THE BETHANY LETTERAugust 28, 2007 Volume 2007, Issue No. 26 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Rally Sunday Bethany "2107" Rally Sunday is September 9th. This year it will be a unique opportunity to look 100 years into the future and see what our church and the world may be like in the year 2107. We'll do it in a way that will make worship both fun and thought-provoking. Social Hour will be unique as well. So plan to come to worship and stay for the social time. It will give you a very special opportunity both to get a glimpse of the future and to help shape it. Lots of things that typically happen on Rally Sunday will be happening as well:
It's an important day to be together. Hope to see you there! With Great Anticipation, Steve *********************** Sunday - September 2, 2007 Scriptures - Luke 14:1, 7-14 Sunday Morning Opportunities 8:30 a.m. Worship in the SOCIAL HALL 9:30 a.m. Worship in the SANCTUARY 10:30 a.m. Social Hour Hosts: Linda Read, Sandy Milsaps, Holly Keenan
Congratulations . . . to Stephen and Megan Ferda on the birth of their son, Joshua Robert, born August 22nd! Joshua has two big brothers, Nicholas and Benjamin! Bethany Church Nurse Program On the first Sunday of each month, Bethany's volunteer nurses, Linda Goodwin and Holly Keenan, offer blood pressure tests during social hour (10:30). If you are interested in having your BP checked, look for them in the library September 2nd.
The office is closed Monday, September 3rd, Labor Day. Therefore, the deadline for articles for the newsletter going out on September 4th will be THIS Friday August 31st! Please plan ahead.
Confirmation Begins September Here's the schedule for the first month
Bethany Buckeyes The first gathering of the Bethany Buckeyes will take place on Friday, September 7th, in the Social Hall. We will continue to meet on a monthly basis on the first Friday of the month. Because of the nature of the content of these gatherings, you must be over the age of 50! The content includes a wonderful meal and afterwards, cards, board games, and of course, the lively banter that takes place among the guests. So bring your appetites, wit, charm, desire to have a good time, friends, neighbors and others, to Bethany, Friday night, Sept. 7th. If you plan on attending, please call the office during the week of Sept. 3rd to make reservations, which are needed so our cooks may prepare enough food. See you there! Christian Education Schedule Starting September 9th - June 2008 9:15 am - 11:30 am Nursery available 9:15 am Christian Education for Children & Adults - children start Sunday School Class . . . 10:30 am . . . then leave class to attend worship service, returning to their class after the children's message to finish their lessons ending 11:30 a.m. We would appreciate the children attending our full two-hour Sunday School Program offered at Bethany. Hope to see everyone Sunday, September 9th!
Youth Fellowship Begins September Here is the schedule for the first month
Caring for Creation, A Chance to Become Informed The scientific evidence is overwhelming, government and people around the world are beginning to take action, and leaders of both major American political parties have recognized the crisis - Global Climate Change is real and it is being accelerated by human activity, the creation of greenhouse gases. That's why we're offering a chance for our congregation to see the Academy Award winning film an Inconvenient Truth, Sunday evening, September 16th. We want to make attending as easy as possible, so we'll offer a simple supper of pizza and other goodies at 5:30 p.m. and show the film at 6:30 p.m. Please put this on your calendar and plan to attend! The 2008 Akron Edition ENTERTAINMENT BOOKS The 2008 books are here and ready to sell for $30.00. When you purchase a book (with the money saving coupons and meals at local establishments) you help the annual Chancel Choir Fundraiser as well. The 2007 edition is still good through November of this year. The 2008 edition coupons are valid immediately through November of 2008. Books are available after the 2nd service, or contact Martha Peyak. Thanks for your support.
REMEMBER IN YOUR PRAYERS Dorothy Draper, Rockynol Albert Jensen, Manor Care Geraldine Hunter, Briarwood Ellen Limbach, Briarwood Margaret Martin, Western Reserve Asst'd. Living
FYI: When contacting the church by e-mail please use the following addresses .. Steve Gehlert pastor@bethany.ald.net Carol Wood cwood@bethany.ald.net General office, Consistory Reports Barb McCrady bethany@bethany.ald.net Newsletter articles Request The office is in need of children's birthday cards. Anyone have a box they might want to donate?
Window Fund
THANK YOU Thanks to those who made the altar beautiful this summer by bringing in their garden flowers and sharing them with us for our Sunday Worship services: Bob and Carole Pletzer, Harry Cool, Suzanne Roach, Pat Cochran and Sue Jensen. Thanks to those who volunteered their time and talent to help with our Summer Sunday School: Nancy and Ed Zeller, Karen Fratz, Carolyn Schroyer, Jennifer France, Beth Lees, and Sue Mancinelli. New Trinity Picnic - Thanks Thanks to the dozen members of the Bethany family who gathered with our New Trinity brothers and sisters at their annual picnic. The day and the place were beautiful and the food and fellowship couldn't be beat. Your "being there" says that bridging the divides that have separated people for so long is important. It's something we need to keep on saying, not just with words but also with our own, personal actions.
****************** Bethany Stewards W e (the Bethany Church family) are working on becoming better stewards of the environment as mentioned on the front page of last week's newsletter (if you missed it check out our web site www.bethany.ald.net). Our Abitibi Program, which encourages us all to recycle paper, is one of these ways. The Abitibi Recycle bin is located in the parking lot of 12th and Broad Streets. You may drop off:Magazines Shopping Catalogs Office and school papers BUT PLEASE NO . . . cardboard, phone books or laminated materials. Now, are you wondering how we're doing? Since we started this program Bethany has SAVED: 85 trees, 450 cubic feet of landfill space, 2000 kw of energy, 35,000 gallons of water. Not bad! Our participation in this program is paying off! It also pays in $$ that go toward mission projects. Keep up the good work !! ******************
Take NOTE! Bethany is going to have a band! Dust off your instruments because if you have ever played ~ WE WANT YOU! All ages are welcome. If you are interested, contact Carolyn Curtis, by phone, or leave a note in her mailbox. All we need now is your name and instrument and we will get back to you. Ready . . . set . . . play!
Esperanza Mission Trippers We have even more young people who hope to go on the Esperanza Mission Trip next year. They are looking for work to help reduce the cost of the trip. If you have a job that you need help with, just give one of them a call, then, instead of paying her or him directly, make out a check to Bethany, to their Esperanza account. The hopeful Esperanza Mission Trippers are: Taylor Giffin, Emma Jensen, Keith McDevitt, Ariel Myers, Alex Wachovec, Anna & Caitlin Zeller. Give them a call!
GLOBAL MISSIONS As of August 2006, the United Church of Christ had received more than $5.9 million to provide assistance to the people affected by the hurricanes of 2005. The UCC Disaster Relief office says that the major role of the church continues to be helping rebuild homes for those who are un-insured or under-insured. The UCC continues to form partnerships on the Gulf Coast with recovery committees, environmental groups and with local communities to address issues of health and justice, home ownership and physical needs of those impacted by the hurricanes. UCC clergy and their families are among those whose homes and income sources have disappeared. They are being helped by grants through the South Central Conference. Prayer: Almighty God, in your goodness, you provide for the needy. Remove from your people the pride of place and the pursuit of power that mocks humility. Open our hearts in generosity and justice to the neglected and lonely, that in showing esteem for others, we may honor and please you through Jesus Christ in the Holy Spirit. Amen. *************************************************** Calendar for August 29th to September 9th 8/29 5:00p Bethany Night at Donato's - 8:00p 8/30 7:30p Chancel Choir Practice - 1st Rehearsal 8/31 10:00a Deadline for 9/4 newsletter articles September… 9/01 Sunday ~ September 2, 2007 Last Sunday for Summer Hours Nursery Available ~ 9:15 - 10:30 a.m. 8:30a Worship (Communion), SOCIAL HALL 9:30a Worship, SANCTUARY Children's Sunday School 10:30a Social Hour 10:30a Bethany Nurse BP check 9/03 OFFICE CLOSED, Labor Day
9/04 NO Staff Meeting 9/05 9/06 6:15p 1st yr. Confirmands only Toward Affirmation (supper/session) 7:00P Girl Scout District Meeting (SH) 7:30p Choir Practice 9/07 6:00p BUCKEYES (SH) FALL SCHEDULE BEGINS Catch-Up & Rally Sunday September 9, 2007 Nursery Available ~ 9:15 - 11:30 a.m. Church School Begins! 8:30a Worship (Fellowship) in the Sanctuary 9:15a Church School for Children and Adults 10:30a Worship in the Sanctuary 11:30a Social Hour 5:30p Youth Committee 6:30p Youth Fellowship Meets
Sunday Volunteers Names of Sunday Volunteers are published AHEAD of the scheduled Sunday as a kindly reminder & an early thank you! If you are unable to volunteer the day you are scheduled, please remember to find someone to take your place, and then call the church office so we may make necessary changes. Volunteers for September 2nd (if blank, new schedules were not available) Esperanza Cup Washing: Greeters: The Ramsey Family, Naomi Suzuki, x-student, Bob and Martha Peyak Lay Reader: John Mancinelli Music: Nursery: Ed Zeller, Keith McDevitt Social Hour: H. Keenan Ushers: R. & S. Holle, H. Walker, S. Truby, S. Ward, K. Mellott, S. Mellott, N. Buck Van Driver: Jennifer France Visitor Outlook: Heather Bedillion Volunteers for September 9th Esperanza Cup Washing: Greeters: Music: 7th Day, Chancel Choir Nursery: H. Bedillion, H. Bowman, H. Cool. A. Myers Social Hour Hosts: H. Keenan, L. Read, S. Milsaps Ushers: T. Hermann, M. Jensen, M. Seguin, M. Seymour, J. & J. Ingram, M. Spring, R. Berie Van Driver: Carol Frederick Visitor Outlook: Nancy Buck ************************** Northwest Ohio Needs Your Congregation's Help As you know, last week, there was disastrous flooding in northern, north-central Ohio (9 counties have state disaster declarations). Help is needed and our Ohio Conference Disaster Response Team has already been hard at work but your church can help. Needed (in order of priority): 1. Prayer of concern and support for the survivors, first responders, government and other organizations, volunteers working endlessly for recovery. 2. Volunteers to clean out basements (call me, and I will give you specifics of what, where, who to contact, what is needed, etc. as soon as I have it). Volunteers for the long-term recovery effort (gutting/rebuilding) will also be need "down the road". 3. Money (marked "flood" or "disaster" recovery and sent to the SONKA office. They will forward it to the Ohio Conference UCC Disaster Response Fund to be used for long-term recovery. 4. Cleaning Kits and Personal Care Kits: To insure enough supply and replace those used. Check the Ohio Conference Disaster Relief website: http://ocucc.org/Disaster/disaster.htm ; or go to the Ohio Conference website: www.ocucc.org and then to the link for Disaster Relief. Download the basic http://ocucc.org/Disaster/kits.htm for instructions of what to include.
The Ohio Conference Mud-out trailer has been used full-time, especially pumping out basements with our trash pump, since the flooding began. Terry Tangeman, a member of the Ohio Conference Disaster Response Team has been doing this single-handedly. Jim Ditzler, Director of the Ohio Conference Disaster Response Team has been coordinating the Ohio Conference response. The Co-director of the Ohio Conference Disaster Response Team lives in our midst in SONKA - he can help if you have questions or people or kits to offer: George Siddall, United Church of Christ Disaster Response Team: Call (513) 228.0515 or E-mail: gtsiddall@juno.com Remember - this ability to respond as a Conference to disasters in Ohio is possible because you as a church contribute to OCWM (Our Church's Wider Mission) so that people and structures and plans are in place ready to go. All designated disaster money sent through your church through SONKA to the Conference then has an immediate channel to where it is needed and people who know its best use. James Ferguson - Eastern Ohio Association UCC - 2560 Clearview Ave. NW - Canton, OH 44718(330) 453-8178 - JamesF@eoaucc.org - www.eoaucc.org
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