Join New Journey Lutheran friends on Wednesday’s at 5:00 pm as we explore the biblical language of lament. Why are we exploring this topic?

On Saturday, February 17, over 70 friends and members of New Journey Lutheran Church gathered at the Fountain Hills Community Center to “Celebrate” the last 10 years of ministry as an established congregation of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America and to “Dream” about the future God has in store for us.

Members of New Journey, Mike Wilson and Mike Bartanen, collaborated to create a picture slideshow that documents significant moments in our “journey” as a congregation of the Evangelical Lutheran Church of America. This slideshow debuted at our 10 Year Anniversary Celebration on February 17 and is available below for your viewing. Later in March, this slideshow will be published under the “About—History” menu on our website.

On Monday, February 19, beloved friend and member, Hosea Harkness completed his baptismal journey and joined God and all the saints in glory.

You are invited to join us for a Lenten Soup & Study on Wednesday evenings starting at 5:00 pm in February and March.

This year, we journey through the season of Lent under the Theme: “Wandering Heart.” Our Sunday worship will focus on the life and faith of one of Jesus’ most famous disciples: Peter. In Peter, we see a person who is both steadfast and unsteady, a dear friend and a betrayer, a follower and a wanderer.

The season of Lent, the 40-day period between Transfiguration and Holy Week, begins February 14 with Ash Wednesday worship.

The Food for Kidz Food Pack happens this month! Join us on February 29, 2024 as we pack food with our community for our community. The event will be held again this year at the Fountain Hills Community Center from 5:30 to 7:30 pm with set up beginning at 3:00 pm.

We are excited to come together to celebrate the last ten years of our ministry and dream about the next ten years. Thank you to those who have registered.

New Journey Lutheran Church is turning 10 this month—double digits! Praise God! Did we ever, in our wildest dreams, think this holy experiment of forming an organized ELCA congregation in the town of Fountain Hills—a town that has plenty of churches already-- would get this far?

Thank you to all who participated in the 2024 Annual Meeting. We give thanks to God for the leadership of Cindi Brady, the Congregation President, and the whole council for their work in facilitating a productive Annual Meeting.

On the first Sunday in Advent, the start of the Christian new year, we began praying together this Prayer of Discernment:

To access our 2024 Vision & Spending Priorities and 2024 Proposed Mission Plan, click here.

There is no more difficult conversation in which a congregation must engage than the conversation about finance. The Bible underscores that fact: there are more than 2000 references to money, many more than almost every other subject.

As part of our 2024 Stewardship Appeal, the Stewardship Team invited Nancy Rosenthal to share why she gives to New Journey Lutheran Church in worship on November 5.

Why the color blue for Advent? As you may have noticed our worship space is filled with the color blue for Advent.

This month, for our Stewardship column, we hear from one of our friends and members, Deb Bigley, on the topic of gratitude. Deb shares this personal witness from her life.

As I write this Pastor’s Pen article, I am enjoying the tranquility and peace of the Franciscan Renewal Center in Scottsdale while attending the Bishop’s Fall Gathering with about 60 of my colleagues from around the Grand Canyon Synod.

Spend twenty minutes writing two versions of a story. You might begin with a lament or longing. Something you had hoped would be different in your life or in the world.

The final issue that New Journey will be supporting on Reformation Sunday is Mesa’s “Off the Streets” Program. This bill will help the City of Mesa purchase the Grand Hotel at 6733 E. Main Street so that they can help provide temporary housing and support for those experiencing homelessness.