The theme for our Stewardship campaign this year was "Because of God's great mercy," based on the text of 1 Peter 2:9  "But you are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, God's people so that you may proclaim the mighty acts of him who called you out of darkness into his marvelous light."  In this message, we are called to be a part of the mission of sharing Christ's love and mercy. We have the opportunity to do this through the various missions of Bethesda Lutheran Church, including our worship ministries, outreach and mission ministries, Christian education ministries, and community life ministries. 

Thank you to Maynard Hogberg and Tony Woodcock for their temple talks, which helped us to understand more about these ministries and how our financial giving helps support these missions.

On Wednesday, October 2nd, a celebration of giving was held at the Ames Golf and Country Club, with a cocktail hour, accompanied by the musical stylings of Ed Kaizer and his band, a buffet, and door prizes. We are deeply grateful to Randi and Steve Peters for being our guest speakers that evening and for their generous donation of time and theater tickets from Venue Works. Their inspiring words touched on how Bethesda makes a difference in the world through volunteering because of their strong community, and their generous contribution added a special touch to the evening. Several pledges were received that evening. Thank you again to Bethesda's strong community; this would not have been possible without your generosity and commitment to Bethesda Lutheran Church. Jesus entrusted us to take care of his world, and we have many ways to do that at Bethesda.