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Welcome to the Internet site of
Spirit of Joy Lutheran Church in Ramona, California

You'll find our worship services expressive, open to all, and full of the presence of the LORD.

Our goal is to glorify God in our meetings and meet your needs with his Word. Spirit of Joy is diverse in age and ethnic and social origin, but we are united by love for Jesus Christ our Savior.

There is no better life than one based on the Word of God and lived in relationship with Him.

Please visit... we'd love to know you. And we promise you'll feel welcome!

We're located in Ramona, California, on the edge of the "back country" in northern San Diego County... Click here for directions.

Ash Wedesday Services

Ugandan Orphans' Choir, Wednesday, March 5, 7:00 pm

Ash Wednesday Services will be held here at Spirit of Joy on Wednesday, March 5, 7:00 P.M.  Please join us in worship as we prayerfully enter into the season of Lent.

This year, we will be led in worship and celebration by the Ugandan Orphans' Choir. This internationally acclaimed choir is known for their musical talents and their outstanding ability to perform.

Ash Wednesday is a day of repentance and it marks the beginning of Lent.

Ashes were used in ancient times, according to the Bible, to express mourning. Dusting oneself with ashes was the penitent's way of expressing sorrow for sins and faults. An ancient example of one expressing one's penitence is found in Job 42:3-6. Job says to God: "“I had heard of you by the hearing of the ear, but now my eye sees you;  therefore I despise myself, and repent in dust and ashes.” " (vv. 5-6, ESV) Other examples are found in several other books of the Bible including, Numbers 19:9, 19:17, Jonah 3:6, Matthew 11:21, and Luke 10:13, and Hebrews 9:13. Ezekiel 9 also speaks of a linen-clad messenger marking the forehead of the city inhabitants that have sorrow over the sins of the people. All those without the mark are destroyed.

Easter at Spirit of Joy

Season of Lent at Spirit of Joy

Lent is the forty days (not counting Sundays) before Easter, beginning on Ash Wednesday, March 5, 2014.

Lent is almost as old as Christianity itself, when early Christians prepared themselves to observe the signal event in the life of every Christian: the death and resurrection of Jesus. During this time early believers rededicated themselves to faith in Christ, instructed new converts in the faith and prepared for baptism.

By observing the forty days of Lent, the individual Christian imitates Jesus’ withdrawal into the wilderness for forty days. It is a season of soul-searching and repentance. It is a season for reflection and taking stock.

In many Western countries, the last day before Lent Lent (called Mardi Gras, Shrove Tuesday, Carnival, or Fasching) has become a "last fling" before the solemnity of Lent. (For centuries, it was customary to fast by abstaining from meat during Lent, which is why some people call the festival Carnival, which is Latin for farewell to meat.)

Click here to read an interesting commentary on the spiritual meanings behind Lent.

The Family of Christ here at Spirit of Joy observes Lent through sharing simple meals, prayer and worship. Please click here to review the opportunities to join with us in preparing for Easter Week.

Don’t Worry About Anything

Don’t Worry About Anything?

That’s right, one of the verses we have posted on the wall in the middle classroom for the kids says it just this way: “Don’t worry about anything. Instead, pray about everything.” (Philippians 4:6)

So how do we deal with prayer needs here at Spirit of Joy? You have so many ways:

• Prayer List:
  Every Sunday bulletin contains a prayer insert showing people who need prayer. We list friends, relatives, deployed military, first responders, and members who for some reason or other are in need of prayer. You can take this list home and pray for these people during the week. Want to add someone, or remove someone who no longer is in need? Just write on the list and place it into the offering plate, or leave it on the office desk, and every week the updates are made.
  Contact: 760-788-7456, admin@SOJChurch.com
• Prayer Line Emails:
  We have a group of dedicated, focused individuals who have agreed to say prayers for urgent situations, emergencies, upcoming surgeries, tragedies, etc. We have two leaders who will take prayer requests and forward them to the group via email. Immediately a prayer team is launched into action. See Jean Merrick or Ellen Ray.
  Contact: 760-788-7456, PrayerLine@SOJChurch.com
• Prayer Quilts:
  Know someone who might be comforted by receiving our prayers in the form of a prayer quilt? We have request forms in the office. The recipient must agree to receive our prayers & the quilt, so it’s not a gift or a surprise, but an informed consent to have others praying for specific needs. See Marilynn Hersey if you have questions about our Prayers & Squares chapter that meets here almost every Tuesday. Our Heavenly Father wants to hear from us. Let us remember to praise him always, to thank him, and most importantly to be in conversation (prayer) with him.
  Contact: 760-788-7456, Prayers&Squares@SOJChurch.com