Our Mission Statement
We of Joy Lutheran Church foster
grace-filled relationships with Christ
through worship, fellowship, and service.
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Notes of Joy - Week of December 6, 2020
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This week's gospel: Mark 1:1-8
John calls people to repent, to clear the decks, to completely reorder their lives so that nothing gets in the way of the Lord’s coming. The reading from Isaiah gives the context for this radical call: the assurance of forgiveness that encourages us to repent; the promise that the coming one will be gentle with the little ones. Isaiah calls us all to be heralds with John, to lift up our voices fearlessly and say, “See, your God is coming!” We say it to one another in worship, in order to say it with our lives in a world in need of justice and peace.
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Sunday, Dec. 6 Worship
In-person and Online
Second Sunday of Advent
Our Sunday worship will be available LIVE on the Facebook app only beginning at 9:30am; the recorded service can be viewed on Facebook any time after 10:15am.
Note: A link to our mitigation rules is below. We are wearing masks, practicing 6ft distance in chairs, and keeping services short due to COVID-19. We are being very safe - if you’d like to worship with us, please try it out!
Note: Churches are still being allowed half capacity at their gatherings, with 6 ft distance. (They are in a different category than other gathering groups both due to freedom of worship but also the infrequency of our gatherings).
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Mid-Week Advent Services: Holden Evening Prayer
Did you see the first Mid-Week Advent Service?
It was posted online on our Joy Lutheran Facebook page. It will be posted every week on either Tuesday or Wed. and remain there so you can access it at a time convenient for you. Thank you to Jim & Nancy Hemsath, Nancy W. and Heather for leading the first service. It was beautiful.
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Thank You!
I have missed both the last 2 Sundays! I was waiting for 2 different COVID test results. Both ended up being Negative. Thank you for your concern and support. I’ll see you Sunday!
--Pastor Karen
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Our Christmas Film
We are excited to see the upcoming film that the children and youth are making to tell the Christmas story! A big thank you goes to Cynthia Oistad and Katie Lanehart who approached Megan Bladow, the director of TBA Theater Company, and asked if she would help put this film together.
The plan as of now is to show the Christmas Film twice:
9:30 am Sunday Service, Dec. 20th
5:30 pm Christmas Eve Service, Dec. 24th
We are asking people to consider making a donation to TBA Theater who volunteered their time and talents to help us! They spent most of last Saturday here doing the filming and will merge all the scenes together with music and backgrounds. This is quite an undertaking. They are a non-profit corporation. If you would like to donate (beyond your regular giving) toward TBA in thanks for this wonderful ministry, please make a check to Joy Lutheran Church and earmark it for TBA Theater. We will send all the donations to them after Christmas.
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Advent Devotionals Here!
This year our Alaska Synod created a wonderful devotional for Advent called “Overflowing with Hope.” It includes daily devotions from individuals through your Alaska ELCA congregations, including our very own Lori Atrops, Jim Hemsath and Pastor Karen.
Here is the link:
We also have hard copies available. Let us know if you’d like one.
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Holy Communion will be offered Sunday, Dec. 13th in 2 ways:
- At our 9:30 AM Worship, and
- At a "Drive In" Communion opportunity 11:30-12 Noon - West Parking Lot
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Tentative CHRISTMAS EVE Plans
(Thursday, Dec. 24th)
The Church Council is firming up plans, but at this point we are planning to offer 2 opportunities for Christmas Eve worship:
5:30 pm Shortened Family Service with Candle Light (this will also be posted online)
- Showing of the Christmas Pageant Film by our very own youth and children
8:00 pm Outdoor Shortened Worship (around a Fire Ring)
- Litany/ Prayer, Candle light and Silent Night
- In our EAST parking lot (Please park in the WEST parking lot so there will be no cars in our outdoor "worship space")
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Children's Message - Saturday at Noon
Pr. Karen records a 3-5 minute message for young people each week. The Children's Message is available on Facebook every Saturday at noon. Click the Facebook link above.
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Sanctuary Christmas Tree
Thank you to all whom donated towards the purchase of our new Christmas Tree. There's still time if you'd like to contribute!
Special thank you to Jim & Nancy Hemsath for picking it up from Costco, putting it up and decorating!
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Poinsettias
We are ordering 12 potted poinsettias for the Christmas Eve altar. If you’d like to sponsor one of them, please sign up on the Opportunities bulletin board. They are $15.
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Ice Candle Luminaries Needed
Pastor Karen is hoping to arrange "ice candles" in our outdoor worship space on Christmas Eve. The more the better. Have you ever made any or are you willing to try it and bring some that day in advance so she can arrange them? Please speak with or email her if you are interested. They are frozen ice shapes that we can place candles in. There are several YOUTUBE tutorials you can look up.
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Church Shopping List
If you're out and about shopping, the church needs:
- Toilet Paper
- 13-gal. white kitchen trash bags
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Sunday School
Sunday School continues and we’d like to thank all of you who are helping and all the parents for bringing their kids!
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In-Person
SUNDAY WORSHIP & SUNDAY SCHOOL
will continue at JOY LUTHERAN CHURCH
We encourage people who are at higher-risk to stay home. Stay home, too, if you have any sicknesses, unusual symptoms or have been exposed to anyone who has Covid-19. And of course, if you contract COVID, please let us know.
The feedback we have received is that people feel comfortable with the Covid-19 mitigation rules we are following at Worship and at Sunday School. If you have any suggestions of any more ways we can be safer, please let your Council members know.
We will continue to re-evaluate this decision given the current high numbers of Covid-19 in our area.
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Joy of Reading Book Club
The Joy of Reading Book Club will have ZOOM-only meeting for December.
Marty and Lori Atrops will be sending out the ZOOM information. The date will be Monday, December 21 and will start at 6:30 PM. Although we are sad to give up our in-person meetings, a ZOOM meeting will still allow us to talk books and maybe more people will feel comfortable joining. Our tenacity is impressive!
The book for December is The Last Days of Rabbit Hayes by Anna McPartlin.
Coming up:
January – Jimmy Bluefeather by Kim Heacox
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COMING UP:
Tuesday, Dec. 8 -- Church Council Meeting
Sunday, Dec. 13 -- Holy Communion will be served in-person & drive-up
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The next church council meeting will be Tuesday, December 8, 2020 at 7:00pm. |
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