Care Committee Formed
CARE Committee Formed
A new committee has been formed to assist our pastor in providing care to our homebound church members. It’s called the CARE Committee.
Our homebound members are not able to attend weekly worship and miss the worship and fellowship. The committee members send notes, make phone calls, take communion, and do some home visits. During the time that the Lord’s Supper meets, meals are taken to the folks so that they will have supper for that night or a lunch the next day.
The response has been an overwhelming outpouring of love and hugs. Each person has been very happy to know that they have not been forgotten. Even though they are not in attendance, they are members of this Body of Christ. Serving in this way has been such a blessing to so many. It has also given people a chance to meet our pastor. They share with him the history of our church and of their lives. In the near future, we will be able to take them a DVD of Pastor Steve’s sermons.
If you know of anyone who needs care by way of a card, phone call or home visit, please let us know. You may contact the church office, 830-278-3135, or Cheryl Lowe, 830-279-7679, and we will add them to our homebound list. Thank you!
Matthew 10:42
“And if anyone gives even a cup of cold water to one of these little ones who is my disciple, truly I tell you, that person will certainly not lose their reward.”
Steve’s July 2017 article
Freedom!
Back in the mid 90’s, there was a movie about the fight for independence of Scotland in 1300. In the scene at the end, William Wallace screams out, “Freedom!” This July fourth, we celebrate our freedom as a country. In the church, we give thanks to God that we live in a country where we have the freedom to worship without the government telling us what to worship. In the Christian faith, and in our tradition, we have freedom in our free will given to us by God. God desires to be in relationship with all people God created. God calls us into that relationship, provides us that opportunity to that relationship by the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus. Jesus said, “I am the Way, the Truth, and the Life, and whoever believes in me will have eternal life.” We have the “freedom” to choose. God calls us, Jesus sacrifices for us, and we choose to be in that relationship. May God continue to call us all, and may we all continue to exercise our “freedom” and choose to walk in the way that leads to life everlasting.
God bless, Steve
Bethany’s June 2017 Article
Every year during the second week of July, this church comes alive. That’s not to say that we are in hibernation the rest of the year, but if you have ever had the full, four day experience of working with a tribe of children during Vacation Bible School then you know what I’m talking about. There’s nothing quite like the sights and sounds of a large group of children, youth, and adults praising God with abandon. It is a special time for the young ones, who typically know they are to try to treat the Sanctuary as a holy, reverent place. But Vacation Bible School is one of those times that I think about what Jesus said, “Let the little children come to me, and do not hinder them.” And that’s just what the children do: they come and they do not feel hindered. By the final evening, everyone is so full on what God has been up to the first few days that you can feel the Spirit hovering in the Sanctuary. What joy it must bring the Lord to see the children kneeling for him, shouting for him, and dancing for him. It is amazing.
This year’s VBS theme is Made to Praise. The children will learn about praising God with all their heart, soul, mind, and strength. But it’s not enough to know. The week will be full of opportunities to praise and to do it in technicolor.
Here are some ways you might be able to praise the Lord for VBS this year:
Ø Invite someone who may not have a church home.
Ø Pray. By prayer and petition, we request of the Lord that someone will accept Jesus as their Lord and Savior.
Ø Help set up tribe locations with canopies and fabric on Sunday, July 9th, immediately following the 11:00 worship.
Ø Be a tribe leader or assistant tribe leader. (This is the most edifying thing, in my opinion!) Be the light of Christ for children in need of a foundation. If you are concerned because you haven’t helped before, there’s a training time Sunday, July 9th, at 6pm to help acquaint you with all things VBS.
Ø Join a friend or make a new one at a booth in the marketplace. The marketplace is all about the agape kind of love. This is an opportunity to shower the children with kindness, skills, and goodies by helping the create something, make a snack, play a game, or learn a trade.
Ø Be unseen but heartfelt by bringing in a meal for the volunteers’ dinner, helping during the tear down of the marketplace Thursday night, or bringing in any of the donations required (items noted on a donation board in Roe Foyer).
Ø Help with logistics: greeting, ushering, registration, market set-up, or attendance clerk.
Opportunities for praise abound. It is my sincere hope you will find a way to join us in praising God during this year’s Vacation Bible School. It is a gift we love to receive.
With praise, Bethany
Natural Mosquito Repellent. . .from Lesa Perry
Dear Church Family, I thought I would share plant ideas to repel mosquitoes!
- Marigolds. These flowers are colorful additions to landscaping, but they have a distinctive smell that repels mosquitoes and other garden pests, including squash bugs and tomato worms. Marigolds contain a natural compound used in many insect repellents. Plant some marigolds in the garden among your squash, melons and tomatoes or near open windows and doorways where mosquitoes might be tempted to enter.
- Lavender. About the only insects you see around lavender are bees. They love the flowers, but other bugs stay away. Lavender has a pleasant scent that comes from the essential oils in the leaves of the plant, but the bugs hate it. Hang some dried lavender in your closet and you won’t have to worry about moths eating your clothes. The herb is a perennial and is drought resistant once established, a bonus for areas that are watching their water consumption.
- Lemon grass. Lemon grass can grow up to 4 feet tall, but the best thing about this decorative grass is that it contains citronella, a common natural ingredient in many mosquito repellents. You’ve probably heard of citronella candles and torches. The plant itself does even better at deterring mosquitoes because it has a stronger smell. Lemon grass tolerates heat and drought but not frost. So in most areas, it’s best planted in a pot that can be moved indoors in winter.
- Garlic. This herb has long been regarded as a deterrent to bloodsucking vampires and werewolves, but it really deters buzzing bloodsucking mosquitoes. Planting garlic around the garden also will ward off other insects and creepy crawlers. Garlic extract sprayed in your garden is harmless to plants, but bugs don’t like that garlic odor.
- Rosemary. Though you’ll want to plant an herb garden for cooking, rosemary repels flies and mosquitoes. It also has a pungent scent that drives away other bugs, including cabbage moths. It does well in hot dry weather, and thrives in containers, so you can set it in various places around the garden.
- Basil. This herb also tastes great in your favorite dishes but doubles as a bug repellent. Basil’s strong smell keeps mosquitoes away. And if you put a potted basil plant near your picnic table, you won’t have to worry as much about flies either.
- Catnip. Many cats love catnip, but mosquitoes won’t come near it. In fact, some studies show that catnip is 10 times more effective than DEET, the chemical formally known as N, N-diethyl-meta-toluamide and found in most commercial insect repellents. Roll up a few catnip leaves and rub them on your skin. The bugs won’t bother you, but the neighbor’s cat might. Catnip grows almost anywhere, and it will spread in your garden. So growing it in pots is best.
- Petunias. These annuals add a bright splash of color to any landscape, but the funnel-shaped blossoms also have a licorice-like scent that repels many insect pests, including aphids, tomato horn worms and squash bugs. But do keep an eye on these flowers because other crawly garden pests are attracted to petunias, including slugs and caterpillars.
- Mint. Who doesn’t like the taste of mint? It’s a beautiful plant that smells and tastes great to people, but ants and mice absolutely hate it. It can spread quickly in the garden and is hard to remove, so you might want to keep it in a pot. Put some containers of mint around your patio or in your garden, and it will ward off other insects, including mosquitoes.
These are just a few of the many plants that bugs find distasteful. Surrounding yourself and your patio with a few them will keep the bugs away from you, too. Some of the plants are perennials, which will come back from year to year while others need to be replanted annually. You can find all of these plants at most nurseries and garden centers.
Lesa Parry, R. N., Wesley Nurse