasonal devotions, "Return to the Lord" on Amazon in both Kindle and hard copy format ($2.50).

Our Lenten midweek worship gatherings will take place online only, and be available at noon each Wednesday in Lent (February 24, and March 3, 10, 17, and 24).

Wednesday evening Lenten worship will include music, liturgy, devotion time, and a brief homily based on the book, Unoffendable, by Brant Hansen. This will be an opportunity for us to humble ourselves, to quiet our easily angered minds, and to prepare our hearts for the movement of the Holy Spirit during this holy season. 

You may purchase a physical or digital copy of book from Amazon.

Pastor Rod will also be offering a book study meeting focusing on Unoffendable, on Tuesday evenings during Lent. The book is very accessible. The concepts and words are bite-sized. However this is a very timely topic for people of faith. And the theology contained within the book is basic to our understanding of who Christ calls us to be! We will cover 4 to 5 short chapters each week.

The study will begin Tuesday, March 2, at 6:30p. The link for the study group and a summary of the book are below:

Unoffendable Study Group

Join Zoom Meeting HERE.

Unoffendable by Brant Hansen:

In Unoffendable you will find things of immeasurable value:

Unoffendable seeks to lift religious burdens from our backs and allow us to experience the joy of gratitude, perhaps for the first time, every single day of their lives.

February reminds us of hearts, but not just the candy type. It is also designated as American Heart Month. It helps us remember to be good to our hearts: exercise, eat right, don’t smoke, and combat obesity. In addition, the first Friday of the month, February 5th, is National Wear Red Day, a reminder to be good to our hearts.

Thank you for the quick and generous response to our request for socks!! The Winter Shelter guests each received a homemade pillowcase filled with 12-15 pairs of socks. They were all very thankful for the gift and thoughtfulness. Plus we have so many socks left that we will be able to do this again in March! We appreciate all of your support.

On Ash Wednesday we begin our forty-day journey toward Easter with a day of repentance. Even while we walk through Lent, we know we've already been reconciled to God through Christ. We humbly pray for God to make our hearts clean while we rejoice that Christ is always with us.

Drive through the JOY parking lot and receive ashes to

use immediately or during the online worship service.

Communion bread and wine will also be distributed in the same way!

As you take a lap through the JOY parking lot, consider beginning your Lenten journey with an act of compassion. JOY is collecting olive oil and mayonnaise to help replenish the shelves at Parker Task Force. Can you add one (or more) to the stockpile we'll be collecting? No time? No worries! There'll be a "cash can," if you'd prefer to make a monetary donation.

It is time for the second session of exploring the ELCA Wholeness Wheel. Martin Luther said, “This life, therefore, is not godliness but the process of becoming godly, not health but getting well, not being but becoming, not rest but exercise. We are not now what we shall be, but we are on the way.” Join Sheryl Stenseth and Lois Tan as we journey through the ELCA “Wholeness Wheel.” This session will look at spiritual and physical well-being. The session will be Monday, February 15th, at 7 pm via ZOOM. Sign up to be a part of this journey by Friday, February12th at care@joylc.org. You will receive a ZOOM invitation on Sunday, February 14th.

God showers us with His amazing grace and everlasting love. May our enthusiasm for these magnificent gifts overflow as we share God’s grace through proclaiming His good news and shining the light of His love! Read some Bible verses about sharing God’s grace HERE.

Thank you, JOY members, for patiently attending the successful virtual annual meeting last Sunday. Voting members elected Jim Bettendorf, Gene Gordon, Spencer Harms, Ann Peltier, John Rassmussen, and Dan Turner to 2-year council terms. Terry Bixler and youth representative, Abby Blom, were elected to 1-year council positions. Elaine and Greg Allshouse will represent JOY at the Rocky Mountain Synod Convention in May, and Pat Billington, Janet Francisco, Jack Hubbell, Babe Pachello, and Karen Watson will serve on next year's nominating committee. The 2021 Budget was also approved.

Most JOY year-end contribution statements have already been mailed. However, due to a Tithe.ly software bug, a small percentage of statements have been held for manual review. We expect to have all statements mailed by next week. In the meantime, you may always view your transactions by logging into MyJoy through www.joylc.org

and selecting "My Giving" at the top of your profile page. If you have any questions about your statement after receiving it, please contact our accountant, Ian Andersen. Please keep in mind that missing transactions will not be corrected (online) until our provider fixes the software issue. Your patience in this change-over year is greatly appreciated.  

tchd.org

If you have difficulty locating the information you need at these sites, feel free to contact Lois Tan.

-Both services are the same; safety protocols will be observed at each.

-Attendees must advance-register for services between 9a Wed-noon Fri

-If you have not attended an in-person worship since JOY's reopening, please watch the orientation video HERE.

-Please utilize the the wait list option when registering, to be added to the reservation list in the event of a cancellation.

-If you are unable to honor your reservation, kindly take time to cancel so others may use the available seats.

-Worship services will not be held if less than 12 individuals are registered. Registrants will be notified in advance.

-State requirements allow door opening just 15 minutes prior to the service.

-In the event you test positive for Covid after attending an in-person worship service, please contact the church office as soon as possible.

MEN OF JOY WINTER RETREAT - We have scheduled this winter’s men’s retreat for March 5 – 7. Our own Pastor Rod will be hosting the discussion during the retreat, to be held at Rainbow Trail Lutheran Camp in Hillside, CO. You can learn much more about the retreat by viewing the informational brochure HERE. You may sign-up or ask questions by contacting Bret Specht or Randy Satrum.

JOSHUA STATION OPPORTUNITY - Each week, families that live at Joshua Station come together for a community dinner, prepared by volunteers. As you can imagine, this looks different right now. Many weeks have gone by without such dinners because of volunteer restrictions. However, you can help by catering a meal. Please consider going in with your committee, Bible study, or close friends to come up with a plan to donate a meal. I am thrilled to say that our own youth group is going to sponsor a catered meal on January 28th! 

If you are interested in helping, please contact Caitlin Nelson for more information.

PARKER ADOPT-A-TRAIL: February 13 -About 10 years ago JOY volunteered to clean up a section of the Cherry Creek Trail as one of our Servant Day projects. A group of volunteers has continued this commitment every month since that first effort. We feel it's an important stewardship project for our church and an opportunity to fulfill service requirements and goals. The town of Parker provides clean-up bags and each participant should wear gloves (and masks, at this time). We meet on the second Saturday behind (east of) the Rec Center at the dog station. In the warmer months we meet at 8:30a, and during the colder months at 9:30a. There is a parking lot behind the ball fields. If you have an interest in participating in our trail walks, please e-mail JUDY DESLATTE.

ACTS BIBLE STUDY- The Wednesday morning Bible study is open to all. Pastor Rod continues the study of Acts, and anyone who is interested is invited to join the Zoom group. Join Zoom Meeting HERE

Meeting ID: 840 4750 9073

Passcode: 529558

WEDNESDAY NIGHT MEN'S STUDY - There is an updated Google link for the ongoing study, which meets weekly at 7p. The current study is Revelation. All men are welcome to participate. Join using this link.

GREETERS & USHERS NEEDED- As we continue with two in-person worship services each week, greeter and usher assistance is needed. If you are currently attending in-person worship and would like to volunteer, please email HERE.

SEEKING MUSICAL TALENT - JOY is looking for people of all ages who are interested in sharing their musical talents in worship! If you play an instrument or sing and would like to remotely record yourself at home, email Linda Holcombe, Director of Music Ministry.

ALTAR FLOWERS SIGN-UP - We are now using a contactless method to accommodate altar flower sponsors for Sunday worship. Sign-up or check available dates using the electronic system HERE (the link also remains at the top of this newsletter). If you have questions about flowers please contact the office.

MYJOY DIRECTORY- Thank you to everyone who has created an account to access the new online directory. This step ensures everyone's privacy. Please remember, this is a completely new platform, and having used the old MyJoy will not give you access to the new MyJoy. If you are a member and have not yet set up your new account please click HERE to contact the office for the link. After setting your password, you may log into the directory from the MyJoy tab on the JOY WEBSITE.

ONLINE GIVING - Check out these easy instructions to set-up ONLINE giving.

CHILDREN'S WORSHIP BULLETINS - The weekly children's bulletins are posted HERE each week. Just print them out as you tune in to worship and let the kids enjoy the fun Bible-lesson-inspired activities.

JOYFUL MISSION PRESCHOOL REGISTRATION - Registration is open for current JMP families and JOY church families. We have programs for kids from 2-5 years. You can find a virtual tour on our WEBSITE, as well as a spot to schedule a meet-and-greet with JMP Director, Lauren Brokken. Please email for information regarding class offerings and/or tuition rates.

SHOP TO BENEFIT JOY - Learn more HERE.

PRAYERS

FOR THOSE WHO HAVE LOST LOVED ONES

Lois Tan may be contacted at: care@joylc.org.