July - Bethel Baptist Church

The Outreach
“A People of Hope”
Bethel Baptist Church
1100 Huguenot Springs Road, Midlothian, VA 23113
bbc1817@verizon.net | www.bethelchurchmidlothianva.org
804-794-8590
Vol. 47 No. 7 July 2015
Inside
This
Issue
Message from Todd
Mission News
Opportunities for Ministry
Men’s Fellowship
pg.
pg.
pg.
pg.
1&2
3
5
3
Birthdays
Chick-fil-A Spirit Night
Music Note
Nursery Ministry
pg.
pg.
pg.
pg.
From Todd
For this month’s article, I want to start by
thanking Florence McLeod and Brenda Kagels for the
wonderful job they do in making sure our worship space
is adorned with fresh flowers. They do outstanding
work; in fact they recently helped me out with a visual
for a sermon. I called Florence and asked her if she
could arrange a bouquet of flowers with weeds. I
wanted them to look as ugly as possible. I thought
Florence was going to have a heart attack! I’m sure I
violated a rule that florists and gardeners hold dear:
You’re supposed to get rid of the weeds; not add them
to the display! I also knew I was talking with someone
who takes flowers and gardening very seriously when
Florence told me, “I’m not sure where I can get any
weeds, I just weeded all of my flower beds.” I told
Florence, “No problem at all, there are plenty at my
house.”
Florence was as gracious and accommodating
as ever, and she said she’d find some weeds for the
flowers. So why did I ask for weeds in the flowers?
Well the sermon that day was on bitterness and
Hebrews 12:15 says, “See to it that no one falls short
of the grace of God and that no bitter root grows up to
cause trouble and defile
many.” In this scripture
bitterness is described as a
root. We can think of the
root of bitterness like the
root of a weed. Weeds, like
bitterness, are ugly. So I
asked Florence to place
some weeds in the flowers
that morning to show how
weeds take from the beauty
of the flowers. Just like
weeds diminish a flower’s
beauty, so too does
bitterness.
Continued next column
5
3
2
2
Many Thanks
Care Team
VBS
Drama Ministry
pg.
pg.
pg.
pg.
5
2
6
4
Worship Schedule
Bowling
Patriotic Service
Lifeline Screening
pg. 3
pg. 2
pg. 6
Last page
Our lives are meant to be lived in peace and joy.
We’re called to live the abundant life in Christ, but
when bitterness takes root and grows, our peace
and joy are diminished.
If you are experiencing bitterness in your
life, let me give you three words that may help you.
The first word is FORGIVE. The Bible asks us to
“Forgive others the way God has forgiven you.”
The second word is FORGET. Forgetting someone’s
offense doesn’t mean we won’t ever remember it
again. Forgetting it means that we put the offense
behind us; we move on with life. Finally, the third
word is FORSAKE. It is not enough just to forgive
and forget, we are called to FORSAKE bitterness.
Forsake means, “to abandon, renounce or turn away
from entirely.” Let’s abandon bitterness and turn
away from it! Hebrews 12:14 says, "Pursue peace
with all men, and holiness, without which no one will
see the Lord." The word pursue means "to go after
in an aggressive fashion." We are to actively pursue
peace, which means we are to take the initiative to
pull down defenses, rebuild bridges, and restore
broken relationships. This is tough to do. It’s hard
work, it’s Biblical work, but it’s well worth the effort
because in the end the weeds of bitterness will be
gone, and I believe you’ll experience much more
peace and
joy. Take a
look at the
picture with
Florence
and Brenda.
Don’t the
flowers in
that picture
look a lot
better than
the ones
with the weeds?
Continued next page
2
Continued from page 1
In the same way, our lives will be much better with the
weeds of bitterness gone. Let’s work hard at getting rid
of the weeds of bitterness. We are a People of Hope and
we are working toward a Culture of Grace, a place free
of the weeds of bitterness. May God bless us as we do
the hard work of forgiving, forgetting and forsaking.
Blessings to each of you!
Todd
July is the month for celebrating our freedoms and
getting all caught up in the fun activities of the summer
and the excitement of cookouts and fireworks to brighten
up the nighttime skies!! Our Bethel Team is happy to
share in the holiday spirit with festive baskets for our
seniors. We are hopeful that they can be included in the
special activities where they live. Our team members
have reached out to some of our folks and are enjoying
special relationships with them. I have made several
purchases of large print books and have accessed a
traveling library for those who enjoy reading, we recycle
them as we read them and are so glad to furnish them to
our ladies who enjoy a good book now and then. I once
again would like to thank those who are working so hard
to make our team such a success. We celebrate this
holiday with thankfulness for those who reach out and
make a difference in another person’s life. Please
continue to pray for our team. We truly feel blessed and
continue to receive a blessing from each and every visit.
Shirley Lewis
Care Team Leader
A Note From Your Music
Director
by Gayle Taylor
Summer… the time for cook-outs, fireworks,
swimming parties, and patriotic songs. How many
patriotic songs do you know? Most of us can probably
name three or four songs. Of those songs, do you know
the background history of them? One of the most
commonly sung patriotic songs still used in worship is
“God of Our Fathers.” The story behind this song involves
a humble Episcopal priest and an organist. Daniel C.
Roberts, serving as an Episcopal rector at a small
church in Vermont, wrote the words of this song to
commemorate the one hundred years since the
Declaration of Independence had been signed. At that
time, the hymn was sung to a tune called “Russian
Hymn.”
Several years later, while preparations were
being made to construct a hymnal, Roberts sent his song
to be considered for inclusion in the new publication. The
hymn was chosen, but the editors did not think that a
national song with a tune called “Russian Hymn” was
appropriate. This is when George W. Warren, an organist
in New York and participant in the hymnal project, was
called upon to create a new tune for the hymn, which we
now know as the “National Hymn” tune. It appeared in the
Episcopal Church hymnal in 1892.
Some of the strongest images in the song portray
God as “ruler,” “guardian,” and “guide.” When we think
about God as our true leader, it is easy to see why this
song was chosen to be included in hymnals in the late
1800’s and why it is still being included in hymnals in the
2000’s. The stirring words remind us that God’s love and
power remain constant and as we reside “in this free land”
we should keep His “Word our law” and His “paths our
chosen way.” Happy Fourth of July!
(Source: Richard Niell Donovan. “Hymn Story: God of Our Fathers,”
Lectionary.org, 2008).
The following people are scheduled to serve in the
nursery for this month. Please remember to arrive no
later than 10:20 a.m. THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR
SERVING.
July 5— Shirley Roberts and Barbara Phillips
July 12—Robert and Donna Brooks
July 19—Paige and Erin Chauncey
July 26—Bill and Dona Carlson
If for some reason you are unable to keep your
commitment, please contact Bruce Lewis at
(804)794-6585 or Brenda Peck at (804) 897-5768.
Our first “official” bowling date has been set! Join us
July 9, at 7 p.m. at King Pin Lanes, 200 N. Otterdale Rd.,
Midlothian, VA. If you haven’t already signed up, it’s not
too late. Everyone is welcome to come out and join in the
fun. For more information please contact Kim or Scott
Meyerhoffer at 804-739-7880
3
Meet, See and Pray
Missions News
By Elton Cooke
by Frances Morris
MEET:
MISSION OPPORTUNITIES
Meet Elton and Barbara Cooke, who
live in Sangananu, Tanzania at the
base of Mount Meru. Happiness has a
definition, but it cannot be seen. Bethel
Baptist Church has filled the hearts of
two people with an abundance of
happiness as they return home to Tanzania. We
thank Bethel Baptist for providing the Bethany Place
missionary house from May 1 until June 24. We thank
Doug and Cindy and Sam Wight for the use of the
Saturn. We thank Jerry and Aleta for dinner and a ride
in their 1929 Ford. We thank Barbara Burchett, Martha
Vaughan, Gayle Rogers, Francis Morris, Linda Gardner,
all who provided a great breakfast, the WMU ladies, and
everyone who has made our trip to the USA special.
Thank you for your gifts and for your prayers. I
apologize if I have omitted a name. Todd, Karen,
Elizabeth and Gray - you are wonderful. Please
consider Called to Serve an extension of your ministry.
We will keep you posted about all we do.
Labels for Education—Labels are still being collected
for a missionary in Georgia. Please place labels in
containers in each building.
SEE:
A Colobus monkey, who is a tree neighbor
of the Cookes. Loud but beautiful.
PRAY:
Pray for Magadirisho. It is a village one
kilometer from our home in Sangananu. We
are Babu (grandfather) and Bibi (grandmother) of the
village. We will
be glad to see
everyone who
lives there. Pray
especially for the
mothers and the
children, as the
male population
comes and goes - mostly goes.
Our next lunch is set for July 2, at 12 noon.
We will meet at the Italian Delight in South Creek
Shopping Center in Powhatan. Everyone will be
responsible for the cost of their own lunch. Please
call the church office if you plan to attend so we can
make the appropriate number of reservations. All
men are invited.
15 Toiletry Kits are being donated to Standing Rock
Indian Reservation the last week in July.
Chick-fil-A—The fund raiser will be on Thursday, July 16,
from 5-8 p.m. See additional information below.
WMU:
Adults on Mission: Will meet on Monday, July 6 at 10
a.m. at the church. The guest speaker will be Mary Jane
Namoa, who will share information on her project to help
cancer patients.
Children In Action (mission group)
Meet on the 5th Sundays throughout the year during the
Sunday School time.
The Puppet Team will be participating in a Missions
Retreat July 23-26. The team will be gleaning on the
Parker’s farm in Westmoreland county and then working at
the Northern Neck Food Bank in Warsaw. The team will
also present a puppet show to the residents of “The
Orchard”, a facility for the elderly in Warsaw.
July 5 we meet in the Sanctuary
July 12 we meet in the People of Hope Center
July 19 we meet in the People of Hope Center
July 26 we meet in the Sanctuary
The next Spirit Night fund raiser will be Thursday, July 16,
from 5 to 8 p.m. The money raised will go to help
purchase gutters and a metal rain water container for the
Shalom Garden Orphanage in Kenya. Join us for some
good food and great fellowship. Please remember to
mention Spirit Night when you place your order.
4
DRAMA AS A FORM OF MINISTRY
Unfortunately not all of us can sing, or play musical instruments, or
preach, or have the kind of talents which are normally considered as being necessary for
service in the church. But we all have talents.
Romans 12:6-8 says it best: “We have different gifts according to the grace given us. If a man’s gift is
prophesying let him use it in proportion to his faith. If it is serving, let him serve; if it is teaching, let him
teach; if it is encouraging, let him encourage; if it is contributing to the needs of others, let him give
generously”.
Our vision for a Christian Drama Team at Bethel is not simply to “put on plays and skits”. Rather it is our
prayer and intent that God will use drama as a ministry to His Glory, to bring others to Him.
It is our wish to work with members of this congregation from ALL age groups. While it is our intention to
attain a high level of quality in our productions, even more importantly we wish to attain, as individuals, a
feeling of personal witness through our efforts.
We feel that drama gives an opportunity for each and every one of us, regardless of our talents (or perceived
lack thereof), to get out of our pews and get involved. Past experience or a theatrical background are not the
talents which we see as necessary. What is required is a wish to serve God in an exciting and novel way.
There is no question that the drama team is going to take hard work and a commitment of time. We will be
performing not just for the congregation, but hope to do “Outreach” in our area as well. Remember that we are
all amateurs; therefore the expectations will not be for professionalism, but for a level of quality which will be
acceptable to man, and will bring glory to God. We will work hard to make all performances God honoring.
We need all kinds of assistance. As well as those performing on stage, we need directors, writers, stage
managers, sound and lighting technicians, artists, stage hands, carpenters, painters, costume and makeup
designers, electricians, ushers and greeters, just to name a few. WE WILL NEVER turn away anyone who
wishes to participate in any way, however, we will insist that an earnest commitment be made to carry out the
tasks associated with delivering a quality production. The team will focus on developing the talents and skills
of participants in all areas of drama so its members can appreciate what’s involved in putting on a production.
We appreciate your interest in Christian Drama. Should you become involved, we hope and believe that you
will find this to be a richly rewarding experience for you and for those for whom you perform for. However,
even those not actively involved still have an important role to play as we ask for your prayer of support. We
are here to coordinate this team, we need your input, your suggestions, your concerns, your criticism, and your
prayers. Please contact us at any time.
Curt and Debbie Nellis
(804) 439-0421
curtnellis@comcast.net
Check out our facebook page https://www.facebook.com/pages/Bethel-Drama-Team/681823678589156 .
Our Motto: “God doesn’t call the equipped, he equips the called”
5
Dear Bethel Church Family,
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3
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6
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Ben Doughtie
Jean Watkins
Linda Harris
Janice Jones
Bonnie Toibin
Cathy Marshall
Ciara Hale
Terry Worthy
Marie Justis
Don Laslie
Tammy Bell
Anne J. Smith
Charlie Stump
Kayla Patteson
Matthew Riley
Ken Martin
Mike Rider
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Dona Carlson
Lilley Sickal
Samuel Ferebee
Elaine Bradley
Nancy Glazener
Ramon Bookman
Rob Camden
Cindy Walton
Lauren B. Rogers
Bill Florence
Joe Moschler, Jr
Karen Wooldridge
Stephen Lewis
Tommy Justis, Jr
Gene Gwaltney
Cindy Luck
Megan Luck
I would like to thank this special family for all you have
done in supporting me and my family during this difficult
time. My mom, Mrs. Welday, loved this church and its
people. Many lasting friendships and many wonderful
memories. Everthing you have done to help me
personally has been deeply appreciated. I feel very
blessed. Thank you.
In Christian Love, B.B. (Welday) Whitley
Dear Friends at Bethel Baptist Church,
Thank you for your love offering and the lovely watering
can snow globe/music box. I will always treasure it and it
will remind me of the kind people at Bethel. I appreciate
your kindness and pray that your lives are full of God’s
wondrous blessings.
Fondly, Martha Tanner
Dear Bethel Church,
Mission/Ministry
Fellowship/Discipleship

Music Ministry/Choir
(See Gayle Taylor)

Adults on Mission

Charlotte’s Pantry and
Backpack Ministry

Sunday Morning
Nursery Ministry (see
page 2 for more info)


Friends of the
Homeless (5th
Mondays at 8:30 a.m.)


Youth Group Meetings
every Wednesday night
at 7 p.m.
Sincerely, Fran Gwaltney
Bible/Discipleship Study
Wednesday evenings at
6:30 p.m.
Thank you for your generous gift of a scholarship. I will
put it to good use at Virginia Commonwealth University.
Sunday School Classes
9:30 a.m. each Sunday

Brotherhood Breakfast
(every 5th Sunday)
Library Volunteers
Needed (See Barbara
Bell)

JIGSAW children’s
ministry, every Sunday
(See Tina McNeel)
Above Division Jail
Mission (See Michael
Gerace)

Children in Action meet
every 5th Sunday, during
the Sunday School hour.
(See Frances Morris)

Puppet Team


Men’s Fellowship Lunch
(1st Thursday of each
month at noon)
Zumba every Thursday
evening at 6:45 p.m.
AA Meeting every
Thursday at 5:30 p.m.




Care Team Ministry
(See Shirley Lewis)
Thank you all for the kind words, prayers and thoughts as I
was going through getting healing for my feet. It was a
long process but you and God helped me through it.
Thank you so much. Bethel is a loving church and you
always think of others and help them. I am so proud to be
a member. May God bless all of you.
Dear Bethel,
Sincerely, Elizabeth Humphreys
Dear Bethel Family,
We are so appreciative of all you did for us during Greg’s
illness and death. A special thanks to Todd and Robert
Brooks for all their visits and prayers. The flowers at the
service were so beautiful and we thank you for them.
God bless each of you as you continue the Bethel legacy
of love and concern.
Martha and Leonard Vaughan
Dear Scholarship Committee,
Thank you for the funds that I received to use toward my
college education this year. I appreciate the church's
thoughtfulness and generosity to the young people of our
church.
Thanks, Ciara Hale
6
America’s Hope - Prayer
Bethel Baptist Church, People of Hope Center
Sunday, July 5, 6:00 p.m. Dessert Fellowship to Follow
Please bring a dessert to share
Join us for our annual patriotic program featuring...
Prayer For Our Country, Veteran Recognition
Nathan Potts, Guest Musician, ROTC Color Guard from James River High School
LOCATION / CONTACT INFO:
1100 Huguenot Springs Road, Midlothian, VA 23113 / 804-794-8590 / www.bbc1817.org
We are centrally located just off Midlothian Turnpike (Rt. 60), one mile West of Rt. 288
A Love Offering will be received for the medical fund for local pastor Hugh Mayes and his
wife Carol
Donations welcome for Fisher House at McGuire Veterans Medical Center
(Movie/Theater Tickets; Paper Products - paper towels/plates/disposable utensils; Gift Cards - Walmart, Target, Lowes, local restaurants
Join us as we set out on a journey to uncharted
territory where we will encounter the unexpected
around every bend. On this expedition of a lifetime,
we will need to stick close to our guide in order to
survive. We will discover that Jesus is the ultimate
guide on this journey. We will learn to trust Him as
Savior as we walk along the journey of life becoming
more like Him as we travel and experience the
adventures in The Overlook Worship Rally, Tangled
Branch Tree House Bible Study, Shady Grove
Crafts, Boulder Bridge Missions, Rushing Waters
Music, Rappelling Ravine Recreation and Survival
Springs Snacks. This will be a journey of a lifetime!
If you would like to help
with this adventure,
please contact Mary
Florence at 677-5432.
Children 3 years old
through 5th grade are
welcome. To register
please contact the
church office at
794-8590.
Bethel has a new website. Please check
us out at http://www.bethelchurchmidlothianva.org/
7
Bethel Baptist Church is pleased to offer a preventive health event. Life Line Screening, a leading provider of community
based preventive health screenings, will host their affordable, non-invasive and painless health screenings on 7/2/2015.
Five screenings will be offered that scan for potential health problems related to: blocked arteries which is a leading
cause of stroke; abdominal aortic aneurysms which can lead to a ruptured aorta; hardening of the arteries in the legs
which is a strong predictor of heart disease; atrial fibrillation or irregular heart beat which is closely tied to stroke risk;
and a bone density screening, for men and women, used to assess the risk of osteoporosis. Register for a Wellness
Package which includes 4 vascular tests and osteoporosis screening from $149 ($139 with our member discount). All
five screenings take 60-90 minutes to complete Also, we are happy to announce that Life Line Screening is working with
us to provide our members $10 additional discounts off of a screening package in addition to a $10 donation to Bethel
Baptist Church. Please note that you must sign up on either the provided registration sheet or by calling the
special Helping Hands registration number, which is 1-800-324-9458, in order for us to receive our $10 donation
as well. If you prefer to visit the exclusive Helping Hands website to register, you may do so by visiting
www.helpinghandsforhealth.com. You must sign up one of these three ways in order to get both the $10
discount as well as the $10 donation for our organization.
WORSHIP TIMES
9:30 Sunday School | 10:30 Worship
Bethel Baptist Church
1100 Huguenot Springs Road
Midlothian, VA 23113
Change Service Requested
Non Profit Org.
U.S. Postage Paid
Permit 2133
Midlothian, VA 23112