What's happening at BUMC this week?

The BUZZ

News and Current Events for

April 9, 2024

8:30 a.m. and 11:00 a.m. Sunday Services

(Sanctuary)

9:45 a.m. - The Bridge

(Fellowship Hall)

We will resume our sermon series based on The Beatitudes from Jesus’ Sermon on the Mount. This Sunday the message will be based on Matthew 5:8 “Blessed are the Pure in Heart.”

Worship ONLINE

Watch The Bridge LIVE on Facebook,

Facebook page is The B ri dge at Bethlehem UMC

Watch 11:00 worship LIVE on YouTube

Click the LIVE tab on Bethlehem Moneta Channel

Everyone is invited to participate in a nature walk led by Peter Brinckerhoff, a Virginia Master Naturalist through the Contentment Island Nature Trail. This is an easy one-mile-long trail located near the Clubhouse at Contentment Island in Union Hall, VA. After the hike, you can join us for lunch at Magnum Point Marina. Order off their menu at your own expense. Magnum Point restaurant is less than 15 minutes from Contentment Island. We will meet at 10:30 a.m. at the Contentment Island Clubhouse located at 211 Summerwind Drive, Union Hall. The facilities at the clubhouse will be open for use.

This event will serve as the April United Methodist Men’s meeting.

Please RSVP to John Wohlgemuth at Jobewohl@comcast.net by Monday, April 8.

Are you interested in growing and serving God and your neighbors through membership at Bethlehem? Come join Pastor Scott Davis at our next New Member Class scheduled for Wednesdays (April 10, 17, and 24), from 4:30 p.m. to 6:30 p.m. in the library. This is an opportunity to connect with our community and learn about our practices, beliefs, history, and how we serve God and others. You'll also get to discover your top five strengths through the Clifton Strengths Finder inventory. We'll share a meal at the Wonderful Wednesday gathering at 5:50 p.m.

To register contact Scott Davis at scottdavis@vaumc.org or 434-363-1399.

SML Boomer Band at Coffeehouse April 12

Come and enjoy the SML Boomer Band at Kaleidoscope's Coffeehouse event on Friday, April 12 at 6:00 p.m. This is a free event with refreshments. Donations are welcome! Be sure to come early to secure a seat! This event will also be livestreamed on Facebook at Kaleidoscope -The Gathering Place.

Church Family Photo

This year, we are celebrating Bethlehem’s 220th anniversary. 1804 to 2024, that is 80,300 days! We will continue to be a church family committed to being God’s light in the community.

To kick off this year-long celebration, we want to take a church family photo on Sunday, April 14 at 10:45 a.m.

Several other events are planned throughout the year, but mark your calendar for a special anniversary dinner on Saturday, September 28.

Twelve of us from Bethlehem traveled to Canton, NC for our spring mission trip. We worked on four different homes, three were for families who were displaced from their homes due to flood damage back in 2021. The fourth home belongs to a family with a young adult son with an extremely rare condition that makes his bones very brittle. They had a wheelchair ramp for him, but it was too steep and the Hayward County rebuilding effort was asked if they could help. With generous support from a church, a deck, and a properly designed wheelchair ramp was built. Our team added the railings and now he can get from the house to the car with much less risk of a catastrophic accident. As usual, we were blessed as much, if not more than we blessed others. We enjoyed fellowship with each other and the community and came back tired but renewed and refreshed. If you’ve never been on a mission trip….give it a try next time!

After a four-year delay, the 2020 General Conference will take place April 23-May 3, 2024 in Charlotte, NC.

Click for Additional GC Information

We are pulling out all the stops!

Why do we need a new organ?

Existing electronic organ is 29 years old (expected life was 10-15 years).
Components are failing and are not repairable.

What value does an organ add to the worship experience?

Sustain and strengthen congregational singing.
Enhance worship to the glory of God.
Supports a strong music program.

Our proposal:

Purchase a new Rodger’s Organ at a cost of $190,000.
Delivers true pipe organ sound (using midi files of actual pipes on existing organs) at a fraction of the cost of a pipe organ.
Easily adapted to a new sanctuary, should we build or expand in the future.

How can you help?

Thanks to early donations, we need $44,000 to complete the fundraising.
You can make a donation or pledge to this campaign.

What is the time frame?

Fundraising completed and order placed in May.
Installation in the fall of 2024.

Please help us meet our goal by making a donation above and beyond your Stewardship support. You can put a check in the offering plate (memo line: organ fund) or use the QR code to donate online. If you wish your gift to be anonymous, in memory, or in honor of someone, please let us know. All donors will be acknowledged in the dedication program.

Welcome to Earth Month!

“Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful,

committed individuals can change the world.

Indeed, that is the only thing that ever has.”

Margaret Mead

That is how Earth Day happened. One man, distressed over environmental degradation, initiated the first Earth Day 53 years ago. Others joined him and now Earth Day reaches billions of people in 192 countries. We too can change the world with our individual and corporate actions.

In honor of Earth Month, the Green Team is announcing our upcoming event in September, during The Season of Creation. The SML Creation Care Celebration will have an Environmental Fair, a Shredding truck, and an Electronics Recycling Drive. Please check out the bulletin board in the fellowship hall for all the information.