Blessed to Be a Blessing
“Then the angel showed me the river of the water of life, bright as crystal, flowing from the throne of God and of the lamb through the middle of the street of the city. On either side of the river is the tree of life with its twelve kinds of fruit, producing its fruit each month; and the leaves of the tree are for the healing of the nations.” Revelation 22:1-2
During the course of our Blessed to be a Blessing stewardship campaign, we are making ample use of leaves as imagery. We are connecting leaves to being blessed and to being a blessing in order to help each of us realize our blessedness and its purpose in God’s plan. Blessed to be a Blessing will focus on three sequential themes…three ways to reflect on our abundant blessings. Temple talks, sermons and congregational actions will underline the central lessons of these three themes.
“Being Blessed” – October 23. On this Sunday we will reflect on what it means to be 
blessed and to recognize those blessings that permeate our lives. This is the Sunday we reflect not just on a glass half full, but overflowing. Speaker: Del Hock. Click here to READ or LISTEN to his temple talk.
“Being the Blessing” – October 30. On this Sunday we will reflect on what it 
means to be a blessing to others. At Bethany we lived this in May and our youth lived it on service trips. This is the Sunday we reflect on emptying our overflowing glasses on behalf of others. LISTEN: Micaela Dempsey (8:00am), Kristen Deal (9:00am) and Heather Kekstadt (10:30am).
“Blessed to be a Blessing” – November 6. The mission and ministry of Bethany is fueled
by our individual financial commitments that are reflective of our acknowledgment that God has indeed blessed us abundantly. Speaker: Ron Bruggeman
Bethany Lutheran Church and its members have been entrusted with the care of the gifts that God has given each of us individually and all of us collectively to do his will. It is our calling to be good stewards of these gifts. Blessed to be a Blessing and its themes address the realities of being blessed and responding to those blessings.
On Consecration Sunday, November 13, you will be asked to commit a portion of your financial blessings to the “healing of all the nations” to the mission and ministry of Bethany Lutheran Church and its benevolent activities. The General Fund to which you will pledge is the core system that allows us to serve others as we are called to do. It pays the mortgage, the utilities, the salaries and buys supplies. In short, it is the heart that pumps the lifeblood of our mission and ministry together.
We thank you and your family for sharing the abundant blessings God has bestowed on us. On November 13, 2011 we look forward to joining you and all of Bethany as we together worship and praise God for all His great blessings and ask Him to consecrate our pledges of time, talent and money: our part in making His Kingdom come.
Your fellow stewards, The Bethany Stewardship Ministry Team
- Ron Bruggeman, Peggy Furgason, Del Hock, Adam Butler,
- Joel Halvorson, Sarah Hulslander, Laura Weber-Meyers, Ted Ziemann
Click HERE to read a recent article from Café, an online magazine that incorporates a Lutheran perspective into current life issues.
