CWF Reports Successful Harvest Dinner

Melissa Watson reports that the CWF Harvest Dinner held Nov. 3 at the Arapahoe Free Will Baptist Church was a Success and that the dinners were sold out quickly.

Bethany Honors Gary and Stephanie Edge

On the last day of his ministry at Bethany Christian Church, Gary and Stephanie Edge were honored at a reception at the church's pavilion. They will return to their home state of Alabama where Gary will begin a new ministry there. In prayer, John Beeman, Jr. thanked the family for their six years of service while praying for new blessings to be bestowed upon them in their new church home.

New Elders Sworn In

New elders, Chris Watson, left, Julia Peterson, and Mac Harris were sworn in during a special dedication as part of the morning worship on Sunday, October 28.

Stewardship Pledges to be Dedicated, Sunday, October 28

The Stewardship Campaign for the 2008 calendar year will culminate in a dedication of the pledges, Sunday, October 28. Seeing such a large turn-out for Homecoming makes us all realize the great number of lives touched by the ministry at this church. This Stewardship Campaign is for just that, the ministry of this church that touches lives. Please give prayerful thought as you make a pledge to help Bethany continue in this ministry of sharing God's love.

Please keep in mind, your pledge, in some ways, is your personal expression of being an evangelist for Jesus Christ, for with your pledge, the word of Jesus is shared. Stewardship is thus a personal committment to God. With our collective stewardship, the budgetary leaders of the church can map out a plan for the best ways for the ministry of this church to grow. Consequently, the growth of this church, not just in numbers of members, but more importantly, spiritually, is tied to our personal committments to God.

Maxine Angel's Funeral to be Held Saturday, Visitation Tonight

Maxine Angel, a longtime member of Bethany, died Wednesday at 3:00 P.M. Her funeral will be held Saturday at 2:00 p.m. at the Bethany Pavilion. Rev. Gary Edge will officiate.

Visitation will be today, Friday, from 6:00 p.m. to 8:00 p.m. at Bryant Funeral Home.

The family requests that in lieu of flowers, donations be made to Bethany Christian Church Building Fund, P.O. Box 156, Arapahoe, NC 28510.

Rebuilding Plans and Funds Update

Bethany's rebuilding committee is working hard to get to the point where some preliminary floor plan ideas can be shared with the church family, which can provide feedback for the process. At the same time, in order to narrow down a plan, we will need to know the funds available.

At this time, the rebuilding committee's best estimate is that it will cost a minimum of around $900,000 for replacing the same building square footage that we lost, and that with furnishings and any expansion to better serve our needs, the range could be between $1 million and $1.5 million.

Based on what has been donated and how much we have raised so far, we still have a way to go to reach the amount it is anticipated we will need just to replace what we had and to furnish the new building.

Please consider this as you plan your support for the rebuilding effort at Homecoming and Giving Sunday, Oct. 21.

Harvest Dinner Set for Nov. 3

The CWF's Harvest Dinner will be held at the Arapahoe Free Will Baptist Church on NC 306 S on Nov. 3, beginning at 5:00 p.m. and lasting until 7:00 p.m., or until sold out. Plates are $7.00 each.