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Inside this issue: Pastor’s Message 2
Membership Updates Milestones Online Media
3
E-Mail Prayer Team Financial Update Stay Connected
4
Divorce Care 5
Thank You 6
Diaper Shower MyBethel
7
Bethel School 8
Day of Rest 9
Encourage Your Teen Back Page
Go to Bethel’s website to see Most updated information.
Church Off ice : 309 -263-2417 Church Website : www.blcmorton.org
School Off ice : 309 -266-6592 School Website : www.bethel lutheranschool .org
B E T H E L S T A R
MAY 2020
Newsletter
As of this printing, all on campus activities and gatherings are can-celled until further notice. From the comfort and safety of your home:
Livestream through Facebook Live Sunday Worship – 9:00am live (We’ll let you know of any changes)
Livestream will take place here - https://www.facebook.com/bethellutheranmorton/ Then Sermons will be posted here – https://blcmorton.org/sermons Online giving options available here - https://blcmorton.org/giving During this time of uncertainty and closures we ask that you con-sider continuing to donate to Bethel Lutheran at your current lev-el. Following are the different ways that you can donate:
1. Mail contributions to the church office. 2. Contact the church office if you would like someone to pick
up your contribution. 3. Text BLCMORTON GIVE to 73256 to give to General Fund 4. Login to your MyBethel account to give electronically by
credit/debit card or ACH. This can also be accessed on Bethel’s website by clicking
“More” at the top of the page. Thank you for your continued generous support
of Bethel Lutheran! Church Email: [email protected] (Alanna) Pastor Jeff: [email protected] Pastor Greg: [email protected] Jonathan Guse: [email protected] Rachel Chaffer: [email protected] IN CASE OF EMERGENCY OR IN NEED: Pastor Jeff 309-276-7650 Pastor Greg 309-306-1712
Someone will be in the church office
9:00am until Noon
Monday through Friday if you need to drop off your offering or pick up a devotional. Please be sure to wear a mask and stay safe according to the mandate set by the State of Illinois health code.
C hrist O ur V ictor I n D istress
Page 2
We are Making and Maturing disciples of Jesus to Minister
It’s easy to trust God when you’re in control of things. In such cases, you feel secure, confi-dent, and comforted. Of course, the problem with that kind of thinking is we are not in control. Self-sufficiency is an illusionary lifestyle that puts you at odds with God to the point where He per-mits storms to occur. And when the storm is big enough, you begin to doubt your control over things and ponder the possibility that God can manage things better than you can.
That is why one of my favor-ite stories in the Gospels is about a storm in Matthew 14:22-33. Je-sus had just finished feeding thou-sands of people near the Sea of Galilee. He then told His disciples to go ahead of Him to the town of Gennesaret in their boat while He dismissed the crowds. After eve-ryone left, Jesus went up on a mountain to pray.
Jesus was still on the moun-tain as evening came. His disci-ples, on the other hand, were in trouble. As the disciples made for their destination, a raging storm came upon the sea. Their boat “was a long way from the land, beaten by the waves, for the wind was against them.” I can imagine how helpless and hopeless the dis-ciples felt.
Suddenly, the disciples saw a figure coming toward them, walk-ing on the waves. In their terror, they cried out, “It is a ghost!” (As if things weren’t bad enough al-
ready.) But then they heard a fa-miliar voice: “Take heart; it is I. Do not be afraid.” The Apostle Peter, impulsive man that he was, said, “Lord, if it is you, command me to come to You on the water.”
Jesus simply replied: “Come.” So Peter got out of the boat. He was walking on the water toward Jesus. But then he looked away. The wind got his attention, all consuming. And he began to sink. Panicked, he cried, “Lord, save me!”
This past month there have numerous storms come upon us. There have been the spring storms in the south that have taken lives and damaged property. There have also been numerous ways COVID-19 has affected our lives. There have also been people who have lost loved ones, had wed-dings rescheduled, and the stay-at-home order. It is hard to keep our eyes on Jesus when so many storms rage around us. And the storms are not over yet.
I am comforted by this beau-tiful story. It reminds me that I can trust God in the storms of my life. Jesus watches us in our storms. While Matthew tells us that Jesus “went up on a moun-tainside by Himself to pray,” Mark’s Gospel gives us an added detail: “And He saw that they were making headway painfully, for the wind was against them.”
Jesus was watching His disci-ples, not passively, but with great interest. I am pretty sure He was
praying for them as well. The dis-ciples may have lost sight of Je-sus, but He never lost sight of them.
Afterwards, Jesus comes out into the storm with the disciples. And so Jesus came to them walk-ing on the water. This freaked out the disciples. They didn’t recog-nize Jesus, because they were not looking for Him. They were con-cerned and focused on the storm.
It’s hard to remember some-times that Jesus calls us to keep our eyes on Him in the middle of our storms, instead of the latest news report or what we hear in the latest rumor about COVID-19 only makes our hearts sink.
When we are sinking, we need to call out to Jesus. When Peter started sinking, he shouted, “‘Lord, save me!’” Scripture re-minds us that in prayer we can see calmed storms, healed sick, and even peace for a time. And the Lord gives you this promise in the words of the prophet Jeremiah. “Call to Me,” He says, “and I will answer you and show you great and mighty things, which you do not know.” If you are afraid, the Resurrected Jesus is waiting for you to call. If you are frustrated, King Jesus is waiting for you to call. If you are angry, Savior Jesus is waiting for you to call for Him to show you He is in the midst of the storm with you always.
Matthew 14:22-33
Page 3
MEMBERSHIP INS
NONE
MEMBERSHIP OUTS
Transferred to Glory Mary Ellen Brandt
Lisa Kay Dierker Betty Lois Roehm
REJOICING MILESTONES
Birthdays 80+ Years 05/04 Herb Clawitter 86 05/08 Bev Vaupel 81 05/19 Rosalee Bayless 84 05/27 Lila Cordes 94 05/28 Frank Westerfield 88 05/30 Audrey Wollenschlager 85
Anniversaries 50+ Years 05/04 Gerald & Joyce Ritterbusch 57 05/15 Herb & Ruth Clawitter 65 05/19 Gary & Pam Telger 52 05/25 Larry & Jackie Patton 52
Bethel’s Online Media and Publications Want to listen to previous sermons or check out this month’s publications, including the Bethel Star, Highlights, and Kingdom Helpers? Simply go to www.blcmorton.org/media. From there you can open the media player to listen to previous sermons or on the right side bar (in the green box) you can click “publications”, which will take you to the page where you can download this month’s publications simply by clicking on them! NOTE: Calendar, Highlights, and Kingdom Helpers are on hold until stay-at-home ban is lifted and we can gather in person again.
BETHEL STAR ARTICLES DEADLINE ... Please be reminded the article deadline for the June edition of the Bethel Star is Friday, May 22. Finished copies will be available on Friday, May 29. Extra copies are made available in the church Narthex at the Connections Center and can also be accessed on our church website at www.blcmorton.org Go to multimedia then file downloads. If you prefer your copy be mailed to your home because you do not have access to inter-net, please call the church office.
Elsas’ Small Group has prepared frozen meals to be shared with shut-ins, those recovering from sur-gery, new neighbors, or when you see a need. They are in the small freezer in the kitchen pantry. There is a notebook provided for you to record what meal you take and the purpose to help the group plan for their next cooking day.
Please be reminded: If you will be in the hospital, you must notify Pastor, call the church office, or have family/friend/hospital notify us so we are aware. Because of HIPPA laws, your privacy is greatly respected and infor-mation will not be given unless you permit. Please don’t make us hear about it on Facebook… Of course, we will have to abide by COVID-19 guide-lines until further notice.
God continues to richly bless Bethel and our efforts to reduce our mortgage debt.
HEY … DO NOT FORGET Mother’s Day 2020 It is not normal, but what is these days?
Praise God for the gift of our mothers this month. We might need to be creative, but … Un-derstandably, there has been little thought of Mother’s Day as May 10 approaches. Given the circumstances, families won’t be able to go out and celebrate their mothers, and they may not be able to see them at all. Whether self-isolating or social distancing, this year’s Mother’s Day is set to be unconventional. But, that doesn’t mean it should be forgotten! Here are some tips on how to celebrate Mother’s Day from a distance:
Write a letter … Being at home means more time to write a heartfelt, handwritten letter. With only the stamp to pay for, this is cost effective and has the personal touch.
Send flowers … Many florists do online orders and deliveries with special measures in place for safe deliv-ery. This is not only a great gift for those who are keeping their distance, it would also support a small business who may be struggling.
Monthly subscriptions … Buying a magazine or book subscription could be the perfect gift for moms who don’t usually have the time to read.
Pamper and wellness … A hamper of beauty products would offer self-isolating moms the chance to in-dulge in some much-needed self-care.
Alternatively, buy a voucher for a spa or wellness retreat which can be used in the future. Vouchers can also be bought for restaurants to be redeemed at a later date. This would help to support an industry which has been decimated by Coronavirus.
Virtual reality … Technology makes it possible to have a virtual Mother’s Day. Though no substitute for the real thing, there are many video chat apps which can help to replicate something close, whether a one-to-one chat or a full-blown meal. All this requires is a decent internet connection.
Beyond these options, personalized gifts can be bought online and delivered safely to her home.
You would receive an email 1-2 times weekly with prayer requests that come in to the office or through our website. Then all you need to do is pray for these requests at your best time. If you are interested in being a part of the 100+ people involved, please sign up at “Sign up Central" or contact the church office #309-263-2417 or please contact Linda Bisping at [email protected] or 309-264-5326. New volunteers are always welcome to take part.
***If you want your prayer request in-cluded in the corporate prayers during services, you must give your permis-sion through the church office.
Christ-centered weekly DVD and discussion group. Online sign up: https://blcmorton.org/connect/griefshare-divorcecare No charge to attend. More info:Jeanette James 309-303-8017 Please share with someone you
For those of you who are stacking up on soda cans be-cause of the stay-at-home order, we nor-mally accept them here at the church for our Mission Fund, but at this time we are not able to take them. Please hold on to them, and when our doors open again feel free to let us know you have them. At that time we will have an update on how to ac-cept them. Thank you for re-membering Bethel.
We are still offering our Food Pantry pick-up on the first Friday of each month. If you or some-one you know could benefit from a box of non-perishable food items, please let us know. Our coordinator, Gary Abts, can be contacted and will answer any questions you might have. Thank you for keeping this special minis-try in your prayers.
Gary Abts 309.925.3838
I have been praying that we will soon be able to get back to church and be together again. Even though we haven’t been attending church these past few weeks, I still received several pairs of shoes for the lambs. I appreciate your generosity and thoughtfulness. Since it was too dangerous for us to travel to Africa in April the trip was can-celled for now. I do know we are planning to go next April 2021. God Bless you for your donations and if you still have shoes, just call me
and I will be happy to get them from you. I pray that all of you are staying healthy, and please continue to pray for good health and safety for our lambs. Our centers are closed now and the schools are all closed there, too. In God’s Love, Janelle Crump 309-696-6408 Shepherd’s Little Lambs of Kenya
IF WE ARE ABLE … Diaper Shower Sponsored by Peoria Area Lutherans for Life
Father’s Day Sunday, June 21st Please bring disposable diapers of any size to church (infant or adult)
Diapers collected will be donated to groups such as: Women’s Pregnancy Center / Esther House / Lutheran Hillside Village
Spiritual Instruction … Intellectual Achievement Social Interaction … Emotional Development Physical Education … Aesthetic Experiences
The events of the past month and a half have been extremely challenging, but extremely re-warding for our school.
The teachers have been stretched and grown in unimagi-nable ways. In the span of two weeks we went from a tradition-al brick and mortar school to reinventing ourselves as an ef-fective distance learning institu-tion. Our teachers are still meet-ing with their students regularly through many different venues such as Zoom and Flipgrid and making use of many available educational software tools.
We really miss our in-person face-to-face time with our stu-dents, though. We did do a fun event where we got see our stu-dents in person. On Monday, April 14, we did a mobile Easter party. We all divided up the families in our school and went around delivering Easter bags to our students (keeping social distancing protocols in place, of course).
Also, in following the church’s lead, we have started holding online chapel services so that
our students can stay connect-ed in worshiping together as a school family.
Even though this is not some-thing anyone desired, I am in awe of God’s faithfulness through this situation. I give thanks how He has blessed us with such a great, caring school staff who are doing everything they can to stay connected with and educate our children. The love that they have for their stu-dents and carrying forth God’s mission has never been more apparent. He has given them the ability to rise above the ob-stacles that we are facing and embrace and thrive in this envi-ronment. It has certainly been a challenge, but we are growing and getting stronger and more confident every day.
As we continue on the unfore-seen and ever-changing jour-ney, we ask for your prayers as we move forward. We thank you for your support and your continued prayers.
John Jacob / Principal
Follow God’s example, therefore, as dearly loved children and walk in the way of love.
Ephesians 5:1-2a
John Jacob / Principal
Renata Anderson Assistant Principal
Frank Krebs / Chairman
Ryan Loudermilk Co-Chairman
Rachel Chaffer
Mark Gingerich
Janice Kinsinger
Pam Lichtenstein
Mailee Smith
2019/2020 BETHEL SCHOOL BOARD
A special thank you to all those who answered the call to help out our Bethel PTL by purchasing the excess sausage we had from our cancelled Pancake/Sausage Breakfast in March. Also, to those who didn’t want to be reimbursed for the race registration. We so appreciate your willing-ness to lend a helping hand in a rough situation. Blessings to you for caring and supporting Bethel Lutheran School!
Are you getting Zoomed-Out”? That’s a phrase I’m hearing more and more as churches and small groups are moving to online formats for preaching, teaching, and connecting. For many of us we have also shifted to a screen-mediated means of work-ing, homeschooling, socializing, etc.
And I think, with everything going on, we are starting to feel burned out. So, if you are getting Zoomed-Out, this kind of burn-out we are experiencing is a soul-deep-fatigue.
Why is it that we feel this way? We feel this way because we have for-
gotten and neglected to Sabbath. Genesis 2:3 says – “So God blessed
the seventh day and made it holy, because on it God rested from all His work that He had done in creation.”
Up until this point in the timeline of events, God had been creating everything. He made the universe; He made the earth; He made the lights in the sky and the orbital pat-terns of the planets; He formed the oceans and mountains and all the creatures and liv-ing things that made their homes there. And most of all, God made adam – humanity – male and female. Then God rested from all His labors.
Now, God didn’t need to rest. He’s what we call omnipotent. That is, He’s all-powerful. But it’s more than just power. God is, in and of Himself, completely, totally, un-ceasingly, self-existing. God relies upon noth-ing for Him to exist or display any and all of His characteristics. He is because He is.
So God didn’t need to rest. But He does. Why? To reveal to mortal, finite, small, tiring, human beings the reality that we must rest on a regular basis. Rest is not option-al.
God calls us also to substantially rest from that normative activity we do six days out of the week so that one day a week we might experience His rejuvenation of our
souls. And that applies to our screen time. Our screens are now the means we have to conduct work, school, fellowship, etc. We are totally inundated with screen time. So in order for us to rest from that work (the emailing, zooming, face-timing, etc.) we need to come up with a plan where we will trust in God, set down our phones, emails, and social media platforms, and rest.
If I’m honest with you, I don’t know what this looks like for me yet. But here are some things for my life that I’m seriously con-sidering: 1) Set up my (and our family’s) phone to disa-
ble all the apps except for text and call on Sundays.
2) Set a reply-back email for Sundays, alert-ing people that if it’s an emergency (there always are and we need to tend to those out of faithfulness) to call me, otherwise I’ll get back to them Monday or Tuesday.
3) Limit screen use around the family in the evenings. Get off the TV.
4) Limit my use of screen time on Sundays to fellowship and worship. Watch the ser-mon, fellowship with our Sunday school class, and then spend time catching up with family abroad. But be wise and spread this out.
5) Take a nap, like a real nap, after worship and Sunday school class as a family. We all know we need it.
I pray that this finds you and that you
feel a sense that you can, by God’s grace and the empowerment of his Holy Spirit, truly rest and unplug in appropriate ways during this time when we are all inundated with screens. I praise God that we have these means to even stay connected during this time, but just like too much of anything, we can get burned out and our souls desperately need Sabbath, even from technology.
The present situation for the country is befuddling and annoying. Parents are working from home and homeschooling their
children. Grandparents are not getting to see their families and many parents would love to share kid-time with their parents, but cannot. But this article is directed at parents and grandparents, partly because very few high schoolers read this periodical. So let’s talk about those high schoolers.
No doubt, many high schoolers are feeling a mix of confusion and disappointment as they are being required to stay at home for the remainder of the semester due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
Although they likely want to keep themselves, their classmates, their friends at youth group, and their teachers and pastors safe, they’re missing the final events of their high school year or career due to the stay-at-home orders issued across several states and countries.
Many high schoolers, especially those graduating this year, will miss entire sports seasons, musical and theatrical perfor-mances, clubs, after-school activities, and milestones such as prom and even, possibly, graduation. It may feel as though they’ve been robbed of once-in-a-lifetime opportunities before they take gap years, pursue a trade, attend a college, or acquire a job.
So maybe it might be helpful if we remember what they are missing this May 2020 and how we might make them a focus of our attention. For just a few moments.
The advice I am hearing, “experts” are encouraging us to listen to those who are younger than us. This might be helpful for us when it comes to teenagers. 1. LISTEN TO THEM Many teens may be hiding how they feel about this situation because they’ve noticed the stress and anxiety of those around them. Maybe their parents are now nervous about finances, and they don’t want to add to the negativity of everything happening inside the house. 2. HAVE A FUN GAME N IGHT Especially now, far away from friends at youth group, teens may only be able to connect with one another via social media and vid-eo-chat apps. Use this technology and create a game night with those teens who may feel trapped at home or uncertain of how to spend their time outside of online classes. 3. CREATE “ADULTING” MILESTONES Maybe your teen won’t get a chance to go to prom this year or participate in a spring sport. Nevertheless, you can create milestones for them to accomplish at home before they head off to college or an apartment. Some of these can include: Learning how to cook: With many local restaurants being shut down, and chains only offering delivery or pick-up, there’s no better time than now to teach your teen some basic recipes. Learning how to change the oil in a car: Or other mechanical know-how. If you are savvy with cars or all things automotive, teach your teens these life skills. Learning how to balance checkbooks/doing taxes/all things finance: These may not sound fun, but your teens will thank you later for teaching them how to do this. 4. DISPLAY GRATITUDE AND HOPE Although teenagers may not always show it, they do look to their elders for examples on how to live. If their parents or grandparents bombard them with their own anxiety, stress, anger, and other negative emotions, they may reflect the same. After all, Scripture does say that bad company corrupts good character (1 Corinthians 15:33). We are all experiencing a stressful time. Many of us have lost a good portion of our income, if not all of it. Many local stores, restau-rants, and churches are struggling with incoming funds now that everyone must operate on an airtight budget. Nevertheless, despite these circumstances, we can trust in God and display gratitude for what He has given (1 Thessalonians 5:18) and show hope and faith that He will carry us through this time and provide for us in our time of need. This doesn’t mean putting on a smile and faking it until you make it. But it does look like having genuine conversations with your family or those in your youth group by showing where you are worried, but also that you trust in God to provide. That way teens can feel safe to express the same emotions or sentiments.
