SPIRIT JOY LUTHERAN CHURCH A COMMUNITY … a culture of instant gratification we have be-come a...

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TIDINGS OF JOY SPIRIT OF JOY LUTHERAN CHURCH-- A COMMUNITY WHERE LIVES ARE TRANSFORMED BY THE LOVE OF JESUS! TIDINGS OF JOY Volume 23 Issue 11 December 2017 Happy New Year! Some of you may know that the Church calendar differs from the calendar we use to mark time in the secular world. In the Church year, Advent begins the new year, and as we enter this season of the year, we are reminded of the season of the world's life in which we live. What do I mean by "the season of the world's life?" Well, one way to begin answering that question is to understand the word "Advent." It is often just thought of as the time leading up to Christmas... but there is a reason this season came to be called by that name. In English, this word means "a coming into place, view, or being; arrival." The origins of this word's use in Christianity are traced back to the Greek word parousia, which also means "coming, or pres- ence." While this is the general meaning of parousia, when New Testament writers used this word they had a very specific coming in mind, namely the second coming of Christ. And so when we hear "advent" we are reminded that we live in the time between the Incar- nation and the second coming of Christ. That is the season of the world's life in which we live... it is often referred to as the already/not yet. Christ has already come and our salvation has already been ac- complished; but we do not yet fully ex- perience the bene- fits of what Christ has done. And so we wait and long for the fulfillment of God's promises through Christ. This understanding of Advent alters our experience of the season. If we think of it merely as the period that leads up to Christmas, our waiting and long- ing is at risk of being reduced to our desire to find out what's in that big box under the tree. At our best, we do also remember that the giving of gifts is symbolic of the gift God gave to us, and to the whole world, in the person of Jesus Christ. When we break bread together at Spirit of Joy, we like to say, ‘This is God's table, not ours.’ We believe this invitation and theology extend to everything we do inside and outside our church building. All are welcome! We welcome the LGBTQ+ community as well as those of any nation, age, ability, ethnicity, belief, economic class, gender and others who have been hurt, estranged, or made to feel outside the family of God. We remember that what holds us together is not uniformity of thought, doctrine, race, gender, sexual orientation, or politics, but the grace of God ...pause ...and connect yourselves with those who spend their lives waiting for renewal. --Continued on next page. Saturdays: 4:30 p.m. (no service 12/23 or 12/30) Sundays: 8:30 a.m. 10:45 a.m. Sunday, December 24 and Sunday, December 30: 10:00 a.m.

Transcript of SPIRIT JOY LUTHERAN CHURCH A COMMUNITY … a culture of instant gratification we have be-come a...

TIDINGS OF JOY PAGE

SPIRIT OF JOY LUTHERAN CHURCH-- A COMMUNITY WHERE LIVES ARE TRANSFORMED BY THE LOVE OF JESUS!

TIDINGS OF JOY Volume 23 Issue 11 December 2017

Happy New Year!

Some of you may know that the Church calendar differs from the calendar we use to mark time in the secular world. In the Church year, Advent begins the new year, and as we enter this season of the year, we are reminded of the season of the world's life in which we live. What do I mean by "the season of the world's life?"

Well, one way to begin answering that question is to understand the word "Advent." It is often just thought of as the time leading up to Christmas... but there is a reason this season came to be called by that name. In English, this word means "a coming into place, view, or being; arrival." The origins of this word's use in Christianity are traced

back to the Greek word parousia, which also means "coming, or pres-ence." While this is the general meaning of parousia, when New Testament writers used this word they had a very specific coming in mind, namely the second coming of Christ. And so when we hear "advent" we are reminded that we live in the time between the Incar-nation and the second coming of Christ. That is the season of the world's life in which we live... it is often referred to as the already/not yet. Christ has already come and our salvation has already been ac-

complished; but we do not yet fully ex-perience the bene-fits of what Christ has done. And so we wait and long for the fulfillment of God's promises through Christ.

This understanding of Advent alters our experience of the season. If we think of it merely as the period that leads up

to Christmas, our waiting and long-ing is at risk of being reduced to our desire to find out what's in that big box under the tree. At our best, we do also remember that the giving of gifts is symbolic of the gift God gave to us, and to the whole world, in the person of Jesus Christ.

When we break bread together at Spirit of Joy,

we like to say, ‘This is God's table, not ours.’ We believe this invitation and theology extend to everything we do inside and outside our

church building.

All are welcome!

We welcome the LGBTQ+ community as well as those of

any nation, age, ability, ethnicity, belief, economic

class, gender and others who have been hurt,

estranged, or made to feel outside the family of God.

We remember that what holds us together is not

uniformity of thought, doctrine, race, gender, sexual

orientation, or politics, but the grace of God

...pause ...and connect

yourselves with those who spend their lives waiting

for renewal.

--Continued on next page.

Saturdays:

4:30 p.m. (no service 12/23 or 12/30)

Sundays:

8:30 a.m.

10:45 a.m.

Sunday, December 24 and

Sunday, December 30:

10:00 a.m.

PAGE 2 DECEMBER 2017

Where Lives are Transformed —WORSHIP

This reality is important, and the recognition that the period of waiting has already been fulfilled in some important ways through the Incarnation should not be forgotten. However, we must also remember to associate this sea-son with our longing for that which has not yet been fulfilled; we still wait for the full and final realization of God's promises to his people. We live as people who hope for a full restora-tion to communion with God.

In a culture of instant gratification we have be-come a people who are not good at waiting. You want to know something? Google it! You want to talk to someone? Call them on their cell, or text them! We have a smorgasbord of information, food, and entertainment options that are instantly accessible. We don't have to wait for things and when we do, we often de-cide it's not worth the trouble. And so we for-get what it means to wait with eager longing.

Advent is a time for the church to live into its call to be countercultural. This season that is supposed to remind us how to wait is the one when our patience is most tested. We start seeing Christmas decorations before Hallow-een has even passed and we start singing

Christmas carols Thanksgiving weekend… those Advent songs in their minor keys are so depressing after all! Almost everyone wishes we could just skip right to the celebration of Christmas, and so many do just that.

This year, I invite you to experience Advent as a season of waiting… I encourage you to pause for a season before the celebration and connect yourself with those who spend their lives waiting for renewal… who are martyred for the sake of the name of Christ, who are hungry, thirsty, cold, or abused. Through wait-ing you are also connected with those whom God first called, the Israelites, who waited (and wait) with for the coming of the Messiah, who will restore all things and vindicate those whom God has chosen.

And so we wait… not to punish ourselves or to test our endurance... We wait because only by forcing ourselves to wait will we ever allow ourselves to long. And when we are in touch with our sense of longing, we are connected to the people of God in all times and in all places, who call urgently on the Lord, saying "come Lord Jesus!"

Grace and peace.

--Continued from front page.

THANK YOU! THANK YOU! THANK YOU!

to Rosann Winn, who has shepherded us in the

planning and leading of the 10:45/11:00 Sun-

day worship services for many years. Rosann,

we appreciate your sharing of your talents at

Spirit of Joy. Thank you also to Mike Winchell

who shared this job in the past, and to Rachel Zeller, who filled in

when needed. We are looking forward to worshipping with you all as

part of the congregation going forward.

TIDINGS OF JOY PAGE 3

by the Love of Jesus! —WORSHIP

Special Music for Advent and Christmas

We would love to have people to provide special music for Sunday services and Christmas Eve. In the past, we've had vocal soloists, violinists, guitar solos, and others doing their favorite music of the season. If you are willing to share your gifts this year, please contact the church office (223-5303). For planning purpos-es, please let us know no later than Sunday, December 10th, so that we can schedule accordingly.

PAGE 4 DECEMBER 2017

Where Lives are Transformed —COMMUNITY

TIDINGS OF JOY PAGE 5

by the Love of Jesus! —WORSHIP

PAGE 6 DECEMBER 2017

Where Lives are Transformed —COMUNITY

Order a poinsettia to grace the sanctuary

for Christmas! Each poinsettia costs $10 and may be donated in

memory of or in honor of a loved one!

Sign up on the clipboard in the Foyer by

Sunday, December 17.

Good Gifts Thinking about Christmas gifts ?

Do you have family and friends that already have everything they need? This year give a gift that makes a

difference through ELCA Good Gifts. Catalogs are available online at

www.elca.org/goodgifts.

CHRISTMAS AROUND

THE WORLD! Our Sunday School

Christmas Program

will be held between

worship services (10:00)

on December 17.

Don’t miss it!

Our Holiday Choir meets on Monday

evenings at 7:30. We will sing at the 7:00pm service on

Christmas Eve. Come and join us in the sanc-

tuary on Mondays--All voices are welcome!

TIDINGS OF JOY PAGE 7

by the Love of Jesus —SERVICE

"Giving Presence

By Deacon Tammy Devine ELCA Wellness Manager for Portico Benefits

December 2017

Prepare the way of the Lord..." Matthew 3:3b

As a teenager, the musical Godspell inspired me to make Advent a time of preparation. In-stead of focusing on the thrill of Christmas and the whirlwind of activities that fill the season, I discovered the deep joy that comes with tak-ing time to pause and reflect.

Still, as I got older I fell into the trap of saying yes to many family traditions: baking lots of cookies, decorating the house inside and out, sending handwritten Christmas cards, wrap-ping plenty of gifts. What I recognize now is that even though I thought I could do it all, I was more focused on the tasks at hand than the people around me. In short, my to-do list kept me from giving the gift of presence.

Our call to be Christ’s hands and feet in the world is about embodying Christ’s presence for one another every day. Throughout this year I have been living into my personal well-ness goal of being fully present.

That starts with letting go of the internal mes-sages of my past and not wasting energy wor-rying about tomorrow. It means aligning my heart with Christ so I can listen with compas-sion and care for those around me.

Living this goal out during these weeks before Christmas will take some intentionality. My first step: simplify my expectations and set clear boundaries about what I will and will not com-mit to. Then, identify those people who could use an extra measure of care, and make time with them a priority. This Advent season, my heart is leading me to be fully present with my godchildren and a dear friend, all of whom are dealing with ongoing challenges in their lives.

During this time of hope and holiness, I invite you to pause and reflect. To whom can you give the present of Christ’s presence this sea-son? There is no greater gift we can share than God’s great love through Jesus Christ. May you be blessed by Christ’s presence as you serve this Advent, and beyond.

The Family Advent Festival is December 6th

immediately following our Wednesday

Holden Evening Prayer Service at

6:30. Join us as we decorate the trees, make

crafts and enjoy hot chocolate and cookies.

PAGE 8 DECEMBER 2017

Where Lives are Transformed —SERVICE

Welcome to Elijah Perdomo! Starting this month, Elijah will be filling a new staff position at Spirit of Joy: Music and Wor-ship Director. Elijah will be mostly seen lead-ing the 11:00 Sunday service, but occasional-ly at the other services as well. We look for-ward to Elijah’s ministry here at Spirit of Joy, which began on December 1.

Elijah Perdomo was born and raised in Grand Junction Colorado, raised by his single mother Amparo Martinez, a Colombian immigrant. His love of singing came about at an early age, and he has been publicly performing since the age of seven. His faith journey has been a bit more complex; if you ask him about it, he’ll tell you a bit, but would like to hear some of your story as well.

Elijah graduated from Metropolitan State

University of Denver with a Bachelors of Mu-sic, composition emphasis. He has worked in, and led worship in churches for over 10 years, sometimes as the audio guy, sometimes as the worship leader. He and his wife Leah live in Loveland, with their fur baby Lexi. He also works for Mr. Appliance as a repair technician. New to the area, they are very excited about this new adventure and especially about join-ing Spirit of Joy!

Fundraiser

Pudgie Bear Baking will be taking orders for

Christmas cookies to support Sky Ranch. Your

beautiful plate of cookies will include an assort-

ment of cookies from the list below. Cookies

will be $8/dozen )please feel free to order more

than one dozen!). Orders are due by December

13 and cookies will be available for pickup on

or after December 17.

Please contact Ms. Pudgie Bear to order your

cookies, and support Sky Ranch in the process:

[email protected]

Chocolate Crinkles Molasses

Pecan Sandies Peanut Butter Blossoms

Snickerdoodles Coconut Macaroons

Oatmeal Cranberry White Chocolate

YUM!

TIDINGS OF JOY PAGE 9

by the Love of Jesus —SERVICE

For the 14th year in a row, Spirit of Joy will share the joy of the Christmas season by providing gifts for low-income and homeless families with children that attend Laurel Elementary School. Last year we helped 20 families! Please stop by the table in the Foyer to pick a family. Each family will have gift preferences and cloth-ing sizes listed to make your shopping easy. Please return the wrapped gifts to SOJ by Sunday, December 17 so they can be delivered to the families by Christmas! Contact the church office at 970-223-5303 or [email protected] to be connected with the organizers if you have any questions.

Living Lutheran (formerly The Lutheran

magazine)

Inspiring stories, news and infor-

mation, theological insights and

more, Living Lutheran now in-

cludes seven content categories:

Congregational Life

Voices of Faith

Spiritual Practices and

Resources

Children and Family

Mission and Ministry

Religious news and

Social Issues

From the Presiding Bishop

Subscribing to Living Lutheran

through Spirit of Joy is easy:

place your check for $11.75

(group rate) in the offering plate,

or email [email protected] with

your desire to subscribe and your

address and mail in your check

later.

December 15

PAGE 10 DECEMBER 2017

Where Lives are Transformed —COMMUNITY

Ministry Team Mission Statement: Our mission is to be people of God who, through the power of the Holy Spirit and in the name of Jesus Christ, bring care, comfort and assistance to those beyond our walls.

NEWS from Lutheran

Campus Ministry Please pray for students, faculty and staff as the semester comes to a close this December. Consider giving a Christmas or year-end gift to Lutheran Campus Ministry in honor of someone you love. Your gifts provide opportunities for stu-dents to experience a faith community, worship, Bible studies,

service, retreats and more. For more information about Lutheran Episcopal Campus Min-istry at University of Northern Colorado contact Pastor Deb Abbott at [email protected]. For Lutheran Campus Ministry at Colorado State University contact Pastor Paul Judson at [email protected]. Thank you for your support!

Looking ahead:

Annual Reports are due

January 9th.

Annual reports from all ministry team

leaders are due to Nancy

in the church office by January 9th.

email: [email protected]

THE GROCERY CART IN THE FOYER IS WAITING FOR YOUR DONATIONS of non-perishable food for the hungry in Fort Collins. Every month we will have a “Food of the Month” in hopes that each family will pick up a little extra as they shop during the month and bring it in to add to the grocery cart. Other items are always welcome too!

Food of the Month for December--Baking mixes: quick breads, muffins, cookies, bars, cakes, frosting

TIDINGS OF JOY PAGE 11

Deadline for the January Newsletter:

DecemBER 15!

by the Love of Jesus —INCLUSION

Spirit of Joy Family Retreat!

Join us in the beautiful Rocky Mountains as we celebrate faith and explore the “Love Languages” at our Family Retreat February 2nd (check in after 4 PM) – February 4th (9:30 AM). Activities include crafts, fellowship, workshops, ser-vice projects, and the use of onsite facilities and activities. You will also have time in Estes Park where you can explore the unique dining and shopping opportunities. Lodg-ing is in a family cabin where we can come together to share meals, engage in discussions, and partici-pate in meaningful activities. Cost is $300 per family which includes lodging and meals. Payments and registrations are due December 10th. Feel free to con-tact Amber for more information! [email protected].

Sign up to help provide ‘Room at the Inn’ when Spirit of Joy

hosts Faith Family Hospitality January 7-14

The birth of Christ brought a new beginning to hu-mankind. Our guest families are offered a new be-ginning in their lives when we shelter and feed them through Faith Family Hospitality.

It's cold outside, let's wel-come our FFH guests with a warm, safe place to live during our hosting week. Whatever your talent, you will find something you can help with on our sig-nup list.

The signup link to volunteer for our January 7-14 hosting week is on the SOJ website

home page (www.sojoyfc.org).

There are many volunteer opportunities during the week while we provide an evening meal and over-night lodging for four homeless families the week of January 7 along with our support church, Peace with Christ Lutheran Church.

Volunteers are needed to provide dinners, serve as overnight hosts, share hospitality as evening hosts, help with set up and takedown or do laundry.

If you have any questions, the FFH Team Coordina-tors would love to talk to you. Diana and Doug Col-lins (225-9124), Ray Gratias (207-9144) or Mark Kramer (226-0634).

PAGE 12 DECEMBER 2017

Where Lives are Transformed —SERVICE

Providing ‘Room in the Inn’ Year Round

“No room in the inn” the Biblical phrase re-membered mostly at Christmas – it’s become an all too frequent and tragic condition of the growing homeless population through the na-tion. Here in Fort Collins we have not been spared that loss of house and home. From Homeless Gear: More than 1,000 children in the Poudre School District (on average) experience homelessness each year. What’s more, those children (and their families) struggle to escape homelessness in the context of rec-ord-low vacancy rates — in Fort Collins and surrounding communities — and wages that have not risen in stride with housing costs. Almost 9,000 households that rent and earn less than $25,000 a year cannot find an affordable place to live in Fort Col-lins. About 1,500 are on waiting lists for housing assistance. More than half of resi-dents who are low-income and many who are homeless and working do not earn enough to afford housing in Fort Collins. From The National Coalition for the Homeless: There are a number of factors that contribute to family homelessness, including the chal-lenge of raising children alone, fractured social supports, and the changing demographics of the family. More significant to the dilemma of family homelessness are: Lack of affordable housing –According to the National Low Income Housing Coalition, the United States is facing increasing rents, stagnating wages, and an extreme shortage of affordable housing. For every 100 extremely low-income renters, there are just 31 afforda-ble units. Extreme poverty – In 2009, 17% of all Ameri-

can families with two parents and 34% of all single-parent families lived below the poverty line. Many families do not earn adequate wag-es, with one-fifth of all US jobs not paying enough to keep a family of four out of poverty. Families need an income twice as high as the Federal Poverty Level, on average, to meet their most basic needs. Decreasing government supports – In 1996 the federal welfare reform law replaced the Aid to Families with Dependent Children (AFDC) program with a block grant program called Temporary Assistance to Needy Fami-lies (TANF). However, these grants, combined with the Food Supplement Program, formally known as Food Stamps, require applicants to earn below poverty level in almost every state and while the number of poor people has in-creased in recent years, the number of people receiving TANF has decreased. Domestic violence – Because of their unique and often urgent circumstances, those coming from domestic violence situations are more likely to become homeless or have a problem finding housing. Families escaping domestic violence may have poor credit, rental, and/or employment histories. Additionally, some are unable to collect and/or enforce child support and alimony payments, because they must avoid their abuser for safety. As the problem of family homelessness accel-erates, the services to accommodate the in-creasing numbers are lagging behind. Home-lessness disrupts virtually every aspect of family life, damaging the physical and emo-tional health of family members, interfering with children’s education and development, and frequently resulting in the separation of family members, with a much higher rate of separation for families that have experienced homelessness than others that have not.

TIDINGS OF JOY PAGE 13

SPIRIT OF JOY MONTHLY FINANCIAL UPDATE

November YTD 2017

Offerings $24,967.46 $307,291.16

Expenses $30,414.69 $357,118.46

over/short ($5,447.23) ($49,827.30)

Offerings YTD

2017 $307,291.16

2016 $328,429.50

Difference: ($21,138.34)

December Senior High Youth Group at Trinity, Wednesdays, 7:00-8:15 pm.

December Confirmation at Our Saviour’s, Wednesdays, 6:45-8:00 pm.

Middle and High School Christmas Party: A Night in the Lights Join all FOCOLU Youth December 17th, from 5-7pm for a night un-der the Old Town lights! Meet at Trinity at 5pm and then depart for an evening full of hot chocolate, sleigh rides and good company. Don’t forget to wear your ugliest Christmas sweater!

by the Love of Jesus —COMMUNITY

Elle Barr entered the company of the saints

November 12, 2017

We’ll miss you, Elle!

PAGE 14 DECEMBER 2017

Ministry Leadership

Your Spirit of Joy Church Council members plan ministry around our mission and vision statement: “Spirit of Joy: Worship, Study, Service”

If you have any questions or concerns please contact a Church Council Member. Courtenay Biser-Suarez 970-377-1743 Debbie DeLong 970-692-9461 Mark Kramer Secretary 970-226-0634 Helen Raymond 630-730-3814 Rick Schleusener President 970-988-5817 Ted Willis Vice President 970-225-1135 Norm Skadburg Treasurer 970-266-1985 Doug Collins Financial Secretary 970-225-9124

Please pray for their ministry as they provide leadership to Spirit of Joy. Council meetings are held on the second Monday of each month. Meetings are open to

congregation members, and items of concern can be submitted to the president’s box by the first

Pastor Dave Ryder [email protected] General Office [email protected] Lisa Irvine: [email protected] Nancy McNair [email protected] Amber Mornes [email protected] Elijah Perdomo [email protected] Kevin Dragseth [email protected] Kyra Jensen [email protected]

Deadline for

the January

Newsletter:

December 15

Where Lives are Transformed --COMMUNITY

December 1 Ken Severson December 2 Abigail Zachman December 3 Tammy Baack December 3 Jacob Friehauf December 6 Stuart Collins December 7 Tanja Colburn December 8 Greg Behm December 9 Carol Altringer December 9 Bethany Braband December 9 Rebecca Thurlow December 9 Sarah Thurlow December 9 Doug Vandertuin December 10 Dorene Foged December 10 Landon Shimpa

December 11 Todd Baechle December 12 Judy Fletcher December 14 Diana Collins December 15 Ann Schneider December 17 Ben Gratias December 17 Luke Haugestuen December 20 Andrew Beahm December 21 Dallas Schreiber December 21 Kelsey Sprowell December 22 Tyler Texeira December 24 Kim Garrels December 26 Alex Anderson December 29 Shawn Gallegos December 31 Vyctoria Ovesen

TIDINGS OF JOY PAGE 15

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Tidings of Joy Spirit of Joy Lutheran Church 4501 S. Lemay Avenue Fort Collins, Co 80525 www.sojoyfc.org

Return Service Requested

If you wish to change the way you receive this newsletter, or if you no longer wish to receive it, please notify the church office.

Tidings of Joy is a monthly publication keeping the family and friends of Spirit of Joy Lutheran Church connected. The vision of this congregation is: “Called to be a joyful, inviting, growing community in Christ”

Dave Ryder Pastor Elijah Perdomo Worship and Music Director-Donna Lewis Accompanist Kevin Dragseth Faith Formation Minister for FoCoLu Amber Mornes Kids of Joy Superintendent Nancy McNair Office Manager Lisa Irvine Office Administrator Kyra Jensen Youth Intern Abby Foster, Natalia Suarez Nursery Attendants Tammy Lavergne Custodian

Send all correspondence and address changes to: Spirit of Joy (return address listed above), or call 970-223-5303, or e-mail to [email protected]

Christmas Eve at Spirit of Joy

5:00 pm Carols, Candles and Communion

Contemporary Praise Service

7:00 pm Carols, Candles and Communion

Special Music and Soloists