Bear Facts The Weekly Newsletter of Bethany Lutheran School Long Beach, CA www.bethanylutheran.org Communication+Responsibility+Organization+Service+Sharing School Bulletin #22 February 6, 2018 Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil, for you are with me; your rod and your staff, they comfort me. You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies; you anoint my head with oil; my cup overflows. Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life, and I shall dwell in the house of the Lord forever. I know Mrs. Moorman sent out an email message last week to all our Bethany families regarding my dad s sudden passing. My family is still shocked and saddened, but we are clinging to the promise of eternal life and a joyful reunion in heaven. I've been thinking about the phrase my cup overflows these past few days. Typically we think about that phrase during times of joy. But even in confusion and pain, we've been humbled to see our family s cup overflowing as we witness God s goodness and mercy following us in the presence of our enemy, death itself. My dad was a wonderful man. The things I will miss about him are too numerous to count. I cannot believe he is gone. He gave us so many wonderful gifts: a love for the mountains (he was a retired forest ranger), for travel, for friends and family but most importantly he gave us an example of a Godly marriage of nearly 59 years and a secure and happy childhood built on a solid Foundation. We were, and we still, are so blessed. I am so grateful for his unwavering support and that my own children got to spend so much time with him, even though I would have loved more. Thank you so much for keeping our family in your prayers, yet more evidence of God s goodness and mercy. "...we do not grieve like the rest of mankind who have no hope. For we believe that Jesus died and rose again, and so we believe that God will bring with Jesus those who have fallen asleep in Him." I Thess. 4:13-14 Feb. 3-9-Chinese Students visit Feb. 7-Kindergarten Roundup Feb. 9-Region II Spelling Bee Feb. 10-Estate Workshop Feb. 14-Ash Wednesday Feb. 16-No School-Teacher Inservice Feb. 19-Presidents Day-No School Feb. 20-Middle School Info Night Feb. 20-PTL Meeting-6:30- Library-Childcare provided Feb. 23-3 rd Quarter Progress Reports +Chapel Leaders+ Feb. 7-Mr. Morner Feb. 14-Ash Wednesday Pastor K. Feb. 21-Ms. Tucker Chapel is at 9:00 in the church. Parents, you are always welcome to join us for worship. Blessed to be at Bethany, Dr. Fink
The FISHin Hole Opportunities to Serve Do you like to paint? (Walls, not paintings. ) We have a couple of spots on campus that could use some painting TLC. Contact Dr. Fink if you are interested! We had a very big OOPS in last week s Bear Facts. The 7 th Grade Monthly Award winner for Growth is Shayne Stewart Congratulations, Shayne, and sorry about the misprint! Chinese Students We are pleased to be hosting 24 students from China this week. They are participating in Grades 5-8 classes and getting a chance to practice their English skills. Most of the students come from Zhongshan City, Guangdong Province. We ve enjoyed the chance to learn more about their culture and their REALLY BIG schools (one is over 10,000 students wow!!!) Bethany Bears Basketball Games this week: Tuesday: Varsity Boys home vs. St. Mark s at 3:30 Tuesday: Varsity Girls away vs. Mt. Calvary, Diamond Bar at 3:30 Wednesday: JV boys home vs. Mt. Calvary, Diamond Bar Friday: Boys and Girls Varsity away at Lutheran High-La Verne. GO BEARS! Box Tops, Box Tops Send in your Box Tops! Start sending in your Box Top labels again! The top class collection in K-2, 3-5 and 6-8 will earn a surprise. Labels are due February 15! February 14th draws near! Valentine s Day gives you many opportunities to use Scrip/gift cards! Shopping with Scrip for Valentine s Day earns rebates for you and benefits Bethany as well. Choose something special for all your sweethearts from Bethany Scrip. Top picks include Barnes & Noble, Bath & Body Works, itunes and Starbucks. Starbucks $5 cards are perfect to put in a Valentine card to surprise a special friend. Give your Valentine a classic dinner and movie night, they choose the date. Buy movie tickets for AMC or Edwards Theater, and gift cards to their favorite restaurant. Don t forget to use Scrip when you purchase treats for classroom Valentine parties! Did you know you can use Kohl s gift cards to pay your Kohl s charge? Through the generosity of the Kohl s Cares for Kids Program we purchase Kohl s gift cards at a 5% discount. When you use these gift cards to pay your Kohl s bill you receive a tuition rebate and provide funds for our school. We have $25, $50 and $100 Kohl s cards on hand to make it convenient for you to pay your bill.
Estate Planning-Remembering your Children, Churches & Charities When: Saturday, February 10, 2018 Time: 10am-12pm Where: Bethany Lutheran Church Gym 4644 Clark Ave. Long Beach, CA 90808 You re invited to a Resource Fair and Estate Planning discussion to learn more about how to efficiently leave a legacy to your Children, Church and Charities. Resource Fair (Open to all clients, members, beneficiaries & donors in attendance) o Come and learn more about many local non-profits (schools, charities, etc) o Participate in a Thrivent Action Team o Estate and Financial Planning tools and materials o There will be refreshments to be served during this time. Non-Profits Invited o Bethany Lutheran School & Preschool o New Hope Grief Support Community o Habitat for Humanity o Lutheran Social Services o Long Beach Rescue Mission o Christian Outreach in Action o And many more Presentation and Discussion o Alex Varela Trust Attorney o Geoff Delahanty Wealth Advisor, Thrivent Financial o Kelsey Esswein Financial Associate, Thrivent Financial o Ramsey Israwi Partner, Thrivent Financial As space will be limited, please RSVP as soon as possible. RSVP to Cindy or Renee at 562-981-1358 or email beachcitiesassociates@thrivent.com. We look forward to a fun and exciting event.
A CHRIST-CENTERED RESOURCE FOR FAMILIES AND TEACHERS It s Still All About Jesus Even When We are Feeling Loved by Others Love may be one of the most studied words, spoken words, and least understood words in our world these days. We are told that one of the most basic needs we have is to be loved and to love others. Sounds so simple! Easy to say hard to do. When we are loved, we can feel secure, we can have a positive sense of well-being and, overall, we can judge that life is good. What a blessing to have a home where love abounds, where parents love their children and children feel loved. A household that is void of love, or at least lacking love in some ways, creates a struggle for children. They can become unsure of themselves, and miss out on needed support that will enable them to become loving adults themselves. The world seeks love. Take note of any number of pop songs over the last 50 years and you will hear the search for love in songs like I Want to Know What Love Is and Lookin for Love, just to name a couple. This world is seeking a deeper understanding and experience of the word love. A home that communicates love in meaningful ways reflects God s design for families. It is a place where the Lord Jesus is in the center of family activities and daily life. God by His very nature is love. He desires to show His mercy and love to His children, which He has done most noticeably through the sending of His Son, Jesus Christ, to be our Savior by dying on the cross of Calvary for our sins. This is true love, that a Father would sacrifice His only Son to redeem the creation that went astray from the Creator. God desires to have homes and families live in love. This is best accomplished when they connect with the God of love, when they as a family worship together on a regular basis, when they read and study Scripture together, when they pray together and when they serve others in the name of Jesus. There may be times when there is that wonderful feeling of love in our homes and among the members of our family. What a joy to see love experienced firsthand among our loved ones. When that occurs, give thanks and praise to the One who is love, the One who gave Himself in love. Even when we sense and feel this powerful emotion in real time, we also remember and know that even when we are feeling such love that it is still about Jesus, who loved us first. FAMILY MATTERS Vol. 22 No. 6 February 2018 PHOTOS: GETTY IMAGES, LIGHTSTOCK 1
FAMILY LINKS: Activities for families to reinforce Bible truths in the home. FA M I LY L I N K S : Activities for families to reinforce Bible truths in the home. Gather the family together in a comfortable place for study and discussion using the outline below. O P E N I N G P R AY E R : Given by the person who has experienced a strong outpouring of love in their life recently. FA M I LY D I S C U S S I O N T I M E : Ask the following questions and invite family members to respond as they are willing and capable. 1) Share a time when you felt very loved. 2) S hare a time when you didn t feel very loved. 3) W hat makes a person loveable? 4) W hat are some things that make a person hard to love? BIBLE STUDY TIME: Have a Bible handy so that verses listed below can be read aloud by a member of the family. Mark 12:31 What are ways we can love our neighbors (those around us) as ourselves? Vol. 22 No. 6 February 2018 Family Matters is an LCMS School Ministry newsletter Published by The Lutheran Church Missouri Synod 1333 S. Kirkwood Road, St. Louis, MO 63122-7295 314-965-9000 lcms.org Writer: Dr. Steven Christopher Designer: Erica Schwan PHOTOS: THINKSTOCK/CREATAS, LIGHTSTOCK/ TODOS LOS DERECHOS RESERVADOS John 15:13 While we may not give up our life for friends, what are ways we sacrifice things for friends, or give up something to show our love for them? 1 John 4:19 We can love others because of? How is God s love shown in our lives? FAMILY FIELD TRIP: Take a family outing to a nearby market or other store that has a nice selection of candy and other sweet treats. Look around as a family and decide on a special Valentine that fits each member of your family based on personality. For example, purchase a Snickers for the person who giggles the most, or a Bit-O-Honey for the person who is always nice. Have fun! Enjoy! Be creative! (But don t get too carried away and get asked to leave the store.) Come home and enjoy the specially selected treats! CLOSING ECHO PR AYER: Have an adult or older sibling read the following prayer, phrase by phrase, with other members of the family repeating as an echo. Dear God, thank You for the gift of love we have in Jesus our Savior. Thank You for the love we have in our family. May we grow in the love of Christ every day, and share that love with others often. In the Name of Jesus, Amen. TO REPRINT: Permission is granted to reprint articles from this newsletter with the credit line Reprinted with permission of LCMS School Ministry. Scripture quotations are from The Holy Bible, English Standard Version, copyright 2001 by Crossway Bibles, a division of Good News Publishers. Used by permission. All rights reserved. 2018 LCMS