Post date: Jul 31, 2014 2:10:41 PM
From the Council "Reflect my love! And repeat my action!”
Dear Bethel Members,
While the summer quickly moves along, your Council is still hard at work planning for Bethel’s future. While we are thrilled that Pastor Alan will be with us for another year, we must begin the call process to keep Bethel a vital part of our service to you and the community. The first step is completing the Ministry Site Profile (MSP). Lois Lindell, Cal Cederquist, Karen Johnson and I will begin this month to update the MSP but we would like one more member from the congregation to help us. If you would like to be that person, please let one of us know. After the MSP is completed and submitted to the Synod, we will need members to form a Call Committee to review candidates. We are planning to take our time through this process to ensure we find the best pastor that can meet our needs and carry us into the future.
We have all felt the hope and enthusiasm throughout our church over the past year. We are meeting our financial obligations without using the Endowment Fund, so far, but summer is especially difficult as donations are down a bit. Our ministry is alive and well as evidenced by the expansion of our Food Cupboard, (which will now be open one evening per month for those who cannot come in the morning), the joint ministry activities with our fellow Lutheran Churches and in the work of our Social Outreach Committee. There is an Ice Cream Social on August 17 during coffee to raise funds for our Sunshine Committee. Thanks to the committee, Bethel will launch an Adopt-A-School Project to collect materials for teachers; targeting Bush Elementary School is the first recipient. The Fall Harvest Dinner/Food Basket Distribution is another to provide meals to the sick and shut-ins, as will as the joint Lutheran mission to initiate a Thanksgiving Dinner to those less fortunate in our community. Other joint activities include worship at LCLC on August 24 and God’s Work, Our Hands on September 7. We invite you to participate in all of these wonderful activities and demonstrate Bethel’s commitment to reflecting Jesus Christ’s love. Men of Bethel- keep your eyes and ears open for upcoming events and remember we meet the first Saturday if the month at 9am in the kitchen. If you haven’t been there, please join us and bring someone with you if you would like. We find it a rewarding fellowship.
In September, Bethel will be distributing the Congregational Vitality Assessment to collect data on our strengths and our vision of the future. These data will be especially helpful as we complete the MSP and begin the call process. We certainly have a great deal to celebrate and to thank God for blessing us, our church and our missions. Thank you to all of you for your support.
Please know that your Church Council is here to serve you. If you have any concerns, well wishes or suggestions, we would appreciate hearing from you. Also, if you know of anyone that is in need, you can contact any council member know and we will set the wheels in motion to do what we can to help. If you would like to put someone on the prayer list, let Lawana know and they will be added to the list for the next four weeks or longer if you tell Lawana it is a long-term concern.
May God bless you all and enjoy the rest of your summer.
Sincerely.
Gregg Davis- President