an electronic newsletter of Joy Lutheran Church,  Prescott, WI
www.joy-church.org    715-262-5800    office@joy-church.org
Relevant + Hopeful + Generous                             December 25-January 1, 2016

Upcoming Events at a glance (and quick links)
  
 
Check out...
           links to the Faith Formation weekly video
           and the Faith5 home devotional  resource God's Story Our Story 
Fall/Winter Schedule
8:15 Traditional Worship   9:25 Faith Formation   10:15 Contemporary Worship  10:15 Sunday School
Christmas Worship Service Information
Saturday, December 24th-Christmas Eve Service at 3:00 PM. Candlelight Christmas Eve Service at 5:00 PM and 9:00 PM.
Sunday, December 25th-Christmas Day Worship Service at 9:30 AM.
 
New Year's Worship Service Information
Sunday, January 1st-New Year's Day Worship Service at 9:30 AM. 
A Blessed Christmas to you all!

Diane and I feel so blessed to be part of the Joy community of faith.  We look back on the year with deep gratitude.  Joy is blessed to have a wonderful staff and incredible volunteers who give so freely of their time and resources. It is a great privilege to serve as your pastor and I look forward to what the new year holds for us.
Weekly Faith Formation Video

Our Bible reading for this coming Sunday is the story of Christmas. If you want to get a preview or see it again during the week just click here.

Weekly Home Devotion Resource

God's Story...Our Story

5 simple steps to help bring your household closer to God and each other. 

Click here for this weeks Faith 5 home devotion.
Joy Lutheran Church has been re-keyed! If you need access to the church, please contact the office. Thank You!
A SPECIAL THANKS TO JOY
 
BREANNA'S NEW WALK OF LIFE
 
Words cannot express the gratitude for your out-reach to Breanna and her family.
The food, gifts, love, and prayers were felt and appreciated.
The coming together to help others has always been the focus of the church and will continue to be its strength for years to come.
As Bre said, "Something good will come of all this!"
It's a new beginning to start all over in life. Just as every crisis in our church has been a new beginning to come back bigger and stronger than ever.
I'm sure the family of Joy joins our family in wishing her all the very best for her new life...and the life of the church.
The will of God will prevail regardless of how much we do to mess it up.
It is the "Power of Prayer" that will make it all right with God, who in turn makes it all right with us.
It is not for us to know WHY when we cry out for His love and mercy in taking care of Breanna.
 
We Love You All-
 
Ken and Loretta Knight

THANK YOU to all who adopted Joy's Poinsettia Plants!  Remember to take y our Poinsettias home after the Christmas services to further brighten up your holidays! 
Christmas message from our Bishop
YEAR END GIFTS... To have your year end gift accounted for in the year 2016, please return to Joy by Friday, December 30th.
Here are some digital links to help with you estimate of giving

***Please return to Joy by Friday, December 30th***

Hopefully you received a letter in the mail asking you to consider making a prayerful estimate of giving for the coming year.  It is a great spiritual discipline to help us be more intentional about our giving, as well as a helpful tool for our congregation in its stewardship of the resources God has given us to manage.  (If you didn't get a letter, let the office know so we can update our records)

The letter had paper versions of the estimate of giving card and a form for setting up or modifying your electronic giving, like we have done for many years.   If you would rather work digitally here are the links:   Estimate of Giving    Set up or manage my electronic giving

If you 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

2017 Giving Envelopes are ready for pick up in the Narthex. If you use Simply Giving, you will not receive any envelopes.
Sharing & Caring Hands

Joy will be preparing and serving a noon meal for 250 - 300 homeless people in Minneapolis on Tuesday, January 3rd.
We need volunteers to sign-up for the following activities:
  • Help Kelly prepare the food on Mon. Jan. 2nd - 9:00 am to 12:00 noon at Joy.
  • Transporting and serving food - driving to downtown Minneapolis - leaving Joy at 9:30 a.m. and returning by 2:00 p.m.
  • Making Jell-O in ice cream pails (10 pails, each made from 3 large boxes)  (Pails available at Joy if you need them).
  • Making cakes (15 to 20) - All food donations need to be at the church by 9:00 a.m. on serving day (Tue. Jan. 3rd).
Please contact Kelly Poff at 715-262-4281 with any questions.
We are still accepting love offerings for Sharing & Caring hands, offering envelopes are available in the Narthex.        
Please sign-up on the clipboards in the narthex. Thank you!

Thank You!

Joy Lutheran Church would like to say, "THANK YOU!" to the Prescott Cub Scout Pack #133 for their donation of the beautiful balsam cross hanging on the front of the church.
Wednesday Night Suppers at Joy!

December Menu
Dec. 28th ~ NO SUPPER

January Menu
Jan. 4th ~ Beef Stew
Jan. 11th ~ Fajita Chicken over Rice
Jan. 18th ~ Stroganoff
Jan. 25th ~ Chili 

Wednesday Suppers are a free will donation and all are welcome to Joy to enjoy delicious food and wonderful fellowship.  Supper time is 5:15 ~ 6:30 PM.
Joy's Nursery
 
Joy Lutheran Church's Nursery is open from 9:15-11:15 and ready to care for your children.   

Joy's Nursery is professionally staffed with experienced child caregivers who will look after your precious little ones as if they were their own.

Joy proudly introduces Melissa and Kyra Miller, our professional Mother-Daughter Nursery Team!

Youth

JOY YOUTH
Thank you to Darby Hartman for creating 20 pairs of hand crafted mittens to be handed out to those living on the streets!
ATTENTION: Confirmation Parents night will now be scheduled for Wednesday January 25th 6:30-8:00pm at Joy Church.

Please note that we will still be meeting on Wednesday December 21st 6:30-8pm. Students will be participating in an on site service project...and we will be having a ton of FUN!!! 
Parents are always welcome at anytime!!
Applications are now open for new guitar students!!!

Guitar Camp ministry is offered FREE of charge to kids who are interested in learning how to play the guitar (a free guitar is also provided). As students progress through the camp they will be given opportunities to lead music in a group setting in and out of worship. This camp is intended to raise up and support music leaders in our community.

Guitar Camp Students meet Wednesday during the school year 6-6:30pm at Joy Church.

Click Here to Sign Up! 


Looking for a Babysitter??
Hi, my name is Gabrielle Gujer.
I am 12 years old. I'm in 7th grade at Prescott Middle School.
I am a certified babysitter with the American Red Cross.
I love playing games, doing crafts, and reading with children.
Please call me at 715-262-3777

Alcohol-Free Communion Wine

Joy is now offering alcohol-free wine for Communion. In the past we have offered grape juice as well as wine in the cup, in order to be sensitive to those who prefer not to consume alcohol.  But in doing so we loose the sense of unity of sharing a common cup.  So we are going to try offering alcohol-free wine for all.  Special thanks to Scott Calton for creating the beautiful common cups we will be using.  We will still  be offering gluten free wafers for those who need to avoid gluten.
Via de Cristo is a Spanish phrase meaning "Way of Christ."
Via de Cristo is a highly structured three-day weekend designed to strengthen and renew the faith of Christian people and bring them to a new awareness of living in God's grace. It is a combined effort of lay people and clergy toward renewal of the church.
Via de Cristo weekends are scheduled at Bethel Lutheran Church in Hudson WI.  Men's weekend is Jan 12-15, and the Women's weekend is Jan 19-22.  Prayerfully consider dedicating 1 weekend entirely to God and see what He can do in your life.  Contact Tom Swanson  at 651-480-2606 or ask around Joy for other members who have attended a Via de Cristo for information.
Worship Attendance and Giving
Sun.8:15 Sun.10:15 Sun. TOTAL Wed.6:30 Weekly TOTAL
20-November
 67
 112
 179
 N/A
 179
27-November
 65
 62
 127
 N/A
 127
4-December
 60
 109
 169
 N/A
 169
11-December
 53
 66
 119
 N/A
 119
18-December
 41
 89
 130
 N/A
 130
Average 57
 88
 145
 0
 145

Regular Electronic Other Total
Offering Offering Income Income
6-November
 $4454.00
 $1222.50
 $1271.00
   $6947.50
13-November
 $2959.75
 $4704.50
 $554.00
   $8218.25
20-November
 $2477.00
 $1090.00
 $339.31
   $3906.31
27-November
 $1919.50
 $7768.75
 $399.00
$10,087.25
4-December
 $2324.00
 $1195.00
 $685.00
$4204.00
Average $2826.85
 $3196.15
 $649.66 $6672.66
Budgeted Weekly Offering $5,780.00
November Actual Weekly Offering $7,289.83
*Remember we have a deficit budget and need more income than budgeted to reinstate
program cuts made in previous years and bring pastor's salary up to minimum guidelines.

Simply Giving Update

Thank you so much for using Simply Giving. We want to make it even easier for you to use.  We want to enable you to easily make changes or special gifts, as well as review your giving and print off reports anytime you want.  All we need is the email address you want to use.  Once we have that, and enter it into the system, you can access your Simply Giving anytime you want by entering a password that you will create from our church website. 
 
Obviously we have an email address because you are reading this. But in many cases we have more than one email address so we need to know which one you want to use to manage your account . So if you have not already done so please reply to bookkeeper@joy-church.org as soon as possible to let us know.
Worship Leaders for December/January   
worshipleaders
GREETERS
READERS
CHILDREN
WORSHIP
LEADERS
 COMMUNION ASSISTANTS
 DEC./JAN. USHERS
(ALL MONTH)
December 25
9:30
Dick & Em Horken
 December 25
9:30
Marcia Lindseth

 December 25
9:30





 December 25
9:30 
Marv Lindseth, Phyllis Hoffmann, Tom Peterson



 8:15
Pete French, Jim & Bobbie Flatz

10:15
The Kleinschmidt's
January 1
8:15

10:15










 January 1
8:15

10:15


 January 1
10:15





 January 1
8:15

10:15
 8:15
Norm Johnson

10:15

Christmas Eve Service Helpers
Saturday, December 24th

3:00 PM-Greeters-Mike & Pauline Volkman,
Reader-Jim Flatz, Communion Helpers-Ken Roen, Al Klein, Joan Northouse, Usher-Jim Flatz, The Swanson Family, Dick Hoffmann
Sound System-Lee & Joan Northouse

5:00 PM-Greeters-Ernie, Patti & Ella Schultz
Reader-Ken Roen, Communion Helpers-Ken Roen, Carol Peterson, Kathy Sommer, Usher-Scott Calton, Bill Satchel Sound System-Lee & Joan Northouse

9:00 PM-Greeters-Craig & Tammy Orf, Reader-Carol Peterson, Communion Helpers-Jim & Bobbie Flatz, Carol Peterson, Usher-Norm Johnson, Sound System-Lee & Joan Northouse


weekWeekly Calendar 
 
25 Sunday
MERRY CHRISTMAS! 
NO Sunday School or Faith Formation
9:30am Christmas Day Worship Service
Winter Break-Prescott-Dec. 23-Jan 1

26 Monday
 
27 Tuesday
 
28 Wednesday
NO Wednesday Night Supper
NO Confirmation or Shift 6/7
NO Guitar Camp
NO High School Youth Band Practice
 
29 Thursday
 
30 Friday
 
31 Saturday
New Year's Eve

1 Sunday
HAPPY NEW YEAR!    
9:30am New Year's Day Worship Service  
 
 
 
 
 
Joy Lutheran Church  1435 St Croix St. Prescott, WI 54021
715-262-5800   office@joy-church.org   www.joy-church.org
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