Bethesda NEWS LUTHERAN BRETHREN CHURCH
July/Aug. 2013
Do not be terrified by them, for the Lord your God, who is among you, is a great and awesome God. —Deuteronomy 7:21
Worship Schedule! Sunday Service Schedule
Sanctuary 9:00 am – Traditional 10:30 am – Contemporary
Walker Hall 10:30 am – Eleeo (Modern Worship)
CONTENTS Global Leadership Summit
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Harvest America
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Stephen Ministry
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Military Life
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Bethesda World Missions
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Children’s Ministries
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Youth Ministries
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Sermons can be downloaded from our website or purchased by calling the church office.
LIFEgroups
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This is one of my favorite verses in the Bible, because it encompasses so many things. In Deuteronomy, we find God preparing his people to enter the Promised Land, where they will be exposed to a variety of other people groups who do not follow God and do not live like the people of God. Some of these people groups were vicious. Many were known for their military conquests. But God reminds his people through Moses that they do not need to be terrified by these peoples and that the source of their confidence is God Himself. The LORD your God . . . Yahweh, the Great I Am, the God who exists, the one true God, who is real and trustworthy is your God. Moses is addressing the gathered people of Israel, the children of those God brought out of Egypt. In Galatians 3:7-9, the Apostle Paul explains that all who trust Jesus by faith are members of God’s people, children of the promise. As followers of Jesus, this One true God is our God. This God of power, of miracles, of grace and mercy, love and compassion, is the God we meet in Jesus, the One who calls us by name and the One who writes us into His story and into His Book of Life. Whatever we face, in Christ, we face it as servants of the King and as member of His family. Who is among you . . . Not only was He their God, not only was He real, but He was with them! As Jesus addressed his followers in the moments before his ascension into heaven, He said, “and surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age” (Matthew 28:20). Soon after Jesus returned to heaven, He sent the Holy Spirit, our Advocate and Counselor, who lives in us as followers of Jesus and members of His Body. In various places in Scripture, God compares Himself to powerless idols. The idols again and again are revealed as powerless statues made by human hands. God is actually alive and among His people. He remains present and powerful among His people today, and he is with us. Psalm 139 reminds us there is no place we can even hide from or escape his presence. Is a great and awesome God . . . There is no god like our God! He fulfills His promises and lives among His people. His mercies are new every morning, and His love endures forever. He is our Rock and our Redeemer. He has conquered sin, death, and Satan and promises to share that victory with us! As we’re learning to expect and anticipate Jesus’ return, we want to remember who God is and the good things He promised that we can expect to experience with Him in the future. While we await His physical return, let us remember He is with us even now. What we, as Christ followers, will experience with Him upon His return may be greater than all we ask or imagine, yet it will affirm what we know and experience already – He is a great and awesome God! Pastor Brian Quade
W W W. C 3 E C . O R G
Global Leadership Summit Coming to Bethesda Nearly every one of us is exercising leadership in something – whether it’s at work, at church, or at home. The Global Leadership Summit will be coming to Bethesda live, via simulcast, on August 8th and 9th. The Global Leadership Summit is designed to equip us for our various leadership opportunities, as we learn together from leaders is a variety of disciplines including ministry, not-for-profit, academia, sports, marketplace, and government. Each Summit strives to find leaders and experts that will not only deliver practical skills but also stretch church leaders to develop their unique gift of leadership.
Because Bethesda is hosting the event, we can attend for only $79 (less than half price!) by using the discount code listed in the bulletin when we register online. There are also a number of volunteer opportunities. Please check out the Summit website for more information or contact Pastor Brian at brian@C3ec.org, if you’d like to learn more about how you can get in on the action. willowcreek.com/events/leadership
Greg Laurie’s Harvest America — Sept. 29th at Bethesda
Greg Laurie’s Harvest America will be broadcast live via simulcast to thousands of host locations across the country including Bethesda and the Micon Cinema in Eau Claire. Come, and hear from top Christian artists including MercyMe, Jeremy Camp, Kirk Franklin and Lecrae plus a life-changing proclamation of the gospel message by Greg Laurie. Bring your family and friends especially those who 2
aren’t saved for this amazing event. Also on Thursday, July 11th at Micon Cinema in Eau Claire from 2:00–5:00 pm, you can register for an all-expense paid trip to the simulcast location in Philadelphia, PA on September 28 and 29, plus lunch with Greg. WWIB will be broadcasting live for the 3 hours and will have additional giveaways. Greg Laurie is the senior pastor of Harvest Christian Fellowship in Riverside, CA and Harvest Orange County in Irvine, CA. He began his pastoral ministry at age 19. Harvest is one of the largest Christian churches in America with some 15,000 attenders. He started doing Harvest Crusades in 1990. He is known throughout the world with his radio program, A New Beginning, which is broadcast on more than 650 radio outlets. He has a weekly television program on TBN. He is a well known author and evangelist and has written over 70 books. For more information please contact Karen Biel, ckbiel@gmail.com or 715-577-6865 or Brandon Pangman, brandon@bethesdalutheran.org. You can also visit the website for information: www.harvestamerica.com Harvest America is being brought to you by Bethesda Lutheran Church, WWIB Radio, Touched Twice United and Fellowship Church
Salsa
(Salt and Light Single Adults) Connect and Fellowship with other Single Adults (30s–50s+) This small group is designed to provide Christian fellowship and the opportunity to experience community with other Bethesda single adults. Sunday July 14st at 12:30 — Picnic and Volleyball or Frisbee Golf at Mt. Simon Park. Meet by the Welcome Center after services to carpool or come to the park (lower level picnic area) Please bring a dish to pass (brats, condiments and lemonade will be provided) Sunday July 21th, 6–8 pm — Bethesda Pool Party atFairfax Pool. SALSA group will meet at Fairfax by 5:30 to help with set up and stay after to help with clean up! Any questions about SALSA, or to be added to the SALSA email group please contact: Carin at carin-rae@hotmail.com or Mary at mary.robinson@ahss.org
Men of Bethesda Summer Golf Outing Saturday, August 24th 7:00 am – 1:00 pm Mill Run Golf Course Cost is $48/person. Get your foursome together right away for this fun, annual event. Contact Paul Zipf at (715) 839-7570 or e-mail at: pzipf7570@charter.net.
Financial Update from the Trustees Thank you for your generous support of Bethesda’s Ministries. Here is a glimpse into the status of our 2013 budget. Budgeted Income through May: $375,000 Actual Income through May: $330,249 Difference: -$44,751 (This shortfall is greater than we saw in 2012 at this point in the year.)
Library News! Do not let the precious, sweet moments of summer slip by. Check out wholesome entertainment and gems of wisdom from Bethesda’s church library. Search for these and many other sparkling treasures to fill those carefree days. • 100 Bible Stories — 100 Bible Songs (book with 2 CDs) by Stephen Elkins. One hundred kid-friendly Bible stories are paired with two CDs filled with 100 new arrangements of more than two hours of favorite songs, hymns, and spirituals. (C, ELK) • Bananas Bunch: Best of Bananas Comedy, Vol. 1 (DVD) Comedy slices from Comedian Bone, Ken Davis, Bob Nelson, Taylor Mason, Anita Renfroe and Tim Hawkins. (248.4, BAN) • Raising Dragons (Book 1 of series, Dragons in our Midst) by Bryan Davis. A modern fantasy novel that inspires young people to pursue faith, courage, and love, to dig deep within to find their God-given strengths no matter how difficult the circumstances. (YF, DAV)
Stephen Ministry
Love One Another As I Have Loved You . . . In John 15:12, Jesus says, “’This is my commandment, that you love one another as I have loved you.’” Loving and caring for one another is not just the pastor’s job--it’s something Jesus calls us all to do! Stephen Ministry is a ministry in which people with special gifts for caring ministry can put those gifts to use in an organized way, bringing Jesus’ love and care to those who most need it. If you — or someone you know — are going through a difficult time contact one of our Stephen Leaders about Stephen Ministry. Our Stephen Ministers are ready to provide you with focused, confidential, one-to-one Christian care and to help you experience the healing power of Christ’s love in your life. To find out more about Stephen Ministry for you or someone you know, talk with one of our Stephen Ministry Leaders: Judy Draper, 715-831-0189, or Paul Green, 715839-9468. Our Stephen Ministers are ready to care for you! 3
Military Life Several members of our extended Bethesda family proudly serve our county. We’re introducing you to two of them below. We maintain a regular display on the foyer, and we invite you to take some time to pray for these men and their families. If there is anyone in your family currently serving in the military, please contact Holly Hermann to have their information included, and so that we may regularly keep them in prayer.
Cpt. Colin Baggs U.S. Army, Ft. Benning, GA Keri Baggs is the daughter of Jim and Holly Hermann and is married to Cpt. Colin Baggs of the US Army. Colin is a 2009 graduate of United State Military Academy West Point. Keri was attending The Hartford Conservatory in Hartford Connecticut for Musical Theater when they met. Keri was poking around ChristianMingle.com when she noticed Colin, especially his eyes. Not having an account with ChristianMingle, she found him on facebook and sent him a message and as they say, the rest is history. They met in September of ‘08 and were married in June of ‘09. Colin has rich family history of service in the Salvation Army and he is the first in his family to serve in the Military. His pastor had served and he was Colin’s support as he started this exciting journey. To ensure his placement in the armor division after graduation, Colin opted for an additional 3 years service to his 5 year base commitment and was assigned to the 4th Brigade, 1st Armor Division, 77th Regiment with an assignment of Platoon Leader for Charlie Company at Fort Bliss, TX. While stationed at Ft. Bliss Colin did two tours over seas in Iraq and then Afghanistan. He and Keri have just relocated to Fort Benning, GA for Colin to complete 6 months of schooling before he takes his company command. Keri stays busy with creating and selling greeting cards in the base gift shop, attending PWOC bible studies, participating in the officers wives club and she is currently waiting to hear if she was cast in some upcoming productions at the Springer Opera House in Columbus, GA. Keri and Colin live with their little “band of gangsters”, Bonnie and Clyde, Siamese Angora Mix Cats and Johnny (John Dillinger) a Labrador and Australian Shepherd mix. Keri and Colin ask that you pray for wisdom for them as they make career decisions after the completion of Colin’s training.
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Pvt 1st Class Andrew Johnson United States Army Reserves, Afghanistan Pvt 1st Class, Andrew Johnson, son of Jeannine Costello is anxiously waiting at Camp Shelby MS to be deployed to Afghanistan mid July. Andrew has dreamed of the military life since childhood. He was familiar with what it takes to serve his country as his grandfather served in WWII, his uncle was in the Army and his brother-in-law was in the Navy. He even got a good taste of the life in the Civil Air Patrol where he served from ages 9 to 18 while in school in Hayward WI. After high school he went to tech school for marine mechanics. He finally took the leap towards his life long dreams and enlisted in the Army Reserves! Andrew did his basic at Fort Jackson, SC and graduated in March of 2012. His only regret: that he didn’t go full time. Andrew’s fiance Megan Greer is finishing her clinicals to become a veterinarian. Andrew and Megan dated for 4 1/2 years after meeting at school in Superior, WI. This past Christmas he finally popped the question. Megan has a heart for missions. She has been to Africa and Grenada to work with the locals training them how to care for their animals to keep them healthy. Andrew could be gone for up to 15 months, so after graduation in December Megan is planning on heading back to California where she is originally from to finish out the wait. What is in Andrew’s future when he returns? A wedding, riding on his Harley he bought right after basic, working on boats, reporting once a month for duty and at the end of his 4 years, full enlistment in the Army and Officers Career Course! He’ll not only be missed by mom and Megan, but by his sisters Brianna and Beth, his brother-in-law Shawn as well as his nieces Angelina, Melody, Allannah and Emma. Please pray for protection and safety for Andrew as he works within the transportation unit loading tanks and cargo. If you would like to pray for other family members from Bethesda serving in the military, they are on a card that you can find hanging next to the military display in the lobby.
Bethesda World Missions Praise and Prayer for Bethesda’s Family Around the World Venbergs: • Praise the Lord for Rachel’s part time job as a nurse at a local hospital. • Pray for the Fulbe, who often experience hunger at this time of the year, when last year’s crops are gone, and this year’s crops are not yet ready. • Praise God for the grain storage building in Doh that has helped alleviate some of the famine. • Pray that the Lord of the harvest will send out new missionaries to live among the Fulbe people. • Pray for Dan as he does some traveling and speaking this summer. Pray that God will speak His Word and His heart through Dan. Gronseths: • Praise the Lord that Stephen is in China for the summer, after finishing his freshman year at Bethel University. • Pray for David McNabb, the man who started the first ‘Mr. Mai’s Coffee House’, and a co-worker and partner of John and Betsy’s. He is in the US recovering from a heart attack. His wife, Faith, is also in the US staying with their daughter, who is experiencing problems with her pregnancy. • Pray for John and Betsy’s dear friend and Chinese co-worker, Barry. He had 3 large cancerous tumors removed in June. His mother died young of a similar type of cancer. Barry’s wife is not a believer, and he has a four year old son. Barry is the Chinese ‘face’ of the Coffee House, and handles the government paperwork, government relations, and much of the Coffee House marketing. • Pray for John and Betsy, who are helping manage both of the Mr. Mai’s Coffee Houses. They need added strength, wisdom, and perseverance as they press on in the absence of David and Barry. Wiebes:
• P ray that the Bola will grow in their hunger for God’s Word, and respond to the Gospel. • P ray for the family’s adjustment to being back in the United States. • P ray for God’s wisdom for Brent and Sandi as they plan for the future. Contruccis: • P raise the Lord that Kent and Nancy’s support level has risen to above 80%! Please pray that God would continue to increase the financial and prayer support for Kent and Nancy’s work with MAF. • P ray for their daughter, Sarah, who is engaged to Blake, a young man with whom she works in Uganda. A January 4, 2014 wedding in Mexico is planned! • P raise the Lord that the expansion of the Inside-Out Safety Program may begin in Africa next year! Kent and Nancy have been approved for funding for a 3-week trip to Africa to present a team-building seminar to staff there. Wiles • P ray for John and Kathryn as they spend this summer developing a curriculum for a new Barnabas leadership school, the first of which will be held early in 2014. This school, called ‘SSTAR’ (acronym for ‘School of Shepherding, Teaching and Renewal’), will be held twice a year for the next few years. Initially only Barnabas staff will attend, but the intent is to make it available to the broader US mission community. John and Kathryn are responsible for developing a 20-hour workshop to teach mission staff how to use the Word of God to develop devotionals, messages and workshops that are 1) Christ-centered and grace-filled and 2) utilize the best of adult learning methods. This needs to be finished before John and Kathryn leave for Asia in the fall!
• Pray for safe travel as Brent, Sandi and the children return to the United States on July 15th. • Pray for Pastor Ben, who continues to preach and teach in villages using the Bola Bible. 5
Children’s Ministries Our VBS Kids are Standing Strong for God!
We are thrilled to let you know that VBS was an extra special week this year. There were so many ways we saw God working during the week. Here a few little stories to share: On Thursday as the 4th and 5th grade group was leaving the Bible story room a guide asked one of the girls if she had ever accepted Jesus as her Savior. The young girl replied “Yes I have — and it was just 5 minutes ago!” A mom, with tears streaming down her face, approached one of our co-directors at closing time when the children were singing and said she was just so full of joy at watching her daughter singing praises to Jesus and expressed her gratitude that we open up our VBS to the community. We noticed several parents who don’t have a church home inviting other families to our VBS. They may not even realize how they are being a missionary in this way. We pray that they along with those they invite are impacted eternally through VBS. We were able to offer Bibles to any children that attended VBS and didn’t have their own Bible. Nine children were given Bibles and were so very excited that they received their very own Bible! A 5 year old was so determined to invite friends that after the first day he told his mom he had 3 friends in mind that he wanted to invite. The mom was thrilled that her son was excited to do this! Children wrote cards that went into the backpacks for the mission project of providing backpacks to local school children in need. Many of these cards spoke of how Jesus loves them and wants to be their best friend. God provided, through our congregation and the children attending, in amazing ways financially. We reached our goal for the mission focus — probably over $1,000. And we were able to stay within our budget while providing Bibles for the backpacks and VBS music CDs for the VBS families! There are other side-ministries taking place during VBS — one of which is the ministry of our youth who are helping. The fact that they are serving and taking part in a church-wide and 6
Kids help fill backpacks with school supplies and Bibles for this year’s VBS mission focus. We were able to supply 50 backpacks for needy children in the Chippewa Valley.
inter-generational event is an amazing faith growing experience for them. This also happens with those of us who are adults. It has been so encouraging to see some of our youth mature and grow as they lead the students during the week. We had 211 children registered who came at some point during the week. Our highest attended day was Thursday at 197. 118 of those children are not from Bethesda and 32 of those do not have a church home. What a tremendous outreach VBS is! The majority of the children who come (not from Bethesda) were invited by a friend or family member. It’s because of our congregation inviting children that many of these kids were able to hear the message of how to Stand Strong for God! Thank you for your prayers, your financial giving, the fact that you invited children to attend, your decorating help, and your serving at VBS! God is Great! Dawn Rico dawn@bethesdalutheran.org
Programs Sunday School (Starts Sept. 8th) Bethesda offers two
hours of Sunday School, during the 9:00 am and 10:30 am services.
Wednesday Adventure Club (Returning this Fall) Jr. Adventure Club: (PreK–3rd Grade) 6:30–7:45 pm Adventure Club 4:5: (4th–5th Grade) 6:30–7:45 pm Watch for information on both these children’s programs as we get closer to fall. Dawn Rico
Children’s Ministries Director dawn@bethesdalutheran.org
Karen Ratering
Children’s Ministries Assistant k.ratering@sbcglobal.net
Youth Ministries Bethesda HSM Summer Mission Trips! In less than a week, the first of our High School Summer Mission Trips will be heading out. Please pray for the students and adults going on these trips, for team bonding and unity, a servant heart, and for God to do wonderful things in and through each person going. Here’s a quick rundown on the summer trips:
Rockaway, New York July 13–21 Crashing into the shoreline with historic force and quickly moving into the heart of New York and New Jersey, Hurricane Sandy claimed over 100 lives on the coast, destroyed thousands of homes, left millions without power and even more without hope. The mission team heading to New York will have the opportunity to be a part of the long-term rebuilding from Hurricane Sandy while meeting the needs of families for whom first response was not enough. Students will work on remodeling jobs such as flooring, drywall, painting, siding and roofing. But more importantly, the students will bring the message of Christ’s love to a hurting community.
Denver, Colorado July 21–30 Mission Denver will take our mission team on a journey into God’s heart for the poor. We will engage in urban ministry training, community development, work projects, bible clubs in low-income areas, and a poverty simulation. We pray that this journey will begin a work in the hearts of our students for those who are poor in our own community, and for them to begin to experience the great blessing of God when you are obedient to His Word.
Estes Park, Colorado July 31st–Aug. 3rd We are excited to be a part of the Lutheran Brethren’s national youth convention this summer. This youth conference will be a great opportunity for students to grow in their faith through worship, excellent speakers, topics relevant to teens, small groups, and more!
Bethesda’s Middle School Youth Group The Bridge continues to meet through the summer at Bethesda, at 6:30 pm, on the following dates: July 3rd August 7th July 17th August 21st Junior High Camp at Inspiration Point is July 7th–12th. Please pray for our young people that they may experience Jesus this summer! For information on Bethesda’s Middle School Ministries, contact our Middle School Youth Director, Todd Waldie, at 715-835-5073 or todd@C3ec.org
Director of Youth Ministries Position Bethesda is looking for a person with a thorough knowledge of Scripture and a passion for connecting biblical truth with students lives to serve as Director of Youth Ministries. This is a full time position focusing primarily on ministering to students in grades 9–12 and developing volunteer leaders. A detailed job description and application packet are available on our website. Applications due to Pastor Brian by Friday, July 19, 2013. 7
Bethesda
LUTHERAN BRETHREN CHURCH
123 W. Hamilton Avenue Eau Claire, WI 54701 715-835-5073 www.bethesdalutheran.org
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Christ Community Cause A vision for clarifying who we believe God is leading us to become.
poolparty&picnic JULY
21 Fairfax Pool
6pm–8pm
Bring a drink, a chair, and a dish to share. Bethesda is providing beef and beans! 8