March CONNECT by Bethel Sarnia

CONNECT BETHEL CHURCH

Welcome to Bethel Welcome to Bethel! We are so glad to have you here! As you look through this Connect Bulletin, we trust that you will quickly find that Bethel has something for you and your family. Our hope is that you will take the next step into our community and get involved. As you do, you will begin to see that Bethel is more than just a Sunday service, it is a family of everyday people following Christ to bring hope and change to the world one life at a time.

WWW.BETHELSARNIA.COM

MARCH 2015

This Month

BETHEL NEWS Ed Dickson at Bethel March 1st 6:30PM Missionary to Ukraine, Ed Dickson, will be sharing at our service on Sunday night March 1st. Bethel has been very involved in Ukraine the last 4 years through Ed Dicksonâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s ministry, Loads of Love. Ed and his wife Natasha and their 3 daughters (Regina, Amy, Michelle) will be moving to Sarnia this July 2015 for one year and will be assisting with ministry at Bethel.

Fragrance Free Environment We do have a number of people who have sensitivities to perfumes and chemical smells. Some are having difficulty in attending Bethel due to these sensitivities. Therefore we are asking in consideration of others, to refrain from wearing heavy scents such as perfumes, colognes, certain hairsprays, etc. Thank you for considering others needs.

Lydia Marrow Worship CD This past November during our Encounter Services with Nathan Morris, Lydia Marrow recorded her newest worship CD. This CD produced at Bethel by Lindell Cooley, is the very first worship recording for the ministry of Shake the Nations (Nathan Morris). The CD will be entitled Forevermore and is set to be released in the next couple of months.

FROM ME TO YOU BUILDING OUR FUTURE On the Sunday this Connect Bulletin is distributed (March 1st), the membership of Bethel will be given the opportunity to express their support for the Upstairs Renovation “Building Our Future” project. This is to provide new renovated space for both our youth and children’s ministries. I am anticipating strong support for this project as I believe this is the next step of vision and faith for Bethel Church. I believe Bethel Church is worthy of investment and the reason for this project could not be greater - investing in the lives of our youth and children. George Barna, popular Christian research specialist, has said: “If you want to have a lasting influence upon the world, you must invest in people’s lives; and if you want to maximize that investment, then you must invest in those people while they are young.” I wholeheartedly agree! I want to ask everyone to prayerfully consider what God would have them do to invest in the future of our church. We will have 4 Sundays of special emphasis on this project where we will ask everyone to make a

commitment to this project. Those Sundays will be April 19th, 26th, May 3rd and May 10th. I have full confidence that if everyone exercises faith in what God would speak to their heart to do financially for this project, the need will be met and with abundance!

RODNEY HOWARD BROWNE Please make arrangements now on your calendar to be a part of our special Encounter Services with Dr. Rodney and Adonica Howard Browne. Pastor Rodney is a world leader in revival and is a soul-winner. He speaks in major crusades all around the world. In 1999, he rented Madison Square Garden in New York City for 1 month of evangelistic meetings and saw thousands come to Christ. Just this past summer of 2014, Rodney rented Constitution Hall in Washington, D.C. for 3 weeks of meetings and again saw thousands saved. We are very excited and honoured that Pastor Rodney would come to Sarnia and hold a week of meetings. This is a real big deal! And already we have calls coming in from all over the region of people planning to attend these meetings.

A Letter From Your Lead Pastor

His main purpose for coming to Sarnia is for souls to be saved. He is primarily an evangelist. In preparation for these services, I will be asking you to think about those who you would invite who do not know the Lord. We will be preparing the way through prayer for them to come and be saved. In addition, we have planned immediately after the service to run an Alpha program to disciple those who will be saved. I am believing that these services will have a lasting harvest for Bethel and the kingdom of God.

TIMES OF PRAYER The Lord has put in my heart a strong desire for prayer. I am claiming His promise that if we continually ask, seek and knock; the door of God’s greater blessing will be open to us. Our main church prayer meeting is Wednesday nights from 6PM to 7PM. I will also be at the church on Tuesdays, Wednesday and Thursdays from 12PM-1PM and from 6PM to 7PM. You are welcome to join with me as we pray and believe God together. Pastor Tim Gibb

Coming In April

Student Ministries

HIGH SCHOOL SERIES: YOUNG GUNS

JR.HIGH SERIES: WHY NOT NOW?

Revo (highschool) happens on Thursday’s from 7:00-9:00 in the Gym for grades 7-12 Rescue ( jr.high) happens Wednesday’s from 6:00-7:30 in the Hub for grades 5-8

BUILDING LASTING FAITH IN YOUR TEENAGER We are seeing an alarming trend with young adults who grew up in Church and abandon their faith when they start college. Consistently I see reports say that 50%-90% of teenagers in our Churches will chose to not serve God after age 18. At Bethel we want to be proactive with our youth, to help build lasting faith in them so they never make the decision to walk away. Faith in teenagers does not happen by accident, it requires intentional involvement from people around them who care about their soul. Unfortunately in an attempt to keep up with society demands many Christian families prioritize education, wealth and health more than they do faith. Not that any of those things in themselves are bad, but as the Bible states: “what do you benefit if you gain the whole world but lose your own soul?” (Mark 8:36) Parenting teenagers is hard work but you’re not in it alone. Here are some practical suggestions to help you prioritize faith in your teenager: 1. Be consistent attenders to Church. If you want them to consistently serve God as adults, you need to make Church

attendance a rhythm in their teen years. 2. Model your faith. Teens need to see that faith is not just a mindset, but it is our daily relationship with God. They won’t understand that if they don’t see it modeled daily in front of them. 3. Have regular faith conversations with your child. Studies show that in Christian families only 12% of youth have a regular dialogue with their mom on faith or life issues. The number is even lower for dads; only 5% have faith conversations with their father. Talk to your kids about faith, they need to hear your voice clarifying what is true. 4. Get your teen plugged into a youth group. Your voice matters most, but they need more than just your voice speaking into their life. Youth need a network of people walking with them on their faith journey; they cannot grow in their faith on their own. Teenagers prioritize relationships and are highly influenced by those closest to them; you can help them build the right relationships by making sure they are involved in a youth group. - Pastor Trish

AN ENCOUNTER TESTIMONY A story of healing at Bethel Sarnia Encounter Services with Nathan Morris

My husband and I attended Encounter Services at Bethel Sarnia in November 2014. Evangelist Nathan Morris prayed for me many times and prophesied over my husband. I was diagnosed with autoimmune thyroid diseases, reproductive cysts, tumors, and infertility (although I don’t claim those labels over myself). Nathan prayed for my healing and also that I would conceive children. I just wanted to tell you, and this is an absolute miracle, my husband and I just found out I’M EXPECTING! We have been trying since I miscarried our first baby a year and a half ago. All of my health problems began after the miscarriage, like an onslaught. I have also been without access to health care/ health insurance and untreated for the thyroid autoimmune disease and fibroid tumors, and have not had any fertility care whatsoever to this time. I am on zero medication. We found out I was pregnant on the morning of January 1st, praise God! My husband and I are ecstatic. I had some thyroid lab work done in November, just before the Encounter Services, and my thyroid antibodies were sky-high. My immune system was literally attacking and destroying my thyroid gland. When I confirmed my pregnancy with a doctor in January, I also asked them to run a full thyroid lab. The results came back with ZERO antibodies and normal thyroid hormone levels! Again, a complete turnaround from

November to January, with absolutely no medicine or doctor intervention. My husband and I found each other and got married later in life. I am 38 and he is 42. The Lord brought us together supernaturally and we’ve been in faith for our future children ever since. It has been a long road with many threats against our faith, but the Name of the Lord is above infertility and all manner of sickness and disease! Praise God that His command includes multiplication and to raise up a godly offspring! We are so blessed and thankful for the overwhelming power and presence of God at Bethel Sarnia, and so glad we are connected with you in the work of the Lord. You are very dear to us and we lift you up in prayer, that the Lord bless you in all that you put your hands to, that He protect you, and increase you! We are so grateful for you. - Courtney Chamberlain (Windsor, Ontario)

M I S S I O N A RY TO CA LC UT TA I N DI A

In 1954, Huldah and her late husband, Rev. Dr. Mark Buntain, along with their baby daughter, Bonnie, sailed to Calcutta for a one-year service opportunity. After seeing the need all around them, God moved on their hearts to stay in India. Shortly following the Buntain’s arrival in Calcutta, a beggar walked up to them and screamed, “Feed our bellies and then tell us there is a God in heaven who loves us.” This inspired the Buntain’s to launch a feeding program to nourish the physical needs of the poor. Equally concerned about the uneducated children of India, Mark Buntain built a primary school in 1964, with an initial enrollment of 200 children. With the success of their first school, the Buntain’s inaugurated over 100 more in Calcutta and its surrounding areas with hundreds of children enrolled. When a young student suddenly collapsed in class one day, Mark Buntain rushed her to a crowded, local hospital that was unable to promptly attend to the child’s emergency. Recognizing the sizable need for quality and affordable healthcare, Mark resolved to build a hospital of his own to serve the poor of the region. On March 17, 1977, as donations poured in from numerous and unexpected sources, the 120-bed hospital opened its doors to the city of Calcutta. Over the years, the Buntain’s continued to create new programs including an outpatient facility, nursing school, vocational training schools, home for boys, and rural clinics. Today, Calcutta Mercy Hospital provides quality healthcare at an affordable price with 173 beds and 30 multi-specialty centers. Serving over 100,000 patients a year, 40 percent are treated free of charge irrespective of their case, creed, or religion. Its breadth of care continues to expand as new medical services and facilities are added each year and Mercy Clinics are

planted in surrounding villages. Dedicated to the complete health and happiness of Calcutta’s poor, Calcutta Mercy Ministries supports a larger holistic network of programs that includes a blind school, daily feeding stations for 25,000, leadership training centers, and a Hope House for disadvantaged children. In addition, the Buntain’s also have planted 950 churches and 5 Bible schools. After her husband passed away in June 1989, Huldah became Chairman and Senior Pastor of the Calcutta Mission for a number of years. Since her husband’s death, she has continued to faithfully serve the people of India, and also travels extensively around the world raising funds for projects in all of the vast areas that come under the Calcutta Ministries. In 2005, Huldah founded Calcutta Mercy Ministries to support the comprehensive ministries that she and her late husband built over the past 60 years. What an honour it is for Bethel to have this esteemed missionary, Huldah Buntain, for services on Sunday, March 29th.

MARCH 2015 Sun SUN

Mon MON

10:30 AM Service Annual Meeting Communion

6:30 PM Service Ed Dickson

10:30 AM Service Pastor Tim Gibb

Tue TUE

10:30 AM Service Pastor Tim Gibb

6:30 PM Bible Study & Hymn Sing-Prayer Room

6:00 PM Rescue

7:00PM LIFE-Young Adults at Chris & Linda Guerette’s

7:00 PM Choir

6:30PM Cancer Prayer Support Group-Board

7:00PM Bible Study at Dalton & Robyn Burke’s

7:00 PM Men’s Mentoring Group

7:00 PM REVO

6:30 PM Bible Study & Hymn Sing-Prayer Room

6:00 PM Rescue

Community Room

10:30 AM Service Pastor Tim Gibb

6:30 PM Service Pastor Tim Gibb

9:30 AM Mom’s Group

Room

Sat SAT 7

6:30 PM District Mantour 2 Event

9:30 AM Mom’s Group

6:00 PM Prayer 7:00 PM Choir 7:00 PM Men’s Mentoring Group

7:00 PM REVO

6:00 PM Prayer

12 NOON– Keenager’s Luncheon

7:00 PM Choir

6:30PM Cancer Prayer Support Group-Board

7:00PM Bible Study at Dalton & Robyn Burke’s

7:00 PM Men’s Mentoring Group

7:00 PM REVO

6:30 PM Bible Study & Hymn Sing-Prayer Room

6:00 PM Rescue

7:00PM LIFE-Young Adults at Chris & Linda Guerette’s

7:00 PM Choir 7:00 PM REVO

7:00 PM Women’s Bowling Night-Marcin Bowl

7:00PM Bible Study at Dalton & Robyn Burke’s

10:30 AM Service Huldah Buntain

6:00 PM Prayer

7:00PM Bible Study at Dalton & Robyn Burke’s

7:00PM LIFE-Young Adults at Chris & Linda Guerette’s

6:30 PM Foundation Course-

Fri FRI

6:30 PM Bible Study & Hymn Sing-Prayer Room

6:30 PM Service Pastor Tim Gibb

Thu THUR

7:00PM LIFE-Young Adults at Chris & Linda Guerette’s

6:30 PM Service Pastor Tim Gibb

Wed WED

Restoration Retreat Weekend Friday 7-10PM Saturday 9-5PM

Room

9:30 AM Mom’s Group

6:00 PM Prayer 7:00 PM Men’s Mentoring Group

31 6:30 PM Bible Study & Hymn Sing-Prayer Room 7:00PM LIFE-Young Adults at Chris & Linda Guerette’s

6:30 PM Service Huldah Buntain

7:00PM Bible Study at Dalton & Robyn Burke’s

OUR PASTORS PASTOR TIM GIBB

Lead Pastor Ext. 228 pastortim@bethelsarnia.com

PASTOR TRICIA GIBB

Student Ministries Pastor Ext. 223 tricia@bethelsarnia.com

PASTORS KEITH & PATRICIA PATRICK Pastoral Care Ext. 226 pastorkeith@bethelsarnia.com

NEED A RIDE TO CHURCH? Need a ride to Church on Sunday morning? Just call the church office before 8:30AM Sunday morning & follow the instructions to leave a message.