Pastor Paul: Distribute your endowment today
Dear Bethanians,
Our Bethany Endowment Committee met yesterday morning, via Zoom, to discuss the 2020 distributions. There is something nice about engaging in the day-to-day tasks at such a time, although it did take us quite awhile to get everyone “Zooming” on the same page, with audio for everyone. Some of the endowment fund proposals address the immediate coronavirus stress, and the needs of local social service agencies, while others serve our children at Bethany, and still others global concerns. One was a proposal to help support the ministry (Seekers) that is producing our worship services. It is nice in a time of social distancing and isolation, to be able to broaden our vision to recognize all the expressions of what it means to be the church.
My assignment was to provide the opening prayer, which I share with you now:
“Grant us health, Gracious God. Strengthen and fortify our bodies, making us immune not from our neighbor, but from disease. Sustain our spirits, that we may not only be uplifted in difficult times, but supportive of others as well. Make fertile our minds, that we might absorb the truth and cast off all that is false and misleading. In our isolation, gather us in your love, and guide us by your grace with your community that transcends our locked doors. Bless us that we may be generous and wise in our deliberations. Amen.”
God has endowed us generously as a community, and as baptized individuals. Go and be about distributing your endowment today.
Pastor Paul