Cooperative Parish

Daily Calling Prayer for our Cooperative Parish

We are asking all those connected to Bethany UMC and Otisville UMC to join in prayer at 8:30am and 8:30pm. You can pray at one time or the other or at both times. Many other voices will be joining you at that time. Here’s what we are praying together:

Guiding Spirit,

Fill us with YOUR fire.

Lead us by YOUR light.

Unite us in YOUR calling.

Amen

Why are we using this campfire image? The campfire is a place where people gather together. Also, consider the hymn “Pass it On”. “It only takes a spark, to get a fire going”. This image resonated with us as we were working on this calling prayer.

Mark your calendar and join us every day in this prayer. God is on the move in our cooperative parish. Where is He calling us to be His hands & feet? Share the answers you’ve received from your prayer time with a member of the Bridge Team or with Pastor Kayla. Let’s be in intentional conversation with one another about where God is leading this body of believers.

Stay tuned & Keep praying!

Looking Ahead – What’s happening at Bethany for Advent?

As we enter into new spaces with our ministry with Pastor Kayla and the formation of our cooperative parish with Otisville UMC, you might be wondering, what will Advent 2022 look like at Bethany UMC?

Here’s a sneak peek of what is to come!

Our Theme for Advent 2022 is: From Generation to Generation

The stories, scriptures, and traditions of the Christmas season have been passed down to us throughout the generations. Many of us enter this season with a swell of memories and emotions as vast as the cultural and religious rituals this holiday holds. Like a tapestry woven throughout time, the Christmas story weaves us in—to remember how God has shown up in the past, to continue the work of collective liberation, to behold the presence of God in flesh and bone. The work of God is always unfolding—in and through us. This Advent, may you remember that you belong—to a story etched into the wrinkles of time, to generations that have come before and will come after, to a love that won’t let you go.

Important Dates:

Saturday 11/26/2022 @ 10am – Hanging of the Greens – Come & Decorate the church for the season.

Sunday 11/27/2022 – 1st Sunday in Advent! Sunday School at 10am & Worship at 11:15am. We kickoff our “From Generations to Generations” worship theme.

Wednesday 11/30/2022 @ 4:30pm – Pastor led Bible Study begins at Bethany UMC (continues every Wednesday in Advent) There will be a dinner to follow at 5:30pm each week. This occurs during our Wednesday Night Live programming and there are also classes for kids at this time.

Special Worship dates:

Christmas Eve 12/24/2022 @ 5pm – Family Focused Worship at Bethany UMC

Christmas Eve 12/24/2022 @ 8pm — Traditional Worship at Bethany UMC

Christmas Eve 12/24/2022 @ 10pm – Traditional Worship at Otisville UMC

Christmas Day 12/25/2022 @ 11:15am – Combined, Casual Worship with meal for BOTH congregations in the Fellowship Hall at Bethany UMC

New Year’s Day 1/1/2022 @ 11:15am – Combined Worship for BOTH congregations at Otisville UMC (Bethany folks, watch for info on carpooling)

We have a lot in store this Advent season from all of the worship opportunities, to a reverse Advent calendar, opportunities to serve our community through collections for local families, special roller skating event and so much more! Get plugged into our community to be reminded of Jesus in this holiday season and what God-with-Us means. Let’s listen to one another’s stories and share our own.

Theme & Resources developed by: A Sanctified Art (sanctifiedart.org / @sanctifiedart)

Daily BreakThrough Prayer for our Parish

Resurrecting God,

Guide us to discern Your Jesus sized dream for our Co-operative Parish.
Amen

Mark your calendar and join us every day in this prayer. God is on the move in our cooperative parish. What Jesus-sized dream will be revealed to us as we all join in prayer? Listen for the Holy Spirit and share with one another & Pastor Kayla what the Spirit is saying to you.

Stay tuned & Keep praying!

Let’s Pray for Otisville UMC VBS!

If you’ve read your July/August Tower Notes, you might have read about how Marc Middleton (Youth & Children’s Ministry Director) is participating with a conference prayer chain with different churches praying over and for the programs of other churches in our conference. Marc hasn’t yet shared with us who the conference has asked us to pray for this month, however, we can use his prayer advice to pray over the upcoming Vacation Bible School at Otisville UMC. We are in a cooperative parish with Otisville UMC and one of the things we can do for one another is to give prayer support for their VBS program.

Otisville UMC is holding Vacation Bible School with a theme of Superheroes: Faith Over Fear on July 11th thru July 13th. Feel free to invite any children you know to participate in their program and I’ve never known a children’s ministry program to turn away willing volunteers! Click Here to share their event on social media.

We can all pray for their program from home and Marc has written this prayer for us to pray together from wherever we are. Will you join in praying for this program for the next 4 days?

Holy and wonderful God, we want to celebrate you! We are so excited to launch into this season with the fun events and Vacation Bible School that is happening. We are so excited Otisville UMC is able to host this event in Your house! We are so excited they will see the faces of Your children of all sizes face to face once again. This excitement has been building for 2 years now and we thank you that we can share this excitement with the world. We pray that Your glory shines through the VBS program at Otisville. Through the lessons, the activities, the leaders, workers and volunteers, we hope to share the love and grace that you give to us to the world. We know that the world is still dealing with chaos and unrest, but we pray that Vacation Bible School at Otisville will allow people to see the good taht the world can provide. WE hope that the church can be a safe, loving, and caring environment for all who come to it this summer. We lift Otisville UMC and the people inside of it to you Lord. It is in your loving and holy name, we pray this prayer. Amen.

Our Theme for Advent 2022 is: From Generation to Generation

Important Dates:

Special Worship dates:

Explore more