Featured in this Issue...

Calendar Pg. 2

Women’s Book Club Pg.4

Meal with the

Minister Pg. 4

Missions Soup
Luncheon Pg. 5

January 2009

The Bethlehem
Message from the Pastor
The Christmas season has now just about passed.
Some of you no doubt still have your Christmas tree and/
or decorations up at the house. But hopefully the spirit
of the season lives on well past the twelve days of
Christmas. Below is something I received in an email.
It is an invitation that none of us should pass up. It’s
good not just around Christmas, but all year round.
You are cordially invited to
A BIRTHDAY CELEBRATION!!!
Guest of Honor: Jesus Christ
WordPlace: In your heart.... He'll meet you there.
(You'll hear Him knock.)
Attire: Come as you are... grubbies are okay.
He'll be washing our clothes anyway. He said some-
thing about
new white robes and crowns for everyone who stays
till the last.
Tickets: Admission is free. He's
already paid for everyone...
(He says you wouldn't have been
able to afford it anyway...
it cost Him everything He had. But
you do need to accept the ticket!!

Date: Every day. Traditionally, December 25
but He's always around, so the date is flexible...
Time: Whenever you're ready.
(Please don't be late, though, or you'll miss out on all
the fun!)
Refreshments: New wine, bread, and a
far-out drink He calls "Living Water,"
followed by a supper that promises to be out of this
world!
Gift Suggestions: Your life. He's one of those
continued on pg. 4
 January 2009
Sun Mon Tue Wed Thu Fri Sat
1 2 3 1 2 3

4 5 6 Veritas Team 7 8 Bible study 9 10

Meeting 7pm 7pm

11 Worship 12 Music & Wor- 13 Board Mtg. 14 15 Bible Study 16 17

10:30am ship 6:30pm 7pm at church 7pm
Missions Soup Pastoral Rela-
Luncheon tions Committee
Mtg. 7pm

28 Worship 19 20 21 Meal with the 22 Bible Study 23 24

10:30am Minister 12pm 7pm

25 Worship 26 27 28 29 Bible Study 30 31

10:30am 7pm

Thank You
Dear Bethlehem Covenant, Holiday Greetings to all the women at Bethlehem
Covenant Church...and best wishes for a happy New
On behalf of our director David Johnson, my wife Year form all at our shelter, Women’s Center, food
and myself, we wish to express our gratitude to all pantry, thrift store and our supportive housing fa-
for your donations for our Thanksgiving baskets. cilities. We thank you for your generous contribu-
Your dedication has been overwhelming as usual. tion which enables us to continue our work with
homeless and battered women with or without chil-
Henry and Nettie Kimbar dren. What a great idea—a Christmas tea! With
Food Pantry Coordinators Sincere best wishes to all of you,
Annette Rafferty
Dear Parishoners, Abby’s House

The teachers and staff at Quinsigamond School
would like to thank the church for your generous
donation of clothing for our students. Your dona-
tion will help us in caring for the Quinsigamond
students and is truly appreciated.
Sincerely,
Joan Sherman
Dear Diaconate and Members,
Al and I want to thank you for the beautiful poinset-
tia John Schonning brought us. We had such a nice
visit with John. We enjoy the discs we receive every
week and the cards we receive during the year. God
Jul.
Gratefully, Al and Lil

Page 2
 Birthdays and Anniversaries
January Birthdays February Birthdays

Mark Fellion 1/1 Justin Stafinski 2/6

Johanna Thompson 1/1 Steven Bartkus 2/9
June Rice 1/5 Judy Nelson 2/9
Gordon Forsberg 1/8 Esther Werme 2/11
Carl Thompson 1/13 Steven Quinn 2/12
Jeremy Leach 1/15 Eric Thompson 2/15
James Zoulias 1/16 Ryan Thompson 2/16
Karen Meenan 1/25 Christine Leach 2/20
Denise McGinley 1/30 Sherry Gosselin 2/24
Pamela Johnson 2/24
Debra Miller 2/24
Linda Lizotte 2/29

February Anniversary

Robert and Beth Quinn 2/22

Thank You
believe God has used this to show us that we can be
A special thanks goes out to all those who helped effective in our neighborhood and there is a huge
plan and then execute the Children’s Christmas potential ministry opportunity here.
party on Sunday, Dec. 14th. While I was not there,
On a different note, I would also like the thank eve-
I know a great time was had by all. Special thanks
ryone for my staff Christmas gift and for the cards
to Denise McGinley, Michele Koller and Pam John-
and notes I received. We are blessed to be at Beth-
son for all their hard work. I am probably leaving
lehem. The Christmas season at Bethlehem was a
others out. We also would like to thank Jeanne
wonderful time for all those who were a part of it.
Bartkus for her part in making the party such a suc-
cess. Jeanne invited a number of children from the Blessings,
immediate neighborhood to come to church for the
Pastor Dave
party...and come they did! In all, I believe we had
close to 40 kids at the party. Some from the
neighborhood are already asking about and hoping
we will do it again next year. We certainly will. I

Page 3
The following is an updated list of our church mem-
bers and friends who unable to attend church on a
regular basis. Let us remember them in our
thoughts and prayers and with a note. Please let the
pastor know if you are aware of others who should Meal with the Minister
be on this list.

Mr. Lee & Mrs. Astrid Randall Paul Faler

10 Hall Street
Webster, MA 01570
508-943-0847
Mrs. Doris Anderson
667 Washington Street #225
Auburn, MA 01501
508-832-5239
Mr. Algot Ekstrom
Beaumont Rehab & Skilled
Nursing Center
378 Plantation St.
Worcester, MA 01608
Mrs. Lillian Ekstrom
Notre Dame Du Lac
555 Plantation Street Apt. 327
Worcester, MA 01608
Mr. Carl & Mrs. Esther Werme 105
24 Briarwood Circle
Worcester, MA01606
508-856-7232
321 Massasoit Rd.
Worcester, MA 01604
Wednesday, Jan. 21st at 12pm
Come join us for a soup luncheon—all are in-
Mrs. Dagny Johnson
Life Care Center of Auburn vited. Pastor Dave will provide soup, chips and/
14 Masonic Circle
Auburn, MA 01501 or bread, drinks. If you’d like to bring dessert,
let pastor know. Hope to see you there.
Mrs. Claire Poirier
63 Hudson Avenue
Grafton, MA 01519
508-839-0364
Mrs. Lydia Anderson
Whitney Place
P.O. Box 935
85 Beaumont Dr. Apt. 10
Northbridge, MA 01534
Mildred Carlson
669 Washington St. Apt.
Auburn, MA 01501

Message from the Pastor…

people who already has everything else.
Women’s Book Club
(He's very generous in return though. on January break
Just wait until you see what He has for you!)

Entertainment: Joy, Peace, Truth, Resuming Tues., February 3, at 7pm to discuss

Light, Life, Love, Real Happiness,
Communion with God, Forgiveness, Miracles, Healing,
Power,
Eternity in Paradise, Contentment, and much more!
(All "G" rated, so bring your family and friends.)
R.S.V.P. Very Important!
He must know ahead so He can
reserve a spot for you at the table.
Also, He's keeping a list of His friends for future
reference. He calls it the "Lamb's Book of Life."
Party being given by His Kids (that's us!!)!
Hope to see you there!
God bless,
Pastor Dave
Lucy Grealey’s Autobiography of a Face
In a strikingly candid and beautifully written memoir,
Lucy Grealy describes how at age nine she was diag-
nosed with a potentially terminal cancer. When she re-
turned to school with a third of her jaw removed, she
faced the cruel taunts of classmates at her disfigured
face.
Grealy tells her story of great suffering and remarkable
strength without sentimentality and with considerable
wit. She captures with unique insight what it is like as a
child and young adult to be torn between two warring
impulses: to feel that more than anything else we want
to be loved for who we are, while wishing desperately
and secretly to be perfect.

Page 4
 Covenant

Missions News missionaries are

involved in part-
nerships in more
Missions Soup Luncheon than 30 coun-
tries. “Never
before have we
Sunday, January been in so many
11th following the places,” Peterson
adds, “and never
morning worship
before have so
service. many places
been so vulner-
able at the same time. Our presence is critical.”
All are welcome to attend this free lunch. We will be
taking an offering to help the Covenant Church and “My colleagues and I are already implementing plans limiting
their world mission work in the Congo, Sudan and other expenses and deferring other budgetary projects to make
certain we are fiscally responsible in light of economic realities,”
India. Here below is an article from the president of
Walter says. “But, we are unwilling to do so at the expense of our
the Covenant, Gary Walter, and the head of World friends around the world who need us now more than ever.”
Mission, Curt Peterson.
Walter and Peterson request that individuals and churches sup-
port a special year-end appeal, making “a careful and prayerful
CHICAGO, IL (December 23, 2008) – Although the global
decision about an especially important and sacrificial year-end
financial crisis has challenged most families in the United
gift in response to these challenging and unprecedented times.”
States, it has devastated families in other parts of the world.
They point out that all gifts will go toward meeting the Cove-
nant’s international budgetary commitments, “particularly as it
The call to the Covenant is clear – real people in real places
relates to personnel being on the ground where they are needed
are hurting and are looking to us for help, says Gary Walter,
most.”
president of the Evangelical Covenant Church, who along with
World Mission Executive Minister Curt Peterson have issued Generosity is encouraged in support of local church, conference,
a special Year-end Appeal for help. “As hard as we have been and other ministries similarly engaged in important Kingdom
hit economically, areas in which we work around the world work. “You will
are being hit even harder,” Walter says. Examples: hear me say that
• Congo - one of the Covenant’s largest areas of international the name Cove-
mission with more than 200,000 Congolese sharing in minis- nant actually
try . . . a country suffering economic and social chaos amid an means ‘in it to-
escalating and devastating war. gether,’ ” Walter
• South Sudan – some 40,000 brothers and sisters in Cove- says. “This is an
nant churches are caught in the cross-fire of conflict and vio- opportunity to
lence that has torn apart families and communities, leaving live into that
tens of thousands of people destitute and struggling to find a spirit. Never
ray of hope. underestimate
• India - persecution of Christians continues to escalate – the importance
one Covenant pastor was murdered and numerous churches of a single gift,
and homes have been burned as believers stand firm in their the impact it makes, and the encouragement it brings.”
faith. “In each of these situations – and others too numerous
to list – our brothers and sisters are reaching out to us for
help,” Peterson notes. “Although the financial situation in the
United States is serious, we cannot allow our economic down-
turn to result in any disruption of our personal engagement
on their behalf.”

Page 5
The Bethlehem
Word

Bethlehem Covenant Church

46 Greenwood Street
P.O. Box 70629
Worcester, MA 01607
(508) 752—1459
www.bethlehemcc.org