A Letter From Our Pastor. Dear Church Family,

Transcription

1 Can't see images? Click here... Bellwether Fall 2018 Newsletter A Letter From Our Pastor A Letter From Our Pastor Dear Church Family, I hope you are well and settled into the school year as we look forward to cooler weather. Much is happening at Bellwether this fall. I want to keep you up to speed so you can be more involved and connected. The first is our fall sermon series: Money, Sex, and Marriage. Each Sunday, I will address one of these topics biblically and culturally. What's the goal of this series? First, to show how these can be idols in our life. An idol is a good thing that becomes an ultimate thing. These 3 have the potential to be idols that keep us from growing in Christ. Second, to see how each of these areas do not have to be barriers to our Christian life. Instead, they are beautiful gifts God gives and for us to be good stewards of them. The Bible never says money is bad, or sex is bad, or marriage is to be bad. It does say greed is bad and we can have greed for all three. It s when we say I have to have so much money. Or, I have to have so much sex. Or even if we are single, I have to have marriage. My hope and prayer is we see all three in light of the gospel in the Bible. I hope you ll be joining us for worship throughout the series. Moving past Sunday worship, we are in a new season in the life of our

2 church. Bellwether Church has exited from a denomination. This is important. It has also joined a new network, Acts 29 (which is not a denomination). Yet a question could be asked, What s next? This question is valid. Therefore, in this new season, we the elders want to lay out a vision for the congregation in where we are going over the next several years. The vision is to grow in 3 ways: in people, in giving, and in going. To share this vision and to break it down, we ll be having an upcoming member meeting as well as opportunities for small group discussions. It s important for everyone in our church family to see and hear this vision for unity in the body and to move forward together. I m very excited about this vision and the future God has for our church. In addition, there are several opportunities where we can live into our values: Seeing a Big God, Loving the Other Person, and Going to the World. We can always live these out individually, yet as a church we want to provide you opportunities to do so. One great opportunity to See Love Go is our annual Trunk or Treat. This will be Wednesday October 24th, from 6-7:30pm. It s a great time for our families to enjoy as well as to invite neighbors and friends. I hope you ll be part of it and we d love for you to help in planning it. There are also two opportunities connected to our global mission partners. One is our mission in India with JKPS in Kolkata where we support church planters and an after care shelter for girls rescued from trafficking. The ministry leader of this mission in India, Smita Singh will be visiting with us from October 15th - 21st. We will have a time to hear from her and pray for this ministry on Wednesday October 17th. We will also highlight her and the ministry in a Sunday worship service on October 21st. The other opportunity is our church hosting the annual Salt and Light Honduras Banquet. This is on Tuesday November 13th. You ll be hearing more about it, yet we d love for you to come and attend this dinner banquet to support Salt and Light. Many of you have been blessed by a summer mission trip to Honduras. Salt and Light is the ministry we support and partner with to do these trips. The Salt and Light Honduran leader, Daniel Tercero, will be here to share about the ministry and it s a great opportunity for you to hear from him and other members of this ministry. Thank you for being part of our church community! As pastor and elder, I want all of you to be more connected in the life of our church family, for Jesus and for His Kingdom. If you need anything, please don t hesitate to contact me. I look forward to growing together in this new season to See a

3 Big God, Love the Other Person, and Go to the World through the life of Bellwether Church. In Christ, John Hugh SEE A BIG GOD New Sermon Series The fall is a great time to join our sermon series Money, Sex, and Marriage. If you have missed a Sunday, podcast the sermon at our website or on our Bellwether Church app. Trunk or Treat

4 Wednesday, October 24th from 6:00-7:30pm Come out for a night of trick or treating and fun!! This is a Love Your Neighbor Event so we will be inviting Spann Elementary, neighboring businesses, local community helpers and more. We would love for you to decorate a trunk! Sign up here: Go To the World Prayer Bellwether Wednesday, October 6pm Join us as we pray over and hear from Smita Singh and JKPS in Kolkata, India and all their ministry efforts to rescue girls from sex trafficking. All welcome to come learn and listen. Salt and Light Bellwether Tuesday, November 6pm Many of you have been blessed by a summer mission trip to Honduras. We d love for you to come and attend this dinner banquet to support Salt and Light our partner ministry in Honduras. The Salt and Light Honduran leader, Daniel Tercero, will be here to share about the ministry. Contact Cherry Duckworth at cherryduck4@gmail.com for tickets. $20 Each

5 Adult News B Group Highlight Thursday Night B 6:30pm This Fall, we have chosen to take a look at how Christ meets the culture around us, and how He has called us, the Church, to engage with the world around us with a gospel-centered worldview. We will address the critical social issues of our day from the standpoint of the gospel. The issues of abortion, orphan and widow care, poverty, slavery, sexuality, ethnicity and immigration, liberty and persecution, and the greatest injustice of all the fact that there are still people groups who have little or no access to the gospel, are addressed based on the authority of God s Word. Rather than compromise, followers of Christ must hold fast to the teaching of Scripture and engage these issues with conviction, compassion, and courage. This topic will challenge us on what we believe and how do we reconcile and live that belief out biblically. But it will be a life-giving topic that will truly let us share Christ to the world around us. We would love to have you join us on Thursday. If you are interested, please contact Hunter Poole at hpoole@bellwetherchurch.org. List of All B groups

6 You can find all our B Groups at under Adults. B Group times Sunday morning, Sunday evening, Tuesday morning, Wed lunch, Wednesday night, Thursday morning, & Thursday evening. Childcare provided for some groups. Student News From Hunter Poole, Student Leader Sunday Evening Series: Jesus and Identity Bellwether Students meet from 5-7pm on Sunday evenings at the Bellwether White House. Any student from 6-12 grade is welcome to join us for dinner, fun and games, and exploring God's Word. Our first series is Jesus and Identity. With the start of a new school year can come questions about our identity, our purpose, or where we belong. This series is going to point these students to their true identity being in Christ alone, and how from that they can live a bold life being

7 free in who God has made them to be. Each week you will receive an that will have a brief summary of what we covered on Sunday evening that you can use to continue the conversation throughout the week, as well as 3 devotions for the students to continue to be in the Word. I'm praying for our students to know and live their true identity so that others will see Christ through them! Trunk or Treat Wed, October 24th 6-7:30pm It's a fun and friendly night full of games, crazy costumes, and tons of candy! We need volunteers to decorate trunks and pass out candy, as well as volunteers for the different games and activities. Go ahead and put it on your calendar and be thinking about how you can participate! Student Winter Retreat Feb 15-17, 2019 Bellwether Student Ministry will be joining together with some other local student ministries for a Winter Retreat. Last year was the first year and it was an amazing time with students to disconnect and dive into the Word. There will be more information coming SOON! But go ahead and block off those dates, because it will be a weekend you will not want your students to miss. Adult Volunteers Meals, Discipleship, & More We have volunteer opportunities for adults, from preparing a meal for the students to serving as a group leader to helping with special events. If you would like to bring a meal, these dates are open: 10/7, 10/14, 11/4, 11/11, and 12/9. Join the list To stay in the loop, Hunter Poole at hpoole@bellwetherchurch.org so that you do not miss any of the action!

8 Children News Trunk or Treat Wednesday, October 24th from 6:00-7:30pm Bring your children and their friends to a fun event!! We would love for you to decorate a trunk as we invite Spann Elementary, neighbors and our church family! Sign up here: New Children s Curriculum: Gospel Project We are excited to introduce our new Sunday school curriculum. Check it out at gospelproject.com! Over the course of three years, the children will read and study the whole Bible in chronological order." Substitute Teachers Do you love kids? We are in need of a few substitute teachers in the Children s Ministry. You will help as a need arises and as your schedule permits. Contact Jo Alice Hall at family@bellwetherchurch.org to sign up.

9 JPS Spann Elementary Book & Math Buddies Volunteers Start this new school year by signing up to be a Book or Math Buddy at our neighboring public school! Buddies meet their kids during the school lunch hour (12:45-1:15 pm). Commitment: once/week or twice/month. No experience necessary. Contact Samantha Hawkins at salewis0131@gmail.com to help raise the next generation! 2 Global Mission Events Mark Your Calendars! Prayer Service for Smith Singh and JKPS, India Wednesday, October 17th at 6pm at Bellwether You will receive an closer to the event. Salt and Light Bellwether Tuesday, November 13th at 6pm $20 tickets will be sold in the foyer in October.

10 News is the Life of Bellwether Members New Members Zach and Laurie Baldwin Bo Trebotich Adult Baptism Douglass Pipkin Bellwether in Pictures

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