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Our Mission Statement

We of Joy Lutheran Church foster 
grace-filled relationships with Christ
through worship, fellowship, and service. 
Notes of Joy - Week of June 21, 2020
This Week's Gospel:
Matthew 10:24-39
God does not promise that the path of the disciple will be easy. Jeremiah feels the pain of rejection from those who do not want to hear what he has to say. Jesus declares that his words may bring stark division. Even so, we need not be afraid for God accounts for each hair on our heads. Though we may experience rejection, frustration, division, and death, God’s grace and love make us a new creation each day. Marked with the cross and filled with holy food, we are sent from worship to witness to Christ in the world.
Sunday's Worship
This week's worship will be in person at our sanctuary and available LIVE on our Facebook page Sunday at 9:30am.



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!!) :-) 
Council Notes from June 9 Meeting
Your council met on June 9 th . We want to keep you informed and in the loop on the church business, especially during these unusual times. Here are highlights from our meeting.

  • JCDC has resumed limited operations with many precautions. Please notice the awesome upgrades they are making to the playground area. Is that a mini racetrack?!
  • Earthquake repairs have stalled a bit however Wayne Rush and Jan Deering continue to work closely with FEMA and the State of Alaska. Due to a number of issues, including Covid disruptions, we have asked for a one year extension for the repair completions so those blue pieces of tape are with us a bit longer.
  • Our first in-house service was successful. Every precaution was taken to make it a safe environment however not everyone is ready to worship in person and online services will continue for the foreseeable future. We want everyone to feel included. 
  • The process for securing a permanent pastor has definitely stalled a bit due to Covid.  The MSP group is working to wrap up their work however some of the input from you begs to be discussed in a group discussion. Determining our future goals and priorities are essential for us as a congregation. Once the MSP document is finalized we will begin to form the Call Committee. Don’t get discouraged, we are not the only congregation going thru this but of course that doesn’t make it any easier.
  • Finance/Treasurer report will be included in next week’s Notes of Joy. 

These are trying times and we all have to work a bit harder to stay engaged as a congregation and church family. Your council thanks you from the bottom of our hearts for your continued financial support. We encourage you to contact Pastor Karen or any of the council members with suggestions or concerns. Stay safe and stay well. 

-Sue Weimer, Council President
Pastor's Blog
Catch Pastor Karen's new blog post on Compassion here on our website:

PRAY for our Nation
Welcome Tula Rae!
Marcia Hegna shared they have a new Hegna family member! 💗 "Tula Rae was born on May 30th. She joins her mommy, Marissa (Jonny's daughter, and Marcia & Joe's granddaughter), her daddy Dylan, and two year old brother, Jude. Marissa chose to have a home birth because of the pandemic; this way she could have all the people that she wanted to have at the birth. I was honored to be there, along with Dylan, her mom, her aunt, her best friend and of course, the midwife.😍 It was very emotional, but mom and baby were fine- Tula was 6-1/2 pounds of sweetness. 💕 We’re all in love with her. Jonny is a very smitten grandpa. Joe and I are delighted to have a second great-grandchild." 
MSP Team Continues to Seek Your Input
The MSP team looks forward to the day when we can all get together to discuss IN PERSON the topics that need to be covered. In the meantime, we are requesting your input on a couple of areas which we can discuss in depth later. Again, these come straight from the ELCA MSP form.

Context: List three ways that the community in which we are located has been challenged by change and transition in the last three to five years.  
 
Energy: What is our congregation really excited about right now?  Or where do you see there is particular energy or talents here at Joy?
 
Please consider your responses to the following, and reply to the MSP Team’s email. The link is below. We appreciate you hanging in there with us through this.

Thank you!
For his Eagle Project, Justin Nevells from our own Boy Scout Troop 219, led a team of volunteers to make 250 health masks!! He has gifted these masks to Joy Lutheran Church for our mask tree or where needed most.

Thank you, Justin and team! We appreciate your generous time and effort. We will share them with our community.
Sound System
We have heard from you that it is hard to hear sometimes through our microphone in the sanctuary here at Joy. We are having repairs made to the sound system and they should be completed next week! 
bibleb.jpg
Calling all Joy Lutheran members & friends:
  • Do you have a favorite Bible Verse? Or one you'd like to suggest to our 2020 Confirmands who will be affirming their Faith?
  • We would like to include them in one of the gifts we are giving to the 2020 Confirmands.
  • Please email the church office with a bible verse! joylutheran@gmail.com
Vacation Bible School
We are seeking to put together an online VBS in July using pre-recorded stations of music, craft/science, stories, etc.

Are you interested in planning and helping? Contact Pastor Karen, Kelly Mullin or the office.  We will meet Sat., June 27th,10:30 am at the church to brainstorm. We will practice social distancing at our meeting in Brause Hall.

We are looking at a theme "Splash in God's Love" including stories like Jonah, Jesus' baptism, Jesus calming the storm and walking on water. We will need volunteers willing to lead children songs, storytelling, lead a craft or science experiment. These will be pre-recorded and sent to us to post as "Virtual Stations" for our VBS!  
Needs 
Contributions of the thicker style of Hand Sanitizer (Purell or Germ-X, for example) will be needed and greatly appreciated here at Joy Lutheran. They are hard to find! If you see any, please pick them up for the Church. If you need to be reimbursed, you can submit your receipt and we will be happy to do so.
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. Thank you Sue W. for being the first one to kick off the mowing season!
Prayer Concerns & Requests
Eunice Vrem
Pete & Paula Johnson
Harry Finch
Audrey Fredeen
Jonny Hegna
Nancy Olson
Peggy & Richard Dana's grandson, Jesse
Matthew Christman & Erin Soellers, both currently deployed

These people might especially appreciate a phone call. Also Paula Johnson would really appreciate some CDs with traditional hymns. Her caregivers also mentioned meals or food are always appreciated. Wear a mask if you bring anything over. 
Music!
We would like to have special music at worship, especially since we miss singing so much! Can you volunteer?
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, July 7
at 7:00 pm.