With the narthex used as our staging area for the canvas painting, Church Brunch will be held in Brause Hall this Sunday March 8th.

If you are available to help Pastor Sean set up tables on Saturday March 7th at 10:00am it would be GREATLY appreciated. 

Questions? Contact Pastor Sean

Blessings

• Presiders: Pastor Sean Avery
• Assisting Minister: AbieLiz L.
• Children's Message: 
• Readers: Sarah D. & Nancy H.
• Pianist: Nancy W.
• Communion Assistant: AbieLiz L.
• Altar Care: Judy R.
• Acolyte: [open]
• Cross-bearer: [open]
• Gifts-bearer: [open]
• Ushers: Lois L. & Scooter B.

Thank you for serving in worship. Your faithfulness and heart for God help create a space where His presence is felt. Our Sundays are truly blessed with servants like you.

Don’t forget — it’s time to “spring forward!” Daylight Saving Time begins this Sunday, so be sure to set your clocks ahead one hour on Saturday night.

Yes, you’ll lose an hour of sleep… but look on the bright side — brighter evenings, warmer days, and one step closer to Easter celebrations! 

Join us for a potluck-style brunch! We gather for brunch immediately after worship. All are welcome to join us for delicious food and fellowship. This is one of the ways we build community with each other. There is no Sunday School or Confirmation class - this way everyone can join! 

This Lent, we invite you to join us for a quieter, more contemplative midweek gathering centered on prayer, reflection, and shared creativity. Each evening will include a Taizé-style music, scripture, and a guided introduction to a different prayer practice to deepen your Lenten journey. 

Afterward, stay for light snacks and help paint a collaborative community mural. Come try something new, be in community, and step into an hour of quiet in a busy world.

No experience with prayer or painting is required! Just come as you are.

Prayer Practices:

• Mar 11: Pilgramage with Labyrinths
• March 18: Icon Gazing
• March 25: Music Meditation

Do you know a high shool student, college student, or young adult who might be looking a transformational experience? 

This summer, students from our church will travel with YouthWorks to South Texas to serve and learn with Border Perspective, an organization that equips leaders, serves families, and mobilizes the church through immersive service-learning on the border.

June 22–26 | Open to High School & Young Adults

On this trip, students will:

-Be immersed in another culture
-Volunteer with community-based efforts that support immigrant families
-Hear important stories from local leaders
-Reflect on faith, culture, and God’s call to love our neighbors

Cost: $599 per student + airfare
Fundraising available — we want every student and young adult who feels called to go to be able to participate.

RSVP BELOW TO SAVE YOUR SPOT! RSVP BY MARCH 28TH

Our youth and young adults are preparing for a service-learning trip to South Texas this summer where they will partner with Border Perspective to learn, serve, and grow in faith. Experiences like this can shape a young person’s faith for a lifetime!

Would you consider donating to this opportunity for our young people?

By supporting this trip, you help create opportunities for students to encounter new communities, hear powerful stories, and reflect on God’s call to love our neighbors. Your donations will help lower the cost for participants and pay for transportation. Your generosity helps make this experience possible for every student and young adult who feels called to go. Thank you!

We have had so many people join in on the Lenten Community Mural! We're making great progress!

What if faith gave us a better way to engage politics? 

How do we approach civic issues faithfully?

What if the church could be a safe place for hard conversations again?

This six-week learning series will explore the ELCA social statement Faith and Civic Life: Seeking the Well-being of All and offer practical tools and a Lutheran framework for thinking, talking, and discerning faithfully in public life. This is not a partisan series or a class about how to vote. It’s an opportunity to grow in clarity, compassion, and confidence as we engage civic life as followers of Jesus.

(Tools + framework. Not partisan. Not “how to vote.”)

This series  IS:

• A practical framework for engaging civic life faithfully

• A way to gain tools, understanding, and shared language for better conversations

• A space for thoughtful conversation rooted in Scripture and Lutheran theology

• An invitation to discern how our faith shapes public life

This series is NOT:

• A partisan event

• A debate club

• A “vote this way” class

• A pressure-filled conversation where everyone must agree

PLEASE SIGN-UP BELOW

This Easter we will have a variety of Easter Lilies and various Flowering Plants adorning the altar area.

Sign up coming March 15th. The plants will be $16 ea.

The Alaska Synodical Women’s Organization (ASWO) will host a retreat on Saturday, March 28, from 10 am to 2 pm.  This event for ELCA Alaska ladies will be both via zoom link and in person in a few churches.  We’ll be celebrating bold women, both historically and today, in faith and in life, and asking you to find your bold.  The event will include singing, study with Pastor Shelley Wickstrom, a service project and a meal at the in-person sites. This event has no cost to participate.  However, we will invite participants to make an offering that can support the Women of the ELCA and ASWO in future events and programs.

Meet in person at:

•       Christ Lutheran in Fairbanks, lunch plan: CLC bring soup, FLC bring salad, LOL & guests bring bread 
•         Christ Lutheran in Soldotna, lunch plan TBA 
•         Gloria Dei Lutheran in Anchorage, potluck lunch of salad, soup, and bread.  RSVP to Holly Karjala at 907-350-1599
•         TBA—St Mark Lutheran in Anchorage, stay tuned for details

Or, log in to zoom.us, Meeting ID: 996 903 5845 and password: allwelcome from wherever you are.

We wanted to share a quick update—both Ericka and Pastor Sean have new email addresses!

Pastor Sean: pastorsean@joy-lutheran.com.

Ericka Stoltenberg (Church office): admin@joy-lutheran.com.

Thank you for staying connected and being part of the Joy community!

Blessings,
Pastor Sean & Ericka 

Central Lutheran Prayer Request: We're grateful for the relationships we're creating in our tiny home community, In Our Backyard.  We're looking forward to hosting the ELCA AK Synod Assembly in April, and prayers for our planning teams are welcome.  And long-term, we're looking at the future of our congregation, facility, and property and talking about the next fifty years.

Each month, Joy will pray for another ELCA congregation, as part of the Synod Prayer Partner mission. 

It’s simple, and it’s powerful. We lift up their joys, their challenges, their ministries. In this way, we remember that God’s work doesn’t stop at our doors. We are part of something bigger: a church that stretches across towns, states, even countries, united in prayer and love.

We invite each of you to join in. Let’s be faithful in holding our partner congregation before God, trusting that God is holding us in return. This is our prayer for one another, and for the world God loves.

Ages toddlers through 5th grade are invited to Sunday School after worship in Brause Hall. We use Godly Play - a montessori based curriculum that involves engaging kids in storytelling and lots of "I wonder..." questions that help them explore the mystery of God's presence, listen for God, and authentically respond to God's call in our lives.

*Reminder that Sunday School does not meet on Brunch Sundays (2nd Sunday of each month)*

Confirmation Class for youth in grades 6 and up begins on Sunday, September 7th! Please register using the link below. If you have any questions, reach out to Pastor Sean.

*Reminder that Confirmation Class does not meet on Brunch Sundays (2nd Sunday of each month)*

We gather on the second Saturday of each month to take care of various tasks around the church. All are welcome to lend a hand—no experience needed! Coffee is ready by 9:00 AM, so come early, pitch in, and enjoy some fellowship.
For more information, please contact Nancy H.

Holy Grounds is a weekly gathering of high school youth at Jitters Café with Pastor Sean and other adult youth leaders. It’s an opportunity for fellowship, peer support, and faith formation before school hours over beverages at no cost to youth. Please consider supporting this ministry with prayer and donations to cover the cost of beverages. You can donate online via our webpage. 

Holy Grounds follows the ASD calendar, if there is no school on Monday, Holy Grounds does not meet. Please see the EVENTS page for up to date meetings. 

Open on the first Sunday of each month 1-3pm.

Thank you so much for your help stocking our size 5 clothes.

We are currently in need of boys and girls size 7/8 (pants and shirts)  Thank you all for your donations and help serving our community in this way, you are a huge part of the success of our ministry. 

 Visit our website for information about our book club, including book titles, a full list of dates and locations.

Please join us!

Please contact the office on 907-694-9601 if you would like any more information.

Community Meetings that take place here at Joy Lutheran Church. For more information please visit our website.

National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI) CLICK FOR PRINTABLE FLIER

Narcotics Anonymous

Alcoholics Anonymous 

• For those struggling with mental health and anxiety.
• For Christ Lutheran (Fairbanks), our January Prayer Partner.
• Derek (Corrine’s granddaughter’s husband) has stage 3 colon cancer.
• Swain-Kotlarchuk family as they mourn the loss of Donald, Kristi's father.
• Corrine F.  (for strength)
• Zoe D. (Kathy Huntington’s niece diagnosed with AML-Acute myeloid leukemia. Prayers for healing, strength, and peace)
• Judy (Christy Dailey's mom for strength and healing)
•  
• Clarke H. (prayers for continued healing)
• The Hegna Family (as the mourn the passing of Marsha’s brother, Mark)
• Kaela W. (strength and courage for on-going treatment)
• Layli (Trudi's granddaughter, for good decision making)
• Dave Mitton (for strength)
• Kent & Victoria Rush, Wayne’s brother and sister-in-law (Kent is fighting cancer again.)
• Justin Dailey (Chris Dailey’s brother, for continued strength and healing)
• Diana Flaherty (for pain and healing)
• Stella Scamman (Kristi Swain’s aunt)
• For all those who continue to grieve the loss of loved ones.
• For all military members and their families, especially those serving in Alaska and our veterans

Online: To sign up visit joy-lutheran.com/give

Cash/Check: You can place cash or check into the offering plate or send by mail.

Text-to-Give: Text "Give" to: (833) 685-5023

Joy Lutheran App: Coming Soon

Fred Meyer Community Rewards: Fred Meyer Community Rewards - Non Profit Organization BV101 Joy is enrolled in Fred Meyer's Community Rewards Program. You can link your Rewards Card to donate to Joy at www.fredmeyer.com/communityrewards. Link your Fred Meyer Rewards Card to Joy Lutheran Church to earn a donation from Fred Meyer. If you do not have a Rewards Card, you can sign up for one at the Customer Service Desk of any Fred Meyer store.