Perhaps, you are wondering what you can do to help those dealing with Ebola. Click here to be taken to a video from Lutheran Disaster Relief that reveals how the faithful people of the ELCA are making a difference through monetary donations and through prayer. Below is a link to the Ebola page on the ELCA’s website with more information and a link to contribute.
Lutheran Disaster Response – Ebola
Please join us this Thursday, October 23 at 6:00 p.m. for our Prayer Team meeting. This is a newer group that we are trying to get more people involved in. This is a very informal time that we talk about prayer in our own lives and then make intentional time to pray for the people of God at Bethany and other prayer petitions in the world, our community, or in our personal lives.
This week we will begin watching a series of short videos that speak to meeting God in prayer. We will gather in the Small Hall. All are invited and we hope you join us!
In our continuing efforts to communicate with all of you Bethany is now also on Twitter. You can find us by searching – “Bethany Lutheran @blcwestbranch” – Hope you follow us! Pastor Chad will try to “tweet” every once in a while.
EPIC tonight at 5:00 p.m. Then a shared meal with EPIC youth and High School youth at 6:00 p.m. High School youth then will meet for some fun at 6:30 – 7:30 p.m. Hope to see you there!
When: Friday, October 31st from 5:30-7:00 pm
Where: Bethany Lutheran Church
All are invited to attend. Please pass the word! Adults are invited to contact our Administrative Assistant Paula Casper (643-5998) or email her at blcsecretary@lcom.net and sign up for a parking spot. Then bring your car, decorate the trunk, and hand out candy to the kids that come. Or you can come handout candy in the hallway if you don’t want to sit outside. Some of our older youth will be doing simple games for the kids. We hope to see you all there.
It’s fall and once again we will embark upon our annual stewardship campaign. Â Yet, stewardship is not something we just do each fall but is something we do daily in our life in Christ. Â Stewardship is giving joy for all that God has entrusted us with and responding to those many blessings by responsibly tending to all that God has poured out upon us including our time, talents, and finances.
Many of you take advantage of online giving through “Simply Giving.” Â If you don’t know about this or want more information you can view a brochure explaining this by clicking here and an authorization form if you want to get set up by clicking here. Â Both of these are found under the resource tab of this website. Â If you have any questions, please see Jill Taylor, our Financial Secretary.
The September edition of the quarterly Stewardship Newsletter is now available by clicking here.
The October Newsletter is done and can be viewed by clicking here. Â Hope you enjoy!
Join the youth of EPIC for Socktober. This wonderful idea was inspired by Kid President (google him if you haven’t heard of him). During the month of October we will be collecting socks, which will be distributed to either Shelter House (Iowa City homeless shelter) or to the Domestic Violence Shelter in Iowa City. In addition to socks, we will also be collecting other much needed items for the Domestic Violence Shelter. October is Domestic Violence awareness month and thus we thought it would be a good opportunity to reach out and support the ministry they do. We spoke to leaders there who advised us the shelter is nearly full every night (approximately 50 women and children). We have learned many of these women and children leave their homes swiftly and abruptly and don’t have the opportunity to take anything with them. Here is a list of some of the most pressing needs we would like to collect and deliver to them at the end of the month:
• Fuel gift cards (any dollar amount)
• Pharmacy gift cards (Walgreens, CVS, etc.) to help with prescriptions
• Winter clothing: boots, snow pants, hats, gloves, scarves, coats (for women and children of all ages and sizes – can be slightly used and in good condition)
• Skin lotion, body wash, and deodorant
• Hair care products for African American women (These they always have a great demand for and can be found in most stores where hair care products are sold)
We are grateful for the support the good people of Bethany have shown us in the past for events such as the Malaria Campaign, chemo bags, and others events and we pray for your generous support again. To kick off our drive we will be hosting breakfast during fellowship on October 5. We hope all of you can attend. There will be 2 boxes on the table between the bathrooms outside the kitchen where you can donate supplies. Additionally, if you prefer to give a monetary donation that would be great and we will go out and purchase supplies. Please note on your checks “Socktober” so that we can designate your gift to the appropriate fund. Thank you! EPIC Youth Group
There will be a meeting for all youth and parents who have expressed an interest in attending the 2014 ELCA Youth Gathering in Detroit, MI next summer. Again, the dates are July 15-19. Youth eligible to attend must be entering High School in the fall of 2015 (current 8th graders) or have just graduated High School in the 2014 (current seniors). Please attend following worship and fellowship on Sunday, October 5. Please see Jenni Olson or Pastor Chad with questions.
