The Beacon. Ambassadors...

Transcription

1 The Beacon I N S I D E T H I S I S S U E : A U G U S T Malawian visit 2 August Calendar 3 August Birthdays 4 Military List Music Notes 5 Voice for Ministry BYG: Jamacia 6 Bethany Help 7 Wanted Ads Church Picnic 8 Ambassadors... On Sunday morning, July 31, we gathered for worship with our Malawi partners, Abusa (Pastor) Joseph Maganga and Elder Bestor Ndisale. They answered inquisitive questions from the children, shared reflections on their stay with us, and taught us Malawi worship songs. Joseph preached the sermon on the necessity of love, God s Love, as the foundation and the expression of the partnership. We concluded with the Sacrament of Holy Communion and a rousing sending song by the choir, Halle, Halle, Halle. In the service we also commissioned twelve men and women for the West Virginia mission trip. After the services they loaded up donated food and supplies, circled for prayer and headed off to Rainelle, West Virginia, the heart of the area devastated by recent floods. As you read this, they are there doing whatever is most needed in the flood recovery for that area. On Sunday evening over two-hundred people gathered at East Liberty Presbyterian Church for the Partnership Gala, celebrating twenty-five years of partnership with the Pittsburgh Presbytery, Blantyre Synod of Malawi and more recently the Evangelical Presbyterian Church of South Sudan. Joining us for the dinner was the Malawian Ambassador to the United States. Acknowledging that he has the title of ambassador, he gazed at the crowd and declared, You are the real ambassadors. He urged us to pray for Malawi, for one another, and for the grace of God in Christ to spread in our nations. The Ambassador is not the first to say it. The Apostle Paul wrote, We are ambassadors for Christ, God making his appeal through us. We are the real ambassadors...you...me...us together as the body of Christ called Bethany. We are ambassadors in our prayers and giving, our worship and serving with people near and far. Quite an honor. Quite a calling. How are we doing? How are you doing? Mulungu akiedalitseni May God Bless you, John Hamilton

2 Pictures with Our Malawian Guests

3 P A G E 3 AUGUST 2016 Sun Mon Tue Wed Thu Fri Sat 1 7:00 PM Dartball Captains Meeting 7:00 PM Deacon Meeting :00 AM Fellowship of Prayer 4 9:15 AM Quilting 12:00 PM Thursday 7:00 PM AA Mtg 7:30 PM Sunday evening service rehearsal :15 AM Worship 10:00 AM Worship 3:00 PM Bridgeville Brass Concert 6:00 PM Worship 7:00 PM Sm Gp Mtg :15 AM Quilting 12:00 PM Thursday 7:00 PM AA Mtg 7:30 PM Sunday evening service rehearsal 12 12:00 PM Men's Friday Lunch at Kings Restaurant 13 9:00 AM PW Bible study 11:00 AM Saturday 14 8:15 AM Worship 10:00 AM Worship 6:00 PM Worship 7:00 PM Sm Gp Mtg 21 8:15 AM Worship 10:00 AM Worship 6:00 PM Worship 7:00 PM Sm Gp Mtg 28 Church Picnic 8:15 AM Worship 10:00 AM Worship 6:00 PM Worship 7:00 PM Sm Gp Mtg :00 PM Session Meeting :00 PM PW Flower Bingo :15 AM Quilting 12:00 PM Golden Oldies Luncheon 12:00 PM Thursday 7:00 PM AA Mtg 7:30 PM Sunday evening service rehearsal 24 7:00 PM Boy Scouts 31 7:00 PM Boy Scouts 25 9:15 AM Quilting 12:00 PM Thursday 7:00 PM AA Mtg 7:30 PM Sunday evening service rehearsal :30 AM Food Bank 8:00 AM MOPS Retreat 26 12:00 PM Men's Friday Lunch at Kings Restaurant 6:00 PM Feed My Starving Children Dinner 27 9:00 AM PW Bible study 11:00 AM Saturday

4 Happy Birthday! 08/01 Carol Willhite 08/01 James Cawley 08/01 Cheryl Harold 08/01 Celina Farabaugh 08/01 Tyler De Rose 08/01 Case Martinec 08/02 Stefani Jazudek 08/03 Susan Radzik 08/03 Carolyn Garretson 08/03 Robert Butt 08/03 Joseph Patterson 08/03 Samantha Saracco 08/03 Lynn Underwood 08/03 Daine Lower 08/03 Ryan Doyle 08/03 John Wolstoncroft 08/04 Donna Slack 08/04 Tricia Gibson 08/04 Austin Abel 08/05 Bill Ramous 08/05 Brian Eater 08/05 Matthew Heasley 08/05 Melissa Ayres 08/05 Charles Wilson 08/06 Delphine Prohaska 08/06 Randi Shelton 08/06 Kimberly McAuley 08/06 Amy Vickless 08/06 Jennifer Jenkins 08/06 Brady Gullo 08/07 Frankie Palombi 08/07 Arnold McAuley 08/07 Jaymi Neely 08/07 Rylie Mendenhall 08/08 Dawn Starr Lytle 08/08 Jeffrey Miklavic 08/08 Laurie Steedle-Sysak 08/08 Alexandra Findley 08/09 Veva Tessmer 08/09 Teresa Dunn 08/09 Melinda Schweitzer 08/09 Jonathan Henderson 08/10 Shawn Zwigart 08/10 Margaret Nicholson 08/10 Shawn Arlet 08/10 Elizabeth Suppo 08/11 Harriet McCray 08/11 James Goerdt 08/11 Mark Wolstoncroft 08/11 Bettina Beattie 08/12 Stephanie Saracco 08/12 Emily Henderson 08/12 Tyler Carnahan 08/12 Leah Wallis 08/12 Marley Lynn Arlet 08/12 Finley Arlet 08/13 Brittany Poglein 08/13 Gregory Price 08/13 Sarah Smith 08/14 Joseph Del Conte 08/15 Randall Shaffer 08/15 Joseph DePaoli 08/15 Luke Bizzack 08/16 Sara Escobio 08/16 Ashley Vollmer 08/16 Jacob Kundra 08/16 Carson DeRoss 08/16 Erynn Barish 08/17 Rebecca Price 08/17 Bradley Miller 08/17 Joshua Naples 08/17 Darcy Julius 08/18 Jerod Witwicki 08/19 Barbara Druchniak 08/19 Debra Poglein 08/19 Colin Barbish 08/20 Audrey Clarke 08/20 Nicole Casciola 08/20 Cathy Fink 08/22 Mary Beth Hampson 08/22 Sylbia Kunst 08/22 Michael Shildt 08/22 Ashley McAuley 08/22 Ian Hunter 08/23 Sandra Miklavic 08/24 Molly Mazzanni 08/24 Jordan Underwood 08/24 Wesley Ytterberg 08/24 Ava Martinec 08/24 Sophia Martinec 08/25 Patricia Black 08/25 Mackenzie Smith 08/25 Lily Duffill 08/26 Eric Millerschoen 08/26 Benjamin Doyle 08/26 Harper Crabb 08/27 Stanley Underwood 08/27 William Gray 08/27 Amber Williams 08/28 Kathryn Martinec 08/29 Virginia Millerschoen 08/29 Ralph Wolstoncroft 08/30 Colleen Veneski 08/30 Patrick Harding 08/31 Dorothy Smith 08/31 Tracey De Rose 08/31 Rebecca Scalise 08/31 Noah Sommerfield Pray for Our Military Michael Avery Justin Aylor Robin Aylor Heather Ayres Beattie Mark Becker Anthony Benini Mark Cameron Aaron Cox Douglas Crabb Michael Daniels Jeff David Nicole David Stephen Doyle Justin Driskill Ryan Duffy Brian Ellis Kyle Ely Jason Fulmer Joshua Griffin Joel Harr Karen Weber Harr Chris Harrison Michael Hayes Tim Heath Quintin Held Matthew Iverson Dion Julian William N. Kennedy Krystina Litton Ryan Kelsey Richard Lawrence Justin Mack Bruce MacNeill Michael Matthews Gary McMIllan Kelli Mitchell Derek Mockel David Morgan Ian Murch Michael McFerron Andrew McGovern John Petkovich Joey Puharic Matt Read Scott Reese Maggie Ripley John J. Ross Beatriz Sachek Nicholas Sachek Kyle Schaffner Billy Segeleon David Semgrad Ryan Squires Scott Squires Linden St. Clair Evan Steckle Ben Stern, Jr. Stanley Taylor Paul Trusiak Scott Vokoun Matt Weber Samuel Wilson

5 Music Notes by John Henninger Gospitality P A G E 5 The community of Bridgeville led by the Bridgeville Civic League and members of the community at large gathered in Fairview Park for a festival of Christian music on July 16 and July 17. What a privilege it was to have been asked to participate in this event! Members of the Bethany Choir alongside members of the choir of the First Baptist Church of Bridgeville sang together at the Festival on Sunday, July 17. About 22 singers in all, we rehearsed the previous Wednesday evening. Thanks to all the Bethany Choir members who sang, to Ruth Doyle for offering the solo, to Jackie Nixon for coordinating our involvement and to our friends from First Baptist Church for singing with us. Make Music for the Lord During the month of August, when you are making your plans for the fall and considering which activities will be a priority for you and your family, consider a commitment to the music ministry of Bethany Church. There are so many ways to be involved through choir, bell ringing, solo offerings, cantata choir, children s choir, Youth bell ringers, cantata orchestra. Make this the year you sing to the Lord, a new song. A Voice for Ministry by Lisa Jo Colwell Psalm 23 New International Version (NIV) A P S AL M O F D AV I D. The Lord is my Shepherd, I lack nothing. He makes me lie down in green pastures, He leads me beside quiet waters, He refreshes my soul. He guides me along the right paths for His name s sake. Even though I walk through the darkest valley, I will fear no evil, for You are with me; Your rod and Your staff, they comfort me. You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies. You anoint my head with oil; my cup overflows. Surely Your goodness and love will follow me all the days of my life, and I will dwell in the house of the Lord forever. Let us reflect upon the provisions of our Lord to us. When we are lying down in green pastures, we are not worried. When we take His lead to quiet waters, we are in peace. God wants to refresh the soul part of us, the deep part of who we are. To be refreshed is to be revived be it with rest, food, or drink. May we reacquaint ourselves with the goodness of our Lord. A prayer. Thank you Lord for Your overflowing blessings to us. Amen.

6 PAGE 6 What We Saw in Jamaica Catadupa, Jamaica Mike Segeleon perfectly described the landscape of where we stayed as just like Jurassic Park. Everything there is huge! The leaves on the trees, the bamboo, the mountains, the bugs, and not immediately noticeable but un-missable, the hearts of the people! Ask any of the 24 people that were in Jamaica from Bethany and they will tell you that the BIG hearts of the people made their experience unforgettable. The people s love for Jesus made a huge imprint on us as we watched them depend on Jesus to care for one another and their neighbors. Tori Valachovic, a senior from South Fayette, reflected that the Catadupans wrapped us into their projects underway to care for their neighbors, as we helped moved construction supplies up a mountain to build a reservoir to give the neighboring town water, and as we moved thousands of buckets of dirt and sand to prepare the project sight to expand a preschool, and even as we ran VBS right out of the church we were staying... We got to be a part of the labor of love the church in Jamaica is doing to care for their neighbors in ways the government there is not. Kareena Williams, Hope Trotta, and Sammy Lindow all explained that they loved getting to know the people and that seeing the way the Jamaicans loved Jesus and lived for Him every day changed their own faith. One night in our evening devotion time with the Jamaicans they asked us what God was teaching us while we were in Jamaica and after a day of moving a thousand buckets Max Nagy answered I have been praying to God that my arms would not fall off! Max always has a funny one liner, and he was right! The work we did in Jamaica was incredibly tiring, and God filled our entire team with joy and strength and many laughs along the way as we met locals, goats, cockroaches, and got to bathe the native way in our bathing suits in an outdoor spring! These are just some of the many amazing reflections that students had during and out of our trip. We are excited to continue sharing what God did in us and with us in Jamaica in the weeks to come!

7 P A G E 7 Bethany Classified Ad s Wanted: You on Tuesdays this Fall We are excited about what God is going to do on Tuesday evenings starting this fall! The hope is for all of us to thrive as we: connect, eat, grow and invite others to be a part from deepening relationships with old friends to starting new ones, from sharing dinner and playing games, from serving one another to blessing our community, and from helping kids meet and follow Jesus to proving opportunities for parents and other adults to grow in faith we are leaning into what God is going to do for all ages, and we mean all ages. Discipleship Team is continuing to make plans and work out details for Tuesday nights. Many things are falling in place but there are still some needs to make this all happen and we want you! Please pray for how God would have you be involved. WANTED Adults of All Ages Longing to Make Friends and Grow in Faith Each week small groups will gather to grow in their relationships with Jesus and each other. They will share life s ups, downs and in-betweens while seeking to live more fully into God s plan. Contact Pastor Robbie at robbie@bethanypresby.org or x202. WANTED Fun-loving and Creative People Being a part of God s family is fun and we want to share that together. Each week, we want to offer a variety of activities, giving families the chance to play, serve, or create with each other and other families. Activities may include: games, crafts, sports, service projects, or other fun things. If you have ideas or might want to help organize activities, contact Pastor Robbie at robbie@bethanypresby.org or x202. WANTED Lovers of Cooking and Hospitality We are still working out the details for how to serve dinner each week but if you enjoy cooking, allowing others to experience the hospitality of Jesus, and may be willing to help prep and/or cook consistently, or occasionally, contact Kathryn Martinec at kmartinec@gmail.com or WANTED Leaders Passionate about Kids Do you love kids? Do you love Jesus? Do you want to point kids to Jesus? You can do that as a Kids Ministry Leader. Training, curriculum and supplies will be provided, we just need you. Contact Pastor Robbie to get involved or ask questions: robbie@bethanypresby.org or x202. WANTED Grandparent Types You may or may not have grandchildren at Bethany but you can be a grandparent in faith. Come and have dinner with families, get to know them, let them get to know you and enjoy being the family of God! Let Pastor Robbie know you would like to be a part: robbie@bethanypresby.org or x202. WANTED Servant Hearts to Work Behind the Scenes So much more than food comes out of the kitchen. Camaraderie and friendships also thrive there. Each week, after dinner, the dishes need to get washed and put away and the kitchen needs to be cleaned. If you are a hands -on behind the scenes type of servant and are willing to serve regularly or some of the time, contact Kathryn Martinec to see how you can get involved: kmartinec@gmail.com or

8 Non-Profit Org. U.S. Postage Paid Bridgeville, PA Permit #38 Bethany Presbyterian Church 740 Washington Avenue Bridgeville, PA Phone: Fax: Loving with the Heart of Jesus Save the Date for the Church Picnic! Annual Church Picnic on August 28th: A Day at the Beach Located at Chartiers Park in Bridgeville see the Bulletin for Directions to the park. Splash Zones and Water Balloon Catapults and much more! Please bring bathing suits & towels for the children! Schedule 10:00-11:00 Worship Service 11:00-11:20 Delicious Dessert Contest 11:00-11:15 Beach Ball Partner Contest 11:15-11:30 Water Freeze Tag 11:20-11:45 Big Ball Relay 11:45-1:00 Grace, Lunch, and Ice Cream 1:00-2:00 Splashing Pool 1:00-2:00 Volleyball 1:00-1:20 Water Balloon Catapults 1:20-1:40 Frisbee Target 2:00-3:00 Clean Up Delicious Dessert Contest! (NO nuts please) Sign Up in the Welcome Center on Sunday, August 7 th and 14 th Judging will start at about 11 am Entries will be assigned a number and judging will take place before the entrants' names are identified. Criteria for judging Point total 20 Flavor 5 Points Appearance 5 Points Moistness 5 Points Creativity 5 Points