Generosity Rooted in Outreach & Worship
Generosity
Rooted in
Outreach and
Worship
“But grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. To him be the glory both now and to the day of eternity. Amen.”
2 Peter 3:18
God created a world teeming with growth! Plants, animals, and even the universe itself are constantly growing and changing. From the very beginning, God created the church to grow and change, too. Throughout the Bible, the Holy Spirit pushes the church to proclaim the good news of Jesus Christ in new ways to reach people who had not yet heard or believed in him. And by the Spirit’s leading we continue to grow into God’s big imagination for our future.
It is such an exciting time to be part of the Bethel Lutheran Church community! In so many areas of our ministry, we are growing. It is not just the numbers, though, because we are growing deeper in faith, closer in relationships, more passionate in worship, and broader in outreach.
It takes deep and strong roots to grow. For 78 years, God has been strengthening Bethel’s roots through the incredible faith and witness of so many people who proclaimed the good news of Jesus in downtown Windsor!
Northern Colorado continues to experience rapid growth, too. New neighborhoods, new schools, and new business seem to pop up overnight! With all that growth come opportunities and challenges: opportunities to help our neighbors grow in their faith and difficult challenges like increased hunger, loneliness, and division.
This year Bethel began meeting those challenges by launching Food on the Fourth, a feeding ministry that distributed thousands of pounds of food to our neighbors! We dedicated a Sunday to God’s Work, Our Hands, an initiative of the ELCA to reach out into our community with tangible love. Our quilters and knitters sent quilts and shawls far and wide as well as close to home, to wrap folks in the love of Christ.
You are a generous church! That generosity doesn’t just happen in today’s scarcity culture, but grows out of deep roots that are nourished by God’s grace, love, and word.
As Bethel’s ministries grow in 2024, we will focus on continuing the great work God is already doing in our midst, raising up the next generation of Christians, and growing deeper in our relationships with each other. Our goal is to increase generosity by $65,000 next year. These offerings will push Bethel Lutheran Church grow in three ways:
GROW in Excellence $25,000
As Bethel’s ministries continue to grow and expand in exciting directions, we will need the support, passion, and expertise of the people that make it all possible. We will also need to meet the increasing demand for use of Bethel’s building, by maintaining and upgrading our facilities.
Bethel will invest in the gifts God has already put in this congregation to keep up with rising costs, inflation, and increased demands.
GROW the Future $30,000
The future of God’s church is our children! In baptism, we promise to help kids grow in their faith by teaching them about God’s amazing grace and word. In 2024, we will lean into those promises by increasing our support for youth and family ministries. We will invest in all areas of children and youth ministries at Bethel as they continue to grow. We will expand our Sunday School, support more kids as they attend camp, and continue to provide a safe and exciting environment to learn about Jesus.
This year, we will welcome a new Youth Ministry Associate, Katie Adams, to the Bethel team. This position will help us meet the needs of our growing youth ministries. And we will support Mandy Toms, Bethel’s Family Ministries Director, as she begins her seminary education to grow as a leader in youth ministry.
GROW Together $10,000
We live in a culture deeply divided. As we grow more connected to technology, we grow more disconnected from each other. God’s church is the place where we can overcome our differences and grow together in faith.
As Bethel continues to grow, we will create more experiences that bring us together as the body of Christ. In 2024, Bethel will provide more opportunities for folks to connect with one another. We will enhance our welcome and hospitality on Sunday mornings to foster deeper connections. We will send a group of young adults and chaperones to Ireland for a mission trip. And through Bible studies, retreats, trips, service projects, and camps, we will be a church together!
You are invited to GROW with Bethel!
In the coming weeks, you will receive a letter from the Stewardship Team asking you to consider increasing your offering for the coming year to support the mission and ministry of Bethel. Please pray about your response to the letter. Pray for our shared ministry as we GROW together.
Please complete your Statement of Intent and bring it to church to place in the offering on GROW Sunday – November 19.
The Holy Spirit is doing some incredible things through Bethel. We don’t know where the Holy Spirit will push us to grow, but we know that generosity deeply rooted in outreach and worship will help us get there!
