News and Events at Believers Fellowship

Thank you for visiting our News and Events page, where we keep you up-to-date on the happenings at Believers Fellowship.  Also, the latest edition of our newsletter, The Epistle, can be found here (PDF).

Back to Regular Hours

As I write this it is raining outside. Seems like we didn’t get much of a summer this year in Gig Harbor, although the summer days we did get were plenty hot. Nights are starting to really cool off and even some of the trees are already starting to show some color changes. The sun rises later and sets earlier and earlier each day. Kids are getting ready for school to start and we are gearing up for all the fall activities that bring such hustle and bustle to our lives.

Just as summer has come to an end so have our summer hours at Believers Fellowship. We move back to our regular hours of 9:20am and 11:00am Sunday morning beginning September 5th. Sunday School classes are back to full swing and Middle/High School will be meeting upstairs again during 2nd service.

So, come join us as we worship our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, 9:20 or 11:00am.

Middle School Octaball Night

This summer the middle school group had their first ever Octaball Night. Octaball is a game in which you get eight tables and form an octagon ring. Play takes place inside the table ring. The rules are simple, if you get hit with the ball you’re out. This game created so many fun memories for our youth and now they want to play this at every event.

The idea behind this is for our youth to experience community together through playing games with each other. This allowed for many conversations to happen that normally would not take place and for us as leader to communicate a healthy level of competition.

Our Middle Schoolers love these times because they are non-invasive activities that they can invite their friends to. Octaball continues to help us form memories together as a group.

And the biggest highlight……seeing the kids faces when they finally get one of the “leader” out!

Women… Are you thirsting for involvement?

Come be refreshed on Sunday, August 29th; Women’s Connection Sunday. You can sip lemonade as you sign up for fellowship groups, service opportunities and Bible studies that will be available this fall.

As we approach fall, and I think happily of apple cider and pumpkins, I am anxious with anticipation for all the growth and learning that is going to be offered with one last glass of lemonade on a sunny church patio.

What does God have in store for you on one of those sign up sheets? A new friend? A deeper relationship with Him? A call to leadership? It’s exciting, isn’t it? To think that God has something for you!

Sign-ups are immediately following both services. Women leading each group will be there to answer any of your questions.

Quench your thirst for involvement and find a place to connect as God works in your heart this year.

Animal Fair – where all the fun of summer comes together!

WHAT: horse rides, cotton candy, games, water play,
BBQ hot dog & watermelon dinner … and more!!

WHO: especially for kids 2 yrs. through 2nd grade and their families
- invite your neighbors & friends, too! –

WHEN: Thursday, August 19th, 6-8 p.m.

WHERE: Believers Fellowship, 4112 Hunt St. NW
Gig Harbor, WA 851-9286 ex. 229

Women’s  Night of Fun
 
Lemonade and Lawn Games was the theme of the evening a week ago, but mostly casual fun and just spending time together was what most of us were there to enjoy.  Beyond the games, we had a chance to just snack, sip, laugh, and talk with a bunch of great women under the Dover’s patio canopy on a hot summer evening .   We got a chance to meet women we hadn’t met before.  

Ok, hillybilly golf is an odd game and I don’t think there is any biblical basis for playing it, but maybe I just haven’t looked for it closely enough…probably in the gospel of Luke somewhere.   But no doubt about it, bocchi ball is cool!  A great time was had by all!

We look forward to seeing all the women again soon at the Teodoro home for movie night on Monday, August 23rd. If you are a woman and new to BF, we would LOVE to have you come and hang out with us and meet new friends.

High School Mission trip to the Big Easy

There are certain ingredients that go into chocolate chip cookies that that make them great. If you miss an ingredient, or mix up baking powder with baking soda, then you end up scratching your head wondering why the cookies you just made look like cookies, but don’t taste like it. The same goes with mission trips. You need certain ingredients in order for it to be LIFE changing. This year’s trip has made an impact on the kids so much so, that it looks like God mixed the dough, and not me.

God showed up big time. That is ingredient numero uno, and He will do that regardless of who is going. God is always there, the constant, the rock that will not move. Its up to us to be sensitive to His leading. Which is ingredient number two. I was so impressed with the kids’ selfless-ness! They were willing to do what ever the task was, which was especially challenging in the 90 degree 80% humidity of New Orleans! Another ingredient to this trip that made is so life changing on the kids and leaders that went was that they were stretched beyond what they thought they were capable of. They prayed with strangers on street corners in the French Quarter. They listened with tears in their eyes to stories from Homeless people outside the Mission. They sweat while playing for hours in the sun with kids that had family lives so hard, the mention of the stories broke your heart. They were encouraged along the way by the local Christians as well. The church planting Pastor Taylor brought the word “southern” style in the middle of the week and God used him to encourage our hearts to be bold in our lifestyle, not just on a mission trip, but back home as well. He also got us to be a vocal audience with shouts of “amen” when we were really feeling it…

All in all, this was an amazing trip to see God moving in a city that is still in shambles spiritually, as well as physically. The trip really came together because God was the baker that mixed all the proper ingredients. He kneaded us in just the right way to change our lives!

Summer Fun for Women

Looking for an evening to kick-back and have good conversation and fun with friends? Hope you can make it to an evening of Lemonade and Lawn Games on Monday evening, July 26th at 7:00pm at the home of Judy Dover (7915 52nd St. NW, Gig Harbor.  (Judy’s home is located off of Artondale St, past the Artondale Grange)  Bring a lawn chair and we will provide the fun.  So far, the forecast is for sunny weather, but keep in mind that the plans for our evening are weather permitting.  Is there anyone out there who can beat the lean, mean Jem Brown in croquet?  :-)

This is also a good chance to put in a plug for the Bubble Gum Book Club, an easy-read summer book club, which will be meeting at Forza in Gig Harbor on Thursday, July 22nd at 9:30 am with Barb Turecky!  

Along with the church in general, women’s ministry values opportunities for women to connect with each other that we might all gain the advantage of knowing and loving one another as God has asked us to.  Hope to see you there!

Questions, contact Emily Roy at 253-460-9544 or monetlane@msn.com or Bo Teodoro @ Bo@believersfellowship.net.

Heh, Heh, Jesus! We’re on your team!

Super Summer kids are filling their collection cups with coins and bills to raise a year’s worth of support for our young friend in Bolivia, Jesus Llampa. Some of our church family here in Gig Harbor got the privilege last month of traveling to Jesus’ hometown of Uspa Uspa to actually meet Jesus and his family and personally deliver our photos and good wishes to him. We’re partnering with the Phoenix based agency, Food For the Hungry to help meet this first grader’s physical and spiritual needs . To raise the money, the elementary school-age students will be doing extra chores, holding lemonade stands, searching sofa cushions and asking family & friends for donations. So be ready to empty your pockets and wallet should one of these kids ask for your help – just make sure they say ‘please!’

Sunday Night Worship

I find myself driving home on some Sunday mornings wanting more. I would ask, “Is that it? Is that all there is?” I want more then an hour to be with others and respond to what God’s working.

Our goal with Sunday Night Worship is to create an opportunity for people to experience and encounter God intimately. We want to create a space for people to build community and relationships with each other outside a morning church service, not as a replacement of, but a chance to go deeper into worship.

I believe worship is about drawing close to God. James 4.8 says, “Draw near to God and he will draw near to you.” He will draw near to you – something that I often overlook and underestimate as I walk into church. The God of the universe will draw near to us… the God of creation will draw near to us… the God that loves us will draw near to us… the God that died for us will draw near to us… if we draw near to him.

Sunday Night Worship is open to anyone. If you would like to respond and draw closer to your Creator you are invited. We are currently meeting once a month at Believers Fellowship Church upstairs in the High School meeting room from 6:00 – 7:30 pm. Childcare is provided.

The next meeting is this Sunday, July 11th. Check the church website or email me for upcoming times and dates.

- Sam Bergstrom, Worship Intern

Summer Interns

The Youth Staff at Believers has hired two dynamic part-time summer interns this year.
These two young women will work along side the youth staff in building quality relationships and showing the love of Christ to our middle and high school students.

Stori Long will be working with the High School students. She comes to us by way of Baylor University where she majors in creative writing. Stori will be leading the HS girls Core Groups, as well as planning and leading some of our big events. Stori has already had an impact on our girls as she was able to join them for the HS Girls Mystery Retreat.

Bonnie Gatchell is the new Middle School summer intern. She will be working with leading the MS girls Core Groups, as well as taking charge of some of the middle school events throughout the next few months. Bonnie is a graduate of Gordon Cromwell Theological Seminary and works as a Youth Pastor and Director of an after school program in Boston. This is her first trip to the Pacific Northwest.

Join us in welcoming these amazing ladies as they invest their time, energy, and love into our youth. Greet them on Sunday and we think you will walk away knowing that you have just made an incredible new friend.

Summer Hours

The calendar says it is summer and with that we are changing over to our summer hours beginning June 27th. Our first service will start at 9:00am and the 2nd service at 10:30am. Nursery and Sunday School for pre-school through 5th grade will be available both services throughout the summer. The Middle School will continue to offer teaching time upstairs during the 2nd service time in July. The High School group will remain in the main worship room during July and August. Join us this summer as Gary and Matt lead us through “Encounters with Jesus”.

Our only exception for these summer hours will be the July 4th Sunday. There will only be one service that Sunday at 10:30am. Nursery and Sunday School for pre-school thru 5th grade will be held.

And remember, God doesn’t take a break from us for the summer. Let’s not take a break from him. See you at summer services!

Baptism Sunday June 20, 2010

On June 20th we honor our earthly fathers for Father’s Day. What could be more appropriate than to honor our heavenly Father by having a baptism service on this same day? That is exactly what we will be doing, as approximately 20 people from our church family will be declaring publicly their acceptance of Jesus as their Lord and Savior. Our portable baptismal will be placed upon the stage, and filled with water. Gary will share each participates story, written in their own words. And then, they will be fully submerged, raised from the waters a new person in Christ.

In Romans 6:4-5 Paul writes, “We were therefore buried with him through baptism into death in order that, just as Christ was raised from the dead through the glory of the Father, we too may live a new life. If we have been united with him like this in his death, we will certainly also be united with him in his resurrection. ” (NIV) Please join us in celebration of new life in Christ. Cookies and coffee will be serviced after each service (9:20 and 11:00am) in the foyer.

Softball League

By Rob Floberg, Commissioner

The Gig Harbor Church Softball League (GHCSL) has been a summer tradition in our area since 1995. From humble beginnings, with Believers' own Randy Wilkerson as commissioner, the league has grown into a major community event. In the last 3 seasons the league has nearly doubled in size from 12 teams up to 23 that will play this season. Those 23 teams include 5 from Believers Fellowship, which is an all-time high from our congregation, with over 80 people involved. A total of 16 area churches participate in the league. This will be my third season as commissioner of the league, and the most exciting news of 2010 is the opening of Sehmel Homestead Park this May. The new park is beautiful, with two adult softball fields that will host the majority of our regular season and the season ending tournament August 7-8. The park will be a wonderful place for families to get together after church on Sundays during the summer, whether you play in the league or are there to cheer on our teams. You will find a playset for the children, tennis and basketball courts, restrooms and concessions, and of course exciting softball action!  Be sure to visit the league website at http://ghcsl.org to view all of the BF team schedules, and come out to support our teams this summer starting on June 13!

Bolivia Mission Trip

June 7th a group of individuals from Believers Fellowship will be heading down to Cochabamba, Bolivia to work with the Food for the Hungry organization. Led by Matt Edwards and Scott Schubert, they will work on a project in the Cochabamba community of Uspa Uspa, a community whose people live in poverty.

The project will be one that is identified by that community as the one of greatest need, related to clean drinking water, sanitation, or education. The group will also be working with local churches to minister to the children and teens in the community.

These projects will help both the people with their short-term needs and augment the church’s evangelistic work. Pray for our team as they travel to share the Good News of Jesus!

 

Tuesday Morning MOM's Group Bible Study

Mom’s Group launched a new part of our activities this year with the opportunity for a more intensive bible study. We jumped into the waters and searched the scriptures with a 12 week study on the character of our magnificent God. Amazing!! Especially when we saw how His revealed love, goodness, faithfulness, wisdom, presence, changelessness (and much more) applies to our lives and then to our relationships as wives, moms and friends. As we finished our year with a study on faith, we saw pinpoint times of God meeting our needs, deepening our friendships and strengthening our walk with Him. The benefits of personal study of scripture and meeting together are rewarding and friendship building. We are looking forward to next year. Hope to see you then.

School Kids End Year With Class Parties

What do kids grades one through five have in common? They all love getting together for a party! The elementary classes at Believers Fellowship celebrated the end of the school year with class parties over the last few weeks. Themes varied from ‘swimming’ to ‘flying’ to girly ‘flower power’ but we always shared a meal and we always went home with some fun memories and the name of a new friend. If you asked the kids, they’d say that some of the favorites from these parties were the root beer floats, dunking Mr. Davis in the pool, the humming noisemaker, the GIANT tissue flowers, and the make-your-own pizzas. Kids are so fun and easy to please!

Discover Life Class

How is a church like ice cream? How is joining a church like the movie Finding Nemo? If you came to our first Discover Life at Believers class this past March you know the answers to those searching questions. Our new format for introducing those who are new to Believers Fellowship not only answered those questions for about 30 adults but included two evenings of dinner together and a bunch of information about our history, beliefs, leadership, mission, and ministries.

Those who attended also had an opportunity to meet many of the church leaders and staff over the two evening event. Just as important, we had a chance to get to know them. – and they are a fun group of delightful people.

We feel this new way of helping folks learn about our church family and connecting them to life here at Believers was successful enough that we want to build on it for the future.

Our next class will be held May 18th & 25th. Sign up in the foyer by May 16th. We would love to get to know you better and hope that after spending time with us, you will get to know us as well.

Awareness + Action = Making a difference
 
When was the last time you were hungry? Maybe this morning when you awoke from your full nights slumber in your comfortable pillow top bed? What did you do about that hunger? Perhaps you opened your fridge and stared wondering if you should have fruit, eggs, or pull the milk out and pour it over one of the five choices of cereal you have in your pantry.
 
The past two weekends our Middle School and High School students experienced fasting. The wanted to raise their awareness of world hunger. They wanted to be reminded to pray for those who do not have the privilege of opening up and staring into a full refrigerator only to close it declaring that there is nothing to eat. But it didn’t end with awareness in their own mind. It started there. From participating in awareness activities on Friday night, and sleeping in a box city (the High Schoolers made themselves) they awoke the next morning hungry, only to take their awareness to Gig Harbor, Tacoma, and Port Orchard. They wanted to tell people what was going on, and they did it with action: they served our community all day Saturday. Awareness was colliding with Action; and when those two meet, a difference is made. We challenged our students to raise money, to get behind the cause that $1 dollar can feed a child for a day. Yes, $1 dollar! So they took up the call and organized bake sales, chicken walks, a yard sale, and car wash. They sacrificed from their own pockets. They went door to door. And together they raised over three thousand dollars!!
 
Thank you to those that helped by fasting with us; feeding us after our fast; driving us around town to do service projects; getting your car washed, buying baked goods, walking a chicken on a leash, and praying with us that the God of this universe will show Himself to those who are in need.

6th Annual BFYG Plant Sale

This next Sunday, May 2nd, we will be having our annual plant sale. We have some beautiful pre-planted containers that will make lovely Mother's Day gifts. We also have a nice selection of plants that would be a great addition to your garden.

There will be photo cards, bird houses and a number of other items. We also have a number of very experienced gardeners on hand if you have any questions.

The sale will be after both services - plan to bring the truck and load it up! All donations go to the Youth Group to help with their mission trips.

See you there!!!

 

 

It’s not just breakfast…

Why is it that Saturdays have become the time that I take to get the things done that I can’t during the week? It seems like they have become the sixth day of my work week and that I’m depending on Sunday to rejuvenate me enough to charge back into the fray on Monday. If you’re anything like me, time is in short supply and I am not one for filling my already full plate with things that aren’t all about family or work. And so it is with this in mind, that I invite you to our Men’s Breakfast on April 24. Even knowing that I will have to get out of the house, I am looking forward to it. I need the reminder that I am not alone in being a Christian man. I need the time to sit down and meet someone new or catch up with those who I often miss during my work week. I need the chance for God’s Spirit to ground me, reminding what’s important in this life… and you call it just another breakfast, just another plate of pancakes. I see it as more.

Middle School Mission Trip to Portland

Our Middle School group just took a mission trip to Portland, Oregon. It was on this trip that the Middle School boys got to sit to hear more about other people’s lives and see past their circumstances.

One of the organizations that we partnered with was the Blanchet house it is one of the oldest transitional living centers in Portland that offers meals to homeless individuals almost everyday of the year. It was here that we served over 300 people doing everything from plating the food, to serving the food and even bussing the tables.

On Saturday on of the highlight for many of the mission team was a meal that they prepared and shared with some men adjacent to the Portland Rescue Mission. After a day of walking through the streets of the city the boys banded together to make an incredible meal for a transition living center for families. The next day culminated in an experience of seeing close to 600 people come together to receive a meal and food for the week. We spent several hours interacting with many of the people that we had seen in previous places; learning more about them and their journey.

We ended our adventure by delivering the toys to the Portland Legacy Hospital. The woman who came to get the toys was overwhelmed and teary eyed. She asked us to tell the church that she was blown away at our gifts and wanted us to know that every book, toy, or game would help these children more than we will ever know.

These boys will never be the same because of what they have experienced and I am amazed at how much they grasped what was happening. It was a heartbreaking, enlightening, and an overwhelming experience that ended with joy and thanksgiving for hundreds of people.

Broomball Anyone??

This year the youth ministry decided to take on a new and exciting event: broomballing. What is broomballing, you ask? Well, in a nutshell it’s basically hockey, but with sneakers instead of skates and brooms instead of sticks. Of course, these particular ‘brooms’ which the kids used looked much more like sticks, but we won’t hold it against Bremerton Ice Center (where the event was held). And of course, to cater the event to a wider range of students, ice skating was also offered on half of the rink.
 
With a turn out of 62 youth (and several adults) all ready to show off their skills (or lack there of) on the cold Friday evening of March 12th, you can imagine that there was plenty of chaos and fun to be had on the ice. The entire center was rented out for the event, which allowed the kids more freedom and less embarrassment to deck themselves out in strange and comical costumes. The evening ended with a game of Middle School vs. High School. The result? Middle schoolers took the victory with a last minute goal, an uproar of cheers, and a testosterone driven huddle (keep the victories coming next year, guys). I think it’s safe to say we’ll likely make a yearly habit of broomball.

Women’s Bible Study of David Starts April 15

The Women’s Ministries is offering a new Thursday Bible study beginning April 15. The study is “Anointed Transformed Redeemed: A Study of David”. This is a six week course presented by Priscilla Shirer, Beth Moore and Kay Arthur.

The study will meet Thursday mornings 9:15-11:30 a.m. or Thursday evenings 6:15-8:30 p.m. You may attend whichever session best fits your schedule.

There is $15.00 preregistration fee for the workbook, payable to Joelle Guenther. If you already have a book, there is no fee. You may register Sunday, March 28 in the foyer, or call Ruth Martin at 649-0016.

 

 

Good Friday – Easter Sunday

The weekend of April 2 is the crux of the Christian experience. On Good Friday, our Lord and Savior was betrayed by his friends, arrested by his enemies, beaten beyond recognition, crucified on a cross, and laid in a borrowed tomb. His followers were afraid, ashamed, bewildered, lost, and hid in a borrowed home. Out of ideas, lacking in courage, and abandoning hope they waited to see what would happen next. Never in their wildest dreams did they imagine the unimaginable!

Our Savior, Jesus Christ, conquered death. On the third day He arose! He thwarted Satan’s plan of death and gave us life. Christ give His life for us because He loved us so.

Please join us for Good Friday Service April 2 at 7:00pm.

Easter Sunday Services at 8:00, 9:30, and 11:00am. Nursery available all three services. Pre-school thru Kindergarten Sunday School at the 9:30 and 11:00 services.

Be a part of worship to our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.

5th Grade Retreat at the Beach

Twenty-one fifth graders had a fantastic time at the Adams’ beach house! Can you believe everything we fit into 24 hours? Scavenger hunt…..roasting hot dogs and s’mores on the beach….tidal pool creatures….chase….Hot Lava on the jungle gym….soccer….dizzy spinning on the tire swing….decorating walking sticks….spaghetti…pictionary…the “Walk Talk”….writing in journals...nighttime fire on the beach…slumbering….Mike’s pancakes….mystery walk and more! It makes us look forward to our REPEAT Retreat at the Beach in June! Bring it on!

Daddy Daughter Date Night!

Are you looking to create a memory with your little girl? This is an evening you don’t want to miss! With a 50’s era soda fountain, sock hop, movie theater, games, crafts, and photo booth, this is guaranteed to be a date to remember—and it will be with YOU, her daddy!

WHO: girls 3 years—5th grade and their daddies (or grandpa!)

WHEN: Sunday, May 21st, 6:00—7:30 p.m.

WHERE: Believers Fellowship

“The older my daughter gets the more it’s sinking in that I don’t have an endless amount of time with her. I want to be able to look back and know that I showed her with my actions that she is precious and valuable”.

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