GOD MOVEMENTS. Miracles In Mission- Mobile Wal-Mart in Belize. Called To Serve? Here are some ways:

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1 GOD MOVEMENTS Bethel International United Methodist Church Newsletter Winter Edition 2017 Our newsletter shares how God is alive and moving in our midst. When you witness a God Movement while serving in one of the many ministries of Bethel, please send your story to Sheila Lovell at slovell@mybethel.org. Miracles In Mission- Mobile Wal-Mart in Belize By Pastor Mike During the seven weeks of Epiphany I had been preaching on how to order our lives so as to Expect A Miracle. In the midst of that season preceding Lent, twenty-two of us were in Belize where evidences of God s miraculous power and reign abounded each and every day. One of those signs occurred when we would take our vans out to do Mobile Wal-Mart. That s where we would load the back of our vehicles with the donations people had sent down with us, like clothing, shoes, toiletries, school supplies, and soccer balls. In assembly line fashion on site, we would also put together 2-pound plastic bags of flour, sugar, beans, and rice. Then we would head out into the village of San Narciso with a respected member of the community and enter the homes of some of the neediest. We would listen to their stories of pain and suffering, but always be astounded by their expressions of faith and hope in Jesus Christ. One mother we visited came from a family who at it one point in the past was among the most prominent in the village. Death, cancer, divorce, and financial hardships had left this woman alone with her 13-year-old daughter. She taught in a high school about an hour away and would get up in the early morning to ride a public bus with her high school daughter. This mother opened her door to us, like all of the rest of the villagers, as if she had known us forever. Her story was filled with such amazing faith that we felt like we had been to church because of her. All of us experienced the kingdom reversal that was our mission theme, in that we had walked away feeling more ministered to than the woman we had come to serve. One of the miracles that continued to unfold during our mission time was the confidence each of our six teenagers gained as we laid hands on, anointed, and prayed for the people we visited. Toward the end these young people were sometimes the ones to lead prayer and to administer the anointing oil. That s the kind of boldness of faith that s hard for even adult team members. For this reason, Paul writes, I remind you to fan into flame the gift of God, which is in you through the laying on of hands, for God gave us a spirit not of timidity but of power and love (2 Timothy 1:6-7). Those who trust in the Lord for help will find their strength renewed. They will rise on wings like eagles; they will run and not get weary Isaiah 40:31 Called To Serve? Here are some ways: Usher Greeter IHN Dinners Free Community Dinner Children s Worship Nursery

2 Loving Your Neighbor By Heidi Adkins-Koehler You shall love your neighbor as yourself. There is no other commandment greater than these. Mark 12:31 There has been a great deal of concern for our international families here at Bethel Christian Preschool since November. God s presence can be felt as our Preschool families come together to lift up and support one another. I have had parents stop in my office to ask me if there are any preschool families that need help paying their tuition right now, or if there is anything they can do to help another preschool family in need. I see parents in the halls before and after school making an effort to reach out and talk to other parents, parents who come from different parts of the world, and speak different languages. What wonderful examples of Christian love our preschool families are being for our children here at BCP. Our Children are learning that not everyone speaks the same language, our skin is not all the same color, we wear different clothing and jewelry, and even the foods we eat are different. They are learning to be compassionate and accepting. They are learning to care for one another. They are learning to love their classmates as God has called on us to love our neighbor. Living God s Message By Keri Newcomb Our amazing Creator has been moving in and through our Youth in 2017! Here is a highlight: Our Youth basketball team has been playing on Tuesdays and an absolutely beautiful thing keeps happening. They play two levels of defense depending on whom they are guarding. They play tough, tight defense on the kids who clearly have strong skills and experience playing basketball and they play gentle defense on the kids who don't have much skill or confidence or who seem a bit timid or scared. Love! The team is coached by Rodney Newcomb and Jen Hering and the kids who have played this year are Aaron DeMoss, Andrew Whetstone, Ashley Granger, Ben Bolyard, Brooke Gilmore, Bryson McPhail, Dylan Newcomb, Kaitlyn Newcomb, Lindsay McPhail, Paige Butauski, Rachael Fox and Shaun Coon. Lock In- Many youth lock ins center on fun and games. Did you know that our lock-in centered on ministering to the homeless? Our youth made fleece blankets, and stuffed backpacks with cold weather essentials and personal hygiene items. Did they have fun? Absolutely! Did they do God's work? Yep! They delivered 19 bags for various types of people (age, gender...) to our ministry partner the Church 4 All People bright and early Sunday morning. They are awesome!

3 37 Years of Sonshine Productions By Mark Fox Sonshine Productions began when a group of teens - dissatisfied with the available published material of the day - decided to begin producing their own musicals. Many singing only musicals were available, but this group was looking for acted out musicals - much like real Broadway musicals. After a few years of experimenting with original material, Spark from the Ashes was written in Fast forward 31 years and the present cast of 28 teens is preparing Spark from the Ashes for performances in June. Spark was written by director Mark Fox s brother, Kurt Fox, who is now an English teacher at Olentangy High School. He wrote it in response to the loss of his father to cancer in The musical explores the healing of Jairus daughter, as well as the healing of a sick woman who simply touched the hem of Jesus robe as he passed by. Mark Fox set it to music and it has been updated a number of times through the years. This year s cast features 28 talented and enthusiastic teens in grades Some cast members are in their sixth year of performing, while quite a few are first year rookies. They have been busy memorizing songs and lines, learning their entrances and exits, and developing character sketches. They did their first full run at an extended 6-hour rehearsal on February 19 and it appears this will be a truly inspiring performance. Bethel has acted as host church to Sonshine Productions since Hundreds of young people have performed in five different original musicals during those years. Summer tours have occurred each summer with tours that have extended to Chicago, Philadelphia, and even Florida. The impact on both audiences and cast members has been powerful and profound, as the biblical stories come alive through music and drama. Local performances are currently scheduled for June 20 at Hilliard Methodist Church and June 25 at Bethel. They are currently looking for host churches for their tour June Please let Mark Fox know if you have a connection with a potential host church. Additional information can be found at: Faith, Hope and Love By Debbie Beech Bethel United Methodist Women is looking forward to a great year ahead as we are Called to Community to do Greater Works for God. We are a group of women committed to growing disciples of Jesus Christ in community with other women and advocating on behalf of women, children and youth locally and globally. It is an honor and a privilege to introduce myself to you as your new president of the Bethel United Methodist Women. I am truly blessed to be writing this message. My path has been winding, but I have never walked it alone,. My heart is filled and my strength is renewed being immersed among these women of faith, service and advocacy in Christ. One goal is to improve attendance at all of our gatherings. We learn, grow and share to be the reflection of Jesus Christ. We invite all women to come see the positive differences that are being made in the lives of women, children and youth everywhere. In addition, I am asking for your prayers and your support as I begin this new journey as President of Bethel UMW. Join us for continental breakfasts with hope, song and prayer through faith. Please make plans to attend these upcoming gatherings and events. We begin at 9 a.m. in rooms 9 & 10. Mark your calendars now and save the dates. March 4 th - Abundant Health for Women and Children April 1 st - Susan Ndiaye shares her story of dual faith family and a new baby May 6 th - Mother s Day Brunch with the gift of music by John St. Germain. Please invite a mother/daughter figure. June/July/August - No general gatherings Look for information about upcoming UMW yard sale, planned for the first week in August. September 2 nd - Patch Wetzel - Patch Work Ministries sharing on Human Trafficking October - Possible Retreat November 4 th - Community of Thankful Women December 9 th - Christmas Tea Trees I am looking forward to seeing you at our monthly gatherings and our special events. May the light of the world shine in your heart and in your life.

4 Kindway Dinner By Steve Luebbers All are welcome to join a new small group which is forming around the theme of Prison Ministry. Early on, the group is identifying how we can carryout Christ s message of caring for our brothers and sisters who are or were recently in prison. The Kindway Embark program, which is an innovative, faith based program helping offenders reenter society, has presented a number of opportunities for our group to assist through bimonthly reunion dinners, hosted here at Bethel, as their Navigators mentoring program. The reunion dinners are an uplifting time when graduates of the Embark program and their mentors meet to socialize and reflect on how God has changed their lives. Our group members experienced first-hand the love and inspiration that filled the room as they listened, watched and even participated in activities. We hope to find even more ways to match the talents of our small group members with the needs of this ministry so please join us and discover how you can help others and grow closer in your relationships. Kid Ministry By Brooke Evans This month in Orange our KidMin will be learning about Forgiveness! Our Memory Verse for March comes from Colossians 3:13. Put up with one another. Forgive one another if you are holding something against someone. Forgive, just as the Lord forgave you. We will be spending time taking a closer look at the way forgiveness shows up throughout a few of the parables Jesus told His followers and how Jesus made it possible for us to have God s forgiveness. God showed us just how much He cares about forgiveness when He made the ultimate sacrifice and sent Jesus to pay the price for our sin. While sin separates us from God, He offers grace and forgiveness as a gift for us to receive. We have been forgiven of so much, it s only right that we turn to those in our lives and offer forgiveness to them in return. That s why we think it s important for us to help our kids and families discover more about Forgiveness deciding that someone who has wronged you doesn't have to pay. Nursery: The nursery is now using the Orange Curriculum as well and are learning all sorts of fun things about God and his love! This month, we re working to build into kids a love for others. Imagine with me, for a moment, a world filled with men and women who love others the way Jesus loves us. That s what we want for our preschoolers. We will be talking about helping everyone, sharing and then show that we can love no matter what thanks to forgiveness. Just like Jesus loves us, even when we do something wrong, we can love others, even when they do something wrong. It s going to be an awesome month of building with our preschoolers. We ll be building into kids who can then proclaim, I can love everyone. The Dinner s are scheduled for April 19, June 21, August 16, Oct 18 and Dec 20.

5 UPCOMING EVENTS Contact Us Give us a call or check out our website for more information about our services and upcoming events. Worship Services Tues-Friday 7:00am Morning Prayer Wednesday 7:00pm Korean Worship Friday 7:00pm Campus Ministry Worship Sunday 9:00am Traditional Worship Sunday 11:00am Contemporary Worship Sunday 11:00am Korean Worship (English translation) Adult Sunday School Sunday 10:00am (614) / info@mybethel.org Visit us on the web at