At the March 12, Congregation Council meeting, council spent a portion of their time sharing and dreaming about New Journey’s 2024 Vision: “Telling the Story"

We reviewed current ministries that bring meaning to our faith and purpose as a congregation and sorted through ideas, priorities, and goals we might pursue this year and in years to come. Sharing our Faith, Serving our Community and Advocating for Justice and Peace continue to be priorities for our congregation.

“It was so helpful to see all that we do right up in front of us—and you know? It’s all God’s story. What we do is all about the story of God’s love through us,” one council member shared. Amen!

Of course, dreaming, conversations about the future, deepening our current ministries or trying new experiments is an ongoing process of listening to God, one another and our neighbors. The Council will continue to pursue the vision and invites the community of New Journey Lutheran to share their ideas, input, questions, and wisdom as we journey together in this life of faith.

Dear Friends in Christ,

Have you spotted someone standing alone in the middle of a fellowship gathering? Have you listened to the many news reports on loneliness? Have you thought “but what can I do?”

Here’s a place to start! Northeast Valley Consortium (NEVC), in conjunction with the Grand Canyon Synod, and California Lutheran University, presents a timely and pertinent presentation, “Loneliness: How to live and serve faithfully to those within our community.”

Join Rev. Dr. Colleen Windham-Hughes, Associate Vice President for Mission and Identity, California Lutheran University and NEVC for the 3rd Annual Christian education seminar as we delve into ways to serve those experiencing loneliness. Christianity offers unique perspectives on the challenge of loneliness, emphasizing the importance of community connection and the cultivation of solitude with God.

Save the date: Saturday, April 13, 2024, 1-4 pm at Living Water Lutheran Church

For more details, click Loneliness and Christianity seminar — Grand Canyon Synod of the ELCA (gcsynod.org)

From ages 5-95 and everywhere in between, there were 150 community volunteers who gathered at the Fountain Hills Community Center for the 11th Annual Fountain Hills Community Food Pack – Food for Kidz.

The New Journey Food for Kidz Team, thanks you for participating. You were the hands and feet of Jesus, giving of your time and talents. You helped make the food pack a success.

In these 11 years, 1915 community volunteers have packed a total of 704,200 meals during this event.

To our New Journey Lutheran community, “Great job!” Together, we have made steps toward alleviating hunger in our community and around the world. Your contribution helped us pack 64,000 meals for our hungry neighbors—thank you!

Brenda Galindez, Pastor Beth, Nancy McGarry, Denny Rubenow

New Journey Food for Kidz Team

Jesus said: I give you a new commandment, that you love one another. Just as I have loved you, you also should love one another. (John 13:34)

New Journey Lutheran Church observes Maundy Thursday worship March 28 at 6:00 pm with a special service of prayer and healing.

The word “Maundy” comes from the Latin “mandatum” meaning command. It is the night we remember Jesus sharing a meal with his closest disciples, bending low to wash their feet in humility and love, and inviting the disciples to love one another.

New Journey Lutheran will remember and honor Jesus’ command this Maundy Thursday in a service of prayer and healing. Those gathered in worship will have the opportunity to receive individual prayer, the laying on of hands, and anointing by Pastor Beth and members of the Altar Guild.

The church’s ministry of healing emphasizes caring for the sick in the widest possible understanding. Every human person stands in need of healing in some dimension of life. Healing is a gift that need not be limited to those seeking remedy from a specific injury or illness. The ministry of healing applies to various needs-for example, physical, emotional, spiritual, and relational-that may be present among those who gather. Finally, the church’s ministry of healing extends also to those nearing the end of life, as it lifts up in prayer all human decision-making and entrusts the dying into the gracious arms of God.

All are welcome to join Maundy Thursday worship and live out Jesus greatest commandment: to love as we are loved. Bring your needs and prayers to this service, and by God’s great love in Jesus and through our hands, we will commend them to God.

Join us for worship on Good Friday, March 29 at 6:00 pm for the Stations of Peter.

This year, Good Friday worship invites us to journey through “the way of sorrows” to the cross, but through the eyes and experiences of one of Jesus’ closest disciples, Peter. As a nod to the “Stations of the Cross,” our service highlights Peter’s role in the crucifixion story.

In this way, we follow Jesus to his death with Peter as our companion. By focusing on Peter, we are invited to imagine how we might have acted and behaved had we been there as one of Jesus’ followers and friends.

The worshipping community participates in each station synchronously together while seated in chairs, and each station will provide multisensory ways to engage, confess, and lament the night we remember the final moments of Jesus’ earthly life.

Join us as remember and wait for the Lord this Good Friday.

Pastor Beth will be on vacation Monday, March 18 and Tuesday, March 19. For pastoral emergencies, please contact Pastor Judi Tyler at (602) 509-7016.

Make sure to watch for these upcoming events for the Northeast Valley Consortium.

Social Ministry Team will meet March 6, 9:30-10:30, at church. Topics include Easter Season “Clear the Lines” for Casa de la Misericordia and/or ELCA Good Gifts, community resource directory project, 5th Sunday advocacy letter-writing, and heat respite lunch pack update (June 17, 9:00 a.m. launch).

We'll be gathering new and used books in June, through Sunday, June 16 for NEVC partner Living Water's vacation bible school. All types of books are accepted, with particular interest in books for children of all ages who are attending Title I schools, through the Assistance League of Phoenix.

Rev. Dr. Colleen Windham-Hughes, Associate Vice President for Mission and Identity at California Lutheran University is the 2024 NEVC faith formation speaker. She will speak Saturday, April 13, at Living Water Lutheran Church on the challenges of loneliness and how we might address those within and beyond our congregations.

Have you joined the Grand Canyon Synod 40/40/40 Lenten Challenge? The friendly competition is on between the five synods of ELCA Region 2.

In late February, I received an invitation from Arizona Faith Network to attend a prayer circle at the Arizona State Capitol with faith leaders from around the Phoenix area.

On the occasion of our 10 year anniversary, our Grand Canyon Synodical Bishop, Reverend Deborah K. Hutterer shares a letter with our community.

Thank you to all who attended New Journey Lutheran Church’s 10 Year Anniversary Celebration on February 17 at the Fountain Hills Community Center—we are grateful to God for the ways we have lived out our faith and contributed to the mission of God in Fountain Hills.

At the February congregation council meeting, officers were elected. Join us in giving thanks to God for these elected leaders. Please pray for them as they seek to follow Jesus, discern God’s desires for New Journey Lutheran Church and use their gifts to serve our community.

Join us in worship this Holy Week as we remember and celebrate the last days of Jesus’ earthly ministry.

This month, I’m sure you might have noticed, that something is a little bit different about our church’s newsletter…

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.