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Our Mission Statement
We of Joy Lutheran Church foster
grace-filled relationships with Christ
through worship, fellowship, and service.
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Consideration of and care for those in need (especially those "at our gate," visible to us, of whom we are aware) is an essential component of good stewardship. It is in the sharing of wealth that we avoid the snare of wealth. It is the one whom death could not hold-who comes to us risen from the dead-who can free us from the death grip of greed.
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This Week's Calendar
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This Week:
Sun., Sept. 25
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Worship
Boy Scout Troop 219 - Brause Fellowship Hall
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| Mon., Sept. 26 |
6:30 PM
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Narcotics Anonymous - Library
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| Tues., Sept. 27 |
6:30 PM
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Alcoholics Anonymous - Library
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| Wed., Sept. 28 |
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Confirmation -
Brause Fellowship Hall
Narcotics Anonymous - Library
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Thurs
., Sept. 29
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12:00 PM
6:30 PM
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Banner Babes - Upper Narthex
Alcoholics Anonymous - Library
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| Fri., Sept. 30 |
6:30 PM
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Narcotics Anonymous
- Library
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| Sat., Oct. 1 |
6:30 PM
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Narcotics Anonymous
- Library
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Next Week:
Sun., Oct. 2 |
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Worship
Adult Bible Study
Boy Scout Troop 219 -
Brause Fellowship Hall
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Weekly Worship Assistant Schedule
We have a lot of openings in the schedule. Please help!
If you'd like to volunteer to serve in any one of these, please contact the office at 694-9601, or joylutheran@gmail.com. You may also add your name to the schedule on the
Opportunities bulletin board in the narthex.
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God's Work. Our Hands. Part One.
Six volunteers from Joy Lutheran Church joined 16 others at the Food Bank of Alaska to pack boxes for low-income elders. Together they created 663 boxes, each weighing 30 pounds, in 2-1/2 hours. Each month, volunteers pack 1500 boxes for seniors that contain basic food items, such as juice, cereal, canned vegetables and fruit, meat products, pasta, beans, and shelf-stable milk. The numbers alone call attention to the needs in our community.
September is Hunger Action Month. Thanks to Ian, Ami and Chuck Soellers, Mona Mitton, Nancy and Jim Hemsath who represented Joy in September. Stand by for future opportunities.
God's Work. Our Hands. Part Two.
Throughout September, the people of Joy are collecting food to share not only with our partners at Chugiak-Eagle River Food Pantry, but also farther afield with friends in Anchorage. During Buy 2, Share 2, we ask you to use the following list to purchase two items, one for the Food Pantry and one for Bean's Café/Children's Lunchbox:
- Coffee, tea and hot cocoa
- Toilet paper
- Oatmeal: regular and instant oatmeal packets
- Canned soup, chili, ravioli, tuna, etc.
- Canned vegetables
- Canned fruit
- Instant mashed potatoes
- Fruit snacks
- Granola bars
- Instant mac and cheese
Please place food in marked bins in the upper narthex. Thank you for sharing your blessings with those who need our help. We will celebrate our "harvest" of food on October 2nd.
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Youth of Joy!
Starting October 9, youth in grades 7-12 are invited to gather after worship on Sundays to share a few minutes of fellowship, faith... oh, and donuts! We'll meet in the prayer room next to Pastor Martin's office. See you there! Contact Matt (
mbeer@live.de
) if you have any questions.
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Confirmation Instruction begins next Wednesday, September 28
We are going to try a new time 5:00-6:30pm. We will continue to begin with a meal and fellowship, and then continue with class. Some nights we will be doing service projects. Other nights we will have a fellowship activity.
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Winding Up for Our Fundraiser!
Sunday, October 9th
Right after service
We hope you will invite friends & family to join us for this event; here is what's happening:
There will be food! Our own local chef, Kathie Adams, will be making a variety of quiches for our brunch. This will be supplemented by potluck contributions; there is a sign-up sheet on the bulletin board and thank you for bringing is the side dishes! There will be a free-will offering for the brunch.
There will be music! Steve and Deb Oudean will be providing folk gospel music for us. They are the music directors at the Cowboy Church of Anchorage and are lending their musical talents to make our event even more festive!
There will be a Silent Auction! Our congregation is very creative and generous in providing hand-crafted treasures, baskets of goodies, & fun and highly prized items for our Silent Auction. Jan, our office manager, will have space available if you would like to bring your contributions in early. Please call the church at 694-9601 to arrange dropping something off. (And thank you!)
There will be wind-up toys!
Just because they are fun!
Our Goal-$6,000 for the Horizons Intern Pastor Program in 2017.
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Other Joyful News...
Food unites us.
Joy's Faith Family Breakfasts give us the opportunity to linger and chat over brunch while enjoying the creative talents of volunteer chefs. This summer we sampled food prepared by Joy's Council, Bell Choir and Book Club; the Oistad, Wakeland, Boyer, Atrops, Hemsath, Hobbs and Boyer families; Sue Weimer, Betty Veldhuis, Jennifer Moore, Dana Gray, Gerry Norene, Linette Cook and Kathie Adams. Thank you all for providing us the setting to get better acquainted!
Small Hands. God's Work extended to many more.
The young Christians of Joy are faithful givers; every quarter, dime, dollar they give helps other young people elsewhere in the world. They've populated entire farms with animals; they've donated toward clean drinking water for those who have none; they've contributed to refugee assistance.
From September through December, Spark the Lion and his medical kit stand ready by the baptismal font to help our kids provide immunizations for children in countries where money can make a big difference. Nearly 5,000 children die each day from diseases like measles, polio, tetanus and tuberculosis - all diseases that could be prevented with a vaccine. Immunizing a child is one of the best ways to ensure that a child stays healthy, and a family stays free from medical costs from these diseases, for years to come. Every $30 provides a child and family that protection.
Standing Together:
Reconnecting the community through reading
Joy Lutheran is proud and excited to be part of a new project geared to reach out to local veterans. "Standing Together" has been made possible through a grant from the Alaska Humanities Forum and in partnership with Joy and the Chugiak-Eagle River Library. It is an effort to reach out to those veterans who may be positively connected through the reading of selected literature and with discussion led by Fr. Paul Smith, a retired Episcopalian priest and Vietnam veteran.
To serve as a kick-off the program, we have been able to secure the rights to Hunting in Wartime, a documentary that explores the experience of Viet Nam veterans from Hoonah, Alaska (a village of approximately 600 that sent 24 young people to the conflict, 17 of which saw combat. 23 returned home.) The film explores what it was like to grow up Native in Alaska in the 1940's and 50's, what it was like to go from village Alaska to the villages of Southeast Asia, and what it was like to return home to a very uncertain future. (Containing graphic images, the film would be best viewed by adults.)
Standing Together will provide a place on the first Tuesday of every month for Eagle River-Chugiak veterans and community members to share their experiences and re-discover what they share. There will be six group meetings, starting with the film and then using readings from an anthology titled Standing Down as the starting point for discussing the experience of combat, deployment, and staying home while others serve. The goal is to achieve greater understanding of the experiences of those who have served overseas and those who have remained in our community, so that both groups can better communicate with and relate to one another.
Standing Together will begin with the movie October 4, 6:30pm, in the Community Room of the Chugiak-Eagle River Public Library. Please join us and, better yet, invite others, too. For more information, contact members of Joy's steering committee for this project: Pastor Martin, Elaine Pfeiffer, Henry Huntington, or Nancy Hemsath.
The Gospel of John
The Adult Class will be studying the Gospel of John starting this Sunday at 11:00 am in Brause Hall. This beloved gospel has been a favorite for generations of believers, and offers a beautifully poetic version of Jesus' life and ministry that is often very different from the stories in the first three gospels. Grab a cookie, some tea or coffee, and a Bible if you have one (we have plenty if you don't!) and join with us.
Bible Sticks for Veterans, Active Military, and Families
One way we can support our Military members and their families is by sponsoring Bible Sticks. These audio players are used by chaplains all over the world to assist the spiritual needs of military members, active and veteran, as well as their families. Each Bible Stick costs $25. Please prayerfully consider this way of support those who serve and protect us.
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Joy of Reading Book Club
The Joy of Reading Book Club meets the third Monday of every month. The next meeting will be Monday, October 17th. October's book is
Have a Little Faith by Mitch Albom which was recommended to us by Pastor Joe Alutius. October's meeting will be at the home of Betty Veldhuis. Upcoming books/dates are:
November 21 -
The Art of Hearing Heartbeats by
Jan-Philipp
Sendker -
at the home of Gerry Norene
December 19 -
All the Winters After by Sere Halverson -
at the home of
Jo Hobbs
January is
Circling the Sun by Paula McLain
If you would like to join us, we would be happy to have you!
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"Unwrapping the Gifts"
Lutheran Women's Advent Brunch
Saturday December 3rd ,2016
Egan Convention Center 9:00 am
$
24.00
Please share and join your fellow sisters as we prepare for the Joyous Advent Season
Tickets will be available beginning October 8th, 2016
Tickets are available through your Church Contact Person or
Adrienne King (907 227-4174)
We will be collecting gifts of diapers (all sizes) and baby wipes to be donated to LSSA.
You may also drop these items off at your church and we can pick them up.
"Every good thing given and every perfect gift is from above,
coming down from the Father of lights, with whom there is
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Women of the ELCA Gathering
The tenth triennial Gathering of the Women of the ELCA is scheduled for July 13-16, 2017, in Minneapolis, MN. Registration opens Sept. 6, 2016.
We have a copy of the registration material in the JLC office, if you're interested in attending. You can also access information on their website:
Women of the ELCA
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STAY CONNECTED:
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Joy Lutheran Church
10111 E. Eagle River Loop Rd.
Eagle River, AK
907-694-9601
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