Local Community
This is my commandment, that you love one another as I have loved you.
(John 15:12)
The Benevolence Task Force shares the blessings God has given us with those who are despairing, lonely, hungry or homeless, thus making Bethany an expression of our appreciation of Christ’s love and sacrifice for us all. The task force is responsible for disbursing a percentage of the church budget to Lutheran and non-Lutheran ministries and is dedicated to helping other people to show that God’s spirit is continually calling people to action. The Benevolence Task Force disburses to a core group of ministries which they support quarterly, but they also respond to requests.
Contacts: Cathy and Karl Evans
Phone: (303) 758-2820
Meeting Time: Monday at 6:30pm as scheduled (please contact us for the next meeting date)
For I was hungry and you gave me something to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you invited me in ? (Matthew 25:35)
IFCS is a wonderful outreach program that helps people in the community who are in need. Articles needed by IFCS are identified to the congregation through church programs, signs, and notices in the Beacon. Members of the Bethany congregation bring their donations to the church and then these donations are delivered to IFCS. Items donated consist of non-perishable goods, which may include: canned goods, toiletries, household cleaners, clothes etc. Volunteers deliver these items to the IFCS on a weekly basis from Bethany.
Your gifts make it possible for us to continue meeting the needs of children, families, and senior citizens in the community. Your clothing donations will be used to meet the needs of our clients. Any clothing we are unable to use is sold to a used clothing wholesaler to help fund important programs at IFCS like Village Preschool, senior transportation, youth choir and food bank. Your food donations will help to provide families who are in need with a five-day supply of food. Interfaith Community Services exists to help families, children, seniors and other individuals who are struggling to attain, or maintain, a life-style that is self-sufficient.
Information about the IFCS can be obtained by calling them directly at:
Interfaith Community Services
3370 South Irving Street
Englewood Colorado 80110
(303) 789-0510
Contact: Janice Lyon
Phone: (303) 758-2820
E-Mail: janice@bethany-denver.org
Do not neglect to show hospitality to strangers, for by this some have entertained angels without knowing it. (Hebrews 13:2)
The Interfaith Hospitality Network is a national program; the Denver chapter was started in 1997. The mission of the group is to provide emergency shelter, food, and assistance in finding jobs and housing for homeless families. Each host church in the network hosts guest families for one week, approximately four times a year. The Interfaith Hospitality Network is a great opportunity for families with children to volunteer as a family.
Contacts: Paul Eppard, Maren Diercks
Phone: (303) 758-2820
Learn More: National Interfaith Hospitality Network
“We know love by this, that He laid down his life for us, and we ought to lay down our lives for one another. How does God’s love abide in anyone who has the world’s goods and sees a brother or sister in need and yet refuses to help? Little children, let us love, not in word or speech, but in action and truth.” (1 John 3:16-18)
It is the mission of the Habitat for Humanity program at Bethany to witness to the gospel of Jesus Christ by helping to eliminate housing at the poverty level and homelessness from the earth. Our group at Bethany has worked in partnership with other Lutheran and Episcopal Churches since 1998 to raise money and supply volunteers to construct four single family homes in Denver and ten homes in Mexico. We provide an opportunity for members of Bethany to serve God and to make a difference in their local or global community, either financially or by volunteering their time in Habitat or other needed housing construction/maintenance activities.
Habitat for Humanity is a wonderful Christian ministry, which seeks to provide decent housing for low-income families. Its most amazing accomplishment is doing this while also upholding the dignity of those it serves. The basis of Habitat for Humanity is partnership. At the most basic level, families commit over 500 hours of sweat equity and, after a $1000 down payment, make affordable payments on their homes in return for a home they could not afford to buy on the open market. Habitat for Humanity holds the mortgage and after occupancy provides on-going support in home ownership. The importance of providing decent and affordable housing is ever increasing.
Please read the weekly Sunday church bulletin and Beacon for specific volunteer details or contact the individuals below.
Contact:
Kevin Dempsey – kmdmpsy@aol.com
Sarah Hulslander – sarah@bethany-denver.org
