BETHEL LUTHERAN CHURCH. A congregation of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America. 79 Brooklyn Street PO Box 606 Portville, NY 14770

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1 BETHEL LUTHERAN CHURCH A congregation of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America 79 Brooklyn Street PO Box 606 Portville, NY (716) bethelportville@gmail.com Websites: (congregation) (synod) (ELCA) Worship Service Sundays at 9:00am; Sunday School at 10:15am God s work. Our hands. In case of a pastoral emergency, please contact the church at: or Pastor Marie Meeks at The masthead of Stewardship says to inspire a deeper understanding of true stewardship. Its purpose is to help Christians learn how to better manage one s possessions, especially the family income and the use of one s God-given talents. Each of us has physical, educational, social, and spiritual needs. None of our needs must be neglected if we are to be properly balanced people. Surely we can say that God wants us to have all of our needs fully met. Indeed it is only when our needs are fully met that God can best use us to serve God and to work for the Kingdom of Heaven. Remember what we say when we pray the Lord s prayer: Our Father who art in heaven. Hallowed be thy name. Thy kingdom come, thy will be done, on earth as it is in Heaven. Remember also that in the sixth chapter of St. Matthew s gospel we find Jesus telling his followers to seek first God s kingdom and his righteousness. That is what Christian stewardship is all about: Using our time and talents to serve God as best we can. MAY 2017 In the 1960's a theological scholar named Thomas Kepler made a vow to the Lord that was read at his funeral. The vow was something like this: On this day I take upon myself all the saintly disciplines. I will pray regularly. I will continuously strive to serve the Lord wherever God leads me. I will strive to show love toward all whom I meet. I will do my best to be a dedicated servant of God wherever I am. Those who knew Dr. Kepler testified that he reached his goal. He was a true saint. Prayer: Almighty God, Help us to be the best stewards possible. We are grateful for every blessing we have from You. Amen The Portville Food Pantry collects these items on an on-going basis: spaghetti, spaghetti sauce, pasta, mac and cheese, pork and beans, canned vegetables, tuna, soup, rice, egg noodles, and canned tomatoes. Any donations would be greatly appreciated. During the first quarter of this year the food pantry has distributed food to several families: Jan. 50 families, Feb. 51 families and March 46 families. This equates to 2,745 meals distributed during this quarter.

2 Pray First! - For all service men and women, and their families, especially Casey McCarthy, Tyler McCarthy, Kendra Linn, Travis Dorvit and Kyle Lust. For Christ to be made known in our companion synods Zimbabwe and Zambia, and our partner synod Central/Southern Illinois Synod. For the Franciscan community at Mt. Irenaeus and the Burkhart Retreat Center for Life retreats in our local area. For our Bishops, Bishop Elizabeth Eaton (ELCA) and John Macholz Upstate New York Synod), Assistants to the Bishop Dave Preisinger, Mary Johnson, and Dean Daniel Rumfelt. For the mission congregations in our synod Organic Faith in Amherst and Todos los Hijos de Dios in Amsterdam. For the pastors and congregations in our Southwestern Conference and for our congregation council leaders President Bill Graves, Secretary Linda Scott, Treasurer Doug Ploetz, Vice President Ruth Brewer and members Caroline Miller, Donald Linn and Jerry Maerten. For our sister congregation, Peace Lutheran and their ministry in Slidell, LA for the ministry of ELCMA Evangelical Lutheran Coalition for Mission in Appalachia. For area ministries: Genesis House, Portville Community Food Pantry, and Interfaith Caregivers. -. Prayer Chain: If you have need of prayer, we have an prayer chain. Just call Bev Robinson phone number or at grandmagee7@verizon.net. PLEASE SEE BULLETIN BOARD outside the sanctuary for a COMPLETE SECRETARY S REPORT. Council Member Assignment Bill Graves Ruth Brewer Linda Scott Doug Ploetz Ruth Brewer Caroline Miller Jerry Maerten Don Linn Committee Council President Vice President Secretary Treasurer Worship and Music & Christian Education Stewardship & Fellowship Outreach/Evangelism Property Notice: When you call the church phone number it will be automatically forwarded to Pastor Marie s cell phone. You will be able to talk directly to her or leave her a message and she will return your call. Thank you. We NEED people to sign up as worship servants. We are in need of Lectors, Prayer Leaders, Ushers, Communion assistants and Altar Guild. There are sign-up sheets on the table in Fellowship Hall. Please sign up for one or more of these positions as you feel led. Thank you. FOR YOUR UPDATE AND INFORMATION Fundraiser Funds are divided as follows: 10% Charity of our choice 10% Benevolence Rest in general fund

3 Please keep these members in your prayers and send them a card if you are able. We will not be having our monthly church breakfasts again until October. Thanks to everyone for making our breakfasts such a success this past year. Please remember our clothing drop box used to collect clothes for people in need. The box is located in the parking lot of the church next to the utility shed. If you have clothing you wish to drop off, please place them in plastic bags and tie them up. Donations are greatly appreciated. Let s make this an even better year than last year. Thank you. Volunteers are needed to deliver Meals on Wheels and are also needed for Interfaith Caregivers. You can call (716) or lrswacial@cattco.org or elherner@cattco.org for more information! Information sheet in fellowship hall! Thank you for your help! Skip Robinson 1262 Indian Creek Road Eldred, PA (814) Hilda Prosser % Cuba Memorial Hospital Nursing Home Room 238W 140 West Main Street Cuba, NY (585) Ext. 712 Pastor Ivy Gauvin %Lutheran Social Services 715 Falconer Street/B1-Room 162 Jamestown, NY Phone: (Room) (Main number) Genesis House Geranium Sale time again!! Bethel deadline for ordering is May 7 th 4 ½ pot $7.00 or 3 for $16.00 Red, White, Fuchsia, Pink, Coral Hanging baskets for impatiens $25.00 Red, White, Fuchsia, Pink, Purple Deadline for orders is May 10 th. Order sheet is in the fellowship hall. Additional volunteers are needed to help for delivery day, May 18 th at Gargoyle Park. Especially needed are truck/van drivers. Please call Pat O Malley at to volunteer. Pastor Marie's office hours are: Tuesday at Bethany from 9 to 3 Wednesday at Bethel from 9 to 3 We have received a thank you from the African American Cultural Society for our recent donation. It was greatly appreciated. MEMORIALS FOR JO AN BROOKS Ruth & Bob Brewer The Rick Giberson Family Bill & Judy Graves Skip & Bev Robinson Mark and Cheryl Welles Kurt and Caroline Miller Jean Morgan and Nedean Knowlton

4 May 2017 Acolyte... Haedyn Brewer Communion Assistants: Ruth and Dakota Brewer Lectors: (7 th )... Pen Yunghans (14 th) )... Dakota Brewer (21st)... Connie Smith-Matteson (28 th )....Ruth Brewer Prayer Leaders: (7 th )... Ruth Brewer (14 th)... Connie Smith-Matteson (21 st )...Nannette Giberson (28 th ). Ruth Brewer Happy Birthday to: 3 Bill Graves 5 Jessianne Doty Hosmer 10 Abigail Benson 12 Nathan Gabler 15 Mariah Shepard 16 Casey Baughman 17 Sarah Linn, Rick Chapman 18 Don Linn 19 Erin Ploetz Hall 23 Tom Ploetz 24 Dakota Brewer 25 Kellie Swanson 27 Parker Keenan 30 Jon Giberson Ushers... Bill Graves Altar Guild...Marge Nix Mail Greeter Caroline Miller Bread Bakers... Ron Kile Happy Anniversary to: 5 Robert & Barbara MacPherson

5 BETHEL LUTHERAN CHURCH CALENDAR MAY 2017 Sunday, May 7 FOURTH SUNDAY OF EASTER 8:00am-Choir rehearsal 9:00am- Worship with celebration of new member following 10.15am Sunday school Sunday, May 14 FIFTH SUNDAY OF EASTER 8:00am- Choir rehearsal 9:00am Worship with Fellowship following 10:15am Sunday school Thursday, May 18 th 7:00pm Council Meeting Saturday, May 20 th Work day at the church Sunday, May 21 Thursday, May 25 SIXTH SUNDAY OF EASTER 8:00am- Choir rehearsal 9:00am Worship with Fellowship following 10:15am Sunday school (Last Sunday school until September) 4:00-7:00pm - Pulled Pork Dinner at Bethel Lutheran $8.00/person Sunday, May 28 SEVENTH SUNDAY OF EASTER 8:00am Choir rehearsal 9:00am Worship with Fellowship following The special offering for the month of May is Interfaith Caregivers

6 FUTURE EVENTS FOR YOUR CALENDAR Pulled Pork Dinner Thursday, May 25 th 4:00pm 7:00pm $8.00 per person PIE SALE AND YARD SALE Our Annual pie sale and yard sale will be held in conjunction with Portville Heritage days which will be on Saturday, July 15 th. The proceeds from our pie sale will once again go to the Portville Food Pantry. Pastor Clara of River s Edge Methodist church has graciously given us permission to use their lawn for the pie sale. The Yard sale will be at Bethel Lutheran. Be sure and start cleaning out and saving anything you don t wish to keep for our yard sale. Pie bakers start thinking of the kind of pie you want to make for our sale. CHICKEN BARBEQUE - SATURDAY, AUGUST 5 TH. Kurt and Caroline Miller in charge. We will be needing baskets for our silent auction as well as baked goods for our bake sale. Let s all step up and help the Millers make this a success as in years past. Thank you.

7 Hope you can join us. There will be a luncheon after the Worship Service.

8 Dear colleagues in ministry, Please save the date Sunday, Sept. 10, when congregations of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America will again have the opportunity to gather together for God s work. Our hands. Sunday marks the 500th anniversary of the Lutheran Reformation. The ELCA s anniversary theme, Freed and Renewed in Christ, reminds us of the gospel s promise that we are freed in Christ to love and serve our neighbors. This is work that you do every day serving your community in ways that share the love of Christ with all of God s people. Whether we fill backpacks with needed school supplies, serve meals to those who are food insecure or write letters to soldiers and veterans, we are using our hands to do God s work to reconcile and restore communities in Jesus name throughout the world. Watch how some of our congregations and communities across the country put their faith into action during the 2016 day of service. The bright yellow God s work. Our hands. Sunday T-shirts are once again available through Old Lutheran. The deadline for ordering your congregation s personalized T-shirt is Aug. 15. If your congregation cannot participate on Sept. 10, please consider another time. Visit ELCA.org/dayofservice for more information and resources. We look forward to working together on God s work. Our hands. Sunday. God s peace, Christina Jackson-Skelton Executive Director, Mission Advancement Evangelical Lutheran Church in America

9 Learn to Let Go and Let God Rely on the incredibly hard prayer that Jesus prayed. by Elizabeth Peale Allen The Bible is the perfect place to turn when you are going through rough times. Cast your cares on the LORD and He will sustain you; He will never let the righteous be shaken (Psalm 55:22). These are true promises, with the seeds of inner peace hidden in them. But it s easy to misread these passages to mean that God is a magic problem-solver, a genie whose main job is to make us happy today. It s easy to assume that casting our troubles on God means He will take our troubles away. Sometimes, though, He doesn t. I love the phrase Let go and let God because it sounds so simple. But there are times when we aren t clear what it is we re supposed to let go of. And there are other times we want to let go, we try to let go and it just doesn t happen. Why? Sometimes there s a difference in what we want to give up and what we need to release. We might be holding tightly to something we think of as good, like better health for a loved one or changed behavior in a wayward child. And though it s never wrong to desire good things, there are times when we have to let go of what we think is best. Other times we grip tightly to assumptions about the way life should be. We think things ought to be easier or being a parent shouldn t be so hard. We fight what we re being asked to do effectively resisting taking up our cross (Matthew 16:24) the way Jesus commanded. Sometimes what we must give up are our preconceived notions of how life is supposed to work. Begin the day with God! He is thy Sun and Day! His is the radiance of thy dawn; To Him address thy lay. Sing a new song at morn! Join the glad woods and hills; Join the fresh winds and seas and plains, Join the bright flowers and rills. Sing thy first song to God! Not to thy fellow men; Not to the creatures of His hand, But to the glorious One. Take thy first walk with God! Let Him go forth with thee; By stream, or sea, or mountain path, Seek still His company. Thy first transaction be With God Himself above; So shall thy business prosper well, And all the day be love. --Horatius Bonar But in every case, what Let go and let God comes down to is this: We need to let go of our own will. We must claim as our own the incredibly hard prayer that Jesus prayed: Father, if you are willing, take this cup from me; yet not my will, but Yours be done (Luke 22:42). We need to let go and let God do what God wills. This submission will lead to peace and joy, even when the way is difficult. Father, I place my life in Your hands! (Luke 23:46)

10 Save the Date June 8, 9, and 10, 2017 Rochester Riverside Convention Center Upstate New York Synod s GLOCAL (Global + Local) event is only three months away and you re not going to want to miss it! The GLOCAL event and Upstate New York Synod Assembly are one and the same June 8, 9, and 10, 2017, and everyone is invited to attend! You can look forward to: Educational materials Internationally themed worship and music, with a band of international musicians Learning international dances Interacting with dynamic keynote presenters on global and domestic mission and culture Participating in skill-building workshops Sharing meals with other Lutherans interested in mission Learning ways to better practice "accompaniment" in your own congregation, the local community and across the globe. Watch the Upstate Update for more information. Subscribe by visiting Registration information will be available in April. All attendees must register for the event (except for Global Café and Mission Expo). Workshops will be offered during plenaries for non-voting attendees, as well as during dedicated workshop times. Questions?? Contact Beth Walker rbowsend@rochester.rr.com or (315) Two books are suggested as community reads to support the Assembly theme, Building Bridges. These books address how charity is typically enacted by religious organizations, how we sometimes hurt when our intent is to help and how we can re-envision mission. Toxic Charity: How Churches and Charities Hurt Those They Help (and how to reverse it) by Robert D. Lupton (2012). Available on Amazon for under $10.. Charity Detox: What Charity Would Look Like if We Cared About the Results by Robert D. Lupton (2016). Available on Amazon for around $10 Looking for other ways to read? Toxic Charity is available as an audio book on Audible.com. And the author, Robert Lupton has a 1.5 hour YouTube video at

11 As many of you may have noticed recently, Ruth Brewer has a new look. She was gracious enough to share with us before and after pictures. Here they are. Enjoy!!!! BEFORE!!!! AFTER!!!

12 EASTER EGG HUNT WHAT FUN!!!!

13 WOMEN OF THE CHURCH BANQUET We all had a great time at the Women of the church banquet and the men did a super job of waiting on us and cooking for us. Thanks so very much to Gary Murray for all the hard work and planning he put into this dinner and to the other men of the church for all their great help. Nannette Giberson was chosen for the Brooklyn Street Award this year and sent us the following thank you. Thank you very much for the honor of being picked to receive the Brooklyn Street Award this year. Bethel is a very special place for me and my family!

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