The Visitor February 2019

Transcription

1 The Visitor February 2019 The Newsletter for Bethany Lutheran Church 5303 Madison Avenue Bethel Park, PA (412) To messages to the office: WORSHIP SERVICE EACH SUNDAY WITH HOLY COMMUNION WILL BE AT 11:15 A.M. UPCOMING DATES TO REMEMBER AT BETHANY (Look inside The Visitor for more information on each event) ANNUAL CONGREGATIONAL MEETING The Annual Congregational Meeting will be on Sunday, February 17 th immediately following the 11:15AM Worship. Join us as we take time to review our past year s ministry and plans for the coming year. Bethany continues to seek ways to be the hands of Christ in our community and in the world. MUTUAL MINISTRY MEETING To Be Determined EVANGELISM COMMITTEE MEETING Sunday, February 3 rd at 10:00 A.M. LEADERSHIP RETREAT Saturday, February 9 th from 8:30 A.M. to 12:00 P.M. WORSHIP COMMITTEE MEETING Wednesday, February 13 th at 6:00 P.M. PARISH EDUCATION MEETING Thursday, February 14 th at 7:00 P.M. FAMILY PROMISE HOMELESS DINNER Thursday, February 21 st at 5:00 P.M. STEWARDSHIP COMMITTEE MEETING Thursday, February 21 st at 7:00 P.M. COUNCIL MEETING Sunday, February 24 th at 1:00 P.M. BETHANY S QUARTERLY POTLUCK BREAKFAST ( SHROVE TUESDAY ) SUNDAY, MARCH 3 RD AT 9:00 A.M. LENT BEGINS ON ASH WEDNESDAY, MARCH 6 th Ash Wednesday Worship Service at 7:00 P.M. ASH WEDNESDAY DINNER, MARCH 6 TH AT 5:30 P.M. We begin the Season of Lent with our traditional Ash Wednesday Dinner. Worship Service immediately following at 7:00 P.M. MID-WEEK LENTEN WORSHIP Worship service begins at 7:00 pm. Join us for Lenten Mid-Week Dinners Dinner begins at 5:30 P.M. 1

2 From the desk of the February Newsletter 2019 By Melba December 21, 2018 was the first day of winter - March 20, 2019 is the first day of spring. Figuring that it is around Feb. 9th when you read this newsletter, we are 51 days into winter - we have ONLY 39 more days before spring. On December 9th we had 9 hours 21 minutes and 54 seconds of daylight - February 9th, 2019 we will have 10 hours, 26 minutes and 40 seconds of daylight. We are getting more and more LIGHT in our day. February can be a dreary month. It s that month when we are tired of snow, cold and cloudy days. There are some activities to cheer you up: Feb. 2nd was GROUNDHOG: There might be no more unusual event in Pennsylvania than Groundhog Day. While celebrations are held at several locations around the state, no event is more popular than Groundhog Day in Punxsutawney. First held there in 1887, this celebration goes on all night, with Punxsutawney Phil coming out at sunrise to give his weather prediction to the tuxedoed Inner Circle. SOUTH SIDE SOUP CONTEST IN PITTSBURGH FEBRUARY 16 Love soup? Then don t miss the South Side Soup Contest in Pittsburgh. This fundraising event has been held since 2005 and features more than two-dozen restaurants competing to have the best soups in the city. Come out and eat some delicious soup while supporting a great cause. WINTER BEERFEST IN PITTSBURGH FEBRUARY If you love beer, then you won t want to miss the sixth annual Winter BeerFest in downtown Pittsburgh. The festival will feature hundreds of beers from 125 craft breweries in Pittsburgh and around the country. In addition to unlimited samples, festival goers can also get food from a variety of vendors and enjoy live music. CHOCOLATE COVERED FEBRUARY IN HERSHEY ALL MONTH Chocolate Covered February once again returns to Hershey, the Sweetest Place on Earth. Throughout the month, enjoy dozens of chocolate-themed events at Hershey s properties in town. Events include chef demonstrations, chocolate and food pairings, and even character parades for the kids. February is also LOVE month. Remember your favorite gal or guy this Valentine s Day. Remember: Love is patient; love is kind; love is not envious or boastful or arrogant or rude. It does not insist on its own way; it is not irritable or resentful; it does not rejoice in wrongdoing but rejoices in the truth. It bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things. Love never ends. (1 Corinthians 13:4-8a) Just as Spring brings newness to all things that grow, God makes us new each day in our Baptismal promises. Just as the daylight increases, we are to be the light to the world proclaiming God s Grace and love to all that we meet. Just as we need hope in the dreary month of February, God gives us hope of salvation in Him. Just as we look forward to giving those we love chocolate for Valentine s Day, we look forward to the sweetness of everlasting life with Christ. Give thanks to our Lord for the changes of seasons, (and warmer weather - soon please) +Melba 2

3 THOSE WHO SERVE THIS MONTH Greeters: 11:15 A.M. Jeannine Stowers WORSHIP SERVICE SUNDAY SCHEDULE Date Communion Asst. 11:15 AM Reader 11:15 AM Acolyte 11:15 AM 2/3 Jane Scheeser (children reading) Hunter Weigand 2/10 Michael Unger Nena Kratsas Arlo Yarroll Diamond Dibble & 2/17 Richard Dowell Dawn Hanna Aiysha Dibble 2/24 Don McIntyre Deborah Wanamaker Arlo Yarroll FLOWERS AND ETERNAL CANDLE 2/3 OPEN 2/10 OPEN 2/17 OPEN 2/24 OPEN Eternal Candle OPEN You may either take the flowers with you after the service, or if you prefer, you may leave them on the altar. Cost of flowers is $60 ($30/arrangement) per Sunday. Cost of the eternal candle is $20 per month. FLOWERS AND ETERNAL CANDLE There are several dates still available for flowers and the Eternal Candle. Please check the Flower Chart in the Narthex. The cost per arrangement is $ USHERS SCHEDULE FOR FEBRUARY Don McIntyre, Mark Kuehl and Dan Volpatti OFFERING COUNTERS SCHEDULE FOR FEBRUARY The Offering Counters for the month of February are Michael Unger and Leigh Brooks. PRAYER CHAIN Anyone wishing to be on the Bethany Prayer Chain, please contact Cathy Irwin by at or Terry Simony in the Bethany Church Office by phone:

4 2019 CONGREGATION COUNCIL President. Al Hanna ( ) Vice-President.. Ray Sabolich ( ) Secretary Deborah Wanamaker ( ) Treasurer. Jeannine Stowers ( ) Financial Secretary.. Leigh Brooks ( ) Standing Committee Chairs Christian Education Committee. Deborah Wanamaker ( ) Evangelism Committee.... Grenith Fisher ( ) Property Committee.... Auggie Burns ( ) Stewardship Committee Jeannine Stowers ( ) Worship Committee..... Janice Currie ( ) IMPORTANT INFORMATION ANNUAL CONGREGATIONAL MEETING The Bethany Lutheran Church Annual Meeting will be immediately following worship on Sunday, February 17 th. The Council is sponsoring with the support of the Evangelism Committee, the hot ham and cheese luncheon to follow the meeting. The We are asking for the congregation to please bring the side dishes to share. The sign up form is located on the bulletin board in the Narthex. Please indicate which sides you are will and able to bring. Thank you! Bethany Lutheran s Council WORSHIP & SUNDAY SCHOOL TIME CHANGE Beginning March 1, 2019, Bethany s worship service will begin at 10:30 a.m. And, beginning March 1, 2019, Bethany s Sunday School will begin at 9:30 a.m. SCHEDULE CHANGE Please note that going forward, Council Meetings will be held every 4 th Sunday of the month following Sunday Worship. REMINDER LEADERSHIP RETREAT Saturday, February 9 th from 8:30 A.M. to 12:00 P.M. ASH WEDNESDAY Lent begins with Ash Wednesday, MARCH 6 TH. The Worship Service will begin at 7:00 p.m. immediately following our dinner. The service will include imposition of ashes for those who wish to participate. If you have any questions, please call the church office ( ). 4

5 ASH WEDNESDAY DINNER, MARCH 6 TH AT 5:30 p.m. Please see the sign-up sheet on the bulletin board in the Narthex. The Ash Wednesday Worship Service will begin at 7:00 P.M. immediately following our dinner. The Evangelism Committee invites you to join us for our traditional Fish Dinner on Wednesday, March 6, This will be a catered meal which will include Fish, and Mac/Cheese. Dinner will be served from 5:30 P.M. to 6:30 P.M. A sign-up sheet will be posted in the Narthex. Reservations are required. Look for further details in your weekly Bulletin. Please join us in this time of fellowship as we enter the Lenten Season. MID-WEEK LENTEN WORSHIP During the season of Lent, we will hold our mid-week worship services on the Wednesdays of March 13, 20, 27 and April 3, and 10. The worship service will begin at 7:00 pm. Join us for Lenten Mid-Week Dinners Dinner begins at 5:30 P.M. Mid-week dinners will begin on Wednesday, March 13 th. Each week s dinner will be hosted by a different committee of the church. If you are not on a committee yet feel led to help, your participation is not only welcomed, it is appreciated. The dates of the dinners and hosting committees will be posted in the Bulletin. Bring your appetite and plan on joining your church family for a great opportunity for fellowship and worship every Wednesday. See you all in church! Bethany Evangelism Committee HOLY WEEK SERVICES watch for next month s issue of the Visitor and the Bulletin for the worship schedule for Holy Week. FELLOWSHIP OPPORTUNITIES EVANGELIZING OUR MEMBERS AND THE COMMUNITY It has been said, by persons much more educated than I, that to evangelize is to share religious beliefs, especially Christian ones, with other people. Preachers and ministers evangelize from the pulpit in their churches every Sunday. Nineteenth century preacher C.H. Spurgeon said evangelism is one beggar telling another beggar where to get bread. These words remind us the ground is level at the cross. All men are soul hungry for the bread of life and when we are fed, we are in the business of telling others how to be filled. Obviously these words speak to the needs of our souls and our mission as Christians. Our committee strives to find ways to bring us together to feed this need, as a congregation and community, through the very common need of our bodies food and fellowship. We hope to provide love, comfort and nourishment through the many social events that take place during the year, i.e. Quarterly Breakfasts, receptions that honor our confirmands, 1 st Communion recipients, new members and our community. We bring our community together by means of the Strawberry Social and this year a Pancake/Sausage Breakfast in March. We are the group that serves in the background and has a delightful time supporting each other as we hope to support you. This year we hope to expand Bethany s visibility by extending ourselves further into the community. Come and join our meetings, the first Sunday of every month at 9:30 A.M. We are seeking and welcoming fresh, new ideas. 5

6 M.O.M. (MISSION OF THE MONTH) (There will be one cause for each month of the year) The focus for the month of February is SHIM (South Hills Interfaith Ministries). As a ministry, SHIM is helping to build families and communities through interfaith programs, community gardens, and congregations and community groups. They help our neighbors build a better life for their families by offering programs such as parenting, education, youth development, just to name a few. Together, with teams of dedicated volunteers, donors and partners, SHIM is expanding their work to include more neighbors helping more neighbors in need. Let s do coffee Monday mornings 8:30 am Panera Bread - South Park Shops Join me for good conversation - Bring a friend +Melba BETHANY S QUARTERLY POTLUCK BREAKFAST ( SHROVE BREAKFAST ) Sunday, March 3, :00 AM We will all meet in the fellowship hall to eat and socialize before worship. We will be serving pancakes and sausage to celebrate Shrove Tuesday; and it s potluck, so we all eat what everyone brings. There will be no Sunday School lesson that day but Melba will quiz us with Bible trivia. SOUTH HILLS INTERFAITH MINISTRIES MOVEMENT - SHIM We are collecting Diapers & Wipes and Breakfast Cereal (for Children) FAMILY PROMISE/HOMELESS DINNER Bethany members will be serving Family Promise homeless families on Monday, February 21 st at 5:00 P.M. at the John McMillian Church in Bethel Park. We are in need of pasta, rolls and butter, salad and dressing, parmesean cheese, milk, lemonade and desserts Anyone willing to serve or contribute food items, please contact Cathy Irwin at or cirwin77@hotmail.com. 6

7 PARISH EDUCATION FAMILY STYLE SUNDAY SCHOOL Beginning in February, come join us for a family style Sunday School where adults and children will study the Gospel Message of the day along with puppets and music. ATHENS TRAINING EVENT An upcoming vacation Bible school training and networking event called VBS FunShop is being hosted at Bethany Lutheran Church on Saturday, March 2, Area churches that are planning to present Group Publishing s ATHENS VBS this summer will receive hands-on training from a Group VBS expert to maximize the impact of their VBS program. In addition to tons of fun and helpful info, participants can network and share ideas. For more information and to register, call Melba at (412) NEED.NEED.NEED!!! We are in need of the following items for our VBS FunShop by February 17 th : Large Sheets (ones you do not want back) Rugs (small) (you will get back) Pop-up Canopy (3) Artificial Fruit; and Baskets Any questions, please call Melba at (412) CELEBRATIONS WITHIN OUR CONGREGATION IN FEBRUARY Happy Birthday to the following individuals: 2-February Barry Bruni 11-February Gina Monte 18-February Kory Hartbauer 4-February William Yanyo 13-February Ronald Lipinski 19-February Iona Klein 7-February Alison Hanna 13-February Marilyn Roberts 19-February Suse Marsh 9-February Madeleine Yarroll 14-February Matt McKee 19-February Jennifer Plesniak 10-February Camryn Perrucci 17-February Emily Brooks 14-February Diane & Dan Usouski Happy Anniversary to the following individuals: 7

8 LET IT SNOW! LET IT SNOW! LET IT SNOW! And, when it does, the front sidewalk will need shoveled. This would need to be done Sunday morning, and as needed at other times. If you would like to be added to the list of those willing to help, or if you have any questions, please contact Auggie Burns at Your help is greatly appreciated. NEWSLETTER If you have information that you would like to appear in the newsletter, please either the information to Terry Simony at or drop it off at the church NO LATER THAN MONDAY, FEBRUARY 18 TH BY 10:00 A.M., for the MARCH NEWSLETTER. 8

9 Bethany Lutheran Church February 2019 Sun Mon Tue Wed Thu Fri Sat 1 2 9:30am: Council Training 3 9:45am: Parish Ed. 10:00am: Evangelism Meeting 11:15am: Worship 4 8:30am: Coffee with 5 9:00am: Meeting with 6 7:00pm: Choir Practice :30am: Leadership Retreat 5:00pm: Scout Mtg. 10 9:45am: Parish Ed. 11:15am: Worship 11 8:30am: Coffee with 12 9:00am: Meeting with 12N: Conference 6 6:00pm: Scout Mtg. 13 6:00pm: Worship & Music Meeting 6:30pm: Scout Leader Meeting 7:00pm: Choir Practice 14 6:15pm: Scout Mtg. 7:00pm: Parish Ed ANNUAL MTG. 9:45am: Parish Ed. 11:15am: Worship 18 8:30am: Coffee with 19 9:00am: Meeting with 20 7:00pm: Choir Practice 21 6:00pm: Scout Mtg. 7:00pm: Stewardship Meeting :00pm: Scout Mtg. 24 9:45am: Parish Ed. 11:15am: Worship Newsletter Items Due By 10:00 a.m. 25 8:30am: Coffee with 26 9:00am: Meeting with 27 7:00pm: Choir Practice 28 6:15pm: Scout Mtg. 1:00pm: Council 9