p c s hearts god’s goodness and gladness · last week i decided to test the furnace season. it...
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been able to walk from birth. When people of Lystra saw
this, they tried to worship Paul and Barnabas. The men
quickly reminded them that only God who made the
heaven and the earth and all that is in them was worthy of
worship and able to satisfy the deepest longings of their
souls.
“Yet he did not leave himself without witness, for he did
good by giving you rains from heaven and fruitful
seasons, satisfying your hearts with food and gladness.””
(Acts 14:17, ESV)
There is something to think about when you are lying in
your bed on a cool October night and you hear the furnace
kick on.
BY PASTOR KEN PIERPONT
We’ve been sleeping with an extra cover on the bed for the
last few weeks, but tonight the temperature is dipping into
the mid-forties so we turned on the furnace. Down in the
basement the faithful appliance goes to work and in just a
couple minutes a beautiful stream of warmth fills the room
to just the perfect temperature and then falls quiet.
Last week I decided to test the furnace
just to be sure it was ready for the
season. It wasn’t. I called Keith
Gillmore, who is as handy as they come
and an expert at furnaces. He came over
tonight for a good talk and noticed a part
that was supposed to be turning was not
turning. He removed a few screws and
discovered a dead bat was plugging the
works.
We stood outside for a bit to talk about furnaces and
restoring old cars and making cider. Keith grew up on a farm
with an orchard making cider. I asked him if he missed it
this time of year. He said he didn’t, but a smile comes to his
face as the tells his cider-house stories. Something about it
just seems right standing out in the cool of an October
nightfall while the farmer back of Bittersweet Farm shaves
the last remaining rows of corn off his place and pours the
precious fruit of the earth into a waiting grain truck.
I love living in a place where deer and wild turkeys stroll
around the back acre, geese and cranes soar overhead,
bittersweet grows in the rocky fencerow, and bats and other
critters flit and steal about in the darkness. The windows are
closed to the night air tonight, but my walk in the morning
will be bracing.
The trees bending over the road are beginning to turn
orange and yellow. When the sun falls on them they irradiate
their color. Something in the beauty of it leaps into our soul.
When I drive through a tunnel of October-tinted trees, it is
a worship experience without fail. My heart rises up in
grateful praise. The Great Artist of the Universe did not have
to paint with such vivid and captivating colors, but He did.
He did it as a witness to His goodness to draw your soul
upward to Him.
Jesus himself is the Great Creator and only He can satisfy
your heart. He alone should have your heart.
On one of the Apostle Paul’s church-planting missions he
visited Lystra. God allowed them to heal a man who had not
PARSON’S CORNER
SATISFIED HEARTS: God’s goodness and gladness
Michigan’s “tunnel of trees” along M-119
WE THANK THEE THEN, O FATHER,
for all things bright and good,
the seed-time and the harvest,
our life, our health, our food.
Accept the gifts we offer
for all thy love imparts,
and, what thou most desirest,
our humble, thankful hearts.
~ Matthias Claudius,
1782
6.
Conor’s Mission Trip to Brazil
Bethel’s Sept. 23 Mission Spotlight featured Conor
Flaherty, a young man from
Seattle who has worked with
Bethel’s youth group in the
recent past.
Conor, having completed his
Bible college training, is
interning at Ethnos360 Bible
Institute (formerly New Tribes).
He plans to take on further
training for the missionary field.
“I hope to be a missionary
someday,” he told the Epistle.
“There isn't a particular place I
feel drawn to right now. I figure
I'll ask where they need me
and think I would work best
and go with it, or maybe I'll feel God drawing me
somewhere in particular by the time I'm done training.”
His spotlight report was on a trip last June to Brazil
with Ethnos360. The team numbered 15 to 20 people.
Their work took place at a sister school – the Missionary
Training Center Shekinah.
“We worked to help replace the collapsing roof on one
of their houses,” Conor reported. “We also had the
opportunity to meet many of the missionaries currently
serving with Ethnos360 in Brazil and to visit a people
group unreached by the gospel. Though there is some
influence of modern culture and technology in their
village, they still have no way to hear or read the gospel
in their own language yet. This trip was a great learning
experience for all of us involved.”
MID-OCTOBER to MID-NOVEMBER 10/16 Rick Moore 10/20 Chloe Betz, Sherry Lemmon 10/22 Gale Borchert 10/24 Harriett Cornett 10/25 Sandy White 10/26 Jocelyn Ackley, Leo Cumings 10/27 Vaughn Bennett 10/28 Bob Burritt 10/29 Jackie Williams, Silas York, W.E. Wheeler Sr. 10/30 Marielle Metcalf 11/01 Janelle Bradley, Sara Walkowski 11/02 Bill Horne 11/03 Ken Pierpont 11/06 Diana Clevenger, Carrol Roark 11/08 Alison Lehman 11/12 Mark Haavisto / 11/13 A. Lydia McGlade 11/14 Ernestine Raymond
Conor Flaherty.
Bits ‘n’ Pieces f
Worship Studies. With the fall season, Worship
Arts Pastor
Patrick Kelly
is initiating a
new training
program for
those on the praise/worship team. Worship Workshop is
an online program run by an Ohio-based worship leader.
The training involves viewing several hours of videos on
topics intended to help team members work better
together with the same perspective on worship.
Choir Return. Ever since Bethel was organized in the
mid-‘50s, a choir has assembled each fall to provide
choral music to the congregation. This year is no
exception. Bethel’s choir gathered for its first rehearsal
on Oct. 3, and will be featured several times in the
coming months. James and Ashley Cumings, who
provide leadership, welcome all who have a tuneful
voice, an ability to read music and a willingness to use
your musical gifts in worship.
Marlin’s Kiddy Kar. When Daisy Strauss arrived at
Bethel for Awana recently, she spotted a white sports
convertible parked next to her grandpa Ken’s Nissan.
“Oh, papa!” she said. “Look at that car! It has no top on
it!” Indeed, it did not. After a photo appeared on
Facebook, the owner was soon identified - Marlin
Callender. Years ago his sister Marsha, knowing he
would have liked to buy the car from her but could not
afford it, decided to give it to him. It is a 1993 Honda
Del Sol. And Marlin, the father of three little girls who
grew up to be three grown-up girls, offered to give little
Daisy a ride around the parking lot before Awana. And
the following Wednesday evening, Marlin provided both
Daisy and her brother Max with a ride in his roadster.
September Reports. Last month witnessed a true
harvest ingathering. Total giving for September was
$48,116.18 – nearly $10,000 over our monthly budget
need. Meanwhile, our elders meetings have included
reports of people coming to the Lord, plus an uptick in
attendance. Praise God from whom every blessing flows.
SYMPATHIES to Carol Bliss and family on the death of
Carol’s sister, Thelma Losey, who passed away on Oct. 4
at the age of 91.
Daisy gets a ride in Marlin’s Del Sol.
6.
A: My goal is to make sure the kids are encouraged to
deepen their relationship with God. I want them to take
head knowledge and make it heart knowledge. I am not a
theologian or pastor. I encourage. I love to take aspects of
a person's life and reflect on them, helping that person
grow. So I want to help the teens
take their experiences and
knowledge deeper to attain a deeper
relationship with God.
Q: What can parents and others
do to help Bethel's youth
ministry? A: First, pray for us all
that we are able to serve the kids
effectively. Remember that there
are a ton of people stepping up to
fill the void, not just me. There are
people carrying a heavier weight
than I am. We have multiple people
who are engaging and creating a
great place for Bethel's youth.
Second, encourage the kids to
enjoy this moment. I have a
different perspective and style of
teaching compared to what they are
used to (as well as others who are teaching). I like to take
real world experiences and drive points home that we
cover. Help your kids to know this transition is something
God is using to help them grow.
Third, if issues arise, contact me. It is not my goal (nor
the goal of the pastors, elders and other teachers) to create
an environment counteractive to helping all the kids grow.
This is something new for many of us and we want input
as well. This is an opportunity for the kids and parents to
see what they really want for a youth ministry.
We should be able to have a great foundation set for the
next person coming in to lead our youth.
+ + +
Recently the Elders Board, on recommendation
of Pastor Ken, affirmed Troy Smith as Bethel’s
Interim Youth Director. Here are some questions
and answers the Epistle put to Troy:
Q: Are you a Jackson native?
A: Not from Jackson. I am from a
small town in the thumb called
Sandusky, Mich. (Not Ohio).
Q: How and when did you become
a Christian?
A. Grew up in the church, so I was
always involved. But my freshman
year of high school during a youth
event called Power Surge is when I
fully committed myself as a
Christian. I do not remember what
the speaker was talking about, I just
knew the Spirit was moving. I found
a group of friends that were praying
together. I joined them, we prayed,
cried and worshipped together.
Q: What drew you to youth
ministry?
A. I was involved in the youth
group at my church, plus a group called Teens For Christ
during high school. Being part of that, the relationships I
made with friends I am still in contact with, plus some
really great friendships with adults that were part of it
made me want to continue being a part of it. When I was
living in Lansing, before meeting Lyndsay, I was
involved in the youth ministry at Williamston Free
Methodist Church. When I finished my Family Life
Education degree, I interned at Bethel. I worked mainly
with the Junior Teens, but also worked with Senior High
as well.
Q: Since you are filling an interim position, what is
your goal for this period?
MINISTRY
TROY SMITH: Attaining intimacy with the Almighty
Troy and Lyndsay Smith.
For years, Bethel featured October as Pastor
Appreciation Month. The formal practice lapsed at some
point. For all who suspect special days and months are a
bit contrived, this is not an effort to revive a tradition that
served its purpose and perhaps outlived its usefulness.
It is a simple reminder that pastoral leadership is a
biblical gift to be valued and appreciated. We elders are
not always called to full-time ministry. We look to a lead
pastor to exercise his own gifts in the areas of preaching
and leadership in ministries in which all of us exercise
some responsibility. We look to associate pastors to
exercise their leadership gifts in specific areas of ministry
– whether worship arts, youth or Christian ed.
But enough of my own words. Let St. Paul speak to the
point: “Dear brothers and sisters, honor those who are
your leaders in the Lord’s work. They work hard among
you and give you spiritual guidance. Show them great
respect and wholehearted love because of their work.
And live peacefully with each other.” – Ken Wyatt
ELDERS NOTEBOOK: Appreciate our pastors? Amen!
6.
BETHEL
Foto
Pages
Pastor Ken tells the story of two
Mary serving birthday cake to Sara.
Emily and Wendi at the women’s retreat.
Youth group gatherings bring out the playful in Trinity and Lily.
Bethel in worship mode.
Chris with some girls on Crazy-Hair night at Awana.
Bethel women at Barakel for a weekend retreat.
Some of the youth gathered for a Sunday evening
Dave Reeverts and one
of his tractors At the
Tompkins Steam
Days fest. Bethel folks with
Dave at the Steam Days festival.
6.
MINISTRY
Awana’s rebirth at Bethel: A gospel outreach
Awana is a parachurch ministry with the purpose of
reaching boys and girls with the Gospel of Christ.
Awana’s hope and prayer is that, “all children and
youth around the world will come to know, love and
serve the Lord Jesus Christ.”
It’s not just kids that are impacted; parents become
engaged with the Gospel when they help their
children with their handbook sections.
Awana began in 1950 at the North Side Gospel
Center in Chicago, Ill., when two men, Lance Latham
and Art Rorheim, had a passion for reaching children
with the Gospel.
From its beginning through today, millions of
children and youth have heard the Good News, and
attended a local Awana Club all around the world.
This is where Bethel Church fits in. Bethel has had
an Awana Club since 1974. Through the years, Bethel
has been known for its thriving children’s ministry.
However, in the normal process lifecycle, when a
champion departs, so goes the vision and motivation.
Often, when this happens, ministries begin to exist
and move to auto-pilot. Excitement, passion and
vision typically wane to the point where the ministry
loses its impact and intent.
God is good and He answers prayers. Recently,
Steve Flagg stepped in to become the Awana
Commander. His passion for reaching boys and girls
and helping build the club has become contagious
within the Bethel Awana leadership.
He has been a commander for over 18 years. Both
Debbie and Steve served with the High Plain Awana
Ministry Team in Nebraska and Steve even worked
part-time for Awana. His Awana knowledge coupled
with his passion for reaching boys and girls with the
Larry Carlson, co-founder of Youth Haven Ranch and one of Bethel’s elders, is also an accomplished accordion player. But recently Larry accomplished something with his accordion that was new, challenging – and worth notice by the Bethel family.
On Oct. 2, Larry joined 30 or so other instrumentalists as part of a Gala Concert by the Grand Rapids Accordion Ensemble. The concert, held at Wyoming Junior High south of Grand Rapids, has been an annual feature of the music scene since the early ‘90s.
LARRY CARLSON: Newest member of the band
Gospel has helped reignite purpose and passion for Awana at
Bethel. Three weeks into the new club and there are 67
children registered. That’s more kids than there were at the
end of the last club year. It’s not about the numbers. It is all
about making a Kingdom impact.
Larry usually plays solo accordion, but this is different.
“Music has been a big part of my life since I was 13 years old when my loving mother patiently taught me my first year of piano lessons,” he explains. My 16th birthday gift from my parents was my first accordion and I began taking accordion lessons along with piano lessons. Being part of the Grand Rapids Accordion Ensemble has been a new, stretching, enjoyable learning experience.”
Ed Beasley and Steve Flagg, new Awana commander, on Crazy Hair night.
Steve leads Awana kids in opening exercises.
Larry playing his accordion during the recent
concert by the Grand Rapids Accordion ensemble (see another photo on p. 6).
6.
A couple of photos from the Oct. 4 Women’s Ministry
Fall Event.
Northwest Schools students taking a break after packing
Operation Christmas Child shoeboxes.
“Pass Me Not” – closing song in the Sept. 16
service. Father Ken, daughter Hope.
Shots here and there at Bethel
Larry Carlson with Lars, Amy and Lucas after the concert
by the Grand Rapids Accordion Ensemble.
The names say it all – at the Oct. 4 women’s event.
“Crazy Hair” night – Pat’s and Megan’s trio.
Youth group pals Charis and Tori. (Below) Some youth group activities.
One of the Northwest kids who have been an ongoing help to
Bethel, whether filling OCC Christmas shoeboxes or
helping in other ways.
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