What a better way to have fun and fellowship than dancing, singing, and acting in this year’s Music Week Production of Disney’s Aristocats, Kids? This year children from 1st to 6th grade will rotate through drama classes, dance classes, bell and chimes classes, music classes, and the children’s favorite class, lunch. These kids will have many opportunities to have fun with their friends while learning music and acting skills through fellowship shared with our talented Music Ministry Staff. Be sure to check out the final product this Friday, the 25th at 7:00pm. Meow!
To go along with our recaps from a few weeks ago, here are some more thoughts from Camp Infusion (and a video!).
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We are BACK! Camp INFUSION was great. GOD MOVED throughout the week in the kids, leaders, band and speaker. WE ARE PRAISING OUR GOD FOR A WONDERFUL WEEK, GOD IS SO COOL! We also appreciate the support of all the parents and volunteers who gave of their time and prayers.
The first night of camp we all hung out, met our “UNITS” and then rocked out with SERAPH (the band). The excitement was contagious as everyone headed back to the cabins to try and get some sleep. In cabins 11& 12 (my cabins), it was tough to go to sleep with all the stories being told, laughter, and energy that was still reverberating from the band’s amazing kick off.
We started each morning off the right way, with our focus on Jesus! We discussed the importance of quiet time and then had some quiet time where we read lyrics and sat and listened to what God might have to say to us through those lyrics. Later we met again with our UNIT to create an army cadence to show our team spirit. The afternoon consisted of extreme blobs during free time, a hike to the waterfall, etc. That night was our first time to experience the message from Rob. He challenged us to lose our survivor mentality and let God take control.
We kicked off the next two days in similar fashion, except this time we were able to listen to songs during our morning devotional. Fierce UNIT competition continued with shaving cream pictionary and egg creek crossing. At night Rob went into the armor of God (Eph. 6: 10-17) and he went into detail on how we need to use the defensive weapons to stand up for our faith.
Thursday was sadly our last and final full day at INFUSION but the Big Red Ball made a smashing appearance! UNIT competition was intense, with the bananas squeaking out a victory in an epic relay race. The Mt. Bethel staff/ adults proudly brought home a win against the camp Winfield staff. But the day belonged to the ORANGE team (OJ the Christian way) who won the UNIT competition and were crowned champions! Rob concluded his series with a message on the offensive weapons of God, prayer and the bible. After the message the campers were sent to their cabins to write two “love” letters to people who have had an impact on their lives.
Our prayer for all our youth that came to camp is that they will continue to grow their faith and they will know that the leaders pray for them still. Thank you parents for trusting us with your children. I know that I personally did not have any problems with my cabin or unit which is a testimony to how they have been raised. I hope that I have helped give a little insight to our camping experience and I hope your student or students had fun fellowshipping with each other and growing their faith. Thank you again, to God be the glory!
- Drew Peters (Middle School Intern – aka Captain D)
On June 16th, over 40 women and children from the Abundant Life Circle, the Wings Circle, and other church and community volunteers met for 2-1/2 hours to produce 1200 sandwiches and lunch bags for the MUST Summer Lunch Program – what a great operation! That’s A LOT of lunches, folks! We pre-packed 1200 lunch bags (many were decorated) with a juice box, banana and pretzels. And we made 1200 ham and cheese sandwiches! All of these were delivered to a MUST staging center for disbursement. These lunches are then distributed to children who usually participate in the lunch program at their school during the school year.
Thank you to each of the women who took time out of their schedules to participate in this mission project!
Mary Allphin, thank you so much for keeping the ball rolling to the right people and for passing along this wonderful mission opportunity!
Cathy Fletcher, thank you for organizing this event on behalf of the Abundant Life Circle. It was such a great opportunity to work beside women in the Wings Circle and others that just wanted to help. We had at least 3 “neighbors” of church members who wanted to come help and also brought their children!
The Children were an amazing help and scurried around the entire time loading the lunch bags, decorating bags, or making sandwiches! Thanks to the Moms who provided this opportunity for their children!
Finally, thank you to Jan Miller and the kitchen staff for getting us perfectly stocked for this event!
There likely are other roles and people involved that we have failed to thank. Please pass along our gratitude to them! How touching and inspiring to experience the outpouring of our church community and beyond, and to be a part of the nourishment we have been able to provide to so many children!
Kelley Costantino and Allison Redhead Incoming Abundant Life Circle Co-Chairs
Take a tour of God’s Zoo from the privacy of your own home! MBUMC’S nursery, God’s Zoo, is finally in the 21st century. Watch the video below, which highlights all the amenities our nursery offers your precious little ones.
Camp Infusion was held last week and was an incredible experience for all who attended. You can check out a few hundred photos here, or keep reading to hear some first-hand account of the trip.
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Oh what a mighty God we serve!
We watched upper elementary students build relationships with their upcoming student ministry leaders, we watched college interns connect with students, we watched parents that volunteered their service connect with their children and their peers. Several parent leaders ministered side by side with their adult child. God used different generations to build relationships at the foot of the Cross!
I am thankful for the opportunity to partner with Dianne, Sarah Beth, Justin and Chris in prayer, planning, and preparation for an amazing week of ministry at Camp Infusion! What a testimony to see the Holy Spirit at work!
Our prayer is that this week of basic training (2 Timothy 3:16) ignites each student’s desire to grow in relationship through a life of prayer, wisdom through study of the Holy Bible, continued fellowship with the Body of Christ, and an overflowing love that only our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ can fill their hearts with.
What a fantastic week we had at Infusion Camp. I wish you all could have been there.
It was an inspiring week. A week where we invested our time with the students and made new friends and built new relationships.
Rob Perry, the speaker and Seraph, the band ingrained the work of God into our hearts and minds.
The students spirits were ignited to go and share the word of God with the world in service to our Lord.
My prayer is that we walked away with hearts, minds and souls ingrained with God’s word and joyfully commit to be contagious with our faith in Jesus. I believe that we accomplished that.
Thanks to Sarah Beth for leading a terrific team, the Sherri for an ultimate unit time where we work together in teams to make missions happen, to Justin who never fails to bring joy and fun to the group and to Chris for the games that will forever be in our memories.
What a pleasure being able to be a part of a new adventure in the Mt Bethel UMC ever expanding ways.
In case you missed it at the end of VBS last week (or if you just want to see it again), here is the excellent video that was produced to show the highlights of the week. Enjoy!
Looks like we are having our biggest VBS or close to it. Last July we passed the 700 kids mark, and today, we show 706 kids registered for VBS. We have 174+teen helpers and 100+ Adult Helpers. We are close to 1000 people present and involved.
A HUGE thank you to our kitchen staff who graciously handled our overwhelming numbers for lunch and snacks. Again we are reaching out to the community with many kids from other churches or no church home. We registered over 43 walk in registrations this afternoon, many saying they have heard what a wonderful VBS we have.
THANKS to an outstanding Facilities staff and many other staff members who have pitched in and helped with greeting, directions, check in, and much more. It’s a group effort and we can truly be proud of how the Mt. Bethel Family works together.
There is no “season” of Compassion Into Action! It doesn’t begin and end with certain dates. Sometimes I think people honestly believe that their Christian responsibilities and duties follow the school’s calendar. When summer rolls around, it’s quitting time!!
Last week, one of the first weeks of summer, we had to close three children’s Sunday School classes. The reason was not because of a lack of students, material, or space . . . it’s because of a lack of volunteer teachers. One mother was most upset when she was told that she could not drop her child off for Sunday School, unless she volunteered to help teach the class. She stomped and she fussed, “You can’t do this! Someone should have announced this policy from the pulpit” We did. “Someone should have publicized this in the bulletin!” We did. “Someone should have mailed postcards to communicate this need!” We did. “How can we rectify this situation?” Well, you can volunteer to teach your child! Why is it that some parents want, expect, even demand that someone else teach their child the Christian Faith? Every Baptized child’s parents have vowed before God to do what the church is begging them to do. Amazing. “Compassion Into Action” is the motto regarding our discipleship and missions ministries. It never rests and it begins with our own.
Consider what some are doing with “Compassion Into Action” this summer. Just last week, our Girl Scout Troop 2033 made 2,400 lunches for MUST Ministries. Soon, the Abundant Life Circle will be packing 1,200 more lunches. For 30 years, Mt. Bethel has provided volunteers for the MUST overnight shelter. (We need volunteers immediately for this ministry to continue).
Other “Compassion Into Action” ministries include the Hope Center Baby Thrift Store, the USO, youth mentoring projects, Foster Care support, knitting and quilting for those most in need, Any Soldier packing, Katrina rebuilding and St. Philip missions. In addition, mission trips are heading for Kenya, Romania, Costa Rica, Austria and Ecuador. Amazing!
I invite you to consider the place God has in your life. Many of us are living as if the Heavenly Father has died! Oh, we may believe with our hearts and minds that He is alive and well, but our actions and behavior say that, as far as we are concerned, He is dead. Look at your calendar, look at your checkbook. How much time and money do you spend on yourself? How much time and money do you spend on God? There’s your answer.
Perhaps you do not believe in the Devil? Jesus did. He said, “Get behind me Satan.” He wasn’t speaking to an imaginary friend. He was speaking directly to the temptation to put self before God. The tactics of the “Evil One” are very simple. In order to convert us away from Christ, all he has to do is keep us out of church, keep us out of the Bible, and keep us off of our knees. If he can accomplish two out of those three, he’s got us.
The Church is dependent upon two things if it is to survive and thrive, the Holy Spirit and willing hearts. How willing is your heart? Your involvement is putting “Compassion Into Action” is your answer.
We have a great night for the campout! Over 170 campers enjoyed fishing, eating at the cookout, cooking S’mores over the campfire, and playing on the Field of Dreams. The kids had a blast playing with each other and their dads / grand fathers. I heard from several fathers who stated that their child had been asking about the next campout already. After lights out, the dads got to enjoy a relaxing time sitting around and swatting mosquitoes. Look for the next campout this fall.
Here are some areas around the church that need you to come volunteer.
Sunday School
Did you know that Children’s Ministry will need over 85 volunteers every Sunday from June 1 - August 10 to minister to the children who will arrive to hear the Word of God at Mt. Bethel? To volunteer, contact Janis Caverlee (preschool) or Sherri Juliani (elementary) to join the team this summer.
VBS Volunteers Needed
Youth and adult volunteers are vital to the success of Vacation Bible School. Contact Dianne Hylton if you would like to volunteer your time. A free lunch is provided.
Parking Shuttle
Our parking lot shuttle, “Toby” the golf cart, runs on Sunday mornings from 9:15 to 12:30. There are 2 shifts from 9:15 to 10:45 and 10:45 to 12:30. This is a once a month or every other month commitment. Toby is very helpful to members who park far away with small children and senior members, too. We also need parking ushers to help direct members and visitors to available spots. Contact Kibbie Jones for more information.
Greeters on Sundays
Welcome church members and visitors for a 30-minute shift for a month and rotate with two other teams every 3rd month. We rely on greeters from 9:00am to 9:30am and 10:30am to 11:00am. Substitutes are available. This is an easy way to get to know other church members. Contact Kibbie Jones for more information.
Share Your Special Talent: Come sing, come perform, share your hobby, or share your pictures from a favorite trip or special collection. Whatever you choose, we make for a great audience. Contact Dawn Reed for more information.
What a better way to have fun and fellowship than dancing, singing, and acting in this year’s Music Week Production of Disney’s Aristocats, Kids? This year children from 1st to 6th grade will rotate through drama classes, dance classes, bell and chimes classes, music classes, and the children’s favorite class, lunch. These kids will have many opportunities to have fun with their friends while learning music and acting skills through fellowship shared with our talented Music Ministry Staff. Be sure to check out the final product this Friday, the 25th at 7:00pm. Meow!
