THE RESURRECTION IS THE DEATH OF DEATH

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1 Volume 58 Issue 4 April, 2018 Bethany Lutheran Church Mission Statement Reaching out in Worship, Fellowship, Learning, and Love - We Are God s People. THE RESURRECTION IS THE DEATH OF DEATH People have said that the Resurrection is the most important moment in history. The Resurrection is about a person who did many wonderful things for people. And what did He get for it? This wonderful person was convicted and killed for His benevolence. In doing such a cruel and vicious injustice the people in power assumed they would be done with the activity of this Galilean preacher once and for all. However, less than two days later that same deceased corpse had quite a surprise for them. Approximately forty hours after He was buried that same lifeless body was now more alive than ever before. The man who had been killed was broken free from the power of death and shared God s victory over a fear that people never dreamed could be overcome. When God raised His Son Jesus from death He announced to the world the death of death. In the Resurrection death is no longer all powerful. This is the Good News of the Resurrection. Among all the great things Christ did, the best was saved for last. In the Resurrection we are no longer held captive to the grip of death. And that is about the best news I have ever heard. Christ is risen! 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 EXTRA MONEY FOR BETHANY! Do you have a Thrivent product? Thrivent is our Lutheran insurance company that sells all kinds of investments. It is a non-profit company so all profits return to the church. One of their programs is called Choice Dollars. This is money earned on your Thrivent products that you can designate to any recipient. Sue and I have been giving our Choice Dollars to Bethany ever since we got here. For 2017 we were able to give $ to Bethany over and above our regular donation. If you have a Thrivent product, ask Thrivent about Choice Dollars. Bethany will be glad you did. There are a lot of spots to sign up for altar flowers for this year. Please take a look at the flower chart on the bulletin board in the hallway. 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. EXODUS BIBLE STUDY The Exodus Bible study meets on Sunday nights at 7:00 p.m. Exodus is one of the most fascinating books in the Bible. The Israelites have crossed through the Red Sea and are now wandering with God in the wilderness! Please join us to learn what happens next. LOOKING AHEAD: This autumn WELCA will be sponsoring its next crafts and arts bazaar. Talented hands and minds have made this a successful venture in the past. All donations will be accepted. Contact Ruth Harken or Norma Bock. RIDE-ON LAWN MOWER FOR SALE The Property Committee was blessed to purchase a new lawn mower thanks to the generosity of the Remembrance Committee. This leaves them with a Cub Cadet lawn mower in good working condition that they are offering for sale. There are descriptions of the Cub Cadet posted through the church building. If interested, call the office or talk to a member of the Property Committee. WELCA is having a meeting on Sunday, April 8, at 10:30 a.m., following the worship service, in the library. The purpose of the meeting is to consider several events for the upcoming spring months. Please plan on attending. APRIL ACTIVITIES The Retired Nurses will be meeting on Friday, April 6, at 9:00 a.m. in the fellowship hall.. Boy Scout Troop #25 has their regular weekly meetings on Tuesdays.

3 LUTHERAN MISSION TRIP TO DETROIT, JULY The following is an article from Pastor Susanne at Messiah Lutheran Church: A group of us plan to spend a week this summer, July 15-21, working on urban preservation and community gardens in inner city Detroit. Rippling Hope is a Detroit non-profit that has been collaborating with city neighborhood associations for years, stabilizing homes, cleaning neighborhoods, and supporting urban farming. Rippling Hope s mission is not disaster relief but long-term help for the residents of Detroit. (See the Clint Eastwood movie, Gran Torino for a sense of what the neighborhoods used to be like.) Now there may be few homes on each block. Some are demolished, some burned, some in disrepair. Insurance coverage has been pulled from many homes over small issues like unpainted garages or sagging porches. Home values have dropped by as much as half so homes are unsellable. Detroit has 20,000-40,000 abandoned houses waiting for demolition or some other repurposing. Rippling Hope works with neighborhood organizations and takes requests for repairs. The week we are in Detroit a group from Capital Hill Christian Church will also be working, though staying at another location. Our group will be able to sleep on beds and couches, not on floors. Young people are welcome with their parents. If you are interested in being involved in this very worthy ministry, registration and information packets are available on the table outside the sanctuary. Our next meeting will be Sunday, April 29, 5:00 p.m. in the Messiah library. Please bring your completed packet to the meeting. We will be talking about funding and transportation. GUEST PREACHERS Besides doing all the work required of a bishop, our own Bishop Burk preaches nearly every Sunday throughout our Synod. May 13 is Bethany s Sunday to host our bishop. He will give the message and I will be present to lead worship. May we all show our bishop the friendly hospitality of Bethany. Prior to our coming to Bethany you were blessed to have a wonderful interim pastor for just a few months. Sue and I met Jackie Berlin on our interview Sunday. It was her first Sunday at Bethany. On May 20 Pastor Jackie will be back to lead worship and give the message. Sue and I will be at our granddaughter s Rite of Confirmation in Suwanee, Georgia. Be sure to be present for a Sunday with a dear sister in Christ. BROWN BAG GROCERIES FOR FOOD PANTRIES Thank you for responding to our brown bag groceries outreach. Your response was tremendous and very life-giving. Last year our social outreach ministry was very active. We will soon be meeting again to do more in our community.

4 When he was at table with them, he took the bread and blessed, and broke it, and gave it to them. And their eyes were opened and they recognized him; and he vanished out of their sight. Luke 24:30-31 EASTER CHANGES EVERYTHING One of the ways the New Testament describes the Resurrected Jesus is that He has a physical, as well as, a supernatural body. Jesus eats fish and has wounds from His crucifixion. He can also pass through closed doors and appear and disappear in the twinkling of an eye. When the writers of the gospels present Jesus this way they have a second underlying purpose. Just as Jesus, in His resurrected condition, could be more than a mere human being, so, too, could His followers be more than just a rag-tag group of worshippers. People who have studied the life and activity of the early church are convinced that there was a superhuman power at work in their ministry. The early believers could not have accomplished what they did without a force beyond themselves working in their lives. Christ s resurrection changes everything. That same transformative power is at work in our lives today! Churches around the world are doing supernatural things because Christ s followers are surrendering themselves to the leading of Christ. One of the great changes that God is doing in churches today is to change the churches culture. This is not an easy task but it can be done. I think, if you asked any church if they were a friendly congregation, all of them would say yes. But, in the churches that are growing, there is an almost supernatural friendliness about them. These churches have members greeting new attendees in the parking lot. Large churches have golf carts that scoot around and pick up visitors and being them to the door. Obviously, in a church the size of Bethany, there is only so much you can do. But in growing churches members provide music in their worship that connects with visitors. Growing churches make visitors feel welcome and important. Churches with an evangelism culture are very positive about their own congregation and joyfully share what it is about their congregation that is extra special. Bethany is a great church. Through the years Bethany has had members who were and are as friendly as you can be. When it comes right down to it, people who are truly evangelical are people who greet others as if they had encountered the risen Christ Himself. I know that God loves His church very much. I also know that God has chosen His church as one of the ways He reaches the world with Christ. May the Holy Spirit continue to create in us an evangelism culture that enthusiastically shares the joy of our risen Lord with everyone. In Christ, Pastor Paul

5 Head Ushers: Dan & Julie Wischmeier April Team Captain: Todd Chelf Ushers Chelf Family 8 - Chelf Family Jan & Scott Creighton; Mike & Tammy Morris 22 - Chelf Family Chelf Family Communion Assistants Fellowship April 2018 Lay Leaders Missionary Support Acolytes 8 - Madison McClurg David King; Benjamin Chelf 22 - Tyler Burch Jonathan Chelf Lector Dan Harken 8 - Pam Taylor Bob Hoxie 22 - Carlene Woodside Bob Sogard Greeters Dan & Julie Wischmeier 8 - Dan & Ruth Harken Jeff & Kim Engle 22 - Susanne Adam; Donna Miller Bob Sogard; Arnhild Zaiser Flowers 8 - Marlys McClurg; Vanette Wooldridge 22 - Pastor Paul Altar Guild Kim Engle; Kaye Sladky; Sharon Martindale; Lynda Johnson April Birthdays 3 - Carlene Woodside 5 - David Milton 6 - Michael Kastner 9 - Courtney Quam; Arnhild Zaiser 10 - Erica House 12 - Thomas Holtz; James Morris Adam Roy 19 - Julie Coleman; Elliott Wallace 20 - Diana Walker 2 Andrew Sladky 24 - Sue Hermansen Hunter Adam; Teresa Engler; Steven Rogers 30 - Vivienne Mafra

6 L.I.F.T. CONFIRMATION April 4 April 11 April 18 April 25 Questions: See Amanda or Pastor Paul to raise before we leave at the end of June. We have multiple events coming up so it is not L.I.F.T. is up and running! L.I.F.T. is always held on the second Sunday of the month at too late to show your support. 5:00 p.m. at Trinity. L.I.F.T. is open to ages April 22 - Pancake breakfast after church three to 6th grade. This is a great ministry June 8 - Stock-in-youth dinner and auction and is open to everyone. We have a Bible (more info to come) story, do a craft, sing some songs...all AFTER WE EAT!! Invite your nieces, nephews, grandchildren, and their friends! Registration forms chicken dinner, and meal at Pizza Ranch, all of We will also have a casserole sale, steak/ are available. If you are interested in helping which will be announced later this month. Invite your friends, bring the family and with L.I.F.T., speak to Amanda. mark your calendars--these events are not to be missed! SAVE THE DATE!! Summer will be here before we know it so mark your calendars now. VBS will be June this summer. Keep an eye out for more details. NATIONAL YOUTH GATHERING UPDATE Thank you to everyone who has participated in our fundraisers so far. With the support of Bethany, Faith, and Trinity, and Bethany s and Trinity s councils, we have raised a little over $5,000 toward Houston. While this sounds like a lot (and it is), we have about $5,600 left

7 The meetings for April 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. WELCA Sunday, April 8, 10:30 a.m. Social Ministry Committee Men s Breakfast Saturday, April 21, 8:00 a.m. Executive Committee Tuesday, April 10, Church Council Sunday, April 15, 10:15 a.m. Property Committee Monday, April 9, FINANCIAL UPDATE MARCH ATTENDANCE March March March March MARCH GIVING March 4 $ 4, March 11 3, March 18 2, March 25 2, Total $12, Remembrance Committee Worship & Music Committee Fellowship Committee Thank you for your generosity and faithful trust in God to provide your 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. 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. needs! God believes in you and has a great future planned for Bethany. 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