[Bethany Lutheran Church] Upcoming Bethany event: "Path to Wholeness" Addiction Workshop

Dear Bethany Members, 

You are invited to a free workshop on Wednesday, July 24 at 6:30 pm entitled "Path to Wholeness: Ordinary Addictions, Exceptional Recovery" presented by Fr. Jim Swarthout. 

If you have been affected by addiction in some way -- in your family, or through your work -- this workshop is for you! 

Please e-mail Pr. Carrie to RSVP.

carrie.smith@bethanylc.com 

 

 

 

Attachments:

FREE Workshop.pdf

This email sent by:

Carrie Smith

[Bethany Lutheran Church] Book Signing Event: Pr. Robert Smith's new book!

Attachments:

author event.pdf

This email sent by:

Carrie Smith

[Bethany Lutheran Church] oops -- Mission Save a Smile info!

If you were reading your Bethany Weekly Newsletter carefully, you may have noticed some details missing from the box about Mission Save a Smile! That's ok, though, because it gives me a chance to highlight their ministry.

Mission 

Save a Smile

returns to Panama August 6

to work with the Embera Puru village.  The 10 volunteers include Bethany members:  Dr. Chris Burseth, Patty Burseth, Brian Burseth & Michael Burseth. 

 

To learn more about Mission Save a Smile, please view the

3 minute YouTube video HERE 

 

Reminder:  Oral B toothbrushes are needed. Please donate them as soon as possible as they are already packing for the trip. Thanks!

This email sent by:

Carrie Smith

[Bethany Lutheran Church] Wednesday Words for July 10, 2013

Wednesday Words for July 10, 2013

From Pastor Carrie Smith

 

Thought for the Day

Desert father John Cassian said:

 

“It is a bigger miracle to eject a passion from your own body than it is to eject an evil spirit from another’s body. It is a bigger miracle to be patient and refrain from anger than it is to control the demons which fly through the air.”

 

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Happy Wednesday! Your Bethany Weekly Newsletter is attached to this email. Please remember to look at the bottom of this message, where the attachment may appear as a link. You will find prayer requests, the calendar, and other announcements in the newsletter.

 

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Theology on Tap: Tomorrow night, Thursday from 7:30 – 9 pm in the “upper room” at Duke’s Alehouse. The topic this month is “Science and Religion” and it will be co-moderated by Elliott Dungan and Robert Smith. See you there!

 

This Sunday at Bethany: The calendar said this was supposed to be “Holy Humor Sunday”, but Pr. Paul will be out of town and Pr. Carrie isn’t very funny by herself! We will reschedule the holy hilarity for the future (and will be looking for the funniest among you to help us out!)

 

The Gospel reading this week, the Good Samaritan, is a familiar one, but one which always has something to teach us. We’ll be singing some wonderful hymns to complement the readings: “Joyful, Joyful We Adore Thee”; “Holy, Holy, Holy” (Don Brandt’s favorite); and “Precious Lord, Take My Hand” which is Karen Sweet’s favorite hymn.

 

Preschool update: The Preschool Board has hired a new director! Her name is Pam McAllister. She will be available at the Ice Cream Social on July 17^th for a Meet & Greet time. A search for an additional teacher is continuing—please stay tuned for more information.

 

Ice Cream Social: Don’t forget to buy your tickets this Sunday for the annual Ice Cream Social! This event will be on Wednesday, July 17 starting at 6:30 pm. There will be a bouncy house/castle for the kids, and the Sinful Saints band will be here to provide musical entertainment. See you there!

 

Baptism: If you are considering baptism, we have added a date this summer: Sunday, July 28^th. Please contact Pr. Carrie ASAP if you are interested in scheduling a baptism that day! That day we will celebrate the baptisms of Logan, Aiden and Arlo, and will recognize the baptism of Hannah (who was baptized in the hospital a few months ago.) Thanks be to God!

 

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This Week’s Texts: 8^th Sunday after Pentecost

 

Prayer of the Day: 

O Lord God, your mercy delights us,
and the world longs for your loving care.
Hear the cries of everyone in need,
and turn our hearts to love our neighbors with the love of your Son,
Jesus Christ, our Savior and Lord. Amen.

 

First Reading

Deuteronomy 30:9–14

Moses calls the people who are about to enter the promised land to renew the covenant God made with their ancestors. Through this covenant God gives life and asks for obedience. God's commandment is neither burdensome nor too far off, but dwells in the people's own hearts.

⁹and the LORD your God will make you abundantly prosperous in all your undertakings, in the fruit of your body, in the fruit of your livestock, and in the fruit of your soil. For the LORD will again take delight in prospering you, just as he delighted in prospering your ancestors, ¹⁰when you obey the LORD your God by observing his commandments and decrees that are written in this book of the law, because you turn to the LORD your God with all your heart and with all your soul.
¹¹Surely, this commandment that I am commanding you today is not too hard for you, nor is it too far away. ¹²It is not in heaven, that you should say, "Who will go up to heaven for us, and get it for us so that we may hear it and observe it?" ¹³Neither is it beyond the sea, that you should say, "Who will cross to the other side of the sea for us, and get it for us so that we may hear it and observe it?" ¹⁴No, the word is very near to you; it is in your mouth and in your heart for you to observe.

 

Psalm 25: 1-10 (The Message Version) 

 

1 My head is high, God, held high; 2 I'm looking to you, God; No hangdog skulking for me. 3 I've thrown in my lot with you; You won't embarrass me, will you? Or let my enemies get the best of me? Don't embarrass any of us who went out on a limb for you. It's the traitors who should be humiliated. 4 Show me how you work, God; School me in your ways. 5 Take me by the hand; Lead me down the path of truth. You are my Savior, aren't you? 6 Mark the milestones of your mercy and love, God; Rebuild the ancient landmarks! 7 Forget that I sowed wild oats; Mark me with your sign of love. Plan only the best for me, God! 8 God is fair and just; He corrects the misdirected, Sends them in the right direction. 9 He gives the rejects his hand, And leads them step-by-step. 10 From now on every road you travel will take you to God. Follow the Covenant signs; Read the charted directions.

 

Second Reading

Colossians 1:1–14

The letter to the Colossians was written to warn its readers of various false teachings. The first part of the letter is an expression of thanks for the faith, hope, and love that mark this community, including a prayer for strength and courage from Paul.

Paul, an apostle of Christ Jesus by the will of God, and Timothy our brother,
²To the saints and faithful brothers and sisters in Christ in Colossae:
Grace to you and peace from God our Father.
³In our prayers for you we always thank God, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, ⁴for we have heard of your faith in Christ Jesus and of the love that you have for all the saints, ⁵because of the hope laid up for you in heaven. You have heard of this hope before in the word of the truth, the gospel ⁶that has come to you. Just as it is bearing fruit and growing in the whole world, so it has been bearing fruit among yourselves from the day you heard it and truly comprehended the grace of God. ⁷This you learned from Epaphras, our beloved fellow servant. He is a faithful minister of Christ on your behalf, ⁸and he has made known to us your love in the Spirit.
⁹For this reason, since the day we heard it, we have not ceased praying for you and asking that you may be filled with the knowledge of God's will in all spiritual wisdom and understanding, ¹⁰so that you may lead lives worthy of the Lord, fully pleasing to him, as you bear fruit in every good work and as you grow in the knowledge of God. ¹¹May you be made strong with all the strength that comes from his glorious power, and may you be prepared to endure everything with patience, while joyfully ¹²giving thanks to the Father, who has enabled you to share in the inheritance of the saints in the light. ¹³He has rescued us from the power of darkness and transferred us into the kingdom of his beloved Son, ¹⁴in whom we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins.

 

 

Gospel

Luke 10:25–37

Jesus is challenged to explain what is involved in obeying the greatest commandment. Jesus tells a parable rich in surprises: those expected to show pity display hard hearts while the lowly give and receive unexpected and lavish mercy.

²⁵Just then a lawyer stood up to test Jesus. "Teacher," he said, "what must I do to inherit eternal life?" ²⁶He said to him, "What is written in the law? What do you read there?" ²⁷He answered, "You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your strength, and with all your mind; and your neighbor as yourself." ²⁸And he said to him, "You have given the right answer; do this, and you will live."
²⁹But wanting to justify himself, he asked Jesus, "And who is my neighbor?" ³⁰Jesus replied, "A man was going down from Jerusalem to Jericho, and fell into the hands of robbers, who stripped him, beat him, and went away, leaving him half dead. ³¹Now by chance a priest was going down that road; and when he saw him, he passed by on the other side. ³²So likewise a Levite, when he came to the place and saw him, passed by on the other side. ³³But a Samaritan while traveling came near him; and when he saw him, he was moved with pity. ³⁴He went to him and bandaged his wounds, having poured oil and wine on them. Then he put him on his own animal, brought him to an inn, and took care of him. ³⁵The next day he took out two denarii, gave them to the innkeeper, and said, 'Take care of him; and when I come back, I will repay you whatever more you spend.' ³⁶Which of these three, do you think, was a neighbor to the man who fell into the hands of the robbers?" ³⁷He said, "The one who showed him mercy." Jesus said to him, "Go and do likewise."

 

 

Peace,

Pr. Carrie Smith

[Bethany Lutheran Church] Wednesday Words for July 3, 2013

Pastor Carrie is on vacation this week.  Look for her Wednesday Words, next week, July 10.

 

In our prayers: The family of Pauline Steinsdorfer, whose funeral service is today and Joyce Zange on the passing of her mother, funeral services Saturday, July 6.    

A few quick reminders: Your Bethany Weekly Newsletter is attached to this e-mail. Please remember that it may show up as a link at the bottom of this e-mail, rather than as a regular attachment. Enjoy!

 

Vacation Bible School is just around the corner! (July 15-19). The registration link can be found in the Bethany Weekly Newsletter. The VBS Team has a few needs. If you have any of these to donate or lend, please bring them to church (and label those which should be returned):

• Large stuffed woodland animals
• toy binoculars and magnifying glasses
• coffee cans with lids, oatmeal canisters and the like
• big flat magnets
• 1 inch thick, 8-9 inch long sticks
• camping equipment (pup tent, hiker’s backpack, kayak)

 

Christmas in July donations may be returned to the boxes by the Christmas Tree in the Gathering Area. If you didn’t receive an item from last week’s reverse offering, look for the Christmas in July shopping list link in your Bethany Weekly Newsletter. 

 

Zero Waste Challenge resumes. Bring your items July 7, 14 & 21 and place them in the special boxes in Luther Hall.   

 

Ice Cream Social is Wednesday, July 17 - 6:30 to 8:30 p.m. Tickets are for sale at the Hospitality Desk on Sunday mornings.

Attachments:

Bethany Weekly 7-3-13.pdf

This email sent by:

Kelly Efken

[Bethany Lutheran Church] Funeral Arrangements for Pauline Steinsdorfer

This announcement is from Bethany Lutheran Church

Funeral Arrangements for Pauline Steinsdorfer

Dear Bethany Sisters and Brothers,   Today we mourn the passing of Bethany member, Pauline Steinsdorfer, mother of Sandi Steinsdorfer, cousin of Lois Hartman and Lolly Kloepfer.  Pauline died on Sunday, June 30, 2013.   Funeral arrangements are as follows:   Visitation Tuesday, July 2, 2013 4:00 p.m. - 8:00 p.m. Querhammer & Flagg Funeral Home 500 West Terra Cotta Ave Crystal Lake, IL 60014 (815) 459-1760   Visitation Wednesday, July 3, 2013 9:00 a.m. - 10:00 a.m. Bethany Lutheran Church   Funeral Service Wednesday, July 3, 2013 10:00 a.m. Bethany Lutheran Church   Burial at McHenry County Memorial Park.   No luncheon at the church.   Please keep the Steinsdorfer family in your prayers.

[ MemberId=815575 OrgId=1184 GroupId=37121 ]

[Bethany Lutheran Church] Wednesday Words for June 26, 2013

Wednesday Words for June 26, 2013

from Pastor Carrie Smith

Thought for the Day: 

“If the gospel isn't good news for everybody, then it isn't good news for anybody.” 
― Rob Bell, Velvet Elvis: Repainting the Christian Faith 

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Your Bethany Weekly Newsletter is attached to this email. Please remember that it may show up as a link at the bottom of this email, rather than as a regular attachment. Enjoy!

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Tonight is Theology on Tap: I hope to see some of you in the “upper room” at Duke’s Alehouse tonight at 7:30 pm for some casual “God-talk”. Our topic tonight is “Interfaith Dialogue: what is it? why do it?” See you tonight!

Sunday at Bethany: This week we will once again be blessed with the musical talents of Kristin Lundine on the piano! Special music will be provided by a trombone trio of Rich Nielsen, Frank Zimmerman, and Kristin Lundine. What amazing talent we have at Bethany!

During communion we will sing Greg Cole’s favorite hymn: “What a Friend We Have in Jesus”. Worship will also include “Be Thou My Vision” and “Lead Me, Guide Me” which are favorites of many.

At the 8:30 a.m. service, we will welcome George Stupar as a “new” member. This may come as a surprise to many of you, since George has been here for roughly 30 years ( J ) but he’s finally decided to take the plunge! Please join me in welcoming George as an “official” member of the Bethany community.

Vacation Bible School is just around the corner! The VBS Team has a few needs. If you have any of these to donate or lend, please bring them to church (and label those which should be returned) :

• Large stuffed woodland animals
• toy binoculars and magnifying glasses
• coffee cans with lids, oatmeal canisters and the like
• big flat magnets
• 1 inch thick, 8-9 inch long sticks
• camping equipment (pup tent, hiker’s backpack, kayak)

Mental Health Board: Yep, it’s true: your senior pastor is now vice president of the McHenry County Mental Health Board. I am excited to have an opportunity to be part of ensuring there are quality mental health services in our county. I hope you will pray for me in this new role, and I welcome comments and input from those of you who have received mental health services in the county. How can services and access be improved? How can I represent the needs of you or your family?

Update from last Sunday:If you missed last Sunday’s sermon, you should know that Pr. Paul used a visual aid: the special shoes and “twister cables” that he wore on his legs as a child, to correct his crooked feet. Thanks for a great sermon, Pr. Paul! After the service, the Heisler family determined that these shoes were in fact made at Heisler’s Bootery here in Crystal Lake!

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This Week’s Texts: 6^th Sunday after Pentecost

PRAYER OF THE DAY

Sovereign God, ruler of all hearts,

you call us to obey you, and you favor us with true freedom.

Keep us faithful to the ways of your Son,

that, leaving behind all that hinders us,

we may steadfastly follow your paths,

through Jesus Christ, our Savior and Lord. Amen.

 

FIRST READING

1 Kings 19:15–16, 19–21

¹⁵Then the LORD said to him, "Go, return on your way to the wilderness of Damascus; when you arrive, you shall anoint Hazael as king over Aram. ¹⁶Also you shall anoint Jehu son of Nimshi as king over Israel; and you shall anoint Elisha son of Shaphat of Abel-meholah as prophet in your place. ¹⁹So he set out from there, and found Elisha son of Shaphat, who was plowing. There were twelve yoke of oxen ahead of him, and he was with the twelfth. Elijah passed by him and threw his mantle over him. ²⁰He left the oxen, ran after Elijah, and said, "Let me kiss my father and my mother, and then I will follow you." Then Elijah said to him, "Go back again; for what have I done to you?" ²¹He returned from following him, took the yoke of oxen, and slaughtered them; using the equipment from the oxen, he boiled their flesh, and gave it to the people, and they ate. Then he set out and followed Elijah, and became his servant.

 

PSALM (ELW)

Psalm 16

¹Protect me, O God, for I take ref- ^| uge in you;

     I have said to the LORD, "You are my Lord, my good a- ^| bove all other."

²All my delight is in the godly that are ^| in the land,

     upon those who are noble a- ^| mong the people.

³But those who run after ^| other gods

     shall have their troubles ^| multiplied.

⁴I will not pour out drink offerings ^| to such gods,

     never take their names up- ^| on my lips.   R

⁵O LORD, you are my portion ^| and my cup;

     it is you who up- ^| hold my lot.

⁶My boundaries enclose a ^| pleasant land;

     indeed, I have a ^| rich inheritance.

⁷I will bless the LORD who ^| gives me counsel;

     my heart teaches me night ^| after night.

⁸I have set the LORD al- ^| ways before me;

     because God is at my right hand, I shall ^| not be shaken.   R

⁹My heart, therefore, is glad, and my spir- ^| it rejoices;

     my body also shall ^| rest in hope.

¹⁰For you will not abandon me ^| to the grave,

     nor let your holy one ^| see the pit.

¹¹You will show me the ^| path of life;

     in your presence there is fullness of joy,

     and in your right hand are pleasures for- ^| evermore.   R

 

 

SECOND READING

Galatians 5:1, 13–25

For freedom Christ has set us free. Stand firm, therefore, and do not submit again to a yoke of slavery.
¹³For you were called to freedom, brothers and sisters only do not use your freedom as an opportunity for self-indulgence, but through love become slaves to one another. ¹⁴For the whole law is summed up in a single commandment, "You shall love your neighbor as yourself." ¹⁵If, however, you bite and devour one another, take care that you are not consumed by one another.
¹⁶Live by the Spirit, I say, and do not gratify the desires of the flesh. ¹⁷For what the flesh desires is opposed to the Spirit, and what the Spirit desires is opposed to the flesh; for these are opposed to each other, to prevent you from doing what you want. ¹⁸But if you are led by the Spirit, you are not subject to the law. ¹⁹Now the works of the flesh are obvious: fornication, impurity, licentiousness, ²⁰idolatry, sorcery, enmities, strife, jealousy, anger, quarrels, dissensions, factions, ²¹envy, drunkenness, carousing, and things like these. I am warning you, as I warned you before: those who do such things will not inherit the kingdom of God.
²²By contrast, the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, generosity, faithfulness, ²³gentleness, and self-control. There is no law against such things. ²⁴And those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires. ²⁵If we live by the Spirit, let us also be guided by the Spirit.

 

 

GOSPEL

Luke 9:51–62

⁵¹When the days drew near for him to be taken up, he set his face to go to Jerusalem. ⁵²And he sent messengers ahead of him. On their way they entered a village of the Samaritans to make ready for him; ⁵³but they did not receive him, because his face was set toward Jerusalem. ⁵⁴When his disciples James and John saw it, they said, "Lord, do you want us to command fire to come down from heaven and consume them?" ⁵⁵But he turned and rebuked them. ⁵⁶Then they went on to another village.
⁵⁷As they were going along the road, someone said to him, "I will follow you wherever you go." ⁵⁸And Jesus said to him, "Foxes have holes, and birds of the air have nests; but the Son of Man has nowhere to lay his head." ⁵⁹To another he said, "Follow me." But he said, "Lord, first let me go and bury my father." ⁶⁰But Jesus said to him, "Let the dead bury their own dead; but as for you, go and proclaim the kingdom of God." ⁶¹Another said, "I will follow you, Lord; but let me first say farewell to those at my home." ⁶²Jesus said to him, "No one who puts a hand to the plow and looks back is fit for the kingdom of God."

 

Peace,

+ Pastor Carrie Smith

carrie.smith@bethanylc.com

Attachments:

Bethany Weekly 6-26-13.pdf

This email sent by:

Carrie Smith