The Echo. January New Year Prayer

Transcription

1 January 2019 A publication of Bethany United Methodist Church, Weyers Cave, VA WHAT S INSIDE 2 From the Pastor s Desk 3 Young at Hearts & BUM BITES 4 Mission Update 5 Goals & Visioning 5 Financial Update 6 Birthdays & Prayer List 7 January Calendar If you would like and currently don t receive the church newsletter and other important updates by , please send your address to Cindy Kite at office.bethany@gmail.com. New Year Prayer Thank You Lord for giving me The brand new year ahead. Help me live the way I should As each new day I tread. Give me gentle wisdom That I might help a friend, Give me strength and courage So a shoulder I might lend. The year ahead is empty, Help me fill it with good things Each new day filled with joy And happiness it brings. Amen. 1

2 From the Pastor s Desk Hello Bethany and Happy New Year! I hope you and yours are well and I am praying that you have a blessed new year. Did you hear that small three letter word? NEW. New is a very interesting word, isn t it! At our home we are dealing with NEW. A kitten has adopted us. Woohoo! This kitten showed up one day many months ago. And we could soon see that he needed something to eat. And to make a long story short, he now lives inside our home. And now about the NEW part of all of this is! We have a small kitten with older cats and that changes EVERYTHING!! Everything is new. For the older cats they would easily walk by a string on the floor. For the new kitten, this string is now a three hour battle for dominance and strength. This newness has changed our lives, our sleeping habits and our home. Sometimes new is exciting and sometimes new is challenging. But this reminds me of a song. It is entitled Through It All. The message goes like this... Through it all. Through it all. I ve learned to trust in Jesus, I ve learned to trust in God. That is a simple song with a simple message, but WOW how true it is! In the NEW, in the change, in the valleys and mountains, learning to trust in God can offer us hope and peace. Because God is not shaken by new things, because in Him, He makes all things new. Pastor Mary and I would like to thank all for the generous gift we received Christmas Eve. I am most blessed to be your pastor. I pray that God richly blesses you and yours this coming New Year. -Pastor John So in this New Year I hope that you find that you can trust in the Lord. And also I trust that you might call me up soon as you are in need of a new kitten. Oh! And before I forget to tell you God Loves You, and So Do I! Pastor John P.S. Another change was that the kitten that adopted us, has now been adopted by a wonderful family! 2

3 Celebrate New Year s You are invited to celebrate New Year s Day with the Young at Hearts! They will meet on Tuesday, Jan. 1 at noon to have some good ole fun and fellowship, along with some very good food at Wood Grill in Harrisonburg. You can contact Carolyn Swartz at or at swartz1204@aol.com if you have questions about the group or are interested in coming. If you are 55 or older, and young at heart, make your New Year s resolution to join this feisty group of seniors who meet the first Tuesday of each month! The Bethany Young at Hearts are like Sweet Tarts. Each special in their own way, sharing handshakes, hugs, smiles, and jokes each Sunday. Sit and talk, they have so much to give, offering wisdom on the best way to live. Some are not here among us, finding their place in heaven, but who would have known the unforgettable memories given to cherish even when I am grown. I have much love for all you blessed angels from above. You may not realize just how special you are being a Bethany guiding star, Thankful for each of you part of the Young at Heart crew. You are wished many blessings and cheer this Christmas and New Year! Written by Jac Bridges BUM BITES Wow I can't believe as I am writing this article that we are 8 days from Christmas! I for one am looking forward to spending time with family, well most of them. I am looking forward to celebrating the true meaning of Christmas with my Bethany Family and with my own family. For those who were able to attend the Christmas play this past Sunday night, I was proud of the youth that were involved. They were AWESOME and they did a great job helping the younger ones. I will also brag on them with all the help they provided during our Mission Sunday. I saw so many cooking, packing food, making cards and so much more. I love seeing our youth involved. Our last BUM BASH was AWESOME! We enjoyed the fellowship with Pastor John and Pastor Mary. We had a great evening playing games, opening presents, and re-decorating Pastor John s home! All the youth are excited for their Christmas break, not sure about the parents! Let's be praying for all the travel, exams that are happening, and all the activities our youth are involved in. Once again thanks for your support of the Youth Ministry and being active with our Youth at Bethany. Merry Christmas Blessings, Shawn Cook 3

4 Missions Update January can you believe it is a new year, already? Amazing how time flies by. We hope you enjoyed the holidays and are ready for a new year with Bethany and with missions! Thank you to all our bell ringers that we had on two Saturdays in December. One was at Belk in the mall and the other was at Shenandoah Valley Heritage Market. You all did a great job and we appreciated all the help. THANKS to Maggie for setting up the Mission Sunday on Dec. 9. Thanks to all of you who stayed afterwards and helped with the mission projects that we had set up. We had a ton of people show up and help with those jobs. It was greatly appreciated by the mission team. Thanks for all the help that you always do. Attention! Attention! ADULT MISSION TRIP 2019 to CROSS in Plymouth, NC, March 24 th -29 th We hope you will prayerfully consider joining us for all or part of the week! More details as the trip gets closer, if you have any questions see Maggie Rhodes. We will take you if this is your first mission trip or your twentieth. We need all the help we can get. It will change your life and help change lives of those that need help. Chairs: Lori Mooney, Brownsugarcookie@yahoo.com Maggie Rhodes, r.maggieanne@gmail.com Dear Members of Bethany UMC, On behalf of all the members of Bridgewater Rescue Squad, I want to thank you for your kind gesture and the delicious food you prepared for our members. We are glad we can serve the community and it is always gratifying to know it is appreciated. Thanks for your effort and support. Sincerely, Dale Gardner, President Bridgewater Volunteer Rescue Squad Thank you for all for your donations to Open Doors. They were extremely thankful for your generosity. We will continue to collect items over the winter months. At this time, they mostly need donations of socks, underwear (new/all sizes/for men and women), lightly-used or new gloves, and Wal-Mart gift cards to buy medicine for guests. Donations can be left in the basket in the Gathering Space. Questions? Contact Maggie Rhodes. 4

5 Goals & Visioning Planning Meeting Hello Bethany Family! I believe it is our Call to listen and be led by God s Voice. And there are times that we need to be intentional about taking the time to hear from God and the direction that He would like for His Church to go. So, with this in mind, there will be a Goals and Visioning Planning meeting on Saturday, Jan. 26 from 8 am - 2 pm. All church council members and committee chairs are encouraged to attend! Here are a few details to think about We will have a pancake breakfast from 7:45-8:15 am. Eddie Moyer will be the head chef! Around noon, there will be a Subway lunch provided. If you can, please bring a drink of your choice (remember, it is church!) and a bag of chips or a dessert. Also be praying about how you think God might be using Bethany for His Purpose and Will. And how we will respond. Blessings, Pastor John BUM POST OFFICE The BUM POST OFFICE will be open through Sunday, Jan. 6. Thank you for supporting the youth summer mission trip by contributing.25 cents per mailed card. And boy, oh, boy, did you ever mail cards! The baskets are OVERFLOWING! Please remember to stop by the table in the fellowship hall and pick up cards mailed to you by your church family! Praying God gives you a year of favor full of His unending love. May the favor of the Lord our God rest on us Psalm 90:17a Greeters Needed It can be very difficult and anxious time the first time you push open the door and enter a new church, which is why our greeters are so important to Bethany! First impressions are lasting and having someone greet you with a smile and welcome you into our church is very impactful. There s no special talent required, just a friendly smile and a warm handshake this job was made for you! And, it s not an every Sunday commitment! A sign-up sheet is at the Welcome Center. Questions? Contact Mary Beth Schwab at mschwab25@aol.com. As you can tell by the table, we are currently behind the budget by $16, and this is after the Christmas Eve offering was posted. However, we still have the Dec. 30 offering to post. As of Week #51 Budget 238, Where We Should Be 233, If you would like to give to the 2018 budget, all giving has to be at the church or post-marked no later than Dec. 31 to be included on your 2018 contribution statement. Bethany Where We Are Deficit of 217, (16,589.58) needs your support to continue with their ministries and missions and carry on our Vision Statement to connect with God in community, to grow in our likeness to Jesus Christ, and to serve our neighbors. Thanks for your support! 5

6 January 1st 7th 8th 12th 13th 15th 17th 18th 20th 21st 24th 27th 28th 29th 30th Kim Moyer Jake Dunsmore MacKenzie Crawford Krisalyn Mooney Billy Ryan Sharon Kiser Abby Michael Mark Whitecotton Sharon Northrop Rhylan Metcalfe Abe Smith Aaron Lucas Barbara Miller Pam Roller Randy Roller Kendra Koneski Jean Houff Peggy Lucas Barbara Johnson Mary Lock February 1st 2nd 3rd 4th 6th Jackie Dunsmore Reid Hill Gary Ruleman Pam Lynn Chase Hutchinson 11th 14th 18th 19th 21st 22nd 24th 25th 28th Paige Crawford Bradley Dunsmore Laura Lucas Natalie Hiner Sandra Campbell Beth Blackmer Stephen Blackmer Molly Rhodes Mark Streiff If your birthday is listed on the wrong day, or has been missed, please notify the office at We would love to get it right! Prayer List Members Bud & Barbara Somers, Joe & Noelle Howard, Warren & Dottie Wilfong, Linda Byers, Jan & Tom Gorden, Hazel Truslow, Margaret Crickenberger, Kenny Shifflett, Todd Ott, Sidney Moyer, Jerry Cook, Joe & Bobbie Meeks, Mary Tyree, Kenneth Diehl If you would like to send a card to Todd Ott, his address is: 7500 Ford View Road Weyers Cave, VA Congratulations to G.R. and Hilary Davis on the birth of their son, Garland Ray Davis, III born on Dec

7 1 12 Noon - Young at Hearts am - Caring Cards pm - SPPRC Meeting am - Men s Prayer Breakfast 20 Deadline for February Newsletter Articles am - 2 pm - Goals & Visioning Planning Meeting :30 pm - Food Pantry Meal WEEKLY SCHEDULE Sundays 8:30 am Contemporary Worship Service 9:50 am Sunday School for all ages 11 am Traditional Worship Service Mondays 4-5 pm Food Pantry Wednesday 7 pm Praise & Worship Practice 7

8 Bethany United Methodist Church 3700 Lee Highway Weyers Cave, VA Goal & Visioning Planning Meeting Saturday, Jan am - 2 pm The Echo The Echo A Publication of Bethany United Methodist Church 3700 Lee Highway, Weyers Cave, VA (540) John Lock, Pastor pastorjohn.bethany@gmail.com Shawn Cook, Youth Director Marguerite McDonald, Organist & Choir Director Dale Roller, Praise Band Leader Cindy Kite, Secretary/Treasurer Phil & Ruth Ann Mikesell, Sextons February Newsletter Deadline: Jan. 20, 2019 Please submit articles to Cindy Kite at office.bethany@gmail.com At Bethany we Connect with God in community Grow in our likeness to Jesus Christ Serve our neighbors 8