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

Notes of Joy - Week of April 25

This week's Gospel is John 10:11-18 The image of the good shepherd shows us how the risen Christ brings us to life. It is the relationship between the shepherd and the sheep, one of mutual knowledge and love, that gives the shepherd authority. The shepherd’s willingness to lay down his life for the sheep shows his love. First John illustrates what it means to lay down our lives for one another by the example of sharing our wealth with any sibling in need.

Sunday, April 25 Worship In-person and Online Fourth Sunday of Easter Our Sunday worship can be watched LIVE on the Facebook app at 9:30 am, or the recording on Facebook any time after 10:15 am. CLICK HERE TO GO TO FACEBOOK Link to Sunday bulletin

AUCTION ITEMS Auction items can be dropped off at the church office Monday - Thursday between 10:00am - 4:00pm, or bring on Sunday morning between 9:30am and noon.

ON THE MOVE (ALMOST!) We are well on our way to raising the $9,000 for Pastor Sean and Becky’s moving allowance! Soon we will be marking our progress toward meeting our goal by following the moving van as it makes it way from Iowa to Alaska. Stay tuned! We are already half way there with $4,840 raised so far. All proceeds from the upcoming Silent Auction will be added, plus if you would like to give, beyond your regular offering, please mark your check “moving expenses”. If it’s an electronic gift, click Special Offering and let the office know it’s for moving expenses.

Alaska Synod Assembly April 23-24 Joy’s voting reps are Ruth Olson (Barndt), Steve O’Donnell and Pastor Karen. Interested in attending a workshop? They are free! Go to elcaalaka.net to register. You can also go to Alaska Synod’s Facebook page to watch the Assembly. One of the guests will be Dr Anne Zink, Alaska’s Chief Medical Officer, who will be interviewed by Rev Susan Halvor Saturday at 1:15 pm. The Assembly Theme is Behold, I make All Things New. (Revelation 21:5)

Food Bank Challenge We are being challenged to bring enough canned food to circle the Altar! Eris Soellers let the congregation know that the Food Pantry especially needs canned goods: pinto and black beans, fruit, tomato sauce, ravioli and anything else!

Feeling Blessed? Consider tithing to the Church on your stimulus check (this would be $140), or increasing your regular giving. Many are unable to do so during COVID; others feel their cup is overflowing. Let us pray for all and give according to our ability.

Church Directory We Need Your Photo! We are completing a very needed Church Directory. This will help our new Pastor Sean Avery a great deal in his ministry. We will also all benefit from it in our continued ministry here at Joy Lutheran Church.  Please send a digitized photo of yourself and/or family to joylutheran@gmail.com. Or, you can send a photograph in the mail if you prefer. We recommend pictures which focus on your face.  -Pastor Karen Sonray, on behalf of Joy Lutheran Church Council

Graduation Recognition Do you know of any 2020 or 2021 High School or College Graduates affiliated with Joy Lutheran Church? We would like to recognize them!

Joy of Reading Book Club Our Book Club meets the 3rd Monday of the month at 6:30 PM. We read a wide variety of books and have a wide variety of discussions! May 17th – May’s book is The Four Winds by Kristin Hannah June – The Midnight Library by Matt Haig August – The Downstairs Girl by Stacey Lee Are you interested in coming to a book club meeting? Please jump in and join us! It’s welcoming, non-stressful and enjoyable. We would love to have you!   PLEASE MARK YOUR CALENDARS for the June 11th book club anniversary celebration at the beautiful Nancy Lake cabin of Gerry Norene.

Coming in June Electronic Recycling Event and Clean Up Day Sat., June 5, 10 am - 2 pm We will need some volunteers and plan to have a Clean Up Day simultaneously. We are thankful to Total Reclaim for putting us on their calendar.

Sunday School & Confirmation Sunday School for preschool through 6th grade and Confirmation after worship today 10:15 am. It’s lots of fun. Please join us! The last day of Sunday School will be May 16.  We will end with our Lesson, a fun craft and balloons and cupcakes!

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Church Office Hours Monday 9:30am - 4:00pm Tues. - Wed. 10:00am - 5:00pm Thursday 10:00am - 4:00pm Closed Friday

The next Church Council meeting is Tuesday, May 11, 2021 at 7:00pm