Your Mission, Should You Choose to Accept It

Transcription

1 Bethany Congregational Church Volume 4 March,, 2014 Number 1 Foxborough, Massachusetts All-Church Dinner and Discussion Series Join Pastor Derek for dinner, a short film, and conversation on Tuesday evenings during Lent! We will meet Tuesdays from 6:30 pm 8:00 pm starting March 11 and running through April 15. We ll eat together, watch one of the films from the NOOMA Series, and break into smaller groups for discussion. If you haven t signed up yet be sure to sign up this Sunday on the bulletin board in the Fellowship Hall or contact Pastor Derek or Deb Byron. Your Mission, Should You Choose to Accept It MISSION POSSIBLE 4! Your Mission is to join Bethany Church s elite team on Saturday, April 5 th for our fourth annual Mission Possible day. Bethany adults and families will be heading out as a church community to do all kinds of mission projects in Jesus name! One of our service opportunities, appropriate for any participant, is described below. Stay tuned for more information! Lenten Family Mission Opportunity Bethany is hosting a children s clothing drive during the month of March. Get your kids to help you rid those drawers and closets of their out-grown clothing! The clothing drive will benefit Cradles to Crayons. Cradles to Crayons (C2C) is a non-profit organization that distributes clothes, school supplies, and other items to children age 12 and younger living in homeless and very low-income situations all over our area. Drop off donations of gently used, clean children s clothing anytime during March in the brightly colored boxes in Fellowship Hall and by the elevator on the first floor. In addition, families may volunteer to help sort and package all the donations on Saturday morning April 5th at Bethany as part of the Mission Outreach Committee s 4th annual MISSION POSSIBLE DAY! (Deb Byron is clothing drive contact person.) Worry is interest paid on trouble before it is due. 1

2 Dear Bethany Friends, How exciting to finally welcome Pastor Derek and his family to Bethany! Although it s another change, (and I believe I m on record as not a fan of that C word!), I feel so energized by this change! God uses ministry change to bring fresh vision and renewed purpose to His church. It seemed perfect this morning to sing the song with the refrain, Lord, light the fire again! during worship. If you have been in a holding pattern or have distanced yourself from Bethany during the past 18 months between settled pastors, I encourage you to re-join us this is the fun part of our transition journey! Let s open our hearts and minds to all the possibilities the Holy Spirit might present over the next months. Let s renew our commitment to each other by participating fully in the life of this wonderful body of Christ. And let s refresh our own faith lives as we enter into the season of Lent. One way to do this is to be part of the Devotion - Dinner - Discussion series during Lent we re calling 3D. For this 6-week series, Pastor Derek will use a few of the short NOOMA films by pastor and teacher Rob Bell as a tool to talk about our everyday lives from the perspective of Jesus. We ll meet Tuesday evenings March 11 April 5 at 6:30 pm. After enjoying a meal together, we will watch the film, and then break into smaller groups for conversation about what we heard. Then we ll gather back in a large group for dessert and wrap up. Many of you have signed up to participate in this already but if you haven t it s not too late. We ll also need people willing to help with the nuts and bolts: dinner, set-up, clean-up, child care, and so on, so please let me or Pastor Derek know if you can serve as well as participate! It is tremendously comforting and empowering, as we begin this new journey as a church family, to be reminded of what actually never changes Christ, who Paul says in Romans 8: 28, works all things together for our good as we love him and are called according to his purpose. Yours in Christ, Deb Byron Director of Discipleship and Children s Ministries 2

3 The Little Church that Can How many remember the children s book The Little Engine that Could? It s a wonderful story of a little train engine, used in the train yard for turning cars around; and who pulled cars of toys and good things to eat for the little boys and girls on the other side of the mountain. At the beginning of the story the big engines were too busy to take the time to lend a helping hand. The task fell to the little engine, who at first was unsure if it could pull the cars over the mountain. The story focuses on the little train, but there are unsung heroes in the background. The toys on the train took the initiative to ask for help. They asked and asked and asked for help over and over again to get over the mountain. Even when they found a willing volunteer, the little engine, they had to encourage that volunteer to take the step of faith. It wasn t the little engine that pulled toys and good things to eat over the mountain; it was a team working together that accomplished the task. Jesus asks his disciples to do things that go beyond what they think their limits are. A perfect example of this is when Jesus asks the disciples to feed the They urge Jesus to send the people home to get some food. Jesus challenges them to feed the people gathered. They look at the cost of providing food for all the people. They look at the logistics of where to get the food to feed the people. They look at the challenges of distributing the food. They can t see how to do it. So Jesus asks a little boy sitting in the crowd to come forward with his basket of fish and bread. Jesus blesses the food and has the boy share the food with the crowd. The gospel writers never share how the food multiplied to feed the people. Did the basket just keep filling up by some miracle or did the people share with each other what they had for food? The disciples question of how to make it happen is never fully answered in the story. All we know is that Jesus encouraged a small boy to share what he had for food with others and 5000 were feed. Who are the people in the story not mentioned that enabled this miracle to happen? What initiative did they take in the distribution of the food? What encouragement did they offer as the food was being passed around? How did they hold themselves accountable? How did they know what to do when the disciples had no plan? Anything is possible with the right attitude. The challenge is finding enough people with the right attitude to make it happen. I have only been at Bethany for a short while but already I have learned how Pastor Paul s attitude has influenced so many of you. No dream is impossible. I want to carry on that spirit of all things are possible through Christ. In following that spirit and the lesson of Christ in the feeding of the 5000, I ask the family of Bethany Congregational Church to come together in serving Christ in our community. I ask that we provide 5000 meals to the community before December 31 st, The challenge will be not to ask How is the church going to do that?, but to ask How I can help to make that possible? What is more important: to be the name in the story or to make the story that inspires others? I dream that when people in our community talk about Bethany they say that it is a Church that follows Christ. Let us use the evangelism of St Francis of Assisi, Preach the Gospel and when necessary use words. Thank you for welcoming my family and me to Bethany. I look forward to what God is teaching us. Pastor, Rev. Derek White 3

4 NEWS BYG! Bethany Youth Group We have some dynamic programs planned for March 2014! The Jr. High meets 5:00-6:30 pm and Senior High meets 6:45-8:30 pm on Sunday evenings. March 2: Un-Real Reality... March 9: Ping Pong Panic! March 16: Mustard Seeds... March 23: Bare Feet! Our program schedule for Spring 2014 The Spring Fridge Flyer will be out soon! We are super-excited about the programs we have planned for April, May and June! Stay tuned!!!! Confirmation Class News: The Second Year Confirmation Class is going on a Retreat to Craigville! Our sophomore High School Confirmands and their Mentors will be heading to Cape Cod for the annual Confirmation Retreat. This year s retreat program will be held on Friday March 28 th through Sunday March 30 th. For more information, please contact Anne Marie Holloway, our Director of Youth Ministries: holloway@bethanychurch.org. The First Year confirmation class continues to meet regularly on Sunday mornings from 9:15-10:15. Mission Outreach Committee News Dear Friends, We pray that your New Year is going well and that you are blessed in the Lord! Harvest Hands has encountered expenses this year for the work in Mexico that are outside of the normal monthly bills. Our regular support is not sufficient to cover these. Please prayerfully consider helping us get through this challenging time. Perhaps your church would be able to help as well. 1. Annual property taxes at Resplandor de Vida Children s Home: $ Balance due on one-time building taxes for RDV-(Children s Home site): $6, Annual Registration of RDV vehicles: $ Initial Registration of 2 vehicles we exported to RDV: $ Sunday School material for 2 MX churches & 1 cell group (a total of 250 people): $ A government required computer program for RDV to report directly to their Federal Government Tax Dept. electronically: $271 TOTAL NEED: $8,492 We are grateful for your prayers & support to Harvest Hands Ministries & Resplandor de Vida! Thank you! Serving Him, Garry & Terry Mathewson CPR/AED Training Night - Wednesday, March 19th at 6:30 Has your CPR certification expired? Or do you say to yourself, "Someday I'll take a CPR class?" Your time has come! We will be hosting a CPR/AED training night at the church on Wednesday, March 19th at 6:30 p.m. The cost is $40 ($36 if we have more than 10, and it appears we will). Registering is necessary! Contact Nancy Kaeser at kaeser@ bethanychurch.org or call the church office to sign up. Please bring payment to the class. IT Services Companies Sought Do you or your local business have an area IT service company that you would recommend to our church as a dependable resource provider? We are building a resource list for technology projects and troubleshooting. Please provide the office with contact info for any providers you would recommend. 4

5 Discipleship Opportunities: Contact Deb Byron at org for more information about any of these. Wednesday Morning Bible Study NEW FOR LENT! Starting on March 5th and continuing through Easter we will be using Adam Hamilton s DVD series, 24 Hours that Changed the World to walk through the last day of Christ s life on earth in human form. He encourages us to put ourselves in the position of every major character that had a major impact on the proceedings. We are Judas, Peter, John, Pilate, the Council, and others. We are asked to seriously consider our humanly weaknesses, our prejudices, and our plan to become even closer to God and move ourselves further along our faith walk. Join us 9:30 10:30! Contact Deb Byron for more information. NEW! A book discussion group will be held on the fourth Tuesday of each month at 4 p.m. in the Parlor. Members of the group will share responsibility for selecting each month's title and leading the discussion. For more information contact Jane Michelmore at Upper Room Devotional Bible Study - Join Carol Fraser every 2nd and 4th Thursday at 7:00 pm to read and discuss teachings and insight from The Upper Room devotional. All are welcome! Basket Cases This is a group of missionminded folks who show Jesus love for the women and children of New Hope, a homeless shelter, through monthly gift baskets. They gather donations of seasonal treats and package them up in gift baskets for families who often arrive with just the clothes on their backs. Contact Carol Fraser to help out! Coffee & Chat - Are your kids getting to the stage where you re doing less mothering and more worrying? Do you want to talk with others experiencing the challenges of parenthood and find Christ-centered support? Join Libby Carter at the Commons Eatery in Foxboro Sunday mornings at 8:00. Serving children 2.9* - 5 years old Developmental Program Call to schedule a visit Enrolling Now! (508) kaeser@bethanychurch.org *NEW for Fall 2014! Now accepting students from 2.9 yrs. Book of Life Chancel Flowers February 2 nd, given to the glory of God and in loving memory of Wallace Read, former Scout Master of Troop 7, by his family. February 9 th, given to the glory of God and in loving memory of Matthew Sullivan by his parents, Lois and Bill Sullivan. February 16 th, given to the glory of God and in celebration of the arrival of Pastor Derek White and his family. February 23 rd, given to the glory of God and in loving memory of Shirley Treweek by her family. Congratulations to the following second graders celebrating their First Communion, and a very special thank you to their Communion Class teachers, Bev Kelly and Chris Hughes! Brynne Bryant Dominick Cataloni Ethan Hawrylciw Faith Holloway Marisa Hughes Grace Kaeser Jamie Levesque Emma Nappa Sophie Pop-Vicas Caroline Seitz Ben Snyder The deadline for the next edition of The Bethany Bell is Friday, March 21st at 8:30 a.m. Material may be submitted to haney@bethany church.org. Thanks! 5

6 WORSHIP VOLUNTEERS Deacon of the Service Traditional Service 3/2 Jim McKinney 3/9 Mark Hawrylciw 3/16 Mark Hawrylciw 3/23 Bill Hughes 3/30 Tom Garcia Contemporary Service 3/2 Tom Garcia 3/9 Deb Graham 3/16 Deb Graham 3/23 Dave Fisher 3/30 Jim McKinney Nursery Volunteers Traditional Service 3/2 Mary-Lou Pike 3/9 Janet See 3/16 Aurora Pop-Vicas 3/23 ** 3/30 Deb Mertz Contemporary Service 3/2 Brenna Murphy 3/9 Angela Maynard 3/16 Meghan Hayward 3/23 Emily Maynard 3/30 Brenna Murphy Service Readers Traditional Service 3/2 Julie Cline 3/9 Dick Hobbs 3/16 Penni Jenkins 3/23 Deb Graham 3/30 Ellen Dean Contemporary Service 3/2 Bev Crocker 3/9 Peter Lathrop 3/16 Pat Scagnoli 3/23 Bev Crocker 3/30 Michele Rogers Ushers/Greeters 3/2 3/9 Bruce Hainsworth, Bev & Tom Crocker, Rick Lewis 3/16 Arianna Boling, Ann Conaty, Michele & Scott Rogers 3/23 Lynn & Dave Burns, Roland Demers, Dorothy Vosburgh 3/30 Denise & Mark Homer, Lois & Bill Sullivan ** We have an opening, could YOU help? Play It Again, Sam! Reruns from previous newsletters, but worth repeating! Community Dinners The Mission Outreach Committee will be hosting free Community Dinners on the second Saturday of each month. Our next one is March 8th at 5:00 pm. The Committee would appreciate Bethany volunteers to meet and greet our guests as well help with the meal preparation and service. Please call Carol Fraser at or Jane Michelmore at if you are interested in helping out or if you have any questions. Parlor Chats with the Elders The Elders would like to invite you to sit and chat about any church issue that is on your mind. What do you like? What would you like to see changed. Perhaps you have questions we can answer. We will meet the first Sunday of the month in the parlor between the two services so that everyone can come. See you then. Christmas Fair News! Save the Date! Saturday, December 6th, 2014! It s not too soon to start thinking about Christmas Fair, 2014! We welcome our new Chairperson, Dale Andersen, and are already thinking up new and exciting ideas. Here are things to keep in mind during the year: -Start a pile in your closet, garage, attic, or cellar, of gently-used items for Gramma! -Pick up an extra souvenir of anyplace you visit this year, and donate it to the Fair! -The bookworm in the Book Nook has already started collecting fiction, cookbooks, music and movies for next year! Call her, Glenda Haney, to arrange to donate any time during the year. -Keep an eye out for cool ideas for crafts, or new recipes for the Bake Table and Candy Table! 6

7 For more information about any of the following Community announcements, look on the Community Bulletin Board outside the Church Office or call us at The Foxboro Food Pantry is currently in need of the following: -boxed mac & cheese -canned pasta -canned vegetables -canned beef stew -soup (especially chowder) -cereal -peanut butter and jelly -tuna Donations may be dropped off at the church, and they ll count towards our Feeding the 5000 program! Charity Art Auction An art auction on March 15 th at 7:00 at the Foxborough Country Club, including a live auction, silent auction, and music will benefit the Doolittle Home of Foxboro. Tickets are limited and may be ordered for $25 by calling , or purchased at the door for $30. The Attleboro Area Council of Churches is hosting Joey and Marie s Italian Wedding on March 22 nd at 5:00 PM at the Attleboro Elks Lodge, 887 South Main Street. This event is a fundraising benefit for Food n Friends Program which serves 42,000 hot meals a year. Tickets are $45 or $425 for a table of ten. To order tickets, please call our office at (508) or order online at The Cub and Boy Scouts of Foxboro are Holding Their 16 th Annual Pancake Breakfast On Sunday March 23 rd from 7:30am - 11:30am at the John J. Ahern Middle School Cafeteria, 111 Mechanic Street, join us for a $5 per person, all you can eat breakfast! Children under 5 are free, and tickets will available at the door. The proceeds will benefit Cub & Boy Scouts of Foxboro, with a portion of the proceeds will benefit a local cause or organization. 7 An Irish Prayer May those who love us, love us And those who don t love us, May God turn their hearts And if He doesn t turn their hearts, May He turn their ankles So we ll know them by their limping. March 9 th! It was Palm Sunday and, because of a sore throat, five-year-old Johnny stayed home from church with a sitter. When the family returned home, they were carrying several palm branches. The boy asked what they were for. "People held them over Jesus' head as he walked by," his older brother explained. "Wouldn't you know it," the boy fumed. "The one Sunday I don't go, He showed up!"