Trunk or Treat Round Up

issue 4... november 2013 Trunk or Treat Round Up This year s 2nd Annual Trunk Or Treat hit the Bethesda Campus in a God-Sized way! We have prayed specifically for God to show us ways to Love, Live, Grow, & Go in our community, and this Halloween we were able to do that in a big way! With trunks lining our parking lot, hundreds of hot dogs on the grill, inflatables rocking, great costumes running around, and our campus filled with candy, we were able to reach out to somewhere between 750-1,000 of our neighbors!!! This, church, is getting outside the 4 walls of the church and being a light in our community. The prayer, hands, and feet of the body that showed up last night are how we can share a Life-changing Gospel to people, and be the city on a hill that Jesus spoke of in Matthew 5:1416. Thank you all for first loving Jesus and then loving your neighbor! Bethesda Family News is a monthly newsletter created to connect the many ministries that operate on our campus every week. Bethesda Baptist Church Bethesda Childcare Center Bethesda Christian Academy 1914 South Miami Blvd Durham, NC 27703 919-596-2158 www.bethesdardu.org Photo Credit: Debra Watson & Rita Sandoval

Remember to pray for missionaries serv- ing around the globe sharing the gospel with a lost and dying world. Pray for boldness persons of peace language barriers to be broken victory over spiritual warfare disciples to be made Lottie Moon Christmas Offering Because I Didn t Grow Up Baptist A Letter from the Editor... Many of you have heard my story, and many of you haven t, but I grew up as a Presbyterian preacher s kid. When John asked me to marry him, I knew that I d be joining and serving in Southern Baptist Churches for the rest of my life, as his parents still work for the International Mission Board. So I did my homework on doctrine and practices: I read the Baptist Faith and Message, I researched baptism by immersion, and I checked out the way Southern Baptists do missions. I was blown away by the way our denomination supports missionaries. In the churches I had always been a part of, we supported individual missionaries who would come home from wherever God called them, travel around for a year stateside raising money and support for the work they were doing, and then head back into the field to do God s work, trusting Him that the people who pledged their support would deliver, and that God would provide. For people who God called to serve that way, it s amazing to see God provide, but often tremendously stressful to constantly be dealing with money issues, and to be fundraising in your furlough time, a time when you also are trying to rest, recharge, and reconnect with family and friends. In case you aren t aware (as I wasn t) the Southern Baptist Convention works a little differently. SBC international missionaries are hired, trained and paid a salary through the International Missions Board (IMB). Churches contribute throughout the year to a Cooperative Program, which funds local, state, national and international missions. Additionally, church members are encouraged to give to seasonal offerings, like the upcoming Lottie Moon Offering. 100% of the money given in the Christmas Offering goes directly to the missionaries serving around the world... the people taking light into the darkness. More than anything else, this philosophy of missions made me proud to be a member of a Southern Baptist congregation. This year, the Lottie Moon Christmas Offering is more important than ever. Due to uncertain economic times, Cooperative Program giving is down across America, which means the IMB cannot afford to send as many missionaries into the field. We can make a huge difference. Pray now over what God would have you give. 100% of your gift is used to reach people with the gospel. What will you give so that others may be saved? Leslie Wilson, BBC Secretary Please Pray Has God Called you to Go? BBC is committed to taking the gospel to Nicaragua. Are you interested in learning more about how you can get involved? There is a need for prayer, giving and going. Ask the Lord to show you how He wants you to take part in reaching Nicaragua for Jesus. Email the mission team for more information. Final Week Please turn in your boxes at the Welcome Center! For more information on missions opportunities and ways you can get involved, email missionteam@growingatbbc.org Boxes are still available in the lobby near the Welcome Center. Bless a child somewhere far away by taking the time to fill the box with toys, school supplies and hygiene items. Thank you for the gifts you ve already given!

PrimeTime News and Updates Thank You! A big thank-you to all the Prime Timers and others that ate at Chili s on the 23 rd of September. All profit that day throughout the Chili s Corporation went to St. Jude Children s Research Hospital to fight childhood cancer and save lives. I received a Thank-you note from Chilies thanking you and others for your support which enabled Chilies to donate an astounding $50 million in the last 10 years to St. Jude Children s Research Hospital. Upcoming Meetings and Events Tuesday November 5 th : Lunch with Kelli Sikes and Nicki Morgan Guest Speaker Monday November 11 th : Barn Dinner Theatre in Greensboro Dinner followed by production of Letters From Home Andrews Sister Revue Leave BBC @4:00pm. SOLD OUT Tuesday November 12 th : NO PRIME TIME MEETING Tuesday November 19 th : Day trip to Charlotte, NC for the Southern Christmas Show. Leaving BBC @ 8:00am. Will stop for a fast food breakfast. Estimated return home 7:00 pm. Tuesday, November 26 th : I Walked Where Jesus Walked by Jerry Husketh and Carl Brown. Lunch with Kelli Sikes Tuesday, December 3 rd : Lunch with Kelli Sikes, Guest speaker to be named later. Wednesday, December 4 th : Leave for Myrtle Beach @ 8:00am. Return on December 6 approximately 6:00pm. There are a couple of rooms available if interested in this trip contact Audrey Husketh ASAP. We will be staying at Beach Cove Resort, taking in Christmas Shows, having Christmas Tea and enjoying great Dinners and lot of shopping, bingo and Bible Study. Tuesday, December 10 th : Prime Timers Annual Christmas Party, - Great food, entertainment, door prizes, fellowship, and surprises. You must sign up to attend and each person is to bring a wrapped Christmas ornament for an ornament exchange. The bus will leave for the Homestead at 11:15. If you plan to drive I ask that you stay with the bus because there are several parties going on at the restaurant that day and we need to arrive at the same time. IT S A PARTY SO BE SURE TO DRESS ACCORDINGLY SPARKLE NO PRIME TIME MEETINGS UNTIL AFTER THE HOLIDAYS FIRST MEETING JANUARY 7 TH, 2014. What s New? Operation Christmas Child: We are excited about our center's involvement in Operation Christmas Child this year. We have challenged our parents and families to provide boxes for over 50 children! There is excitement in the air about the opportunity for a pre-school child to learn what it means to give to others. Our parents are behind Operation Christmas Child and we need your help too. Please pray for our families that are packing boxes and please pray for the children that will receive these boxes. We are so fortunate and our desire is that the boxes packed will be used to share the Gospel of Christ to the Nations. finding community through growth groups CONTACT JASON SIKES TO FIND YOUR GROUP JASON@GROWINGATBBC.ORG OR 919.268.1906 Church, get ready for a wonderful evening. On December 15th, our Kids Choir will be putting on a Christmas performance during Sunday Night Worship. Please mark the date in your Calendar!

A Call to be Overcomers From the Desk of Pastor BJ Church Family, I get to experience a unique perspective each day here at Bethesda by watching how our 3 Daily Campus ministries, (Bethesda Baptist Church, Bethesda Christian Academy, & Bethesda Childcare Center) seek to influence our community with a life-changing Gospel. Like every one of us, those ministries have great days where they could take on the whole world for the sake of the Gospel. Also like every one of us they have those days where they would rather not get out of bed! Serving Jesus can be hard. Building His Kingdom can feel like a daunting task, and loving people in His name can be outright impossible to do by our own power. We have never been promised that any of this would be easy. In fact Jesus tells us the exact opposite is true in John 16:33-These things I have spoken to you, that in Me you may have peace. In the world you will have tribulation. Satan seeks to steal, kill, and destroy and will remain active in our church on this side of Glory And hear me clearly.satan is alive and active at Bethesda. I cannot count though how many times I have had to remind others and myself that where Satan is active, God is present. And here me even more clearly now God is MORE present, MORE alive, and MORE active than ever at Bethesda!!! The second half of John 16:33 proves just that but be of good cheer, I have overcome the world. Church be encouraged that this is not our fight to win, enemies are not ours to have victory over, and Satan is not ours to beat back. We are not on God s team because He needs us to be. We are on it because He loves us so much He wants us to experience His victory with Him! Take comfort in the fact that we get to participate in the joyful plan of a Loving Creator! Let us use this November specifically to focus on being encouraging and uplifting to one another and our communities. Whether it be in our actions, our words, our thoughts, our facebooks, or twitters, I encourage you to join us in our Psalms 19:14 Challenge: Let the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart be acceptable in Your sight, O Lord, my strength and my Redeemer. Let s strive together to join the Gospel Mission and be overcomers of the world with Christ Jesus by being acceptable worshipers of Him! Youth Camp Deck Update We had eleven very busy BBC individuals to pull away from their commitments for a day, to help create an enjoyable Christian learning environment for youth. The team was not able to complete the deck but there is a very good structure started. When finished the deck will be used to further His name with youth. While we did not fully accomplish the deck we did continue our goal of serving God through following His expectation of service in His name. The people that went worked hard and had great fellowship. While some of the folks worked outside on the deck we had others including three Ladies to work inside cleaning the director s house where the deck was being built. They also helped prepare a meal which was very good! I just wanted to share that it is very inspiring to see all the activities from church members outside of our Church walls in sharing Christ with the community. I would encourage ANY of you that have not taken the opportunity to participate to venture out. We are planning to make another trip to the camp grounds close to Robbins N. C. to finish the deck. We are going Saturday November 9th. We will be using the same itinerary as before. Please consider joining us! ITENERARY 7:00AM Prayer and leave the church 8:30AM Arrive at the camp 9:00AM Complete an assessment of how we will proceed and start building the deck 12:00PM Break for lunch 12:30PM Start back on the deck 3:30PM Clean up 4:00PM Prayer and leave to go back to the church 5:30pm Arrive at the Church Bethesda November Calendar 3 Memorial Service for Brad Bramigk 4 BCA Hosts ACSI Leadership Conference 5 PrimeTime: Guest Speaker Nicki Morgan 8-9 BCA Shop Til You Drop 9 Camp Deck Construction Project 10 Last Day for Operation Christmas Child Boxes 10 Baby Shower for Jacob and Stacey Green 11 PrimeTime Trip: Barn Dinner Theater in Greensboro 14-16 BCA Band Students go to All-State Band Festival 15 Youth: Friday Night Lights 19 PrimeTime Day Trip to Charlotte for Southern Christmas Show 22 BCA Band Concert 26 PrimeTime Special Event: I Walked Where Jesus Walked 26 Thanksgiving Worship Service at 6:30 PM 27 No Evening Activities at Bethesda 28-29 Church Office, School, and Childcare Closed BCA BBC BCC

Bethesda Youth Ministry: Busy Fall! OCTOBER In October the students went to Green Acres Farm, Cary Corn Maze and had a blast. We road hayrides, and got lost in the corn maze. A special thanks to Scott Bramigk for driving. Several students stepped up and are taking part in the Trunk or Treat. Thanks, guys, for being part of this awesome community outreach. NOVEMBER As we begin November we are reminded to be Thankful. It has been said Who does not thank for little will not thank for much. We are so blessed and have so much to be Thankful for and should remember that we serve an Awesome God who is Worthy to be Praised and be Given Thanks! By him therefore let us offer the sacrifice of praise to God continually, that is, the fruit of our lips giving thanks to his name. Hebrews 13:15 In November we are having Friday Night Lights on Nov 15th and will play Secret Church and Lifesize Clue! We will not have service on Wed Nov 27th but will enjoy a church wide Thanksgiving service on Tues Nov 26th. DECEMBER In December we will focus on serving. We will be going to the Durham Rescue Mission to serve lunch on Sat Dec 7th from 10-2pm. On Wed Dec 18th we will spend time packing backpacks for Bethesda Elementary right before our Youth Christmas Party Answered Prayers at BCA BCA staff and students have had an amazing opportunity to experience God s hand at work in the life of one of our kindergarten families. Jillian Williams was diagnosed on Wednesday, October 23rd with a brain tumor. On Friday of that week she underwent a completely successful surgery to remove the tumor. This past Wednesday, she was able to stop by BCA and visit with her classmates. We are looking forward to her return to school. We were once again reminded of the awesome opportunity BCA has to share God s love with students and families. We hope our students and staff never take for granted the opportunity to pray throughout the school day for various situations. Upcoming Events BCA has the opportunity to host the ACSI Leadership conference on November 4th. The BBC church family is encouraged to attend our Shop Til You Drop event on Friday, November 8th from 5:30-9:00 pm and Saturday, November 9th from 9:00 am-1:00 pm. BCA has an amazing band. If you have not had the opportunity to hear them, we would like to invite you to attend their concert on November 22nd at either 2:00 pm or 6:30 pm. Seventh and eighth grade band students will join with other students at the All State Band Festival on November 14th-16th. Many of our middle school students have participated in the Ignition on Mission Bible Club. This month our elementary students will have the opportunity to join the Second Mile Bible Club. Open House Although it seems our year has just begun, it is time to look towards next year. On Tuesday, November 12th, BCA will host our first open house of the year at 8:30 am. Would you please share this with family and friends who are looking for a school that will not only encourage academic growth but will in addition encourage spiritual growth.

Thanksgiving Side Dishes Some of Our Favorite Dishes that go perfectly with TURKEY! Corn Fritter Casserole Susan Zebley Ingredients 3 tablespoons butter, softened 3 large egg whites 1 (8-ounce) block fat-free cream cheese, softened 1/2 cup finely chopped onion 1/2 cup finely chopped red bell pepper 1 (15 1/4-ounce) can whole-kernel corn, drained 1 (14 3/4-ounce) can cream-style corn 1 (8 1/2-ounce) package corn muffin mix (such as Jiffy) 1/4 teaspoon black pepper Cooking spray Preparation Preheat oven to 375. Combine first 3 ingredients in a large bowl, stirring with a whisk until smooth. Stir in onion, bell pepper, whole-kernel corn, and cream-style corn; mix well. Add muffin mix and black pepper, stirring until well combined. Pour into an 11 x 7-inch baking dish coated with cooking spray. Bake at 375 for 45 minutes until done, but not dry in the center. BCA Breakfast Casserole Candy Black 1 can 8 oz. refrigerated crescent rolls (original) 1 lb sausage browned and drained 2 cups shredded cheddar cheese 6 eggs ¾ cup milk Spray bottom of 9x13 dish/pan. Unroll and press crescent rolls in 9x13. Sprinkle with sausage. Cover with cheese. Beat eggs and pour over the cheese. Cover top with milk. Bake at 350 degrees for 25-30 minutes. Extras if you want: Add a touch of color to the top by adding fresh cut up tomatoes after baking. To add a touch of spunk to the casserole add raw cut up onions, green, red or yellow peppers after putting the sausage on the bottom. Thank you so much to all of our contributors! Next month, please consider submitting your favorite cookie recipe for the December Newsletter! The Pastors have offered to taste test any samples you might make! Granny Margaret s Chocolate Cream Pie Margaret Lee 1 ¼ cup of sugar ¼ teaspoon salt 1/2 cup all-purpose flour 2 cups milk (2%) 3 egg yolks ½ stick butter or margarine 2 teaspoons vanilla 1 deep dish pie crust 6 heaping tablespoons cocoa (Reserve egg whites for meringue) Bake empty pie crust in oven according to package directions. In a saucepan or bowl beat egg yolks until fluffy. Add 1 cup of milk, the sugar, cocoa, salt, and flour, stir slowly at first to moisten, mixing well. Add the other cup of milk and mix well. Microwave for 10 minutes (or less depending upon microwave) or cook until thick in sauce pan stirring frequently. Be sure to stop and stir if microwaving several times. Remove from heat and add vanilla and butter. Blend well and pour into pie crust. Top with meringue recipe below. (If doubling recipe microwave for 20 minutes or less depending upon your microwave which is easy to do.) (I like my chocolate pies chocolate, therefore I don't level the tablespoons of cocoa.) Meringue 1 tablespoon cornstarch 6 tablespoons sugar ½ cups water dash of salt 3 egg whites I teaspoon clear vanilla (optional) Mix cornstarch, sugar, salt, and water. Cook in saucepan until thick and clear. Cool slightly. Beat egg whites until frothy. Continue beating while slowly pouring cooked mixture, add vanilla flavoring and continue beating 5 minutes. Cover cool filling in pie shell. Bake at 375 degrees 5 to 7 minutes or until brown. Optional: I usually cook my mixture in a small mixing bowl in the microwave. Stir well before putting in microwave and during process. I set my timer for five minutes but stop and stir mixture after 2.5 minutes. The first thing I do is put the thawed pie crust in the oven to bake and then mix the meringue mixture. I usually make the meringue mixture before making the pie filling. This gives it ample time to cool before adding to egg whites. Grandmamma Roxie s Sweet Potato Casserole Filling: 3 Cups Mashed Sweet Potatoes ½ Cup Sugar 2 Eggs ½ Cup Milk ½ Stick of Butter 1 Teaspoon of Vanilla Topping: 1 Cup Brown Sugar ½ Cup Flour 1 Stick of Butter 1 Cup of Chopped Pecans Rex Davis Mix together filling and put in a casserole. Mix together topping, and sprinkle on top. Cook for 30 min. on 350 degrees. Pumpkin Roll 3 eggs ½ tsp cinnamon 1 cup sugar ¾ cup plain flour 2/3 cup pumpkin (can) ½ cup chopped nuts (pecans) 1 tsp baking soda Audrey Husketh Mix ingredients, except nuts. Grease cookie sheet: line with wax paper. Grease wax paper and pour in batter. Sprinkle with nuts. Bake at 375 degrees for 15 minutes. Sprinkle powdered sugar on a linen towel. Turn cake on towel and remove wax paper. Roll cake up in towel and let cool for 2 hours in refrigerator. Filling: 1 8 oz cream cheese 2 tbsp margarine 1 cup powdered sugar 1 ½ tsp vanilla Mix filling ingredients together. Remove towel from cake. Gently unroll cake enough to spread filling on roll. Roll back up. Wrap in Foil or Saran Wrap. Keep in refrigerator. Can be frozen. Wonderful at Thanksgiving and Christmas. Can be make ahead and frozen. So attractive when sliced and displayed on a dish.

The History of Bethesda By Sue Bramigk Sweet Potato Poon Susan Zebley (a crustless, sweet potato pie topped with browned marshmallows) Ingredients 6 large sweet potatoes (about 4 pounds), peeled and cut into 1-inch chunks 1 cup all-purpose flour 4 teaspoons baking powder 1 teaspoon salt 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon 1 teaspoon ground nutmeg 1 teaspoon ground allspice 8 tablespoons (1 stick) unsalted butter, softened and cut into chunks 1 cup packed dark brown sugar 1 (8-ounce) can crushed pineapple, drained 1 (10-ounce) bag jumbo marshmallow Preparation Pour 2 or 3 inches of water into a large pot and bring to a boil. Set the sweet potatoes in a steamer basket over the boiling water, taking care not to let the potatoes sit in the water. Cover and steam the sweet potatoes until they can be easily pierced with a knife, about 15 minutes. Remove the potatoes from the pot, pour out the water and wipe out the pot. Return the potatoes to the pot. While the potatoes are steaming, stir together the flour, baking powder, salt, cinnamon, nutmeg and allspice in a small bowl. Set aside. Position a rack in the center of the oven and preheat the oven to 350 F. Butter a 9 by 13- inch baking dish with sides at least 1 1/2 inches high. Mash the potatoes with a masher (which will leave some lumps) or put them through a food mill or a ricer (for a smoother mixture). Stir in the butter until it is melted. Add the brown sugar and then the flour mixture, mixing until well combined. Stir in the pineapple. Scrape the mixture into the prepared baking dish. The poon can be cooled, covered and refrigerated for up to 2 days. Allow to come to room temperature before proceeding. Bake for 35 to 40 minutes, until the poon is heated through and the top is beginning to brown. Remove from the oven and preheat the broiler, with the rack set 5 to 6 inches from the heat source. Place the marshmallows in a single layer over the top of the casserole. Broil until lightly browned on top, but be careful: They will catch fire very quickly! Serve immediately. Makes 10 servings Some more interesting facts about our first Pastor, Dr. L.E.M. Freeman: One of Dr. Freeman's first objectives was to visit every family of the church who had been delinquent in attendance as long as two years. Adults (who were then children) recall Dr. Freeman riding up to their homes on a bicycle, wearing a cap and guards at the ankles (to protect the trouser cuffs from dirt and damages). He would alight, and by pre-arrangements would spend the night. On Sundays, when invited to "go home with us from church", he would consult the tiny black book in his vest pocket and answer, "I am sorry, I cannot go home with you today, but I will be able to visit you on!" He was so loved a family might have to wait months for their turn to entertain overnight. There would be great preparations such as wringing chicken necks, fluffing the feather bed, airing linens, sweeping under all furniture, scrubbing the water pitcher, basin and commode (There were no inside facilities). It would be an anticipated Saturday evening as near neighbors, including children were invited into the largest room in the house and in winter around a great fire, to listen to Dr. Freeman expound the scriptures. All This For A King God is working in lives at Bethesda every day... The family and friends of Jacob and Stacey Green would like to invite you to a Baby Shower held in their honor on November 10 from 2-4 pm in the Fellowship Hall. They are registered at Babies-R-Us, Target, and ETSY.com. Our prayers go out to the Bramigk family in the loss of Brad Bramigk in September. Please pray for the family as they have a Memorial Service for Brad at Bethesda on November 3. We are excited to welcome Jamie McBride as a new member of Bethesda Baptist Church. Please pray for her as she continues to find a place to worship and serve here with us. The Nominees for Deacon are as follows: Fred Bramigk, Mike Cifers, Vernon Parnell, Jericho Hallimore, Buddy Manning, and Talmage Layton. Please pray for these men as they are preparing to lead Bethesda in the coming years. My Poem contributed by Tom McCullough I knelt to pray but not for long I had too much to do. I had to hurry and get to work FOR BILLS WOULD SOON BE DUE. So I knelt and said a hurried prayer, And jumped up off my knees. My Christian duty was now done My soul could rest at ease. All day long I had no time To spread a word of cheer No time to speak of Christ to friends They d laugh at me I d fear. No time, No time, too much to do. THAT WAS MY CONSTANT CRY, NO TIME TO GIVE TO SOULS IN NEED But at last the time, the time to die I went before the Lord I came, I stood with downcast eyes. For in His hands God! Held a book: It was the book of life. God looked into his book and said Your name I cannot find I once was going! To write it down But never found the time

Don t Miss It! Mark your calendars for BCA s first annual Shop Til You Drop Extravaganza. Mark your calendars and plan to attend on Friday November 8 from 5:30 9:00 pm and Saturday, November 9 from 9:00 am 1:00 pm. The event in the Bethesda Ruritan Gym will feature vendors with all types of items for sale. It will be a great way to support BCA and to knock out some of your Christmas shopping. For more information, go to bcacrusaders.org. November 26 Thanksgiving Worship Service at 6:30 PM December 4-6 PrimeTime Christmas Trip to Myrtle Beach December 7 Deacon Christmas Party 6 PM Youth Serve Lunch at Rescue Mission from 10-2 PM December 10 PrimeTime Christmas Party In Thanks and in Celebration Upcoming Holiday Events at Bethesda Baptist Church December 15 Rick Manning Sunday School Christmas Party 12 N Children s Choir presents Miracle on Main Street at December 15 Children s Choir presents Miracle on Main Street at December 18 Youth pack bags for Bethesda Elementary before Youth Christmas Party December 20-Jan 2 BCA Christmas Break December 22 Joyful Noise Sunday Night December 23-27 Church Offices Closed December 24 Christmas Eve Service at 5:00 PM December 25 No Wednesday Evening Activities January 1 Bethesda Offices Closed You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all of your heart. (Jeremiah 29:13) Meeting Times Sundays: Growth Groups Worship Praise Band Practice Worship Choir Practice Evening Worship Children s Choir Practice Wednesday Evenings: AWANA Godly Growth Classes Prayer and Bible Study Youth Worship 9:30 AM 10:45 AM 4:00 PM 5:00 PM 6:10 PM Church Staff Jacob Green... Lead Pastor... jacob@growingatbbc.org Jason Sikes... Associate Pastor... jason@growingatbbc.org BJ Brantley... Administrative Pastor... bj@growingatbbc.org Jamison Berthold... Director of Children s Ministries... jamison@growingatbbc.org Rick Manning...Facilities Director... rick@growingatbbc.org Janice Ellis... Financial Secretary... janice@growingatbbc.org Leslie Wilson... Part-Time Secretary... leslie@growingatbbc.org Tony Manning... BCA Principal... tony.manning@bcacrusaders.org Brenda Brown... BCA Assistant Principal... brenda.brown@bcacrusaders.org