Be helight DECEMBER AND

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1 Be helight A publication of Bethel Lutheran Church A member church of the E.L.C.A. Telephone (440) Pearl Road, Middleburg Hts., OH DECEMBER AND

2 BETHEL LUTHERAN CHURCH, 7171 PEARL RD., MIDDLEBURG HTS., OH *RSS-Regular Sunday Schedule 8:30AM & 11:00 AM Life 9:45AM December *RSS 6:00-7:30PM Faith X Sun Mon Tue Wed Thu Fri Sat 2 3 Lectionary Bible Study in GP Conf Rm. 7:00PM Adult Bible Study #8 4 7:30 PM Choir 5 Anon in GP GFF in FH 6 7:30 PM Northern Ohio Railway Museum in GP 7 5:30-10:00PM GP in Use 8 *RSS 6:00-7:30PM Faith X 9 10 Lectionary Bible Study in GP Conf Rm. 7:00 PM Council Pastor s House 11 7:30 PM Choir 12 Anon in GP GFF in FH 13 6:00 PM Staff Pastor s House ONE SERVICE LT Christmas Service 6:00-7:30PM Faith X Christmas Party Lectionary Bible Study in GP Conf Rm. 7:00 PM Intern Committee Meeting 18 MEEC BREAK 12/18-1/1 7:30 PM Choir 19 Anon in GP GFF in FH Birthday Dinner :00AM ONE SERVICE Lessons & Carols CHRISTMAS EVE 25 CHRISTMAS DAY 26 Anon OFFICE CLOSED 27 OFFICE CLOSED 28 NO Faith X 6:30 & 10:00 Worship NO GFF 29 10:00AM ONE SERVICE Carol Setting of Holy Communion NO Faith X New Year s Eve 7:00 PM Worship

3 BETHEL LUTHERAN CHURCH, 7171 PEARL RD., MIDDLEBURG HTS., OH *RSS-Regular Sunday Schedule 8:30AM & 11:00 AM Life 9:45AM january 2014 Sun Mon Tue Wed Thu Fri Sat 1 NEW YEAR S DAY 2 Anon in GP 3 7:45 PM Northern Ohio Railway Museum in GP 4 NO GFF 5 *RSS 6 7 Lectionary Bible Study in GP Conf Rm. 8 9 Anon in GP :00-7:30PM Faith X NO Choir GFF in FH 12*RSS Lectionary Bible Study in GP Conf Rm Anon in GP :00 AM 1:00 PM Sanctuary in Use 6:00-7:30PM Faith X 7:00 PM Council Meeting NO Choir GFF in FH 19*RSS 3:00 PM 15 th Annual Brass Concert 20 MLK DAY MEEC CLOSED 21 Pastor and Vicar Lucas Professional Leader s Retreat Anon :00-7:30PM Faith X NO Bible Study 7:30 PM Choir GFF in FH 26*RSS NO Faith X Lectionary Bible Study in GP Conf Rm. 29 7:30 PM Choir 30 GFF Birthday Dinner in FH 31

4 The Be fdlafjkl;fjkf helight A publication of Bethel Lutheran Church Let your light shine before others so they may see your good works and give glory to your Father in heaven. Matt 5:16 NRSV 2013/2014 In This Issue... Monthly Calendars Prayer Concerns... 5 Bethel Happenings from Pastor Krebill... 6 Brass Concert... 7 GFF Journey Forward December & January Birthdays & Anniversaries BeTheLight Church Office Office Hours Mon - Fri 9 AM 1 PM Fax Number Steven M. Krebill Pastor Lucas Merritt Vicar Erika Haskell Director of Music Vicki Zacharias Administrative Assistant Christie Scott M.E.E.C. Director M.E.E.C. Office The Congregation Reporters Vicki Zacharias Editor Bethelstaff@sbcglobal.net

5 Please contact the church office for information on how you can sponsor an upcoming edition of The BeTheLight. Your support is greatly appreciated. *Deadline for the February/March 2014 BeTheLight is January 15 th * The purpose of BeTheLight is to inform our members, friends and visitors of worship services and to encourage spiritual growth, Christian Education opportunities, missions and outreach, activities and fellowship events and volunteer opportunities. This newsletter is meant to be an information tool of Bethel Lutheran Church where we serve together as a family in Christ. The BeTheLight welcomes contributions and letters. Copy written material (including prayers and inspirational verses) cannot be published without written permission from the author. MISSION STATEMENT The people of Bethel Lutheran Church are called by God to be faithful to the word of God and proclaim it to all people. We share Christ's love and forgiveness by being Christ's hands, feet, arms and voice as we gather and as we scatter ONGOING PRAYER CONCERNS PERSONS IN NEED OF HEALING Gary Baratko, Bob & Donna Breska, Carl Burgess, James Craciun, Luise Dorr, Noreen Harbart, Robert Hintze, Dorothy Holtz, Karen Horner, Blaise & Donette Ipsaro, Charlotte Karpinecz, Lynn Kostura, Brian Krajewski, Marie Link, Cy Maszczynski, Pamela Misischia, Donald O Dell, William & Eleanor Olschewsky, Irene Peters, Tom Powers, Clifford Riedel Jr., Mary Sollers, Janet Sopko, Carol Spensley PERSONS WHO ARE HOMEBOUND Lilo Frey ~ Ruth Jeckel ~ Dorothy Myers ~ Alma Schmidt ~ George Schwark ~ Esther Slack ~ Johanna Wismar ~ Velma Wolff ~ Ann Zupan Please keep these friends in your thoughts and prayers

6 DECEMBER SPECIAL WORSHIP SCHEDULE Sundays in Advent We will once again gradually decorate the church, adding greens and the tree, and finishing decorating for Christmas after Advent 4 on December 22. Sunday December 15 Third Sunday in Advent ONE service of worship L.I.F.E. Together Christmas service A Star is Born Holy Communion WILL be celebrated at this service. Sunday December 22 Fourth Sunday in Advent ONE service of worship Lessons and Carols for Christmas. This year we will be using the traditional format from Kings College at Cambridge University in England. Holy Communion will be celebrated at this service, and following worship we will finish decorating the church for Christmas. Tuesday December 24 Christmas Eve 6:30 PM Christmas Eve Worship with carols, Holy Communion, and a special sermon time with the children. 10:00 PM This service will also include candlelight, carols, and Holy Communion with a traditional sermon. Sunday December 29 First Sunday of Christmas ONE worship service. Carol setting of Holy Communion. LIFE Together Classes are in recess until January 6. Tuesday December 31 New Year's Eve 7:00 PM Service of the Word for Healing Winter weather is on its way soon! If the weather seems too severe, please stay home and be safe. If we are going to cancel worship, we will let you know by an all congregational AND voice mail when you call the church number

7 SAVE THE DATE The Fifteenth Annual Brass Choir Benefit Concert is planned for Sunday Afternoon, January 19, 2014, 3:00 p.m. Works by Bach, Bernstein, Gabrieli, Grainger, Mancini, Schuman, Sondheim, Sousa, Vaughan Williams, and others It s not too early to begin looking forward to that time of year once again when Bethel s sanctuary will be filled with the sounds of thrilling brass and percussion music. Those who have attended past concerts know that this is a time of experiencing brass and percussion music at its best, played by professional musicians from the Greater Cleveland area and around the state. These musicians donate their time and talent, and love to come to Bethel to play in our acoustically live space. All proceeds from a free-will offering will go to Middleburg Early Education Center s Marilyn Edwards Scholarship Fund. The monies collected that afternoon will be partially matched by Thrivent Financial for Lutherans. MEEC parents work hard at various fundraisers throughout the year. Even so, it s a constant struggle to keep tuitions affordable and to help families who need financial assistance. Consequently, Middleburg Early Education Center has established The Marilyn Edwards Scholarship Fund, which is administered by the Board of Trustees. When funds are available, the Board awards scholarships to families who could not otherwise take advantage of the excellent services offered by MEEC. This Brass Choir concert will make it possible for several children to receive partial scholarships for the next school year. Please mark your calendar and come out on January 19 th to enjoy the concert and support a worthy cause. Bring a friend. A time of refreshment and fellowship will follow.

8 SHARING NEWS ABOUT GFF MEMBER, DEANNA C. DILLEY We, at God s Faithful Followers, are very proud of one of our friends, Deanna Dilley, and wish to share information about her talents and a recent honor. Deanna is a delightful person who loves to write poetry. The Special Olympics Oath (shown below) which she wrote was featured by a disability on-line newspaper, ABLE (The Newspaper--Positively For, By, and About the Disabled)--the United Kingdom edition. The content of her poem was used in the production of a video by Coca-Cola, a sponsor of the Special Olympics Summer Games in Great Britain. See: Let Me Win: Special Olympics 2013/Coca-Cola GB-YouTube (or)... [yt] Special Olympics Oath By Deanna C. Dilley LET ME WIN... No matter what sport, You always play to win. But if I can not win... You don t always come in first, But having fun and making new friends is all that should matter anyhow. Let me be brave in the attempt... If you have a fall, Or score for the opponent s team, Don t give up. Instead, refresh yourself where you left off. Athletes always remember these three simple phrases. Let me win, But if I can not win, Let me be brave in the attempt. Locally, Deanna was honored at the Via Quest Annual Senior Staff Support Care Conference in Columbus, Ohio, on September 25, 2013, where she read the Special Olympics Oath to the audience. On her behalf, a conference member also read another of her poems, entitled, I Am America.

9 I Am America! By: Deanna C. Dilley I m the red and white stripes, representing thirteen colonies. I m the bright starts, shining over fifty states. I m the Statue of Liberty, standing tall in New York. I m the Great Liberty Bell, ringing clear in Pennsylvania. I m the Great Lakes, spreading across the country. I m the trees and grass, feeding and housing all in the wild. I m the teachers, educating our children. I m the wealthy, feeding the poor. I m every author, telling their stories. I m every musician, sharing their songs. I m the officers of law, patrolling our streets. I m the soldiers, fighting for our home. I m the Boy Scouts, learning to be brave. I m the Girl Scouts, helping one another I m Old Glory, blowing in the wind. I m the red, white and blue; colors which mean Freedom, Courage and Pride.

10 NE Ohio Synod's "Journey Forward" Project The Northeastern Ohio Synod recently rolled out a "Journey Forward" project. This is an every-congregation long-term project to become clear about whose we are, who we are, and whom we serve in God's name. It is a way for us to realize the Synod's five initiatives: every congregation is a mission station; excellent worship; authentically Lutheran; faithful, fervent, focused leadership; and "we're all in this together." Journey Forward Purpose The Northeastern Ohio Synod, journeying forward together as individual members, congregations, and the Synod, will engage in spiritual discernment to see where God is calling us to tend to the Gospel and love God by serving our neighbor. The Synod is not just the bishop and staff at Cuyahoga Falls. The Synod is all of us together. The word Synod means to walk together and that s precisely what Journey Forward is designed to do. Journey Forward's Goal and Task Goal: To discern God s Will for the future of our congregation and the cluster by integrating the information we gather with Spiritual Practices. Task: Rather than seeing ourselves as 182 different congregations in the Northeastern Ohio Synod, we should see ourselves as one single congregation in 182 different places. The Journey Forward task is to see ourselves in Jesus as: One single Northeastern Ohio (Synod) Congregation Building spiritual disciplines, relationships, and gathering data Engaging in communal spiritual discernment Congregational Teams Each congregation in the Journey Forward program will have a "Congregational Team" to: Build relationships and gather and analyze data Attend Custer Meetings to train and find out where God is present in the group of churches Report to congregations on progress and help to make decisions for their congregation's future Bethel's Congregational Team Bethel's team members are Ray Herzog, Dan Karp, Sue Van Straaten, Elfi Shuster, and Pastor Krebill, plus one more to be added. The team's first activity was an October 3rd training meeting with other Synod churches. Our team's first assignment, at a meeting at Bethel on October 29th, was to create a list of five things for which our congregation is grateful, which give us hope, and where we notice God's love: (1) A clear Gospel focus that has allowed us to change and adapt over the years, and an eagerness to follow wherever the Holy Spirit might lead us into the future. (2) A strong emphasis on education for people of all ages as well as future leaders in the church (seminary interns and college-student choir directors). (3) A true community of faith, where children, youth and adults worship, learn, play, and work together in a culture of open and honest attitude and communication. (4) A strong heart for ministries that serve those in need. (5) Newcomers find a place here for them through our genuinely friendly welcome. This is the first in a series of articles about the "Journey Forward" project. Look for updates in BeTheLight and News & Views. Our team is looking for one more member. If you would like to help plan Bethel's future through this journey, please see Pastor Krebill.

11 December Birthdays and Anniversaries 2 Jennifer Cajka ~ Elizabeth Johnson 3 Ray Schwandt ~ M/M Edmund Harbart Judy Bailey ~ Johanna Wismar ~ M/M Eugene Feher Georgia Bobrosky 9 Robert Leidy ~ Max Ciccarello 11 Pam Barker 12 Rochelle Gold 14 Louis Pamer 16 Bob Minut 17 Norman Heger ~ Denise Podsiadlo 18 Marie Hvizdos ~ Merri Karp ~ Matthew Pickens 19 M/M Robert L. Pickens Ryan English ~ Eugene Feher 21 M/M Alan Bobrosky M/M Gerhard Wisbar Lilo Frey ~ M/M James Daedelow Henry Ritzmann 27 Laura Lee Costa 28 Elfrieda Schuster ~ M/M Henry Vasil Lia Vanadia

12 January Birthdays and Anniversaries 2 Charles Behm 3 Leah Leidy 5 Phyllis Feher 9 Alex Ciccarello 14 Viola Dase ~ Jennifer English 15 Bryan Ciccarello 17 Taylor M. Geraci 21 Herbert Drescher 23 Timothy Engish 27 Bob Thompson