Bethany Lutheran Church Mission Statement Reaching out in Worship, Fellowship, Learning, and Love - We Are God s People.

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1 Volume 57 Issue 5 May, 2017 Bethany Lutheran Church Mission Statement Reaching out in Worship, Fellowship, Learning, and Love - We Are God s People. We will celebrate the Rite of Confirmation during our worship service on May 7. Bethany has young people in its midst who are truly dedicated to God. These members reflect a home life in which God is the center of the family. On May 7 three of these youth will be presented before the congregation for the Rite of Confirmation. Isaac Morehead, Aunika Johnson, and Samantha Gerdes successfully completed their confirmation studies a year ago and will be confirmed. While this event is certainly an important milestone in their lives, we pray that they will actively continue in their study of God s word and the practice of their spiritual disciplines. Please keep them and their families in your prayers to stay close to God all the days of their lives. Plan to be at worship on May 7 th to support these three in their being confirmed. A reception will follow. Bethany Evangelical Lutheran Church 2515 Madison Ave. Burlington, Iowa Phone: (319) Pastor s Cell: (360) Our Staff Rev. Paul Hermansen, Pastor Cory Byrne, Choir Director/Organist Amanda Stevenson-Cosgrove, Dir. of Youth & Family Sue Hermansen, Admin. Asst. Dennis Wohlers, Financial Sec y Mike & Tammy Morris, Custodians

2 items: Our kitchen is need of some supplies and we are reaching out to the congregation for donations of the following 1. Powdered coffee creamers--plain and flavored 2. Paper towels 3. Napkins 4. Dishwasher soap (powder) 5. Plastic wrap 6. Storage bags--quart and gallon 7. Small paper plates Thanks for anything you can donate to the kitchen. The annual Mother- Daughter Banquet is here again. The date is Tuesday, May 2; the time is 6:00 p.m.; the place is the fellowship hall. There will also be entertainment. The men will serve. Tickets are available before and after worship. HOMEBOUND CARD MINISTRY Please help remember Bethany s members who are in nursing homes or homebound by sending them a card. A birthday or a thinking of you card is a special way of showing God s love. During the summer months, take a minute to send a card with a short note - these folks would love to hear from you. Names and addresses are available on the table in the fellowship hall. Please remember to mark the spreadsheet if you send a card. The church office will be closed on Memorial Day. This year Bethany is hosting the National Day of Prayer on Thursday May 4, at 6:30 p.m. Cory has volunteered to play our hymns. The Fellowship Committee will provide coffee and refreshments afterwards. Now all we need is to have you join us for this annual community-wide opportunity. I believe very strongly in the power of prayer and love to pray with fellow Christians. I hope you will come. MAY ACTIVITIES The Retired Nurses will be here on Friday, May 5, at 9:00 a.m. They gather in the fellowship hall. Also, Boy Scout Troop #25 has their regular weekly meetings on Tuesdays. CHURCH LEAGUE SOFTBALL The League will be playing on Tuesday evenings starting in April. The schedule will be out soon. For information contact Cory Smith (call or text at (319) or cory@corysmith.net) or Dennis Wohlers at (319) This year s team t-shirts have a winking Martin Luther on the front and Lutheran Lumber on the back.

3 CARPET FUND DRIVE Our President, Jim Martindale, recently announced our carpet fund drive to help cover the remainder of the cost for new carpet and linoleum. A special thanks to all who have contributed to this fund so far. If you would like to give a donation, it would really help as the remaining balance on this important project is approximately $6,000.0 Please note on your gift that it is for the carpet fund. Your consideration on this matter is most appreciated. As many of you know, Bethany buys its coffee from Lutheran World Relief through its program with Equal Exchange. That partnership is coming to a close and they will now be partnering with THRIVE Farmers Coffee--a coffee roaster that shares our passion for helping farmers lift themselves out of poverty and become self-sufficient. Starting this summer Lutherans will be able to purchase LWR Farmers Market Coffee, a new line of coffee sourced directly from farmers participating in LWR projects. Through the LWR Farmers Market you will be able to see how your support of LWR helps coffee farming families achieve sustainable livelihoods. REFLECTIONS ON OUR WEDNESADAY NIGHTS Our three church Lenten Wednesday night experience made a great impression on me. Having our three congregations share in worship, supper, fellowship, and study was truly Godordained! There was something about being together that seemed to unleash an energy that I would love to see continue. One of the topics we explored was how to reach out to people with the gospel of Jesus Christ. I am in the early stages of conversation to have us do a five week gathering similar to our March events for all three churches. The format would be one of watching presentations on DVD that would help us grow our faith and become confident in witnessing Christ. I hope to provide more information soon. BRIDGES OUT OF PROVERTY A couple months ago a fellow Burlington pastor approached me about having volunteers at Bethany approached me about having volunteers at Bethany consider joining his congregation in reaching out to our community through the Bridges Our of Poverty program. Bethany has a strong tradition of caring for others. What Bridges would entail is having volunteers from our church prepare and serve a meal for the people participating in this ministry. The ultimate goal is to help those who are mired in a difficult economic situation successfully transition into a more life-giving way of living. I will keep you posted as plans become more concrete. Please pray for God s leading and motivation on this.

4 He is not here; for He has been raised...go quickly and ell His disciples. Matthew 28:6-7 How Does Jesus Resurrection Touch Our Lives? I am gathering my thoughts on the Monday of Holy Week as I try to get our internet service restored at the church. I mention this because there are many things in life that we take for granted will always work. We open the refrigerator door and assume the contents inside are nice and chilled. We put fertilizer on our lawn and take for granted that the grass will soon become dark green. We put our key in the ignition of our vehicle and fully expect the engine to roar to life. This is what I planned on when I started my computer up at Bethany on the morning of Palm Sunday. But, instead of seeing the screen light up with all kinds of online information, I saw the phrase, internet service unavailable. There are many things in life we take for granted will always be available to us for our every need. But, like wishing for internet service on Palm Sunday when I could not get it, all of us have moments when the things we automatically assume will work, do not. When you receive this edition of our Chimes we will be right in the middle of the season of Easter. In the life of the church we celebrate Easter for fifty days. I like that. In fact, I celebrate Christ s resurrection everyday of my life. Why? Because knowing by faith that God would raise our Lord and Savior from the dead assures us that God will always come through for us. God is not like the internet that occasionally is unavailable for us. God is not like the refrigerator that will one day conk out on us. God is not like the fertilizer that can turn our lawn brown instead of dark green. God is faithful! God is reliable. In the resurrection of Jesus Christ God touches our lives with the absolute certainty that we can trust Him in all things. This does not mean that God will always have things work out to our satisfaction, but it does mean He is involved in our lives for the greater good of all. In Christ, Bethany is a resurrection community. God has great things in store for us and from us. Pastor Paul

5 Head Usher: Spencer Honsey May Team Captain: Bob Sogard Ushers 7 - Marlys McClurg; Vanette Woodridge; Susan Swanson; Bob Sogard 14 - Bob Sogard; Ginny Mesecher; Mark & Sarah Loots 21 - Bob Sogard; Carol Dodge; Arnhild Zaiser; Susan Swanson 28 - Ron Kastner; Tim Ruberg; Elberta Quam; Bob Sogard Communion Assistants Fellowship May 2017 Lay Leaders Missionary Support 7 - Anne Wischmeier Acolytes 7 - Tyler Burch; Benjamin Chelf 14 - Abi Schonrock; Madison McClurg 21 -Sam Morehead; Jonathon Chelf 28 - Isaac Morehead; David King Lector 7 - Todd Chelf 14 - Melissa Hopp 21 - Jessica King 28 - Todd Sladky Greeters 7 - Gerard & Lila Janssen 14 - Susanne Adam; Donna Miller 21 - Terry & Carol Steenberg 28 - Spencer & Mary Honsey Flowers 7 - Lynda Johnson 14 - Arnhild Zaiser 21 - Donna Edgington 28 - Carol Dodge Altar Guild Mary Honsey; Sharon Martindale; Eleonore Benninghoven; Lynda Johnson; Dee Dee Walker May Birthdays 1 - David King; Samuel Quam; Bill Roberts, III; Zoey Rogers 2 - Kara Roberts 4 - Peggy Schulz 5 - Brianna Hopp 7 - Rob Engler; Erv Imm; Elysabeth Mc Carthy 8 - Tristen Cook; Susan Rogers 9 - Bill Ward, Sr Todd Sladky 11 - Howard Burgus 13 - Dalton McClurg 14 - Emily Bloomer 16 - Donna Edgington; Janice Peterson; Ava Williams 18 - Andrew Mc Carthy; Nancy Pilcher; Edward Roberts 19 - Robert Hornfeck; Lindsey Rice 20 - Bonnie Darrah 22 - Jacob Smith 23 - Kathy Thomason 24 - Tyler Cook 26 - Jordan Roy; Michelle Schoof; Elisabeth Chelf 28 - Mathew Hogaboom; Jacob Roy; Joshua Roy 29 - Alexander Whitmore 30 - Sharon Martindale; Lisa Murphy; Doris Spicknall 31 - Michelle Le Kander

6 CONFIRMATION May 3 7:00 p.m. Questions? See Amanda or Pastor Paul SUNDAY SCHOOL Remember we have Sunday School every Sunday at 10:30 following our worship service. All children ages K through 6th grade are invited to attend. VOLUNTEERS NEEDED FOR VBS! It seems so far off, but VBS will be here before you know it. It will be held at Bethany, June 19-23, with staff from Camp EWALU leading our activities. We are very excited to add this element to our program and look forward to our joint ministry outreach as we work alongside our Lutheran brothers and sisters from Trinity, Faith, and Messiah. See Carlene Woodside or Amanda for volunteer opportunities.

7 The meetings for May that have been scheduled as of the publishing of this newsletter are listed below. Watch the bulletins for any date and time changes or additional meetings scheduled. Altar Guild TBA Men s Breakfast Saturday, May 20, 8:00 a.m. Evangelism Stewardship Comm. TBA Church Council Sunday, May 21, 10:15 a.m. Property Committee Monday, May 15, 6:30 p.m. Worship and Music Committee Finance Committee TBA Fellowship Committee TBA FINANCIAL UPDATE APRIL ATTENDANCE April April April April April 30 Unavailable APRIL GIVING April 2 $2, April 9 6, April 16 4, April 23 2, April 30 Total $16, WOW! PRAISE GOD! If you change your mailing address, please let the office know ASAP. For every returned piece of mail we get for an incorrect address, we are charged 75 cents. PLEASE NOTE The deadline to submit information for the monthly Chimes is the 25th of the month. You re welcome to your submissions, leave a note on the desk in the office, or call the church office. Thank you for your generosity and faithful trust in God to provide your needs! God believes in you and has a great future planned for Bethany. ALSO! Because of Federal Privacy laws, if you or a member of your family are hospitalized and would like the Pastor to visit, you must contact the church and let us know.

8 Council Meeting Minutes for May Chimes newsletter The Bethany Council met March 19 th, 2017 with Mike Hopp, Bob Hoxie, Rachel Lindeen, Jim Martindale, Todd Morehead, Mike Morris, Bill Mundt, Kaye Sladky, Shelley, Wallace, Dan Wischmeier, and Kimberly Engle attending, along with Pastor Hermansen. Financial Reports Discussed recent expenditures, and the General and Scholarship fund status. Discussed the organization of the fund drive for the new carpet. There have been several generous donations already received and we are currently about half way to being able to replace the money that was temporarily taken from the Endowment Fund. Committee, Staff, and Pastor s Report Highlights: Pastor Paul spoke about the ministries and committees at Bethany and how these could be developed further. One example is Bridges Out of Poverty which is a community uniting to impact the futures of our neighbors and friends who are caught trying to survive in the daily struggles of poverty. Part of this is a 16-week program that the Stewardship committee is looking at to see how Bethany might be able to help. There is meeting scheduled May 23rd to get more details. Please see Rachel Lindeen if you are interested. Pastor Paul also expressed gratitude to Amy Unglaub for her invaluable assistance with the ministry to visit shut-ins. Committee Report Highlights Miscellaneous Besides the Stewardship Committee efforts described above, Property Committee has been very busy with putting together spring/summer work lists and schedules. There was discussion about Holy Week services during the Worship/Music committee discussion and support for combining some services (such as Good Friday) with the other Lutheran Churches as we did for the Lenten Soup suppers. There seems to be great support about sharing the workload and ministries between Pastor Paul and Pastor Ryan and between the members of the congregations of the three churches, and we will look for ways to continue this collaboration in the future as well. The Lenten Soup suppers have been a great success. It is great to have such a big turnout to worship together and enjoy each other s fellowship. The Executive Committee has met to review Staff salaries and make adjustments as possible while keeping within the budget. There was discussion about changing the date/time of the 2017 Council meetings. Ultimately, it was decided that the current schedule of the 3 rd Sunday of the month at 10:30 am will continue, but when potential new Council members are considered by the Nominating Committee in the Fall, they should be made aware of the meeting times and time commitments required. Note: Because of the timing of the Chimes publication, and because the meeting minutes are required to be approved by the Council before publication, the Chimes will contain the previous month s meeting notes.