Like many of you I was disgusted by the displays of white supremacy in Charlottesville, VA last weekend.  The hateful, racist speech and actions that we witnessed run counter to the gospel of Jesus.

We live in country where free speech is protected (even if we find it disgusting).  But what is not protected is creating fear, intimidation and inciting violence.  There are those who will spew forth racist, hateful speech.  It is not enough for us to sit back and say "tisk, tisk, ain't it awful".  We need to speak loudly and clearly that racism is not OK. In fact we need to name it for what it is: Sin.  The conversation needs to happen in public forums...but even more importantly we need to be talking about it with our families and friends.

 You might find helpful a study document our Lutheran Church developed on  : Race, Ethnicity and Culture

Our Wednesday Night Dinner is one of our ministries that is at the core of what we are about.  We are blessed to have a great cook to prepare the food (thank you Kelly) but preparing the food is only part of providing a meal.  We also need people willing to help with the set up and clean up.

This is where we need your help.   Many hands make light work.  If we can get 8 dish team organized, then no one would need to work more than once a month for 1 1/2 hour.  We are looking to have 2 shifts (early 4:30-6:00 and late  6:00-7:30). Teams would be 3-4 people and could be families or any kind of group.  You can form your own team, or indicate your willing to help and we will form the teams.   Thank you for your support of this important ministry.             click here to indicate your willingness to help

Wednesday Suppers begin again on Sept. 6
Menu:  Sept 6 Stroganoff, Sept 13 Chow Mein, Sept 20  Spaghetti,  Sept 27  Fajita Chicken

God's Story...Our Story

5 simple steps to help bring your household closer to God and each other. 
Click here  for this week's home devotion.

At our final Wednesday Night Campfire Worship for the season (Wed. Aug. 30 at 6:30pm) we will be blessing pets, so round up your critters and bring them to worship.

Red Cross Blood Drive at Joy

Monday, August 21st, from 12:00 Noon to 7:00 pm. 

Prescott Daze is coming soon-the weekend after Labor Day! Joy has already reserved a spot for a parade float and items to hand out along the parade route. This year's theme is, "Rocking Around the Clock". We will be asking for help with float ideas, decorating and parade participants. Talk to or call Hope Olson at 715-262-3724 for more information!

 

Sharing & Caring Hands

Joy will be preparing and serving a noon meal

for 250 - 300 homeless people in Minneapolis on Tuesday, August 29th.

We need volunteers to help with transporting and serving food - driving to downtown Minneapolis, making Jell-O (10 ice cream pails, each made from 3 large boxes) and

making cakes (15 to 20 cakes or brownies in one-layer cake pans).

Also , help is needed on Mon. Aug. 28th to help Kelly prepare the food (9:00 a.m. - 12 noon).

All food donations need to be at the church by 9:00 a.m. on serving day (Tue. Aug. 29th).

Joy volunteers will be leaving Joy at 9:30 a.m. and returning by 2:00 p.m.

Please contact Kelly Poff at 715-262-4281 with any questions.

A love offering will be collected on Sunday, August 20th to help with food costs.  

Thrivent (through their Action Team Project) has also provided $250 to help with our costs.

If you would like to acknowledge the memory of a loved one with a memorial (or honor a loved one with a gift). We have cards available on the table in the Narthex (our gathering space). You can indicate your gift and where you would like to direct it. Place the gift and the card in the offering plate or church office and we will acknowledge your gift to the family.

Thank you to the Joy Card Ministry 

They met on Saturday, August 5th and made 150 new cards for the card rack in the Narthex. Thanks to the following women who helped to make all of these beautiful cards; Emilie Horken, Sharon Calton, Diane Meyer, Jean Setering, Sue Hood, Shirley Johnson, Julie Fiedler, Mary Glaubitz, Jackie Dravis, Sara and Linnea Aelony. Cards are available in the Narthex for only $2.00 per card...a great bargain!

In a letter, dated July 7th, Melanie Gibbons, Quilt and Ministry Manager at Lutheran World Relief, wrote the following to our Joyful Quilters:

"Thank you for your generous gift of 71 Mission Quilts for LWR's distribution overseas. These gifts of your hearts and hands are beautiful expressions of God's grace and love to people all around the world.

Your quilts provide important necessities to our neighbors around the world, and serve as reminders that they are not alone or forgotten. We shipped kits and quilts to Honduras, Georgia, Angola, Thailand, Pakistan, Mali and Burkina Faso, last year. On behalf of our neighbors in villages, schools, hospitals and refugee camps around the world, I extend deepest thanks for your contribution, and pray God's richest blessings on your life and work!"

Please note that our Joyful Quilters will begin quilting again on each Wednesday, September 6 - November 8, 2017 and January 10-March 14, 2018 in the Fellowship Hall at church, 9:00 - Noon. All women are invited to join in the fellowship and joy of making quilts. No experience necessary! Anyone having extra material in their homes can donate it to the Joyful Quilters. Cotton pieces that are 4 ½ -5 yards long are needed for backing and cotton pieces in 1 yard+ sizes are needed for the quilt pieces.

All women of the church will soon be receiving in the mail their copy of the new 2017-18 JWELCA Directory. This Directory gives information about activities planned for 2017-18 along with names of the JWELCA Steering Committee, names of Prayer Chain, Bible Study information, Mission Projects for the new year, the JWELCA Calendar for this coming year, lists of JWELCA Committees and Ministries, plus other miscellaneous information important to women of our church. All women and friends of Joy Lutheran Church are invited and encouraged to participate in all the activities and programs of the Joy Women of the ELCA. Please take time to peruse the new Directory when it arrives at your home!

Five women from Joy attended the WELCA Triennial Gathering at the Minneapolis Convention Center July 13-16. They were Diane Meyer, Stefanie Brantner, Kathy Sommer, Marcia Lindseth, and Mandy Bernick. Some of their reflections on the Gathering were as follows:

"The speakers were really inspirational and faith based. I really liked the workshops, although there were so many good topics it was hard to choose what to attend. I enjoyed the many exhibits and vendors. I had fun doing the 5K Run, Walk, and Roll" at Loring Park, raising money for the 'Raising Up Healthy Women and Girls' initiative with our pledges."

 

"The speakers did a great job by making myself and others 'check' themselves about the world we live in socially and our awareness to race. I also had to think about what one speaker said about being 'Good,' instead of 'Nice.' That is a problem I have had for the majority of my life."

 

"This Gathering was more than just a time to sing and pray together, more than just a time to listen and reflect. This Gathering was the beginning of a movement - a movement to do what is just, a movement to galvanize our commitment to bring healing and wholeness to the church, the society, and the world."

 

Linda Post Bushkofsky, Executive Director of the Women of the ELCA, reminds us of the words that we heard at the Gathering by several of the keynote speakers:

            We are daughters of a troublemaker, Kelly Fryer told us. We are called to follow Jesus' example of standing with those on the margins, even at great risk to one's own personal comfort or reputation. Doing that, Fryer reminded us, is to stand side by side with Jesus.

 

            Anew is not an event, Leymah Gbowee informed us. It is a process. And Jesus renews us all daily to do his work. It is in working together, not in a silo, that we will bring change to a world plagued by racism, violence, and greed.

 

            We Lutheran Christian women are good at mercy, we must move into justice work, Alexia Salvatierra implored. We are called to treat each other as family, exercising both compassion and justice.

 

            Being a Christian is not easy or comfortable. If you are comfortable in Jesus, Angela Khabeb warned us, you are doing it wrong. God of the universe blesses everyone.

 

The Triennial Gathering By The Numbers. . . . . .

+ Nearly 3,400 participants attended the Gathering, and more than 1, 300 were first-timers.

+ $49,094.60 was raised in Thursday evening's Thankoffering service.

+ 404 participants ran in the Run, Walk, and Roll, and $19,116 was raised for seed grants to support Women of the ELCA's health initiative, Raising Up Healthy Women and Girls.

+ In-kind gifts included more than $19,000 in gift cards, more than 27,000 items of hygiene products, clothing, quilt kits, and Days for Girls Kits. (Thanks to Joy Lutheran for donating to the In-kind gifts!)

+ 5,850 prayer labyrinths were collected and given to Gathering and convention participants. The remainder will be distributed to various ministries in the Twin Cities.

+ Nearly $64,000 was collected during Sunday's service of Holy Communion. The offering is being shared among Phebe Hospital's (Liberia) solar power project, Cherish All Children (helping trafficked children), and the Women of the ELCA.

+ 97 people gave blood for a total of 81 good units. Each unit is separated into red cells, platelets, and plasma, which could potentially help 234 people.

+ 130 women from the Northwest Wisconsin Synod attended the Gathering. Ours was the 3rd largest delegation of all Synods in the USA - larger than either St. Paul Synod or the Minneapolis Synod delegations!

 

If you are interested in more information about the Triennial Gathering, consult the web site of the Women of the ELCA: www.womenoftheelca.org. And start making plans NOW to attend the 11th Triennial Gathering that will be held in Phoenix, Arizona July 16-19, 2020!

The directories (both picture and address) are ready to pick up...they are also available on the church web page on a password protected page (please call the office for the password).

 If you have corrections please let the office know.   

Name Tag s... are a great way to help people remember your name.  We are working on a system to have more permanent name tags available, but for now any time you can wear one helps the rest of us get to know you. Thank you.

and want to catch up or share it with someone who might appreciate it. We record our worship each week and post it on our web page as well as the bottom of this weekly electronic newsletter.  Just click on the YouTube button.                   

In honor of the 500th anniversary of the Reformation we invite you to de corate a paper Martin Luther cutout (available at Joy or on our web page)  an d  take a picture of Luther wherever you travel this summer.  Sen d back your photos and we will include them in the newsletter.  Let's see how far Marty travels.

Flat Luther

If you would like to give electronically you can do so through our web page

  Set up or manage my electronic giving

If you have a QR reader on your phone you can also access the page by scanning here
 

If you don't have a QR reader and still would like the convenience of working from your phone.  
We also have a church giving app called Give+  available as a free download.     How it works