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This Sunday We will be worshipping together through one service in person and over live-stream at 10:00 a.m. To join us online, go to Bethel’s home page and click on the button that says: “Worship Online with Us.” ​ We continue our sermon series, The Good News, this Sunday by looking at the next great speech in Acts, Peter’s message in Cornelius’ House. Peter is fresh off of a spirit-inspired vision about God’s heart and plan to include the Gentiles in his family—all peoples. While Peter and the first followers of Jesus experience this vision with surprise, this intentional inclusion of the nations was predicted and promised throughout Scripture. We are often catching up to God’s plan. Even when the Good News does what is unexpected (for us), it is always perfectly in line with God’s will and heart. Cornelius and his whole house responds in faith to the Gospel. They received the Holy Spirit and were baptized thereafter. Even as God leads the church into new ways of welcoming others, the message about Jesus remains the same in its grace, in its focus, and its call to obedience. The message this Sunday will focus on Acts 10, "The Good News Does the Unexpected."​ Our Sunday Offerings: BETHEL MINISTRIES & MISSION: This offering supports the ministries and programs of Bethel. EDMONTON FOOD BANK: To be stewards in the collection of surplus and donated food for the effective distribution, free of charge, to people in need in our community, while seeking solutions to the causes of hunger. ​ Please visit discoverbethel.com/give to see the ways that you can donate and support our different collections.​ If you have any questions about our giving options, please contact Sara at accounting@discoverbethel.com Church Family News JANE SHULTZ experienced a hard fall on Monday and broke her femur. Please pray for complete healing in her body. JOHN KOYU’S father passed away on Wednesday, September 27. Please pray for John, Sandy, and their family as they mourn this loss. Please pray for PAULINE LENDEIN as she recovers from heart surgery. Her recovery will take about three months, so our prayer is that she heals quickly and well. Congratulations to IFY NWATARALI and ELIJAH KABUYA on their wedding happening on Saturday October 7. Please keep them in your prayers as they begin this journey of love and friendship together through marriage. LINDA VROON had a third stroke this past June and suffered various side effects. A recent visit with a neurologist team, at the U of A hospital, declared satisfaction with her progress, healing and new medications declaring, “You are doing well; keep it up!” God has answered our prayers. Thanks be to Him for this miracle and, thank you Bethel for your support! Please also remember C ALVIN BRUINSMA, CURTIS COENEN, MARCEL CROCKER, MIKE JACKSON, JENNY PENFOLD, DON & ELEANOR PROKUDA, CELINE SIGVALDASON, and JILL SNEEP, as you pray for our church community. Announcements It is with gratefulness to our Lord that we have the pleasure of sharing that CATHY FERCHAU has officially accepted the half time position of Pastor of Outreach and Missions at Bethel Community Church! The anticipated start date for Cathy is mid-August. Please pray for Cathy as she prepares for her examination at the fall Classis, which is a requirement of this position. ​ PASTOR OF CONGREGATIONAL CARE AND DISCIPLESHIP + UPCOMING CONGREGATIONAL VOTE ON AUGUST 6TH: We have the pleasure of sharing that Wendy Werkman has completed her educational requirements and is now eligible for a call. You may remember that we voted to affirm Wendy back when she joined our pastoral team, and we looked forward to the day when we were able to officially call her. That time has come. We are grateful that Wendy has been serving in this role for the past year, assisting with the pastoral responsibilities at Bethel and we have already seen the benefits of having her in this position. Prior to her pastoral calling, Wendy served as the Administrator at Bethel. Wendy and her Husband Melvin have been a part of Bethel for the past 20 years. We are grateful for God’s provision in Wendy. ​ Full Council voted on the motion to recommend to the congregation that we officially call Wendy Werkman to the position of Pastor of Congregational Care and Discipleship. Council strongly affirmed this motion. We now have the wonderful opportunity to vote as a church on August 6th. This vote will be taken by ballot from Bethel members after the service. If you cannot be present in person for the vote, please submit a proxy vote by email to clerk@discoverbethel.com by midnight August 5th. ​ We are grateful for God’s call on Wendy’s life, her desire to serve at Bethel and the gifts that she brings to this position. If you have any questions about the upcoming vote, please contact the Governing Elders (governingelders@discoverbethel.com). ​ FAMILY MEAL: Calling all families!!! On August 13th after the service in the parking lot we will be hosting a Family Potluck/BBQ. Please sign up here to bring some delicious dishes or to help volunteer. For more information, please contact Elena at elena@discoverbethel.com. ​ BETTESU UNIFORM DRIVE: It’s that time of year! Time to sponsor Students in and around Bettesu, Liberia so they can attend school in September! We are hoping to sponsor 287 students for the upcoming year. Your $40 donation goes towards buying one student a uniform and all their books and school supplies for the whole school year. Please prayerfully consider sponsoring one or more students to attend school this year. See John at the back of the Sanctuary this Sunday after the service to sponsor a child. ​ YOUNG ADULTS SUMMER BIBLE STUDY: Bethel often has young adults who study abroad and come home to work for the summer months, those who stay in Edmonton during the summer with no vacation plans in sight, or those who are away maybe one or two weeks and in town the remainder. Our goal is to provide a space for young adults and any others that would like to gather for fellowship, praise music, and study of the Word. These evenings are drop-in to accommodate both vacationers and staycationers. Wednesdays, 7:00 - 9:00 p.m., July 12 - August 16, Fireside Room, Bethel Community Church. If you are interested in attending, please let Line des Rosiers know by Wednesday mornings at lindesrosiers@gmail.com or by text (780.887.2510). ​ SAVE THE DATE FOR A NEW CLASS: Starting Tuesday, September 19, we will be offering the 8-week Emotionally Healthy Spirituality course, in which we will be looking at discipleship that deeply changes our relationship with God. When we get closer to fall we will open registration. If you would like to read ahead about what this course will entail, you can find a link here. ​ WE’RE HIRING: Bethel Community Church is looking to hire an Administrative Assistant. This position is developed as a job share arrangement. Each of the employees is hired to work one half of the 0.6 FTE which the position requires. It is expected that they work two days per week. To see the job description and learn more about this position click here. If you are interested, please send your applications to hr@discoverbethel.com. ​ KID’S CAMP: Kid’s camp will run from August 14 - 18, and we need your help! There are lots of ways to volunteer and get involved. Sign up to volunteer today! For more information e-mail Grace at grace@discoverbethel.com. ​ YOUTH SUMMER CAMPS: Please pray for our youth and leaders as we will be hosting our Youth Camp this upcoming week. ​ YOUTH DAY TRIP TO SYLVAN LAKE: Youth grades 6 and up are invited to join Elena and Bethel Youth as we take a fun trip to Sylvan Lake on August 12. We will be hanging out at the Sylvan Lake Aqua Splash as well as on the beach soaking up the sun before the end of summer. We will then end our trip with supper and ice cream at The Big Moo Ice cream shop. Cost is $20 per youth. For more details and to register visit our website here or email Elena at elena@discoverbethel.com. The deadline to sign up is August 8, 2023. ​ PLOT: Drop in youth events will happen every Tuesday this summer starting Tuesday July 4th for grades 6 and up. Join us for activities like tie dye colour run, life size Monopoly, fear factor, and SO MUCH MORE!! No registration is needed and no cost! ​ THE CHURCH LIBRARY HAS PURCHASED SOME GREAT NEW BOOKS! Fiction books include Escape from Amsterdam, The Secret Keepers of Old Depot Grocery, The Swiss Nurse, The Teacher of Warsaw, Fields of Fire and Project Solomon. ​ We have 3 new books by Joel C. Rosenberg -The Persian Gamble, The Kremlin Conspiracy, The Libyan Diversion. There are 3 new autobiographies on the lives of Beth Moore, Yosely Pereira and Phillip Yancey. ​ For the Youth we have the first three books of The Secret of the Hidden Scrolls series as well as the humorous book called Average Boy’s Above-Average Year. There is an interesting easy-to-read picture book about the life of John Calvin. ​ There are two books on Indigenous Culture which explain what it means to be Aboriginal and Christian. ​ We have a number of beautiful, new picture books which will be appealing for the younger readers. ​ Come check us out after the service! Books may be checked out for up to 4 weeks. QUARTERLY STATEMENTS: The quarterly statements for June 2023 have been emailed. Please review your statements carefully and report any errors to the church office so that errors can be corrected. If you have not received your statement, please contact the church office to update your email address. ​ FINANCIAL UPDATE: Our Mission and Ministry: $65,077 was collected in the month of June for a total of $666,603 this year. $744,975 was anticipated by this time based on our restated budget for this year. Currently, the giving of the church has been greater than our expenses. We are blessed by the continued support for our ministries. Other Giving:The deacons gratefully acknowledge the following receipts for other collections taken in June: Ministry Shares: $1,555.00 OneBook: $1,350.00 The Pakitnâsowin Reciprocity Fund: $ 715.00 Refugee Fund: $2,815.00 Other Causes: $3,639.00 Community News ADEARA EVENING OF DREAMS GALA: You are invited to the Adeara Evening of Dreams Gala on October 20, 2023. For the past 25 years, Adeara has been committed to helping women overcome addiction and regain their lives because we believe that together, we can rise up and find hope even in the darkest moments. Please visit adeara.ca/EOD for more information or to register. ​ YOUTH JUSTICE PROJECT - Make a difference in your community! The Youth Justice Project is a video contest funded by NewGround (a program of Diaconal Ministries Canada). Teens from CRCs across Canada are invited to identify an injustice in their community and share ways they hope to address it, along with the deacons of their church. Approved applicants will receive up to $6,000 as well as coaching and support from NewGround staff. Get your youth group together this summer and start planning! Find out more here: www.diaconalministries.com/newground/new-ground-youth-justice-project/ ​ PREGNANCY CARE CENTRE IS HIRING: Come be a part of our team! We are currently seeking an Accounting Technician for our Edmonton location. Please click here for more information about this position. ​ VOLUNTEER WITH WORLD RENEW DISASTER RESPONSE SERVICES - Are you looking for volunteer opportunities to help others and serve God? Make a life changing difference with World Renew Disaster Response Services this fall in Boutte, Louisiana; Whatcom County, Washington; or Sarasota, Florida! For dates and more information, go to www.worldrenew.net/volunteer. We can’t wait to hear from you! ​ MAKE RECONCILIATION POSSIBLE - Healing Hearts Transforming Nations: Register today! It runs from July 30 - August 3 at Rivendell Retreat Centre. This three-day retreat aims to equip Christian leaders to be agents of healing and reconciliation. A combination of interactive teaching, group sessions, ministry times and participant interaction are used. The workshop seeks to bring healing and reconciliation to communities suffering from division and hatred. People from differing backgrounds are invited to encounter God and one another at heart level. Register here: https://shorturl.at/lnxEK. There are some scholarships available - please ask! And the setting is ideal for this work... check it out here. Weekly Calendar SUNDAY, July 23 10:00 a.m. Worship - In Person & Live Stream ​ MONDAY, July 24 10:00 a.m. Youth Camp 7:00 p.m. Prayer (Zoom) ​ TUESDAY, July 25 10:00 a.m. Youth Camp 7:00 p.m. PLOT ​ WEDNESDAY, July 26 6:30 a.m. Prayer - In Person & Zoom 10:00 a.m. Youth Camp 7:00 p.m. Young Adults Summer Bible Study 8:00 p.m. AA ​ THURSDAY, July 27 10:00 a.m. Youth Camp 7:00 p.m. Worship Practice FRIDAY, July 28 10:00 a.m. Youth Camp 1:45 p.m. Food Bank - Parking lot SATURDAY, July 29