BEHIND THE SCENES

There is so much that goes on “behind the scenes” around here at Bethlehem. Its members sharing of their time and their gifts. But those willing volunteers are the life blood of this church. Let me share some of those “behind the scenes” moments:

• 9 HEALTH FAIR – The church was just a “zoo” last Thursday and Friday. We had almost 1900 people go through our building for the 9 Health Fair. That is a record number. We were the only facility in Longmont this year. But it went very smoothly because of all the volunteers. I talked to a number of the participants and they were so complimentary of how they were treated and efficiently moved along. There were over 70 (yes…70!) volunteers from Bethlehem who worked along side all the health care professionals to make this happen. And they had a great time doing it. Nancy McLeod and her planning team did an excellent job once again. What a great outreach to our community this is!
• STEPHEN MINISTRY – 13 faithful church members have been giving up their Monday nights since the beginning of the year. This is our new class of Stephen Ministers. They are going through 50 hours of training to become Christian caregivers. Next month they will finish their training, be commissioned, and join the other current Stephen Ministers. I was touched last Monday night when someone in the class became very emotional. She was saddened to think that the classes would soon be over as she had grown so close to the other class members. We assured her that they would still be meeting twice a month for supervision and continuing education. Dan Kube recently gave up a week of his time to become a Stephen Ministry leader. He flew to St. Louis for an intensive week of training. But he came back so energized. He will help teach some of the remaining classes.
• LEARN BY HEART – Once a month, Dave Hooley, Sue Anderson, and Raven Astrom sit down with some of our Sunday School kids and go over their Bible verses. As part of the Learn by Heart program these children are memorizing selected bible verses at home. They will be lifted up in worship on May 18th. When I see them working with the lids I can’t help but think of Ernie Peterson. Ernie is one of our heroes that recently passed away. At his funeral we read the 23rd psalm. Ernie saw a lot of action in World War II (Omaha Beach, the Battle of the Bulge) and he said that he “wore out” that psalm during combat. We want to give our kids that gift of those verses. Who knows how they might sustain them in years to come.
• SPANGLER ELEMENTARY – A couple of weeks ago Fred Fanton gave an impassioned temple talk after worship. He has been serving over at Spangler Elementary this past school year. He shared how moved he has been working with the students over there, reading to them and helping them with their studies. Fred is one of three members who have helped consistently over there this year. His passion touched others that morning and six more church members signed up (including this pastor!) to get involved with the kids over at Spangler. Fred told me that the principal ran him down recently and thanked him profusely for getting these extra volunteers. Each one makes such a difference.
• CONFIRMATION – We learned at the recent “Passing on the Faith” conference how important it is for adults to connect with youth at church in hopes of passing on the faith to them. Kathy Byrne and Patty Dreith are two such adults. They have served as our small group leaders for confirmation this past year. It’s been wonderful for me to see the bonds they have formed with the confirmands. They have truly been passing on the faith. What a gift!
• CANTATA – One of the bigger volunteer commitments at church is the choir. They faithfully come every Wednesday night for rehearsal and then sing almost every Sunday in worship. During the busy Lenten season many of those choir members (34 to be exact) added to that commitment by showing up for Sunday rehearsals for the annual Easter cantata. It was excellent as always. John Goodman, our director, is such a gift. Thank you for that extra commitment!

This Sunday we are handing out “Time and Talent” sheets in worship. We are going to ask folks to fill them in during that time. As I said, volunteers are the life blood of this church. We need members to share their time and their talent to make this church go.

But I hope people see it as more than just volunteering. I hope they see it as ministry. There is a big difference. Christ’s love is being shared by our volunteers over at Spangler. That is ministry. Our Stephen Ministers are the hands and feet of Christ as they listen and help those who are hurting. Patty and Kathy, Dave, Sue and Raven are literally helping to pass on the faith to our kids. That is most certainly ministry.

I hope you do make the effort to fill out a Time and Talent sheet. I hope you do chose to volunteer here. It does make a difference in the lives of others. It is ministry in Christ’s name.

P.S. On my bookstand this month is “Christianity for the Rest of Us” by Diane Butler Bass. I ’m getting many good ideas from it for our ministry.

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Pastor Mark's response to some of the questions and comments you posted on Reformation Sunday

“I have problems with the whole idea of cremation. Why would I want to burn up my beautiful loved one like that? Does the Bible say that those who are cremated go right to heaven and those who are buried must wait for the last trumpet to sound?”

I saw a cartoon recently. It showed two “people” standing before St. Peter and The Pearly Gates. The person on the left stood there with a halo on their head, ready to enter. The “person” on the right was just a pile of ashes, also with a halo. The pile of ashes was saying, “If I had only known.”

The Bible really doesn’t say anything about how we should be buried when we die. In Bible times, there was only one option; burial of the body. Jesus was bodily buried in Joseph’s tomb/cave.

We now have the option of cremation. It is certainly a cheaper option. It takes up less space. As a congregation, we obviously support that option with our columbarium. But I know that some folks have a hard time with that option. They prefer to see their loved one placed in a casket and buried.

At the committal ceremony at the graveyard we use the words “ashes to ashes, dust to dust.” That is the realty for both options. In cremation we are turned to ashes. In burial, our bodies do decay and turn to dust.

What the Bible promises us is a new body, a resurrected body. Whether we are cremated or buried, there is a whole new creation in store for us. This body, this flesh will pass away, either in the grave or the crematorium. God will bless us with a whole new creation, a whole new body. Our essence, our spirit will remain. We will be able to recognize and know others in heaven. How all that happens, I don’t know. Only God knows.

Jesus told the thief on the cross, “Today you will be with me in Paradise”. Paul tells us in Thessalonians that at the last trumpet the dead will rise. The best way I can explain that paradox is to say that when we die, we fall off the time continuum. Time no longer matters. Eternal life has begun.

What is important is that your loved ones know what your final wishes are. Please make it clear to them how you want your body treated. Let them know if you want to be buried or cremated. That can be a hard decision for them to make in their time of grief. It is a comfort for them to know that they are following your wishes.

Please know that your ideas are listened to. Your suggestions make this a stronger church.