BILL SWITZER, Pastor

Sunday School @ 9 am

Worship time @ 10:00 am

BETHEL UNITED CHURCH OF CHRIST

2400 CENTRAL AVE. NEBRASKA CITY, NE

68410

Church Telephone #: (402) 873-6218

Emergency: (402) 6369-0842 (Pastor Bill)

Email: betheluccurch1887@gmail.com

Website: www.bethelucchurch.com

Find us on

Just thinking…

My name is ANONYMOUS. I like my name because I am anonymous. I have a split personality. Let me tell you how I got my name.

I like to do things without other people knowing it was me. Often, this takes the shape of giving money or doing a job that needs to be done. This is the part of me that I like.

But the other side of being anonymous is just as important. This is my dark side. I put on my invisibility cloak, write notes but don’t sign them, and secretly deliver the notes without anyone knowing. This begins the undercurrent of dis-ease.

I suppose it is human frailty. Being secretive and anonymous gives me a sense of power and worthiness.

If you see me, come up and introduce yourself. Introduce me to your friends. My name is...

Respectfully yours,

…just thinking

THE BETHEL

BEACON

SEPTEMBER

2015

Join us on the

Journey

It is up to YOU

BETHEL UNITED CHURCH OF CHRIST

Monthly Statement By Christine Parkyn-Luther

June 2015 Balance

Current Expenses/Income……………….. 9,514.78

Missionary Fund OCWM…………………… 363.50

Improvement Fund…...……………………. 17,880.62

Capital Project Fund..…………………….. 14,882.59

Organ Maintenance Fund..…………….… 2,000.00

Elevator Fund…………………..…………….. 16,543.43

Other……………………….......................... 4,297.54

$65,482.46

A more detailed report has been posted on the church bulletin board.

Copies will be made available upon request.

Our Annual Labor Day Brunch will be Sunday,

September 6th fol-lowing worship in Fel-

lowship Hall!

~ Free will offering ~

__________________

I would like to thank everyone who sent prayers and cards, and brought food to us during my recovery from foot surgery. Words can’t ex-

press how much it meant to me that people took time out of their busy schedules to do that for us. You have NO IDEA how helpful that was! I would also like to thank Jen Hamilton for filling in for me. Knowing that I had nothing to worry about while I was

gone was priceless and made my recovery so much easier. I can’t begin to express how thankful I was to have her! Our church has the most caring and helpful group of

people I have ever seen. We are truly blessed to have each other!

~ Sarah Bando

Our search committee has been meeting and are in the process

of receiving and reviewing profiles. We will keep you

updated as the process

continues!

COMMITTEE

UPDATE

PARSONAGE PROJECT

In preparation for a new pastor, some improvements

need to be made to the parsonage in the bathrooms. Dean Griepenstroh has done some research and the cost is

expected to be somewhere between $3000-$4200.

The church council is focused on the funding for this project

and would appreciate any consideration to give toward

these parsonage improvements.

Thank you for your support!

July 2015

6,467.62

395.50

18,059.62

14,882.59

2,000.00

16,700.43

4,482.54

$62,988.30

Wavy Building

If you think that there's no way this ripply building can be real, then you're actually right. It's a drape put up by a construction site to block their work. You can catch a glimpse of the site behind the drape at the very top

of the image .

Question: do we ever think that we put a curtain over

our church so that people can’t see in?

IN OUR PRAYERS IN JULY & AUGUST:

Justin Williams, Alberta Kuehn, Betty Blankenship, Logan

Drabek, Mason Wieckhorst, Ella Mathisen, Helen Ramold, Betty

Buchanan, Cathy Blankenship, Sarah Bando, Ruth Wurtele, and

all who struggle with chronic illness, those confined to their

homes & to long term care facilities.

IT’S A GIRL!!!

Congratulations to Ethan and Lindsey Stout on the birth of their daughter, Charlie Sue, on July

20th. She weighed 7lbs. 15oz. and was 21 inches long. Proud grandparents are Dean & Sue

Griepenstroh.

______________________________________

Sunday school starts on September 13th from 9 am—9:50am. Everyone is to meet in the

Duensing Chapel escorted in and out with an adult/parent each Sunday. Youth Fellowship will begin that day as well with a potluck lunch after church service where planning for the year will

take place.

The Board of Christian Education is looking forward to a successful and prosperous year!

Thank you to Harold & Gladys Huss who helped assemble the

September edition of the Bethel Beacon.

Tuesday, Sept.

8th, Women’s

Fellowship will

be having a

brown bag lunch

at noon, and will be holding

their election of officers for

2015-2016.

The Bethel UCC Senior Choir will begin practices

this Wednesday, August 12 at 7PM. We welcome

anyone wishing to participate to come join this fun, dynamic group. If you have questions,

please contact Jen at 402-209-3765 or Connie at 402-209-3011

Meals on Wheels

Please consider making a monthly commitment to deliver meals to shut-ins in Nebraska City. Meals

are delivered Monday thru Saturday at 11:00. The meals are delivered from the hospital and it usually takes less than hour to

deliver the meals. Contact Darcy Carpenter at 873-4927 or

shsdarcy@windstream.net

Thank you to everyone who brightened our

sanctuary with flowers, and who sponsored bulletins during the

months of July & August .

LOOKING AHEAD: OCTOBER

Sat. 3rd: Fellowship Hall rsvd. 12-4 by Sara Horstmann

Sun. 4th: Communion/Food pantry

Tues. 6th: Board of Christian Ed. mtg. 6 pm

Sun. 11th: Budget mtg. following worship & Hayrack Ride @ Monkey Business 1 pm (tentatively)

Tues. 13th: Spiritual Council mtg. @ 5:45 pm/Church Council mtg. 7 pm

Fri. 16th: Wedding rehearsal

Sat. 17th: Myers/Knaggs Wedding

Sun.?: Youth Fellowship (yet to be determined at time of printing)

Mon. 26th: Meals on Wheels at 11 am

Sat. 31st: HALLOWEEN!

*Sr. Choir practice every Wednesday at 7 pm*

Madison Tietz ~1st Linda Brooke ~6th Harold Huss ~7th

Chloe Barrett ~11th Abbie Marshall ~13th Greg Ramold ~14th

Christian Tietz 16th Cailyn Heye ~17th

Kay Nannen~18th Kendra Rowh ~18th

Derek Ferguson 20th Dale Wurtele Sr. 22nd

Anna Marie Meadows ~26th Jacob Sinner ~27th

BEST WISHES TO THOSE CELEBRATING THEIR

BIRTHDAYS & WEDDING ANNIVERSARIES

IN SEPTEMBER

SEPTEMBER

Michael & Allison Mills

~September 5, 1998~

Tyson & Molly Hermann

~September 25, 2010~

Dennis & Carol Marshall

~September 28, 1985~

Dale & Bonnie Wurtele

~September 28, 1960~

Bethel United Church of Christ

Spiritual Council Meeting Minutes

Tuesday, July 15, 2015

5:45 pm

Present: President Arlin Rohlfs, Secretary LaVonda Bando, Stephen Luther, Larry Bando and Pastor Bill

Absent: Vice-President Dennis Marshall

Arlin open the meeting. Pastor Bill opened with a word of prayer.

Old Business:

The Request & Message Brochure was table to next meeting.

Serving communion motion was ascended from last month meeting minutes. Larry made a motion to continue

pew communion on first Sunday of the month and to serve altar communion at the bottom of the step and

serve grapes to the children and second by Stephen. Motion carried.

Releasing of red balloons after Pentecost service was table to the beginning of the new year.

Pastoral Report:

Conducted three funerals: James Griepenstroh, Mark Behrends and Glen Bremer; A graveside service for

Elaine Usher (her brother A. D. Gibbs); Vacation Bible School was held at the Lutheran Church this year.

Bethel Church will host VBS next year; June 9, 2015, Moving Forward in the Spirit gathering was a very

good start to making a transition in the ministry of this church. I was encouraged by the number of people

who came, the number of people who said they “wished” they came, and the desire to do something into the

future. This took a lot of time and preparation. What seemed clear to me is that Bethel understands its

ministry and mission is much like a family. We invite people to be part of Bethel because we are loved by

God and so are you! Come and Stay with family; The Moneke/DeVorss wedding of June 6, 2015, was a time

to reconnect. I chose to perform the wedding ceremony instead of going to the Annual Gathering of the

Nebraska Conference; Sarah Bando has been a positive force when it has come to administering all the

different aspects of the church. For example, at two of the funerals, we had no air-conditioning; Jen Hamilton

is filling in for Sarah during her surgery and recovery.

New Business:

Stephen will purchase CD cleaner and red tape for the sound system.

Larry made a motion to adjourned the meeting and second by Stephen. Motion carried.

Secretary,

LaVonda Bando

SPIRITUAL

COUNCIL

Bethel United Church of Christ

Spiritual Council Meeting Minutes

Tuesday, August 11, 2015

5:45 pm

Present: President Arlin Rohlfs, Secretary LaVonda Bando, Larry Bando and Pastor Bill

Absent: Vice-President Dennis Marshall, Stephen Luther

Arlin open the meeting. Pastor Bill opened with a word of prayer.

The minutes of the previous meeting were approved.

Old Business:

Pastor represents a draft of the Request & Message Brochure. Everyone took a copy of the brochure to look

over and come back with input.

Arlin reported that Stephen purchased the CD cleaner and red tape for the sound system.

Pastoral Report:

Working on the member wedding and non-member wedding policies

August 30 is Sunday School Rally Day

September 13 is first Sunday for Sunday school. The children will met in the Duensing Chapel for pray.

Depart to go their classroom and return to the Duensing Chapel was parents can pick up their children.

Confirmation Class will start

Confirmation Class curriculum will be attend church services at least three Sundays a month, report on the

church service, work on the church website, visit other church services, help service a meal at Siena/Francis

House Homeless Shelter, doing children sermons, Pastor will pick a confirmation mentor for the students,

both parents will be required to attend assign meetings, help with the church services and items that Pastor is

working with yet.

Children’s Christmas program will be on December 13.

New Business:

The Spiritual Council members put Stephen in charge of sound system activities. Stephen will lead the group,

find information on why wireless microphone isn’t working right, and get information getting updated on the

sound system.

The meeting closed with everyone joining hands and saying the Lord Prayer.

Secretary,

LaVonda Bando

SPIRITUAL

COUNCIL

The Church Council met at 7:00 pm on July 14, 2015. Members present were David Carpenter, Jason Holman, Gene Nannen, Peg Johnson, Dean Griepenstroh and Jen Hamilton. Others present were Margaret Brust, Christine Luther and Arlin Rohlfs. Jen called the meeting to order in absence of Lenny Tietz and Pastor opened with a prayer. Minutes were accepted by a motion from Jason and seconded by David. Motion carried. Financial report given by Christine Luther. Report was accepted by motion from Dean and seconded by Peg. Motion carried. Christine mentioned our church balance will be noticeably lower as soon as paperwork for Pastor's pension, etc. is completed and paid. Pastor reported he presided over three funerals, one graveside service and one wedding. Noted we host VBS next year and hoping for good organization throughout the process and have a good turnout. Pastor felt he received good feedback about the Vision meeting on June 9 and may consider having another one. He expressed his appreciation for Sarah Bando helping him through all the different events in the church. Pastor spoke to the Spiritual Council about the possibility of updating the sound system and possibly having the lawnmower checked over. Arlin reported for the Spiritual Council that cards will soon be in the pews to use if you are a visitor or if you have questions. Altar communion will be served on the base floor so no one has to go up the steps to receive it. They will look into the sound system update. Memorial report given by Margaret. Still waiting on Adkins Sign to complete project. No reports from Board of Christian Ed or stewardship committee. Search Committee is currently going over numerous applications, but new system that has to be used since last pastoral search is different and requires much more time to go over so many applicants. They have found none at this point that they feel would be a good choice for the church, but they are determined not to rush it and find the right one. Old business consisted of locating the external hard drive, setting up the Project/Repairs Committee to handle upkeep of church. Dean will be announcing a time and day for all to come who would like to serve on this. Pastor is reviewing the wedding policies. By Law committee will wait to meet till after Pastor forms his Transition Team to aid him in getting feedback from members. He is interested in finding people who will listen and not be judgmental. New business included accepting Christine Luther's resignation as financial secretary/treasurer effective Sept. 30, 2015. It was with regret the council accepted the motion made by Dean and seconded by Jason. Motion carried. If anyone is interested in this position please contact a council member or the church office. There was discussion on bid for new copier. Tabled till more information. There was also discussion on who is considered qualified to perform weddings in case the church is used as a rainout destination. Next meeting will be 7:00 pm on August 11. Motion to adjourn was made by Jason and seconded by Dean. Motion carried. Closed with the Lord's Prayer. Respectfully submitted, Peggy Johnson, Secretary

cHURCH COUNCIL

The Church Council met at 7:00 pm on August 11, 2015. Jen Hamilton called the meeting to order and Pastor opened with

a prayer. Others present were David Carpenter, Dean Griepenstroh, Gene Nannen, Peg Johnson, Lenny Tietz, Margaret

Brust, Arlin Rohlfs, Christine and Katherine Luther and Sandy Ried. Minutes were accepted by motion from David and

seconded by Gene. Motion carried. Christine presented financial report which was accepted by motion from Peg and

seconded by David. Motion carried.

Sandy Ried presented her application for financial secretary. After discussion, Dean made motion to have Sandy as an

independent contractor to the position of financial secretary of Bethel UCC as of Oct. 1, 2015. Gene seconded and motion

carried. The Council thanked Sandy for her willingness to step forward in this position. The Council is very appreciative of

Christine for being in the position for 2 1/2 yrs. and helping the transition go smoothly. Christine has agreed to be the

auditor in the future.

Pastor report-still needing volunteers for the transition team. He reported from Christian Ed Board that letters will be sent

to parents about Sunday School, rally Sunday is Aug. 30, Sunday School starts Sept. 13, program has been set for

Christmas and that he is busy setting up confirmation classes and activities for the class.

Memorial report-Margaret still looking into Adkins sign project.

Church secretary-Jen reported, due to Sarah's absence, she is looking into the availability of a chair lift and that Sarah will

be back to work on the 17th.

Spiritual Council-Arlin reported they're still waiting for organ maintenance.

Board of Christian Ed-in addition to news Pastor reported, they are looking ahead into Sunday School curriculum.

Stewardship-no report.

Search Committee-reviewed more applications, but still looking for right one.

Building and Grounds-had organizational meeting on July 25 to review projects. Will meet again on Aug. 22 at 10:00AM.

All are welcome!

Old business-Pastor has reviewed wedding contracts and will finalize them.

New business-Katherine Luther asked permission to sow grass on bare spots to help with her Girl Scout project. Anyone

with these types of projects or needing to fulfill community service hours for graduation should contact the Council for help

in achieving this. Lenny spoke of possibility of bringing author of "Heaven is for real" to speak at church in October.

Additional volunteers needed for Labor Day Brunch.

Next meeting will be 7:00 pm on September 8. Motion to adjourn by Dean and seconded by David. Motion carried. Closed

with the Lord's Prayer.

Respectfully submitted,

Peg Johnson, secretary

cHURCH COUNCIL

Board of Christian Education

August 4, 2015

The Board of Christian Education met on August 4, 2015. Members in

attendance were: Cindy Kreifels, Dan Hamilton, Danielle Barrett, Nancy Hunt, and

Christine Parkyn. Pastor Switzer and Jen Hamilton also attended.

Rally Day plans were finalized; Rally Day will be held August 30th. The Sunday

School will meet at the church and walk over to Steinhart Park for games,

doughnuts, and juice. The board discussed a letter to be sent to Sunday School

parents regarding the procedure for dropping off and picking up children and the

upcoming year’s schedule. First day of Sunday School classes will be September

13th. Curriculum changes will not be made for the start of Sunday School in the

fall.

The class structure for the Sunday School classes was described. There are

no third graders this year, so there will be no Bible presentation. The board

discussed the Christmas program. Ideas were discussed with planning to continue

this fall. The date of the Christmas program will be December 13th. A general

report on Vacation Bible School was given. It went well and was well attended.

Bethel is responsible for VBS next year and planning will begin early next year.

Respectfully submitted-

Christine Parkyn

BOARD OF CHRISTIAN EDUCATION

We are very excited to announce that the first of, hopefully many meetings, of the Bethel Building and Grounds committee met on Saturday, July 25 at 10AM with nine Bethel members in atten-dance.

We began with a tour of the outside of our church building and parsonage. Several concerns were expressed regarding things such as resurfacing of our parking lot blacktop, cleaning of the stone church walls, painting the basketball hoop, a new mower shed and seeding the parsonage with grass now that trees have been trimmed and thinned out, to name a few.

We also toured the inside of the parsonage pointing out the necessary updates to the bathrooms that the church council would like to see before a new pastor arrives. There is also an interior door leading to the garage that is in need of some refinishing. If you have an expertise in this area and would like to lend a hand, please contact a member of the church council.

We would like to mention again that anytime you notice something that you feel needs to be checked out inside or outside of our property, please communicate the issue by writing it on the building concerns list located on the bulletin board as you enter the church from the north. You may also call or send an email on to our church secretary, Sarah Bando. She will in turn see that that information is forwarded to the building and grounds committee members. Our hope is that, of those people, one will be able to see to it that your concern gets taken care of or communicated to the council for proper approval if necessary.

Several other concerns regarding the inside of the church were also discussed. One example being, the need for more efficient double doors at the carport entrance and how to begin that process while keeping the beautiful stained glass windows that adorn them. Other topics of discussion included job duties of the church custodian(s), whom they contact in case of emergency situations and warranty and service agreements the church has for its many operating systems.

Frank Malzer blessed us with his time and talents in this regard for many years and even provided us with a list he had been keeping of needed repairs both inside and outside of the property. This list is available to look at any time in the church office or by contacting a member of the council. Perhaps there is something on the list that you or your family would be interested in taking on. This may even be an opportunity to utilize memorial funds that your loved one has gifted to our church. Please keep in mind that all volunteer time given for the benefit of our church can be signed off on by a member of the committee as community service hours for our youth as well.

We provided each member who attended with a form to fill out specifying their talents and interests as they pertain to the maintenance of our church property. You will find this form on the back of these minutes. Please take a few moments to thoughtfully consider how you may be able to help out, fill out the form and return it to any member of the church council or to the church office. We invite ALL (not just the men) members of Bethel UCC to become a part of our new building and grounds committee. We have not yet determined when regular scheduled meetings will begin, but have decided on a second organizational meeting on Saturday, August 22

nd at 10AM. We hope to

see a very large crowd there. There may even be donuts!!!!

Respectfully submitted,

Jen Hamilton,

Council VP

BETHEL BUILDING AND GROUNDS COMMITTEE

Bethel Building and Grounds Committee

We are very excited to begin this next step in the future of our church in an effort to keep it maintained and beautiful for years to come. The upkeep and maintenance of our church has come to rely on one or two persons very time consuming efforts. Although, we appreciate everything these gentlemen were able to do and give, we’ve decided to put our energy into developing a committee for the job instead of putting all of this responsi-bility on just one or very few people within the congregation. We know there are a wide variety of gifts, knowledge and time to be shared within our membership and now it’s time to put them all to a great use.

If you would be willing to give of your time and talents in this area, (which could be anything from electrical work, contractor information, landscaping and yes, even plumbing), please fill out the information below and return it as soon as possible to the church office. Dean Griepenstroh has agreed to act as a liaison between this committee and the council and will evaluate all of this information along with them. From there, we will decide on how to proceed. Whether we establish regular meetings, being monthly or quarterly, will be one factor to consider. Again, thank you for being willing to help us in the beginning process of this committee’s development. If you know of any church members that would be interested in helping out, please let a member of the church council know so we can be sure to include them as well.

Name:________________________________

Contact information:______________________________

Building and Grounds Talent and Interests:

____________________________

____________________________

____________________________

____________________________

Preferred day/time for regular meetings and projects: ____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

The Bethel Building and Grounds committee had its 2nd meeting on Saturday, August 22nd at 10AM with 9 members and 2 Boy Scouts in attendance. We were excited to know that several items on the list reviewed from their 1st meeting have been completed, such as the PVC lines attached to down spouts with appropriate drainage on the east side of the parsonage, a new parsonage mailbox, removal of dead tree in the west church

lawn and the servicing and repair of the church lawn mower.

We are also moving forward with several other projects such as the replacement of the mower shed and concrete pad with a larger one making it easier to store and remove the large mower we own. Shed plans will be presented for approval at the next Council meeting on September 8th at 7pm. In the meantime, the neces-

sary building permits and concrete structure will be researched. Funds have been secured for this project.

Kathryn Luther received the go ahead from the Council to reseed areas of the parsonage lawn and church lawn

as a Girl Scout project. The project will be completed this fall.

We discussed the electrical switches inside the sanctuary and remind everyone using them to please remember

to turn the dials all the way until they click when turning them off.

Mason Hamilton and Gray Carpenter were at the meeting representing Boy Scout Troop 353 to offer their help in completing several items on the Bethel “to do list” as a way to earn service hours for scouting. It was decided that the boys will paint all outside railings, the mailbox and the clothes line at the parsonage and clean out and move the contents of the old mower shed once they are ready to build the new one. They will also look into cleaning and filling cracks in the church parking lot, doing some minor painting outside of the parsonage and

outside of the church and removing the old hearing aids from the pews in the sanctuary.

Stephen Luther is looking into the seven new window well covers needing to be installed at the parsonage. He also purchased a new CD cleaner for the church sound system which seems to have helped the burner operate much better. Jerry G. will replace backboard of the basketball hoop in the church parking lot and it will be moved further to the west toward the parking lot light. Greg S. will treat the new tree dedicated on our 125 th an-niversary as deer have been causing damage to it by rubbing on it. Dennis will see about tightening the screws on the sliding doors in Fellowship Hall and will look into cleaning carpets inside the office, the hallway and steps of the church. Dean G. will repair the screen on the heat vent in the nursery. Dan H. will repair the east door which drags on the floor going into the kitchen and look into why the door on the east side of the stage won’t

latch.

We discussed the need to look into sewer treatment in the basement restrooms, the need to fix downspouts on the church which are washing dirt away, who responsibility it is to shut of lights, check the thermostat and lock the church doors following Sunday worship and the need to find someone(s) to see to the upkeep of the church flower beds. Several items discussed will need the attention of the church council. The building and grounds committee will meet again on Saturday, September 26th at 10AM. We welcome anyone interested to come join

us.

Respectfully submitted,

Jen Hamilton,

BETHEL BUILDING AND GROUNDS COMMITTEE

Bethel United Church of Christ

2400 Central Avenue

Nebraska City, NE 68410

RETURN SERVICE REQUESTED

SCHEDULED TO SERVE SEPTEMBER 2015

LAY LEADERS Sept. 6 Sept. 13 Sept. 20 Sept. 27 Adelene Vock Sarah Bando Adelene Vock Noah Hamilton GREETERS Sept. 6 Sept. 13 Sept. 20 Sept. 27 Burt & Cindy Weible Tietz Family Ramold Family BJ & Sandy Ried USHERS Sept. 6—Sept. 13 Sept. 20—Sept. 27 Larry & LaVonda Bando/ BJ & Sandy Ried Gene & Kay Nannen/Kevin & Jan Pummel SOUND SYSTEM Sept. 6—Sept. 13 Sept. 20—Sept. 27 Burt Weible Kevin Pummel ACOLYTES Sept. 6 Sept. 13 Sept. 20 Sept. 27 Quintin Holman Nick Brown Jason Stukenholtz Katherine Luther Keston Holman Volunteer Andrew Stukenholtz Elizabeth Luther

FLOWERS ~ Connie Jensen COOKIE FELOWSHP ~ LaVonda Bando & Sarah Bando

SEPTEMBER

2015