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“Therefore, encourage one another and build each other up”  (I Thessalonians 5: 11)

What is the LIFT Initiative? Simply put, this is the umbrella term we are using for our ministry focuses over the next year at Bethel.  But it is born from a deeper desire.

Our society has been experiencing increased anxiety. Buoyed by voices more interested in emphasizing our differences and erecting symbolic barriers between us, we often see these barriers as daunting. 

Still, we believe that the church can, and should, be different. Instead, we seek to be a place that guides people toward faithfulness amidst and beyond anxiety.  As we do so, we believe we will foster a spirit of reconciliation and healing.

We believe the most faithful way to do this is through purposefully seeking a deeper connection to Christ individually and collectively. In Christ, with Christ, and through Christ we can begin to model a new way. 

As the saying goes, the rising tide lifts all boats.  Let us seek to be a rising tide church, lifting both those here at Bethel and those outside our walls. 

LIFT is an acronym for the areas we want to focus on this year: Learning, Intentional discipleship, Fellowship, and Togetherness.  To be sure, our ongoing ministries will remain, but these areas will receive deliberate emphasis. 

See below some of the “new offerings” that we are excited to propose.

LEARNING

  1. We encourage our adults to participate in the Adult Forum offerings on Sundays. This is a great place to meet new people and grow in faith.
  2. Pastor Dave will be offering Disciple One (Overview of the Old Testament) for those who have not already taken on of our Disciple Bible study courses. This will be a 10-week course that will be held on Tuesday evenings via Zoom.
  3. Holy Communion Instruction is being offered this fall for young people who have not yet begun to commune (age 6+).
  4. Pastor Dave will be putting together an Advent devotional that will include devotions from various Bethel parishioners. The invitation will be shared in This Week at Bethel, and the Weekly Bethel Banner. Pastor Dave has organized the readings for each day and will be giving them to those who are interested in participating.

INTENTONAL DISCIPLESHIP

  1. Pastor Dave will be offering sermon titles and thematic questions for each message each Sunday and will be inviting the Bethel preachers to do the same. These questions will be helpful for either individual reflection or amidst group conversation.
  2. We are looking to broaden the appeal of intentional discipleship with others through “Intentional Discipleship” groups, aka ID groups. These groups will be formed in various ways this fall and yes, it is a “rebrand” of our small group ministry. ID groups serve as a way for us to find our truest identity in Christ.
  3. Pastor Dave will be offering a weekly devotional on Monday mornings that will be shared via his Facebook page (and shared via Bethel’s Facebook page).
  4. We have congregational service opportunities already planned for this fall.

                Sunday, September 7 – God’s Work, Our Hands

                Saturday, October 11 – Out of Darkness Walk to Support Suicide Prevention

                Monday, November 17 – Pack Thanksgiving bags at CCAP

                Saturday, December 13 – Christmas caroling at Winchester Rehab

FELLOWSHIP

  1. We will be offering a new fellowship opportunity designed for our Older Wiser Lutherans (OWLs). The Seniors Soup & Sandwich study will take place on the third Wednesday of the month at noon in the Fellowship Hall and will meet every other month. Our kickoff gathering will be on Wednesday, October 15, and the theme will be “Luther and the Reformation.” Our second gathering will be December 17, and will have a Christmas theme.
  2. A Men’s Ministry day retreat will be held on Saturday, November 8. The Rev. Dr. Christian McMullan will lead a program entitled, “Old Wine in New Wineskins: How Luther and the Reformers can Shape a Contemporary Men’s Spirituality.” The event will take place from 8:30am-12:30pm in the Fellowship Hall at Bethel.

TOGETHERNESS

  For the purposes of this initiative, “togetherness” is the recognition that we are all on the same team. Listening to each other and respecting each other is vital to being a faithful community. This quote from Rachel Held Evans says it best, “The church is not a group of people who believe all the same things; the church is a group of people caught up in the same story, with Jesus at the center.”

  1. We are currently looking to have a professional sound technician give us some ideas on how to make the sound system in our sanctuary work best for everyone. We will also explore ways in which to assist those with hearing aids to best experience worship. Each of us have different needs/expectations in worship and by listening to each other we can embody the “shared generosity” mantra that we’ve often spoken of here at Bethel.
  2. Pastor Dave, Kristal Cutler, and the council will begin exploring how we might offer a second worship service on Sundays, beginning in 2026, that would begin at 11:15 and conclude at noon. It would include Holy Communion.
  3. Exploring how we can best fund our ministry through multiple income streams is an ongoing pursuit that we ALL can participate in through our ongoing personal stewardship, but collectively as well as a congregation. The Thrivent Choice dollars program will be given more intentional emphasis this year with Pastor Dave and Nina leading the effort out of the office. How might YOU assist in helping Bethel fund our ministry in a sustainable way?