Please
remember our church family in your daily prayers, at mealtimes and during your
personal devotions. Continue to remember those young and old with ongoing
physical, spiritual, and emotional struggles.
We wish a
blessed birthday to Joanne van Gyssel today and to Gerry Doornenbal
tomorrow. May God be near you both on
your birthdays and every day!
Jake &
Agnes Prins have started a new chapter in their lives and moved to Royal Oak
Village. Their new address is #304 4501 College Avenue, Lacombe, T4L 2M8. Their
phone number remains the same.
We pray for
Harry and Hilda Van Stryland and family as they deal with Harry’s initial
diagnosis of cancer. It is always a
worrying time as tests are done to determine the details of this difficult
disease. We bring our worries to the
Lord in the confidence and hope of his gracious provision of strength and
healing.
We offer our
prayers for John & Dana van Gyssel as John had a sudden heart attack this
past Tuesday. He was taken to Edmonton
and is responding well to treatments.
Do remember
those who are unable to worship regularly with us: please keep Jenny Bajema, Tilly
Biel, Klaas Boskers, Gerry Doornenbal, Lea Dykstra, Lillian Mercier, Ernie
Stebner and Grace Vander Veen in your prayers.
Pray for our
missionaries around the world.
*Please take note and special care!
There has
been a major shift in the order and placement of the church mailboxes. Your
mailbox has moved! Please make sure
that you are removing your paperwork from your new box. Thank you from the secretaries.
Guess Who’s Coming
for Coffee? (with a twist!)
For
the month of April, Guess Who’s Coming for Coffee will be done a little
differently. This time there will be no sign-up sheet but you are
encouraged to call up someone in the congregation who has never been to your
place and invite them to come to your home on Sunday, April 17th for
coffee! If you’re not comfortable
hosting coffee at your home, be bold and phone someone and invite yourself to
their place!
April 13th Executive Meeting highlights:
Pastor Mike opens with devotions and prayer.
Council will be discussing moving the
morning service to a 10:00 a.m. start time. This will enable our church members who live in the
Lacombe Seniors’ Lodge to be on time for lunch. Feedback is welcome to council members.
Nomination process discussed – congregation
members are asked to prayerfully consider the Lord’s
calling.
Highlights from the GALT meeting:
Bethel
will be using Shaw as our phone/Internet provider in the near future.
The new copier is working and is
bringing down the cost of copies.
The air conditioning system is
being monitored for comfort and efficiency.
Three powerful testimonies of faith were
heard from Erica Van Stryland, Luke Patterson and Leah
Ebens. Following a time of questioning,
a motion was passed to accept these people as full
professing members of Bethel CRC. The
profession of faith service will be held on May 15th.
Pulpit supply: April 24th - Rick Abma, May 22nd - August
Luymes, May 29th - Ron Devries, June 5th
- Jonathan Nicolai deKoning.
Fruitful visit from a member of the
congregation.
Church Renewal Lab information day happening
in Ponoka on May 14th. Ask Pastor Mike for information.
Next
Executive meeting will be held on May 11, 2016.
Bethel Newsletter:
Another month flies by. The next newsletter will be in your mailboxes
on the first Sunday of May – May 1st. We will be focusing on Spring and Mother’s
day. If you have a contribution you
would like included, please have it in to Harriet Luymes, Meaghan Noort or
Anita Geldof no later than April 27th so we have time to put things
together in order. Thank you!
BETHEL
YOUTH
Young Peoples Bible study
will be held tonight at 7:00 p.m. at the Scholings.
Tuesday Nite Youth
will meet on Tuesday, April 19th at 7:30 p.m. Doors will open at 7:00 p.m.
ANNOUNCEMENTS
Set aside the night of
April 22nd for the annual Lacombe
Christian School Auction.
Come out for an evening of family fun for all
in support of LCS. Supper is served at 5:00 p.m. with auction beginning at 6:30
p.m. Hall of Games for the kids runs from 6:15 to 7:45 p.m. Any
questions or donations, call Karri Folkerts at 403-782-0313.
The Dutch Canadian Choir of Calgary
brings an afternoon of music on Saturday, April 23rd
at 2:30 p.m. at St. Andrew’s United Church. A portion of the proceeds goes to
Food and Nutrition security in Guatemala to help rural Mayan families. The
Dutch Canadian Choir began in 1972 with the purpose of promoting Dutch culture
through music. They have played at the Calgary Stampede and for Queen Elizabeth
II as well as touring the Netherlands. Tickets
are $15 and available at St Andrew’s during office hours. Phone 403-782-3148 or
from Roberta at 403-307-3811 or 403-782-0443. For more information see the bulletin board in our church foyer.
Grandparents'
& Senior Supporters' Day
In
thankfulness for your contributions to the children of Lacombe Christian
School, we invite our Grandparents & Senior Supporters to our
annual luncheon on Monday, April 25th, 2016. Seating
begins at 11:30 a.m. with lunch being served at 11:45 a.m. No RSVP
required.
Craft Night: Friday April 29th at 7:30 p.m.
at Sonrise CRC in
Ponoka. Come on out for a fun evening of
crafting with friends. We will be making
a Rustic Mason Jar Planter Box, staining the box (optional) painting the jars,
and decorating them. These Planter Boxes
will make a great decoration in your home and Mothers’ Day is just around the
corner so it would make a nice gift as well! We have 80 spots available so sign up quick. Deadline for signup is April 24th. Contact Corine Weever at 403- 352-8111 or
email c.weever@live.ca. All proceeds
from this evening will go to the YC groups from Sonrise and Bethel.
It is our
pleasure to invite you to the Wolf Creek
Gideons Banquet will be held on Friday, April 29th at 6:30 p.m.
at the Kozy Korner, 5024-53 St., Lacombe. The speaker is Casey Bjorndal and there will be local singers as
well. Join us to hear how you can share the gospel with
people all over the world who are looking for hope. Tickets: Eleanor Merkus at 403-782-1490 or Henry Eisses at 403-782-2345.
PERSECUTED
CHURCH
Laos
As one of the few remaining communist
nations, Laos is a volatile area for Christians. Officially, the government
permits the practice of four religions, including Christianity. In reality,
however, Christians are harassed, evicted from their homes and forcibly
relocated, denied education opportunities, arrested and forced to deny their
faith. Churches are watched carefully by the government. A 16 year old girl, who recently converted to
Christianity, went home to visit her family while on holiday during a high
school break. After sharing her newfound Christian faith with them, she was
immediately rejected and disowned for becoming a believer. Pray for strength and courage for Christians
as they continue to face pressure and imprisonment for their faith. Pray for the government of Laos -- that those
in power will continue to improve policies and activities, recognizing the need
for freedom for all their citizens. Pray
for new believers like this girl who want to share the joy of their new faith. May she be strengthened in her resolve to
follow Christ all the days of her life, trusting Him to also work in the lives
of her loved ones during this difficult time of estrangement.
