Bellefield Weekly

February 3, 2023 | ISSUE #148

BELLEFIELD WEEKLY

Love. Share. Grow. Serve.

Dear Bellefield Family,

When I was a pre-teen, I read a book that had been sitting around our house for a while called “Bruchko”. It’s about a guy named Bruce Olson, who at 19 decided to go by himself to preach the gospel to the isolated Motilone people of Columbia and Venezuela. For a pre-teen boy, it was a pretty cool book: going off on a big, dangerous adventure, traveling through a jungle, and gross-out stories of intestinal distress. To be honest, the intestinal distress stories were what stuck with me most.

It was interesting going back as an adult recently and reading a review of Bruchko. As a kid, Olsen’s whole experience seemed bold and adventurous, and truly it was. But there are questions hidden in the book that I wasn’t even aware of about missionary practice; things like when and how to share the gospel, what the content of the gospel ought to be, and how to effectively translate the gospel to a different culture.

Moreover, these are not just questions for missionaries. They are also questions that we wrestle with. The historic Christian church has also been thinking and arguing about these sorts of questions for almost as long as the church has been around. So, this February in our Adult Sunday School class (9:45am in Fellowship Hall), we are going to be continuing our class Modern Problems, Historic Solutions by focusing on controversies around missions. We’ll be looking at the account of a mission to Native Americans in the 18th century to better understand the good and the (potential) bad of cross-cultural mission work. We’ll be looking at controversies around late 19th century social movements and Walter Rauschenbush to help us engage with the question of what the role of the church in society ought to be. And we will also be looking at controversies around ecumenical movements to try to help us try to understand how to prioritize church unity.

So come to the Adult Sunday School class this month. I’d also invite you to join us this Sunday at 9:45am for a special breakfast connect hosted by Cornerstone to raise money for students to go to the Jubilee Conference later this month. No need to bring any food, just a donation if you can spare it for the students making the food.

I look forward to seeing you all during the Sunday school hour!

In Christ,

Greg Burdette

This Week at Bellefield

Sunday, February 5th

Classic Worship @ 8:30am, Sanctuary
Breakfast Connect Fundraiser @ 9:45am, Fellowship Hall
Modern Worship @ 11am, Sanctuary
Modern Worship Online, Livestream @ 11am
Young Adult Small Group @12:45pm, room B6
Relaxed Worship @ 5pm, Fellowship Hall
Cornerstone Small Group @ 7:00pm, Conference Room

Monday, February 6th

Women's Bible Study @ 9:30am, Conference Room & Online
Youth Group, Email Matthew for details
Chatham Christian Fellowship @ 7pm, Chatham Chapel

Tuesday, February 7th

Cornerstone Study @ 7pm, room B6

Wednesday, February 8th

Wednesday Hangouts & Bible Club, Email Matthew for details
Young Adult Small Group @ 7:00pm, room B5
Cornerstone Joint Worship @ 8:40pm, Sanctuary

Thursday, February 9th

Young Adult Small Group @ 7:00pm, room B6
Freshman Bible Study @ 7:00pm, room B5

Friday, February 10th

Chatham Healthcare Bible Study @ 3pm, Chatham Mellon Conover & Online

Saturday, February 11th

Families with Young Children Small Group @ 9:30am, Room 203
Women's Valentine Breakfast @ 9:30am, Fellowship Hall
Parent's Night Out @ 5pm, contact Bobbi for more information

Sunday, February 12th

Classic Worship @ 8:30am, Sanctuary
Sunday Classes @ 9:45am
Modern Worship @ 11am, Sanctuary
Modern Worship Online, Livestream @ 11am
Young Adult Small Group @12:45pm, room B6
Relaxed Worship @ 5pm, Fellowship Hall
Cornerstone Small Group @ 7:00pm, Conference Room

To watch our worship service online after Sunday morning, head over to our YouTube page, click Videos and then Past Live Videos. On Monday mornings you can find the recorded live stream on the front page of our YouTube channel.

During the month of February we will be praying for Len & Debi, our global partners who serve Restricted regions. Join us as we lift them and their ministry up throughout the month.

The Ministry of the month is our Worship Team. This group helps to plan and lead all of our weekly services, offering times where we can draw near to the Lord in worship alongside others. As they begin to plan for our various special services throughout Lent, please pray that they can provide times of meaningful worship which glorify God and strengthen us all in our faith.

Announcements

Worship Volunteers Needed

Our new Worship Coordinator, Gina, is working to build up teams for Sunday morning worship. If you have the ability to serve in one of the following areas, please contact her!

Greeting
Running Slides
Sound Board
Live Stream

Email Gina Caputo for more information

Upcoming Events

Breakfast Connect Fundraiser

February 5th, 9:45am

Our next Breakfast Connect will be hosted again by our University Ministry. Food will be provided and all donations will go to supporting students going to CCO Jubilee Conference at the end of February.

If you are unable to attend the breakfast but would still like to donate, you can do so here.

Simple Supper

February 5th, 6pm

This Sunday we will kick off Simple Suppers after the 5pm worship service. The first Sunday of the month we will share a meal together after the 5pm worship service. This month our meal is provided!

Women's Valentines Breakfast

February 11th, 9:30am

The Men's and Women's ministries are hosting a valentines breakfast on Saturday, February 11th for all women in the church from 9:30am-12pm. The men of the church are invited to help cook and serve the breakfast.

For more information or to RSVP, contact Barb Liberati bliberati@verizon.net) for the women, or Gary Liberati (drgarylib@gmail.com) for the men.

Check out our calendar for more programs and events!

Community Care

Connect

If you are looking for ways to connect with our community, please reach out to us using this connect form. One of our staff or leaders would be happy to talk with you.

Small Groups

If you would like to grow in your faith through joining a small group, there are a number of groups to choose from! Email Julie for more information.

Prayer

Our Prayer Team will offer prayer after our morning service. Contact Greg if you need to talk or would like prayer during the week.

Deacons

If you or your family have been experiencing spiritual, financial, or physical hardship during this time, please reach out to our Deacons who are here to help care for you.

deacons@bellefield.org

COVID-19 Guidelines

Our elders and leadership have made it our practice to promote the local CDC guidelines for mitigation strategies. Here are the current recommendations:

The CDC COVID-19 Community Level for Allegheny County is currently LOW
Those who are sick or may have recent exposure are encouraged to remain at home and participate in our online options when available.
Please be mindful of your interactions with vulnerable populations.
A fully masked section is on the east side of the sanctuary for any who choose.
If after attending an onsite event you test positive for COVID, we encourage you to let the group leader know so they can inform those who may be impacted.

Thank you for helping us to care for one another!

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About Realm

Bellefield Presbyterian Church | 4001 Fifth Avenue, Pittsburgh, PA 15213 | 412-687-3222