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Vestry Update from the Senior Warden
Dear Bethesda Friends,
Last week we convened our first full meeting of the new Vestry. Of course, as I outlined in my note last week, we spent considerable time discussing the resignation of Father Thomas and the challenges and opportunities it presents for the Bethesda organization going forward.
We also addressed important issues in several areas:
Leadership and Governance
Vice-Chairs were proposed and approved for the four Vestry sub-committees as follows (Chairs were approved on Jan. 28):
Audit: Charles McGill, Chair, and Jodie Payne, Vice-Chair
We thank these leaders for taking on these responsibilities and for their commitment to this important work.
Buildings and Grounds
Connie Purcell reported that we are working with the Town of Palm Beach to secure permits for installation of the replacement electrical feed for one of our two air conditioning chillers. This installation will result in removal and repair or replacement of some landscaping and hardscape. It will only slightly disrupt operations as power will have to be cut off for one or two days. Her committee and contractors are working hard to accomplish this work before Holy Week.
Audit
Charles McGill reported that his committee is preparing to begin the annual audit cycle. The Vestry approved a motion to once again engage Holyfield & Thomas to conduct the audit.
Finance
Peggy Johnson reported that church financial operations are essentially on track, taking into account timing issues. Her new Vice-Chair John Brim will be leading a working group to coordinate with Fred Staley and our new accounting provider GuideServ to develop reporting processes which better meet the needs of the Vestry, Finance Sub-Committee, Staff, and congregation.
Parking
Fred Staley reported that the residents of the 100 block of Barton Avenue had submitted their application to the Town of Palm Beach for permitted parking to include authorized Bethesda parking, and that it has received staff approval from the Town. You will soon see signs going up similar to the ones in the 200 and 300 blocks. This secures parking rights for us going forward and is an important continuation of our parking initiative. We are grateful to our resident neighbors, Tanner Rose, Fred Staley, and the Town for working together in cooperation to bring this to fruition.
Stewardship
Paul Coombs reported that pledges have been received for just over 50% of the 2018 goal of $2.2M. This is a great start, and we sincerely thank all those who have already pledged their commitments for 2018. Pledges, the earlier the better, give the Vestry and Staff the confidence to execute programs planned for 2018 according to the budget.
Evangelism
As I wrote in my January note, the Vestry has committed to an intentional long-term focus on Bethesda's stated mission to... "understand and spread Christ's teachings..." to both existing members and new members. In every Vestry meeting going forward we will continue the conversation on how best to approach and execute this mission. In this Sunday's adult forum, Canon Elizabeth Geitz, who is the author of several excellent books including
Fireweed Evangelism, will engage us in conversation on this objective which is so vital to the spiritual and temporal health of our beloved Bethesda congregation. I hope to see you there.
Yours in Christ,
Beth Cole
Senior Warden
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SUNDAY, MARCH 11, 2018
Preacher (8:00 & 11:00 a.m.):
The Rector
Preacher (9:00 a.m.):The Rector
*8:00 a.m. Holy Eucharist
8:30 a.m.
Fellowship Breakfast, Parish Hall West
*9:00 a.m. Holy Eucharist
9:30 a.m.
Fellowship Finger Food,
Parish Hall West
9:50 a.m.
Adult Forum, Parish Hall East
9:50 a.m.
3 & 4 Year Old Sunday School,
Sunday School Hall
9:50 a.m.
K & 1st Grade Sunday School, Sunday School Hall
9:50 a.m.
2nd & 3rd Grade Sunday School,
Sunday School Hall
9:50 a.m. 4th & 5th Grade Sunday School,
Sunday School Hall
9:50 a.m. 6th & 7th Grade Sunday School,
Library
9:50 a.m. 8th Grade Confirmation Group,
ECW Room
9:50 a.m. 9th-12th Grade Mission Group, Youth Room
*#11:00 a.m. Morning Prayer and Holy Eucharist
12:15 p.m. Church Tour
Fellowship Breakfast | 8:15 a.m. to 10:00 a.m. | Parish Hall West
We will have a full breakfast, with rotating menu, for $5 per person. After 10:00 a.m., a simpler fare, fellowship finger foods, will be provided until 1:00 p.m. with no cost to our parishioners.
This week's menu: scrambled eggs, sausage, hashbrowns, biscuits, muffins, and fruit & cheese platters.
Adult Forum: Expanding Our Tent; Evangelism for Bethesda, led by The Rev. Canon Elizabeth Geitz | Sunday, March 11 | 9:50 a.m. | Parish Hall
"Enlarge the site of your tent, and let the curtains of your habitations be stretched out; do not hold back; lengthen your cords and strengthen your stakes." Isaiah 54:2 As we discuss enlarging the site of our tent at Bethesda, join us as we explore together what evangelism is and what it is not. If it isn't about church growth, increasing pledge numbers, or even a parish program, then what is it? And what is unique about Christian hospitality? Come and see!
Church Tour | Sunday, March 11 | 12:15 p.m. | Chancel
The Church Tour begins in the Chancel (front of the church), immediately following the 11:00 a.m. service.
Given concerns over this year's flu season, the staff at Bethesda would like to offer some general, gentle reminders. During the passing of the peace, worshipers customarily greet one another with a hand-shake or hug. It's important to offer a greeting of peace in a way in which others are comfortable. Some folks find that touching elbows or forearms or greeting simply with words better protects from illness, and we can all respect each other's choices and boundaries as we delight in the peaceful presence of God among us.
- PP Parking Permitted from 3:00 p.m. to 6:30 p.m.-
PARKING: Persons attending Sunday services will be allowed to park on ALL of Barton Avenue and Pendleton Avenue
without receiving a ticket until 1:30 p.m.
* nursery care for infants through age 2 is
available from 7:45 a.m. to 12:30 p.m.
# service will be live-streamed here
Click here to view the service leaflet for this Sunday.
Click here to view this week's Bethesda Happenings.
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5:45 to 6:30 p.m. | Community Supper | Parish Hall
The cost is $10 for adults; $5 for children under 12; $25 family max (payable at the door).
This week's menu: Penne pasta with sliced chicken breast, Alfredo sauce, Caesar salad, garlic bread, sauteed vegetables, and brownies. Kindly
RSVP here or call Ayana at (561) 655-4554.
*In order to properly plan and prepare the supper, we need your reservations by noon on Monday.
FEATURED CLASSES
6:30 to 7:40 p.m. | Listening to the Heartbeat of God;
A Celtic Spirituality
| Guild Room
We will spend these four weeks during Lent reading and discussing J. Philip Newell's seminal text describing the history and theology of Celtic spirituality. Regarded as the preeminent scholar his field, Dr. Newell's text offers a spirituality for today drawn from the deep and rich well of Christianity from the British Isles based on the inherent principles of the goodness of creation and the imago Dei, that we are made in the image of God.
6:30 to 7:40 p.m. | Journey Back to God; A Lenten Discipline with the Society of St. John the Evangelist | Library
Sometimes it's difficult to slow down in these active weeks leading up to Easter, so we invite you to be a part of this weekly meditation and conversation using the Lenten curriculum from the brothers of the Society of St. John the Evangelist in Cambridge, Massachusetts.
RECURRING CLASSES
6:30 to 7:40 p.m. | Bible Study | ECW Room
From Genesis to the Revelation, reading the bible together is a meaningful way for us to deepen our faith while strengthening our ties to one another and the church community. Each Wednesday, Father Thomas and other clergy will offer an informal and instructive opportunity to study the Bible with a focus on historical perspective and scripture's meaning for us in the daily living of our lives. So, bring your bibles to the ECW Room--or use one of ours.
6:30 to 7:40 p.m. | Liturgy Group| Sunday School Hall
F
or all children in Kindergarten through 5th Grade who are interested in learning more about what we do on Sunday mornings in our worship services, the Wednesday Liturgy Class will teach them more about what we do and why. Over the course of the year we will explore elements of the Holy Eucharist more in-depth with our young people and also train them to become worship leaders for Sunday services. Topics will include communion, acolyting, music, the liturgical calendar, and saints. If you've ever wanted a class to teach your child about what we do in worship, don't miss this wonderful opportunity.
6:30 to 7:40 p.m. | Bethesda Youth Group | Youth Room
The Bethesda Youth Group will move from our traditional Thursday night meetings to Wednesday nights to join our Middle Way ministries. Come for dinner at 5:45 p.m. and stay for Youth Group until 7:40 p.m. The Bethesda Youth Group is a fellowship group open to all those in 6th through 12th Grade. Members also participate in monthly special events including our annual lock-in, service day, and camping trip to Peanut Island.
6:30 to 7:40 p.m. | Yoga | Parish Hall West
Physical therapist and yoga therapist, Emily Large, invites all adults for an evening of holistic worship through Christian yoga practice. Physical postures, relaxation, breath techniques, and mental focus create a holistic approach for worship as we will reflect on the themes associated with the liturgical calendar. A requested donation of $10 per class (payable at the door).
CLOSING PRAYER
7:45 to 8:00 p.m. | Compline | Church
An ancient, brief, and contemplative liturgy of the Christian tradition, compline offers an opportunity to give God thanks for the day behind us and pray for rest and safety in the night ahead. A fitting end to the day, compline offers a peaceful and meditative sacred time in the middle of our often frenetic weeks, as well as a beautiful conclusion to our Wednesday evenings together.
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The Vestry and Clergy of Bethesda by-the-Sea
invite you to an evening of fellowship in the Garden Chapel in celebration of the 2018 Annual Campaign.
Please choose whichever date works for you:
March 8 or 20
5:30 p.m. to 7:00 p.m. in the Garden Chapel
Please R.S.V.P. to Turia Roebuck-Hayden
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Palm Beach Fellowship of Christians & Jews
presents
Pizza & Pathways...
in a World Turned Upside Down
Wednesday, March 14 at 5:30 p.m. - St. Edward Parish Hall
(165 N. County Road, Palm Beach)
Rabbi Howard Shapiro and Father Burl Salmon will screen and discuss the award-winning short film, "Love the Sinner," the second session of the Pizza & Pathways series; doors open at 5:15 p.m. and program begins 5:30 p.m. Pizza and beverages will be available at 5:15 p.m. RSVP requested at (561) 833-6150 or
Click here.
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Guided Retreat at Holy Cross Monastery
O God of peace, who hast taught us that in returning and rest we shall be saved, in quietness and in confidence shall be our strength. By the might of thy Spirit lift us, we pray thee, to thy presence, where we may be still and know that thou art God; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen (The Book of Common Prayer - 1979)
Born
from the leadership of Bethesda Cares out of a desire for a holy contemplation and prayer, we have asked the Benedictine brothers of
Holy Cross Monastery to lead a small group in a guided retreat in April at the Monastery in West Park, New York. Retreatants will arrive on Tuesday, April 17th, and spend three days under the guidance of a spiritual director in both group and individual meditation and prayer, joining the brothers for daily offices and meals, as well as observing the Great Silence from compline to breakfast. Space is limited to 13 retreatants, male and female. The cost is $300 with travel arrangements not included. West Park is easily reached from any metro New York airport, but especially from Westchester/White Plains, where JetBlue flies direct from Palm Beach. (If interest in traveling as a group is significant, a group reservation is easily made.) Scholarships are available. Please contact Father Burl for more information at
salmon@bbts.org.
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LENTEN RESOURCES IN THE SHOPPE
The festivity of Mardi Gras has come and gone, and we find Lent upon us already this year. But don't fret if you haven't located reading material to accompany your forty-day journey, because The Shoppe at Bethesda has stocked itself with several really wonderful texts specifically for Lent.
Click here for these and more
titles that you'll find on the shelves as well as short blurbs about each one. I have no doubt that you find a suitable book, guide, or bracket(!) that will be great company for you as we travel in the wilderness toward the cross. You may also click on the images of each book above to get more information.
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This Sunday's Readings in Context
Parishioner Tom O'Brien, a Canon and Examining Chaplain for Scripture of this diocese, writes brief background descriptions of the Sunday readings. We thank Tom for sharing his learning and love of Scripture with us in this way.
The reading
describes the unusual story recounted in the Book of Numbers of the bronze serpent in the Wilderness (a story later alluded to in 2 Kings 18 and John 3) as well as the Letter to the Ephesians written in the late First Century by one of Paul's disciples.
Numbers 21:4-9
Numbers is the fourth book of the Torah (Hebrew meaning "teaching" or "Law"), also known by Christians as the Pentateuch (Greek meaning "Five Books"). Numbers (like the last half of Exodus, and all of Leviticus and Deuteronomy) is set in the time the Israelites were in the Wilderness before entering the Promised Land. If the time in the Wilderness is historical (no archeological evidence has ever been found to support it), this would have been around 1250 BCE.
Most of the book of Numbers was written by the "Priestly Source" during the Babylonian Exile (587-539 BCE) and in the 100 years after the Exile. Today's reading is one of four stories in the Torah in which the Israelites complained about their food or water or both. (The other three are in Exodus 16, and Numbers 11 and 20.) In this story, YHWH got angry and took action against the Israelites by attacking them with poisonous snakes. According to the story, many died until Moses intervened (v.7) and put a bronze serpent on a pole so that people who were bitten might live if they looked upon the bronze serpent (v.9).
According to 2 Kings 18:4, the bronze serpent on the pole was installed in the First Temple, but became an idol that the people worshiped. The good King Hezekiah (727-698 BCE), as part of reforms that were praised by the Deuteronomists, had the serpent removed from the Temple.
According to today's Gospel reading, Jesus compared his being lifted up on the cross to the lifting up of the serpent on the pole in the Wilderness (John 3:14-15). Just as looking at the bronze serpent allowed an Israelite to live, believing in Jesus of Nazareth brings eternal life.
Ephesians 2:1-10
Ephesus was a large and prosperous city in what is now western Turkey. According to the Acts of the Apostles and 1 Corinthians, Paul visited there. In Ephesus, there were Jesus Followers who were Jews and Jesus Followers who were Gentiles, and they didn't always agree on what it meant to be a Jesus Follower. This letter was written in the late First Century by one of Paul's disciples and was intended to unify the Ephesus community.
Today's reading is addressed to Gentile Jesus Followers ("you" in verse 1) and both Gentile and Jewish Jesus Followers ("all of us" in verse 3). The emphasis on salvation by grace through faith (v.8) rather than by works (v.9) is a theme that follows the theology of salvation found in Paul's Letter to the Rom
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141 South County Road · Palm Beach, FL 33480
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Bethesda's Mission is to experience the clear and strong presence of God and to understand and spread Christ's teachings through collective worship, learning, and service.
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Funeral Services
Elizabeth Webb Feagans
March 17, 2018 at 10:30 a.m
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Remember to change your clocks one hour ahead
S
unday, March 11 at 2 a.m. local time.
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Lenten Services
Our 12:05 p.m. Wednesday
Eucharist during Lent will include congregational hymns and service music. Following each of those services, the Episcopal Church Women (ECW) will provide two homemade soups, along with salad and bread. The cost of the luncheon is $3, payable at the door.
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Palm Cross Workshop,
Friday, March 23 | 9:00 a.m. |
Tea House
Join this time-honored tradition
in which volunteers meet to enjoy
fellowship and make 1,000 palm
crosses in preparation for Palm
Sunday. Everyone is invited, and we
benefit from the wonderful talent
of seasoned pros who teach curious
newcomers to carry on the ancient
art of cross-making. We need lots of
helping hands, so come join us on
Friday morning in the Teahouse.
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Maundy Thursday
Lamb Stew Supper| Thursday, March 29,
|6:30 p.m.|
Garth
We serve a simple traditional Middle Eastern dinner of slow simmered
spring lamb stew with vegetables, green salad, pita bread with feta
cheese, assorted olives and grapes, and tea and water. Macaroni and
cheese is also available. The cost is $10 for adults and $5 for children.
RSVP to
Ayana Pineiro at (561) 655-4554 or
Click here
Maundy Thursday Service| Thursday, March 29, |
7:30 p.m.| Church
All are invited and encourage to worship at 7:30 p.m. with us following the Maundy Thursday Supper.
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All-Night Watch
Maundy Thursday, March 29 &
Good Friday, March 30 |
10:00 p.m. to 7:00 a.m. | Church.
The Watch in the church begins at 10:00 p.m., continues through the
night, and ends on Good Friday at the Mass of the Presanctified. We need
volunteers to take turns spending an hour in quiet meditation and prayer,
keeping vigil with our Lord. This devotional practice has been a part of
Holy Week tradition since the early church. An hour may be kept by one
or more persons. Look for the sign-up sheets in the Narthex. If you have
any questions, please contact The Rev. Burl Salmon at
salmon@bbts.org
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Easter Eucharist & Luncheon for the Homebound
Thursday, April 5 | 11:00 a.m.
We will need help with all aspects of the event, from registration and
helping guests as they arrive into the Parish Hall, serving the meal, and
cleanup, as well as assisting them to the church afterwards. If you are
interested in helping in any way, please contact April
at (561) 655-4555 x112 or e-mail
april@bbts.org
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Palm Beach Symphony: The Glory of Baroque
Monday, March 12 | 7:30 p.m. | Church
Delray Beach Chorale with Florida Atlantic University. Ramón Tebar conductor.
Click here for more information and tickets to this event or call the box office (561) 281-0145.
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Easter Memorial Flowers
We invite you to make a contribution in memory of, or in honor of, your loved ones during this Easter season. Your gift provides for the special flowers and altar adornments during this season and throughout the year. Your loved ones' names will be printed in the Easter service leaflets as long as they are received by Friday, March 23. You may make your requests and contribution here.
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Spring Carnival and
Easter Egg Hunt
Saturday, March 31 | 10:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m.
We're bringing back our Spring Carnival
on Saturday, March 31. We will have
games, snacks, prizes, and multiple
Easter egg hunts for various ages. Invite
your friends to come experience a
wonderful Spring celebration!
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Calling All Knitters at Bethesda
Get those needles clicking and wrap someone in love! Parishioner Gloria McAllister is spearheading a ministry of shawls to give to our guests who come to Bethesda for our Homebound Eucharist during Easter Week. Our goal is 60 shawls, and we would love all who can to join in this beautiful and thoughtful ministry. If you are interested, please contact Father Burl at (561) 655-4554 x105 or
click here
to email him for the pattern and further instructions.
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We pray for...
Alan, Alexis, Angela, Ann, Austin, Bill, Bob, Brenda, Brittany, Bunny, Carrie, Cathy, Charlie, Chris, Debbie, Donald, Donna, Dorothy, Dunn Family, Ellen, Enjoli, Evan, Fred, Garcia Family, Gary, Georgette, Gisela, Holly, Hunter, Jack, Jane, John, Katherine, Katie, Keeling, Leanne, Leslie, Lopez Family, Lory, Marcia, Mary, Matthew, Melissa, Michael, Nita, Pamela, Pat, Patrick, Patsy, Peggy, Petason Family, Ralph, Rebecca, Rex, Richard, Ricky, Saraine, Schentrup Family, Stephen, Sylvia, Taryn, Teresa, Thomas, Tina, Tom, Ward, Wheldon, and those serving our country...Alex, Benjamin, Christian, Clara, Eric, Harold, Herbert, John, Lorne, Michael, Sean, and Tommy
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The Bethesda Spring Catalog is available...
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