In her Easter message, Bishop Eaton recalls the story of Mary anointing Jesus’ feet with a powerful, pungent substance used to offset the stench of death. But the substance also signified royalty. Eaton says we discover the promise of Easter in Mary’s act. “Instead of removing the stench of death, the substance anointed a royal king. Through the death and resurrection of Jesus, the usual cycle of life and death has been disrupted forever. Jesus' death and resurrection promises new life and brings us new life.”

Dear people of the Journey,

In early April, we expected to visit with Edison Brown in worship and to learn more about the impact of our ministry partnership in the greater Phoenix area with Native American Connection. Due to a medical situation, Edison was unable to be with us for the scheduled visit. He expressed his regrets over this, and offered to reschedule a visit with us.

On Easter Monday, Pastor Beth, Susan Brahs, and Jamie Asmus will be away from their desks in order to honor rest after Holy Week and Easter.

In case of pastoral emergencies, please contact Pastor Beth on her personal cell: (623) 340-9956

The Art of Enduring
For Holy Saturday

Image: Holy Saturday II © Jan Richardson

This blessing
can wait as long
as you can.

Celebrate the resurrection with joyful songs and shouts of "Alleluia!" 🎶

The Altar Guild invites you to bring fresh flowers on Easter Sunday. To dedicate flowers "in memory," email Pastor Beth asap.

Please avoid Easter lilies.

Friday, April 18, 5:30 pm

We invite you to join us tonight for our Good Friday Worship as we come together to reflect on the profound love and sacrifice of Jesus Christ.

Pastor Beth

• Current Ministry Projects:

  • Planning & Facilitating Holy Week worship

  • Ministry team meetings

  • Supporting Council Projects: Lease Discernment & Endowment Fund

Susan

• Current Ministry Projects:

  • Worship PowerPoints

  • Creating Social Media posts

  • Website Updates

  • Holy Week & Easter Support

Jamie

• Current Ministry Projects:

  • Choir Leadership

  • Worship Leadership

  • Holy Week & Easter Worship

April is a month of renewal and growth. As we embrace the spring season, it's a perfect time to strengthen bonds and appreciate life's simple pleasures. Here's a bucket list to help you make the most of April with our New Journey community.

With a second grant from Ascension Lutheran Church, the Northeast Valley Consortium churches (Ascension, Christ the Lord, Living Water, New Covenant, and New Journey) will again pack more than 2600 lunches and provide life-saving water and electrolyte powder for persons experiencing homelessness in the greater Phoenix area.

Congregations of the NEVC are invited to again participate in the VBS Mission Project Book Drive at Living Water Lutheran Church.

• 40-40-40 Lenten Challenge

• Walk for Water

• Maundy Thursday joint worship celebration

THANK YOU to 23 members and friends of New Journey who signed letters on March 30 in support of the Women, Infant, and Children nutrition programs; Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (aka food stamps); and global food aid components of the national agriculture budget. Our letters have joined with thousands of others in the Bread for the World 50th anniversary offering of letters to federal legislators.

The Altar Guild invites members and friends to decorate our worship space with fresh flowers on Easter Sunday.

If you wish to bring flowers, and they are in-memorial, please share this with Pastor Beth no later than April 6.

If possible, please avoid Easter lilies due to allergies. After Easter worship, you are invited to bring your flowers home.

Join us for a meaningful journey through Holy Week as we remember and reflect on the events leading up to Jesus' death and resurrection.

🌴 Palm/Passion Sunday: April 13, 10:00 am wave palms and hear the Passion narrative.

🦶 Maundy Thursday: April 17, 12:00 pm Join the NEVC combined celebration at Spirit in the Desert Retreat Center. Foot washing and communion led by Pr. Beth Gallen and Pr. Anna Rieke. Explore the Islands of Silence, the Labyrinth, or the Campbell Prayer Pathway. 🚗 Carpool interest list available.

✝️ Good Friday: April 18, 5:00 pm Experience the Tenebrae service, reflecting on Jesus' betrayal, arrest, trial, crucifixion, and death.

🌅 Easter Sunday: April 20, 10:00 am Celebrate the resurrection with joyful songs and shouts of "Alleluia!" 🎶

All are welcome! Join us in-person or via live-stream. Visit www.njlc-fh.org for more info. 🙏✨

We’re excited to share that Edison Brown, Director of Public Relations with Native American Connections (NAC), will be joining us as a guest speaker this Sunday!

This Lent, we’ve been steeped in dichotomies—

Stranger and neighbor. Faith and works. Rest and growth. Lost and found. Mercy and righteousness.

Our journey these forty days has asked us to consider these dichotomous ideas and wonder how they overlap, intersect, interact. Where is the tension? Where is the agreement? Is there a reason we plant these categories on either end of theological spectrums?

It was a beautiful day for the Northeast Valley Consortium (NEVC) sponsored Lenten “Walk for Water”. As a planned activity for the 40-40-40- Lenten Challenge over 30 people gathered at a trailhead at the McDowell Mountain Preserve. They represented the five congregations of the NEVC coming together in friendship and to acknowledge World Water Day.

This proposal, which would allow eligible church property to be used for new rental housing is heading for a vote. ELCA has supported these bills in other states in an effort to address shortage of housing and to address homelessness. The primary sponsor of HB 2919 is Republican David Livingston, LD 28, with Democratic co-sponsorship from Sarah Ligouri, LD 5. If you have a position on this bill, now is the time to contact your state representatives to make your views known.

A hard copy of information about the refugee situation, based on the work of Lutheran Social Services of the Southwest and Global Refuge (former Lutheran Immigration and Refugee Services) is posted on the bulletin board to the left of New Journey’s nametag rack. More resources are available here.

“Right now, Congress is in discussion around the Federal budget. One big factor on the table is cuts to Medicaid, which provides healthcare to around 80 million Americans. The proposed budget would cut $880 billion over a 10 year period. Why is this happening, who would it affect, and what can we do? Here are some basic statistics on who receives Medicaid: