1. religion and spirituality
2. christianity

JULY 2015
“Celebrating and Sharing the Love of Jesus Christ”
Summer Worship Schedule
Worship - 9:30 a.m. Christian Education - 11:00 a.m.
Fellowship after the service
Welcome and Grow
I was recently reading a couple of articles about church growth, and I found myself nodding my head in agreement with
much of what they were saying. I know too that growth may seem counter-intuitive to think about this during the summer
months, but the truth is a lot of transitions happen during the summer months as people move for new jobs before school
starts in the fall. In addition, many people travel during the summer months and by extension become visitors in worship,
so I thought I would share some scriptural foundations followed by some thoughts and suggestions about ways in which we
can welcome others and grow together in faith.
“Welcome one another, therefore, just as Christ has welcomed you, for the glory of God.” -Romans 15:7
First, expect visitors and be intentionally welcoming of them. Say “hello” to others and make sure they know where
they are going. By the time visitors make it into the sanctuary, my hope is that they have received three warm welcomes—
one from the greeters as they walk in, and two from other members of the congregation. It may not seem like a great
distance, but that 40 feet from the front door to the sanctuary can seem pretty daunting if you haven’t been in a while, and
all you get are stares instead of friendly faces, smiles and sincere greetings. After worship, if there is someone you don’t
know, introduce yourself and invite them into the fellowship hall for refreshments. And the next time you see them, go up
to them and welcome them (even if you don’t remember their name—re-introduce yourself and say something like, ‘I’m
sorry, could you remind me of your name again.”)
“Again he sent other slaves, saying, 'Tell those who have been invited: Look, I have prepared my dinner, my oxen and my fat
calves have been slaughtered, and everything is ready; come to the wedding banquet.'” –Matthew 22:4
Second, be invitational. The days are gone when you can assume everyone goes
to church, so don’t be afraid to invite others to come to Joy. This goes for not only
to people outside the church but also to members of the church you haven’t seen
in a while. It may not even be for worship—consider inviting someone for an event
like our Valentine’s Dinner, or Vacation Bible School, or to give blood if you know
he/she might be a blood donor, or for our Family Art Night or Family Food
Mornings, or for DOT Spot, or for a Thrivent Class… I hope you get the idea that
there is a lot that goes in our community of faith, and even if the invitation isn’t for
worship, it might either become an invitation to worship with us, or a reminder to
the invitee to attend his/her own congregation.
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Mark your Calendars!
July 4 - Independence Day
July 11 - Family Food Morning
July 13-20 - Youth Gathering
July 24-26 - VBS
August 1 - Property Work Day
And if you want to take some object to make the invitation easier, take a “Joy Lutheran” pen (it is recycled and illustrates
our core value of environmental stewardship) or a “Welcome Bag” (extras are on the welcome center—help yourself!).
“What should be done then, my friends? When you come together, each one has a hymn, a lesson, a revelation, a tongue,
or an interpretation. Let all things be done for building up.” -1 Corinthians 14:26
Third, make worship an engaging experience. Worship is more than just good music, or an interesting sermon, or
receiving Holy Communion. We can all contribute to making our worship an engaging experience in the way we share the
peace, offer prayers and engage in responses. We include punctuation in the responses for a reason—so when you see,
“Thanks be to God!” at the end of the service, it’s because that response is intended to express thanksgiving and gratitude
to God for what we are called to do in the world. And if our verbal response is lack-luster, then how do you think others
will perceive our physical response to what we have heard and received in worship?
Studies show that most visitors (at least subconsciously) decide if they’re going to come back within the first few minutes
of being at a church. This means parking, greeting and building condition matter. But chief among the reasons why people
come back is worship—and especially their experience of other people in worship. So go ahead, underline some words or
phrases that catch your eye in the bulletin, offer earnest and heart-felt responses instead of just reading words off the
page of a bulletin, get out of your pew (if you are physically able) and greet others during the peace—knowing that we are
not just saying “hi” but rather offering the peace that Christ gives to us, and finally, don’t be afraid to sing out—even if you
don’t think your voice is that of the next Frank Sinatra.
“Therefore confess your sins to one another, and pray for one another, so that you may be healed. The prayer of the
righteous is powerful and effective.” –James 5:16
Finally, be prayerful. Pray for others in the church, and don’t be afraid to tell them because Jesus calls the church
community to care for one another. Sometimes we fail to do that, but (hopefully) what sets us apart from other
communities is our willingness to ask for and receive sincere forgiveness when we do—simply put, to engage in Christ-like
living. In our discussion book for council this past month, this is what the chapter was about: Christ-like living. One of the
quotes was from an American journalist, Abigail Van Buren, “The Church is a hospital for sinners, not a museum for saints.”
So don’t be afraid to take home a hymnal… or pull out the Small Catechism… or take home a devotional… or take a prayer
card off the wall for those of us who are going to the National Youth Gathering… or all of the above! Pray for one another,
confess your sins at the beginning of worship, ask for and grant forgiveness. Because these actions are powerful and
effective for stirring the faith within each of us.
I could go on, but I pray these four suggestions help us as a community better welcome others into the life of Joy Lutheran
and grow in faith.
Small Groups Ministries
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Women’s A.M. Prayer Group meets the second Wednesday of every
month at 10:00 a.m.
Stitchers Group meets the first and third Wednesday of every month at
9:30 a.m.
DOT Spot - (Dining Out Together) will not meet in July or August. Watch
for our get together on September 12.
Beer & Theology - Join us to share in a time of fellowship and theological
discussions! It happens every Thursday from 8:00-9:30 p.m. at the White
Lion Pub.
Council Corner
July’s council meeting began with a discussion about serving in and beyond the congregation,
as one of the marks of discipleship from Michael Foss’ book that we’ve been studying. We
heard stories of small congregations doing big things to help those in need, “pay it forward”,
and work for justice. What are we at Joy doing in this area? What can you help with?
We hope to announce a new office manager soon. Initial interviews were held and more information should be
available in the coming weeks.
The council voted to approve the Finance committee’s recommendation to invest our savings (not operating
funds or mission endowment funds), to realize a better return, since savings accounts aren’t even keeping up
with inflation.
The council is also discussing ways to restructure the council to make it more efficient. We plan to have our
recommendation to the congregation this fall.
July is a busy time with the youth going to Detroit and VBS with the Christmas in July theme. Volunteers for VBS
are still needed, so let Alicia know if you can help in any way.
Carol Bird, Council President
Thank you to everyone who has returned a commitment card for the Joy
Grows Here ministry appeal. To date, we have received 53 cards back with
commitments totaling $170,730. If you have not yet returned one, it is still not
too late! Please prayerfully consider a one time, weekly, monthly or annual
gift to the appeal. The more cards we have returned, the more accurate a
picture we can generate for the campaign, and the sooner we collect the
funds, the sooner we can begin the parking lot repair.
Collectively, these gifts will make an important contribution to the future of Joy. With all the rain we have had
recently, you may have noticed the flooding that can overtake the parking lot after a brief shower. One day,
the flooding was so bad that we even had two mallard ducks swimming in it! In addition, the additional
payments toward debt reduction and toward a Director of Discipleship will help us grow our ministries.
If you have any questions about the ministry appeal, please contact Mike Lowe or Linda Waytula.
Finally, one last BIG THANK YOU to everyone who gave to the "A Step in Faith" Campaign. Over the three year
campaign, we received $341,000 (not including the $25,000 solar panel grant) against $305,000 in
commitments we collected.
Thank you to Joy Lutheran Church…
from Denise Claybaker
It is with great disappointment and sadness that I will be stepping
down from the position as Office Manager at Joy Lutheran Church.
My time in the office has been very rewarding, and I am glad I got
the opportunity to know some of you, and be part of the
Joy Lutheran Church staff. I appreciate your kindness,
and thank you for your prayers and support.
Property Work Day—August 1
Projects on the list:
 Paint closet under the stairs
 Create pathway for
rainwater with stones on
the west side of the building
 Weed flower beds, concrete
around large oak tree and
prayer labrynth
Summer Bible
Reading Challenge
Your Challenge: Starting July 5, complete reading the book of John in 42 days. Color or check
off each block as you complete the reading. Forget a day? That’s okay, just catch up in time
to complete the book by August 15. Bring your completed reading log back to Alicia on
Sunday, August 16 to receive a prize!
John 1:1-28
John 1:29-51
John 2:1-12
John 2:13-25
John 3:1-21
John 3:22-36
John 4:1-42
John 4:43-54
John 8:1-30
John 5:1-18
John 5:19-47
John 8:31-59
John 9:1-23
John 6:1-21
John 6:22-71
John 9:24-41
John 10:1-21
John 7:1-24
John 7:25-53
John 10:22-42
John 11:1-27
John 11:28-57
John 12:1-26
John 12:27-50
John 13:1-20
John 13:21-38
John 14:1-14
John 14:15-31
John 15:1-17
John 15:18-27
John 16:1-15
John 16:16-33
John 17:1-19
John 17:20-26
John 18:1-18
John 18:19-40
John 19:1-16
John 19:17-42
John 20:1-18
John 20:19-31
John 21:1-14
John 21:15-25
Ministry of the Month
Operation Christmas Child
This year, Joy Lutheran is hosting Christmas In July as our VBS. On our final day, we will invite all families to join us for a
birthday party for Jesus. As part of the party, we will pack presents to send to Operation Christmas Child. These boxes will
then be sent to children on the other side of the world to remind them that God loves them!
Donations that we need By Monday July 20:
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Toothbrushes
Toothbrush holders
Handheld pencil sharpeners
Notebooks to fit in shoeboxes
Colored pencils
Kid sized shirts with no writing or pictures
Shoeboxes with lids
Monetary donations for shipping ($7.00/box)
Children’s Education
GrandBuddies
Thank you to the 2014-2015 GrandBuddies.
We had a great end of the year celebration at the
Tulsa Drillers game.
If you would like to serve as a GrandBuddy
next school year, please see Alicia Stephens.
Family Food Mornings
We invite kids in Kindergarten
through fifth grade to join us for
Family Food Mornings. The next
class will be on Saturday, July 11 at
9:30 a.m. at Joy Lutheran Church.
Space is limited, so please RSVP to
the church at
(918) 299-3292.
Youth
S" ome of Joy Youth, along with Pastor Nathan and Alicia, will go to Detroit for the
National Youth Gathering July 13-20 for a week of worship and service.
Here's how you can support them during this time:
 Attend the Synod sending worship service on Sunday, June 28 at Joy
Lutheran at 5:00 p.m.
 Wave goodbye as the bus leaves Joy on Monday, July 13 at 2:00 p.m.
 Stop by our prayer wall in the education wing to take a prayer card or two
and commit to praying for that participant on that day."
National
Youth
Gathering
Joy Lutheran Church
Vacation Bible School
July 24-26
We need VBS volunteers! This is a great
outreach to the community, and each year we
have more
kids than before.
As a result, we need adults that can serve in
various capacities.
Please sign up at the Welcome Center if you can
help Friday, July 24 from 5:45-8:15 p.m.,
Saturday, July 25 from 8:45 a.m.-2:15 p.m.,
and Sunday after worship.
See Alicia with questions.
Congratulations -June 20th Weddings
Daniel & Amanda Frerichs were married at Joy Lutheran Church in Tulsa, OK
Erik & Amy Olsen were married in Traverse City, MI
Rev. Robin Brown, the Associate Director of the ELCA’s
World Hunger and Disaster Appeal, came to Joy on June 7
to preach and present an Adult Forum on
ELCA’s World Hunger program.
On June 7, the congregation received piggy banks to fill
for ELCA World Hunger. For every $30 we raise,
we are able to help purchase a pig for a family in need,
which helps provide fertilizer, meat for food,
and can be sold for income.
If you have not yet picked up your piggy bank, get one in
the Narthex this Sunday. Fill it up over the summer and
bring it back on Sunday, September 7 for "God's Work.
Our Hands." Sunday where we will see how many pigs we
as a congregation are able to provide to families in need.
Thrivent Financial Tulsa Driller Baseball Game & Dinner
Saturday, July 18th—6:00 p.m. buffet/7:05 p.m. game
Tulsa County Chapter of Thrivent Financial will host a Tulsa Driller Baseball Game & Dinner on
July 18 at OneOk Field. Tickets for Thrivent members and guests are $13.00 per person,
seating limit of 250. Reservations are needed by June 30. Send a check
made payable to Tulsa County OK Thrivent Chapter to
Eleanore Beymer, 9625 E. 25th Pl., Tulsa, OK 74129.
For more information, contact Howard Seigfreid at (918) 252-1406.
Hospitality
July 5 - Orval & Joyce Strecker, David & Susan Humphrey, Sara Humphrey
July 12 - Jerry & Barbara Walser, Jon Nell Anderson, Robert & Carol Bird
July 19 - Bob & Auverne Raatz, George & Carol Graham, Tresa Helm
July 26 - Mike & Martha Lowe, Marshall & Miya Boyken, Morrie & Brent Picking
If you have questions or concerns about your rotation, please contact Martha Lowe.
July Celebrations
Birthdays
Matthew Allen
Matt Smith
Chuck Chastain
Hayly Helm
Dave Tate
Renee Cather
Mark Newgard
Rose Schovanec
Erik Olsen
Mike Curtis
Jerry Walser
Kylie McMains
Kathryn Daniel
David Money
7/1
7/2
7/4
7/5
7/7
7/9
7/12
7/14
7/16
7/18
7/21
7/22
7/24
7/26
Birthdays Continued
Orval Meyer
Lisa Ryan
Martin Walter
Ally Ryan
Kendall Ryan
Jean Dearhamer
Anniversaries
Chuck & Mary Chastain
Brad & Lori Estrem
John & Rose Schovanec
Ray & Gloria Pecka
Don’t see your celebration here? Contact the church office with the dates of any
birthdays and/or anniversaries not included in this listing and they will be included next year.
Call the Church When…
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you or someone you love is in the hospital
you receive bad news that can affect your health, financial well-being, or home situation
there’s a death in the family
there’s a wedding, birth, graduation, new home, new job or other reason to celebrate & bless
you’re unable to drive and need a ride to church
you are homebound and want to have communion brought to you
you need to place an announcement in the announcements
you need prayer or anointing
...And just in case you need it in a “pinch”, please save church phone number in your cell - 918-299-3292!
August
Newsletter
articles due
July 27
Church Staff:
The Rev. Nathan Allen—Pastor
Alicia Stephens—Dir. of Children, Youth, and Family Ministries
Denise Claybaker—Office Manager
Dr. Alice Brook—Director of Music Ministries
Ernestine Simpson—Nursery Attendant
Church Office Hours: Mon. — Fri. from 9:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m.
Church office phone: 918-299-3292
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