“busy, but please call!” becoming a pastor…. · pastors are like john the baptist, ... prayer...
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SPIRIT OF JOY LUTHERAN CHURCH, 1159 N. GREENFIELD RD., G ILBERT 85234-2845
“Busy, But Please Call!” Pastors are very busy people! Day or night it’s usually a 50+ hour week and every week is a little different. There are many misconceptions about pastors and one of those is that pastors are too busy to be bothered by people. Have you ever wondered how a person becomes a pastor or what a pastor’s responsibilities are?
Becoming a Pastor…. In order to become a pastor in the ELCA, a person must first: • receive a call from God which Martin Luther explains is an inner call that you hear within and
an outer call that is heard from others: both must be confirmed by the church and a “Candidacy Committee” which functions at a synodical level of the church, made up of rostered and lay people, usually 12.
• complete an undergraduate degree at a College or University
• be accepted to a seminary: study for four more years to complete a master’s degree (additional 126 credits) serve in a parish under supervision for one full year as an intern pass a unit of Clinical Pastoral Education (CPE or chaplaincy) usually 480 hours pass psychological and personality tests meet with Synodical governing boards called Candidacy Committees regularly attend 3 benchmark Candidacy interviews to present and defend written essays be “approved for ordination” by Seminary interviews with faculty be “approved for ordination” by the synodical Candidacy team be chosen by bishops gathered in Chicago for a nationwide “draft” assigning candidates to
geographical synods; begin interviews with church call committees
• receive and accept a call to a church, being prepared to move your family
• be ordained, and installed as pastor to serve a particular community
Being a Pastor… These are the official duties of a called and ordained pastor in the ELCA:
(remember that there is an additional page of bullet points of expectations for parish duties)
• Praying, Preaching & Creating and Conducting worship; Creating a positive climate
• Administering the Sacraments of Baptism and Holy Communion
• Providing pastoral care, visiting the sick, conducting funerals and weddings
• Instruction: confirmation, marriage, and bible
• Speaking for poor and oppressed people, calling for justice, proclaiming God’s love for the world; promoting the Kingdom of God
• Encouraging qualified individuals to consider ordained ministry
• Supervising staff members; Installing council members; Communicating with council - planning
• Keeping accurate records on baptisms, etc.; Submitting statistics to the synod annually
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• Distributing ELCA info; Encouraging congregation to support synod and ELCA
• Empowering people through teaching, counseling, leadership development to use their gifts
• Leading, guiding, encouraging leadership and ministry teams to “be the church of God”
Pastors are ordained into Word and Sacrament. This list is just an overview of a few of the basic
expectations. Pastors are like John the Baptist, always pointing, always centering and re-centering
and leading the community to Jesus Christ. Pastoring is a unique calling that’s really 24/7. So, yes,
pastors are busy, but are here to be with people! I really care about what happens in your lives and
really want to hear from you, to check with you on your spiritual well-being and encourage and guide
you in the way of faith. So please call. I would love to hear from you! Let me know how I can journey
in faith with you!
Peace in Christ,
Pastor Brian
On March 7th, 14th & 21st join us for our Lenten Soup & Salad Suppers at 5:30 PM
followed by Worship - Holden Evening Prayer with Video Series “Journey to the Cross” at 6:30 PM.
Palm Sunday Services, March 25th at 8:30 and 10:30
Maundy Thursday Service, March 29th at 7:00 PM with Holy Communion & First Communion
Good Friday Service, March 30th at 7:00 PM
Easter Sunday Services, April 1st
Sunrise 6:30 AM Traditional 8:30 AM Contemporary 10:30
LENT AND EASTER SEASON SCHEDULE
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MONDAY - THURSDAY
FROM 9AM TO 3PM
480-507-0742
If you would like to donate for Spring flowers to help decorate our Nave
on Easter Day, please fill out this form and put it, along with your $12.00
in the offering plate before April 9th.
Flowers in honor of:
_________________________________________________
_________________________________________________
_________________________________________________
Given by:
__________________________________________
You may take flowers home after 2nd service on Easter Sunday.
Diakonia! Pronounced dee-ak-on-ee'-ah. And it means “service, ministering to others”. You also
might have heard this called the “Lay School of Ministry”. Diakonia is an exciting opportunity which provides a spiritual journey to lay (anyone other than Pastors) individuals who wish to become more involved in their church or who want to better understand their faith.
This is an exciting series of 12 different classes, in 5 week segments that are offered over 2 years and are taught by ordained clergy. Classes start here at Spirit of Joy on January 2, 2018, at 6:00 PM. For more information and to register go to www.diakoniaaz.org.
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EDUCATIONAL OPPORTUNTIY - DIAKONIA CONTINUES here at SOJ every TUESDAY evening! The next course offering is “Christian Doctrine” Class B-2 DATE: 2/6/18 – 3/6/18 and will be taught by: Bishop Rev. Dr. Peter C. Orlando. This course has several main objectives: to introduce students to Systematic Theology, present a vision of the coherence of Christian beliefs to each other, help identify foundational doctrines, give an understanding of orthodoxy and heresy, gain an understanding of the communal and historic nature of doctrines and their spiritual foundations, and to help students understand and express why disciplined thought and faithful confessions is crucial for church leaders. Please take advantage of this wonderful
“FACE ILLNESS, DEATH, AND DYING WITH CONFIDENCE”
You are invited to the “Face Illness, Death, and Dying with Confidence” program sponsored by Stephen Ministry, Saturday, March 10th, 10:00 a.m. until 2:00 p.m. at Our Savior’s Lutheran Church- East Mesa Campus, located at 612 S Ellsworth Road in Mesa, Arizona. Karin Gunderson will provide tools to find peace in the process of facing illness or death with a loved one and share true stories of people of every faith (and/or no faith) who acknowledge the love of Jesus as they face going home. Karin will also spend some time playing the harp and singing songs that envelope us in the love God has for each of us. As lunch will be served, please RSVP to Doris at 847-830-4781 or Sandi at 763-60-2460 before March 5th.
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Come and enjoy a great evening with your friends and acquaintances at Spirit of Joy. Bring a friend! All are welcome. Bring a potluck dish to share for supper and then enjoy some games and conversation. Contact Ruth Kessler at 480-524-9307 for more information.
Our Men’s group meets every S a t u r day m o r n ing fr om 7: 30 -8 : 30am in t h e Fel lo wship Ha ll a t Sp ir i t o f Jo y. We will have time for food (of course), fellowship, and Bible Study. Please come and bring a friend. C o n t a ct B r a d Ven Hu iz en i f you h a v e q u est io n s ( 4 02 -2 1 6 -6 8 71) .
PRAYER SHAWL MINISTRY There is an active Prayer Shawl Ministry here at SOJ again. We have many members that would benefit from it. The purpose of a shawl or lap afghan is to provide comfort, peace, warmth & prayer to those in need during a difficult time. If you crochet and/or knit and are interested in being part of this ministry, please contact Suzanne Morehead 480-277-2621 or Mary Virden 480-495-9139.
HAVE YOU EVER RUN OUT OF GAS? It’s a desperate feeling - you are at the mercy of “neighbors”. Our March Bible Study is on the Good Samaritan. Jesus suggests that we view the suffering people on earth not just as “less fortunate” and in need of help, but as teachers whose perspectives and experiences reveal truth. Attention Women of SOJ. Join us on Saturday, March 10th, at 9 AM in the Fellowship Hall for breakfast and discussion on how to face the challenge “Go and Do Likewise”. Call Ruth Kessler of WELCA 480-524-9307 for more information.
“Rock and Roll is Here To Stay”
...and Hula Hoops Save the Date: Saturday, April 21st.
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Our Alphabet Groups host our Sunday Morning Coffee Fellowship from
9:30-10:20 each Sunday morning. Our Alphabet Groups are members of
the congregation who help with fellowship two weeks out of each year based
on the first letter of their last name. Thank you for helping! This is how it
works:
1) Each letter of the alphabet is assigned 2 weeks. This letter is announced
in the weekly Joynotes. All people attending church with the current letter
are asked to bring in a treat or bottle of juice, if they are able. If you bring
in a treat after the coffee hour is finished, please put your treat in the
freezer for the following week.
2) An email is sent to those assigned to assist in the kitchen a couple of
weeks before the assigned Sundays. This email gives all the instructions
necessary for a successful coffee fellowship. If you do not receive an email
and your last name is the current letter, please feel free to just show up; the
more help the better & also the merrier!
All of G is hosting March
4 & 11
All of H is hosting March
18 & 25
SAVE THE FAMILY MONTHLY FOCUS FOR MARCH IS CLEANING SUPPLIES. For larger items, Save The Family has changed their drop off address to 444 N. Country Club Drive (just north of University), Mesa, AZ 85201. Phone is 480-733-3814. They are accepting clothing, food, furniture, bedding, towels, cleaning supplies, baby supplies and kitchen supplies. They will no longer be accepting knick knacks due to space restrictions. The items will be given to the families STF serves and they will no longer sell to the general public. We will continue to collect items for our
monthly focus, Back-to-school supplies, Thanksgiving baskets and Christmas Angel Tree items. Thank you all for your past and continued support! Email: [email protected] or phone 480-495-4990 for more information.
In order to stay current, incoming Prayer Requests will be published for two-week time periods. Please update us on how you are doing and how we can be praying for you. Requests can also be renewed by calling the office or submitting another prayer request at
PLEASE LIFT UP THESE INDIVIDUALS IN PRAYER THIS WEEK: All individuals recovering from recent hurricanes and wildfires. For Healing: Greg Glee , Baby Calvin, Laura, Gretchen , John , Olivia , Matt, JoAnn , Sylvia , Florence , Cuda I, Nikki G., Linda & Steve , Scott , Dale , Colette , Dorothy , Kristy, AJ, Chip , Becky , Shari Heilig, Julie . For Wellbeing: Brad . Those that have died in the faith: Sam , Claudia , Ellyn . Our Mission Partner: Maricopa Lutheran Church. Other Partners: Lutheran Social Services, the Women Participants of I-HELP: Elizabeth, Judy, Chris, Nan, Sylvia, Loray, Karen, Mary. All the individuals participating in recovery and support groups here at SOJ: AA, NA, OA and Healing Waters.
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BIRTHDAYS
Linda Robertson Alyssa Haidle
Dolores Lanier Connie Patten
Michele Porter-Matlack Caleb Reiman
Lynda Brancaleone James Deepe
Michael D. Snyder James Edgar Holly Elmore Carol Gosart
Ryan Peterson Ina Kay Devers
Nancy Toyra Beckham Harstad Elden Pinoniemi Joel Anderson Greg Edwards Alyssa Garland
Miles Rivera Jim Seibold
Ted Swanson Anna Gustafson
Al Holstad Karen Sletten
Linda Alexander Madison Haidle
ANNIVERSARIES
Gregg & Anna Gustafson James & Holly Elmore Rodney & Jill Reiman Fred & Barbara Appel
John & Kim Burton
Spirit Of Joy Lutheran Church is a
Stephen Ministry Congregation
What are Stephen Ministers?
Stephen Ministers are laypeople who receive 50 hours of Christian caregiving training for their congregation – and then provide one-to-one Christ–centered care to hurting people. Each Stephen Minister typically has one care receiver at a time and meets with that person once a week for about an hour. They also meet with their Stephen Leaders twice a month for ongoing support and continuing education. If you would like more information in regard to Stephens Ministry or know anyone that might be in need of this Christian caregiving, please contact Pastor Brian, Margo O’Rourke at [email protected] or Don Teply at [email protected]
We are also looking at the possibility of joining other churches in the area for a class to train additional Stephen Ministers. If you or anyone you know would be interested in attending this training class, please contact Don or Margo.
March 2018
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ALTAR GUILD DATE : COMMUNION SET-UP COMMUNION CLEAN-UP
March March 2018
Sunday 3/4/2018 Karen & Warren Anna
LENTEN SERVICE 3/7/2018 Ina Kay Ina Kay
Sunday 3/11/2018 Nancy Stephi
LENTEN SERVICE 3/14/2018 Ina Kay Ina Kay
Sunday 3/18/2018 Rosemary Jennifer
LENTEN SERVICE 3/21/2018 Ina Kay Ina Kay
Palm Sunday 3/25/2018 Lynn Solveig
Maundy Thursday 3/29/2018 Ina Kay
Good Friday 3/30/2018 No Communion No Communion
MARCH 2018 WORSHIP VOLUNTEERS EARLY SERVICE LATE SERVICE
READERS 3/4 Marcie Baesler Jason Gougen 3/11 Darrell Duty Dawnelle Peterson 3/18 Chuck Newton Al Pinoniemi 3/25 Dolores Lanier Jennifer Haidle
COMMUNION ASSISTANTS
3/4 Connie Sahadi Corinne Charlesworth Kim Burton Bill Nestmann Lynne Prahl Jennifer Haidle 3/11 Brad VenHuizen Anna Acevedo Mike Snyder Belle Geyer Margo O’Rourke SuAnne Pinoniemi 3/18 Cheryl Winklbauer Brent Strickland Darrell Duty Heather Markel Tina Bakalis Bill Nestmann 3/25 Warren Williams Corinne Charlesworth Karen Williams Anna Acevedo Viviane Piaget Jennifer Haidle
USHERS 3/4 Terry Williams Brent Strickland Marilynn Williams Heather Markel 3/11 Ed Bergo John Guinn Connie Sahadi Anna Acevedo 3/18 Dawnelle Peterson Troy Haidle Keith Mahn Bob Doty 3/25 Darrell Duty Kim Burton Brian Jones Bill Nestmann
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J O Y N O T E S : H O M E E D I T I O N
PLEASE
PLACE
STAMP
HELP US GO GREEN! IF YOU DO NOT CURRENTLY RECEIVE YOUR JOYNOTES VIA EMAIL AND ARE WILLING TO DO SO, PLEASE EMAIL CAROLYN AT [email protected]. THANK YOU!