The Bethany Beacon

Bethany Christian Church (Disciples of Christ) Arapahoe, North Carolina 28510

Bethanyarapahoe.org

“Finding the Way of Christ at the Crossroads.”

PO Box 156

Arapahoe NC 28510-0156

NON-PROFIT

ORGANIZATION

U.S. FEES AND

POSTAGE PAID

ARAPAHOE NC

28510

PERMIT NO. 1

December

2010

Watson’s Word By Merritt Watson

Three years ago this month we were having our Advent worship services in

the meeting room at Camp Caroline. Five months earlier our building had burned

to the ground and the Regional Office was kind enough to offer the camp facility as

a place where we could continue to have worship services. We did our best to

make it feel and look like church as we had always known it, especially around

Christmas. We decorated the camp meeting room with the garlands and greenery

that are a part of the Advent Season. The hand bell tables took up one side of the

room. The Christmas tree crowded the piano. The Advent Wreath was squeezed in

between the piano and the pulpit. As I remember it, the room looked crowed but

very good for services and it certainly met our needs for Christmas 2007. In fact,

there were some things about worshipping in the camp setting that were quite enjoy-

able and stimulating. I remember a visiting family that worshipped with us at the

camp one Sunday who commented that they thought having church services in a

church camp was wonderful. They liked the outdoorsy and rustic setting the camp

provided. In some ways we all did.

But we had a goal in mind of building a new building where our old church

building had once stood. In those days we had no idea what it would look like.

Sizes, shapes and decor were all in the process of being formed. Many hours were

spent coming up with concepts and plans. Many of you contribute your good ideas

to what should be done. The result of all those efforts can now easily be seen and

our building continues to draw favorable comments from those who see it for the

first time.

We have now celebrated two Advents and this will be our second Christ-

mas in our new building. In some ways it is a building planned with Advent in

mind. It easily lends itself to the adornments that traditionally are a part of the sea-

son. The place for the Christmas tree in the narthex was envisioned long before a

tree ever stood in that place. The space for the bell choir tables, hidden behind the

privacy barrier in front of the choir, was planned so that the sounds of the season

could easily be played without the fuss of setting up and then removing tables. The

large area over the entrance into the sanctuary turned out to be a perfect place to put

a manger scene, reminding us continually of the coming of Jesus. The beautiful

stained glass windows now decorated with garlands and candles beckon us to a wor-

shipful silence and reflection on the meaning of our faith.

So we invite you to come to this place where an Advent has been prepared

for our Lord. Come and share with us in the glad tidings of Christmas. All of what

has been done has been done to God’s honor and glory and for the sake of sharing

the good news of the coming of Christ with our community, friends, family and

world. It is our hope, not that some will see our building or Advent preparations

and think “My, what a beautiful building.” Rather it is our hope that a place has been prepared for you where you may draw closer to the Lord and experience his

coming anew in your life.

We hope for you a Christ filled Christmas. Merritt

In the Life of the Church

December

1 Care Card Committee 7:00

10 Group 5 meeting @ K Jones 7:00

11 Rocky Hock Playhouse 12:45

12 Caroling 3:00

16 Worship Committee 7:00

17 Swap Shop Set-up 4:00

18 Swap Shop 9:00

Christmas Play practice 10:00

19 Fishes & Loaves offering

Christmas Program pract 2:00

Christmas Program 7:00

21 Jericho Ringers @ Britthaven 7:00

24 Christmas Eve service 8:00

25 Christmas Day

26 Christmas Giving envelopes

Communication Comm 12:15

Serving in

December January

Elders Doug Brinson John Beeman Jr. Julia Peterson James Hardison

Deacons Del Lee © To be determined Susan Lee Kelly Jones Jennie Adams Renee Midyette Parker Lee

Deaconess Margaret Harrell Kelly Jones

Acolytes Katie Bennett Kayley Tijerina Taylor Fuller Erica Morris

FLOWER CALENDAR

December 5 Advent 12 Advent 19 Advent 26 Advent

January 2 Roger & Tembra Bennett 9 Tiffany Bennett

Jeremy Barth

Evelyn Beeman

Robbie Belangia

Tembra Bennett

Velna Bennett

Mark Benton

Jeffrey Blount

Ramona Brinson

Pam Burnette

Gladys Cahoon

Becky Cahoon

Wesley Cahoon

Patty Chance

Billie Daw

Bud & Carol Daniels

Billy Daw

Clara Eldridge

James Epps

Steven Franckevich

Hal Gordon

Diane Greene

Richard Hall

Sandra Hardison

Audrey Humphrey

Paul Johnson

Clota Lassiter

Elbert Lee

Zach Mayo

Betty Morris

Emmett Parnell

Estelle Peterson

Peggy Potter

David Sawyer, Jr.

Julia Spencer

Kristian Stephani

Clifton Stowe

Margaret Vendrick

Tonya Wainwright

Hilda Watson

Johnny Wilkinson

Larry Willis

Peggy Wissinger *

Serving in military:

TJ Zahn*

Chris Holton*

Matthew Schmidt*

Joseph Schmidt*

Please Remember in

Your Prayers:

At the Crossroads 8126 NC Hwy 306 S Arapahoe, NC 28510

REGULARLY SCHEDULED

ACTIVITIES AND EVENTS

Weekly Sunday: Sunday School, 9:45 am; Wor-

ship, 11:00 am

Tuesday: Chancel Choir—7:00 pm,

Jericho Ringers - 7:45 pm

Monthly 1st Sunday: Elders, BH, 7:30 am; Offi-

cial Board, FH, 7:00 pm.

3rd Sunday: CWF/CMF, FH, 6:00 pm.

5th Sunday: Covered Dish Dinner, FH,

following worship service.

*Any changes to regularly scheduled ac-

tivities and events will be noted in the cal-

endar below.

BH=Bethany Hall; FH=Fellowship Hall;

PL=Parking Lot; S=Sanctuary

Dec 5 ..............Tiffany Bennett Dec 12 .......... Melissa Watson Dec 19 ............. Pam Hardison Dec 26 .................. Kelli Bailey

December Birthdays

Glory to God in the highest, and on Earth, peace to men on whom his favor rests.

NURSERY

Bethany office phone number 252-249-0266 Office hours

Tuesday—Friday 8-12:00 Renee—Thurs. 9-4:00

1 Erica Morris

2 Polly Suprenant

Mary Ann Sugg

4 Dawn Acuna

5 Evelyn Beeman

Terry Cannan

Wesley Cahoon

7 Lisa Fuller

8 Sarah Brinson

10 Stephen Phillips

11 Del Lee

Mary Puckett

Mary Minnich

12 John Cannan

13 Sarah Kistler

14 Ted Jennings

18 Cathy Cahoon

21 S. Paul Hardison

26 George Vendrick

28 Katie Bennett

29 Zeb James

31 Mary Kate

Parrish

December 2010

The Official Board of Bethany Chris-

tian Church met in the fellowship hall

at 7:00 P. M. on Sunday, December 5,

2010, for its regular monthly meeting

with 15 present and Vice Chairman,

Douglas Cahoon, presiding.

Vice Chairman Cahoon called the

meeting to order, and Reverend Wat-

son lit a candle representing God in

our midst, followed by comments and

prayer.

Minutes of the previous meeting

were read by the Clerk and approved.

Treasurer’s Report

Randy Beeman had prepared the

Treasurer’s Report for November

which was available to all present.

The report was accepted as presented

by the Vice Chairman.

Elders & Minister Report

Reverend Watson gave his minister’s

report for November.

Douglas Brinson reported that the

Elders had met this date with good

attendance. As usual, they discussed

special needs and concerns and the

prayer list. Mr. Brinson said steward-

ship was also discussed.

Diaconate

Christine Beeman said the Diaconate

had not met, but wondered whether or

not the five eligible deacons/

deaconesses had been contacted about

serving. It was not known, but the

Vice Chairman said he would check

into it.

Mrs. Beeman also reported that the

youth were practicing for our Christ-

mas play.

Worship

Reverend Watson said the Worship

Committee had met, but had nothing

to bring before the Board.

Property

Christine Beeman presented John Bee-

man, Jr.’s report for the Property Com-

mittee:

1. Mr. Beeman said he should find

out the following week what is re-

quired of us by the County Water De-

partment for a 1” water tap at the me-

ter.

2. He was still seeking bids for the

parking lot to be done in the Spring

when the weather warms.

3. The back splash in the kitchen

was loose, and would be repaired the

following week.

4. The exterior lights had been reset

to stay on longer at night due to con-

cern about HVAC copper theft.

Chris Watson reported that he had

talked with Farm Bureau regarding a

bid on our church insurance, but they

were unable to compete with our cur-

rent carrier.

No action had been taken on the dispo-

sition of lights donated by the Episco-

pal Church after our old church build-

ing burned.

Budget

Floyd Hardison reported for the

Budget Committee that pledges were

down from 43 last year to

37 this year with a total of $100,500

pledged. The Committee had met to

revise the proposed 2011 Budget, and

Mr. Hardison entered a motion to ac-

cept the revised proposal in the

amount of $134,456 for presentation to

the congregation. The motion was

seconded by Garland Cahoon and ap-

proved by the Board.

CMF

No CMF report was presented.

New Business

Julia Peterson informed the Board that

she had had a conversation with Bar-

Board Minutes (unapproved until Jan. 2)

Minister

Merritt Watson minister@

bethanyarapahoe.org

Board Chairman

Buck Jones

Secretary

Renée Midyette

Choir Director

Sara Spalding

The Bethany Beacon

Published on the first Thursday after the first Sunday of each month by Bethany Christian Church

(Disciples of Christ) Post Office Box 156, Arapahoe, NC 28510

Jennie Adams, Editor

Vision and Mission

Statement

Our highest aspiration is to love God with

our whole being and to love our neighbors as

ourselves.

Our mission is to enable people to know

Christ and to strengthen their personal rela-

Bell/Chime Choir

Director

Sara Spalding

Communications

Director

Jennie Adams communictions@ bethanyarapahoe.org

Bethany Christian Church

(Disciples of Christ)

www.bethanyarapahoe.org

Page 2 Page 3

Bethany News and Views bara Benton who said prayers for her

son, Mark, had been answered, and he

was able to resume work.

Reverend Watson asked permission to

use money from the Kennel Enrichment

Fund to attend the next General Assem-

bly of the Church and also to upgrade

the computer he uses to be compatible

with the newly upgraded equipment of

the Communications Committee. Per-

mission was granted following a motion

by Garland Cahoon and second by

James (Bossy) Hardison.

The meeting was then adjourned by

Vice Chairman Cahoon. We formed a

circle and closed with comments and

prayer by Reverend Watson.

Doug Cahoon, Vice Chairman

Clara J. Ensley, Clerk

Reminder that 2nd Thurs. of

each month is Game Night in

Fellowship Hall @ 7:00.

Friday the 10th Group 5 meets @ Kelly Jones’ home @ 7:00. Saturday the 11th If you reserved a spot to go to the Rocky Hock Christmas Show you’ll need to arrive by 12:45 for the Buffett. The program starts at 2:00. Website is rockyhockplayhouse.com Directions are below. * Sunday the 12th Christmas Caroling at 3:00 meet at the church. We’ll carol until hoarse and return to the church for refreshments. CWF/CMF meeting 6:00 at the church. Friday the 17th Swap Shop Set-Up from 4:00-6:00. Bring children’s toys, children’s clothing, and even adult items to the fellowship hall. All items should be clean and in good repair. Joy C. will be glad to have anyone’s help. Saturday the 18th Swap Shop from 9:00-2:00. Elf help will be appreciated. Christmas Program Practice is at 10:00 Ring Salvation Army bells @ Piggly Wiggly from 10-7:00 Christmas Parade in Bayboro @ 4:00. Sunday the 19th Fishes and Loaves offering. Christmas Prgm pract—2:00 Children’s Christmas Program will be at 7:00. The theme this year is the traditional story of Christ’s birth as told by the animals. You’ll need to be on the lookout for Granny Mouse, Molly Mouse, and M. the Camel. Should be fun. Please come and enjoy refreshments after the program. Tuesday the 21st Jericho Ringers play for Britthaven residents @ 7:00. Friday the 24th Christmas Eve Service is at 8:00. Saturday the 25th Christmas Day of course.. Share the day with family and friends. Remember the reason. Thursday the 30th Faith Café Christmas gathering in the fellowship hall @ 6:00. Please bring your side dishes and Merritt will provide the roasted oysters. Yeah!

Bethany, you gathered cheer and sent 6 Military Christmas Care Packages to six (6) ser-vice persons in either Afghani-stan or Iraq. Items ranged from Breath Mints to DVD’s, snacks to phone cards, maga-zines/books to toothpaste. Thank you.

The Outreach Committee also thanks all who contributed ei-ther wrapped, filled-boxes or cash funds to help send gifts to the Samaritan’s Purse Christmas Child Project.

Contributions collected for Pamlico County’s Fishes and Loaves on the third Sunday in November totaled $581.00.

Five to Nine (5-9) walkers g a t h e r o n M o n d a y s -Wednesdays-Fridays in the Arlington Place parking lot @ 8:00 am to walk and talk for about an hour. Why don’t you make it ten (10)?

Tidbits of Information We know it’s a busy time, so here’s a list that can be checked twice just so you don’t forget about what’s

important at Bethany in December!

* Take Hwy #17 N to Washington. Continue on bypass & take Exit #180.

Turn R. @ bottom of the ramp onto Hwy #264. Go to 5th stop light & turn L onto

Bonner St. In 2 blocks turn R onto 7th St. Continue to Rocky Hock Playhouse.

(Parking lot is on the left and the building is on the right. May unload at the curb.)

On Tuesdays and Wednesdays mornings you may see Carol Small and a couple of adults us-ing one of the rooms of our church building for English lan-guage tutoring. Carol had been using one of the rooms at the Charter School but they were having difficulty providing her with a place. She called and I invited her to use one of our rooms. This is a easy way for us to extend needed ministry to our community. Her efforts are part of the Craven/Pamlico Literacy Council work with Hispanics.

Special Language Tutoring

at Bethany

Go to bethanyarapahoe.org to view

photos of Bethany’s Christmas adorn-

ments from the Hanging of the Greens