Welcome to our church web site.

The most recent news we have to share is that the Reverend David Cobb has been called to be the second pastor of our congregation. This is an exciting and historic moment for Spirit of Joy. David, his wife, Katy, and their thirteen year old son, Jackson, will moved to the Lakeville area in mid-June. An ordained minister of the Christian Church (Dissciples of Christ), David brings extensive experience in congregational ministry to us, along with an impressive academic background that has prepared him well for serving as the congregation's resident theologian, preacher, and teacher. He also brings a passionate commitment to peacemaking and justice seeking to the church and the larger Lakeville community.

In the midst of this change, what remains the same is the core focus that makes us the church we are - a non-business, call based structure, covenant membership, theological openmindedness, and a spirit of inclusion of everyone who chooses to be a part of this community of faith. We know David shares these values and will do all he can to strengthen and deepen them within the congregation.

We believe Spirit of Joy is a very special spiritual home. We believe a prophetic witness requires a serious committment to peace and justice. That is why it is common in sermons and discussions to raise questions about public policies and practices that seem to ignore even basic fairness in our civic life. Our goal is not to get everyone at SOJ to think alike on these important issues, but simply to think about them. It's the way we help one another grow spiritually.

One of the basic convictions we hold as a church is that the key to a vital ministry is the level of genuine commitment rather than the size of the membership. We focus our energies on responding to personal and collective calls to specific ministries. We describe it as doing what you want to do for God. Undergirding this focus are the various ways we try to help people grow into mature Christians. Whenever we gather, therefore, we try to spend our time focused on that great challenge and avoid as much as we can being sidetracked by things that don't contribute to this end.

Becoming mature Christians involves many things, to be sure, but we believe it begins with a spirit of welcome to everyone. We think social barriers such as race, color, nationality, sexual orientation, or theological points of view are contradictory to following Jesus. Thus, the Communion Table that anchors our weekly worship is open to everyone, no strings attached, as is every aspect of our common life.

Some people ask if we are a denominational church. The answer is Yes. Spirit of Joy is a congregation of the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ). You can read more about our denominational history and polity by going to http://www.disciples.org.

Thank you, again, for visiting our website. What would be even better is for you to attend one of our Sunday services. We hope you will in the near future.