Bethany Lutheran Church – West Branch, Iowa

Thank you to all who contributed to the collection for backpacks. You donated a total of $825 and one backpack was assembled for each grade level K-8. We do have some leftover funds and will either wait until we hear of additional backpack needs before school starts or give it to the school for mid-year supply needs. Thank you! Jill Taylor and Linda Black

Great work people of God. We do God’s work together. This is a truly awesome response to God’s grace! Proud to be a member of Bethany!

The August list of most pressing needs at the West Branch Food Pantry List is now available.  Thanks again for your ongoing support of this valuable ministry.

Food Pantry Needs

One of the ways Bethany members have served the West Branch community in recent years is by collecting for schools supplies.

Last year it was through a backpack collection.  Bethany members gave $300 to this collection, and with a contribution from the Bethany benevolence account of $200 we ended up contributing six backpacks to the schools.

 These backpacks include: 

• elementary school – one backpack plus all listed schools supplies
• middle school – one backpack plus the required calculator

 If you would like to contribute to a backpack for the upcoming school year, please make a check out to Bethany Lutheran and mail it to church (Attn:  backpacks) or put it in the offering plate.  (You can use the pew envelopes to give cash via the Sunday offering–but mark the envelope please) We would like to have all contributions by Sunday, August 9. 

 Thanks for your help with this important project!  If you have any questions please see Linda Black or Jill Taylor.

Once again this year we will respond to God’s grace by going out with thousands of our sisters and brothers in Christ in the ELCA on a dedicated day of service on September 13 following a shortened worship service.

We would love to have everyone participating in a yellow T-shirt designed for this day.  A sample of that shirt is below and our congregation name will be printed along the back should we get enough shirts ordered.  There are order forms on a table outside the kitchen or you can print one off below and give it to Paula with cash or a check made payable to Bethany by July 26.

Gods Work Our Hands T-shirt order form

Thank you to all for the abundance of donations received for the food pantry.  We are making a huge difference and the list is much shorter this month as the pantry is getting well stocked again.  See the new list below.

West Branch Food Pantry Needs July 2015

Watch the latest video put out by the ELCA Malaria Campaign.  We are nearly to our $15 million goal as a church.  Thanks to all of you here at Bethany.  We gave over $1100 in May to help reach this goal.  That is awesome!  Praise God!

Malaria Video