THE BETHANY LETTER

Usually when I think about my personal stewardship, I think about sharing a percentage of my current income with Bethany Church. However, stewardship is more than sharing our income. We are stewards of all God's gifts.

The stewardship of our treasures, "accumulated assets", is also supported by the same biblical and theological obligations as the stewardship of our income. As Christians, we affirm that all we are and all we have are gifts entrusted to us to use wisely, and that we are responsible for the ministry and mission of the Church of Jesus Christ.

How can we best share with the church these accumulated treasures? Many opportunities are available depending on an individual's circumstances and the type of accumulated assets they possess. The methods include two general categories of immediate and deferred gifts. Outlined below are just a few of the many ways you may want to consider, to share your accumulated assets:

Outright gifts of cash, securities, real estate or other property may be given directly to Bethany church. These gifts are often used for an identified purpose such as our special capital program of replacing the windows in our education wing. Gifts may also be used for other specific purposes of our church including, special missions and ministries or supporting our endowment fund.

A deferred gift is a gift or commitment that will benefit the church sometime in the future. Some of the more common methods of making deferred gifts include bequests, life insurance, annuities and retirement programs.

Bequests by Will: Bethany Church can be included as a beneficiary of your will. Bethany can be added to your new will or added by a codicil to your existing will.

Life Insurance: Include Bethany Church as a beneficiary of your life insurance policy. You may also consider gifting directly to Bethany a paid-up life insurance policy.

Retirement Programs: As with life insurance, you may include Bethany as a beneficiary or contingent beneficiary of your IRA or other retirement plan.

Annuities: Gift annuities are a common and very favorable method to make deferred gifts. These annuities make possible a deferred gift to Bethany and maintain or possibly improve your own financial security. These annuity contracts are available through the United Church Foundation.

Hopefully these few thoughts and illustrations will help to further your interest in the opportunities available for your personal financial planning and stewardship goals. Members of the Finance and Stewardship Committees are available for any questions you may have.

- Jack Ingram

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Scripture: Luke 19:1-10

Sermon ~ Making Disciples

Sunday Morning Opportunities

Daylight Saving Time Ends - Turn clocks BACK one hour!

8:30 a.m. Worship (Communion)/ Memory Bell Choir

9:15 a.m. Church School for Children and Adults

10:30 a.m. Worship/ Chancel Choir/ Memory Bell Choir/ Children's Sunday School

11:30 a.m. Social Hour, Host: Finance Committee

Adult Classes at 9:15 a.m: Lounge Class; Bible Discoveries; Seasons of the Spirit; Seekers; Senior High; Upper Room; Perspectives

Note: Youth Committee will meet Nov. 11^th, at Rake & Run supper.

Don't forget Friday 6:00 p.m. November 2^nd. Please call in your reservation. Join us for fun, games and great food and fellowship. ($3.00 per person/ 50+ years/ all welcome.) Come prepared to have a wonderful evening!

Please read pages 69-84 for Sunday, November 4^th. If you don't have time to read all or any of this please come to the class anyway for the discussion. See you there!

The first Sunday of each month, Bethany's volunteer Parish Nurses, Linda Goodwin and Holly Keenan, offer blood pressure tests during social hour. If you are interested in having your BP checked, look for them in the library.

The sale will be held on Tuesday, November 6^th. Can you help us by making a baked good to sell? Please drop off your donations in the kitchen at Bethany on Monday, November 5^th or in the morning on November 6^th. We are in need of help at the sales table on the 6^th. If you are able to take a 2-hour shift and sell baked goods for us, please contact Carolyn B. Hofmann. Thanks for supporting Bethany's mission projects.

If you would like to learn more about Bethany Church come to the Lounge (1^st floor, 13^th Street entrance) at 7:00 p.m., November 8^th for the Inquiry Meeting. Pastor Steve will be sharing about our congregation and the United Church of Christ of which we are a part. He'll also be glad to answer any questions and respond to any concerns

If you would like help getting your leaves raked please call the church office (330-923-5277). We will be sure to get there one of the two Sundays. ATTENTION EVERYONE! Although this is a Youth Fellowship sponsored event, there are LOTS of leaves to rake! Just come to the 10:30 worship and then join us for an afternoon of work and fun. Please bring your own rake(s), tarps, and leaf blower (if you have one).

The purpose of Christian Education in our family of faith at Bethany United Church of Christ is to nurture people of ALL ages toward fuller discipleship to Jesus Christ. We hope to nurture this discipleship by providing opportunities to learn about our biblical and faith traditions and by relating the truth and hope of our faith to the struggles and issues of our life. We hope to nurture a faith, which is rooted in the love of God and neighbor, open and compassionate to all people, and strong yet humble in confessing God's truth. We seek to do this through a fine and continually improving church school program, special classes, Bible Study and Youth Fellowship program as well as sensitivity to what our life together teaches about our faith.

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 Giffen, Emma Jensen, Keith McDevitt, Ariel Myers, Alex Wachovec, Anna & Caitlin Zeller.

There is no more important time for us to be there for each other than when one of our members or families must deal with the death of a loved one. One of the most important ways for us to express love and care is by providing a meal for friends and family after the funeral. This lifts an important burden from the bereaved family and offers them a comfortable space where they can come together and share food and fellowship. Bethany has a long tradition of ministering to its members in this way. Unfortunately, though we have a large number of people who are willing to help with these meals (by setting up, providing salads, side dishes, or desserts), the numbers who are willing to serve as coordinators for these meals (choosing the menu, ordering food, calling the volunteers) is now down to two. In order to have a funeral meal rotation that doesn't overly burden anyone, we need at least 2 more people to serve as coordinators. If you'd be willing to help in any way please call the office at 330-923-5277. Your help would be much appreciated and make a real difference to others in our Bethany family

Receipts must be dated Beginning: September 29, 2007, Ending: February 16, 2008 - Acme brands!

Acme Fresh Market will issue a rebate check equal to 5% of the Cash Back amount printed at the bottom of the receipt. The Cash Back amount includes all Acme brand merchandise purchases. Ask your families, friends, co-workers and neighbors to save them too! The YF is collecting ACME receipts. PLEASE, PLEASE, PLEASE save the ENTIRE receipt. In order to receive cash back, the receipt must include the date and the Community Cashback amount.

Thanks for supporting this mission and for being a good steward of our environment. Items accepted: catalogs, magazines, newspapers, junk mail, office paper, fax paper, school paper, notebooks and folders. Items NOT accepted: Plastic, glass, metal, trash, cardboard and books. For the last two pick ups Bethany Missions received a check for $21.05. Landfill space saved in cubic yards: 4.46!

Dorothy Draper, Rockynol

Albert Jensen, Altercare

Geraldine Hunter, Briarwood

Peg Leiter, home

Ken Cleary, home from hospital

Altar flowers given in October by . . .

10/07 John and Mary Seymour in celebration of the first birthday of granddaughter, Maya

10/14 Phyllis Casper in memory of Jack Casper and their parents

10/21 Becky and Tim Hermann in memory of Cyle Lorentz, grandson

Dear Bethany Family, I want to send my thanks to Pastor Steve; Rev. Steiner for his visits and communion; Sally and Karen Mellott for delivering altar flowers and visiting; and to all those who sent cards and letters and called. With all the love and support I am feeling better. - Jenny Bisesi

Thanks to the Confirmands and all who helped them serve Lunch on Us at Miller Avenue last Saturday. Special thanks to Denise O'Malley who helped plan the menu, did lots of shopping and guided us in the preparation. We had a huge turn out and we worked hard. We trust that it meant a great deal to those in that neighborhood.

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 the necessary changes on our schedules

Esperanza Cup Washing: A. Wachovec, A. Zeller

Greeters: J. and C. Dix, M. Crichton and M.J. Trail

Lay Reader: J. Wachovec

Music: Memory Bell Choir/ Chancel Choir

Nursery: S. Ward, H. Bedillion. H. Bowman, T. Malorni

Social Hour Host: Finance Committee

Ushers: R. & S. Holle, M. Jensen, M. Seguin, M. Seymour, J. Williams, L. Short, M. Millsaps

Van Driver:

Visitor Outlook: B. Lees

Esperanza Cup Washing: C. Zeller, T. Giffen

Greeters: B. & C. Pletzer/ H. Davis and P. Casper

Music: 7^th Day/ Chancel Choir

Nursery: T. Jensen, J. and K. Dugan, A. Renner

Social Hour: Dedication Sunday Brunch

Ushers: T. Hermann, F. Read, J. Grazulis, J. Seymour, K. Mellott, S. Mellott, S.F. O'Malley, S.P. O'Malley

Van Driver: B. Read

Visitor Outlook: J. Charton

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10/31 9:30a Bible Study (CE)

5:00p Bethany Night - Donato's 8:00p

November. . .

11/01 6:15p Confirmation Meal, Music, Class

7:30p Choir Practice

11/02 6:00p Buckeyes

11/03 EOA Fall Meeting, Bath UCC

Sunday ~ November 4, 2007

Nursery Available ~ 9:15 – 11:30 a.m. 8:30a Worship (Communion) 9:15a Church School for Children and Adults 10:30a Worship/ Children's Sunday School

11:30a Social Hour

11:30a Bethany Nurse BP Check 11:45a 7^th Day Choir Practice

8:00p YF to African Concert

11/05 9:00a Quilters

9:30a Shawl Ministry (Lounge)

10:00a Newsletter Deadline

10/06 ELECTION DAY / BAKE SALE

8:15p Staff Meeting (Lounge)

11/07 9:30a Bible Study (CE)

11/08 7:00p Inquiry Meeting

7:30p Choir Practice

Nursery Available ~ 9:15 – 11:30 a.m.

8:30a Worship (Fellowship)

9:15a Church School for Children and Adults

10:30a Worship/

11:30a Dedication Sunday Brunch

11:30a Confirmand/ Mentor Meal

12:30p YF – Rake'n Run/ Meal

5:30p Youth Committee

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Dedication Sunday is when the whole Bethany family comes together to remember God's blessings, our many reasons to be thankful, and to express our gratitude by offering our Estimate of Giving for the coming year. Please be in worship, and come to one of the fellowship meals. There will be a breakfast at 9:30 a.m., which includes quiche, potato casserole, muffins and fruit. At 11:30 a.m., a lunch of chicken, rigatoni, green beans, salad and dessert will be served. It is so important to come together as a family as we express our hopes for the coming year.

Estimate of Giving Cards for 2008 will be distributed at the end of the worship service and families are invited to come forward with those estimates. The card (see example on next page) provides options for your pledge to be given on a weekly, monthly or yearly basis.

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Give Yourself

2008 Estimate of Giving Card

All I have and all I am comes from God's blessing. The blessings God has given me are too great to count.

With gratitude for those blessings, recognizing God's call to share the "first fruits" of all I receive, and trusting in the promise of the joy in giving, I plan to support the ministry and mission of Bethany United Church of Christ during 2008.

I/we plan to give (choose one):

$__________each week

OR $__________each month

OR $__________for the year 2008

Name(s)_______________________________

Phone_________________________________

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -Keep this portion for your records:

For the year 2008, I/we have estimated my/our giving to the church at:

$__________each week

OR $__________each month

OR $__________for the year 2008

Since this is an estimate of giving, if my financial circumstances should change, I understand I may change this estimate by notifying the church office.

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Another word similar to "unity" that expresses a faithful result of covenant is "ecumenical." Most often it points toward the unity, or desire for unity, among all Christian churches throughout the world. We are not only a united church, we are a uniting church. This doesn't mean all churches become alike, or one is swallowed up by another. Instead churches come together, each with their own distinct gifts, to more fully express Christ in the world.

A covenant way of life is personal and public, pastoral and political, local and global. At times all this covenanting and uniting isn't so easy to figure out. A commitment to one group conflicts with the covenant with another. We become torn in a way so that the glue grows brittle and the bond is ready to break. Then with humility, we struggle with God and neighbor about what is faithful. When it holds, we declare "Thanks be to God!" Covenant is a way of living.