Joyful Harvest Church

A Special Meeting of the Congregation will be held at 9:30 a.m. on Sunday, February 21, 2010 for the sole purpose of ratifying a resolution that was passed on November 15, 2009.  The resolution formalizes Joyful Harvest’s desire to end its affiliation with the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America. The resolution requires a 2/3rds majority vote and passed by vote of 71-19 with 2 votes disqualified and 2 votes abstaining. All confirmed members who have communed and contributed in the past year are eligible to vote, but must sign-in to receive a ballot. While there will be no Sunday School on this day, a movie for children will be shown in the Harvest Time Theater. If you have any questions about this important meeting, feel free to contact Pastor Bryce or any Council member.

Whereas Joyful Harvest Church, ELCA (Joyful Harvest) affirms its constitutional confession of faith that we profess “the canonical Scriptures of the Old and New Testaments as the inspired Word of God and the authoritative source and norm of its proclamation, faith, and life;” and

Whereas the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA), by it’s actions at the 2009 Churchwide Assembly, has adopted a new teaching on human sexuality that is neither compatible with the official position of Joyful Harvest nor the congregation’s understanding and interpretation ofthe biblical teaching on human sexuality as recorded in the canonical Scriptures of the Old andNew Testaments; and

Whereas the congregation of Joyful Harvest believes that a continued affiliation with the ELCA would severely hinder its ability to accomplish its mission.

Therefore, Be it Resolved, that Joyful Harvest Church, ELCA (5050 Johnsburg Road, Johnsburg,IL 60051) terminate its affiliation with the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA); and

Be it Further Resolved, that Joyful Harvest Church, ELCA, solely affiliate with Lutheran Congregationsin Mission for Christ (LCMC), constituting a transfer to another Lutheran church body.