Quarterly Newsletter - May 2021 |
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Missy's Message
Greetings,
You know the scripture, Ephesians 3:20, "Now to Him who is able to do far more abundantly than all that we ask or think, according to the power at work within us…”? We’ve been at our current location for three years already and I still stop in my tracks on a regular basis and say “Wow, Lord you certainly do more abundantly than I ever imagined”. And now, He’s doing it AGAIN! A while back, I felt the Lord calling us to open a resale children’s boutique, utilizing donations of clothes, toys and books and turning it into revenue for Bethesda House. Well, IT’S HAPPENING! And how! We will be opening the Bethesda House Boutique at Kingston Collection on August 1st. He sure does abundantly more than we think! There’s a lot to do on this new journey so if you want to be a part of it, hop on board. You will find a lot more detail spelled out in our newsletter below.
AND... I’m so excited to share that Jamie Blake is coming on board as House Manager. Jamie has been teaching for several years (the last 8 years at CCA). She is a BH Co-Founder, Treasurer and has been actively involved in mentoring, evening care, babysitting, tutoring, fundraising, and more. The plan is for her to assume about half of my responsibilities. This will allow for us both to manage the boutique as well as BH. She will start in July.
As always, your prayer is much appreciated and thank you for being a part of the ministry.
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May God richly bless you,
Missy
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Upcoming Events
** BETHESDA HOUSE BOUTIQUE PLANNING MEETINGS
Thurs., June 10th, 9:30am
OR
Mon., June 14th, 7:00pm
Duxbury Church
2 Tremont St., Duxbury
** 2021 BETHESDA HOUSE SOCCER TOURNAMENT
Sat, July 17th ALL DAY
FREE and Open to the Public
Union Point Sports Complex, Weymouth
** VOLUNTEER TRAINING SESSIONS
Mon, Sep 13, 2021: 6:00 PM - 9:00 PM
Sat, Nov 6, 2021: 9:00 AM - 12:00 PM
Duxbury Church
2 Tremont St., Duxbury
** 2021 VOLUNTEER REFRESHER SESSIONS
2021 sessions will be VIRTUAL
Tues, September 14th - 7:00pm
Tues, November 9th - 10:00am
SAVE THE DATE 2022
** 2021 SPRING GALA
April 9, 2022
Hotel 1620 Plymouth Harbor
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Somebody is summer ready! |
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NATIONAL VOLUNTEER WEEK APRIL 18-24th |
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Thank you to all of our volunteers who share their God-given talents at
Bethesda House!
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SOCCER TOURNAMENT 2021: July 17th, 2021
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With tournament play being permitted in Massachusetts, we are full steam ahead on the planning of our Soccer Tournament!
Again this year, we will be playing at the beautiful Union Point Sports Complex in Weymouth. We will offer the divisions: Coed Competitive, Coed Open, Women's Open and Men's Masters.
It's time to celebrate the end of quarantine and that we are now able to reconnect with our loving Bethesda House community! This is an event for the whole family! Whether you're playing, spectating or just looking for something to do, please come by to enjoy a raffle, snack bar, and family-friendly activities. This is a free event for spectators and is open to the public!
Help Us Identify Local Business Partners
Please help us spread the word to local businesses that we are looking for sponsors for our Soccer Tournament. If you have a special relationship with a local business, would you please share some materials with them about our mission and events? There are various levels of sponsorship available for any budget.
Sponsor the Event T-Shirt
For $100, your family or business can be a t-shirt sponsor. Your name will be added to the list of sponsors on the back of the 400 event shirts. We thank Dimark Precision Machining for covering the costs of the t-shirts!
Become an Event Sponsor
There are a variety of tiered levels for budgets of any size. All sponsors will be recognized on the Bethesda House website, social media platforms, and listed on the back of the event t-shirts.
Donate an Item for the Raffle, Snack Bar, or Thank You Gift Bags
If you have an item or service you would like to donate to the BH Soccer Tournament Raffle, Snack Bar, or Thank You Gift Bags, please complete the Gift Donation Form. Please contact Michelle Sherman, Fundraising Coordinator, at fundraising@bethesdahousema.org or 781-535-9643 to coordinate pick‐up/drop-off. Thank you for donating!
Donate an Item for our Raffle or Other 2021 Fundraisers
Raffle items in the past have included sports memorabilia, themed gift baskets, gift certificates, home décor items and more.
DEADLINE TO ENTER A TEAM & SPONSOR THIS EVENT: July 1st
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PLANS UNDERWAY FOR RESALE BABY BOUTIQUE! |
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We are blessed beyond belief with offers of donations of baby gear, clothing, furniture, etc. that we've had to turn away because storage space is severely limited. We have been researching other non-profits that have turned their donations into a revenue stream. Our moms would have access to a much larger selection and we could use the additional revenue to further support our ministry.
We plan to utilize our volunteers as much as possible to manage, staff, stock and promote the boutique. Direct care training is not required for volunteering at the boutique.
Manage: This role would be someone to organize and manage the inventory of donations.
Staff: This role is for volunteers to staff the boutique and work face-to-face with customers by selling inventory and collecting donations dropped off at the storefront.
Stock: These volunteers would clean and organize inventory.
Bethesda House Boutique Planning Meetings
We are having a couple of meetings to discuss the launch of the Bethesda House Boutique. If you are interested in volunteering or just want to learn more about this new endeavor, please join us either Thursday June 10th at 9:30am or Monday June 14th at 7:00pm at Duxbury Church.
WATCH MISSY'S BIG ANNOUNCEMENT:
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We are excited to announce that the Bethesda House website has been redesigned! Thank you to Erin Sweeney Design for supporting our mission, understanding our goals and creating a beautiful website that will help us reach and support young women needing love and support during their pregnancy and early parenting years.
You’ll notice that the website is now divided into two separate sites to:
1) reach young women seeking a supportive home to begin their parenting journey and
2) organize our community of supporters who make Bethesda House possible.
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PROSPECTIVE MOTHERS:
Young mothers can find information, criteria for living in our home, and the application to live at Bethesda House all in one concise place.
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SUPPORTERS & VOLUNTEERS:
Bethesda House supporters can:
- Find out how to volunteer,
- Manage volunteer timeslots,
- Learn about fundraising events,
- Make a monetary donation, and
- Donate baby items or household goods.
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RESIDENTS SHARE TESTIMONIES |
Two of our current residents have written beautiful testimonies about their experiences at Bethesda House that we have shared on our new website. Every woman who comes through our door comes in with a different story and has a different Bethesda House experience whether it’s during a long stay or short. But, each and every one of them sees God’s grace through the love and care they receive from the supporters and volunteers of our home.
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Many of the donations that are made to Bethesda House come with kind notes or are made in tribute of a special person. Here are the most recent tributes and messages:
-- " In Memory of Grace Blake."
-- "God Bless!"
-- "This donation is in memory of Jonathan Duchatellier. Keep up your wonderful ministry!"
-- "Praise God for you!"
-- "This donation is part of the St. Christine's Catholic Women Today group donation."
-- "Thank you for all that you do!"
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Mother's Day Donation
Bethesda House is so very blessed to have received a generous donation for Mother’s Day in honor of Barbara Quinlan who passed away in October. Barbara was a wonderful mother, grandmother and role model to all. She and her husband Bill were married for 60 years and were parents to three sons. The loving couple always lived their lives with great faith. Thank you to the Quinlan family for honoring such a wonderful woman in this way.
**We send our condolences to the Quinlan family as Bill just recently passed away.**
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DONATE TO BETHESDA HOUSE
Donate online through our secure payment form: Donate Now
MAIL A DONATION
Mail a check made out to Bethesda House and send to P.O. Box 227, N. Pembroke, MA 02358.
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New Baby Bottle Drive Coordinator |
We welcome Maureen Smith as our new volunteer Baby Bottle Drive Coordinator! Maureen will be working with local churches to plan 4-5 week collection periods at which time baby bottles are provided then filled with spare change by generous supporters.
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VOLUNTEER AT BETHESDA HOUSE
There are numerous areas where you can use your God-given talents to support Bethesda House. Several opportunities are flexible depending on your availability. We require that you attend one of our three-hour training sessions if you plan to provide direct care to the mothers and babies. Our next training will be held on September 13th. Come familiarize yourself with our organization, our mission, and with the various ways you can support Bethesda House. We invite you to join us 15 minutes before the start of the session for registration and coffee!
Remaining 2021 Sessions
Mon, Sep 13, 2021: 6:00 PM - 9:00 PM
Sat, Nov 6, 2021: 9:00 AM - 12:00 PM
All sessions take place at Duxbury Church, 2 Tremont St., Duxbury. As we are following suggested social distancing recommendations, there is limited space. Please be sure to register ahead of time.
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Request to All Volunteers-- Attend a VIRTUAL Refresher
At Bethesda House, policies and procedures are constantly changing. In order for us to best support the moms and babies, it is imperative that active volunteers remain on the same page.
We are offering refresher sessions virtually for those volunteers trained more than one year ago. You will be informed via email when you are due for a refresher training and will be asked to select from the following options:
Tues, September 14th - 7:00pm
Tues, November 9th - 10:00am
2: Let us know that you are no longer interested/able to volunteer at Bethesda House. Please email mp@bethesdahousema.org to let us know that we should remove you from our volunteer alert lists. We understand that life is busy and that interests change but we hope that you will continue to support Bethesda House in other ways.
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Purchase a Choose Life Massachusetts License Plate and Give Back to Bethesda House |
Bethesda House is a recipient of grants made possible through the purchase of these plates. When you purchase a Choose Life license plate, the cost of the plate is $40 more than your regular registration fee.
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Household Donation Needs
Bethesda House is in need of expendable items on a regular basis. Here is a list of our current needs:
- Laundry Detergent
- Air Fresheners (solid)
- Napkins
- Paper Plates
- Bathroom Cleaner
- Dreft
- Bleach
- Gallon-sized Freezer Bags
- Tin Foil
- Kitchen Trash Bags
Bethesda House Amazon Wishlist
As with any home, we have a constant need of various household items. We have updated our Amazon wishlist for supporters to help make the new house a comfortable and nurturing home for our young moms and their babies. Check back frequently as we will be updating the list regularly!
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And, as always, thank you for your continued generosity.
Yours sincerely,
Missy Porter, RN
Co-Founder/Director of Bethesda House
Before I formed you in the womb, I knew you. Jeremiah 1:5
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Our mission is to provide a temporary home that is safe and nurturing for young mothers (either pregnant or parenting their child). The basis of our home is built on God's love and how life can be transformed through a relationship with Jesus.
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