What’s Up at Spirit of Joy—
Bulletin Board and Announcements
SUNDAY SERVICES:
Join us for Sunday worship at 9:30am!
Rejoicing Spirits (shush-free worship) at 3:00pm on the first Sunday of the month!
THANK YOU FOR ALTAR FLOWERS. This past week. Sunday, November 17, our altar flowers were provided by Jackie Ross. Thank you to all those who keep our altar looking so gorgeous!
OFFICE CLOSURE ON WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 20. Our office will be closed on Wednesday, November 20, this week, but staff will be available remotely by email and phone (970-223-5303). Thank you!
HOLIDAY CHOIR REHEARSAL TIME CHANGE. Our holiday choir is back and will be singing every Sunday in Advent! Join us for choir rehearsal on Thursdays at Spirit of Joy at 6:30pm. We will meet each Thursday leading up to Christmas.
SUPPORT THE FOOD BANK’S THANKSGIVING TURKEY DRIVE ON NOV. 21! Larimer County’s Food Bank is hosting a Thanksgiving Turkey Drive on Thursday, November 21, from 6am to 6pm at the Drake Centre in Fort Collins. Drive by and drop off your frozen solid turkey to help provide a local family in need with a turkey for Thanksgiving. Click here for more info about this turk-tastic event!
KIDS OF JOY THIS SUNDAY! Do you have children aged kindergarten-5th grade? Join us from 10:45am-11:30am on the second and fourth Sundays of the month after worship for Kids of Joy, a fun-filled time with Bible stories, games, crafts, songs, and laughter!
THANK YOU FOR HURRICANE RELIEF DONATIONS. Thank you to everyone who donated to support North Carolina's hurricane survivors! Our donations "helped so many that have been displaced and have found themselves with nothing left." We donated many essential items, including first-aid kits, diapers, food, formula, and winter clothes. Thank you, Spirit of Joy!
JOIN US FOR A SPECIAL REJOICING SPIRITS ON SUNDAY, DECEMBER 1 AT 3:00PM! The SoJ youth will be hosting this month’s Rejoicing Spirits, complete with cookie decorating and a Christmas celebration after the service! Join us for some holiday fun. Rejoicing Spirits is a “shush-free" monthly worship service intentionally structured to welcome and include people with cognitive disabilities and their families. We worship the first Sunday of every month at 3:00pm. Would you like to volunteer for Rejoicing Spirits as a greeter, usher, for fellowship, or for the soundboard? We request that you come at 2:30pm on the Sunday for which you volunteer. Join us in making a joyful noise!
WEDNESDAY EVENING PRAYER (HOLDEN) ON WEDNESDAYS IN DECEMBER LEADING UP TO CHRISTMAS. Do you get overwhelmed during the Christmas season? In the hustle and bustle of the holidays, do you wish you could feel more connected to the coming of Christ? If so, this service is for you! Join us on Wednesdays in December leading up to Christmas for Wednesday Evening Prayer, a meditative and reflective service with Lectio Divina to encourage us to pause and take a breath during the holidays. Wednesday Evening Prayer will be held at 6:30pm on Dec. 4, 11, and 18.
JOIN US FOR A WOMEN’S CHRISTMAS AFTERNOON ON DECEMBER 7! Please join us on Saturday, December 7th at Spirit of Joy from 1:00-3:00pm for a simple but joyful Women’s Ministry get together. We will provide hot apple cider and coffee. Please bring an appetizer or dessert to share. We also thought we would do a Devotional swap, so if you have any devotionals at home that you are not using anymore and would like to swap for something different, please bring them. We are looking forward to an afternoon of fellowship and conversation. RSVP to Marci and let us know what food item you are bringing, by Sunday, December 1. Thanks!
DECK THE HALLS AT SPIRIT OF JOY! Join us for this family-friendly, all-ages event on Sunday, December 8 at 4:00pm! We will be decorating the church for Christmas, participating in Christmas activities and games, and enjoying treats! All regular youth programming on this day is moved to this event. Hope to see you there!
LONGEST NIGHT SERVICE TO BE HELD ON DECEMBER 9. On Monday, December 9, Spirit of Joy’s Congregational Care team will host our Longest Night service in our sanctuary at 6:00pm. This quiet, dark, contemplative service is a worship service with space to acknowledge mourning, lamenting, sadness, and despair in a “jingle bells world.” We are told that the holiday season is the “hap-happiest time of the year,” but this isn’t true for everyone. This service is a time where one can sit and observe, participate as they are able, light a candle for whatever/whomever he/she feels called, and hold space for the full realm of feelings that Christmas can embody.
BEER & CAROLS IS HERE! Everyone’s favorite event of the year is here! Join us on Sunday, December 15 from 5:00-7:00pm at Avogadro’s Number in Fort Collins for Beer & Carols! Grab a drink while we sing classic Christmas carols together. Zero musical experience required; this event is all about having a good time, enjoying a lot of laughter, and welcoming in the Christmas season! Please bring an instrument if you are interested in playing with the band.
MEN’S HAPPY HOUR ON SECOND THURSDAYS OF THE MONTH. Join us for a Men’s Happy Hour! We meet at various locations in the Fort Collins/Loveland/Timnath/Windsor area on the second Thursday of each month. We start at 4:00 p.m. and finish around 5:30 so everyone is home in time for dinner. Please reach out with any questions to Charlie.
DO YOU KNIT OR CROCHET? YOUR SKILLS ARE NEEDED! We are in dire need of prayer shawls for this ministry! Prayer shawls are provided for anyone in need of the warmth and love of Jesus wrapped around their shoulders. No special occasion required! Instructions and information on making a prayer shawl are in the brochure rack in the foyer. There is also a group “Joyful Hands” that meets multiple times monthly on Saturday mornings at Our Savior’s Lutheran Church on Lemay Avenue. Contact Judy Fletcher here for more information. We also have kits with yarn ready for prayer shawls available so you will have the yarn furnished. Thank you for your support!
SIGN UP TO VOLUNTEER FOR SUNDAY FELLOWSHIP TIME. Would you like to bring in treats for our Spirit of Joy community and help serve our congregation? Sign up to help with Sunday fellowship time here. Fellowship volunteers bring treats for serving after our 9:30am Sunday worship service. They prepare coffee and set out the coffee and tea service, and serve and refresh coffee and treats after the service. Finally, they clean up the kitchen at the end of fellowship time. Thank you so much for volunteering for this ministry!
SIGN UP FOR A COMMUNITY GROUP FOR 2024-2025! Are you looking for a way to get better connected at Spirit of Joy? Community Groups are groups of 8-10 people who meet 3 times per month, September thru May. Two of the meetings are spiritual conversations and one is a fellowship event. Groups do not meet the first week of the month, as that week is reserved for members to participate in community service. Join this fantastic ministry to grow in faith and fellowship. Click here to sign up for a community group for 2024-2025; you can join at any point during the year.
DO YOU NEED HELP UPDATING YOUR ONLINE GIVING? Look no further! Click here to be taken to instructions on how to update a recurring gift on our online giving system.
DOWNLOAD OUR SPIRIT OF JOY APP! Spirit of Joy has made the transition to church software that is newer and more user-friendly! You are now able to access the latest Spirit of Joy information, our online directory, and your own giving records all from your phone through our new Spirit of Joy app found here. If you need instructions for help with the app, click here.
OFFICE HOURS. The Spirit of Joy office will be open on Mondays and Wednesdays from 9:00 AM to 3:00 PM. The Office Administrator will be available remotely from 9:00 AM to 2:00 PM on Tuesdays and Thursdays and may be reached at office@sojoyfc.org. The office will be closed Fridays, Saturdays, and Sundays.
IF YOU PREFER TO SUPPORT ELECTRONICALLY, you may click HERE, or mail a check to 4501 S. Lemay Avenue, Fort Collins, CO 80525. THANK YOU, Spirit of Joy!
quotations for thE WEEK
“There is no easy gospel, no cheap grace, no good word that gives assurance to those who drop by hoping for a quick and comfortable deal. And that leaves, in these cases, only obtuseness and its terrible consequences.”
- Walter Brueggemann
DEVOTIONS FOR THe WEEK
At-home family devotionals for November 2024
Readings for NOVEMBER 17
Luke 5: 1-10
Isaiah 6: 1-8
ReadinGS for NOVEMBER 24
Jeremiah 31: 31-34
Jeremiah 36: 1-8, 21-23, 27-28
Contact your Spirit of Joy Staff:
Pastor David Ryder: dave@sojoyfc.org
Director of Youth and Family Ministries Jen Keim: jen@sojoyfc.org
Music Director Cody Thomas: cody@sojoyfc.org
Office Administrator Katie Williams: office@sojoyfc.org