Extraordinary Things

Once upon a time there was a country church that was called by God to do remarkable things. People on the outside did not realize it was remarkable; people on the inside did not know any different; but many were touched by its ministry. Members of its family were gifted in many things, but they did not pretend to be experts at everything. They were faithful and willing to learn. When the Spirit gave them an opportunity, they were willing to reach out and try a new thing at least once, and sometimes more often.

With an average attendance of 75 people on Sunday morning, 110 for special services, and a general budget of $90,000, they never said, “We can’t do that because we’re small.” Or “We can’t do that because we are in the country.” They almost never said, “We can’t do that because we’ve never done it before.”

Bethel, N.S., is surrounded by a cemetery, farmland, cattle and sheep. The large white manse sits across the road. The village of Scotsburn, population 500, is one and a half kilometres away. It is 15 minutes from Pictou.

Bethel is part of a two – point charge. Burns Memorial, a smaller church in a smaller community, is 15 minutes down the road. Burns contributes a small flat rate towards the minister’s stipend each year.

In 2004, when Bethel was trying to meet the needs of young children in our church and community, Bev Jorden, elder and chair of the Christian education committee, enabled us to receive a grant from the Presbyterian Church in Canada called Inviting Space to fix up the nursery for our throng of little ones, sometimes 16 on a Sunday. A parent attended a conference about the first five years of faith. A simple program of song and stories for our nursery – aged children was designed. Children and babies were warmly welcomed to worship. As a result, worship was loud and joyful, with baby bottles and goldfish snacks passed down the pew and toddlers in the aisles.

Stewardship is at the heart of Bethel’s ministry. As the Christian Education Permanent Fund was set up, we received lots of help from Herb Gale at the national church’s Planned Giving office. I was blessed to attend the Stewards by Design conference with three other leaders from Bethel. This not only equipped us, but gave us confidence.

As they learned, our session was empowered to make good use of the bequests they already had. One day, a member was inspired to start a Black Light theatre group. Session approved money from a fund to buy the lights. Kay Wilson wrote plays on Jonah and the Whale, Noah and the Ark, and Black Light Theatre was born. Running for two and a half years, the group brought together all different ages, and they performed for the community and for the elementary school.

The Christian education fund grew out of a dream from an elder with a passion. At session, she kept saying, “wouldn’t it be great if we had a part – time Christian educator?” When we were experiencing a baby boom, and the presbytery worker position was cut (an important resource for us), the time was right.

The fund was born in 2006, and over the next few years $180,000 of generous gifts of cash, wills, stocks and shares were received. This separate fund enabled us to hire a Christian educator one day a week.
The session thinks about children and youth in each decision it makes. A few years ago, children were welcomed to Communion. Recently, the offering was moved to the beginning of the service to allow families to give their offering together. Although this disrupted the standard flow of the service, we decided that God would understand.

When we were planning the 150th anniversary of our building in 2012, the Christian education committee wanted to do something different in the summer. We loved our community Bible school, which was held at the elementary school, but it was getting harder to find volunteers and the older kids were busy with other things. So we let go of that great ministry and planned two events called Take Your Faith Outside! The first night was camp themed. The second evening was held in the manse yard. The highlight of the evening was a show and tell, where all ages brought something that was meaningful to them about Bethel.

This country church also has a passion for mission. In addition to a superintendent, the Sunday school has a mission coordinator. She focuses on local and global mission projects for children and youth, and challenges the adults to follow suit. Recently, she led a Healthy Moms, Healthy Babies day where kids learned about Presbyterian World Service & Development programs. The Explorers and after – school groups have enjoyed the PCC’s Afghanistan Children and Youth study, made kites, and raised money for school kits. The Atlantic Mission Society groups educate and are generous in mission.

Mission happens with monthly donations to the food bank, special offerings throughout the year, ongoing support of Presbyterians Sharing and PWS&D. Young and old are helped to go on mission trips. Mission happens when the minister is encouraged to serve in all levels of the church. Through the PWS&D committee, Bethel supported me as I travelled to Malawi, India and Afghanistan. They welcome the stories when I return. In this way, mission and partnership becomes part of who we are.

Of course, this is not a once upon a time story. This is a real church with real people. We are not perfect. We don’t always get along. It is a challenge to meet our general budget. Once in a while, people worry there won’t be enough.

When there were cash flow troubles last year, and many repairs to be done on the church and manse, session invited people to give to an anniversary fund to ensure the future ministry of Bethel. More than $50,000 was raised. There are lots of endings as well: we gave thanks for the long ministry of Ladies Aid as that group came to an end after 85 years. The endings and the beginnings will continue.

When we commissioned 14 youth to attend a synod event in Moncton, N.B., Kim Webster, our current Christian ed worker said, “Here are the youth you promised in baptism to help raise in faith and this is the result.”

This is our story. All of us have different strengths. I believe that all churches are called by God to do extraordinary things. At Bethel, we are truly blessed. We are grateful to the saints who have shaped us in faith. Through them, God has given us an amazing gift. We believe that if we are open to change, generous and faithful as Christ’s people, that with God, anything is possible. Thanks be to God!