MAY 2017 Community of Joy Lutheran Church 110 Balboa Road Hot Springs Village, AR 71909 501-915-9569 Church E-mail: cofjoy@sbcglobal.net Office E-mail: office.cofjoy@sbcglobal.net http://www.community-of-joy.org VOLUME 14, ISSUE 5 Stewardship is - taking care of God s creation! Evangelical Lutheran Church in America Living in God s amazing grace From the Pastor We are well into spring and many members of Community of Joy are planning to move north for the summer months. What a gift to travel to familiar places and see friends and family. Yet we regret the time we spend apart. Those who travel away from Hot Springs Village often wonder what is happening back at this church. They miss their friends and the routine of activities. Those who stay miss their friends who are gone, hope for their safe travels, and wish for the conversations that we enjoy. Pastor Bill Sappenfield The time of separation is an opportunity to reflect on the deeper meaning of friendship and the bonds that hold us together. Jesus gave us the sacrament we call Holy Communion a word to remind us that our relationships are so important that they are maintained by God, himself. Every week, when we share the sacrament, God makes us one with every other Christian who is also sharing the Holy Meal north and south and around the world. We are joined not only with others who are celebrating the Eucharist at the same time, but with God s people throughout eternity. God makes us one Body with saints who have gone before and descendants who are yet to come. I will miss my friends who travel during the summer, but I am grateful that God maintains our Communion together throughout the church. Pastor Sappenfield ADULT BIBLE STUDY IN MAY There will only be one Bible Study in May, Thursday, May 18. Pastor will be at the Synod Assembly the first weekend in May and not available to lead the class on May 4. Let s take the opportunity on May 18 to think about the most basic questions concerning the Bible: What is it? Who wrote it? When was it written? What do we mean when we say the Bible is inspired and true? Do people today know the Bible as well as they used to? Come join the discussion! Thursday at 9:00 am.
Page 2 VOLUME 14, ISSUE 5 Worship & Music Glenda Baker COMMUNION CARE VOLUNTEERS Please see the bulletin board in the Narthex for a complete list of Saturday and Sunday Worship Leaders and Communion Care Volunteers. Please remember to find a replacement if you are unable to serve on an assigned date. COMMUNION CARE There s room for more assistants to help in preparing the communion elements and vessels. We are always seeking volunteers women and men. Consider making a husband and wife team for Communion Care. Please consider this as part of your ministry to the congregation on either Saturday or Sunday. Contact Patty Ninke (Coordinator) 501-226-5190 if you are willing to serve in this way. Everyday Evangelism IN THE COURSE OF YOUR DAILY LIFE Eileen Miller-Evangelism Chairperson Listed below are some ways God gives you an opportunity to witness about your faith to another person. Model Christian behavior when you attend your family s sporting events. Speak up against injustice, evil and verbal insult. Be clear that your perspective is informed by your faith and belief in a loving, forgiving God. OUR MISSION TO BE A FAMILY OF LOVING, CARING DISCIPLES - BOLDLY SERVING GOD WITH JOY ALTAR FLOWERS The cost of altar flowers is $44.00 for two (2) vases or, if you are sharing the date with another member, each vase is $22.00. Remember: Check the Flower Folder (in Narthex by the front doors) for the number of vases you are donating before placing your contribution in one of the special envelopes which are in the sign-up folder. If you prefer to have both vases in honor or memory of a loved one, sign your name in both columns. Direct any special flower orders to Barbara Woodman 915-0989 or email her at bswoodman@sbcglobal.net Please take your flowers home after the Sunday Service. You may also pick them up on Monday. WORSHIP NUMBERS WE RE COUNTING ON YOU The Attendance average for weekends in March 2017 was: 121 Lent Services - 40 Ash Wednesday - 65 Thank You Evangelism Team Community of Joy was well represented at the Hot Springs Village Community Fair. It was an exciting time sharing the news of our church to those who stopped by our booth. Thank you to Karen Sterzik for organizing and making final preparations. Additional thanks to Linda Griffin, Barb Flynn, Alexis Funk, Anne King, and Donna Wright for working that day. Look for photos in the COJ scrapbook...carla Olson was readily available to document this event. Thanks Carla! Eileen Miller - Evangelism Chair
VOLUME 14, ISSUE 5 Page 3 King s Korner April showers bring May flowers, and aren t they all beautiful? The green of spring and God s beauty is all around! Please attend the congregational meeting at 4:00 pm called for the purpose of voting to extend a call to our next pastor, followed by the picnic fundraiser for Living God s Abundance, both happening on Friday, April 28. The Arkansas/Oklahoma Synod Assembly takes place May 5, 6 & 7, with some of our members (Lance and Eileen Miller, Mike and Jean Anderson, and Pastor Sappenfield) representing COJ. Thank you to each of them! We will have Service of the Word that weekend. Please plan to attend. Happy Mother s Day on Sunday, May 14, to all of the moms in our congregation! The final Women of Joy event for the 2016-2017 season is Tuesday, May 16. Beverly Salisbury will be speaking about the author of Gone With the Wind, Margaret Mitchell. Our next COJ golf outing is Sunday, May 21 st, at Balboa Golf Course. A sign-up sheet will be available. The office will be closed on Memorial Day, Monday, May 29 th. Thanks to all who served, especially those who gave their lives for our freedom, and remember all of those who mean so much to each of us in our own lives! We are still looking for someone to head Women of Joy for the 2016-2017 season, and also someone to chair the fall garage sale. Let me know if you wish to do either! See you in church! Anne King COJ Council President General Fund Treasurer s Report Through MARCH 2017 Budgeted Expense $ 16,157 Actual Expense $ 15,495 Actual Income $ 18,345 Difference $ 2,850 Rob Kasten - Treasurer General Fund Contributions MARCH 2017 2016 $ 17,865 2017 $ 18,239 Change in 2017: $374 THANK YOU!! Thank you to Karen Sterzik for all the time she puts into hauling our recyclables into Hot Springs. If she s not doing that, you can find her on the roads here in the village picking up trash that people let fly out of their trucks or vehicles. Also for all the time she volunteers at Potter s Clay or other ministries. Thank you Karen, Sheryl P. DATE CHANGE FOR NEWSPAPERS There will be NO newspaper collection in May. We will have a collection on June 3 & 4. Thank you.
Page 4 VOLUME 14, ISSUE 5 ARKANSAS/OKLAHOMA MEDICAL MISSION TRIP We are heading back to Morogoro, Tanzania, Africa once again this summer! This will be our 4 th consecutive year to volunteer at Mazimbu Hospital as nonmedical mission volunteers. We leave July 21 and return home August 7. Our Arkansas/Oklahoma Synod provides local American doctors and nurses and non-medical helpers like us. We fix things and assist patients and hospital staff in a variety of ways. We are asking for donations from Community of Joy to provide one (1) kind of over-the counter drug, IBUPROPHEN. Ibuprophen is a prescription drug for the people of Tanzania. It is very expensive for them. While there, we set up our own free pharmacy and distribute this medicine in small quantities; about 10-12 pills/patient as per doctor s orders. Please find it in your heart bring this medicine to church so that we can take it to the Tanzania when we leave in July. A special box is provided in the narthex. Thank you in advance for your generous spirit and love. Eileen & Lance Miller Men s Breakfast Come at 8:00 am on Tuesday, May 23rd to Debra s Restaurant, 198 Carmona Road. The men of Community of Joy and of Christ Lutheran will get together for breakfast, fellowship, and conversation. Hope to see you there! FELLOWSHIP COMMITTEE Our Lenten soup suppers averaged about 40 diners per week. We had 66 attendees for our delicious Easter Brunch. On Tuesday, April 18th we were treated to a wonderful High Tea and Fashion show. Neala told us what we should bake and Glenda told Paw at Dogwood Tree what fashions would appeal to our congregation. These two ladies were the jewels and Queens of our Women of Joy gathering. Our prayer chain is growing. Sign up if you are interested. Joyful Loving Care had an informational meeting on April 27th. Thank you to our ladies who are willing to help and serve, carrying out God's mission to love one another. Our next Fellowship Meeting is May 1st at 9:00 am. Sue Fisher Fellowship Chair
VOLUME 14, ISSUE 5 Page 5 May Scripture and Prayer Paul reminds the Christians in Rome about how their Christian faith should influence their actions in daily life. Romans 12: 9-13 reads: Let love be genuine; hate what is evil, hold fast to what is good; love one another with mutual affection; outdo one another in showing honor. Do not lag in zeal, be ardent in spirit, serve the Lord. Rejoice in hope, be patient in suffering, persevere in prayer. Contribute to the needs of the saints; extend hospitality to strangers. The possibility that our call process may be reaching a conclusion in the next few months does not mean that we can ignore these words from scripture. Please continue to love, hope, serve, and persevere in prayer. Heavenly Father, continue to prod us with your Holy Spirit that we may be filled with hope as the call process moves toward a decision. Inspire us to work together in love to complete your work here in this place. Strengthen our prayer life and give us the patience to wait for your answers in due season. Bless the members of the call committee with the knowledge that they have done your work and served our congregation well. Watch over Pastor Bill as he continues his weekly travels to serve as our pastor. In Jesus name we pray. Amen May Mahjong TUESDAYS - at C of JOY - 9:30 AM - May 2, 9, 23 and 30. FRIDAYS - HOME HOSTED -9:30 AM - First and Third Friday - May 5 & May 19. Watch E-Blast for Hostess. If you Hostess, please put in E-blast & Sunday bulletin. Neala Gunderson WOMEN OF JOY On May 16 th Villager, Beverly Salisbury will tell us about Margaret Mitchell author of Gone with the Wind. We will have two important subjects to discuss for new business: 1. Who the new chairperson will be for 2017-2018. 2. Which charities will receive our support next year. Immediately following the meeting those who have program suggestions for next year will share their ideas. Joyce Hochreiter Help Wanted We are looking for a couple or two individuals or two couples-- who wish to chair Community of Joy s Annual Garage Sale, which will take place Friday and Saturday, October 6 & 7, with set-up the week beginning the Monday before. There is storage space available for donations, as well as many people ready to help. If we don t have a chair and co-chair, we can t have the garage sale, and that could result in as much as $6,000 not being available for donation to many local charities. In addition, we are also looking for a wonderful lady to volunteer to be the leader of Women of Joy for the September, 2017- June, 2018 season. There are many others who have volunteered to help with WOJ and at least five of the programs for next year have been developed. We just need a chair!! If you are willing to take on either of these roles, please let a council member know!!! Thanks in advance, and thank you to all for all you do! Anne King - COJ Council Chair
Page 6 VOLUME 14, ISSUE 5 FLOWER BEDS The flower beds in front of the church are now completed, if the plants survive. I would like to thank the property committee for their input and work on this project. The committee consists of: Mel Teska, Terry Sterzik, John Tidquist, Bruce Niebergall and Larry Mylan. A special thanks to the people at CJOY who found out what we were doing and volunteered their time: Rob Kasten, Ron Ytzen, Jeff King, and Tom Funk. With manual labor and at our age we are good for about 2 hours per day. But when six to seven people show up, a lot gets done. Last fall we had a picnic fund raiser for the project and raised $1400. The project cost exceeded that amount by $900. We needed a skid loader to remove the rocks and replace them. We could not use Teen Challenge for the labor. The major over run was using rubber mulch which means we have no more major work for the next 15 years. If you like what the Property committee has done, please contribute to the Flower Bed Fund. This was not a budgeted item but one that is enjoyed by all as we enter Community of Joy. Thank you all again, Al Ness GOLFING IN THE VILLAGE There will be a golf scramble at Balboa Golf Course on May 21st starting at 2:30 pm. More details will be forthcoming for dinner after the scramble. A sign-up sheet will be in the Narthex. SINGLES GROUP The Singles group met at Moonshiners for food and laughter on Tuesday, April 11. There were 12 in attendance. Our next gathering will be at El Padrino s Mexican Restaurant on Highway 7 North by Sonic on May 10 at 5:30 pm. Hope to see you there! Call me at 922-3360 if you will be attending. Sally Johnson GREAT COMMENTS ABOUT THE WOMEN OF JOY TEA & FASHION SHOW The walls were talking about the Women of Joy tea. Comments that were overheard... I've been to Garvan Garden Tea - this was more outstanding in every way. Arlington Hotel could use Tea Planners and Bakers from our church. Been to High Tea in Toronto - this one measures up to their quality. Truly a gift of love to the ladies of our parish. Not one chair should have been empty. When announced as "High Tea" we had to step up to the bar. Thanks for asking me to help. It takes a team to make it fun. I was at the Governor's Mansion Tea - it didn't hold a candle to our very own at CJoy. Thank you, Linda Griffin
VOLUME 14, ISSUE 5 Page 7 HAPPY BIRTHDAY Joanne Ice May 2 Jim Hess May 4 Gail Taylor May 4 Terry Bayes May 5 Sandy Lundin May 5 Karen Tidquist May 13 Debbie Baker May 17 Mary Orman May 23 Laurel Gunderson May 27 Jan Folstad May 28 Neala Gunderson May 28 Larry Griffin May 30 HAZARDOUS WASTE DROP OFF DOLLARS FOR JOY The COJ Missions committee thought you might like a refresher on the Dollars for Joy program. At COJ's weekly services we have a collection. The single dollars that you donate to COJ, fund the Dollars for Joy program. These donations are distributed by way of grants that are requested by our congregants. We request that grants be submitted during September and October; forms are available in the Narthex during those months. The Missions committee meets in early November and we process the grant requests. The recipient of the grant must be an organization the helps persons in need by providing services such as food, clothing, shelter, and/or other needs in order for them to enjoy a life that would be pleasing to the Lord. Primary emphasis should be on a local mission within approximately a 50-mile radius of HSV. Past recipients of grants have been Focus, SOZO, Prince of Peace Food Pantry, Potter's Clay and SCAT. It is a wonderful opportunity to financially support the organizations in our community where we give generously of our time and talents. Questions or comments can be directed to any Missions committee member: Myron, Karen, Bonnie, Anne, Angela, Tom or Al. You may drop off any hazardous waste in Hot Springs at the Garland County Fairgrounds on May 13 between 8:00 am and 12:00 noon. The address is 4831 Malvern Road. Included are old paints, yard chemicals and items of that nature. They will also be taking electronics. No tires. If anyone will be going there and might take a little bit more, please call the church at 915-9569. HAPPY ANNIVERSARY Jim & Judy Collins May 1 Howard & Carla Olson May 3 Mel & Joann Teska May 4 Alan & Peggy Farnsworth May 8 Al & Ardy Ness May 19 Duane & Patty Ninke May 23 Jeff & Barb Flynn (50 yrs.) May 27
May 2017 Office Hours Monday- Friday 10:00-2:00 501-915-9569 SUN MON TUE WED THU FRI SAT 1 Fellowship Meeting 9:00 am 2 Missions Meeting 9:30 am 3 4 5 6 Coffee 4:30 pm Worship 5:00 pm 7 Coffee 8:45 am Worship 9:15 am 8 Property Meeting 3:00 pm 9 Christian Education Meeting 9:00 am Finance Meeting 10:00 am 10 Singles Group El Padrino s 5:30 pm 11 Council Meeting 8:30 am 12 13 Coffee 4:30 pm Worship 5:00 pm 14 Mother s Day 15 16 Women of Joy 9:00 am 17 18 Bible Study 9:00 am 19 20 Coffee 8:45 am Worship 9:15 am Coffee 4:30 pm Worship 5:00 pm 21 Coffee 8:45 am Worship 9:15 am Golf Scramble at Balboa 2:30 pm 22 23 Men s Breakfast at Debra s 8:00 am 24 25 26 27 Coffee 4:30 pm Worship 5:00 pm 28 Coffee 8:45 am Worship 9:15 am 29 Memorial Day Office Closed 30 31 Community of Joy Lutheran Church 110 Balboa Road Hot Springs Village, AR 71909