I am sure there are other churches, besides Bethel, where the church’s leadership spends a day and a night together each year at a prayer-and-planning retreat, but I honestly do not know of any (and I think it is fair to say that that the practice is rare).  However, this is the habit of Bethel’s leaders, and I think it speaks highly of their love for Bethel Church and their dedication to the church’s ministry.

So what happened at this gathering of over thirty Bethel Council members and ministry leaders that took place last Friday and Saturday?  The short and honest answer is:  more than I possibly can say; however, I will pass on a few highlights: 

• The group felt that progress has been made in deepening the sense of community in Bethel over the past year.  They don’t want the movement in this direction to stop.
  
  
• They believe that a priority this year should be creating a welcoming and enfolding ministry that will allow guests to feel the warmth of Bethel church, get all the information they require easily, and become fully involved in the church.
  
  
• All agreed that we need to improve communication at Bethel, so that all members are notified as rapidly as possible of needs and good-news reports from the church community.  (A new approach to communication will be implemented soon!)
  
  
• The group endorsed a strategy for pursuing our goal of being a vibrant church of prayer by [the end of] 2014.  Each team and ministry in Bethel will be asked to identify how they will make prayer a number one priority for their group to ensure that everything we undertake at Bethel is undergirded by prayer.  (Joanne Rozendaal will help groups in this process.)
  

This year’s leadership retreat was called “Chasing the Dream.”  I believe our time together was another small, but important step forward in seeing God’s dream for Bethel Church come true.--Pastor Tom

The Food Bank has been a staple Bethel ministry for nearly 20 years now. Corrie Vanderzee has led the ministry almost from the day of its inception in 1994.  (She ran the ministry for 17 years, turned it over to Laura Hutchinson for two, and is now at the helm again.) In a ministry like this, you don’t often get to see how your efforts pay off long-term in the lives of those you serve, but recently we got a happy surprise. 

We received a call at the church from a woman saying that she would like to make a donation to the food bank.  It was an unusual request since we don’t normally take donations—the food is all provided from a central distributer.  The woman explained: she once used the food bank at a time in her life when she was down and out.  Now she is back on her feet, and she was eager to give back.  Later, when she stopped by the church to make her donation, she briefly described her current work life.  She is indeed doing very well for herself.  What a success story!

Perhaps you are working as a volunteer in the church.  There are probably times when you wonder if your hard work is making any difference.   Be encouraged.  This story is evidence of how God uses our efforts to touch the lives of people even when we don't know it.--Pastor Tom