Newsletter - November 2021 |
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Missy's Message
Greetings,
Happy 5th Birthday, Bethesda House!
God has given us the opportunity to share His love with 48 young women and their babies over those 5 years. I have used the phrase “love on” moms and babies several times over the years. As we celebrate FIVE YEARS, it seems the perfect opportunity, to share some examples of our amazing volunteers “loving on” moms and babies, Bethesda House style.
Lynn, on her first transport for BH, was heading to Lawrence to pick up a pregnant young woman to move in, when she receives a call from me informing her that the mom thinks her water may have broken. Lynne asks, “What do you want me to do?” I could only answer, “Could you continue with the plan and bring her back to the house?” She did and we welcomed a new mama and then A NEW BABY the next day!
Victoria, who tends to do odds and ends for us, received a text from me out of the clear blue….”Wanna go to Florida for a few days? Can your family survive without you?” Her response “Lol – ‘splain Lucy!” I shared the need— someone was needed to accompany a mom to Florida to help her transition her baby to the adoptive family. Within an hour we were planning the trip!
Sandy G., who helps with evening care, driving, babysitting and Bible Study, took a grandmother of one of our moms into her home for a two night stay, when she came as a surprise for the mom’s high school graduation.
Sandy P. has been doing Evening Care every Wednesday night, for the entire five years we have been open.
These are just a few examples— although I could have gone on and on, but I want to leave you enough time to read the rest of the newsletter. Our volunteers are AMAZING and we thank each one of you that has helped in one way or another!
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May God richly bless you,
Missy
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Upcoming Events
** VOLUNTEER TRAINING SESSIONS
Duxbury Church
2 Tremont St., Duxbury
-- Sat. January 15th 2:00 - 5:00pm
-- Sat. March 5th 9:00am - 12:00pm
-- Sat. May 7th 6:00 - 9:00pm
-- Tues. July 12th 9:00am - 12:00pm
-- Mon. September 12th 6:00 - 9:00pm
-- Sat. November 5th 2:00 - 5:00pm
** VOLUNTEER REFRESHER SESSIONS
All refresher VIRTUAL
-- Wed. January 19th 10:00 - 11:00am
-- Tues. April 12th 10:00 - 11:00am
-- Mon. July 25th 7:00 - 8:00pm
-- Mon. October 3rd 10:00 - 11:00am
SAVE THE DATE 2022
** 2021 SPRING GALA
April 9, 2022
Hotel 1620 Plymouth Harbor
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Our house has all ladies right now! |
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The Bethesda House Boutique is our resale boutique where 100% of the profits from sales are used to support the boutique and our home. |
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SHOP:
Just because you have the means to pay full price, doesn't mean you have to!
Get beautiful items for a great price. Visit the Bethesda House Boutique for babies, children's, teen and maternity clothing as well as children's toys and books.
Find us at the Kingston Collection (Formerly the Independence Mall) across from Billy Beez.
Hours:
Sunday 12:00pm – 6:00pm
Monday, Tuesday, Thursday, Friday, Saturday 10:00am – 5:00pm
CLOSED WEDNESDAY
Phone: 781-776-3073
DONATE:
Donations of new to like-new items are welcome for drop-off at the store. Most items are sold for $4 unless otherwise marked. For items that we accept, donation guidelines or, for more information, visit The Bethesda House Boutique.
VOLUNTEER:
We especially need volunteers to work the register in the boutique. We provide training!
We will be implementing weekly Google Meets for boutique volunteers and will make them available to view.
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Our Boutique Offers a "Hand Up"
Part of our mission at the Bethesda House Boutique is to serve as a beacon of light within the community. We are here to help. Anyone needing free formula or diapers can call 781-361-2418 ext. 3.
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BETHESDA HOUSE MOMS MEET "DUCK DYNASTY"
We were so blessed to witness the testimony and words of encouragement by Lisa Robertson October 9th. Lisa and her husband Alan Robertson are members of America’s favorite back woods family and the Duck Commander Clan. Lisa speaks to pregnancy centers across the country taking on the topic of relationships and the secrets that saved her once troubled marriage.
Thank you Restoration Community Church and Mayflower Church for making this beautiful experience possible!
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SUPPORT BETHESDA HOUSE:
Host a Giving Tree at your Business or Group Gathering
This Giving Season
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Looking for a way to give back this 2021 Christmas season? Host a Bethesda House Christmas Tree at your establishment or group gathering!
Each year we put up “giving trees” in area locations with ornaments featuring a baby and instructions on how to donate an Amazon or Walmart gift card. Patrons can scan the QR Code provided or follow simple donation instructions. Amazon and Walmart cards can be bought online and sent directly to Bethesda House or purchased in stores and mailed to Bethesda House. These gift cards will help us keep our large home stocked with household needs for the year.
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Setting the Tree Up is as Simple as 1...2...3... |
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HOW DOES IT WORK?
Patrons can scan the QR Code provided or follow simple donation instructions to purchase gift cards. Amazon and Walmart cards can be bought online and sent directly to Bethesda House or purchased in stores and mailed to Bethesda House. These gift cards will help us keep our large home stocked with household needs for the year.
The 2020 Christmas Tree Drive gift card donations provided 10 months of fulfilled needs for the home!
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In the last FIVE years at Bethesda House... |
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Giving Season Giving
Having to cancel our Gala for a second year due to the pandemic, we have several ways to support Bethesda House this Christmas season.
CHRISTMAS TREE DRIVE:
Donate gift cards to help us stock our home with household necessities:
DONATE ONLINE TO BETHESDA HOUSE
Donate online through our secure payment form: Donate Now
MAIL A DONATION
Mail a check made out to Bethesda House and mailed to P.O. Box 227, N. Pembroke, MA 02358.
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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:
-- "A donation has been made in memory of Beverly Mangone: The mother-in-law of Plympton Fire Chief Steve Silva" from the Plympton Firefighters Association
-- "Just a gift to help your work that radiates Christ's love to mamas and their babies! Blessings from Ryan & Bethany Bomberger and The Radiance Foundation!"
-- "This donation is in honor of Jacquelyn DelGrosso & Dan Kenneally."
-- "This donation has been made in tribute to Mary Elizabeth Brownell."
-- A donation has been made in the name of Beverly “Debby” Mangone, a friend I had not been in touch with for years. But, I remember her kindness.
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Several donations were made in recent weeks in the name of Bethesda House supporter Lillian Crossman who went home to be with the Lord on October 9th. Lillian was a kindergarten and first grade teacher at Colrain Central School for 23 years. She taught for another 10 years as a busy substitute teacher at her adopted school – Carver Elementary School. For many years she was an active member of First Baptist Church of Colrain, MA and was a dear friend to Bethesda House. She was preceded in death by her loving husband Ivan. We thank her family for suggesting donations to Bethesda House as a way to honor this dear woman.
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Another dear friend of Bethesda House, Mary “Betsy” Elizabeth Brownell departed from this world to be with the Lord Jesus Christ in Eternity on October 17th, 2021 at the age of 79. She was a humble, sincere soul who had a gentleness and sweetness that was equally matched with resilient strength and feisty boldness concerning matters that were important to her and those she loved. Through the years she attended Christian churches in Fall River and also attended Christ Church in Swansea. Mary had strong faith. In her younger years she was a Sunday School teacher, a role that meant a lot to her. We thank her family for suggesting donations to Bethesda House as a way to honor this dear woman. |
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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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SHOPPING ONLINE THIS SEASON? Amazon Gives Back to Bethesda House
If shopping online through Amazon this season, you can have a portion of your purchase donated to Bethesda House! Register on the website: smile.amazon.com or through the Amazon Shopping app.
FROM YOUR MOBILE DEVICE:
Open the Amazon shopping app on your device. Go to the main menu and on your settings under Program and Features select Amazon Smile and follow the on-screen instructions.
FROM YOUR DESKTOP:
To date, Bethesda House has received $901.91.
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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 Sat. January 15th 2:00 - 5:00pm. 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!
Upcoming 2022 Sessions
-- Sat. January 15th 2:00 - 5:00pm
-- Sat. March 5th 9:00am - 12:00pm
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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Seeking baby cuddlers! When moms are participating in online classes, Bible study, life skills training or have appointments outside of Bethesda House, we utilize volunteers to babysit their sweet babies. As our house grows, our need for volunteers grows-- at this time specifically for babysitters! |
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NEW VOLUNTEERS: Attend the January 15th training to learn about Bethesda House and how our babysitting role works (as well as the many other ways you can help out at Bethesda House!
ACTIVE AND TRAINED VOLUNTEERS: Those volunteers who have already attended training can use Sign Up Genius to select times that work best for your schedule.
— ON THE BABYSITTING TEAM ALREADY?
— JOIN THE BABYSITTING TEAM
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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:
1: Register for one of the next two VIRTUAL refreshers:
-- Wed. January 19th 10:00 - 11:00am
-- Tues. April 12th 10:00 - 11:00am
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.
** We will also be implementing weekly Google Meets for active volunteers to provide better communication.**
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Support 2022 Fundraisers
DONATE TO SILENT AUCTION OR RAFFLES
Donate an item (goods and/or services) for the 2022 fundraisers. Gift certificates, gift baskets, home decor, sporting goods, restaurant gift cards, and vacation stays have all been donated in recent years.
We are looking for local partners to sponsor one or both of our largest fundraising events that make it possible to run Bethesda House for the year. There are various levels of sponsorship available for any budget. Please share these opportunities with local businesses who would be interested in supporting Bethesda House!
Thank you to the sponsors already contracted for the 2022 Spring Gala!
GOLD SPONSOR
-- Edward Jones: The Offices of John & Deborah Flanagan
SILVER SPONSORS
-- Bridgewater Savings Charitable Fund
BRONZE SPONSORS
-- Bellew Tile
-- Cornerstone Supply, Inc.
-- Duxbury Church
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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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