November. Pastor Connie Thomson moved to Westfield from Madison WI.
2000
February. Pastor Connie begins knocking on 4000 doors
March. “Night of Joy” fellowship gatherings begin in homes
May. “Story Group” Leadership team first meets
August. “Joy Days for Kids” Vacation Bible School is New Joy’s first large gathering
October. The first of 62,000 invitational postcards are mailed for worship service to be held in Oak Trace Elementary School
December. First Christmas Eve worship celebrated
2001
January. First weekly worship service, 140 community members attend
April. Dinner Shuffle fellowship meals begin
2002
January. Small Group ministry begins.
January. Ministry Planning, Building Study, Constitution and Spirit Teams begin meeting
March. Youth Ministry program begins
July. First Annual Youth Mission trip - to Washington, DC
August. Call Committee begins meeting and chooses to call Connie Thomson as the first Pastor of New Joy
October. Men’s Group starts meeting
December. New Joy’s Official Organization Sunday
2003
March. 11 leaders attend Via De Cristo weekend at Lutheran Hills Camp.
March. New Joy’s office moves into their “Ministry Center” 3 blocks from their land to host our offices, classes, weekday worship and various ministries
2004
February. First Women’s Retreat is held
March. Donated nearly a ton of clothes to people in the Ukraine
2005
September. Circle of Joy Women’s Ministry begins meeting to knit scarves, hats and
prayer shawls for people in need
2006
January. Organized and commissioned our Building Team
2007
January. Paid off mortgage on land and burned it outside (in the snow) one Sunday
before worship
March. 23 adults traveled to New Orleans, LA for the first Adult Mission Trip through Lutheran Disaster Response
Summer. Youth Mission Trip to Toronto, Canada
September. New Joy hosts a Groundbreaking Celebration for its new church building!
2008
March. 2nd Adult Mission Trip to New Orleans, LA through Lutheran Disaster Response
June. Held our first church service in our new building!
October. First wedding in our new building, Morgan Hughes and Chris Studer
2009
March. New Joy begins offering two worship services, 8:00 am and 9:45 am
August–November. Pastor Connie goes on a “Hills & Valleys” Sabbatical
2010
Spring. The “New Joy Garden” is started by George Willman
October. New Joy had 99 participants in the Hamilton County CROP Hunger Walk!
2011
Summer. Youth Mission Trip to South Dakota
October. First Annual Harvest Festival
2012
February. Pastor Connie’s last Sunday; she accepts a call to Virginia
March. Call Committee formed to call new Pastor
December. Celebrated “Ten Years of Joy” with a special dinner
2013
January. A group of New Joy women and girls sewed dresses and shorts for an
orphanage in Ghana
July. Hosted the ordination service of Brian Gegel, a former New Joy Partner
July. Youth Mission Trip to New Orleans for the National Youth Gathering
September. 2nd Annual Harvest Festival
2014
May. Special Congregational Meeting to vote on calling Pastor Chris Duckworth as our next pastor
June. Chris Duckworth installed as our new pastor
July. Youth Mission Trip to Blue Knob, Pennsylvania
2015
June. Roundabout goes in at corner of Springmill and 156th Street— adopted by New Joy
2016
August. Dedication of New Joy Memorial Garden, with former Partner and Interim Pastor Heather McCulloch laid to rest in the garden
October. First Annual Trunk or Treat event to take the place of Harvest Festival
July. Youth Mission Trip to Blue Knob, Pennsylvania
2017
April. Mission Trip to Chambrun, Haiti with Nehemiah Vision Ministries (8 youth, 9 adults)
2018
May. Pastor Chris notifies congregation of his up-coming deployment in 2019
September. Will Bevins becomes our Intern/Interim Pastor for the time Pastor Chris is deployed
2019
January. Send-off services for Pastor Chris’s deployment
August. Mission Trip to Fondwa, Haiti with Zanmi Fondwa, 9 adults and 1 youth
September. Began construction on New Joy pavilion
September. Opened the New Joy Preschool
2020
February. Welcome Pastor Chris back from deployment
March. All in-person worship suspended due to COVID-19 pandemic
March. Began live-streaming worship services
July. Began holding worship services outdoors in our pavilion while weather permitted
September. held ordination for Vicar Will Bevins in our pavilion
