In today’s readings the risen Christ ascends into heaven and his followers are assured that the Spirit will empower them to be witnesses throughout the earth. The disciples are told to not gaze up into heaven to look for Jesus (Acts 1:11); we find his presence among us as we proclaim the Word and share the Easter feast. We too long for the Spirit to enliven our faith and invigorate our mission.

• Presider: Pastor Sean Avery 
• Assisting Minister: Mona M.
• Readers:  Nancy H. & AbieLiz L.
• Pianist: Nancy W.
• Altar Care: Sue W.
• Communion Assistant: Sue W. 
• Acolyte: Arden P.
• Ushers: Lois L. & Nancy D.

• Presider: Pastor Sean Avery 
• Assisting Minister: AbieLiz L.
• Readers:  Hazel S.
• Pianist: Kathy H.
• Altar Care: Lori S.
• Communion Assistant: Karen J. 
• Acolyte: Peter W.
• Ushers: Mona M. & Heather S.

We are always looking for volunteers, if you are called to serve in any way please contact Ericka at joylutheran@gmail.com for more information.

*Bold and underlined names are unconfirmed volunteers

Join us for for the whole time or only part! Giving your time helps keep our building clean, organized, and functional for our ministries within the congregation and for our community. 

This month we will focus on taking care of some routine tasks (lighting, filters). Some of us will concentrate our efforts on reorganizing the kitchen and repatriating lost items. 

Fun around the campfire with s'mores and snacks. Bring an outdoor chair if you have one. Please let Pastor Sean know you are coming if possible. All high school students and friends welcome! 

This month we have a special brunch as we celebrate Mother's Day and our 2024 Graduates! 

Join us for brunch, cake, and a fun game or two!

REMINDER THAT THERE IS NO SUNDAY SCHOOL!

The Alaska Synod of the ELCA consists of 30 congregations divided into clusters. JOY belongs to the Knik Cluster which also includes Good Shepherd Lutheran (Wasilla), Trinity Lutheran (Palmer), Table of Grace (Bethel), and River of Life (Chugiak). 

Delegates from each of the Knik Cluster congregations met during the 2024 Alaska Synod Assembly and what became clear during this time is that each congregation is engaged in some amazing ministries in their community. In order to keep each other updated about what each congregation is doing, we agreed to create a Facebook Page! 

The page is now live and available on Facebook. Search for "Knik Cluster". Make sure to follow the page so that you receive updates in your feed about what each congregation is doing. We can support one another and share events! 

If you have any questions, reach out to Pastor Sean Avery at Joy Lutheran.

We will be having our electronics recycling event Saturday, May 18th, 2024 10am – 2pm.  

This recycling is for household electronics and our partners in this are Total Reclaim and Eagle River High School green club.  

The cost is FREE / carload, which is quite a deal considering how much it costs to recycle.  Monitors or large screen TVs will have a small cost.  Appliances (refrigerator, dryer, washer) and smoke detectors are not allowed because appliances take up too much room and smoke detectors contain radioactive materials.

If you’d like to help, they will set up at 9:30 and we’ve divided sign up into two slots 9:30 to 12 and 12 to 2:30 and we’ll post that after church Sunday.  Volunteers usually just help direct traffic, answer questions, etc.  No real manual labor because Total Reclaim brings a bunch of guys to disassemble the materials into their component parts.

 Let your neighbors and co-workers know.  Let’s keep these things out of the dump!

Joy’s team will walk (or run) the 1- and 5-mile versions (timed and untimed) of the 32nd Alaska Run for Women [https://www.akrfw.org/] in Anchorage. As in past years, we are participating to honor the many women in our congregation who have experienced breast cancer.

If you’d like to join Team Joyful Women in person or virtually, you can register to join us until June 7 at https://www.akrfw.org/register/registration. In order to include all women regardless of economic circumstances, the Run for Women has no set registration fee but relies solely on donations. Last year, we raised $750 so we’ve set that as our goal again this year.

We’d love for you to cheer us on along the route. The event begins and ends at UAA, and the route circles the campuses and adjacent neighborhoods. You can find a map of the race at https://www.akrfw.org/event-info/maps. We’ll acknowledge the entire team at church on Sunday the 9^th.

There will be more information to follow, but feel free to contact Nancy Hemsath if you have questions in the meantime. [907.230.0641 or nancyhemsath@gmail.com].

Anyone entering grades 5-12th

Holy Grounds is a weekly gathering of high school youth at Jitters Café with Pastor Sean and other adult youth leaders. 

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. 

 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.

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

We are in current need of boys and girls pants sizes 8-12. Thank you!

• Hegna Family ( as they grieve the loss of Jonny)
• Pastor Sean, Becky & family (as they grieve the loss of Sean's mom)
• Julie Meyer (facing the uncertainty after suffering a stroke)
• Justin Dailey (Chris Dailey’s brother, for comfort for the family and a successful surgery)
• Bob & Candy Allen (for successful back surgery for Bob and comfort for Candy)
• Tom & Debbie Bird (as they grieve the loss of Skip Lange)
• Bentson family (as they grieve the loss of Al Bentson)
• Eric & Margie Hall & family (as they grieve the loss of Erics dad John)
• Reimer & Oistad family ( as they grieve the loss of Gary)
• LaiMing Reimer (as she recovers from a successful kidney transplant)
• Diana Flaherty (for pain and healing)
• Trudi (for healing, wisdom for doctors)
• Lisa Lind (healing, friend of Kristi Swain)
• Dick Prien and family (as they mourn the passing of Sharon)
• Stella Scamman (Kristi Swain’s aunt)
• Layli (Trudi’s granddaughter, for peace and guidance)
• Margie H. (for healing and recovery)
• Harvey P. (for strength and healing)
• Family of Anton Erickson (Margie and Eric’s nephew)
• The Fredeen Family as they mourn Wayne and Amy.
• Brittany Mumma (seizures)
• Jennifer Huntington (health and healing)
• Corrine Finnie (healing)
• The McConell Family (as they mourn the loss of their mother and wife, Mary)
• Matt (Nancy Olson’s nephew, for healing after surgery)
• Gwendolyn Roth (peace of mind and that she will know God is with her)
• Tom Clark (healing)
• For our active-duty military personel, 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.

• Heather Slocum, President
• Shontelle Schmidt, Secretary 
• Dina Torres, Vice President
• Sue Weimer, Treasurer
• Clarke Hemphill 
• Corrine Finnie 
• Steve Kruse
• Kristi Swain 
• Kathy Huntington

• Pastor Sean Avery -- 907-531-7317, pastorseanavery@gmail.com
• Ericka Stoltenberg, Office Administrator-- 907-694-9601 joylutheran@gmail.com