THE BETHANY BUGLE MARCH & APRIL 2015

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1 THE BETHANY BUGLE MARCH & APRIL 2015 The light of Jesus shines in the hearts of all who have been baptized. Sometimes, it may seem like it shines brighter in some people than others. Sometimes, it may feel like a barely glowing ember in our own lives. When I think of the light of Jesus that shines in the hearts of all the baptized, I hear the song This Little Light of Mine echoing. We sing it often at Friendship Group and at chapel with the daycare children. The verse sung with the most gusto, is always, hide it under a bushel, NO!!! I m going to let it shine... The singers always shout out NO!! I m going to let it shine. Lent is about letting the light of Jesus to shine through us and not hiding it. Lent is about removing the bushel basket that hides this light. Lent is about letting the Holy Spirit gently blow on the embers of our faith so that by Easter, our faith is on fire. Lent is about letting the Passion of Christ ignite your passion FOR Christ. This is why the faith practices of Lent are so precious (and should not be limited to the season of Lent.) We begin Lent publically displaying (not hiding) our faith and need for Christ s mercy and forgiveness with ashes placed on our foreheads. This is most definitely removing the bushel basket that hides our faith. The ash represents our brokenness and mortality - that we are dust and to dust we will return. But, the shape of the cross of ash on our foreheads reminds us of all the mercy and love Christ pours out for us on the cross. The shape of the cross reminds us that we are marked with the cross of Christ forever in our baptisms. The public display of a cross of ashes on our foreheads declares our deep need for Jesus Christ and the love and forgiveness Christ has already given to us on the cross. This cross of ash shows that we are simultaneously sinner and saint. This season of Lent, Bethany Lutheran Church is offering you many opportunities to tend to the light of Jesus that burns within you (or to prepare to be baptized for anyone reading this who has not yet been baptized). These opportunities are described in the following pages. Easter Sunday will be here before you know it. Most of you know that I am not an early morning person. I manage to be up and at church early each Sunday but usually need a Sabbath nap by Sunday afternoon. That said, I have been blessed to participate in worship Easter morning at sunrise outdoors. Worship begins while it is still dark and ends as the sun rises to celebrate the new dawn of the resurrection the glory and love and light of Christ bursting 1

2 forth from the dark tomb. Yes, this worship service starts very early and outside but it is an amazing way to celebrate the resurrection. So what do you think? How bold and courageous are you? Are you ready to throw all your bushel baskets that hide the light of Christ away and try something new or something you have not done in a very long time? Let s see what the weather will bring on Sunday April 5 th maybe, just maybe we can use our lovely playground with the stage, picnic benches and labyrinth to hold an outdoor Easter sunrise service. Watch our Facebook page, website, and or call the church for more information as we get even closer to Easter Sunday. Meanwhile, know that the light and love of our risen Lord and Savior Jesus Christ shines in your heart. May you continue to turn to Jesus every day, may you know his presence in your life more profoundly, and may you be bold to share the light and love of Jesus Christ with all you meet. Peace of Christ be with you all and always, Pastor Michelle Lent The 40 days of Lent excludes Sundays and begins with Ash Wednesday and ends with the great three days of worship that includes: Maundy Thursday, Good Friday and Holy Saturday. These three days are known as the Triduum and is a single unified worship. We see this in our tradition as the Maundy Thursday worship ends with the stripping of the altar getting our worship space ready the worship space for Good Friday. There is no benediction or sending on Maundy Thursday or Good Friday as we are in the midst of three special days of a unified worship service. Come to church and worship Maundy Thursday and Good Friday and strive to let your hearts remain in a spirit of worship throughout the three days leading up to Easter Sunday. HOLY WEEK. Maundy Thursday April 2 Worship with Holy Communion 7:00 p.m. (a special worship service marking the ways Jesus serves us: forgiving our sins, through humble service which he taught us to do for one another, and through giving himself in body and blood) Good Friday April 3 Two worship services: Noon Stations of the Cross (The Passion of Christ shared through the images on the sanctuary wall, the Gospels and hymns) 2

3 7:00 p.m. Tenebrae (The Passion of Christ shared through the Gospel according to John and hymns while the sanctuary becomes darker, representing Jesus journey to his death on the Cross) At both worship services there will be a time to place Your Nail on the cross. EASTER SUNDAY- April 5 Breakfast at 8:30 a.m. Worship Celebrating the Resurrection at 9:30 a.m. No Sunday School class Your Nail There are still available copies of the devotion books entitled, Your Nail by Arden W. Mead. This devotion book is intended to help you think and pray about the meaning of the suffering and death of Jesus Christ for you. Each person is also encouraged to take a nail from the display to place somewhere to frequently remind you to meditate on the crucifixion of Christ and its meaning for you personally. Put the nail in a place that you will see it every day, or carry it in your pocket (BUT be careful when you put your hand in your pocket). Bring your nail to worship on Good Friday. On Good Friday, you will be invited to place the nail on a cross, as a reminder of our sin, driven into the cross, and to remember the forgiveness Jesus gives. 3

4 Wednesdays during Lent ** Making Sense of the Cross by David Lose Lunchtime Book discussion 12:00 1:00 p.m. February 25 Sister s Place (215 Terrace Ave) March 4 Ludwig s Bavarian Haus (4302 S. East St.) March 11 Sister s Place (Terrace Ave. & Madison) March 18 Ludwig s Bavarian Haus (Southern Plaza) March 25 Sister s Place (Terrace Ave. & Madison) April 1 Ludwig s Bavarian Haus (Southern Plaza) Making Sense of the Cross is available as an ebook and as a new or used paperback through Amazon. Pastor has a dozen books available. We will discuss one chapter per week. The book is written as a dialog between two people and has several drawings. It is easy to understand yet very insightful. The author, David Lose, shares the following in the leader s guide: One of the best ways to learn is through conversation. There s just something about hashing out an issue that makes it easier to understand. The book is written as a conversation so you can listen in and also to stimulate your conversations with others. In addition, questions are important. There are no dumb questions. Questions help us to learn what we do not yet know and often mark how much we already understand. Each chapter in the book ends with a space to note Insights and Questions. IQ, or Intelligent Quotient tests are used to measure intelligence according to what we already know. In life and in this book discussion IQ (Insights and Questions) will measure what we are presently learning and still curious about. This is especially helpful when we talk about the cross. There are many views about the nature, purpose and effect of the cross. Sharing our views, hunches and conviction will be very helpful in deepening our understanding about what is accomplished in the cross. The point of this book discussion is not to understand the cross once and for all or to come up with one right way to understand the cross. The goal of this book discussion is to have a fresh and ongoing understanding and experience of the life-transforming love of 4

5 God that is poured out for us and all the world in and through Jesus cross and resurrection. David Lose was a professor at Luther Seminary in Minneapolis and currently serves as the President of Lutheran Theological Seminary at Philadelphia. His blogs continue to be popular for pastors preparing sermons. Did you know there are many ways to understand the meaning of the cross? Come & learn more. ** There will be NO evening soup supper or worship this year during Lent. This lunchtime activity replaces the traditional evening activity. Too few people were planning to participate in evening worship. Removing Obstacles On Ash Wednesday, in our reading from 2 Corinthians 6:3, the Apostle Paul states that we should put no obstacles in anyone s way. This Lent we are removing obstacles. Time: You say that you cannot drive at night our midweek Lenten focus is now at noon. You say that Sunday school is too early our Sunday school class will be after worship during Lent. (We will reassess after Lent to see if after worship is a better time.) Experience: There is no previous Bible Study or knowledge of the Bible needed for either the midweek book discussion or the Sunday school class. Cost: There is no cost for the Sunday school class (we do have a tradition of taking up a free will offering at Sunday school to help pay for current and future study materials.) The book Making Sense of the Cross cost $10, but free copies are available. If you desire, you may donate $10 to the Sunday school fund if you take a book. Access: If you cannot come to the lunch book study due to your work schedule, lack of mobility, or any other reason, you can still join the discussion. Get a copy of Making Sense of the Cross from Pastor Michelle or online and read one chapter a week. Join our conversation on Bethany s Facebook page or on Bethany s website. Not online? Call Pastor Michelle - talking about the meaning of the cross to you is an awesome reason for a visit. Pastor will happily share online comments with you and add any comments you would like to add to our online discussion. Any other reason: The people of Bethany and Pastor Michelle are pretty resourceful and creative. We will try our best to come up with a solution. 5

6 One More Bible Study Opportunity Third Wednesdays (March 17 and April 21) 1:00 p.m. Led by Betty Shalter in Room 144 (Contact Betty or Pastor for more information) Sunday School AFTER Worship From February 22 March 29 Sunday school will start at 10:45 a.m. This will be a six week study entitled: The Parables of Lent February 22 Receive Justification (Pharisee & Tax Collector) March 1 Receive the Word (Sower & Seed) March 8 Receive the Treasure (Hidden Priceless Pearl) March 15 Receive Mercy (Good Samaritan) March 22 Receive Grace (Workers in Vineyard) March 29 Receive Forgiveness (Prodigal Son) For those of you who would like a deeper reflection on the Sunday school theme, there is also a devotional book, The Parables of Lent available from the pastor or at the first Sunday school class. This devotion is also available as a digital download from Amazon Kindle and Nook at creativecommunications.com. 6

7 Confirmation Classes March 15 (5:00 7:00 p.m.) and April 19 (5:00 7:00 p.m.) We are learning about the Ten Commandments and why they are still important to our faith. Clean Water and Sanitation Our confirmation students are joining ELCA Lutheran youth throughout the USA raising money for clean water and sanitation. The national goal is to raise $500,000. Don t worry, we flushed our crazy fundraising idea for a saner approach. Service Opportunity March 21 9:00 a.m. 3:00 p.m. Bethany Lutheran Church will be hosting an event for the Indianapolis Conference of the Indiana-Kentucky Synod of the ELCA. From 9:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m. there will be a Congregation Council workshop led by Rev. Rudy Mueller, Assistant to the Bishop. This is for all Congregation Council members of all the ELCA churches throughout central Indiana (The Indianapolis Conference is a region that extends from Zionsville to Bloomington). From 2:00 3:00 p.m. is the Indianapolis Conference Assembly. This is for all people from all the ELCA churches in the Indianapolis Conference, including everyone from Bethany. At this brief Assembly, we will be setting the priorities for the upcoming year for our region as well as setting the budget by making decisions regarding which ministries in our region need our financial support. We currently have 3 newly started ministries in our Conference (region). Come learn more about these exciting new ministries by coming to the Conference Assembly from 2:00 3:00 p.m. We need Volunteers to help to set up and provide coffee and lunch. And, Lisa Nichols could use help cleaning up. The Indiana-Kentucky Synod is providing the funds for coffee and lunch. This is a great opportunity to serve the church beyond our congregation and to witness the many churches that make up the ELCA part of body of Christ in our region. 7

8 Easter Sunday Flower Garden On Easter Sunday, April 5 th we will celebrate Jesus resurrection with our traditional Easter Garden in the sanctuary. Please sign up on the sheets in the narthex if you would like to bring flowers and for whom or what the flowers are donated in memory or honor for. Please have the flowers at the church by Saturday morning, April 4, before the Easter decorating at 11:00 a.m. Thank you! Another Service Opportunity Thursday April 9 10:00 a.m. Pastor needs help setting up coffee and a light breakfast for the Ministerium (the monthly meeting for pastors and other rostered leaders in our region). We need to set up by 9:30 a.m. You are then welcome to join us for a brief worship service. Thank you to all who helped with or participated in the 15th Annual Pre-Lenten Tea. The set-up and clean-up went well. The food was fantastic. Thanks to the men who dressed up to serve. Many spoke highly of the event and lamented that this was our last. Even though it was a cold and blustery day, there were 115 total present and 33 churches represented. We feel blessed and thankful that all these individuals wanted to join us for this meaningful service and delightful fellowship that all shared. Well-done good and faithful servants!!!!! Easter Program March 28 at 9:30 a.m. The annual Daycare Easter Program will begin at 9:30 a.m. on March 28 in the sanctuary with the children followed by brunch with a visit from the Easter Bunny and an Easter Egg hunt. All are invited to attend. Donations of wrapped candy (no candy with nuts please) are greatly appreciated. We have plenty of plastic Easter eggs and do not need any more plastic eggs. If you would like to help in any other way, please contact Debbie or Penny at

9 SOCIAL MINISTRY ITEM OF THE MONTH March Toilet Paper April Diapers Congregation Report of February 2, 2015 Council Meeting Council elections were held and results are: President, Ilze Bye; Vice- President, Earleen Ashbrook; Secretary, Melissa VanLue; Treasurer, Dick Mathes. Pastor Michelle reported that the 3 day workshop she and Bruce Bye attended Jan on Transformational Ministry in Bloomington, IL, led to the speed dating exercise at the annual meeting. It led to everyone at the meeting interacting with each other and generating good data about the congregation for the Vision Team to sort through. After a presentation by the Pastor, the Council voted to authorize the congregation president to speak with Valeria Webdell, an ELCA Deaconess, to gather more information about the Healthy Congregations program. Treasurer Dick Mathes said that even though January was a month with 5 Sundays, it also had 3 paydays. All bills are paid, but the $5000 cushion that the year started with is already down to $2500 and he is seeing that he will need to move more money from savings to into checking to cover upcoming expenses. He is urging all congregation members to resume and increase their giving as they are able. Bruce Bye, Finance Chair, said that the Audit Committee is working through the various delays they have encountered. Debbie Rohrman, Daycare Director, wrote in her report that the State of Indiana voucher program, On My Way Pre-K, has sent 11 new students to Bethany Daycare with 18 as the potential maximum. Currently, there are a total of 56 children enrolled in the Daycare. Some children were withdrawn in January because payment for childcare was not being made. Additional members are needed on the Daycare Board to assist with the heavier responsibilities of a Level 3 Paths to Quality Daycare. Property chair, Lisa Nichols, continued adding to her list of property needs and completions. She appreciates all assistance offered. Social Ministry committee lists Cereal as the collected food item for February. 9

10 Membership chair, Ilze Bye, reported that updated Directory lists were available and distributed at the Annual Meeting and thanked Sandy DuPriest for printing them. Outreach chair, Marcia Cowan, said she had already sent 8 cards to congregation members by February 2. Nominees to fill Christian Education, Social Ministry and Mutual Ministry Council positions were discussed. Complete committee reports can be found in the Council Meeting Notebook located in the Narthex. Council members and Pastor are available to answer any questions. Prayerfully submitted, Ilze Bye Council President NOTES FROM THE DAYCARE January and February have been extremely busy at Bethany Daycare / Preschool. As I previously wrote, we are blessed to be able to accept the ON MY WAY PRE-K vouchers as a result of our hard and dedicated work last July in achieving Paths To Quality Level III. We welcomed 11 new children who have never been in an educational program to our family. These children qualified for the program and selected our program above several others. It has been both challenging and rewarding working with these families as well as very time consuming as we work through gathering all the necessary paperwork and completing all the required State forms to enroll these children. Our class of Pre- K was very small this fall with only three children in the room to currently overflowing so that we had to divide the room into two classes. We have 18 children enrolled in the program as we also welcomed several children participating in the Child Care Voucher program who were in this age group. Ms. Penny and Ms. Gladys are having a great time working with these children. We must work diligently to bring their knowledge level to attain Kindergarten standards. This is a highly regulated program and the bumps are still being worked out as the State Dept. of Education works its way through the unknown surprises of this pilot program. All of us are welcoming this new challenge as we not only work with the children who are new to a daily learning program, but also 10

11 parents who do not know what to expect. I spend much time communicating with these parents at both drop-off and pick-up time. A key component of this program is parent engagement - getting them accustomed to bringing their child to school and being actively involved in the education process. We are not only educating the young children but also their parents. For most of these parents, this is an entirely new process. They had no idea what to expect. They were very nervous about leaving their child for the first time as most have been stay at home Mothers due to their own challenges in life. It is rewarding to see them become comfortable with us and to trust us to do the best for their child. Every parent, regardless of economic status, wants the best for their child. It is our pleasure and joy to give them this gift. We will soon begin assessments of their progress and their progress will be monitored carefully in this program. Our program is designed to last until the beginning of the school year in late July. This will be something new for our entire program as we design a summer program for them that will continue their education right to the point of their departure for Kindergarten. We also have our two three year old rooms full due to new enrollments. Our Infant room once again has 5 children and we are adding a staff member to be able to grow. We have no one year olds at this time but an overflowing two year old room for which we are seeking a new teacher. We have grown by leaps and bounds in the past month. We are once again dividing Chapel time so the children can be more actively engaged. I have applied for a grant from the United Way to provide funding for our staff to attend the Indiana Association for the Education of Young Children convention here in Indianapolis in early May. This is always a great opportunity for our staff to obtain the required training hours. We will begin working with our new Coach from Paths To Quality to prepare for our Level III renewal process in June. We look forward to meeting this challenge once again. January Financial Report Church Income Received: Church Expenses: $13, $18,

12 PLEASE KEEP OUR BRAVE MILITARY MEN AND WOMEN AND THEIR FAMILIES IN YOUR PRAYERS. An * denotes currently deployed outside of the United States. Bob Battema Air Force Son Terry & Marlys Battema Tyler Bell* Army Coworker s Son Sally Graybeal Rick T. Duncan Navy Reserves Son Rick & Gladys Duncan Jacob Edwards Air Force Reserves Grandson Gene and Dottie Hussey Alex Gurley* Army Jerry Gustafson Army Family Friend Graybeal Family Mark Hamilton Navy Grandson Norbert & Benita Matthews Dennis Lambert Army Grandson-in-law Tony Scheidelmeier J.C. Mikits* Army Son Janis & Judy Mikits Patrick Porter Naval Reserves Nephew Bill Porter David Timmons Navy Grandson Rick & Gladys Duncan Austin Van Lue Army Grandson Melba Van Lue Jeremy Wood Air Force Great Nephew Mable Hulfachor 2015 Bethany Lutheran Church Council Members The Rev. Michelle Elfers VACANT Social Ministry Ilze Bye President Membership VACANT Christian Education Earleen Ashbrook Vice-President VACANT Mutual Ministry Stewardship Melissa Van Lue Secretary Non-Council Ministry Team Leaders Youth Ministry Richard Mathes Treasurer Bruce Bye Finance Jefimija Zlatanovic Organist Barbara Campbell Worship & Music Deborah Rohrman Daycare Director Marcia Cowan Outreach Donna Shafer Assistant Daycare Lisa Nichols Property Director 12

13 MAR.. LAY ASSIISTANT USHERS COMMUNIION CLEAN--UP GREETERS 1 st Eric Yost Terry Battema Harold Secrest Margaret Secrest Eileen Braun Donna Thoms Ron Sally Graybeal 8 th Jakob Myers Terry Battema Harold Secrest Margaret Secrest Betty Shalter Ron Sally Graybeal 15 th Sally Graybeal Terry Battema Harold Secrest Margaret Secrest Margaret Secrest Ron Sally Graybeal 22 nd Karen Deere Terry Battema Harold Secrest Margaret Secrest Carol Erv Schreiber Ron Sally Graybeal 29 th Palm Sunday Erv Schreiber Terry Battema Harold Secrest Margaret Secrest Barb Campbell Ron Sally Graybeal 13

14 APR.. LAY ASSIISTANT USHERS COMMUNIION CLEAN--UP GREETERS 5h EASTER SUNDAY Ilze Bye Sandi DuPriest Joni Webb Mary Kelly Roger Kelly Barb Campbell Mary Roger Kelly 12 th Sally Graybeal Sandi DuPriest Joni Webb Mary Kelly Roger Kelly Judy Smith Mary Roger Kelly 19 th Joni Webb Sandi DuPriest Joni Webb Mary Kelly Roger Kelly Patty Shannon Val Subris Mary Roger Kelly 26 th Erv Schreiber Sandi DuPriest Joni Webb Mary Kelly Roger Kelly Mary Roger Kelly Mary Roger Kelly 14

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19 Bethany Lutheran Church 4702 S. East Street Indianapolis, Indiana