Bethesda News January 2017 Bethesda Lutheran Church: a congregation of S.W.I.M South West Iowa Ministries, Western Iowa Synod, ELCA 2475 140 th St., Clarinda, IA 51632 http://swimwebsite.weebly.com Sunday School @ 10:00 a.m. Fellowship Coffee @ 10:15 a.m. Worship @ 11:00 a.m. Pastor Ann Albert ~ Phone: 712-379-3332 or email: grace200062@yahoo.com A note from Pastor Ann Jeremiah 29:11-13 For surely I know the plans I have for you, says the LORD, plans for your welfare and not for harm, to give you a future with hope. Then when you call upon me and come and pray to me, I will hear you. 13 When you search for me, you will find me; if you seek me with all your heart. Happy New Year! Each January 1 st I like to lean back to wonder what this new year will bring. What adventures and misadventures will come with this new year. While each new year has joys and tragedies, we have the hope that God plans for our welfare and not for harm. God will be with us as a loving, caring father watching His child grow and change. With God each day of the year is a new beginning, yesterday s sins have been forgiven and we know that our loving God will forgive those sins we will commit this day. Whatever this year brings we have the confidence that when we call upon God, He will hear you. God walks with us in everything 2017 holds for us. Take His hand and walk with confidence that He will give you a future with hope! I m here for you, Ann
A large number of members and visitors attended worship services at Bethesda Christmas Eve and Christmas Morning. Thank you to Pastor Ann for leading our worship services, the musicians Joni Sunderman, Christie Vanderholm, The Bethesda Recorder Consort, Corey Bix and Yvonne Johnson, ushers, altar guild members for decorating our beautiful sanctuary and Chris Campbell for making the bulletins. December 20 th, Bethesda WELCA ladies and guests enjoyed a delicious lunch and fellowship at the beautifully decorated home of Kent and Penny Setterburg. THANK YOU Dear Women from Bethesda, Thank you so much for the amaryllis. Iʼm sure I will enjoy watching it grow and seeing it bloom. They change so quickly! Thanks too, to Mary Ann for delivering it, company is always welcome! I had a great Thanksgiving and appreciate those of you who take time to stop for a little visit. Nita Bethesda Lutheran Church Women of ELCA, Dear Friends of Lutheran Lakeside Camp, Thank you so much for your generous gift of $50.00. Your gift is making a difference in the lives of children. Now more than ever children need outdoor ministries like Lutheran Lakeside Camp. Statistics show that 7% of the nationʼs children spend less than 1 hour a week outside of their own will. Children need to experience the awe of God in nature. Thank you for your partnership in providing this experience for children and families. Please remember the camp in your prayers as we seek to provide experiences that will open them up to listening for Godʼs call in their lives. May the Lord continue to bless your congregation. Thank you for your ongoing support! Shalom, Jerry and Carolyn Fritsch, Executive Directors
DEAR BETHESDA LUTHERAN CHURCH, Thank you for your recent gift of $100.00 to support the mission and ministry of the ELCA through ELCA Good Gifts. Your gift has been designated for two goats. Through your support, your voice is one of many that makes up a chorus of caring and compassion heard throughout the world. Your passion for the good works that the ELCA does through ELCA Good Gifts enables us to share the gospel and continue doing Godʼs work of restoring and reconciling communities. Together, as the ELCA, we do more than we ever could alone. Because of your partnership and generous support, we are truly transforming lives. In Christ, Christina Jackson-Skelton Executive Director, Mission Advancement Evangelical Lutheran Church in America. THANK YOU FROM LSI Women of ELCA members, Thanks to your generous donation of $50.00, more Iowa children will stay warm this winter. As you know, many children at our Beloit and the Bremwood Residential Treatment Centers come into LSIʼs care with little more than the clothes on their backs. Far too often, they have experienced trauma and neglect, and the holidays and cold winter weather can be a harsh reminder of years of struggle. But with your help, they will be able to select their own outdoor winter clothing. Theyʼll be able to experience the simple joys of playing outside in the snow this holiday season. Your gift is helping to provide these children with warm hats and mittens. But for them, these are more than just pieces of clothing. These items are your way of showing them that they are loved. That they matter. Thank you for making a difference in the lives of our Iowa children. With gratitude, Jason Lee, VP of Philanthropy and Church Relations Thank you for thinking of our organization and the donation of hats, scarves, mittens and gloves. Southwest Iowa Families The Recorders greatly appreciate your support with the poinsettia sales. Thank you!
December 11th, the Bethesda church musicians presented Savior of the Nations, Come, an Advent/Christmas service. Thank you to all who made it a meaningful service for the many who attended. The Bells of Joy premiered On Our Way Rejoicing by Brian Childers, a piece that was commissioned in memory of our dear friend and former ringer, John Lind. We were thrilled to have his family here. The Bethesda Recorder Consort played Christmas music at a Hillside Missionary Church dinner in Clarinda December 10th. Martin Lutherʼs Seal or the Luther Rose. The black cross is set in a heart, which is its natural color. This reminds us that faith in the Crucified saves us. The heart is set in the center of a white rose to show that faith causes joy, consolation and peace. White is the color of angels and blessed spirits. The rose is set on a blue sky that represents the joy of faith in the spirit, a longing and beginning of heavenly joy to come. The gold ring around it signifies the bliss in heaven is endless and more precious than all joys and treasures. One is not righteous who does much, but the one who, without work, believes much in Christ. The law says, ʻDo thisʼ and it is never done. Grace says, ʻBelieve in this,ʼ and everything is already done. Martin Luther Congratulations!! Congratulations and Best Wishes Alex and Annkaren Campbell who were married at Bethesda December 3rd. May God bless them with many happy years of marriage. Anna Smith Fletcher, was commissioned as a second lieutenant in the US Army, December 17th. Anna also graduated this December from Iowa State University with a degree in Biology. She will begin her duty at Ft. Lee, VA.
Morning Worship @ 11:00 A.M. Sunday School @ 10:00 A.M. Fellowship Coffee @ 10:15 A.M. Communion first and last Sunday of the month Preaching Schedule at Bethesda January Birthdays Jan. 1 Gordon Scott 3 Kody Erickson Jan 8 Ann Albert 5 Wayne Sederburg Jan. 15 Gordon Scott 12 Nicole Jimmerson Jan. 22 Ann Albert 13 Diane Campbell Jan. 29 Gordon Scott 14 Dennis Boger 26 Robert Wright Worship assistants in January 31 Rogene Sederburg Greeters Steve & Phyllis Carlson Reader Mike Freed Communion Asst. Christie Vanderholm Wedding Anniversaries Ushers Steve & Phyllis Carlson 4 Anna & Fletcher Hopkins Darwin & Miriam Hanson Altar Guild Sheila Freed & Deb Wagoner Coffee Servers Jan. 1 Stanley & Barbara Johnson Jan. 8 Daniel & Jackie Meier Jan. 15 Darwin & Miriam Hanson Jan 22 Mark & Sallie Lund Jan. 29 Robert & Robin Wright The Annual Congregational Meeting will be held on Jan. 22, 2017, at 10:00 am in the basement during coffee time. Please mark your calendars and we will see you there. Upcoming Events Jan. 22 10:00 a.m. Annual Meeting Jan 25 newsletter items are due. Send to Yvonne (johnsony@myfmtc.com)
Giving Voice for Iowa Children and Families Lutheran Day on the Hill Families living in poverty. Iowa children who go hungry. Former refugees building new lives. These kinds of issues are rarely the center of attention at the Iowa State Capitol. Let s change that! Please consider joining Lutheran Services in Iowa (LSI) and the three Iowa synods of the ELCA for Lutheran Day on the Hill, an annual day of advocacy in Des Moines to uplift the needs of our neighbors. The event will be held on Tuesday, February 21. Visit www.lsiowa.org/advocacy next month for event details, online registration and an online toolkit for your congregation, including how to participate in this year s congregational letter-writing campaign. If you are new to advocacy, come learn more about the legislative process and your role as a citizen. If you ve attended before, join us again. We hope this year s schedule will also allow you more opportunities to connect with legislators. Our Mission: Lutheran Services in Iowa responds to the love of Jesus Christ through compassionate service. LSI is an affiliated social ministry partner of the Iowa congregations of the ELCA (Evangelical Lutheran Church in America) and a member of LSA (Lutheran Services in America). We proudly serve people of all ages, abilities, religions, sexes, gender identities, national origins, ethnicities, races, and sexual orientations. Learn more at www.lsiowa.org and www.facebook.com/lsi.iowa. A New Harmony Zach has always had a love of the outdoors. In his free time, he can usually be found in his back yard, mowing the lawn or making sure his snow blower is working properly before the first snow. But when Zach began working with his hourly support staff, Shane, he found a new love: music. Shane is an hourly support staff with LSI s Services for People with Disabilities. Each week, the duo works together to help Zach stay active in the community, practice his coping skills, and achieve his personal goals. Music therapy has become a major part of their time together. We play guitar quite a bit, Shane says. I think music therapy is very important. It just helps calm the soul down. During each session, Shane teaches Zach a few new chords or strumming patterns that Zach can practice on his own. I know when I ve had a long, bad day at work, I get kind of angry rather quickly, Zach says. If I can, I go to my room and grab my guitar and start strumming some chords. I m not much of a singer, but I ve started putting some words with some of the jamming out I do. Seeing Zach s new appreciation for guitar is just one way Shane is constantly inspired to come to work. A lot of motivation for hourly work is you only have a short amount of time with the individual, and it has to change their life, he says. When we can use our time to utilize music like Zach has, it can be a great coping skill, and it s working for him.