joy  

Meet the Director

    Joy England, is a woman with a deep passion for children and music.  In her early years, Joy, too was a member of a very influential children's choir, which is the internationally recognized "Texas Girls Choir." It made a profound impact on her, putting her ahead of her peers musically in the public school, and ultimately deciding the direction of her life.

    With the skills learned and passion developed through the Texas Girls Choir, Joy continued her musical career through high school and college.  Her peers recognized Joy's leadership and creative gifts by voting her "Most Likely to Succeed" and "Most Talented", and she earned the respect of her directors through consistent top ranking in competitions. These provided her with the highest scholarship ever awarded to attend East Texas Baptist University. She added to her voice abilities by developing her keyboard skills. Knowing that the Lord had begun this work in her, Joy began to seek and pray about how He would like her to use what He had given her.

    The Lord used Joy's busy college years to shape His call on her life. She dedicated every Sunday to leading worship back in her home church which required extensive travel, serving as Adult Choir Director, Adult Instrumental Leader and considerable committee memberships. Although adult musical ministries at the church happened because of her leadership and creativity, her passion grew for the little ones. She knew personally how much children could learn about the world of music if given loving, knowledgeable, fun leadership, and she began to believe this is how God wanted to use her.

    Over the next few years, she earned her degree, met and married her husband, Mark, and they were blessed with 2 children, Hannah (now 7) and Caleb (now 4). Joy followed Mark as the Lord led him in pastoring - from Texas, to Arkansas, and finally to Stuart, Florida. Joy saw many opportunities to use her gifts at each church; establishing a youth worship band which continues years later and eventually accepting Calvary Chapel Palm City's first Children's Ministry Director position where she built a successful program from the ground up. Her inspired theme "Disciple-Ship", required remodeling of a full wing of classrooms and designing a Kids' Church program from top to bottom, complete with curriculum, volunteers, and outreach events. She found it especially rewarding when leading the Kids' Church worship time and developed a team of children to lead their peers in worship, complete with choreography and intercessory prayer.

    At different times while she led children's music and home-schooled Hannah and Caleb, Joy felt the desire to start a children's music program of her own. Her belief is that music can help to shape the life of children and that it can help them win battles as they grow up in a world of peer pressure and ever increasing corruption. She saw this blessing in her own life and with the Lord's help, Joyful Sound, will be the instrument of blessing to the next generation.