I read an article this week entitled "New England Tourism Rebounds Due To Perfect Summer Weather". I hope you have had an opportunity to enjoy these past few months. A time for rest and relaxation is most welcomed after a New England winter! The spiritual landscape of New England was well watered this summer. Bethany Church had the opportunity to welcome many new visitors. We provided services and programming that both challenged and comforted. Every Sunday throughout the summer Bethany Church proclaimed the good news of Jesus with a deep passion to awaken the spiritual life of those seeking to know Him as well as to inspire those already convinced. Our congregation consistently displays faithfulness to this work and to its commitment to reaching our neighbors. This ministry could not continue without the willingness on the part of so many to be involved. As you return from your travels and begin to settle down to the welcomed patterns of work, school and worship, I would ask that you remember the outstanding efforts put forth by many this summer: Sunday School teachers, youth workers, musicians, technical support, greeters, ministry leaders, prayer groups, staff and pastors . . . the list of those committed to serve is endless. Rejoice with us that throughout this summer men and women took time to visit the sick, comfort the hurting, and pray for the grieving. Give thanks for the selfless acts of charity that helped families heal and thrive. Offer a word of encouragement to the men and women serving on committees, preparing lesson plans and taking time to meet with others to share the joy of knowing Jesus. We are all indebted to the saints of God who comprise the ministry of Bethany Church. In addition, I would like to commend Pastor Dirk and Pastor Mark for their outstanding job in proclaiming the word of God during the months of July and August. You will want to visit our media site at www.bethanychurch.com/media and be inspired by these messages as well as the LifeChange moments (www.bethanychurch.com/lifechange) that were shared by our Bethany family every week. There is nothing so heartwarming as to witness the work of God in the words and life of another. Our Fall programming is abundant with opportunity, but I will leave that for another day. I just wanted to encourage you to remember those who served so faithfully this summer and to remind you that your contributions make all of this possible. As you can imagine, our General Fund is very lean during thesummer months. Your help will ensure that we can continue to serve others. If you would like to consider a regular, online gift, please visit our eGiving link at the bottom of our web page.

Gordon Gaskell's Extraordinary Faith Journey

Hi. My name is Greg Gaskell, and I’ve been attending Bethany Church, off and on, for my entire life. But I’m not here to talk about my walk. I’m here to talk about my Dad, Gordon Gaskell, who has been associated with this church going on 45 years. Many of you know Gordon as a member of the Parking Team, greeting you as you arrive here on Sunday Mornings.

My dad first started going to Bethany in 1965. He was married, had a daughter named Julie and a second child on the way. At that time church attendance was somewhere between 50 and 60 people a week with about 20 children in Sunday school.

After a few years, my Dad held his first leadership role as chairman of the stewardship committee. Throughout the sixties both the church attendance and it’s culture remained constant. There was Liberal preaching from the pulpit and little or no evangelism.

By 1970 my Mom was told she would be unable to conceive any more children, so they started looking into adoption. In April of 1971 they adopted a little guy named Steven. It was also in 1971 that Bethany Church began searching for a new Pastor. Ultimately, after a long and thorough search, they decided on a 70-year-old Presbyterian minister from long island, named Richard Schlafer.

Reverend Schlafer began serving as Bethany’s pastor at the end of February, 1972. At the beginning of March, despite what they had been told, my parents had another child. Me. And this is where the story really picks up speed. My Dad, excited about the arrival of his fourth child bursts into Rev. Schlafer’s office with the good news. To which Rev. Schlafer responds, “That’s great, Gordon… now let’s talk.”

Then they began a conversation about having a personal relationship with Jesus Christ. My dad had no idea what Rev. Schlafer was talking about, but by the end of the conversation my Dad was on his knees and he got saved. On my birthday. So, you know… no pressure.

The weekend following that day, the leadership from Bethany went on a retreat with their new Pastor, which my dad calls the greatest weekend of his life. During that retreat six more people were saved, and when they all came back there was a new energy and enthusiasm among them. And at the pulpit, they had this 70 year old Presbyterian minister who started preaching the Gospel.

Within that first year over fifty people were saved. Bible studies began forming, and church attendance began to grow. Mostly with young couples in their 20s and 30s. In 1973, the church went on a mission to deliver the gospel of Luke to every household in Rye. Clearly, Bethany was transforming.

In 1976 Rev. Schlafer died of a heart attack - a year before he was going to retire. During his tenure, church attendance grew to between 250 and 300 people. There was now a youth program. A senior high ministry. And over 200 people were saved.

In 1965 my Dad started going to church at Bethany. Somewhere early on, God put it on his heart that He had a plan. I remember when this building was under construction. He brought me here to show it to me. It was in the winter and it was cold. And all I saw was plywood and 2x4’s. But you should’ve seen him that day. He knew. He knew what he was apart of.

As for me, I found Jesus a few years ago, and was baptize in the summer of 2009. If it wasn’t for my Dad’s continuing faithfulness and commitment, and the love of this church, it is doubtful that I would be here today telling you his story.

I wonder who’s child will be telling a similar story, 45 years from now.

Dear Bethany Family

On Sunday March 7, we witnessed an outpouring of prayer that has literally left its mark on Bethany Church. A walk around the sanctuary will remind us of our commitment to pray that God would do something extraordinary in the lives of those who call Bethany their church home. Taped to the walls are names of the men and women, young and senior, who profess faith in the Lord Jesus, who are able to accomplish exceeding abundantly beyond all we can think or imagine. I am very confident that the Lord is about to move in a mighty way among us.

March 28th, Palm Sunday, is another day that I am anticipating with great enthusiasm. Why? On March 28th Bethany Church will draw the curtain and showcase the various components of the vision that has led us to engage in an Extraordinary Stewardship Campaign. Material has been produced which highlights the work of God among us as well as detailing the manner in which we can embrace God’s future. The narrative includes recent history, video testimonies, architectural layouts and artistic renderings of the Multi-Site campus in Raymond and the proposed expansion on the Greenland campus. My prayer is that your spirit will resonate with the dream set before us.

As the Lord Jesus and His disciples entered Jerusalem on Palm Sunday, our plan is to visit every Bethany attender to hand deliver the above information person to person. We decided it would be too impersonal simply to send these materials in a mass-mailing. The message we desire to communicate is that we are in this faith journey together. There will be no soliciting and no conversation about pledges. This is simply a “porch visit” to remind us that we are engaging in this work together for the benefit of the Lord and our neighbors.

Together, with the Lord’s enablement, we will revive the spiritual landscape of New England. Let’s make Sunday, March 28th, a day to remember the Lord’s commitment to us and a day to galvanize our commitment to Him. Greet your neighbors with a smile and pray that God will accomplish something Extraordinary.

God is Good, All the Time,
Pastor Bruce

A Special Message from Dennis & Sally Runey

Dear Bethany Friends:

Sally and I enthusiastically support the Extraordinary capital campaign because we believe it will provide the necessary resources to achieve God's plan for our church. The possibility of preaching the Gospel message at four strategic locations by the year 2015, eliminating or substantially reducing our onerous debt, and supporting the multi-site effort from a significantly enhanced and well-maintained Greenland campus is a compelling and achievable vision. As fixed-income retirees it will be a challenge for us to support the campaign at the level we desire. Nevertheless, we have prayed about our decision and are committed to making a meaningful, sacrificial pledge because we wish to place God's work ahead of our pleasure. We pray that those of us who have benefited from the sacrifice and vision of our church predecessors will be moved to do the same for the next generation of believers in New England. The opportunity to present the Gospel in a region that is so ripe for harvest is exciting and, we believe, a manifestation of Bethany's willingness to be obedient to our Lord and Savior's admonition to fulfill the Great Commandment and Great Commission. We pray that each member and attendee will give generously, sacrificially and joyfully as we seek to win one more for Christ in our region.

Dennis Runey, Co-Executive Director, Extraordinary Capital Campaign

A Special Message from Pastor Bruce Boria

How often do you slow down enough to actually look at people's faces? To look in their eyes, and really see who they are? Each face tells a story, and each story represents a life, a precious creation of God. A life that, when joined with its Creator, becomes one of promise and purpose. An extraordinary life.

As a church, we collectively encounter thousands of faces, thousands of lives, every single day. Our neighbors and co-workers. Our kid's teachers and friends. People throughout our community. People, who from every walk of life, are far from God. Statistically there are more of those people here per capita than in any other part of the United States. An incredible need.

But what others may see as an obstacle, we at Bethany see as an opportunity. An opportunity to reach out, to impact and change lives. God has uniquely positioned us to revive the spiritual landscape of New England. He is calling us to do something...EXTRAORDINARY!

What an incredible time to be a part of the Bethany Church family! Clearly God is at work in amazing ways in the lives of our people. Individuals and families are being changed for all eternity through the love and forgiveness of Christ. It is no accident that each of us has been put here in this specific place and for this specific time.

On Sunday, May 2nd, each of us will have an opportunity to express our love for God and this church in a very real and tangible way. On that day, our Commitment Sunday, we will be challenged to make a three-year commitment to our Extraordinary spiritual initiative. These gifts will allow us to enhance and expand Bethany's ministries, by first making improvements to our current campus, by launching our first multi-site campus in Raymond, NH, and by eliminating debt, freeing up annual resources for ministry. We do all of this for one reason: to see more and more lives forever changed by Christ.

Now it is time for each of us to prayerfully seek God, asking "Lord, what would you have me and my family do to accomplish Your will for Bethany Church?" Specifically, ask God to reveal the level of commitment He wants you to make to this project over and above your regular tithes and offerings for the next three years.

I believe four very important things about this project:

1. We serve an extraordinary God.
2. We live in extraordinary times.
3. It will require an extraordinary effort to fulfill the vision God has given us.
4. We'll see extraordinary results.

I am really excited about where we have been and where we are now, but especially about where we are going.

I can't wait to see what God is going to do. I want to encourage you to join me & my family in prayer and preparation as we get ready to do something.... EXTRAORDINARY!