By Amber Bruce
Here is a way to put Jesus-Style love into action! This goes along well with the sermon for the Richland Campus this week, but since all campuses have heard that sermon (Jesus-Style Love Feels Deeply by Seth Hanson), we can all participate.
Many of you have likely heard of the kidnapping of nearly 300 school girls from Chibok, Nigeria by the terrorist group Boko Haram. What you may not know is that Chibok is a mostly Christian village in the midst of a mostly Muslim area of Nigeria. Recent video footage from Boko Haram claims to have “liberated” the girls by forcibly converting those who were Christian into Islam.
Seth taught us that as we push into the darkness, there will be pain. This is evident in the lives of these hundreds of girls and their families. Take time to comfort our fellow believers in Nigeria by praying for them (see this list of names here), and sending a note of encouragement to the families.
By Amber Bruce
Hello GROW Group Leaders! You may know that we have a team of four people who take time every Friday morning to write the sermon questions for small group discussions. We are looking to expand our question-writing team with one or two volunteers from current GROW groups. These do not have to be GROW Group leaders, just someone who is currently in a GROW Group. If you or someone you know meets the following criteria and is interested in doing a two-week trial, let us know by emailing Kelli at [email protected].
Volunteer Job Description:
- Read and study the sermon manuscript and suggested questions from the speaker between 5pm on Thursday and 8:30am on Friday.
- Meet with the team on Friday morning from 9-11am. Bring ideas about question topics, wording and order.
- Work together with the rest of the team to decide on the questions, wording, and order, and to contribute ideas for the GROW Group leader’s blog.
Qualifications:
- Available. The sermon manuscript is typically emailed out on Thursday afternoon. We meet on Friday mornings from 9-11 am. This person needs to be available at least every other Friday.
- Teachable. Some of our team members have years or decades of experience, which we would love to pass on before they decide to retire! We are glad to have new ideas and input, but also want someone who is interested in learning to write good questions from those with more experience.
- Faithful. Someone who can be there consistently. Occasional travel or other commitments are fine - we all go on weekend trips now and then. That is one of the reasons we like to have a team of 5-6 people: so that we can always have at least three people to write the questions each week.
- Character. This person must be a part of a Bethel GROW Group, a Bethel member, and have a good reference from their GROW Group leader and/or other spiritual leader.
- Chemistry. As with any team, the way we work together is important. That is one reason for the two-week trial. We can try each other out to see how we mesh.
Other preferences:
- Male. We currently have three women on the team, so another man’s perspective would be preferred.
- Young. As mentioned above, part of the desire to expand the team is to pass on the wisdom from our more experienced team members.
By Amber Bruce
Here is a great opportunity to serve as a group to bring justice to the oppressed in the name of Jesus. SOLD: The Human Trafficking Experience debuts May 9th at Bethel Church in the Gynmasium. We need groups of 7 volunteers to take four-hour shifts, handing out mp3 players and headphones, selling books, and generally being available. The shifts will be evenings and weekends from May 9-20, and some flexible times during weekdays for school and media groups.
Required training is offered Mon 4/30 and Wed 5/2 at 7pm and Sat 5/5 at 2pm. Training will be 1.5-2 hours long. Only one session is required. Volunteers get to preview the experience before opening day!
If you or your group are interested in volunteering, please contact Jessica MacFarlan at [email protected] to sign up!
