W e l c o m e! October 14, 2018 Bethesda Bible Series: The Gospel According to John October is Pastor Appreciation Month!

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1 W e l c o m e! REACH, GROW, SERVE A community caring for all God s people, being transformed by Christ's love, serving others as a witness of God s grace and peace. Bethesda News October 14, 2018 Bethesda Bible Series: The Gospel According to John The Gospel According to John Bible Series with Pastor Seth Miller begins tonight and continues Sunday nights through the end of the year. This extensive study will help us as a congregation dive deeply into this lifechanging gospel. Come for a soup supper at 5:45 p.m. with the study from 6:30-7:30 p.m. in the Fellowship Hall. Child care will be available. See additional session details on the last page of the Bethesda News. October is Pastor Appreciation Month! The month of October is a period set aside to honor Pastors. Need some ideas? Here are a couple of suggestions: Tell them you appreciate them; serve in the church; say thank you; write a hand-written letter, card or call. Let s use this opportunity to demonstrate our love and appreciation to our Pastors throughout the month of October! Deacon Nomination Selection The term of E. James Friesen as member on the Board of Deacons expires in December. On October 21, 2018, a congregational meeting will be held, immediately following the worship service, to nominate individuals to fill the term vacated by Jim. Each congregational member may list two congregational members as nominees for a three-year term. When identifying members, please consider their spiritual gifts and how they may share them on the Board of Deacons and with the congregation. Absentee ballots are available and must be requested by the member in writing ( is permissible), in person or by phone. If we receive a phone request, ballots must be picked up and signed for by someone representing the member doing the requesting. All absentee ballots must be returned by Thursday, October 18, 2018 at 4:30 p.m.

2 SUNDAY (10/14) 8:45 a.m. Deacon Prayer Time 9:30 a.m. Worship 10:40 a.m. Sunday School 5:45 p.m. Meal/Gospel of John Bible Study (Fellowship Hall) TUESDAY (10/16) 8:30 a.m. Staff Meeting 7:30 p.m. Board of Business 8:00 p.m. Board of Education 8:00 p.m. Board of Service & Outreach WEDNESDAY (10/17) 12:00 p.m. Bulletin Announcements Due 7:00 p.m. Midweek 7:00 p.m. CORNERSTONE 7:00 p.m. Powerhouse 7:00 p.m. Adult Bible Study (Acts19) 7:00 p.m. Women s Bible Study 8:00 p.m. Chancel Choir this week NEXT SUNDAY (10/21) Message: Pastor Seth Miller 9:30 a.m. Offering: Central Plains Mennonite Conference Pianist: Marilyn Kroeker / Music: Powerhouse 5:45 p.m. Meal / Gospel of John Bible Study (Fellowship Hall) More information about upcoming events and other news can be found online at

3 Please pray for those with health concerns, grief or family needs. Prayer Requests Caleb Friesen (son of Rick/Brittany Friesen) Yohei Epp church family Pray for Central Plains congregations who are seeking long-term pastors. Rachelle Schweitzer Fundraiser A fund has been set up at cornerstone Bank and Henderson State Bank to assist with expenses related to purchasing and training a new service dog, along with ongoing medical expenses for Rachelle Schweitzer. For questions or to donate, go to Cornerstone Bank in Henderson ( ) or Henderson State Bank ( ). Please keep Rachelle and Royce in your prayers as they grieve the loss of her service dog, Tux. In addition to regular giving, Bethesda is now offering the option of Online Giving. However, God calls you to faithfully give, we want to make it simple. To donate securely online, visit and click GIVE. You can make one-time or recurring donations directly from your checking account or with a credit card. For more information, please stop by the church office or feel free to contact one of our staff members at Garage Parties If you would be interested in hosting or planning a garage party on October 31, 2018, please contact Pastor Andrea. This event is for children and parents to come to church sponsored locations for treats, food or games. The Henderson Ministerial Association will again be hosting locations around the community for families. Please see Bethesda s Facebook page and websites for locations in the coming weeks. School Kits Funding and Packing! School kits continue to be the most asked for item from MCC. We will be packing and sending 1,000 kits again this year. All items have been ordered and are here. We need $550 to cover the remaining cost. You may share in this project by donating to Bethesda in the Sunday morning offering and designating your gift for MCC School Kits in the memo line. We will be planning a work night for November 4, If you have questions, contact Lindy Siebert or Adeline Huebert.

4 MCC Canner Service Opportunity! We will have a service opportunity to join with our fellow Nebraska congregations to can meat at the MCC Resource Center in Newton on November 8, 9, 10, There will also be comforters to tie and school kits to sew during down times. For more information and details, contact Brent Swartzendruber or Jay Dee Janzen or go to Nebraska MCC Canning on Facebook. Midweek is taking donations for our Service Night Project! On November 14, preschool through 6th graders will be assembling infant care kits. We are looking for the following items: gowns/sleepers (flannel or similar warm, soft materials); onesies; receiving blankets; heavy duty safety pins; mild soap; socks; and caps. Items can be left in the box outside the church office. Thank you for your generosity! Foster Homes Needed Parenting a child is one of the most rewarding, and challenging activities of life but it is also one of the most important activities. Unfortunately, there are hundreds of kids in our own state that do not have families. Grace Children's Home will be providing State of Nebraska approved Foster Care licensing classes beginning at 7:00 p.m., Tuesday, November 27, Obtaining a license does not require a commitment to host children. There are lots of ways you can support foster care. There is no cost to attend this training. For more information, or to enroll, please contact Grace Children's Home at , or Mark Danielson, Executive Director at mark@gracechildrenshome.com

5 across the street & around the world Resilience: Nepal Join MCC on an epic trekking journey through Nepal, April 1-19, Participants will spend 12 days hiking through Nepal to see how MCC partner organization Shanti Nepal is working with community strengths at the grassroots level to address vulnerabilities to natural disasters and visit KOSHISH to see how they re supporting mental health and rehabilitation for those living with severe trauma and psychosocial distress. MCC is seeking college students, trauma studies researchers and practitioners, mental health professionals, engineers and ANYONE who enjoys hiking and is interested in learning more about what resilience looks like in the context of MCC in Nepal! Contact and check for more information. A Loaded Conversation: An Invitation to Talk About Guns Guns are part of our lives, whether or not we own or use them. With encouragement and input from pastors and others in the church, Mennonite Central Committee U.S. has created this resource to help congregations stay at the table to address the topic of guns. This print resource includes a conversation guide, ways to engage, Bible studies and worship resources. Download the resource and find more ways to engage on the topic at Mennonite Disaster Service Region 3 Annual Meeting Check the east bulletin board for information on the upcoming MDS Meeting at Swan Lake Christian Camp October Registration is due tomorrow, October 15, and you must arrange for your own lodging. Piano Night at the Lake will be held at Swan Lake Christian Camp on Sunday, November 4 starting at 6:00 p.m. A meal will be served along with local musicians playing. There is no cost for the event, but a free-will donation will be taken. Reservations are required. Please call the camp office at

6 financials Worship Offering Sunday, October 7, 2018 Worship Attendance 263 Sunday School Attendance 129 Mennonite Church USA/Mennonite Mission Network... $3, Dayspring Ministries... $ Benevolent Fund... $50.00 MCC School Kits... $ VBS Project/Little Annie... $50.00 Bethesda General Operating Receipts... $5, Total Worship Offering... $9, Sunday School Offering... $87.00 Sunday School Projects... $ Total Sunday Morning Offering... $10, Elmer Epp Funds A grant has been given by Peter and Barbara (Epp) Dessart Trust in memory of Elmer Epp. These funds were not from Elmer Epp s estate as was announced two weeks ago. Church Council will determine how the grant will be used. youth For junior high and high school calendars visit the Bethesda Faith Formation page at CORNERSTONE parents are encouraged to attend the John study on Sunday evenings beginning October 14. These studies will help provide conversation topics at home with your youth. All high school youth are invited following worship to the Crossroads Coffee house to watch a movie and have discussion around the Peacemaker Registration Form. CORNERSTONE will meet Wednesday, October 17 at 7:00 p.m. for Bible study on John 3. Bring your Bibles!

7 Powerhouse will meet Wednesday, October 17 at 7:00 pm. to prepare to lead worship on Sunday, October 21. Bethesda youth will be serving a meal the evening of School Kit Night, November 4. Donations of ground beef and bars are needed as well as help from the youth to serve and clean-up. Sign-up sheets are located in the Powerhouse room. Youth will be raking leaves again this year! We are looking at the last weekend in October or the first couple of weeks in November, depending on when leaves begin to fall. If you are in need of raking, we would like to help you! To get your name on the list, call Tammy Ott at Fresh Greenery Sales Bethesda youth will be selling fresh wreaths for the upcoming Christmas season. Wreaths are $25. Orders are due, Sunday, November 4. You may order from any high school youth or sign up at the Coffee Spot in the Fellowship Hall. Wreath pickup date will be Sunday, November 25, following worship. bethesda women September/October Birthday Celebration The September/October Bethesda Women s Ministries birthday celebration will be held Monday, October 22, 2018, at 7:00 p.m. at the home of Lenora Goertzen. Please sign up on the bulletin board if you can attend. All women with September or October birthdays are welcome!

8 Announcing Conference Minister for Christian Formation The Conference Board is pleased to announce to Central Plains Mennonite Conference that Amanda Bleichty has been hired as our new Conference Minister for Christian Formation. Amanda is native of Kalona, Iowa, and grew up at Kalona Mennonite Church. She will officially join the ministry staff on January 2, 2019, working out of the ministry staff offices in Kalona. Amanda graduated from Iowa Mennonite School (2004), Goshen College (2008, BA, Bible, Religion, and Philosophy), and Anabaptist Mennonite Biblical Seminary (MDiv, 2011). Since 2011, Amanda has served as a pastor at Washington Mennonite Church. The search committee selected Amanda from a pool of highly qualified candidates because of her strong track record in pastoral ministry and her experience in communications. References for Amanda spoke highly of her growth as a church leader: Over the past 12 years, Amanda has gone from college student, to seminary student, to co-pastor, and then lead pastor of a congregation. Amanda has consistently preached peace, Christ-centeredness, social justice, hospitality, grace, and the importance of being in community to her church, while also working to live her life in a way that reflects these beliefs and values. Reflecting on her faith as an Anabaptist Christian, she said, I am exceedingly grateful for the Anabaptist/Mennonite distinctives that have shaped and will continue to shape my life. As I read the scriptures, I am continually drawn into stories in the Old and New Testaments that put relationships and community at the center of God's work in the world. Amanda is a strong Christian formation leader, and an excellent preacher and communicator. About her sense of call to this role, Amanda wrote, I am very interested in the work of discerning new ways of doing and understanding Anabaptist Christian formation in a changing world (and church). She expressed her belief that good communication is an art that is absolutely essential in our churches and Mennonite denomination today. Amanda also noted that she has a passion for finding relevant and important formation resources and sharing them. Please welcome Amanda as she equips leaders in congregations to nurture Anabaptist faith in people at every stage of life at church and in the home.

9 message notes: mark 10:35-45

The Gospel According to John Meal @ 5:45 p.m. Study @ 6:30 p.m. Oct. 14: Prologue & Miracles in John (Ch. 1-2) Oct 21: Nicodemus & The Woman at the Well (Ch. 3-4) Oct.

10 The Gospel According to John 5:45 p.m. 6:30 p.m. Oct. 14: Prologue & Miracles in John (Ch. 1-2) Oct 21: Nicodemus & The Woman at the Well (Ch. 3-4) Oct. 28: The Bread of Life & Christology in John (Ch. 6-7) Nov. 11: John, Judaism & The Man Born Blind (Ch. 8-9) Nov. 18: OT in John s Gospel & Lazarus (Ch ) Dec. 2: The Last Supper (Ch ) Dec. 16: The Resurrection (Ch )

W e l c o m e! October 7, 2018 Have you checked out the awesome artwork in the narthex? October is Pastor Appreciation Month!

W e l c o m e! October 7, 2018 Have you checked out the awesome artwork in the narthex? October is Pastor Appreciation Month! W e l c o m e! REACH, GROW, SERVE A community caring for all God s people, being transformed by Christ's love, serving others as a witness of God s grace and peace. Bethesda Mennonite Church www.bethesdamc.org