Post date: Jun 23, 2014 12:44:27 PM
From the Council "Reflect my love! And repeat my action!”
Dear Bethel Members,
Your Council is looking forward to chart a plan for Bethel to continue serving Christ, our members and our community. The feeling of hope and faith is palpable and we thank God and the gift of Pastor Alan’s ministry, which encourages our hope for the future of Bethel. The Council and the Synod has approved a one-year extension to Pastor Alan’s intentional interim call. Last year by this time, we had taken $40,000 from our endowment fund in order to meet our financial obligations. To date, our revenue has been sufficient to meet our obligations thanks to the cuts in expense implemented last year and your financial support. While we would like to keep him as our pastor, Pastor Alan’s call is limited, therefore the Council is initiating the call process to search for a permanent pastor for lead our church forward. WE NEED YOUR HELP! Council is creating an ad hoc committee to update our Ministry Site Plan (MSP) to begin the call process and we need two church members to join Lois and me to complete the MSP. I will be seeking volunteers. If you would like to participate in this process, please let Lois or me know. The Council is deliberately going to take our time through the call process to ensure that we call the best pastor we can find to move our Church forward.
It’s time once again to seek you stewardship through our Time and Ability Survey. If you haven’t already, please complete the survey and place it in the offering plate or drop it off in the church office. We are creating a spreadsheet to better identify and utilize your abilities to support our worship and our mission. This is our church and we need your involvement in extending our ministry. We do need sponsors for our altar flowers. If you are able, please sign up at the back of the church. Our two-minute blessings have highlighted all of the work we have done to further the love of Jesus Christ. The Men of Bethel (M.O.B.) served a dinner to young people at the East side YMCA on June 20, 2014 and a very successful senior luncheon provided on June 17, sponsored by our Social Outreach Committee. The Food Pantry is still in need of help and support as we move to a larger room and begin to offer perishable foods. Your generosity is always greatly appreciated. While we are small, our ministry is not and I thank you all for your faith, time and support serving Him.
In other business, Marlin Casker reported on the Synod assembly meeting. As always, he gave a detailed report of the issues addressed and the election of our new bishop, Rev. John S. Macholz. If you would like to read Marlin’s report, it is available in the church office. The Property Committee has been very active in preserving our facilities. The beautiful stained-glass windows are being repaired to ensure they are safe and able to last for another eighty years. Please don’t let the missing windows concern you. They will be back. The non-functioning light in the sanctuary is being fixed and Jamestown Roofing is wrapping the parapet over the education building to prevent any leaks. A special thank you goes to John Bremmer for his time and effort to address any maintenance concerns. Council approved Bethel’s participation in the Congregational Vitality Assessment developed by ELCA. Church members will be asked for your participation in this assessment. This tool will be invaluable to the call process and the completion of the MSP.
The Council has created a Personnel Committee to provide annual reviews of church staff using a reflective conferencing model. Council has created a list of eight questions for the committee to use to assist staff in reflecting on the successes and opportunities for growth for our employees. Kathy Gustafson, Paul Gutzmer and Steve Williams have agreed to initiate this process. We are in the process of creating a Mutual Ministry Committee to utilize a similar annual review process for Pastor.
Additionally, the Council congratulates Lauren Kimball on her confirmation. Lauren is a valued member of Bethel and we appreciate all of her efforts participating in worship. The pastors of the Jamestown Area Lutheran Churches are still making plans for shared activities. There will be a joint worship LCLC on August 24, 2014 and a program titled “God’s Work, Our Hands” is being planned for September 7. Thanks to Diane Foti’s vision, a first, annual Thanksgiving Dinner for our less fortunate neighbors is being planned. Volunteers will be needed. More details will be made available as these dates approach.
May God bless you all and may you have an enjoyable summer with family and friends.
Sincerely.
Gregg Davis- President