BETHESDA NEWS A community caring for all God s people, being transformed by Christ's love serving others as a witness of God s grace and peace. Bethesda Mennonite Church www.bethesdamc.org September 13, 2015 The Church Council and Board of Deacons, along with the Ministry Team, are calling a congregational meeting today at 4:00 p.m. in the Fellowship Hall. The purpose of this meeting is for the congregation to hear the proposal on a new Bethesda Community Child Development Center and other ministry and facility needs. All members are strongly encouraged to attend to give feedback. Child care will be provided. Pastoral Coverage during Pastor Jim s Sabbatical: The Board of Deacons are excited to offer Pastor Jim a sabbatical September 1 through November 30. We recognize that during this time, we will not be able to fill all of the roles and responsibilities that Jim carries in his pastoral role. However, the Deacons, Pastor Seth and Pastor Andrea, will be working together to cover the pastoral care needs of the congregation. If you have a specific care need in one of these areas please contact the following: Pastor Seth Crisis Care (Hospital visits, emergency care, primary funeral coordination, Wednesday evening Adult Bible Study) Pastor Andrea Ongoing Pastoral Care (Rosewood Pastor s Coffee, Bethesda Care Team facilitator, primary contact for unscheduled office visits) Visitation Coordination Board of Deacons (Follow-up visits and Care Center devotions) Pastor Seth, Pastor Andrea and the Board of Deacons will be working in collaboration with one another to support the ongoing needs of the congregation. Due to the nature of these additional duties pastors may be out of the office during regular office hours. If you need to meet with a pastor, we invite you to contact the church office. The Beth-El Mennonite Church invites the congregation to an Open House for Audrun and Janlee Siebert today, Sunday, September 13, from 2:00-4:00 p.m. in their church s fellowship hall. After ministering to the Beth-El congregation for 12 years, Audrun is retiring and they will be moving from the Milford community to make their home in Kansas. An invitation is posted on the east bulletin board.
WEEK AT A GLANCE SUNDAY, September 13 Christian Formation Sunday 8:45 A.M. Deacons Prayer Time 9:30 A.M. Worship Service 10:40 A.M. Sunday School 4:00 P.M. Congregational Meeting MONDAY, September 14 7:00 P.M. BWM September Birthday Celebration TUESDAY, September 15 8:30 A.M. Staff Meeting 8:00 P.M. Board of Service and Outreach 8:00 P.M. Board of Education 8:30 P.M. Board of Business WEDNESDAY, September 16 7:00 P.M. Mission:Possible (Preschool Grade 6) 7:00 P.M. Adult Prayer and Bible Study 7:00 P.M. Powerhouse 7:00 P.M. CORNERSTONE 8:00 P.M. Chancel Choir Next Sunday, September 20, 2015 Sermon Pastor Seth Miller Offering Local Church Pianist Marilyn Kroeker 10:40 A.M. Sunday School We will be beginning Adult Prayer and Bible Study on Wednesday September, 16. This study will invite us to explore what it means to be a community centered on the concept of Covenant and to help us navigate the challenges that the church in many places is facing. This concept of Covenant in Being God s Faithful Community: A Covenant of Spiritual Practices for Central Plains Mennonite Conference, attempts to help us maintain our unity around something more than uniformity of beliefs. Common beliefs are important and our Confession of Faith remains our guiding document. Although member congregations of Central Plains subscribe to our Confession of Faith, our bylaws predict that there will be time when not all congregations will agree on every significant matter of faith. This study is intended to help us imagine ways that we will tend to our relationships even when we disagree.
CHURCH FAMILY Please pray for those with health concerns, grief or family needs. Hospitalized: Robert Siebert Henderson Community Hospital Henderson, NE Dale Steingard University of Nebraska Medical Center Omaha, NE For updates on Dale s progress, go to http://www.caringbridge.org or check out the latest journal updates on the east bulletin board. Deaths: Delores Ann Goertzen-Rempel, age 78, of Henderson, Nebraska, passed away on Tuesday, September 8, 2015. Funeral services were held on Saturday, September 12, at Bethesda. Survivors include sons, Kevin (Vicky) Goertzen of Aurora, and Deon (Susan) Goertzen of Hampton; daughters, Ruth Ann (Randy) Franz of Berryville, Arkansas, Rita (Mark) Kroeker of Hampton, Jodi (Hans) Huebert and Dana Bolton of Henderson; step-sons, Stacy (Shari) Froemming of Omaha, and Scott (Brenda) Rempel of Hesston, Kansas; brothers, Leo (Elaine) Duerksen of Henderson, Arvin Duerksen of York, and Willis (Barb) Duerksen of Lincoln; 25 grandchildren and 25 great-grandchildren. Delores was preceded in death by her parents, husbands, sister-in-law, Linda Duerksen, step-daughters Judy Rempel, Jeanne Froemming and Pearl Dunham, one grandson, and two great-grandchildren. Please keep this family in your prayers. LaVerna (Ott) Nygaard, 67, died on Sunday, September 6, 2015. Survivors include husband, David; two daughters, Nichole (Robert) Daniels of Topeka, Kansas, and Natalie (Cody) Ioerger of Manhattan, Kansas; sister, Carol (Richard) Busenitz of Whitewater, Kansas; grandchildren, nieces, nephews and their children. A memorial service was held Friday, September 11, at First United Church of Christ in Newton, Kansas. We pray for God s peace and grace to surround the family. UPCOMING EVENTS Mission:Possible is once again having CIA (Christians in Action) time once a month for the kids, grades K-6, where we ask someone to come in and share about a time they have done service. This can be any kind of service long term, short term, near, far, by yourself or in a group... it doesn't matter! Think about a way that you have served and how you might share with the kids! It is a brief 10 minute sharing time at the end of our hour together. Please notify Kara Janzen at 402-723-5683, if you would be willing to serve in this way. Thank you!
School kits continue to be the most asked for item from MCC. We again plan to pack 1,000 kits. The cost of each kit is $2.75, so we will be needing $2,750 to cover the cost of supplies. You may share in this project by donating in the Sunday morning offering and marking your gift MCC School Kits. We will also be planning a work night on November 15, so everyone can get involved. The youth will be serving a fundraiser meal that evening. Contact Lindy Siebert or Adeline Huebert for further details. Would you help? Dale Steingard, a local farmer, suffered a traumatic brain injury in an accident on July 10. A Community Corn Harvest Effort is being planned for late October exact dates to be determined. Help needed: combines (30 rows) and drivers, tractors with grain carts and drivers, trucks and drivers, and individuals willing to help with miscellaneous other tasks. Contact the organization committee with questions or to volunteer: Brent Buller 402-366-7730, Kurt Goertzen 402-694-8964 or Royce Janzen 402-362-7850. Meals will be served to the workers. If you are interested in helping with serving or donating food items, please contact Rebecca Buller, Kathryn Goertzen or Carol Janzen. Names and contact information will be taken with exact jobs and food assignments to be made as details are worked out. Contact via home phones, individual Facebook messaging or on the Community Harvest for the Steingard s Facebook page. Follow Dale on CaringBridge.org. The 2016 Bethesda Bible Series is on its way, and we're shaking things up a bit by featuring multiple speakers. With a mix of specially invited guests, and others selected for an open call, we're planning a weekend of conversations around the theme: "Communities Caring for All God's People: Caring for self; Caring across the table (families); Caring across the street (neighbors); and Caring across the world." We're opening our doors and sharing the floor with each other, those in our immediate community, and beyond, to share, learn and collaborate on projects, ideas and issues facing Christians when it comes to compassionately animating redeeming communities. (Think of it as our version of Ted Talks.) An Open Call for papers/stories, lectures, and workshops will take place from September 21- October 23. More information will be posted online and in the Bethesda News next week.
Bethesda Women s Ministries The September BWM birthday party will be celebrated on Monday, September 14, at 7:00 p.m. in the Crossroads Coffee House. All women having a September birthday are invited to sign up on the east bulletin board. Come for an evening to celebrate birthdays, fall and sunflowers with hostess, Barb Voth. There is still time to register for the Central Plains Women s Retreat (registrations are due today) at Swan Lake Christian Camp, Viborg, South Dakota, September 19 & 20, 2015! Luann Yutzy will speak on the theme Time in a Bottle. Come to listen, reflect, and celebrate each other as we gather as women who are continually being shaped by and living out of the stories we hold inside. Cost is $80, which includes meals, camp fees and Women s Retreat expenses. See poster and registration forms on the east bulletin board. A signup sheet is located on the east bulletin board for women wanting to travel to Women s Retreat in the church van. WOMEN: Evaluation sheets for Bethesda Women s Ministries 2015 are located on the table outside the church office. Please give us your input on where your talents could be used most effectively! The Executive Committee would appreciate hearing from you before planning the 2016 programs.
FINANCIALS Worship Attendance 231 Sunday School Attendance 42 Worship Offering Sunday, September 6, 2015 Anabaptist Mennonite Biblical Seminary... $350.00 Dayspring Ministries... 40.00 Dayspring Thailand... 160.00 Dayspring Congo... 20.00 Reach International Sam & Sherri... 100.00 MCC School Kits... 203.00 Backpack Project... 10.00 Sunday School Offering... 44.00 General Operating Receipts... 8,265.00 Worship Offering... $9,192.00 Bethesda Scholarships In years past, the Student Services and Camping Committee has been blessed to award students attending Mennonite Church USA colleges with scholarships. These are church-matching scholarships, meaning that Bethesda awards the student with a $1,000 scholarship and the college awards the student with a matching scholarship. We have eight members attending one of these Mennonite colleges. If you would like to make a contribution to assist with the scholarships, please mark your envelope College Scholarships. Junior high and high school students/parents: If you would like to receive text message updates about youth group during the year please contact the office with your mobile number. High school Powerhouse will meet this Wednesday, September 16, at 7:00 p.m. in the Powerhouse Room to prepare for worship on September 20. Junior high CORNERSTONE will meet Wednesday, September 16, in small groups at 7:00 p.m.
Bethesda Preschool has a Facebook Page! Be sure to like us for preschool updates and happenings at https://www.facebook.com/bethesdapreschoolers. Help Wanted! Bethesda Preschool needs help making a chalkboard for the Peace Garden. We have plans on how to make it and we will purchase all supplies needed, we just need someone to put it together! Please contact Kori Lewis at 402-723-5363 if you are interested! Thank you for helping! Welcome back preschoolers!! We have had a wonderful start to our new school year with 12 children in the Pre-K class and 5 children in the 3 and 4 year old classroom. I'm not sure who was more excited for this last week, the children or me! I am blessed with another great group of children and cannot wait to get to know them over this next year! I am looking for donations of items for our classroom to explore and use in different activities. If you are able to we would like the following items for the classroom: *Seeds and seed pods *Glass filler for vases *Spools *Glass beads *Seashells *CD discs *Rocks/crystals *Buttons of all shapes and sizes *Paper towel and toilet paper rolls *Dried gourds Thank you so much for your continued support of the preschool! We greatly appreciate all of your help and especially your prayers! ~Mrs. Kori
Prayer for Commissioning Leader: God of Creation, you have gifted these men and women with teaching skills, creativity, and curiosity. We pray you would fill them with the power and compassion of your Holy Spirit. Fill them with energy and insight into your Word, the story of your faithful heart. Teachers: You have not called us to be perfect. You have called us to be faithful. You have not called us to be all-knowing. You have called us to believe. We dedicate ourselves to the call and task of teaching. Grant us wisdom, patience and joy in our preparation and teaching of your Word. Congregation: God of hope, guide each teacher and leader as they study your Word. Strengthen the gifts you have given them, and energize their compassion. Remind us to find ways to support and encourage them throughout the year. May we share in their joy and times of difficulty. All: We commit ourselves, each to our part in this joyful task. May your steadfast, faithful, covenant love guide all we do. Amen
SERMON NOTES