THE BETHEL BEACON. march Find us on BETHEL UNITED CHURCH OF CHRIST 2400 CENTRAL AVE. NEBRASKA CITY, NE A Note From The Pastor

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1 THE BETHEL BEACON Rev. Rodger Good, Pastor Rev. C.G. Nienkamp, Pastor Emeritus march 2012 BETHEL UNITED CHURCH OF CHRIST 2400 CENTRAL AVE. NEBRASKA CITY, NE Church Telephone/ Fax #: (402) Address: Office Hours: M-F, 9am Noon Website: Find us on A Note From The Pastor The season of Lent is upon us, and it is a journey; a journey to the center of who we are. As we make this journey we will follow the way of our Lord. It involves confronting the darkness, the coldness, and the harshness of the cross; it is not tempered by soft, fluff-filled feelings or easy answers. It is not an easy journey because we are reminded along the way of the suffering and separation reminiscent of the seasons of our own lives. As we journey we make our way through the deserts of our lives, through the shadow of death and the experiences of deep loss, the loneliness of depression, the grip of addictions, the fear of illnesses, a crisis of faith perhaps. In all of it we wonder if the light of hope will ever shine again. In fact, we wonder where the light of hope is because at times it is seemingly absent; even as it seemed to be absent at the cross. But the Savior, the Christ confronted death head-on and in him and through him we have his example and experience to sustain us and guide us; to grant us strength to make the journey through the darkness and pain and isolation that brings us to the light of hope on Easter morning. Along the way we persevere only by placing one foot in front of the other as did the Christ who persevered through the darkness, the isolation, and pain he experienced. During the season of Lent we are invited to listen to our hearts, to search the deep places of who we are and make a place for God s love to abide in us and live through us. We are invited to open our hearts to the promises of our God. We do not grieve as a people who have no hope because in the glorious light of Easter morning we find a place of hope, we find a place of healing, and we find a place where a sense of wholeness is present. May the Holy Spirit permeate the core of who you are this Lenten season; let it center you and fill you up. So, let go us go from this day and move toward the light of Easter, persevering through the darkness and despair; and through the journey may we see the growth of our faith. The big question is: Will we ever comprehend the magnitude of God s redeeming love, the depth of isolation Jesus experienced, and the pain of separation that God s love conquered for us? May God have mercy on us during this season of Lent. Shalom, Pastor Rodger

2 BETHEL UNITED CHURCH OF CHRIST Monthly Statement By Brenda J. Wieckhorst January 2012 Balance Current Expenses Missionary Fund OCWM Improvement Fund , Capital Project Fund , Organ Maintenance Fund , Bethel Beacon... ( ) Elevator Fund Other Total.... $39, A more detailed report has been posted on the church bulletin board. Copies will be made available upon request Sunday School Attendance Awards 2nd Quarter Perfect: Hailey Walters Noah Hamilton Lauryn Hawkins Dylan Holman Mason Hamilton Quintin Holman Nick Brown Katherine Luther Elizabeth Luther Keston Holman Brianna Johnson Landon Ferguson Lillian Graham Good: Jason Stukenholtz Christian Tietz Andrew Stukenholtz Mason Wieckhorst

3 SPIRITUAL COUNCIL The Bethel Spiritual Council met on February 7 with Jake, Jen, Connie and Pastor Rodger in attendance. We opened the meeting by reading the UCC Statement of Faith and reviewing the duties of the Spiritual Council according to our by-laws. The January minutes were then read and approved. Pastors Report: Morgan Rose Barrett was baptized on January 22. Services for Vic Grundman were held on January 24. There were no weddings in January. Pastor served communion at the Ambassador Care Center and led worship at Duffs on January 26. The results of the Christmas Eve worship time poll are back. Overwhelmingly people chose to have a 5pm early service and 9 pm late service with no Christmas morning service. Maundy Thursday Services are April 5th with the time to be announced. The First United Methodist Church of Harlan, IA will be presenting the Living Last Supper. This is a performance not to be missed. Our own Youth Fellowship group is sponsoring the ecumenical event which will include communion. A free will offering will be collected with proceeds to benefit an orphanage in Guatemala. The Children's Choir and Senior Choir will be performing as well. The Covenant Players will join us on Easter Sunday leading our sunrise service, joining the Sunday school kids for the hour and presenting skits during worship. A big thank you to Delores Schreiner for filling in as organist during our February 12th worship service. Pastor Good will be on vacation February Jake Sinner will serve as pulpit supply on February 19th. Upcoming events include the Guess/Creek wedding on March 31st and the Neeman/Malloy wedding on April 14th. A brief discussion was held regarding the church history and plans to set up times to interview members. We closed our meeting with the Lord s Prayer. The Spiritual Council will meet again on March 6th at 6pm. Respectfully Submitted, Jen Hamilton Secretary

4 IN OUR PRAYERS IN FEBRUARY: Marie Ritter, David Weik, Lorraine Cooper, Reva Berthold, Jeanene Pummel, S SGT Allen R. Scott, Diane Manthei, Tiffany Orchard, Roy Murphy, Arlis Luther, Specialist U.S. Army James E. Kuhn (son of Jim D. Kuhn), Jane Carpenter, the family and friends of Elfrieda Gawart, the family and friends of Cliff Allen, Justin Williams, Jerry Briley, all who struggle with chronic illness, those confined to their homes and to long term care facilities, and all those who continue to be affected by the flooding. Thank you to Harold & Gladys Huss who helped assemble the February edition of the Bethel Beacon. Senior Youth Fellowship is Every 4th Noon FOR ALL WEATHER RELATED CANCELLATIONS AT BETHEL UCC, PLEASE LISTEN TO KNCY OR CHECK THE CHURCH ~Covenant Players~ A ministry in drama Will be performing at Bethel UCC on Easter Sunday, April 8, The kids choir will sing and play the Krystal Bells as a part of our Music Sunday on March 11th. They will also be a special part of our Maundy Thursday service on April 5th. They will be singing Twelve Disciples. Please make every effort to have your child at Sunday school each week as this is the only practice time we have together. Thank you, Jen & Connie World day of prayer Friday, March 1:30 pm St. mary S EpiScopal church 116 s 9th street, Nebraska city, ne ~all women invited~ Thank you to everyone who brightened our sanctuary with flowers, and who sponsored bulletins during the month of February.

5 BEST WISHES TO THOSE CELEBRATING THEIR BIRTHDAYS & WEDDING ANNIVERSARIES IN MARCH Mark Francis~1st Noah Hamilton~7th Dan Hamilton~10th Mary Redelfs~13th Amy Hauberg~14th Leila Stukenholtz~15th Stephanie Norris~17th Laurene Bando~19th Jessica Ferguson~21st Jan Pummel~21st Rita Roos~21st Landon Ferguson~25th Laura Andersen~27th **LOOKING AHEAD** ~APRIL~ Sun. 1st: Palm Sunday Tues. 3rd: Spiritual Council 6 pm Board of Christian Ed. 7 pm Wed. 4, 11, 18, & 25th: Bells 6 pm Choir practice 7 pm Thurs. 5th: Maundy 7 pm The Living Last Supper performed by First United Methodist Church, Harlan, Iowa Fri. 6th: Good Friday Sun. 8th: Easter ~Covenant Players will be here ~Sunrise service to be announced Tues. 10th: Church Council 7 pm Fri. 13th: Rehearsal for Molloy/Neeman wedding Sat. 14th: Kalea Molly & Johnathan Neeman Wedding Sun. 22nd: Senior Youth Fellowship 12 pm Mon. 23rd & 30th: Meals on Wheels 11 am Thurs. 26th: Beacon Assembly 9 am Fri. 27th: Ambassador 9:15 am & Duff 10 am Sat. 28th: AA Banquet in Fellowship Hall 3 pm ANNIVERSARIES Jamie & Ashley (Marshall) Mayer March 2, 2011 Norman & Nancy Brown March 5, Dean & Sue Griepenstroh March 17,

6 Stillspeaking Daily Devotional Evaluation Acts 15:36 "After some days Paul said to Barnabas, 'Come, let us return and visit the believers in every city where we proclaimed the word of the Lord and see how they are doing.'" Reflection by Donna Schaper There is nothing like an evaluation to shake things up. Paul and Barnabas are doing a review. They are taking the risk of looking back. If you love something, like the gospel, enough, you won't dare be unaccountable to it. You will count. You will count new members and whether they're still around a few years after their arrival. You will count pledges and whether any of them increased over time. You will count attendance and be aware of who came and didn't come back. You will notice if the parents who trusted you with their five-year-old still trust you with their seven-year-old Evaluation and accountability often have bad reputations. We dread them, mostly because people who don't have our best interests in mind so often use them against us. Imagine something more joyful. Imagine welcoming a review of your congregation or yourself. Imagine being a partner in setting the criteria for that review with someone you trust. Imagine the faith it takes to try something different and to say, by the grace of God, "what we're doing isn't working." "What I tried, failed." "What I thought would happen didn't happen." Imagine the freedom that comes from really committing to something, so much so that you wouldn't think of failing at it. Or knowing that if failure came, you had the permission and the responsibility to try again a different way. One of the things that Paul and Barnabas were spreading around was good news. It was the good news that, in Jesus, we could trust God's love to surround us. That surely means nearly constant assessment and reassessment of how things are going for us and for our communities. As a person, many of us would like to become more free over time, even more joyous. To do so, we have to be less afraid of mistakes than we are of accountability. As congregations, many of us have seen numbers that shout that something we are doing isn't working. As people and congregations, we often need new criteria for success. Numbers tell us one story, the spirit in the conversation in a coffee hour tells another. When we make the important journey that Paul and Barnabas undertook, we may do so eagerly. We may face whatever we have to face. Then we recommit to a spread of love and freedom and joy. And next year, or at our next evaluation, we see how far we got towards those gospel goals and gifts. Prayer O God, if we are fried around the edges by too many reviews that were too trivial, re-engage us in the kind of review you would want for us. Show us the way to a joyous accountability to your promises. Amen.

7 CELEBRATE 125 Thank you s are in order for the following: To Mike Wieckhorst for making the soups for the January 29th soup dinner. To everyone who furnished cake or bars for the soup dinner. To anyone who helped in any way setting up tables, cutting desserts, making coffee, serving AND cleaning up afterwards. Though the attendance was not as good as we had hoped (apparently there were several conflicts in the area), we cleared $ not a huge amount, but every dollar helps for the elevator fund. The left over soups and crackers were donated to the Fireman s soup dinner. To Michelle Francis for her beautifully decorated Valentine cookies which were given to each person attending church on February 12th, and to the youngsters who made and distributed the valentines on that day. Remember, while these ideas are planned for the observance of our 125th anniversary celebration by the Celebrate 125 committee, this is YOUR celebration and your cooperation and help is needed to carry them out. Looking ahead: We are in for a real treat on Sunday, March 11th, when Music Directors Connie Giekseking and Jennifer Hamilton have planned a morning of music during the regular worship hour. You will not want to miss what promises to be a very special occasion. On Palm Sunday, April 1st, we plan to recognize those people who have been members of Bethel U.C.C. for 50 years or more. Can you believe there are nearly 80 people of our membership who can claim this distinction? The names of our honorees will be published in the April Beacon. The Celebrate 125 committee met for the first time on March 10, 2010, planning and discussing how we might carry out our 125th anniversary celebration. At that time 2012 seemed a long way off! We are pleased that so far our plans are working out. Our next meeting will be March 8th at 2:00 p.m. ~Adelene Vock

8 CHURCH COUNCIL FEBRUARY 2012 CHURCH COUNCIL MEETING The Church Council met Tuesday, February 14, 2012 at 7:00p.m. Present were Norman Brown, Larry Bando, Erin Johnson, Greg Stukenholtz, Tracy Wieckhorst, Deb Kuhn and Sara Horstmann. Also present were Pastor Good, Maggie Brust, Sarah Bando, Frank Malzer and Adelene Vock. President Sara Horstmann called the meeting to order with the opening prayer. Minutes from the previous meeting were read and motion was made by Deb Kuhn to approve minutes. It was seconded by Greg Stukenholtz and approved. Committee Reports were presented with the following information: Financial- Report was presented. Utility expense for the parsonage and church were switched. Other than that, no other discussion. Fundraising- no report Pastor Good: January- Pastor Good reported he made 15 pastoral calls, five Ministerial Aid calls, one funeral, one baptism, attended 1 of 5 weekly lectionary group meetings at Soul Reflections, met with 125 committee, delivered meals on wheels two times, met with couple for pre-marriage counseling, communion at Ambassador and services at Duff s, attended the NC Ministerial Assoc. mtg. and provided extensive counseling. February- Pastor Good reported he will be taking February 16th-20 th off for vacation, Ash Wednesday Service will be February 7p.m., communion service at Ambassador and Duff s on February 23, and the Lenten Book study begins February 26 th. Church Secretary- Reported that she will still take Time and Talent sheets if they have not been turned in yet, and that the Directories will be completed and available on Sunday, March 4 th. Pastor Good reported for the following Boards: Spiritual Council- The results for the Christmas service were presented with two services on Christmas Eve and none on Christmas Day, they reviewed their By-Laws, discussed Ash Wednesday, Maundy Thursday and Easter services. Board of Christian Education- Discussion regarding Easter Sunday and Egg Hunt. They also discussed Vacation Bible School for the upcoming summer. It is Bethel s turn to host and a person is needed to organize the week. Cassie Holman has done this for the past several years and is no longer able to. Frank Malzer presented the following report: Building and Grounds- Grab bars were installed in the restroom, he repaired a vent by the choir loft, the organ was cleaned, the mowing crew for the upcoming year was organized and he will service the mower. There will also be fill dirt brought in to fill several places in the yard. He also presented some items that need addressed. This includes fixing the sanctuary door that goes outside. The north door is bowed and needs repaired or replaced. There was also an issue discussed regarding the handrail going down to the basement. A member reported that it does not extend to the bottom of the stairway. This will be looked at. The Council will meet at 6:00p.m., rather than 7:00p.m., in March to do the physical inspection of the church and the parsonage. Unfinished Business: Pictorial Directories- Brenda Wieckhorst is getting date option set up with the photographer. New Business: Adelene Vock reported on several things the 125 Committee is doing. One day planned includes a recognition day of members of 50 years or more. Adelene has shuffled through records to find membership dates of several members. The celebration may include a meal or cake and coffee. That will be determined. Adelene also brought the transcript that was used for the 100 year celebration to possibly copy and sell to the congregation. Copyright laws will be investigated for this. Magnets and Christmas ornaments will also be sold this year to honor this event. A tree planting may also be done in April to recognize the 125 year celebration. With no other business, the meeting closed with the Lord s Prayer. Deb Kuhn motioned to adjourn, it was seconded by Erin Johnson and approved. Next meeting March 13 6:00p.m. Respectfully Submitted, Tracy Wieckhorst

9 Board of Christian Education The Board of Education met on Tuesday, February 7, Present were Pastor Rodger Good, Ricki Sinner, Robin Sinner, and Carrie Ferguson. The meeting opened with a prayer. Minutes from last meeting were reviewed. The By Laws were read. Contact information for members was collected to help improve communication through out the year. We looked ahead at Easter Sunday, April 8th. Plans will be discussed and finalized at the next meeting. Vacation Bible School plans were talked about. Ricki will be contacting a few church members about being the Head Organizer for our Church. If you would like to be the Head Organizer or volunteer in any way please contact one of the Board of Education members. The Board of Education will met again on March 6 at 7:00 pm. The meeting was closed with the Lord's Prayer. Submitted by - Robin Sinner

10 Angel Food Ministry The Angel Food Ministry, a National food-for-less company, was a Christian business. A host site was organized here at Bethel UCC by Donna Mleynek with the help of her busband, Loren, Pastor Rodger Good, Debra Kuhn, and the Greg Stukenholtz family. Donna was Chairperson of the Spiritual Council at the time. The Bethel host site grew from abut thirty customers to over one hundred each month during the first year. Many people from our congregation volunteered once each month to distribute the groceries. To help with the cost of operating and of distributing the food, $1.00 per item purchased was given back to every host site. The money left in our host site checking account amounted to $ which has been turned over to Bethel s Elevator Fund. THANKS to all who helped volunteer their time, work, and vehicular transportation to accomplish the food distribution here at Bethel Church. Now you all may know that you have contributed something extra to Bethel s Elevator Fund as well as giving a job well done. ~Loren Mleynek A big thank you goes to Michelle Francis for making all of the beautiful and tasty sugar cookies for our Valentine treats on Feb. 12th, and also to the Sunday school kids for all the pretty valentines!

11 Participate in the 2012 Ecumenical Lenten Carbon Fast! "One of the smartest things I've done in my 85 years." "My electric bill dropped $78 monthly on average." Last year, over 6,000 people the world over welcomed a day-by-day opportunity to fast from carbon as their Lenten discipline. Initiated by the UCC and endorsed by Episcopalians, people of every Christian perspective and people who were not Christians benefitted from this opportunity to become more conscious and conscientious in their daily lives. Ash Wednesday (February 22, 2012) invites us into the season of Lent a time within the church year to acknowledge that we are mortal, limited. Lent awakens us to hope in God whose "steadfast love endures forever" and to struggle against everything that leads us away from the love of God and neighbor. The Lenten disciplines of repentance, fasting, prayer, study and works of love are guides for returning to the steadfast love of God. During Lent we confess our mortality, our limits and our vulnerability so that we might be transformed and become the new life God calls us to be. You are invited you to join us as we commit to fasting from carbon during Lent. Beginning Ash Wednesday and throughout Lent, participants will receive a daily with the day's suggested carbon-reducing activity. When possible, this will include a quantitative measure of the carbon reduction resulting from the activity. Each daily will also have a section suggesting a weekly focus for the congregation. Click on this link to subscribe to the daily visitor.r20.constantcontact.com/d.jsp?llr=cv76p6iab&p=oi&m= The activities range from the very simple: eliminate vampire electrical use; to the moderately challenging: take military showers; reduce your driving speed; to more long term: buy local produce and consider getting involved in a community garden. You probably will not be able to do everything suggested; but serious consideration of each day s activity can raise people s awareness, inviting them to think more carefully about how their day to day living impacts the environment and make the changes they can. In addition to the activity for the day you will find information about the carbon impact of the activity, along with links to more information related to that activity. While we consider all of the activities a form of spiritual practice, a concrete way of participating in the stewardship of God s creation, some of the activities are overtly spiritual in the more usual sense that people understand the word: meditation, prayer, self-reflection. The intention is to provide do-able actions which can make a difference; not to overwhelm people, make them feel bad about themselves, or cause them to feel that the situation is hopeless. We want people to feel better for doing this as well as challenging themselves to do more. Yes we are on Facebook! Beginning on Ash Wednesday, February 22, each day s activity will be cumulatively posted on this page. Click here to go to the Facebook page. God is calling us to be the change we long to see. Let us engage this spiritual discipline, grateful for all God has entrusted to us, and trusting that with God all things are possible. The Rev. Dr. Jim Antal Conference Minister and President Massachusetts Conference, UCC The Rev. Dr. Chuck Barnes Conference Minister Rhode Island Conference, UCC The Rev. Dr. Lynn Bujnak Conference Minister Vermont Conference, UCC The Rev. David Gaewski Conference Minister Maine Conference, UCC The Rev. Gary Schulte Conference Minister New Hampshire Conference, UCC The Rev. Chuck Wildman Interim Conference Minister Connecticut Conference, UCC AN INITIATIVE OF: New England Regional Environmental Ministries, United Church of Christ ENDORSED BY: The Bishops of the Episcopal Diocese of Massachusetts: The Rt. Rev. M. Thomas Shaw, SSJE, Bishop The Rt. Rev. Gayle E. Harris, Bishop Suffragan The Rt. Rev. Roy (Bud) Cederholm, Jr., Bishop Suffragan, Retired The Rt. Rev. Gordon P. Scruton, Bishop Episcopal Diocese of Western Massachusetts Massachusetts Interfaith Power & Light

12 SENIORS CORNER 10 Warning Signs of Alzheimer s Disease 1. Memory loss that disrupts family life 2. Challenges in planning or problem solving 3. Difficulty completing familiar tasks 4. Confusion with time or place 5. Trouble understanding visual images and spatial relationships 6. New problems with words in speaking or writing 7. Misplacing things and losing the ability to retrace steps 8. Decreased or poor judgment 9. Withdrawal from work, hobbies or social activities 10. Changes in mood and personality If you or someone you love is experiencing problems with any of the above, please seek help for them, and for yourself: Alzheimer s Support Group meets on the third Monday of every month at the Morton-James Public library at 2:00. Or call Seniors Helping Seniors for this and many other senior home-care needs: Our mission is to help seniors stay independent and stay at home by providing essential services like housekeeping, transportation, meal preparation, bathing and personal care, mobility assistance, yard work, and house maintenance; we also offer respite care and 24-hour care. We match seniors who want to help with seniors who are looking for help. PICTURE TIME! If you would like to have your family's picture in the new directory this year, the date for having your picture taken is Sunday, March 11th at 1:00 pm. The evening of Monday, March 12th will also be available with a time to be announced as we get closer to that day.

13 SCHEDULED TO SERVE MARCH 2012 LAY LEADERS Mar. 4 Mar. 11 Mar. 18 Mar. 25 Cindy Kreifels John Carroll Adelene Vock Bill Carroll GREETERS Mar. 4 Mar. 11 Mar. 18 Mar. 25 Adelene Vock Ardell Simrell & Marilyn Weible Harold & Gladys Huss Francis Family USHERS Mar. 4 Mar. 11 Mar. 18 Mar. 25 Dean & Carol Biere Dean & Sue Griepenstroh Dean & Sue Griepenstroh Cliff Stukenholtz, Judy Nienkamp/Jane Kreifels Katie Chapin/Susan Good Katie Chapin/Susan Good Virginia Miller, Rick & Deb Shallenberger SOUND SYSTEM Mar. 4 Mar. 11 Mar. 18 Mar. 25 Stephen Luther Chip Johnson Chip Johnson Burt Weible ACOLYTES Mar. 4 Mar. 11 Mar. 18 Mar. 25 Jordan Moyer Hailey Walters Lauryn Hawkins Noah Hamilton Ben DeVorss Anna Marie Stukenholtz Katherine Luther Mason Hamilton NURSERY ATTENDANT Mar. 4 Mar. 11 Mar. 18 Mar. 25 Julia Francis Abbie Marshall Tracy Wieckhorst Brenda Rayhel CD MINISTRY Jan Pummel COOKIE FELLOWSHIP LaVonda Bando Bethel United Church of Christ 2400 Central Avenue Nebraska City, NE RETURN SERVICE REQUESTED NON-PROFIT ORG. U.S. POSTAGE PAID NEBRASKA CITY, NE MARCH 2012 Sunday Worship 10:30 am