An Electronic Newsletter by the Community of Christ known as Joy Lutheran Church

Our Mission Statement

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



" In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was in the beginning with God. All things came into being through him, and without him not one thing came into being. What has come into being in him was life, and the life was the light of all people. The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness did not overcome it...
And the Word became flesh and lived among us, and we have seen his glory, the glory as of a father's only son, full of grace and truth... From his fullness we have all received, grace upon grace. The law indeed was given through Moses; grace and truth came through Jesus Christ
."
-  John 1:1-5, 14, 16-17 (NRSV)

 
This year is the 200th anniversary of the debut of "Silent Night, Holy Night." This hymn has become the best-loved worship moment of many Christians-even those who only come to church once a year. Something mystical occurs as we light our candles and sing the hope of "all is calm, all is bright"-peace and light for the world.
 
To mark this beloved hymn's bicentennial, our Advent worship will be centered around this hymn and its message of: Peace, Joy, Love, and Hope. This worship series will celebrate the carol's message over the entire season of Advent and highlight its call for our lives that can guide us all year long.
 
This Third Sunday of Advent, we gather to celebrate the LOVE that comes to us in Jesus as we sing:
 
Silent night, holy night, 
Son of God, love's pure light, 
Radiant beams from Thy holy face, 
With the dawn of redeeming grace, 
Jesus, Lord, at Thy birth, 
Jesus, Lord, at Thy birth 

for Christmas Eve Play Rehearsal

The second rehearsal for this year's Christmas Eve play, for the 5:00pm Christmas Eve service, will be after worship  Sunday, December 16, at 11:00 AM.  

All children are welcome to participate - bring your friends and family!  There will be a minimum of 3 rehearsals on the Sundays leading up to Christmas Eve: Dec. 9, 16 and 23.  If you missed the first one, don't worry - there's still an opportunity to participate!

Please see Katie Lanehart, Katrina Eldred or Cynthia Oistad if you have questions.


Joy of Giving Trees
This year Joy Lutheran is sponsoring one family for gifts and three families for Christmas food baskets.  All the tags were taken the first day!  What a beautiful response!  

Please return the gift, wrapped with the original tag from the tree attached, and indicate on the tag the contents of the package.  All items must be at the church by Sunday, December 23, for delivery later that day.  Thank you so much for any donations you can make.  If you have questions, contact Ami or Sue Soellers at (907) 301-6565.

Joy-full News

Wednesday Evening Advent Worship & Soup
Advent is here!  Once again, we are having Wednesday evening worships during Advent - December 5, 12 and 19, at 7:00 pm.  These are shorter, more relaxed worship times, that allow us all to slow down a bit from our hectic December schedules and be gently reminded of the important message of this season for our lives. Advent means "coming" and we remember that Jesus came for us and all people, and still comes to us each day with love and acceptance.  

We continue our tradition of having soup suppers prior to these worship times, beginning at 6:15 pm. This allows busy people the opportunity to skip making a meal at home, and join their faith family in some hearty soup and bread.

Confirmation
There will be no Confirmation this Sunday, December 16. Eagle River kids are encouraged to help with the Christmas Play practice, which begins at 11:00am after worship (and will perform for the 5:00 Christmas Eve service).

We will gather for our next classes on January 6th and 13th at 12:00 noon.

Joy Budget Discussion
To get ready for the annual congregation meeting, anyone interested in the details of the budget is invited to join the Finance Committee for a discussion after worship on Sunday, January 13, 2019. As in past years, the idea is to identify and resolve any problems in the draft budget so that a clear version can be provided to the congregation for the annual meeting.

Joy Annual Congregation Meeting
Our annual congregation meeting will be held on Sunday, January 27, 2019, after the worship service. We will have a potluck meal, review the past year, set the 2019 budget, elect Council members, and more. An information packet will be available the week before the meeting. See you there!

Calling All Bakers!
As an extra bonus at the annual meeting on January 27, we will have a bake sale/auction at the same time. We welcome anything from simple cookies to favorite pies to the most extravagant display of culinary talent. Please bring your goodies and your sweet tooth to the annual meeting!

The Joy of Reading Book Club


Book Club meets the 3rd Monday of the month for a light dinner and book discussion. 

Our next meeting is December 17th at the home of Lori Atrops.  The book is Wind in the Willows, by Kenneth Grahame.  Our meetings start around 6:30 pm.

January's book is Still Life, by Louise Penny

All are welcome; you don't even have to have read the book!  It's fun, it's social and it's lively!

Coming Week's Calendar
Sun., Dec. 16
9:30 AM
11:00 AM
11:00 AM
6:00 PM
Worship 
Joy Christmas Choir Practice
Children's Christmas Eve Play Rehearsal
Boy Scout Troop 219
Mon., Dec. 17 6:00 PM
6:30 PM
6:30 PM
Martinson Piano Student Recital - Sanctuary
Joy of Reading Book Club - home of Lori Atrops
Narcotics Anonymous
Tues., 
Dec.18
10 AM - 4 PM
Noon
6:30 PM
7:00 PM
R.Alexander/S.Theroux Voice Lessons - Sanctuary
Narcotics Anonymous - Upper Narthex
Alcoholics Anonymous
Joy Christmas Choir Practice - Sanctuary
Wed., Dec. 19
3:00 PM
6:15 PM
6:30 PM
7:00 PM
Advent Soup Supper
Narcotics Anonymous
Advent Worship
Church Council Meeting
Thurs.,
Dec. 20		 Noon
6:00 PM
6:30 PM
Narcotics Anonymous - Upper Narthex
Chugiak Girl's Choir - Sanctuary
Alcoholics Anonymous
Friday,
Dec. 21
- All Day -
6:30 PM
(Pr. Martin's Regular Day Off)
Narcotics Anonymous
Sat.,
Dec. 12
6:30 PM
Narcotics Anonymous
Next Week:
Sun., Dec. 23
9:30 AM
11:00 AM
11:00 AM
6:00 PM
Worship 
Joy Christmas Choir Practice 
Children's Christmas Eve Play Rehearsal
Boy Scout Troop 219


Weekly Worship Assistant Schedule
Please take a moment to consider serving in one of our 
Worship Assistant positions.   
Thank you for your service throughout the year!


Note: The Chugiak Girls Choir regularly rehearses at Joy Lutheran Church on Thursday evenings.  They are performing 
at the Chugiak Eagle River Senior Center on December 18.  
The money raised will benefit the Senior Center.
 
 All are welcome!
STAY CONNECTED: