Ash Wednesday March 1

Transcription

1 Bethany Banner March 2017 The Church with Open Hearts, Minds, and Doors Sunday Worship 8:30 & 11:00 a.m. Sunday School for all ages 9:45 a.m. Ash Wednesday March 1 6 PM Soup Dinner 7 PM Ash Wednesday Service Pastor: Deborah T. Marion Church Office Administrator: Dee Dee Wike Director of Children & Youth Ministries: Kris Kent Assistant Director of Children & Youth Ministries: Dawn McDade Director of Music: Sandra Fox Organist: Rudy Shackelford Nursery Coordinator: Jeannie Meisner

2 Lent is the most important time of the year to nurture our inner life. It is the time during which we not only prepare ourselves to celebrate the mystery of the death and resurrection of Jesus, but also the death and resurrection that constantly takes place within us. Life is a continuing process of the death of the old and the familiar, and being reborn again into a new hope, a new trust, and a new love. The death and resurrection of Jesus therefore is not just an historical event that took place a long time ago, but an inner event that takes place in our own heart when we are willing to be attentive to it. True repentance is an innermost attitude in which we are willing to let go of everything that prevents us from growing into spiritual maturity, and there is hardly a moment in our lives in which we are not invited to detach ourselves from certain ways of thinking, ways of speaking, ways of acting, that for a long time gave us energy, but that always again need to be renewed and recreated. Lent offers a beautiful opportunity to discover the mystery of Christ within us. It is a gentle but demanding time. It is a time of solitude but also community. It is a time of listening to the voice within, but also a time of paying attention to other people s needs. It is a time to continuously make the journey to new inner life as well as to life with those around us. When we live Lent attentively and gently, then Easter can truly be a celebration during which the full proclamation of the risen Christ will reverberate into the deepest level of our being. May you use these forty days of Lent to nurture your inner life in preparation for the great celebration of Easter! Worth pondering Debbie Bethany UMC Prayer List 2/27/2017 BETHANY FAMILY Roy & Darlene Bauschatz, Al Burner, Judy Burner, Dawn Cluts, Bessie Conner, Jerri Doggett, Ray and Alice Doggett, Gene Harrell, Pauline Harris, Jason and Susannah Hogge and Family, Kathy Jacobs, Katherine Jordan, Jeff Lane, Archie Leigh, Marshall Lewis,, Joy Long, Merle & Doris Luther, Paige Mitchell, Sue Morecock, Justus Minor, J J Orth, George Parkes, Mary Poland, Marie Reynolds, Carter Roane, Jack Rollins, Tom Sawyer & family, Abigail Walker, Jack Wallace, Robert Williamson BETHANY FRIENDS Scott Balderson, Barbara Berry, Sue Blake, Janie Blanchard, Anne Bolin, Joe Boone, Andrew Brunson, Jeff Carino, Kathi Christiansen, Trevor Claar, Kristen Collier, Jason Frederick, Ruth Ann Freeman, Jesse Green, Jack Grubbs, Ellis Hall, Kevin Hernandez, Donna Kidd, Thom Ligon, Fred Magee, Richard Martin, Lydia Newman, Evelyn Owens, Mr. Palmer, K.C. Powers, Richards Family, Forrest Robinson, Bonnie Sandahl, Rhonda Simmons, Steve Smith, Suzanne Trio, Seth Wells, John & Ruth Whitmore, Vicky Whitney, Kandee Willis, Annette Wilburn BUMC S MILITARY Edward Bailey, Todd Bontrager, Michael Brown, Peter Demetriades, Meagan Demetriades, Kevin Jacobs, Bernard Johnson, Lamont Johnson, Jim Minor, Kyle Nichols, all members of the military and their families Gloucester House: ASSISTED LIVING Esther Marie Jordan, Rm 509 Jean Heywood, Rm 110 Sanders Rehab: Mary Field, Rm 101 Stonebridge N.C.: Gloria Wallace Sunrise Senior Living: Pauline Harris York Convalescent & Rehab Center: Mary Poland, Rm 27A Bessie Emory, Rm 101 Ray Doggett, Rm 507 Jerri Doggett, Rm 216

3 CHRISTIAN LOVE AND SYMPATHY Family of Rev. Jim Reynolds Family of John Roark, Bev Kearney s brother, who passed away January 30. June Matthews and family upon the death of her husband Ken Matthews on Thursday, following a lengthy illness. Family of Shirley Broaddus Callis, who passed away February 4. Family of Anne Bolin, Lonnie Byrd s sister, who passed away February 18. Matthew and Michael Sage, whose mother Deborah Gibbs passed away February 21. C.A.R.E. MINISTRY Please join us any Thursday you are available, at 9:30 a.m., to write cards to those of our Bethany family and friends who need a word of encouragement or are celebrating special occasions. This is a great time of fellowship and ministry that makes difference! For more information, contact Nancy Wilburn at JOY CIRCLE will meet on Tuesday, March 7 at 7 p.m. in the Mary Lotsey classroom. This is a circle of the United Methodist Women and all ladies are welcomed. Troy Andersen, Gloucester County School Board member, will speak on concerns and happenings of our community schools. Hope you will consider joining us! HOME BOUND MINISTRIES - We will be cooking for the shut-ins on Wednesday, March 22. We will meet at 9:30 a.m. to cook and prepare the meal. If you can't cook but would like to deliver your help would be greatly appreciated also. Help us put a smile on their faces and you'll receive a blessing! CHURCH AND SOCIETY COMMITTEE REPORT Ongoing Activity - The committee continues to make available baskets to collect non-perishable food, over-the-counter medicines, personal hygiene products, and household cleaning items. Both groups were very appreciative of the overwhelming generosity from Bethany s Reverse Advent donations. Environmental Tips Part of the mission of the Church and Society Committee is to take care of the environment. Committee member, Judy Vaughan, submits Environmental Tips in the Banner on a regular basis. These tips cover a wide range of subjects from garden tips to informing the BUMC membership of upcoming issues that could affect the community directly. The Commission on the Way Forward The Commission on the Way Forward held its first meeting January 23-26, 2017 in Atlanta, GA. The Commission s purpose is to lead the United Methodist Churches worldwide in overcoming the present impasse related to the LGBTQ community. At issue are objections, from groups of Methodists, to the current language in the Book of Discipline regarding homosexuality. At this meeting six work groups were formed which include the following: 1. Learning about the experience of other congregations. 2. Discussing the proposed 2019 Special General Conference on this issue. 3. Understanding the experiences of LGBTQ persons. 4. Understanding the current denominational situation. 5. Understanding what Central Conferences want from a new form of connectionalism. 6. Understand the power dynamics inherent in the construction of the Commission itself. There are 32 members of the commission which include 8 bishops, 11 laity, 11 elders, and 2 deacons who are from the US, the Philippines, and counties in Europe and Africa. More information about the Commission on the Way Forward is available online. Go to UMC, the Commission on the Way Forward. In 1994 the Methodist Church published a study, entitled The Church Studies Homosexuality Study Book. It is now out of print but copies are available upon request in the church office. Even though this publication is over 20 years old it is still relevant and well written.

4 CHURCH AND SOCIETY COMMITTEE REPORT (continued from previous page) The next meeting of the Commission on the Way Forward will be February 27-March 2 also in Atlanta. Updates in the Banner on the progress on The Way Forward Commission will continue. Church and Society Committee: Nancy Orth, Chairperson Ken Bunting Nancy Kendall Kay Williamson Judy Vaughan Sid Dixon Paul Kendall Bev Kearney Sandy Riggin CHURCH WIDE ENTERTAINMENT NIGHT AND YOUTH FUNDRAISER DINNER Buy your tickets NOW for a wonderfully fun night that includes a delicious dinner! We will host this terrific event from 6:00-8:00 PM in the Warren Belvin Fellowship Hall on Saturday, March 18th! All YOU need to do is: BANNER SUBMISSION DEADLINE Please submit your announcements for the April Bethany Banner by no later than Wednesday, March 15. As always, due to space & time constraints, preference is given to online submissions. Thanks for your assistance. THANK YOU NOTES Thank you everyone for your heartfelt prayers, wonderful cards, calls and visits and delicious food. The love I have felt from Bethany surrounds me and lifts me up as I continue to heal. Thank you so much for your continued prayers. Leaning on God keeps us upright. Sue Morecock Dearest Bethany, Since Donna and I came to Bethany in 1978, we have been blessed by the loving spirit that overflows from the members. This spirit is not of our own but of the Grace of God. It is not of our own doing but to Him we give the Glory. So please allow Donna and me to thank you for all you ve done for us since my quadruple bypass surgery on February 6 -- the visits, the calls, the cards, the food, the prayers, And let us continue to love one another as He loves us. Let us continue to allow His love to shine through us and the world will know that we are different because of His True Love and our love for one another. Jeff and Donna Lane 1.) Signup to provide an entertaining song, skit, reading, juggling act, dance, card trick, magic show, musical selection...you decide! Just see Sandy Fox to discuss what you'd like to perform for your church family. 2.) Buy a ticket! We will be serving a bountiful BBQ dinner: Hot off the smoker, mouth-watering pork barbeque on a dinner roll, sauce, coleslaw, baked beans, chips, drink and a cookie! (Choice of hot dog or veggie burger available upon request at time of ticket sale.) Please see any UMYF member or leader for a ticket! Tickets are $10.00 for adults, $7.00 for kids 12 & under. 3.) Dress in your Saturday casuals and come on March 18th to enjoy a memorable evening at Bethany UMC! See Kris Kent, Dawn McDade or Tiina Shackelford for more information. Woo hoo! See you there!

5 FINANCE COMMITTEE Brothers and Sisters, It warms my heart to worship God with each of you. As the Body of Christ known as Bethany Church you are the most loving and generous people I know. You each set an example of hospitality and generosity that defines us to our neighbors and our community. It is amazing to me the response that you give when a call goes out that there is a need in our church family or community. You surround each other in love and compassion. Financially I see this through our record of giving. You generously support the budgeted ministries and missions of our church by fulfilling your Faith Promises. Then you go the 2nd Mile by supporting our Designated Funds. But the generosity doesn t stop there! We have opportunities during the year to support local agencies such as the Laurel Shelter, Salvation Army and Bread For Life. And we have opportunities to support missions far away like Missionary Clara Biswas, the Operation Christmas Child boxes and Mattaponi Healing Eagle Clinic. The list goes on and on. In 2016 we paid 100% of our district and conference apportionments. Apportionments are how we contribute to the connectional church. Conference missions and ministries, conference services, District Superintendents Fund, Virginia Education Fund, Active and Retired Health Insurance, Clergy pension and the Episcopal Fund are just a few of the funds that our apportionments support. For a complete listing and a great explanation of Apportionments go to and in the search box type in apportionments. Apportionments help us reach around the globe to let people know about the love and saving grace of Jesus Christ! What a blessing it is to be part of a connectional church! God has blessed us beyond measure and I am humbled by His love and mercy. We have come a long way in the last four years and I pray that God will continue to lead us where He wants us to go. Thank you for all that you do to make disciples of Jesus Christ for the transformation of the world. Blessings, Dolores Breen Finance Chair MISSION TRIP APRIL 23 THRU APRIL 28 PROJECT CROSSROADS Be in prayer for the upcoming Bethany Mission Trip to Project Crossroads, April If God is calling you to be a part of this mission trip, please contact Jane Niethamer (fjnieth@aol.com) or Judy Burner (aburner@cox.net.) BANNER SUBMISSION DEADLINE Please submit your announcements for the April Bethany Banner by no later than Wednesday, March 15. As always, due to space & time constraints, preference is given to online submissions. Thanks for your assistance. SUNDAY SCHOOL Bethany offers a variety of Sunday school classes for all ages at 9:45 a.m. each Sunday. Please visit our website or call Nancy Wilburn at for more information. Be sure to join us for our monthly Sunday school breakfast on March 12 at 9:30 a.m. in the Warren Belvin Fellowship Hall. XYZ CLUB We invite you to A Visit with Kitty Witty, a veteran of The Court House Players which began in She has participated in over 74 productions,,both on stage and behind. Hope you will join us on March 15th at 11:30 a.m. in the Warren Belvin Fellowship Hall.

6 Did you know? (formerly Stop Hunger Now) 805 million people in the world do not have enough to eat. One in every nine people on our planet go to bed hungry each night. Hunger kills more people each year than AIDS, malaria, and tuberculosis combined. Rise Against Hunger distributes food and other life-saving aid to vulnerable children and families around the world, and works to help end world hunger. Meals are packaged and shipped to feed people in need through community-supported mealpackaging programs that engage half a million volunteers a year. Since 1988 over 307 million meals have been provided in 74 countries. This year 45 million meals will be packaged and shipped. Based in Raleigh, NC, packaging programs are operated in 19 cities in the U.S. and South Africa, Malaysia, Italy and the Philippines. In just under two hours, a group of 30 to 40 volunteers can package 10,000 nutrient-rich meals for the undernourished globally! Bethany will be hosting a Rise Against Hunger meal-packaging event on Sunday, June 4 following the 11:00 a.m. service, and we need your help! Here s what we need: Volunteers to package meals. This is a family-friendly event for people of all ages. Financial donations to cover the cost of packaging the meals. Each meal costs only 29, but we will need to raise $2,900 to pack 10,000 nutritious meals. How can you help us reach that goal? By donating according to the example below or in any amount! Checks should be made payable to Bethany United Methodist Church (note Rise Against Hunger on the memo line or place in an envelope labeled Rise Against Hunger. ) What will it take to raise $2,900? 58 households donating $50 each 116 households donating $25 each 290 households donating $10 each Large or small, your financial contribution will make a HUGE difference. Thanks for your generosity and for helping us to feed those who are truly in need! Calling All Soup-Makers! Please prepare one of your favorite homemade soups and bring it to share with others during our ASH WEDNESDAY SOUP SUPPER at 6:00 PM on Wednesday, March 1. Then join us in the sanctuary at 7:00 PM for Ash Wednesday worship. For more information, call Paul Kendall or the Church Office. GUEST VOLUNTEER & TRAINING OPPORTUNITIES THANKS to all GUEST workers for your help during the week of February 13 20! Many of you volunteered on your own and so many said yes when I asked if you could sign up. You made my job easy. Let me assure you that all the homeless people we served that week were most appreciative. Nancy Orth, Volunteer GUEST Coordinator Bethany United Methodist Church The next training session for GUEST (Gloucester United Emergency Shelter Team) homeless sheltering program will be held at Abingdon Episcopal Church on Sunday, March 5 from 4 to 5 PM. The night shelter moved from Bethany to Olive Branch UMC on Monday, February 20. The night shelter will then move to Newington Baptist, Providence Baptist, Abingdon Episcopal, Susanna Wesley UMC, and finally First Presbyterian. As Bethany did, each church will serve as host site for a week. THE CURRENT SEASON RUNS THROUGH APRIL 2 AND THERE IS STILL A GREAT NEED FOR VOLUNTEERS AT EACH OF THESE LOCATIONS. PLEASE CONSIDER VOLUNTEERING AT ONE OF OUR SISTER CHURCHES. The link for the remaining shelter sites is: BC2C9DDF5C9F666&cs=09B1BADD8FC48B117B0A640E5BC09BC8&s ortby=startdate&view=l We are planning a new pictorial directory! Photos will be taken in May. Keep posted for more information.

7 Daylight Savings Time begins at 2:00 AM on Sunday, March 12. Be sure to set your clocks ahead 1 hour before going to bed on Saturday, March 11.

8 BIRTHDAYS 3/1 Billy Wayne Hogge; Ann Hogge; David Tillage; Gwen Morris 3/3 Andrew Teagle 3/4 Kathleen Greene; Marilyn Hudgins 3/5 Colleen LeMay 3/6 Linda Reams 3/7 Dennisa Booth; Tally Vaughan 3/8 Matthew Suarez 3/9 Jim Minor; Mary S. Morris; Judy Johnson 3/10 Teresa Sullivan; Brenda Thomas; Phil McGee 3/11 Kathryn Jacobs; Michael Colbert 3/12 Kevin Thompson 3/13 Kyle Bunting; Marsha Germek; Katie Doggett, Matt Shackelford 3/14 Thelma Belvin; Randy Williams; Matthew Byrne 3/15 Angela Day Waliszewski 3/17 Eugene Brown; Kevin Kiley 3/19 Sarah Hillard; Frank Farmer; Tina Silberhorn; Lisa Krukovsky; Fred Townsend 3/20 Warren Douglas 3/21 Peggy Peterman; Sammi Jacobs 3/22 Jennifer Orth-Veillon; Darlene Bauschatz 3/23 Don Schultz 3/25 Bessie Emory; Stephanie Wood 3/26 Kristee Georgiou 3/27 Stacie Martin; Jennifer Barber; Bonnie Lewis 3/28 Timothy Leigh 3/29 Joyce Mitchell; Rylee Quintero; Michelle Ward; Douglas Doggett; Terri Mason 3/30 Amanda Gayle; Kamryn Cooper 3/31 Lizabeth Marshall; Joseph Paul Byrne, II SOUND ROOM OPERATORS Date 8:30 11:00 3/5 Kirk Bell Jeremy Nardozzi 3/12 Lewis Marion Jeremy Nardozzi 3/19 Lewis Marion Kirk Bell 3/26 Kirk Bell Jeremy Nardozzi ALTAR GUILD Sue Morecock, Ann Byrd, Betty Durrette ANNIVERSARIES # of years 3/3 Rick & Patricia Kidd 27 3/6 Linda & Stan Reams 35 3/10 Steve & Susan Young 16 3/14 Linda & Wendell Fletcher 9 3/19 Tim & Cathy Leigh 29 3/25 Cheryl & Pitt Roane 47 DATE COUNTING TEAMS 3/5 4 Dixon, LeMay, Riggin 3/12 5 Rollins, Steele 3/19 6 Hampton, Morecock 3/26 1 Kaylor, Byrd, Hasty TRUSTEE CONTACTS WEEK OF NAME 3/5-3/11 Joni Neal 3/12-3/18 Don Thomas 3/19-3/25 Milton Hudgins 3/26-4/1 Marsha Germek LITURGISTS DATE 8:30 11:00 3/5 Jane Niethamer 3/12 Judy Burner 3/19 Marsha Germek 3/26 TBA ACOLYTES DATE 8:30 11:00 3/5* Tally Vaughan Samantha Jacobs 3/12 Ellanah Daniel Austin Kent 3/19 Patrick Glaze Shelby Jacobs 3/26 Miranda Shackelford Jordan Roane *Communion Sunday: Acolyte will assist Pastor Debbie with communion.