BETHEL CHURCH
Welcome!
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.
Pastor Tim Gibb Lead Pastor
WWW.BETHELSARNIA.COM
SEPTEMBER 2011
This Month
Bethel News
Intercessors Breakfast Meeting For all of those who have a heart to pray regularly for Bethel and its ministries, a special Intercessors Breakfast meeting (continental style) will take place on Sunday, September 11th at 9:30AM in the Fellowship Hall. Pastor Tim will be sharing some important prayer strategies for Bethel for this Fall. No sign-up required, just come!
Water Baptism A Water Baptism service is planned for Sunday, September 25th in the 10:30AM service. If you are a believer in Jesus and have not yet been baptized but desire to follow the Lord’s instruction in this act of obedience and faith, please pick up a form at our Welcome Desk or speak to the Church Office or one of the Pastors.
Bethel Choir We are looking for those who love to sing and worship to be a part of our Bethel Choir for a special presentation this Christmas season. Choir practices will be held each Wednesday night at 7:30PM and begin on Wednesday September 28th. Sign-up at the Welcome Desk or speak to Stephanie Courtney.
Moms In Touch
Prayer Ministry & Kids Schools To all MIT Moms...Before you jump into your fall schedule with both feet, please remember to mark your calendar for our FALL INFORMATIONAL! We are gathering at Temple Baptist Church in Sarnia on Friday, Sept. 9, 2011 from 10 a.m. till noon. Here’s a wonderful opportunity for you to encourage other women to join us in standing firm in praying for our children and their schools. We believe that praying together is not only God’s heart , but His command! The time to pray for our children is now! Won’t you join us? For more information, please speak to Carol Kernohan, Rozanne Leystra, or contact the Church Office.
Crisis Pregnancy Centre
It’s Time For the 2011 Baby Bottle Campaign You are making a difference! Last year the congregations of our
Thank you Bethel for your support! Over 125 Backpacks filled with school supplies were distributed to help low-income families in our city of Sarnia. Thank you Bethel for your help in blessing families in our community.
supporting churches helped raise $26,400 for the ministry of The Pregnancy Centre through the Baby Bottle Campaign. Your willingness to partner with us is what continues to enable us to reach women in our community who are facing an unwanted pregnancy as well as those seeking forgiveness and healing from a past abortion decision. Please continue to partner with us by participating in this year’s Baby Bottle Campaign and continue to pray with us to accomplish what God wants to do in the lives of those in need of our services. Pick up your baby bottle at the end of service today and return it full of funds on Sunday, October 2nd.
More This Month
Marriage Course
Whether it’s been 4 weeks or 40 years Most couples come into marriage with big expectations. As they leave their wedding through a shower of confetti and meander off into the sunset, they cannot imagine ever not wanting to be together. The long-term reality is different and potentially, far better. However, marriage is under attack in our society: the number of marriages per year is falling steadily and one in two marriages, even within churches, end in divorce. So, should we get married, and how can we stay married become important questions. How can we be happily married to one person for the whole of our lives? How do we resolve conflict? How can we discover and rediscover sexual intimacy? Whether you have been married 4 weeks or 40 years, the Marriage Course is full of practical advice and assistance to make your marriage stronger and enable each couple to realize the value and potential of their marriage. Starting Monday September 26th, weekly from 6:30-9:30pm, we invite 30 couples from Bethel to explore these and other questions, with the aim of improving the quality and potential of each relationship. The cost for the course is free, but each week, each couple will enjoy an intimate, candle-lit dinner for two which is why the course will cost each couple $150.00. There is a sign-up sheet in the foyer. This first course is only open to those attending regularly at Bethel and up to a maximum of 30 couples. Doug and Elaine Nixon will be the hosts who will be facilitating the sessions. Do not delay. Enroll now, this offer will not be repeated at this value!
Alpha Course
Video Promo
Scan to watch the video promo
Learn More About The Christian Faith This is one of the best discipleship courses ever created and gives an excellent way to learn all the essentials of the Christian faith. This course is ideal for all ages and all backgrounds. From new Christians, to those who have been in church most of their life, find the answers to questions you have never had the chance or been hesitant to pose. Come and seek the truth about God, Jesus, and the Holy Spirit. This course encourages questions in a friendly, relational environment. Alpha begins on Sunday September 25th at 12:45pm (immediately after the morning service) and runs for 10 weeks. Each session will include a lunch, video teaching, and group discussion. The session will conclude at 2:30pm. Alpha is led and facilitated by Darwin and Angela Armstrong
Power 2 Tell
POWER 2 TELL A 3 day seminar which provides you the tools to confidently share your faith with others in a friendly, non-offensive and sensitive way!
Friday Sept 30
7:00-8:15PM Challenge Rally “The Call to Courage” Followed by Pizza Social
Saturday Oct 1
8:30-9:00AM Continental Breakfast 9:00-9:30AM C2Go Power Time 9:30-10:30AM Session 1 Training this Generation for 21st Century Impact
10:35-11:00AM Session 2 What Would Jesus Say? Talking like Jesus and the ‘Fear Factor’
in the heart of many believers. Many have simply given up on feeling they can be used to lead someone to the Lord. “It must not be my spiritual gift” or “that is the job of the traveling evangelist or pastor”. Yet the Scripture is very clear that it is the responsibility of every believer to share their faith. Truth is...we all need to do better in this area. Dominic Galati Jr. is an Assemblies of God minister whose passion is to equip the average believer to share his or her faith in a winsome, everyday style that is non-offensive, non-
11:15-12:30PM Session 3 Where Would Jesus Go? The Confidence Builder...The POWER 2 GO!
threatening, and sensitive to the needs of Pre-
12:35-1:30PM Session 4 Keys to Develop a Life Message
I personally want to encourage every person in
Sunday Oct 2
9:15-10:15AM Session 5 “Bridging the Experience”
10:30AM Worship Service The “Voice” of the Evangelist
Evangelism...it is a word that strikes fear and guilt
Christians.
our church to participate in this 3 day seminar. The schedule is not too heavy. It is not designed to load you with guilt but to inspire and practically equip you in sharing your faith with others. My hope is that our church will really take advantage of this opportunity and catch a zeal in sharing the Gospel with those in our community
6:30PM Evening Service Compelled 2 Go Rally of Hope
who are without Christ. The investment in this for the sake of yielding a lost soul is not a sacrifice but rather a high
Cost: $20.00 per person Sign-Up by September 25th
honour. -Pastor Tim Gibb
With Dominic Galati Jr. Assemblies Of God Evangelist
The Vision
If someone was to ask, why is Bethel putting on such an event that includes Kids Inflatables, Petting Farm, Pony Rides, Kids Carnival Games, Sports Zone, Family Entertainment, BBQ, and so much more, we would provide 3 answers. First, to simply bless our community! So much family activity today puts big demands on family finances. We want to bless families by providing a fun afternoon for our community at no cost! So that our community would see Bethel as a generous church. Second, we want to promote a positive image of our church to our community. A lot of people have a perception of church (stuffy, religious, judgmental) that is the opposite of what we at Bethel are all about! We want to display right on our front lawn that we are a church about people, love and that Bethel is a happy, joyful place. Thirdly, we believe that by blessing our community, people’s hearts will be sincerely open to the message of the good news about a God who loves us and who sent His Son to forgive us.
We Need Your Help! 1.Talk it up
Start talking to people about it! At your work, kids sports events, in your neighbourhood, to the waitress at the restaurant, to your hair stylist, at the grocery store, on Facebook...etc. We could spend a lot of money on advertising but the most effective advertiser is YOU! We need you to promote this event - BIG TIME! Special invite cards are available for you to use to pass along to family and friends to invite them to this event. We know that we are all called to be a witness for Jesus. In today’s society, this can sometimes seem challenging! Here is a simply way to make a bridge between your connections and Bethel. We believe that people who come to Family Fun Day will have a positive experience and will end up asking you questions about Bethel, that may even open a door to share about your faith!
2.Help Us Distribute Invite Cards
On Tuesday, September 13th, we need people to help us distribute 5,000 invite cards to neighbourhood homes in Sarnia. Simply going door-to-door and putting an invite card in a mailbox. That’s it! We will be meeting at the church at 6:30PM and hope to be done by 8:30PM - and then enjoy some pizza and pop back at the church! A great way to help - and get some exercise at the same time!
3. Volunteers Are Needed For The Big Day!
We will need the whole congregation to make this day a success - that means YOU! Help us on the day of the event to serve as hosts, set-up & clean-up, security, first aid, BBQ team, etc. Please speak to Pastor Tricia about how you can help and/or sign-up at the Welcome Desk.
4. Show Up
Show up on the BIG DAY! Bring your family! Bring the grandchildren! Enjoy the day with us with the attractions we will be providing! This helps us because...a crowd attracts a crowd! We want to see our parking lot filled with people enjoying a great afternoon!
2 New Ministries
Inside Out | Jr.High
Other Ministries At Bethel
Inside Out, our Junior High ministry, will run 2 Sunday afternoons a month
CHILDREN’S MINISTRY Sunday mornings during service: Nursery - Newborn to Age 3 Pre-School - Ages 3 to 5 led by Kim Gibb Kidsplosion - Grades 1 to 4 led by Pastor Tricia, Mary Elliot & Kim Lapier YOUTH MINISTRY Inside Out - our new Jr.High program running after the morning service on the first and 3rd Sundays of the month, plus a monthly activity (Grades 5 to 8). Revo 3 - Thursday night Sr. High Youth service [Grades 9 & up} Additional activities planned throughout the year. Rescue - our Jr.High outreach program which runs Wednesday evenings from Sept to May. ADULT MINISTRY Young Adults - Weekly Bible Study group called “Life” meets Tuesday nights in Bethel Cafe & Lobby. Led by Chris & Linda Guerette and Steve & Cathy Fraser.
immediately following the morning service for those in grades 5 to 8. We will offer lunch for the cost of $5 then have a time of organized games, Bible teaching and hang out time until 3:00PM. The majority of the program will happen upstairs in the HUB, our multi-purpose room that has pool tables, foosball, ping pong, and an XBOX Kinect. In addition to our Sunday afternoon program, we plan on running one activity a month imply to give these students another opportunity to build relationships and have fun together. These activities will be announced a couple of weeks in advance. To help with this ministry speak to Pastor Tricia.
Young Moms - A group of Moms get together twice a week, Tuesday and Fridays mornings, for fellowship, activity and teaching. Led by Jen Rowe & Stacey Gala. Real Women - Ongoing activities for women of all ages are planned throughout the year. The Core Men’s Ministry - Activities for all men. Led by Shannon Smith and team.
Bethel will also continue to run Rescue, our outreach Jr.High program to unchurched youth in the city each Wednesday night.
Moms Group Jen Rowe and Stacey Gala are leading a Moms group that meets twice a week for fellowship, kids play time, and a DVD teaching time on parenting by national ministry Focus on the Family. Each Tuesday, from 10AM to approximately 11AM, this group meets for a fun group activity somewhere in the local area or at Bethel. Then each Friday at 10AM, this group meets in the Bethel Cafe for a DVD teaching time with a Focus on the Family video. The children will be supervised in the church nursery with moms taking care of the kids on a rotation basis. The first Friday session will begin on September 16th. For more information, speak to Pastor Tricia or contact Jen Rowe or Stacey Gala.
Keenagers Seniors Ministry - Monthly lunch or special activity. Led by Carl & Faye Johnson. Music Ministry - Is always looking for new talent, including choir, audio and visual personnel. Speak to Caleb or Stephanie Courtney. Small Groups - Organized throughout the year around specific themes. Usually 4 to 6 weeks long. A great way to connect with others. Bible Study - Tuesday night Bible Study & Hymn Sing. Led by Gilbert & Margo VanSligtenhorst. Prayer Ministry - Along with pre-service prayer 30 minutes before each service in the prayer room, corporate prayer times are held Tuesdays from 10AM-11:30AM and Wednesdays from 6:30PM - 7:30PM.
Article From PT
Back to Church Sunday is a national initiative
Let’s face it...a lot of people today think church
that began in the United States a few years
and Christians are weird. But if we examine
ago and is finding some significant success for
what is considered to be “normal” in today’s
participating churches. Its premise is simple:
society...we quickly discover that ‘Normal isn’t
churches set a specific Sunday for its members
working!’
to intentionally invite a pre-Christian to church. LifeWay Research did a study that discovered that 82% of the unchurched are likely to attend church if invited.. yet only 2% of church members invite. Think of it - 4 out of 5 people you invite will be open to receiving your invitation and will likely attend.
‘Normal’ people are stressed, overwhelmed, and exhausted. Many of their relationships are, at best, strained and, in most cases, just surviving. Even though we live in one of the most prosperous places on earth, normal is still living paycheck to paycheck and never getting ahead. In our oversexed world, lust, premarital
At Bethel, we are setting Sunday, October 16th
sex, guilt, and shame are far more common
as our Back to Church Sunday. We want to
than purity, virginity, and a healthy married sex
encourage every attender of Bethel to be
life. And when it comes to God, the majority
intentional about inviting a family member,
believe in Him, but the teachings of Scripture
friend, co-worker or neighbour to church that
rarely make it into their everyday lives.
morning. We are going to do our very best that service to make our presentation compelling to
This series will share Christ-centered principles
our guests and present principles from God’s
on everything from money to scheduling to sex
Word that are life-giving.
& purity (yes sex talk in church...weird!) that will
If we are honest...sometimes it is difficult to know when is a good time to invite a friend to church. We are concerned if the subject matter
help you break out of the normal rut and live according to the rhythms of God’s grace and the truth of His Word.
or style of the service would be that which our
This series is planned to inspire our guests to
guest would understand and appreciate. While
want to come back to hear the next message.
we will be true to who we are, we believe that
It’s also good stuff for the regular attender. The
it is important and necessary that we are
reality is that we’ve got to stop striving for (what
providing opportunities that are strategic in
the world calls) normal - because normal is not
inviting a friend to church.
working - and start being weird...in a God sort
Pastor Tim will launch a new sermon series that
of way.
morning, adapted from a popular book by
Church - let’s take advantage of this
Christian author and pastor Craig Groeschel,
opportunity, and make it your goal to invite
entitled ‘Weird”.
someone to Back to Church Sunday - Oct.16th!
“82% of the unchurched are likely to attend church if invited... yet only 2% of church members invite.” -LifeWay Research Promotional items for Back to Church Sunday and the Weird Message Series will be available the last Sunday in September.
6:30 PM Service Men’s/Women’s Ministry Night Fellowship Time to follow
12:45PM Alpha Course
25 Newcomers Reception 10:30 AM Service Pastor Tim Gibb Water Baptism
6:30 PM Service John Wilkinson
12:30PM Inside Out Jr. High-Hub
18 10:30 AM Service John Wilkinson
6:30 PM Service Pastor Tim Gibb
11 Communion 9:30 AM Intercessors Breakfast 10:30 AM Service Pastor Tim Gibb Vision Sunday
NO EVENING SERVICE
12NOON Church Picnic at SUNCOR Park
4 10:30 AM Service Family Service
Sun
6:30PM– Marriage Course
6:30 PM DivorceCare 7:00 PM LIFE-Young Adults
6:30 PM Bible Study & Hymn Sing-Prayer Room
27
26 12:45 PM Mom’s In Touch
7:00 PM Service John Wilkinson
7:00 PM Service John Wilkinson
12:45 PM Mom’s In Touch 6:30 PM DivorceCare
20
7:00 PM Family Fun Day Invite Distribution
6:30 PM DivorceCare
19
6:30 PM Bible Study & Hymn Sing-Prayer Room
12:45 PM Mom’s In Touch
6:30 PM Bible Study & Hymn Sing-Prayer Room
13
OFFICE CLOSED
LABOUR DAY
6
Tue
12
5
Mon
6:30 PM Prayer 7:30PM Choir Practice
28
NO PRAYER
21
6:30 PM Prayer
14
6:30 PM Prayer
7
Wed
7:00 PM REVO3
29
7:00 PM REVO3
22
7:00 PM REVO3
15
7:00 PM REVO3
8
7:00 PM REVO3
1
Thu
SEPTEMBER 2011
OCT 1
FAMILY FUN DAY 1:00-4:00PM
24
17
10
3
Sat
POWER TO TELL EVANGELISM Friday 7-8:15 PM Saturday 8:30-1:30PM
10:00 AM Mom’s Group-Foyer/Cafe
30
6:00 PM Men’ Event Trap Shooting
10:00 AM Mom’s Group-Foyer/Café
23
12NOON Keenagers Luncheon
10:00 AM Mom’s Group-Foyer/Cafe
16
9
2
Fri