Did You Know?
Information, history and facts about Bethany Lutheran Church and Early Childhood Education Center
+The Ministry Team of our Early Childhood Education Center ministry oversees the functioning of our Preschool Ministry in every way.
+Presently it is busy implementing a staff development day for the purposes of professional development, of morale building and of the use of evaluation tools. +It is also addressing continued action needed to comply with our National Lutheran School Association. +It continues to remind us our ECEC is accredited now by the National Lutheran School Association. +Reaching out with the Gospel is Kingdom work, not church work!
+Individual sharing and interacting is the best Gospel outreach as opposed to church programs +Prayer for family, friends, neighbors and other contacts is needed in our Gospel outreach +Bethany Lutheran reaches out to many with the Gospel through SED, the SouthEastern District +SED is one of 35 Districts in the LCMS, the Lutheran Church Missouri Synod +Some websites of Gospel outreach interest include: www.iNeighborhood.org and www.pray4everyhome.org +The mission is God’s and He invites us to partner with Him!
+The mission is not to develop people for church work! +The mission is to develop leaders who order their lives around missional purpose! +These leaders are: -genuinely spiritual, in the Word and in prayer; -understand the culture; -look for impact beyond the walls of the church; -seek to be disciple-makers; -seek Kingdom growth, not merely increase in numbers; -shift from “doing church” to “being church” + Move from “church-centric” to “Kingdom-centric”
+ The Kingdom is not a subset of the church; the church=a subset of the Kingdom + Church-centric focus can impede the mission of God + “Church” is not a noun, but a verb! + Church=a who, not a what; not a place or a “vendor in religious things” + Step out of church work into Kingdom work; the Kingdom=life! + Don’t just go on a mission trip; live a mission trip! Did you know that……
+ Too many of us as adults continue to view the Small Catechism as a children’s textbook? + Dr. Martin Luther, however, did not write the Small Catechism to be simply used by Pastors as a “textbook” for children’s instruction? + Luther primarily intended it to be a family “prayer book” that is used frequently in the Christian home by parents as they disciple their children! + Check out the headings of each of the six chief parts of the book and see that Luther states: “As the head of the family should teach it in a simple way to his household.” + If you need a Catechism for your home, ask Pastor Tim! + What kind of modeling would go on in our families if parents would keep their Bible and Small Catechism handy and review a portion of it as part of their daily family devotions! + The “Greeter Ministry” is an important, necessary and vital service for our ministry
here at Bethany. + Bethany’s “Greeter Ministry” focuses on prayer with and for people; prayer before, during and after services. + Throughout the week greeter ministers pray for their divine appointments – those whom the Holy Spirit is already working on to lead to Bethany. + Greeter ministers then specifically pray for their service and their divine appointments the day they serve! + Studies also show that most visitors decide whether to ever return to a new church within 10 minutes of arrival, before they ever meet or hear the Pastor! + How important greeter ministers are! We still need more workers! You can begin to imagine how many divine appointments we are missing through sheer lack of numbers! + Bethany’s “Greeter Ministry” focuses on prayer with and for people; prayer before, during and after
services. + The Holy Spirit leads us all to Bethany – members and visitors – everyone! + Greeter ministers offer themselves to the Holy Spirit so that He might lead them to the visitors as their “divine appointments.” + The “divine appointments” are those He has prepared to meet us, and those He has prepared us to ministry to. + We need 26 more greeter ministers. We are missing divine appointments right now through sheer lack of numbers! + There is still one more 30-minute greeter minister orientation session scheduled in November. It is on Saturday, November 21 at 10:00 AM. Current and prospective greeter ministers can still attend this one if they have not thus far +Greeter ministers serve as Bethany’s face as well as Christ’s ambassadors to visitors.
+The Holy Spirit led 258 individual visitors to worship at Bethany thus far in 2015! +81 of those 258 visitors worshipped with us more than once, several do so regularly and 8 have joined our fellowship. For this we praise the Lord! +Studies show that any church will host up to 150% of its average worshipping Congregation who come through its doors each year as visitors. +We need 26 more greeter ministers. We are missing divine appointments right now through sheer lack of numbers! +Three 30-minute greeter minister orientation sessions are scheduled in November. They are: Friday, November 13 at 6:30 PM Saturday, November 14 at 10:00 AM Saturday, November 21 at 10:00 AM Current and prospective greeter ministers should attend one of these. + The “Greeter Ministry” is an important, necessary and vital service for our ministry here at Bethany
+ All members of Bethany, especially our greeter ministers, “are therefore, Christ’s ambassadors as though God were making His appeal through us.” 2 Corinthians 5:20 + The Greeter Ministry seeks those gifted by the Holy Spirit for prayer and hospitality, to serve as Christ’s ambassadors to those the Holy Spirit leads to Bethany as our “divine appointments.” + We need 26 more greeter ministers! We are missing divine appointments right now through sheer lack of numbers! + Three 30-minute greeter minister orientation sessions are scheduled in November. They are: Friday, November 13 at 6:30 PM Saturday, November 14 at 10:00 AM Saturday, November 21 at 10:00 AM Current and prospective greeter ministers should attend one of these +A team from Island Lutheran (Hilton Head) arrived with 5 pallets of bottled water to City of Hope Church just as they handed out their last bottles.
+A truck with 700 flood bucket kits from the Florida-Georgia District arrived at Holy Trinity, Columbia and Mt. Olive, Irmo for distribution. +Rev. Ed Grant (Calvary, Charleston) reports that there is considerable flooding in Charleston and teams will be needed. As the waters crested over the fence of a congregational member's home, an alligator came in with it! +For more information on crisis cleanup or volunteer opportunities please visit: https://www.crisiscleanup.org or http://getconnected.uwasc.org/drm/ +If you are moved to make a donation, you may use the donate button on the website www.se.lcms.org or send a check to: Southeastern District, LCMS, ATTN: Disaster Relief, 6315 Grovedale Drive, Alexandria VA 22310. |