Fourth Sunday of Lent – March 30, 2025

Bethel Lutheran Church

P.O. Box 20, 502 South Ash - Sutherland, Iowa 51058-0901

712-446-3630 Church Answering Machine

Email: bethel@midlands.net   

Website: blcsuth.360unite.com

Rev. David Matthews Jr.

Phone # (417) 318-1021

Email: revmatthews@pm.me

Pastor’s Office Hours Tues-Fri 8:30am-12:00pm 1:30pm-5:00pm

Bethel Church Secretary—Bridget Sickelka (712) 363-4926

Lutheran Family Service Counseling 712-276-9000

Holy Communion 1st, 3rd, & 5th Sundays of the Month

Worship Hours

9:15 Sunday morning Bible Study

9:15 Sunday School

10:30 Worship Service

We welcome all of our worshipers this morning. We pray that the Holy Spirit will bless this time with an increase of faith in Jesus and love for one another. Please join us again in worship and fellowship.

Our Worship We follow Divine Service Setting 1 on page 151.

Our hymns for today 915, 576, 634, 568, 543, and 686.

Our Response to God’s Love:

With our attendance last Sunday: 54

With our offerings to the Lord: Loose $232.01 General Fund $1,010.00 Mission $80.00 IDW $50.00 Care Pkg $10.00 Easter Lily $40.00 Total $1,422.01 

Mid-Week Attendance: 28

Loose $47.00 General $190.00 Total $237.00

Our adopted mission project for 2025 is $2,400 ($200 per month) for Noah’s Ark Daycare in Sutherland.  They have need to help with their budget due to the renovations of the new location and inspection fees.  The second Sunday of the month we take an offering for this mission project.

With our prayers for the sick and hurting: Roman Fulkerson, Sara Sickelka, Janie Ebel, Ron Waggoner, Marilyn Fiddelke, Elaine Waggoner, Delmar Sickelka,  and Brian Hohbach.

Hospitalizations: Please call Rev. David Matthews Jr. if you or someone from the congregation is in the hospital.  

If you have any questions, concerns, prayer needs, or need of help please call one of the following:

Rev. David Matthews Jr. – Church Pastor                  417-318-1021

Dwane Riedemann – Church President                     712-260-1891

Jamie Sickelka – Elder                                              712-363-0301

Jeff Ebel – Elder                                                        712-260-2513

                           Brent Hustedt – Elder                                                712-363-0229

This fundraiser is for the events the LYC supports the church and high school students with supper & Bible Study, National Youth Gathering trips, and fellowship activities.  

Easter Lilies: If you would like to sponsor an Easter Lily this Easter in honor of a loved one, please let Mary Postma know by April 7th.  Cost is $20 per Lily.  Checks can be made out to Bethel Lutheran Church Altar Guild.

Easter Breakfast Sign-up sheet: On the bulletin board is a sign-up sheet for those that would like to bring items for the Easter Breakfast that in between the two Easter Services from 8:30am – 9:45am, Sunday, April 20th.  Chris and Bridget Sickelka will be making the egg bakes this year again. Also, if any one would like to help serve that morning, I would be grateful for the help.

Concordia League:  For April’s meeting, that happens to fall in the middle of Holy Week on Wednesday, April 16th, Concordia League is watching the movie “The Passion of Christ.”  All are welcomed to join us in the church basement to watch this heart and mind-moving movie during the journey Jesus made to the cross. 

Take Note: Reminder that Sunday, April 13th church service will begin at 10:00 am instead to give Pastor more time since we will be having confirmation as well as communion that Sunday.

Remember to pray for your Secret Lent Prayer Partners. Then on Easter Sunday, reveal yourselves to them and let them know you were praying for them.

Communion Statement Here at Bethel Lutheran Church, with our church body, the Lutheran Church - Missouri Synod (LCMS), practice closed communion.  That means that since we believe that in the Lord's Supper, we receive the Lord's True Body and His True Blood, we reserve the supper for those who have been baptized, and are also confirmed members of the LCMS.  If you are currently not a confirmed member of the LCMS, we welcome you to participate by coming forward during the distribution with your arms crossed over your chest, and receive a blessing.  If this is your first time communing with us, or you believe you should be able to receive the Lord's Supper here, please speak with the pastor or one of the elders beforehand.

April Showers Bring May Flowers
by Karen Chappell

April showers bring May flowers,
That is what they say.
But if all the showers turned to flowers,
We’d have quite a colorful day!

There’d be bluebells and cockleshells,
Tulips red and green,
Daffodils and Chinese squill,
The brightest you’ve ever seen.

You’d see tiger lilies and water lilies,
Carnations pink and blue,
Forget-me-not and small Sundrop
Glistening with the dew.

We’d have fireweed and milkweed
And many more different flowers.
Mexican star and shooting star,
Falling in the showers.

And if all the showers turned to flowers
On that rainy April day,
Would all the flowers turn to showers
In the sunny month of May?

Join us for Sunday Morning Bible Study as we walk through the Book of Matthew.  Have just started chapter six which continues with short lessons taught by Jesus which is part of the “Sermon on the Mount”

Beverly Durst

Dylan Riedemann