WORSHIP BULLETIN SUNDAY, AUGUST 13, 2017 TIME AFTER PENTECOST Please take this bulletin home with you as a reference for this week s calendar of events, a reminder of Bethany family and friends to keep in your prayers, and other useful information. Praise & Worship: Oceans, I Will Call Upon the Lord, Walk Across the Water, Sanctuary Temple Talk: Denver Mission Trip Screen First Reading 1 Kings 19:9-18 Responsive Psalm Readings Psalm 14 Second Reading Romans 10:5-15 Gospel Matthew 14:22-33 Sermon Pastor Jen Henry Hymn of Day: Lead Me, Guide Me ELW 768 Offering: Your Name is Glorious Jesus Culture Communion Hymn: You Are My All in All Sending Song: Send Us Out Postlude: Send Us Out Dakota Road * * * Screen Screen Welcome everyone to worship at Bethany Lutheran Church! It is our hope that you experience the love of Christ this morning and His presence during our worship service. If you are visiting today, please sign the guest book in the narthex. Everyone please sign the fellowship pad in your pew. The pads have a space for our record of communion. Please be sure to mark this if you partake in Holy Communion. Thank you for completing this information. Also, please note, assistive hearing devices and large print bulletins are available. If needed, ask an usher. The liturgical color for the season of Pentecost is green. Green is the color of vegetation, living things and the promise of new life. It is used for the Seasons of Epiphany and Pentecost. As we speak of Pentecost Sunday as the birth of the Church, so the lengthy Pentecost season reflects the life and growth of the church. Youth and chaperones who recently returned from the mission trip to Denver will share a little about their experiences at our temple talk this morning.
Many thanks to our worship volunteers helping with services today: 8:30: Greet: Dustin & Jamie Blume family; Read: Susan Rohan; Projector: Steve McAllister; Record: Sandi Schmidt; Acolyte: Jacob Blume, Cole DeVlaeminck; Communion servers: Susan Rohan, George & Carolyn Kruger; Usher: Gary Koenig, Judy Sorenson, Kirby Schmidt; 11:00-Greet: Teresa Martindale; Read: Teresa Martindale; Communion: Teresa Martindale; Acolyte: Aliza Huntoon; Usher: Liz Vulk; PRAYER CONCERNS Health Concerns: Connie Baker, Linda Kunzmann, Bill McCune; Jerry Ebel (Jan Rusk s brother); Dennis Phillips (Donna Jones brother); Darla Larsen (Doug Bjorklund s sister); Those who mourn: The family of Shirley Funk (Holly Fogarty & Dan Funk s mother) The family of Anna Marie Hamrick (Eileen Harkema s great grand-daughter) Other: New members received at Bethany last Sunday: Emily Baker, Dave & Pat Spenst REMINDER: Spencer Hospital is evaluating their policy regarding access of information. During this process the patient census will not be accessible to clergy and lay visitors. If you become a patient at the hospital and wish to be visited you will need to personally reach out to the church and provide us with your contact/room information as it will not be available at the front desk. Patients who request clergy outreach will be assisted by hospital staff to make contact with either their regular clergy or another authorized clergy member. NOTES OF THANKS Thank you to our Bethany family for your love and support following the death of my mom. The cards, visits, food, hugs, kind words, memorials and prayers were of great comfort to all of us. Special thanks to Pr. John, Onalee, and Pr. Jen for providing for mom s (and our) spiritual needs while she was at St. Luke s and especially during her last few days. God has blessed us with fond memories and surrounded us with caring friends. Sandi & Kirby Schmidt; Rachel, Tom & Annabelle Hauck A big thank you for all the prayers, visits and cards I received while I was in the hospital. Thanks also to Pastor Jen and Onalee for all your visits. It is good to be home once again. May God richly bless you all. Jamie Huber
REFORMATION 500: OUR MUSICAL HERITAGE In an ongoing series marking the 500th anniversary of the Reformation, Stephen presents the following exploration of today s worship music: Oceans and Walk Across the Water both have today s Gospel story at their heart. Oceans was released in 2013 by Hillsong, a world-touring band associated with the Hillsong megachurch in Australia. Walk Across the Water was written by Ray Makeever, an ELCA minister and professional church musician who resides in Minneapolis. I Will Call upon the Lord and Sanctuary were popular contemporary praise songs in 1981 and 1982, respectively (the latter was composed by Nashville s Randy Scruggs). Today s Hymn of the Day was published in 1953 by the late Doris Akers, who in 1992 was honored by the Smithsonian as America s most prominent black gospel singer. She died in 1995. And if being published in 1953 makes hers the oldest song we sing today, our newest song is Your Name is Glorious, which was released in 2014 by Jesus Culture, another megachurch, like Hillsong, with its own record label. Listen to the harmonies in this song. They don t follow the most standard rules of diatonic western music. The base line moves exclusively in minor thirds (most western music moves in fourths and fifths). I think it sounds really cool and different and modern (even though 2014 was so 3 years ago). Today s music is markedly new compared to the 17th Century works we heard last week. It is contemporary by the very definition of the word: all of the writers of this Sunday s music, with the exception of Doris Akers, are living and working right now. They are all contemporaries of us. Many years from now, when the time of us has passed, what will Christians think of the music we sang today? Will they still sing some of it the way we still sing some music from the 17th Century? If history is our guide, it is doubtful most of it will last more than a couple generations. But by singing these songs today, we have ensured they pass at least the first test of time. ANNOUNCEMENTS CHRISTMAS AT BETHANY YESTERDAY & TODAY This biennial event of Bethany happens this year on Saturday, December 9. (Be sure to save the date!) This celebration is a blend of old traditions and new adventures. Past years events have included traditional Scandinavian sweet treats and music in the tea room (parlor), a bake sale with lots of goodies to go, a crafts and treasures sale with unique gift items, a special display of Nativity scenes in peaceful setting for a quiet time of meditation, a hearty lunch of pulled pork sandwiches served with salads & chips and a Santa s Workshop for children aged 3-12 to do shopping for those on their lists. What will this year s celebration bring?? Come to a planning meeting to be held tomorrow - Monday, August 14 at 6pm in the church parlor and find out how you can be involved. Lots of volunteers are needed to help make this a success please attend this meeting. Thanks!
PICK UP CHOIR OPPORTUNITY Sunday, August 20 offers another opportunity to join the choir for a day. Anyone is welcome to join in singing Lord, I Lift Your Name on High arranged by Gary Rhodes. We will meet in the front of the sanctuary at 10:30 to rehearse and we will sing at the beginning of the 11:00 service. Come join us for this easy arrangement of a classic 1980 s contemporary praise song! ST. LUKE LUTHERAN HOME CELEBRATING 50 YEARS In April of 1961, a committee was formed to investigate the establishment of a Lutheran home for the aging in the Spencer community. Authority to establish a corporation for this purpose was granted at the annual meeting of Bethany in 1962. Neighboring Lutheran churches of all doctrines became participants in the project. In 1963 a fund was initiated to raise $250,000 as seed money for the project with Bethany members pledging nearly $40,000. St. Luke became a dream come true when the Country Club property on U.S. Highway 18, east of Spencer, was purchased for a building site. Construction was completed in 1967 with St. Luke Lutheran Home becoming an inter-synodical effort of fourteen Lutheran parishes. (Excerpt from Through The Years by: Marilyn Meyer). Bethany members and friends are invited to a noon rededication ceremony, praise and thanksgiving service with a meal to follow on Sunday, August 20. Please RSVP to St. Luke Homes & Services by Wednesday, August 16, either with a telephone call to (712) 262-5931 or an email to: stlukelh@stlukelh.com. Thank you joining in the celebration of this joyous event! FALL WORSHIP VOLUNTEER SCHEDULE The September-November worship volunteer sign-up forms are out. Please sign up to help as a worship volunteer as you are able. Need to check your calendar? Sign up on-line at: http://signup.com/go/xrcvzgxn. STATEWIDE LUTHERAN DISASTER RESPONSE As part of the Statewide Lutheran Disaster Response Team, Lutheran Services in Iowa and the three Iowa Synods of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America have joined forces to address the urgent needs of Iowa and Montana communities suffering from flooding and drought. Severe flooding in parts of Northeast Iowa has caused damage to homes and roads have been closed due to high waters. In Montana, farmers are suffering from the effects of a severe drought. The drought conditions have also created wildfires and the combination of drought and wildfires has jeopardized thousands of livestock now at risk of starvation. Financial donations are critical at this time. For the next 30 days, your gift will help us lift up our neighbors impacted by these disasters. Donations can be made online at LSIowa.org or by mail at: Lutheran Services in Iowa, Attn: 2017 Disaster Relief, 106 16 th Street SW, Waverly, IA 50677. Please designate either 2017 Iowa Flooding or 2017 Montana Hay Lift in the memo line of the check. Also, be on the lookout for a fun way that You Can Help $2 with these mission efforts coming to the parlor soon. Thank you for supporting our neighbors in need.
LOVING SPENCER AUGUST Loving Spencer is focusing this month on Filling the Storehouses. Many thanks to Bethany members who volunteered to help at the Mobile Food Pantry sponsored by Spencer Seventh Day Adventist Church & Food Bank of Iowa last Tuesday. For the remainder of August our focus is to help fill the storehouse by making a donation of non-perishable food items or toiletries to Upper Des Moines Outreach Food Pantry. You can either leave donations in the baskets marked Food Pantry at the Welcome Center or take you donations directly to the UDMO pantry at their new location, 714 10 th Avenue E, Suite 2. August can be an exceptionally difficult month for families to make ends meet, sometimes having to choose between registering kids for school and buying groceries. Thanks for helping! (NOTE: This project will run in conjunction with our monthly food drive for the Upper Des Moines Outreach Food Pantry which spans the second full week of each month. Please bring donations to Bethany anytime this month.) HOW IT WORKS: Purchase non-perishable food items or toiletries for the Food Pantry Take items directly to Upper Des Moines or the Welcome Center at Bethany Organize a food drive, or challenge your friends, families or church congregation to donate Pray for the workers/volunteers that supply food and for families/individuals that need the food
CALENDAR: Sunday, August 13 8:30 am Worship 9:45 am Fellowship 11:00 am Worship Monday, August 14 6:00 pm Christmas at Bethany Planning Meeting Wednesday, August 16 10:00 am Bible Study & Prayer Group Saturday, August 19 7:30 am Men of Bethany Bible Study Sunday, August 20 8:30 am Worship 9:30 am St. Luke Round Up 9:45 am Fellowship 11:00 am Worship Monday, August 21 5:30 pm Church Council Tuesday, August 22 2:00 pm Staff Meeting 4:45 pm The Gathering Community Meal Planning Meeting Wednesday, August 23 10:00 am Bible Study & Prayer Group Thursday, August 24 1:30 pm Women s Bible Study Saturday, August 26 7:30 am Men of Bethany Bible Study 8:30 am Faith-in-Action/Parish Ed Library Project