this way

we are

meeting

God’s

condi-

tion for

answered prayer (John 15:7). When we

do this, the mountain of doubt is re-

moved (James 1:5-8), and sickness has

to respond (Psalm 103:1-5). There is

scripture for every human need. Mat-

thew 6, which includes the model pray-

er which Jesus taught, is such a good

way to begin the day. This short chap-

ter is rich in meaning and contains

guidelines not only for prayer, but for

life as well. We have received count-

less praise reports of answered prayer,

even miraculous ones from many who

have called with serious needs. We

thank our Almighty God and Father for

the great privilege to seek Him in pray-

er. For daytime prayer needs, call Vi

Friedman at 610-644-5025. For even-

ing prayer needs, call Nancy Broad-

books at 610-399-0839.

by Vi Friedman

Bethlehem

United Methodist Church

PO Box 57

4 Westtown Road

Thornton, PA 19373

P: 610-459-3482

F: 610-459-0811

www.bethmeth.com

Prayer Power Unchained!

No More Excuses

W hen our family was first con-

fronted with the Kenya mission

trip opportunity, Debbie, Ryan and

Laura immediately felt the Lord calling

them to attend. In fact, Ryan told us

point blank that he didn’t “care if I die

there, I am going to Kenya.” I did not

feel that same type of call initially. In

fact, I thought of every excuse possible

to justify my not going: who would

watch our dogs while we were gone?

Who would oversee our rental property

at the shore during that time? How

would my new boss react to my being

gone for 2 weeks right before the start

of pre-season football and soccer

camps at Williamson? While I contin-

ued to hide behind those excuses, I be-

gan to feel restlessness in my soul. God

was starting to work on me. He began

continued on page 7

by Dale Plummer

PRAYER POWER 1

NO MORE EXCUSES 1

PASTOR IS CORNERED 2

ON THE SPOT 2

CALENDAR 3

SPOTLIGHT ON MISSIONS 4

OUT OF YOUR HANDS 5

A CALL TO KENYA 5

ABC’S 6

WOOFI REPORTS 7

GARDEN OF EATING 8

Inside this issue:

The Bethlehem StarThe Bethlehem Star April 2013

T he Bethlehem prayer chain is com-

posed of men and women who

have spent time learning how to pray

effectively, so that when the need for

intercessory prayer arises, you may call

on us to pray for you. This is open to

anyone who comes to our church, even

visitors. Our guidelines stress strict con-

fidentiality, except for the situation

when the caller obviously desires all

possible prayer. Otherwise, requests

remain only with the prayer chain inter-

cessors. We believe the chain is im-

portant because prayer really can move

mountains, especially corporate prayer

(when 2 or more agree) and it is in-

spired by the Holy Spirit, based on the

Word of God (Matt. 18:19). When

these 2 factors are working together in

combination with our faith to believe

God’s Word, nothing is impossible! As

intercessors, we need to first humble

ourselves before Almighty God, con-

fessing our own sin, and asking the Ho-

ly Spirit to guide us to that place in his

Word which fits the prayer request. In

Bethlehem’s Prayer Chain

On The Spot: Why is Membership at Bethlehem

Important to You?

The Pastor is Cornered!

Kim Bryan:

“I have been a member

here for 30 years (I joined

as a teenager). It’s im-

portant to me to have a

continuity of faith. I was

raised here, it’s part of my

family and community

connections.”

Gary Morgan:

“I can’t imagine being

able to keep my faith to

just myself. (Membership

is important) because of

the joy it is to be able to

share my faith with others

and to be a part of the

church family.”

T his month I’m answering the second

question which arose out of my Feb-

ruary 3 sermon dealing with the passage

from Mark 5:1-20 wherein Jesus cast out

(BE GONE!) evil spirits from a demon-

possessed man. (Last month I answered

the question, Can a Christian be pos-

sessed by a demon?)

Q: When a demon is cast out of a person,

where does it go?

A: The most honest answer: I’m not sure

for certain, but I will share with you my

conviction, based on various scriptures,

of what is most likely. The short, simple

answer is that demons, when cast out of a

person, return to the realm where they

existed prior to possessing a person,

which begs another question: Where is

THAT? Clearly demons, like their master

Satan, live in the spiritual realm of earth.

Ephesians 6:12 describes this realm as fol-

lows: “For we are not fighting against flesh

-and-blood enemies, but against evil rulers

and authorities of the unseen world, against

mighty powers in this dark world, and

against evil spirits in the heavenly places.”

That demons seem free to roam about doing

their devilish work after being exorcised,

including possessing others at some point,

seems clear from the following teaching by

Jesus which indicates that a demon can also

re-possess the person from which it was

first cast out: “When an evil spirit leaves a

person, it goes into the desert, seeking rest

but finding none. Then it says, ‘I will return

to the person I came from.’ So it returns and

finds its former home empty, swept, and in

order. Then the spirit finds seven other spir-

its more evil than itself, and they all enter

the person and live there. And so that per-

son is worse off than before. That will be the

Answering Your Toughest Questions of Faith by Pastor Tim Kriebel

Helen Turner:

“I knew when I walked in

the door in 1979 that this

was my church home

away from home. The Ho-

ly Spirit and love were so

evident in this place. It is

a joy…I am grateful to be

an active part of the mem-

bership here.”

continued on page 4

2

British pastor Charles

Spurgeon (1834-1892)

began preaching at age

16. Despite battling

depression and a painful

birth defect, he became

known as “the prince of

preachers.” The prolific

speaker and author left

behind a 5,103-volume

collection of work.

When asked about his

preaching style,

Spurgeon was simple

and direct: “I take my

text and make a beeline

for the cross.” Spurgeon

taught his students that

“from every text in

Scripture there is a road

to the metropolis of the

Scriptures, that is

Christ.”

Consider Spurgeon’s

words whenever you

read a Bible passage,

and see how you can

make a beeline to the

cross.

Clip n’ Keep Calendar

April 1

Pee Wee Soccer start up, Mondays & Fridays,

9:30AM-2:30PM

April 5, 6 and 7

Women’s Retreat, Avalon, NJ

April 7

New curriculum, Adult Sunday School

April 8

Administrative Board, 7-9PM

April 12

Children’s Fun Friday, 6-8PM

April 13

Daffodil Day with Stained Glass Tours, Lunch, 11AM-

2PM

April 18

Prime Timers, Mame, Media Theatre, 2PM

April 20

Good Works Team Rehabbing, 9AM-4PM

April 20

Children’s Staff Appreciation & Training, 1-7PM

April 24

Administrative Professional’s Day

April 30

Prime Timers, Moravian Tour, leave BUMC at 9AM

May 4

Amnion Walk for Life, Ridley Creek State Park,

9:30AM

May 5

Prime Timers, Chester County Concert Band, Fugett

Middle School, 2PM

May 10

Children’s Fun Friday, 6-8PM

May 11

Kenya Benefit Coffeehouse, 7-9PM

May 14

Prime Timers, Heinz Wildlife Refuge, leave BUMC at

9:30AM

Every Sunday evening except holidays

Soaking Prayer 5:30PM

Intercessory Prayer: 6PM

Saturday, April 20—Children’s Volunteer

Appreciation Day

From 1-7pm on Saturday, all volunteers who have worked with

Bethlehem’s children are invited to attend an appreciation event.

There will be games, food, workshops, and more. The children’s

ministry wouldn’t succeed without you, so please come! For

more information, contact Pastor Kevin.

Saturday, May 4—Amnion Walk For Life

Join your fellow church friends as we walk to raise money for

Amnion, a pregnancy crisis center in West Chester. Registration

will begin at 9:30AM at Ridley Creek State Park. Check Agan

Hall for the registration form, or contact Jim Hall at

james.hall4@verizon.net. More information is available online

at www.amnion.org.

Monday, April 8—Admin Board Meeting

All members are welcome to attend the admin board meeting at

7PM in the Sanctuary. This is an excellent opportunity to get

more involved and to find out what’s happening at Bethlehem.

Saturday, April 13—Daffodil Day

Thornbury Township will be hosting their annual Daffodil Day

and House Tours from 10:30AM-4PM. Bethlehem is on the tour,

with Jane Bonner discussing the history of Bethlehem’s stained

glass. You can pre-order a boxed lunch and meet some neigh-

bors, too. For more information go to http://www.thornbury.org/

Newsletters-7388/ to download a copy of the township

newsletter. To pre-order a boxed lunch, contact Joan Dehm

at 610-358-3397.

3

Saturday, May 11—Coffeehouse Benefit

Join us from 7-9PM in Undergrounds, Bethlehem’s coffeehouse,

for a relaxing evening of food, drink, music, and friends!

Donations will support the Kenya mission trip. Families are

welcome! Contact Christie Kelly for more information.

The Pastor is Cornered continued from page 2

Spotlight on Missions: The Bowers by Rob Robinson

J im and Jennifer

Bowers serve

with United World

Mission in Mali.

Mali is in the west-

ern part of Africa,

just to the east of

Senegal. Jim and

Jennifer have served in Mali for 28 years.

They are working to bring Jesus to a Mus-

lim dominated part of the world. They

have managed to raise their four children

in Mali, a tremendous challenge. Mission-

ary children are often educated locally

while young, but usually need to travel

away once they begin high school. The

four Bowers children all graduated from

Dakar Academy in Senegal. Dakar Acade-

my is the only accredited boarding school

in Africa, and educates missionary chil-

dren from the entire continent. Their old-

est child, Danielle, became a teacher at

Dakar Academy and went on to teach each

of her siblings. Jim and Jennifer teach the

Bible, train other missionaries, and carry

out other projects (such as wells to bring

clean water to people who have none, and

construction of a studio used to broadcast

a new Christian radio station, Hope for

Africa Radio). Jennifer is also involved

with leadership training for women, some-

thing that is sorely needed in Muslim

countries. Bethlehem is proud to be a long

-time supporter of Jim and Jennifer, and

we were pleased to welcome them to ser-

vices during their recent stay in the United

States. Mali has been in turmoil, and the

family had to be evacuated last Spring

because of civil war. They hope to return

to their home in July of this year.

experience of this evil generation.” (Matthew 12:43-45). There is a sure-fire way to pre-

vent this from happening, namely, surrender your life to Jesus, allowing HIS Holy Spirit to

take up residence within you! This then activates the truth of 1 John 4:4:“Greater is He

that is in you than he that is in the world.” The Bible tells us that during the apocalyptic era

at the end of time, Satan and his minions will be cast into a “bottomless pit” for 1,000

years (Revelation 20:2-3), after which they will be released for an undefined period leading

up to what is commonly called the Battle of Armageddon (though scripture doesn’t specifi-

cally describe it as such). Upon their defeat, the Devil and his demons are permanently and

eternally cast into “the fiery lake of burning sulfur” (Revelation 20:10). Finally, Mark

5:10 says: “Then the evil spirits begged him again and again not to send them to some dis-

tant place.” Why did the demons ask this? Perhaps because they were afraid Jesus would

send them to the bottomless pit or lake of fire well before the Revelation timeline! So, vs.

11 & 12 tell us they asked instead to be cast into the herd of pigs, which Jesus did. Why the

swine? Perhaps because they were unclean, so it both befitted their unholy status as well as

provided a place that wouldn’t jeopardize any Jews, who wouldn’t deal with anything that

wasn’t kosher. Whatever the reasons, the demonic possession drove the pigs crazy, and

they plunged headlong off a cliff to a watery death in the lake. To this one can only say,

“Demons—good riddance!”

Pastor Kevin (aka

“Flow”) recently re-

leased his second

mixtape entitled Spo-

ken Thoughts. You

can download the 11-

song Christian hip-

hop project for free at

www.flow4christ.com

4

Jeff & Karen Becker,

with Timothy & Jessica

Mae Bezzam

Robert Bryan

Susan Hubert

Jim & Melody Lion,

with Elleka & Rhett

Ike & Jani Pike, with

daughter Emily

Andrea Sral

Jessica Walker

Mark & Kris Walker,

with Lauren & Mark, Jr.

Joe Glazer,

membership renewal

Out of Your Hands by Kevin Giannotti, Children’s Pastor

When your child is young, you are

their hero. You are the sole person

they look up to for everything in

life. But as they grow older, you

may see that tight-knit relationship

begin to strain. Suddenly, your child

is saying you don’t understand their

life. Your kids stop going to you for

I am not a parent, but I do have

parents. And I’ve seen enough

parent-child relationships to know

that parents and kids don’t always

get along. Shocking, I know. How

could your kids argue with you?

Don’t they know what you’ve done

for them? You’ve raised them, fed

them, clothed them, housed them,

bought them that new iPod, driven

them to and from every soccer prac-

tice, let them stay up past their bed

time, tried not to nag them about

taking out the trash, bought them a

phone before they turned 10, given

up a date night to watch Disney

channel, and let them have the last

piece of pie! And yet they still find

ways to disagree with you. If

you’ve never experienced your

child arguing with you, wait. It’ll

happen. Ask any parent with older

children, and they’ll let you know.

advice. Your kids may not feel

comfortable sharing everything with

you. I went through this phase as a

teenager. There was a time when I

didn’t want to go to my parents for

anything anymore. I had to talk to

someone; I just didn’t want it to be

Dad. Instead, I went to other adults

in my life. I went to Dave, my

youth pastor. I went to Mr. Z and

Dr. B, two of the male leaders in the

youth group. I went to Kirk, a guy

who’s been my mentor for years.

Little did I know, but when I need-

ed advice—these 4 men all told me

the same exact things that my dad

would. A time will come when kids

will need another adult besides you

in their life. Be proactive now to

place the right spiritual mentors in

their life so that when the time

comes, they will know where to

turn.

M y journey for the Kenya 2013 Trip began, I believe, several years ago. I have always yearned to go on a mission

trip with the thought of helping people in need, preferably somewhere in the United States. Due to time and

circumstances, such a trip never materialized but my hope was “maybe someday.” Feeling God was calling me to

leave my church of 49 years, I yielded to His direction and through His wisdom and time, He planted me at Bethlehem

UMC. I am currently enrolled in my third Disciple Class, with Cheryl Mathes as our instructor. Cheryl and I went to

the Sight and Sound Theatre in Lancaster in October and were amazed at the production of Jonah. Since Cheryl had

never been to Sight and Sound, it was my pleasure to introduce her to the magic of the stories of the Bible coming

alive on stage. Little did I know that God actually had me in mind when we journeyed to Lancaster. As part of our

Disciple class, we studied the prophet Jonah and it was then that God revealed to me that He had a mission for me and

I was to trust and obey. I plan to retire from my full-time job, which, unfortunately, is likened to the land of Nineveh,

with me being Jonah due to the fact that the last few months have been very difficult. About this time, it was an-

nounced that a trip to Kenya was being planned. I felt that God was calling me to this mission trip, my first ever, if I

stayed my course in Nineveh and fulfilled my mission there. It seemed that He was telling me that if I went to a place

where I really didn’t want to go to, He would be sending me to a place where I wanted to go. I pray that I will be the

hands and feet for the Lord while I’m in Kenya and that I will see the miracles He wants to accomplish through our

presence there. Please continue to pray for the Kenya team.

A Call to Kenya by Gail Adams

5

ABC’s of Women’s Ministry

reprinted with permission from NewsletterNewsletter

B eing involved in women's ministry

activities is a benefit to those who

choose to participate. Bible study takes

you on a journey with God and fellow sis-

ters to glean from the scriptures and grow

in your knowledge of His Word and apply

it to your life. Breakfast socials provide

fellowship and inspirational testimonials

and an opportunity to bless others by do-

nating items to those in need. Retreats of-

fer a time to reward yourself with time

away and a break from the usual. All of

them offer you the opportunity to take a

step closer to God and experience more of

Him. Whichever one(s) you prefer, it can

bless you physically, emotionally and

spiritually and then bless others as

well. Please consider the ABC list below

for more reasons to get involved.

Whatever reason touches your heart, God can use these experiences to grow you into a ves-

sel He can use and keep you on a path of a closer walk with Him. Through it all, you will be

blessed and be a blessing.

Accountability Journey Strengthen

Blessed Kindle Transform

Care Learn Uncover

Delight Marvel Venture

Equip Nurture Wonder

Fellowship Overcome X - factor

Grow Purify Yield

Hope Quiet Zeal

Inspire Refine

After Easter

A fter is every Christian’s middle name. In his autobiography A Song of Ascents, mis-

sionary E. Stanley Jones tells of an African man who changed his name to After im-

mediately following his conversion. Because all things were new and different and important

after he met Christ, the man wanted to reflect that new reality in his name as well as in his

thinking. Easter is what makes us After Christians. After Easter, nothing in life is ever the

same again.

by Lori Imparato

The Victor’s

Cross

Also called the con-

queror's cross, the

victor's cross is com-

posed of the Greek

cross, recognized by

its four equal arms,

adorned with Greek

letters in each quad-

rant.

The top left letters

stand for "Jesus" and

the top right, for

"Christ" (the hori-

zontal lines above

them indicate they're

abbreviations). The

four letters across the

bottom spell the

Greek word for

"conqueror."

6

No More Excuses

to build in me a desire to go on the trip and be a part of the wonderful things I knew He was going to do. Yet, those

questions remained. Not long after feeling God tug at my heart, I happened to mention to a neighbor and dear brother in

Christ the predicament I was in and why I would not be going. He immediately said that he and his family would be

home from their summer vacations and would be happy to take care of our dogs the entire time we were gone! When I

shared with him the predicament of taking care of our rental property, he told me to get him the names and phone num-

bers of our contractors and he would be happy to run down there if there was any type of problem! When I shared with

him my fears about being away right before camp, he stated that he felt certain my new boss would be proud of what I

was doing and would be incredibly supportive of the venture! Wow—all my roadblocks eliminated by one person! It

was clear to me at that point that God had used my friend (angel?) to clear aside any excuse I had to not go and to

change my heart so that I could attend the trip and experience him working in a way I’ve never experienced before. Not

only am I going, now I can’t wait until the trip! I’m so excited to see what the Lord will do in the lives of the people we

will minister to, the lives of our team members and the lives who will be touched when we return from the trip. I’m so

thankful he cared enough to eliminate my excuses and clear the path for me to go. I’ve given up making excuses to stop

me from going. God showed me not to waste my time coming up with them because he will only eliminate them any-

way! Kenya—here I come—and no more excuses!

The Puppy with a Purpose: Woofi Reports by Harriet Widlund

continued from page 1

Some of our 'Woofi army' will march out of our banked reserves on April 13 as Thaymi

DiLodovico and I will share the Gospel with children from 3 to 15 in Lancaster at

Christ's Home for Children. This is a facility in which the county and youth agencies

place children for short-term residential care. Currently there are ten children in resi-

dence but they can care for up to twenty. These children have experienced abuse, ne-

glect or abandonment.

On April 19, myself and one other of the several people who have volunteered from our

church, will again share the Gospel via Woofi and his storybook. This time it will be to

Spanish Health Ministries in Kennett Square. Our church supports this ministry finan-

cially from our Missions budget. Part of SHM's outreach to migrant workers is a Bible Study for the Women whom

they assist with health concerns and language barriers. We will meet with the toddlers (approximately 4) who are in

the nursery while their mothers are in the Bible Study. This summer, we will go again to reach out to their siblings

who attend the Vacation Bible School (approx. 42) held just for them. Using Woofi and the Woofi story book, we will

tell them God loves them and wants them to be in His family leaving a Woofi for each to remind them. In this book,

Woofi gets lost and then found, and becomes part of a family who loves the Lord and finally becomes a mission-

ary. Remember under one of his ears is embroidered, "Jesus loves me," and his collar reminds us of the points of the

Gospel. Lift us up in prayer for seeds and harvest for our Father's eternal family.

7

8

Chicken Chilaquiles (makes 6—can be cut in half)

6-7 soft corn tortillas, cut into 1” strips

1 Tbs vegetable oil

1 1/2 c minced onion (Mexican usually use white)

2 to 3 cloves finely minced garlic

1 tsp Mexican oregano crushed (no substitutions—just omit if you

only have Italian)

2 14.5oz cans of diced tomatoes, undrained (I use Ro-Tel, but it’s

very spicy)

1 canned minced chipotle pepper in adobe sauce, and 1/2 tsp. of the

sauce itself (freeze remainder)

1 14.5oz can reduced sodium chicken broth

2 c shredded cooked chicken

1/4 tsp black pepper

1 cup quesco fresco, cotija, or feta cheese

Fresh chopped cilantro, or parsley

Sour cream, thinned with milk

Pre-heat oven to 350. Spread cut tortilla strips in an even

layer on one or two large cookie sheets. Bake for 15

minutes. Cool on wire rack.

In an extra-large skillet, heat oil over medium heat. Add

onion, garlic, and oregano, and cook until transparent and

tender. Add tomatoes with liquid, chili pepper, and 1 tsp.

adobo sauce. Bring to a boil and cook for a few minutes,

stirring occasionally.

Add broth, return to a boil, reduce heat and simmer uncov-

ered for 5 minutes. Stir in cooked chicken and black pepper

and heat through. Stir tortilla strips into chicken mixture

and heat through.

Remove from heat and sprinkle with cheese and cilantro.

Serve with sour cream thinned with milk. Enjoy!

by Jan Samuelian

The Bethlehem Star is published 10 times/year by Bethlehem United Methodist Church, 4 Westtown Road, Thornton PA 19373, (610) 459-3482,

www.bethmeth.com, Editor: Brenda Orso, brendaorso@verizon.net. Deadline for copy: the 7th day of the month prior to publication. Editor reserves the right to

edit for content and space. Unsolicited material is welcome!

Who doesn't love Mexican food? I recently read that it will soon overtake Italian as the favorite

of the American consumer. Mexican food is rich, spicy (not necessarily "hot"), colorful, and is

unique in its use of flavors. If your experience with this particular cuisine has been limited to

"chain" restaurants (i.e. Taco Bell) give yourself the opportunity to try some authentic dishes

(that don't all taste the same). I think you will be pleased. The following is very easy, and great

for a quick mid-week dinner. If you enjoy the recipe and would be interested in more, let me know. I would be happy

to share my "treasures"!

Raindrops tumble to the ground

’cause God directs them to come down.

Little seeds sprout from the ground

’cause God directs them up, not down.

Tender roots sink in the ground

’cause God directs them to go down.

Pretty flowers will be found

where raindrops tumbled to the ground.

—MaryAnn Sundby