Category: 'Family'
Nearly 100 fathers and their princesses started their Father’s Day weekend with a bang at Mt. Bethel’s first-ever Father/Daughter Dance on June 14.
Couples decked out in royal attire were greeted by a beautiful Princess handing out candy rings and necklaces. Appetites were filled with pink and purple chocolate fountains and too many other sweets to list! To burn off the sugar, the wonderful disc jockey funneled the energy into two hours of activities and music that kept the dance floor hopping all night!
The sell-out dance sponsored by Men’s Ministry promises to become an annual event. Mark your calendars for next June!
A huge thank you to the Kitchen Staff, Facilities, and the many volunteers who made this evening truly “Enchanted” for everyone. Be sure to check out the formal pictures that were taken, along with over 200 candid pictures from the evening.
The Mt. Bethel Foster Care Ministry and Cornerstone Family Services celebrated one year of service on June 8. Thanks to the support and encouragement of the Mt Bethel Missions Committee, Administrative Board, and many friends, the Foster Care Ministry has made a profound difference in the lives of thirty five Cobb County foster children. Also during this year, four additional churches in the area have begun Foster Care Ministries modeled after the Mt Bethel ministry.
Through the compassionate response of almost twenty families who have hosted children in their homes, these thirty five children have experienced living in a loving, compassionate, nurturing family environment. They have experienced Mt Bethel Sunday School lessons and nursery; Mt Bethel athletics and music programs; Mt Bethel generosity and support; and most importantly they have experienced the grace of God through Mt Bethel families.
Even though these children have experienced the compassion of Mt Bethel members, over 250 additional children needed foster homes during this same time…..and we had no homes to accommodate them. As members of Mt Bethel, you have the ability and opportunity to help solve a very serious problem with the foster care system in Georgia….not enough foster homes. In Cobb County alone, there are over 500 foster children and only 100 foster homes. Your home and family could be one of those loving, nurturing and compassionate homes that make a profound difference in the lives and destinies of these children in need.
Through a partnership with Cornerstone Family Services, the Foster Care Ministry recruits and trains foster parents, places foster children in foster homes, and supports foster families in their mission endeavor. The rewards for fostering are enormous and lasting, for both the foster child and the family. You too could make a profound difference in the lives and destinies of Cobb County children.
Call Wayne Stolz at 770-565-7521, or send a note to westolz@bellsouth.net for more information about becoming a foster parent.
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.
We’ve posted 139 pictures from the week — check them out here!
Georgia has over 13,000 foster children - some fortunate to have loving foster parents and some older youth residing in foster group homes. If statistics remain the same, only 2000 of these children will graduate from high school. The result of that is generational foster care and poverty.
These least & lost are in need of caring adults to offer support & guidance. The difference an adult can make helps create responsible citizens and strong families. Cornerstone Ministries has a need for foster parents and Opportunity Knocks for Youth has a need for mentors and other volunteers to offer work experiences. Mentoring a teenage youth requires only 4-5 hours a month while the rewards will be so much greater. A weekly contact with a teen, who may believe that no one cares, is powerful & meaningful.
As Jesus said to Peter, “if you love me, then feed my sheep“.
If you have the heart to help, please call Bill Spell, Board Chair - Volunteers, at 404/245-2274, or Dale Champion, Director, at 678/641-1968.
In June, Mt Bethel’s Foster Care Ministry will be one year old. Seventeen families have been trained and are serving as foster parents; and 35 children have spent time in the homes of these foster parents. Mt Bethel families, by turning their Compassion into Action, have significantly changed the lives and destinies of these children.
The Mt. Bethel Foster Care Ministry has the mission to recruit, train, and support foster families. Through our partnership with Cornerstone Family Services, a Christian foster family ministry, families will receive all necessary training, and ongoing support and supervision as they host foster children in their homes.
If you are interested in learning more about this important mission and how you may participate in our foster care ministry, please attend an informational meeting on Saturday June 14, from 9:30 am until noon at Mt. Bethel. For questions or to reserve a spot at the Orientation meeting, please call Wayne Stolz, a Mt. Bethel Foster Care Ministry volunteer at 770-565-7521, or send a note to westolz@bellsouth.net.
What happens when you give over 300 children 7,000 beads and 1,100 pieces of rope with a MISSION? It creates a purpose, a challenge, and an opportunity to share a little bit of love with other children in the world. Sunday, April 13th was our 2nd “Kids In Motion” Mission Focus program for our children at Mt.Bethel during the Sunday School hour. The program is designed to support Mt. Bethel’s “Compassion Into Action through the Power and Presence of Jesus Christ” as well as our focus for children to (SPLAT) serve, pray, love, and teach the word of God.
Something incredible happens when an ordinary craft turns into a gift for someone else…that craft now symbolizes a token of love and the Holy Spirit encompasses the effort in the classroom. Teachers and children work hand in hand putting knots in rope, threading beads, and praying for the child that will receive their gift. The result 1,100 salvation bracelets to share with our family in Kwambakenya and the body of Christ in action! Kids want to make a difference in their world and they want to do it now…through this program we are able to offer children age appropriate activities that foster fellowship, service, love and actually “putting compassion into action”!
Rev. Carey Akin shared pictures and stories of the children that will be receiving the bracelets in Kwambekenya Africa April 17th-April 26th when himself, Dr. Randy Mickler and our mission team will travelto Africa to work with our family in Kwambekenya. Although the children of Mt. Bethel will not be boarding the plane they will be in prayer and spirit with our mission team through this act of service and love. Oh what a mighty God we serve!
“Don’t let anyone look down on you beauseyou are young, but set an example for the believers in speech, in life, in love, in faith and in purity.” 1 Timothy 4:12
Blessings,
Your Children’s Ministry Team
Have you ever had a CD that brings you joy from the first to the last song? A couple years ago I found “that” CD. It was a contemporary arrangement of classic hymns, and it flooded memories of my grandmother worshipping God from her kitchen. The music brought me great joy and served as the perfect travel piece for the many carpool runs I made during the day with a preschooler and elementary aged child.
One afternoon when I picked up my daughter from school I had “that” CD playing in the car, she asked, “Mom can you play #9″? Well, song #9 was an arrangement of “By and By” sung in the language of Kituba from Africa. I played the song and took just a moment to see what it was about this song that she enjoyed so much. I pulled over and in the rearview mirror I watched her expressions while she listened to the song. My 7 year old daughter and my 4 year old son where truly enjoying the song. I thought my children just tolerated my choice of music, but they where actually listening, in fact they had a favorite song on my CD and knew the number. When I asked them what they liked about the song so much, considering they couldn’t understand the lyrics, my daughter replied, “they are praising my God”.
She didn’t overthink it, she didn’t question the words, she allowed the music to take her senses to a state of worship. The words were spoken in a language she had never heard or understood, but she could hear the celebration of our King beating through the drums and carrying through the voices lifted in praise.
The children of God break all language, culture, and economic barriers. It’s a celebration of love, and it beats with the heart of every child. Can you hear it?
At Mt. Bethel we are blessed to share that celebration with God’s children and are intentional in efforts to connect the children at Mt. Bethel to God’s children both locally and globally. “Kids In Motion” is a new program designed to give children a “hands on” approach to serving, praying and understanding God’s big world and all His children. Children will participate in “hands on” mission projects to prepare, pack, and make items during Sunday School to be shared with children locally and globally. Check out “Kids In Motion” and other programs for children on our website.
Sherri Juliani, Elementary Coordinator, Children’s Ministries
The first year I brought my children to the live nativity at Mt. Bethel I had hopes of a deep rich spiritual connection for my family. The December night air was crisp and cool, and my husband and I began to share the story with our children as we approached the humble manger scene. As we walked up to the cradle we realized our children were both distracted by other activity around the manger. My son was fascinated with the chicken, and later cried because the chicken wouldn’t stop running so he could pick it up and love on it. My daughter was enjoying the warmth from a little pit fire close by, and visiting with friends. Not the connection I had hoped for at all that night at the live nativity.
As I watched my children I began to reflect on my personal experience with the live nativity. As a child I was amazed by the angel and thought that was the miracle of the story. When I met Jesus for the first time I made a connection with the baby in the cradle. The precious Christ child, Emmanuel, Prince of Peace, Lord of Lords, King of Kings. When I became a mother I connected with Mary, the mother of Jesus. I could imagine the earthly love she had for her Son as she watched his lips curl in a smile, his little feet take their first steps, his hand hold hers. I cried for her thinking about the final days she would share with her son and the events that would take place on the road to the cross.
As my spiritual journey continued, I connected with the events of this precious night in history that would change the world forever. The reason for Christmas, the gift of hope and peace for the entire world, lie in the wooden cradle on a stable floor. I know how the story ends, that precious baby represents my savior, my Jesus. I know his blood will be shed on the cross for my sins. I know the victory of the empty tomb on Easter morning. I know the love of God the Father is eternal and everlasting: “For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.” John 3:16.
This year I wonder where the nativity will take me? Will it be the simplicity of the night? The only sparkling and twinkling lights will be those placed in the sky by God the Father. The only sound will be of the animals and the baby. The only focus will be on the hope that lies in the manger, the true gift of Christmas…the baby Jesus.
How will you connect this Christmas season with the live nativity? Join us Wednesday December 19-Friday December 21 from 6:30-8:00 pm in the front parking lot for the live nativity. Where will it take you?
Merry Christmas!
Sherri Juliani
Elementary Coordinator, Children’s Ministries
We are approaching the final chapter of a year long outreach mission project with Children’s Ministries and Missions at Mt. Bethel UMC. In Christmas of 2006 we sent a few blankets, that were made by children during summer Vacation Bible School programs, with a mission team to Atacucho, Ecuador.
The Director of Missions was thrilled by the excitement of the children that received the blankets, but we only sent a few…there was a much greater need. As Children’s Ministries developed a new program on Wednesday nights for Mothers and their tween daughters (GOD’s G.I.R.L.S.) we adopted this project as a weekly mission to make more blankets for the children in Ecuador. Something beautiful happened each week the girls and their moms got together and tied knots between two pieces of fleece. Relationships grew, Christian service was modeled and mentored, and a hunger was put on the hearts of all who prayed and tied the blankets.
Our Youth adopted this mission project during their D-NOW weekend retreat and added to the growing number. Every program we had with children over the summer we continued tying knots in blankets of fleece. The Holy Spirit was guiding the entire project and blessing each blanket and those that labored over it. Fleece blankets were being made and at the same time the Body of Christ was in motion and bound by the soft texute of the fleece, the bright colorful patterns, and the love of a Savior.
Our Children’s Ministry Director and Mission’s Director teamed to make this a goal to have 1200 blankets for Christmas 2007 to take to Atacucho, Ecuador. We have around 900 to date and they are piling in our doors everyday. Boy and Girl Scout Troops, circles, neighborhoods, schools, offices, Sunday School classes, and churches have all participated in this mission project. Grandparents with their grandchildren, sleepovers, small group meetings, families at home, the list goes on of the hands that God has used to tie these blankets of love together. What a precious blessing to see God take the need of comfort and warmth and use the hearts and hands of children in another country to supply a gift of not only physical warmth but the warmth of spiritual love through our precious savior Jesus Christ.
Generations have experienced this project called “Blankets of Love” and children on different continents are tied together through a knot, a prayer, and a blanket of love in the name of Jesus Christ. Those are the ties that bind!
“I will give you the keys to the kingdom of heaven; whatever you bind on earth will be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth will be loosed in heaven.” Matthew 16:19
If you would like to contribute to this project please feel free to contact Dianne Hylton (Director of Children’s Ministry) or Sherry Reed (Missions) for more information.
To God be the Glory!
Sherri Juliani
Elementary Coordinator
Children’s Ministries
Mt. Bethel received spontaneous offerings after the 9:30 & 11:00 worship services in the Sanctuary. The sermon’s topic was “How Could Anyone Abuse a Child?” The offerings totaled $133,000. The disbursement is as follows:
- Murphy Harpst Children’s Home — $30,000
- North Georgia Conference’s Children’s Home — $10,000
- St. Philip UMC’s Children Ministry — $66,000
- Camp Hope — $10,000
- East Cobb Youth — $20,000
May God bless each contributor and may each of you know that God has blessed some of His most special children through your generosity.
Randy
Nearly 100 fathers and their princesses started their Father’s Day weekend with a bang at Mt. Bethel’s first-ever Father/Daughter Dance on June 14.
