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WORSHIP REPORT
Worship is described in the Bible as both a specific activity and a way of life. Worship is a profound expression of reverence, adoration, and devotion to God in thought, word, and action. It is a humble act of recognizing God’s greatness and surrendering ourselves to God’s will.
There are four Joy! staff members dedicated to creating space for worship at Joy! – Pastor Laura, Jen Marvin, Kevin Belles, and Alex Rossmann. Pastor Laura oversees the worship program, Jen is involved with worship administration, and both Kevin and Alex support the worship tech needs. Joy! has a strong worship volunteer base of over 50 people who serve on a regular basis in the areas of music, tech, children’s messages, stage design, and drama. Teamwork and collaboration are essential for our weekly Sunday services and special services like Ash Wednesday, Holy Week, and Christmas Eve.
There are many things to highlight that we are proud of this past year:
We added new cameras and lighting in the Worship Center, increasing the quality of our livestream. The livestream continues to be a popular option for people to stay connected to Joy! and grow in their faith even when they can’t be physically present.
Worship remains a vital and vibrant part of Joy! as it connects us to God and others and encourages us to be the Church God intended. Engaging in worship at Joy! helps the congregation find renewal, inspiration, and transformative power to go forth and make a difference in our world.
There are four Joy! staff members dedicated to creating space for worship at Joy! – Pastor Laura, Jen Marvin, Kevin Belles, and Alex Rossmann. Pastor Laura oversees the worship program, Jen is involved with worship administration, and both Kevin and Alex support the worship tech needs. Joy! has a strong worship volunteer base of over 50 people who serve on a regular basis in the areas of music, tech, children’s messages, stage design, and drama. Teamwork and collaboration are essential for our weekly Sunday services and special services like Ash Wednesday, Holy Week, and Christmas Eve.
There are many things to highlight that we are proud of this past year:
- We had 15 impactful sermon series that focused on themes such as Christian community, Godly priorities, division in our world, compassion, hope, gratitude, and negativity. We also spent a month focused on the Book of 1 John to dive deeper into one particular book of the Bible.
- We had net growth in every one of our worship service teams this year, adding some wonderful newer Joy! members including youth. This has brought some excitement and new energy to our teams.
- We added more “experiential” activities during worship like holding a rock to represent things weighing us down, writing things we’re grateful for on a piece of paper, lighting a candle in remembrance of someone, and putting a piece of stained glass at the foot of the cross representing our brokenness.
We added new cameras and lighting in the Worship Center, increasing the quality of our livestream. The livestream continues to be a popular option for people to stay connected to Joy! and grow in their faith even when they can’t be physically present.
Worship remains a vital and vibrant part of Joy! as it connects us to God and others and encourages us to be the Church God intended. Engaging in worship at Joy! helps the congregation find renewal, inspiration, and transformative power to go forth and make a difference in our world.
CARE MINISTRY
Jesus intended for the Church to be a well-connected community, sharing in each other’s joys and sorrows, and bearing one another’s burdens. There are many ways Joy! provides care for our congregation, both in programmed events and active communication. Whenever a care concern is brought to the Joy! Staff, action is taken to ensure that person is well cared for.
We continued to provide care in the following ways:
The care ministry within a church lives out compassion in action which is an essential component of the Christian faith as we strive to fulfill the commandment to love one another. The journey of life can be filled with challenges, hardships, and moments of despair. Having a caring community and strong care ministry helps to provide hope, healing, and encouragement.
Laura Kline, Associate Pastor
We continued to provide care in the following ways:
- Phone calls to Joy! attenders to check in and see if they are in need of prayer
- Calls to Joy! attenders dealing with illness or facing surgery
- Pastoral care and counseling to those going through a difficult time
- Referrals to those needing extra resources such as therapy or social services
- Connecting people with others who have gone through similar challenges
- Prayer quilts for those needing to be surrounded in prayer
- Prayer Team praying over prayer requests
- Follow up with prayer requests
- DivorceCare and GriefShare support groups
- Meals and meal gift cards given to those in need of meals
- Focus on mental health in a sermon series with a small group component about healthy relationships
- Over 50 sympathy cards sent to those we knew had lost a loved one
- Monetary gifts sent to those unemployed or facing financial hardship
- Planning and providing memorial services for Joy! attenders or their family
The care ministry within a church lives out compassion in action which is an essential component of the Christian faith as we strive to fulfill the commandment to love one another. The journey of life can be filled with challenges, hardships, and moments of despair. Having a caring community and strong care ministry helps to provide hope, healing, and encouragement.
Laura Kline, Associate Pastor
