Bethel Wesleyan Church Bethel Wesleyan Church exists to love our community and world with Christ's love, offering everyone His fulfilling way of life. Jesus said, I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full. John 10:10 INSIDE THIS ISSUE: PASTOR S PEN Volume 10 Issue 3 EMPTY OASIS - Our 50+ Ministry 2 God s Prescription Calling All Servants! Power Kids - Putting Others First Sunday School - Welcome Spring Global Partners Prayer Guide 3 4 Mission Moment - The Gallahars 5 The Passion of the Christ Announcement Looking Ahead - April March Calendar Lenten Series Schedule ~ Sermon Series ~ EMPTY March 12 DRAINED Mark 14:3-9 March 19 - POURED OUT Mark 14:22-26 March 26 EVICTION NOTICE Mark 14:32-42 April 02 RUNNING ON EMPTY Mark 14:43-52 6 April 09 PULL THE PLUG Mark 11:11-18 April 16 GONE Mark 16:1-8 We don t like hearing the word EMPTY, do we; especially when we re driving a car, writing a check, or planning a party. We like a full tank, a full account, and a full house. We don t like things empty. We like things full. But then we are confronted by Jesus extravagant love for us as He approached His final days, emptying Himself for our sake and taking up His cross in our stead. Paul says it best when he writes: Have this attitude in yourselves which was also in Christ Jesus, who, although He existed in the form of God, did not regard equality with God a thing to be grasped, but emptied Himself, taking the form of a bond-servant, and being made in the likeness of men. Being found in appearance as a man, He humbled Himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross. (Philippians 2:5-8) Jesus renounced His divine nature, at least in part, for the sake of our salvation. He EMPTIED Himself. Jesus, who once possessed omnipotence, became a helpless babe in a manger dependent upon His very creation to care for His every need. And though He had full command of heaven s angelic army, He willingly submitted to Jewish and Roman authorities who tried Him, beat Him, and ultimately crucified (Continued on page 2)
(Continued from page 1 ~ EMPTY) Him. Jesus, the all-powerful one, emptied Himself of His power and became obedient to death, even death on a cross. Jesus, who was once omnipresent, took on the form of a man and was thereby limited both by time and by space. He couldn t be in more than one place at a time. Imagine how restricting it must have been to give up the divine ability to be everywhere present at once for the sake of saving the world. Jesus, who was once omniscient, would have to grow up and learn just like anyone else. In order for Him to fully understand our humanity and sympathize with our weaknesses, he had to empty Himself even of His complete knowledge and understanding and rely fully upon the Spirit of God for wisdom and guidance. Jesus earthly ministry did not begin until the Spirit of God came upon Him at baptism. And before he ministered to others, Jesus would spend valuable time with His heavenly Father in prayer to receive strength and guidance for each new day. It is this Jesus that we worship and it is this Jesus that we are called to imitate. Because Jesus EMPTIED Himself, we, His followers are called to embrace His attitude and EMPTY ourselves. Over the next few weeks, during this season of Lent, we are going to discover the importance of the word EMPTY in the life of a Christian and make the conscious choice to follow Jesus example by EMPTYING ourselves for His sake and the sake of others. Sermon Series: March 12 DRAINED Mark 14:3-9 March 19 - POURED OUT Mark 14:22-26 March 26 EVICTION NOTICE Mark 14:32-42 April 02 RUNNING ON EMPTY Mark 14:43-52 April 09 PULL THE PLUG Mark 11:11-18 April 16 GONE Mark 16:1-8 Fun, Fellowship, & Focused Ministry Our 50+ Ministry Oasis will be meeting in the Children s Wing at BWC on Thursday afternoon, March 16th at 2:00 PM. You are welcome to join us and enjoy a time of fellowship and fun activities along with Dessert! Page 2
Calling All Servants, Calling All Servants! Yes, That s You! Did you know God has given each and everyone of you a gift or gifts? What better way to serve God than through the gift He has given you? YOUTH ACTIVITIES SATURDAY, MARCH 11~9:00 am 1:00 pm Work Day at Parsonage. Wear old clothes. Parents are welcome to help! FRIDAY, MARCH 17 ~ Family Game Night. Bring your favorite game and get our game on! Happy Saint Patty s Day... Let s see who can put their GREEN On! SUNDAY, MARCH 19 ~ Soup/Sandwich After Church ~ Provided by Youth! Let s come together for Fellowship! Maybe you don't feel that you have a gift. Trust me, you do, and with a little initiative God will reveal this to you. He did this for me! Sometimes it's just taking that leap and trusting In God! I have Faith that God's Prescription will get better and better, after all, Rome wasn't built in a day! With this said, I'm asking for help. We are in need of people to help with Youth. Please contact me if you have interest and want to serve! Thank you Church Family! God is Good, Chris, Youth Leader Power Kids ~ Putting Others First The Apostle Paul tells us in Romans 5:8 that God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us. Love is central to who God is and is the motivating factor for sending His Son, Jesus Christ into the world. But knowing about God s love means nothing if we do not express our love for God and for others in all we say and do. This month, POWER KIDS will find out what loving God and others looks like as they seek peace, extend forgiveness, serve selflessly and look for opportunities to PUT OTHERS FIRST. These are important parts of love and they are meaningful acts of worship when they are the outcome of our great love for God. March 5 God s Love Heals Your Heart He personally carried our sins in his body on the cross... By his wounds you are healed. 1 Peter 2:24 NLT March 12 God s Love Isn t Selfish Don t be selfish... Be humble, thinking of others better than yourselves. Philippians 2:3 NLT March 19 God s Love Seeks Peace... keep yourself united in the Spirit, binding yourselves together with peace. Ephesians 4:3 NLT March 26 God s Love Forgives... Remember, the Lord forgave you, so you must forgive others. Colossians 3:13 NLT Page 3
Welcome Spring! Spring is just around the corner so no more cold weather Sunday mornings to keep you from Sunday School with us. Our younger classes, Pre-kindergarten through Fifth Grade, will be talking about knowing how much Jesus loves us because of all that Jesus did for people, including being the sacrifice for our sins. Our Youth will be talking about staying focused on God's Power to fuel their lives. The Adults will begin studying the book of James, written by Jesus' half brother. Come listen to the words of one who rejected Jesus because of His claims, then later died because of his refusal to reject Jesus. Global Partners Prayer Guide FOCUSED PRAYER FOR GP NATIONAL LEADERS National Leaders for the countries with which we partner: Zdenko Jovisic is the national leader in Croatia Yuri Benitex and Nehemias Cardenas are national leaders in Cuba Doucet D. Desronvil is the national superintendent in Haiti Roy Mung is the national superintendent in Papua New Guinea PLEASE SAVE CANS & CANCELLED STAMPS TO SUPPORT OUR MISSIONARIES Please give your Cancelled Stamps to Mary Sard. Please place your Cans in the Container located behind the Church or see Bob Black for information. Thank You! Page 4
Mission Moment February 2017 Dear Bethel Wesleyan Family, Can you believe it?! We made it to Croatia! We are beyond thankful for your prayer and financial support. GOD IS FAITHFUL: "Your love, oh Lord, reaches to the mountains, your faithfulness to the sky!" Psalm 36:5 We have seen it over and over again these last seven months - God's faithfulness. He has led our every step. He has provided for all our needs: places to sleep, food to eat, a content baby, and new friends. As we now transition back to life in Croatia we are so thankful once again for His faithfulness. Our church is growing, our youth group has been led by parents and volunteers and is going strong, even our house is just the way we remember it. Now as we look to the future and our ministry here in Croatia we are encouraged by His faithfulness and know that our labor for Him is not in vain. We have been reminded that as we live our lives we need to be bold and share His goodness and faithfulness with others and be faithful as well to that which He has called us. Thank you all so much for your faithfulness in your prayers and your giving. As you can see below God has provided all our financial needs. Praise God! SUNDAYS: Each Sunday at 10am (4am EST) the national church meets for the weekly worship service. Please pray over these mornings that they will be a rich time of praise, worship, fellowship and connection between believers. Please pray that as a church we will purposefully reach out to newcomers and show them the love of Christ. WE RE PREGNANT :...and its a GIRL!!!!!! We are so excited to meet Genevieve Grace Gallahar this July. Please pray for us as we seek out a hospital to deliver her. After the last ultrasound they told us she is in the 7th percentile for size, and we need to pray she grows significantly between now and the 20-week ultrasound. We believe God is knitting her together in Neissa's womb, and we trust He loves her more than we could ever imagine. CHASE UPDATE: Chase is loving his new home, new room, new church, new play area for kiddos in town...he pretty much loves it all. He's a kid! He loved flying solo with Dad and slept right through jet lag leaving us relieved. He's learning his first Croatian words, making friends and trying new foods. We could not be more blessed by his positive outlook on life. Potty training, here we come! Sean and Neissa Gallahar Global Partner Missionaries to Croatia The Gallahars ~ Global Partner Missionaries to Croatia 1 Cor. 15:58 "Therefore dear brothers, let nothing move you. Always give yourselves fully to the work of the Lord, because you know your labor in the Lord is not in vain." Page 5
Looking Ahead ~ April Apr. 9 Palm Sunday & Envoy Nursing Home Service Apr. 14 Good Friday ~ The Passion of the Christ ~ See above for information Apr. 16 Easter Sunday Sunrise Service at Holiday Park 6:00 am Sunday School 9:45 AM & Worship 10:45 AM Easter Egg Hunt following Worship Goldsboro Bethel Wesleyan Church Pastor Douglas E. Morley 435 Main Street P.O. Box 141 Goldsboro, Maryland 21636 Phone:(410) 482-8714 E-mail: pastor@goldsborowesleyan.com Sunday Services Discipleship Classes 9:45 AM Morning Worship 10:45 AM Power Kids 10:45 AM Pray Together 6:00 PM Coming to FAITH in Christ FORMING Christ-like Character FORWARDING Christ s Mission Page 6
March 2017 Bethel Wesleyan Church exists to love our community and world with Christ's love, offering everyone His fulfilling way of life. Sun Mon Tue Wed Thu Fri Sat NCCA Lenten Series See Attached Flyer for Complete Schedule 1 Ash Wednesday Lent Begins 2 Linda Rash 3 4 5 NCCA Lenten Series Begins Jericho Faith Deliverance, 201 Park Ave., Ridgely MD 6 7 8 Haven Jones 9 LBA Meeting 6:30 pm 10 11 Work Day at Parsonage 9am 1 pm 12 Daylight Savings Time Begins Spring Forward Calvary UMC 145 Hall Town Rd. Marydel MD 19 Soup/Sandwich following Morning Worship Wayside CCCU 26993 Shore Hwy Denton MD 26 Greeters Meeting 12:30 pm Bethel Wesleyan 435 Main St. Goldsboro MD 13 14 Christina Smith 20 Newsletter Info Due 27 James Fitzcharles Mark Rash Power Kids Staff Meeting 6:30 pm 21 J O Y Luncheon Denton First Wesleyan 11:30 am 28 Davy Jr. Elborn 15 16 BWC 2:00 pm 17 David & Barbie Semans Vanessa Leach Game Night 22 23 24 25 29 30 31 18 Ralph Jackson, Jr. Men s Prayer Breakfast Greensboro New Life 8:00 am March Greeters Schedule: 5th - David & Mary James, 12th Howard & Sandy Fitzcharles, 19th David & Barbie Semans, 26th Larry Gary & Nikki Brown Fruit Providers: 5th Nikki Brown, 12th Barbie Semans, 19th Paul McMullen, 26th - Mary James
DATE TOPIC SCRIPTURE SPEAKER HOST CHURCH March 5 What Kind of King is Jesus? Mark 11:1-11 Pastor Jeff Donihue Wayside Church of Christ in Christian Union March 12 Trouble in the Temple Mark 11:12-19 Pastor Clive Heyd Greensboro New Life Wesleyan Church March 19 Conflict and More Conflict Mark 11:20-13:37 Pastor Brad Hendrix Greensboro Baptist Church March 26 The Need for a Traitor Mark 14:1-11 Pastor Paul Merritt Denton Church of the Nazarene April 2 A Last Supper and Gethsemane Mark 14:12-71 Pastor Phyllis Duckery Jericho Faith Deliverance April 9 The Crucifixion of Jesus Mark 15:1-41 Pastor Zach Brown Calvary United Methodist Church - Marydel 2017 LENTEN SERIES SUNDAY NIGHTS AT 6:00 PM Sponsored by the NORTH CAROLINE CLERGY ASSOCIATION Offerings received will go towards the ministries of the North Caroline Clergy Association (NCCA) Jericho Faith Deliverance 201 Park Ave. Ridgely, MD 410-634-2029 Calvary United Methodist Church 145 Hall Town Road Marydel, MD Wayside Church of Christ in Christian Union 26993 Shore Hwy Denton, MD 410-479-0035 Bethel Wesleyan Church 435 Main Street Goldsboro, MD 410-482-8714 Denton Church of the Nazarene 10660 Greensboro Road Denton, MD 410-479-2197 Greensboro New Life Wesleyan 13699 Greensboro Road Greensboro, MD 410-482-6897