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

Notes of Joy - Week of July 26, 2020

This Week's Gospel: Matthe w 13:31-33, 44-52 As Solomon prays for wisdom, we seek to more deeply know the treasures of faith. In this week’s gospel Jesus offers everyday images that reveal to us the reign of God: a tree that becomes a sheltering home, yeast that penetrates and expands, a treasured pearl, a net that gains a great catch. Even as we seek the riches of God’s reign, the great surprise is that God’s grace finds us first!

*NOTE: The church office will be closed on Friday, July 24.

Sunday's Worship This week's worship will be in person. Parts of the service will be available LIVE on our Facebook page Sunday at 9:30am. CLICK HERE TO GO TO FACEBOOK CLICK HERE for July 26 Sunday Bulletin You can still view our Facebook page, even if you do not have a Facebook account. Click the link above.  (Ignore the bar at the bottom when it opens asking you to sign-in or create an account. You are still able to scroll down through our page. You need to click "not now" on the pop-up page when it again asks you to sign up, then it will go away - - hope that helps!!) :-) 

WE HEARD YOU EVEN IF YOU COULDN’T HEAR US! The sound quality in the sanctuary has been an issue for awhile and it is even worse with the Facebook Live on-line services. We hoped the recent repairs to the speakers in the sanctuary, which were damaged in the earthquake, would solve the problem. The sound is better in the sanctuary but not where we would like it when streaming. This week we have ordered audio equipment for use with an IPhone/IPad. We hope it will arrive soon and you will be hearing us loud and clear.

Finance Update Your council made a commitment to provide regular finance reports to the congregation. Every month we have given you an update but we wanted to dig a bit deeper at the 6 month point.  Click here to view the 6-Month Finance Report Card -Sue Weimer, Council President

We had a lot of VBS fun!

Our first virtual VBS was a big success. We prepared 25 VBS packets, but needed 34 so made more! Thanks to all who made this fun and educational. Could this be a model for Sunday School this year? The virtual VBS link will be available for the rest of the summer. You can access it HERE!

Check this site out even if you have no kiddos at home, just so you can see what we did!

Thanks to all the VBS helpers: Nicole & Pat Simasko, Gina Stephenson, Laura Storrs, Kelly Mullin, Emily Mullin, Katie Lanehart, Debbie & Ty Quiroz, Jan Deering, Elaine Pfeiffer, Sue Weimer, Karen Johnson and Pastor Karen.

Thank You for the Masks! “Yes we received the box of face masks. It was a wonderful surprise and we will be using them for church services, washing and reusing. We have a funeral service tomorrow so the timing was perfect. Please convey our thanks to the Joy sewing group and Congregation.  Pastor Brian and Ginger Crockett Brevig Memorial Lutheran Church Brevig, Alaska “

Upcoming Events in July July 26 - Confirmation Sunday. We will confirm Riley Lanehart, Mauri Saarinen and Ilkka Saarinen!

Congratulations! Pablo and Elise Sonray Ramirez were blessed with a daughter last week! Noelia Elise Ramirez Sonray Elise is the daughter of Pastor Karen and husband George Sonray.

Devotionals The latest "The Word in Season" pocket devotionals are here. We order 20 per quarter - they're first come, first serve, so if you're interested you can pick one up by the mask tree weekdays or at worship on Sunday.

Prayer Concerns & Requests Jack & Jackie (Jennifer Moore's brother & sister-in-law) Gina & Seth Stephenson (expecting baby in Aug.) Skip Lange, Debby Bird's father Roland Tarbox (friend of Bob & Carol Munk) Eunice Vrem Paula Johnson (now in Great Falls, MT) Kathryn Schwyn Audrey Fredeen Jonny Hegna Nancy Olson Eric Hall's Mother Erin Soellers, currently deployed These people might especially appreciate a phone call. Wear a mask if you bring something to anyone.

In Memoriam Pete Johnson, beloved husband of long-time member Paula, died on Monday, July 6th. He taught Industrial Arts for many years at the King Career Center and supported Paula's involvement here at Joy. He and Paula recently moved to an Assisted Living Home in Montana. He is survived by Paula, daughter Molly and grandson Tyler. Any cards will be much appreciated and can be sent to: Paula Johnson 2320 15th Ave. South Room 14 Great Falls, MT  59404

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. Even if you haven’t read the book of the month you are still welcome to join us. It’s a fun evening of discussion, sharing of ideas and respectful listening. And lots of socializing and laughter!   No Book Club meeting in July   – time to go out and enjoy Alaska!   Our August book is  The Second Mountain: The Quest for a Moral Life  by David Brooks.  Sue Weimer will be hosting this.

Volunteers Needed A big thank you to these people who have already helped with lawn mowing: Sue Weimer, Mona & Dave Mitton, and Wayne & Judy Rush. We can use some more volunteers!  It's that time of year again! Joy Lutheran Church is seeking volunteers for weekly lawn care for the summer. The church has 2 push power mowers. We do not have a weed trimmer or leaf blower. If you'd like to use those, you will need to bring your own. If you plan to mow after hours/weekends, you will need to pick up the shed key from the office in advance or have your own key to access the building. Lawn Rangers Signup

Music! We would like to have special music at worship, especially since we miss singing so much! Can you volunteer?

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Joy Church Council Members Sue Weimer - slweimer@gci.com Scooter Bentson - sbentson55@gmail.com Tom Bird - tbird@mtaonline.net Debby Bird - debbybird@me.com Corrine Finnie - corrinefinnie@hotmail.com Kelly Mullin - mullinkm260@comcast.net Heather Slocum - heather_slocum@yahoo.com Clarke Hemphill, Treasurer - mrs_mousie@hotmail.com Interim Pastor: Karen Sonray - ksonray@gmail.com Cell: (907) 434-1862 -this is a Nome cell phone number, so be sure to dial the "907" first The next church council meeting will be Tuesday, August 4 at 7:00 pm. Note: Pastor Karen will be on vacation Aug. 10 - Sept. 4, 2020.