BETHANY LUTHERAN CHURCH· WEST HARTFORD
· Where we believe in LOVING GOD THROUGH LOVING OTHERS ·
Welcome to BETHANY LUTHERAN CHURCH, an LCMS congregation established in 1944.
Christian Care October Missions
October is Luke Kindness Month This October, the Luke Roux Foundation invites our Bethany Lutheran Church community to join us in celebrating the 4th Annual Luke Kindness Month, a month dedicated to spreading kindness in memory of Luke Roux, a member of our Bethany family. Luke was just 17 years old when his life was taken by an impaired driver on June 25, 2022. In the years since, Luke’s family has worked to turn an unimaginable loss into something that can make a difference for others. The Luke Roux Foundation was created in his memory with a mission of preventing impaired driving, educating young people, encouraging safe choices, and carrying forward the kindness that was such an important part of who Luke was. Luke lived his Christian faith through the way he treated others. He was kind, compassionate, humble, and willing to help, often without seeking recognition. He showed us that living our faith does not always require grand gestures. It can be found in how we treat one another, how we include others, how we lend a hand, and how we choose kindness in our everyday lives. Those values remain at the heart of the Luke Kindness Movement. Each October, we encourage people to intentionally bring a little more kindness into the world. Kindness can be simple: a smile, a helping hand, a thoughtful note, checking in on someone, or doing something unexpected to brighten another person’s day. New this year is the Luke Kindness Passport, inspired by Luke and his #16. We are challenging everyone to complete 16 Random Acts of Kindness during October. Use the ideas on the passport or create your own, and complete them in a day, a week, or throughout the month. The goal is simply to make kindness intentional and help it spread. Luke Kindness Month is about creating a ripple effect. One kind act can inspire another and reach people we may never even know. It is also a simple way to put our faith into action by loving and serving others. We hope our Bethany family will join us this October in remembering Luke and help fill our community with kindness, 16 acts at a time, in honor of Luke. To learn more, download a Kindness Passport, Kindness Card, or find additional ways to participate, visit the Luke Roux Foundation website. *Passports can be picked up in the church narthex, next to the children’s bulletins and on the table in the back of the sanctuary. Please take a few to share with friends and neighbors!
Operation Christmas Child delivers great joy and the Good News of Jesus Christ to children in need around the world through gift-filled shoeboxes. Each box packed full of quality toys, school supplies, and personal care items becomes a tangible expression of God's immense love for the child. For many, it is their first gift ever! The shoebox gifts provide an opportunity to present the Gospel to boys and girls in a clear, child-friendly way. Since 1993, more than 209 million children in more than 170 countries and territories have received an Operation Christmas Child shoebox. Suggestions on what to include in the boxes can be found here grouped by gender. You may choose to purchase individual items and drop them off in the narthex. Please have all contributions in by Sunday, November 7th. Led by Pastor Jason and Pam Noe, members of all ages are invited to assemble the boxes and have them ready for National Collection Week November 16th-23rd. *Please note the boxes should be secured with a rubber band rather than taped shut so they can be checked by the volunteers at Samaritan’s Purse.
Bethany continues to partner with the Fern Street Backpack Program to ensure that no child goes hungry. For the month of OCTOBER the program is hoping to supply families with the components of a Thanksgiving dinner. They are seeking donations for: Instant Potatoes Stuffing Mix Canned Turkey/Chicken Gravy Canned Cranberry Sauce Canned Pumpkin All food can be left in the narthex in the bin just outside the sanctuary doors. We will coordinate delivery. Thank you for your continuous and ongoing generosity.
Across the globe hungry, destitute people live day to day without warm clothing, nourishing food, clean water, shelter, or medical care. Orphan Grain Train—a Christian organization—collects supplies and ships them to 73 different countries and 40 states, sharing God’s mercy and love by meeting the needs of the hopeless. To support their efforts, Bethany collects gently used clothing year-round. If you’re clearing out your closets and have clothing that you’re looking to donate, please bring it in. We have a bin set up in the narthex into which you can simply drop your donations. One of our devoted members collects the items weekly and delivers them to the Orphan Grain Train warehouse in Terryville.