BETHESDA NEWS A community caring for all God s people, being transformed by Christ's love, serving others as a witness of God s grace and peace. Bethesda Mennonite Church www.bethesdamc.org November 27, 2016 Mennonite Central Committee Mobile Canner This week the MCC Meat Canner will begin Wednesday, November 30, 5:30 a.m. 10:00 p.m., and continue through Friday, December 2. Set-up for the canner will be Tuesday, November 29. Your help, as well as your donations, are needed to make this project a success. If you have any questions, contact Brent Swartzendruber, Jeff Peters or Jay Dee Janzen. Poinsettias will be used to decorate the sanctuary during the Advent and Christmas season. The church welcomes poinsettias wrapped in gold foil with a red ribbon. If you wish to donate in honor or in memory of a loved one, please notify the church office by Wednesday, November 30. Poinsettias need to be delivered to the church by Friday, December 2. Deacon Election Vote October 23, 2016, the congregation nominated Bethesda members to fill the terms of John Huebert and Arlin Hiebner on the Board of Deacons whose terms will expire in February, 2017. The following individuals have consented to continue in the Deacon selection process: Gary Buller, Kathryn Goertzen and Kim Siebert. On Sunday, December 11, 2016, a brief congregational meeting will be held immediately following the worship service for the purpose of electing two deacons. Absentees ballots will be available in the church office beginning Monday, November 28, 2016, and must be requested by the member in writing (e-mail is permissible), in person or by phone. Absentee ballots must be picked up and signed for by someone representing the member making the request. All absentee ballots must be turned in by Thursday, December 8, 2016, at 4:30 p.m. Norm Yoder, Congregational Moderator
WEEK AT A GLANCE SUNDAY, November 27 8:45 a.m. Deacons Prayer Time 9:30 a.m. Worship 10:40 a.m. Sunday School 10:40 a.m. Greenery/Nut Order Pick-Up in Parking Lot (Fellowship Hall if raining) 12:00 p.m. Potluck MONDAY, November 28 7:30 p.m. Church Council TUESDAY, November 29 MCC Canner Set-Up 8:30 a.m. Staff Meeting 3:00 p.m. Faith and Life Bookstore in the Powerhouse Room (closes at 8:30 p.m.) WEDNESDAY, November 30 5:30 a.m. Canner (until 10:00 p.m.) 8:30 a.m. Faith and Life Bookstore (closes at 9:00 p.m.) 12:00 p.m. Bulletin Announcements Due 6:30 p.m. Mission:Possible (meet at Henderson Care Center) 7:00 p.m. CORNERSTONE (meet at Rosewood) 7:00 p.m. Powerhouse 7:00 p.m. Adult Bible Study 8:00 p.m. Chancel Choir THURSDAY, December 1 5:30 a.m. Canner (until 10:00 p.m.) 8:30 a.m. Faith and Life Bookstore (closes at 11:00 a.m.) FRIDAY, December 2 5:30 a.m. Canner (until 10:00 p.m.) SATURDAY, December 3 7:00 a.m. Men s Bible Study at Perks
Next SUNDAY, December 4 2 nd Sunday of Advent 9:30 a.m. Worship Pastor Jim Voth Offering Mennonite Church USA Special Music Chancel Choir Music Laura 4:30 p.m. BWM December Birthday Party in Fellowship Hall 7:30 p.m. High School Bible Study at Jeff and Tami Peters Home CHURCH FAMILY Please pray for those with health concerns, grief or family needs. Prayer Requests Please keep our catechism students in prayer as they develop their faith in God through Jesus Christ in preparation for baptism and membership into the church. Births A son, Sawyer John, was born to Curtis and Blakely Kauffman of Punta Gorda, Florida on Saturday, November 19, 2016. Big brother Colton welcomed him home. Local grandparents are Stan and Cynthia Friesen and great grandparents are LeRoy V. and Marion Friesen. Blessings to this family. A daughter, Eleanor Cole, was born to Scott and Ginny Ganow, Monday, November 21, 2016. Siblings Bailey and Carter welcomed her home. Local grandparents are Stan and Cynthia Friesen of Henderson and Cindy Friesen of Grand Island. Great grandparents include Louie and Alma Siebert and LeRoy V. and Marion Friesen. Blessings to this family. Nebraska Mennonite Disaster Service Nebraska MDS is planning on working on the house in Pilger on Friday and Saturday, December 9 and 10, weather permitting. If you are interested in helping with this project, contact Roy Smith at 402-725-3415 by December 6. Angel Tree It s time again to think about making a difference in the lives of children whose parents are incarcerated. The Angel Tree is now set up in the
Fellowship Hall. Please consider taking an angel or two and purchasing gifts for these children. Call Connie Bechtel at 402-723-5250 or 402-366-9973 if you have questions. Tabor College Presents Handel s Messiah Tabor College is excited to present Handel s Messiah at 7:00 p.m. on Sunday, December 4 at the Hillsboro Mennonite Brethren Church, 300 Prairie Pointe, Hillsboro, Kansas. The event will again bring together current students, alumni, friends of Tabor and the community to kick off the Christmas season. This marks the 20th year in the tradition for Dr. Brad Vogel, Director of Choral Activities for Tabor. Please join us following the concert for fellowship, coffee and cookies. Backpack Program Eleven families are currently participating in this year s Backpack Program. Bethesda will be responsible for three backpacks each week. A sign-up sheet is located on the east bulletin board. Backpacks are available to pick up at the school on Wednesdays and should be returned by Friday (please note any short weeks on the schedule when backpacks should be returned before Friday). When filling backpacks please remember to wipe down the inside of the backpack with a Clorox wipe and insert one set of Henderson Foodmart vouchers per bag. Vouchers are located on the east bulletin board near the sign-up sheet. Donated items can be left at the table in front of the church office or purchased and donated directly at Henderson Foodmart (leave in the blue box at the store). Keep your eyes open for suggested items marked with a purple backpack tag at Foodmart (see logo above). Greenery/Wut-A-Nut Pick-Up Pick-up for the greenery and Wut-A-Nut orders is today following the worship service, in the church parking lot. In the event of rain, pick-up will be in the Fellowship Hall. Midweek Service Project The fall Midweek service project will take place Wednesday, November 30, from 6:30 p.m. to 7:00 p.m. at the Henderson Care Center. During this time the children will hand out gripper socks (made by the children at Midweek) and do a short activity with the residents. Each family, preschool through sixth grade, will need to fill out a permission form prior to November 30. The permission forms are on the table outside the church
office. Parents will need to drop off and pick up their children at the Henderson Care Center for this service project. Faith and Life Bookstore from Newton, Kansas will be at Bethesda November 29 - December 1. The bookstore will be open from 3:00 p.m. to 8:00 p.m. on November 29; 8:30 a.m. to 9:00 p.m. on November 30; and 8:30 a.m. to 11:00 a.m. on December 1. The Mennonite Subscription As a ministry outreach of Bethesda Mennonite Church, a subscription to The Mennonite magazine is a gift from the church. We would like to continue to offer this resource to you for free through Bethesda s group subscription plan. The Mennonite magazine provides a forum to promote the ministries within Mennonite Church USA to help improve spiritual growth. It seeks to fulfill its mission through articles that challenge and inspire, news that connects readers to the larger Mennonite community and much more. We are in the process of reviewing our group subscription plan, if you do not receive The Mennonite and would like to start receiving it please contact the church office by December 8, 2016. (The same deadline applies to anyone wishing to discontinue their subscription.) Infant Care Kits Help mothers give their infants a good start. Infant care kits are given to families displaced by war or disaster and are used in a variety of other settings to help support mothers who lack the supplies they need for a new baby. The infant care kits will be received and dedicated during worship services on Christmas morning, December 25. Items may be brought and placed in the basket outside the church office. YOUTH For junior high and high school calendars visit the Bethesda Faith Formation page at www.bmcfaithformation.com. Catechism class will meet on December 11 and December 18 from 11:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m. More information will be coming on the 2017 calendar. Powerhouse (high school) will meet Wednesday, November 30 at 7:00 p.m. for a time of singing to prepare to lead worship on December 11. CORNERSTONE (junior high) will meet Wednesday, November 30 at 7:00 p.m. at Rosewood Court to do an activity with the residents. Parents should drop their children off at Rosewood Court at 7:00 p.m. and pick them up again at 8:00 p.m.
The Bethesda Preschool has been blessed with the opportunity to visit the Henderson Care Center every month during the last year and a half of preschool. Each class gets to spend a morning doing an activity with the residents. We are very thankful for the friendships we have made! Here is a picture of the Pre-K class with the residents this last month. The Mission of Bethesda Preschool is to provide a Christian preschool education for young children within an atmosphere of love, acceptance, and guidance. Bethesda Preschool has a Facebook Page! Be sure to like us for preschool updates and happenings at https://www.facebook.com/bethesdapreschoolers.
First Tuesday Meeting December 6, 2016 @ 7:00 p.m. Creativity Continues
Bethesda Women s Ministries: Women from our congregation with December Birthdays are invited to gather in the Fellowship Hall Sunday afternoon, December 4 at 4:30 p.m. We'll celebrate our birthdays together with a faspa, including cake! Please RSVP by December 1 on the sign-up sheet on the bulletin board in the east hallway. The Bethesda Women s Ministries first Tuesday meeting, Creativity Continues, will be held December 6 at 7:00 p.m. in Fellowship Hall. Barb Voth will present the lesson and the feature will be a time lapse drawing on the birth of Christ by Carrie Bergen. Refreshments will be served following the program. Sanctuary Unavailable July through October 2017 PLEASE NOTE: The sanctuary will be unavailable from July 1, 2017 through October 31, 2017 due to Board of Business projects. They will be painting the ceiling beams, rearranging pews to allow more space between benches, and replacing lights and carpet. Please keep this in mind as you plan weddings and other events. Lost and Found There is a lost and found box located in Monroe s office across the hall from the church office. Items found in the church are placed in this box. If you ve lost something while at church, you may want to check the box to see if it s in there.
FINANCIALS Worship Offering Sunday, November 20, 2016 Attendance - 307 Sunday School Attendance 123 Mennonite Church USA... 100.00 Central Plains Mennonite Conference... 3,314.00 Swan Lake Christian Camp Building Project... 1,000.00 Dayspring Congo... 100.00 Dayspring Thailand... 1,000.00 Reach International Sam and Sherri... 1,000.00 MCC Canner... 680.00 Benevolent Fund... 20.00 Preschool Special Projects... 40.00 Technology Improvement Fund/Sound... 150.00 Angel Tree... 50.00 Bethesda General Operating Receipts... 12,632.02 Worship Offering... $19,906.02 Sunday School Offering... 206.50 Total Sunday Offering... $20,112.52 SERMON NOTES