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"They devoted themselves to the apostles' teaching and to the fellowship, to the breaking of bread and to prayer. Everyone was filled with awe, and many wonders and miraculous signs were done by the apostles. All the believers were together and had everything in common. Selling their possessions and goods, they gave to anyone as he had need. Every day they continued to meet together in the temple courts. They broke bread in their homes and ate together with glad and sincere hearts, praising God and enjoying the favor of the people. And the Lord added to their number daily those who were being saved." Acts 2:42-47 (NIV)
Bethany is not the Early Church, but we sure would like to be closer to it. Think about how amazing those times must have been! People were focused on the Lord and taking care of each other. The followers of Jesus Christ had a good reputation -- they loved each other and it showed by how they cared for each other. If we can learn how to do this better, fighting against the tendencies to go along with our selfish and materialistic culture, the lost people around us would have an easier time listening to the evangelistic message we have to share. Our actions must back up our words.
The other pages in this section give some examples of how you can help or be helped. We have opportunities for you to pray and to serve, but we also know that there are times when you need a hand to get out of a tough spot. We can help you locate counseling, attend a class to learn how to better manage your money, to get involved in small group, or to actively work and give to one of our local ministries. Our entire staff is involved in caring for our church families and our community, but coordinating with and communicating needs to other members of our Care Ministry is part of Pastor Jamie's responsibility. Our Care Ministry includes our Deacon and Deaconess committees, Prayer Intercessors, Home Group Leaders and our pastoral staff working together to connect needs to internal and external resources.
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