Homecoming at Bethel

Come one, come all, for homecoming at Bethel UMC! We will have one service on the Circuit this Sunday, and it will be Bethel's 10:45 a.m. homecoming service. There will be special music by Joe Newman and Katie Russell, and maybe even from yours truly! We'll have a potluck lunch to follow, and then, if the weather's good, everyone is invited to head out to Oakes Farm Corn Maze, for some good fall fun!

I hope to see everyone Sunday!

Homecoming is coming up--and lots of fall fun!

This Sunday, we'll celebrate homecoming at Huckleberry Springs Chapel. We'll worship at 10:45 a.m., celebrating World Communion Sunday, and having special music from Ed Stiner and the Lost Creek Boys. You'll want to stay after church for our potluck lunch, to enjoy some great food and fellowship!

Don't forget that we'll have homecoming at Bethel Church in just two more weeks, too! On October 18th, we'll have a combined service at Bethel at 10:45 a.m., with special music from members of the Circuit. Lunch will follow this service, as well.

Join us for both of these special services, along with these other special events:
October 9: Chili and Tamale Dinner at Huckleberry Springs: 5:00-8:00 p.m., $5/person, children under 5 free
October 10: Rummage and Bake Sale at Bethel Church, Clothing Sale at Huckleberry Springs, to raise money for the Parsonage Fund
October 31: Trunk 'n' Treat at Bethel Church, beginning at 5:00 p.m.

If I've forgotten any other upcoming events, I'll post again soon! Send me an email if you'd like a copy of our October newsletter!

Blessings,
Pastor Betzy

Sermon Series: "The Anatomy of a Christian"

This is the third week of our sermon series I'm calling "The Anatomy of Christian." Two weeks ago, we looked at the heart: a Christian's heart should be generous, open, and pure. We considered James 2:1-17 and Mark 7:24-37 during that sermon. Last week, we talked about having a wise mind and a discerning mouth, and our focus was on Psalm 19, James 3:1-12, and Mark 8:27-33. Tomorrow we will talk about the spleen as part of our Christian anatomy, as weird as that sounds, and our scriptures will be Proverbs 31: 10-31, Psalm 1, and James 3:13-4:3, 7-8a. The spleen has been understood to be the seat of a number of different emotions across many cultures, most of them having to do with the attitude or the humor of an individual, and we know that being a Christian involves having a certain kind of attitude. However, we'll look closely at what the spleen actually does: it filters the blood and supports the immune system. How does the wisdom of God act like a filtration system for our thoughts, words, and actions, when we grow in our discipleship and become formed by the Word? I'll try to figure out how to post sermon notes now...look for them soon!

The Shack discussion group

Tomorrow evening, at 7:15 p.m., we will have our first small group meeting to discuss William Paul Young's novel The Shack. I look forward to this meeting at Vicki Baumgartner's house (call 865-525-5743 for directions), following the Thursday evening yoga class at 6:00 p.m. (all are invited to that, too!). We'll be looking at the first five chapters of the book, along with the Foreword, and we'll talk about what we expect to learn from this book and our discussion, along with some conversation about Young's portrayal of the Triune God, as we see it in chapter 5. It should be an interesting time, with some fellowship and maybe even some snacks, too! Come, join us!

Hello, blogging world!

I've never done any blogging before, but this seems like a great way to keep church folks and friends of the church updated on what's happening at the churches of the French Broad Circuit. Look for more information coming soon, as I get accustomed to how this blogging stuff works. I'll try to post upcoming events, church announcements, prayer requests, and sermon notes online each week (or so), so you web-savvy folks can be in touch with the church. I'll write again soon!