This Sunday we were blessed to celebrate our mothers at MBC Bethesda. Thank you for all of the pictures you submitted! Here is the video we showed for your continued enjoyment.
Celebrating Our Mothers-MBC Bethesda 2013 from MBC Bethesda on Vimeo.
We have some exciting news to share…our very own Pastor Ken Sun can now be called Reverend! On the weekend of November 18, 2012, Ken Sun, along with Pastors Denny Harris, Jim Supp and Will Pavone were ordained by MBC’s Board of Elders during services. We are excited for all of these pastors as they reach this significant milestone in their spiritual development and ministry. If you missed service that weekend, you can view the ordination here:
Right now I (Angel) am gearing up for a feast with friends today. God has blessed me with some amazing relationships- some dating back 8+ years. In the DC area, that is a milestone! They are the friends that have seen me at my best and at my worst. Somehow, they love me anyway. They are some of my deepest community who have really taught me to push through the hard and the classroom through which God has taught me the most about relationship. These are some of the friends I will gather with today. I can’t wait for the antics and food, the laughter and the memories sure to be made.
As I reflect over the past year I am so thankful for God’s faithfulness. He is GOOD and His love endures forever. Do you know that? Deep down in your heart have you let that truth sink in?
Oh give thanks to the Lord, for he is good; for his steadfast love endures forever! I Chronicles 16:34
The word endures literally means “for ever, ever, everlasting, perpetual”. No matter what- His love endures. Life is uncertain. We go through times of joy, but we also go through seasons of brokenness. Regardless of the season we are in, we can ALWAYS say the Lord is good. Why? Because our current circumstances do not change who our God is.
Do not be deceived, my beloved brothers. Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of lights with whom there is no variation or shadow due to change. Of his own will he brought us forth by the word of truth, that we should be a kind of firstfruits of his creatures. James 1:16-18
As you gather today with friends and family, take a moment and focus on Who God is. Acknowledge that every relationship, every morsel of food, and even the home you are gathered in is from His hand. He does not change. He is good and His love endures forever!
Happy Thanksgiving from the MBC Bethesda Staff. We thank God for you!
We had the privilege of participating in the Kensington Labor Day parade this year. I will venture to say this will be yet another MBC Bethesda tradition. It was such a blessing to see the body of Christ, including our children, serve in an outreach to the community. Below are some snapshots from the day from Danielle Whitley, who coordinated the event. In addition is a video highlighting some special moments from the day.
Snapshots
It was exciting to walk past people on our parade route and hear them say, “Wow, I didn’t know that church was meeting in Bethesda”, or “Oh, that’s the ‘Not a Sermon, Just a Thought’ church!.”
An Islam man stopped by our booth and was telling us why he had converted to Islam. We had a short conversation with him and told him how Jesus Christ changed our lives. We encouraged him to look deeper into the issues he was bringing up and gave him Lon’s testimony CD. The man said he would listen and give it some thought.
There was a conversation at the booth with a mom saying she had been looking for a good, Christian church in Montgomery County for four years. She is looking forward to visiting our church.
God answered our prayers in holding back the rain for the festival and parade. Not only did he hold back the rain, He gave us a nice, sunny day. With the warm weather, many people were able to come out and enjoy the parade & festival, and they were also more interested in the free water at our booth, as it offered refreshment from the hot sun.
At certain points leading up to the parade, the weather forecast predicted a 70% chance of rain and storms. Not only the adults, but the kids involved in the parade were able to learn a valuable lesson about God answering prayer. One family told us how their little girl, Kylie, started praying in the car on the way to the parade, “Please God, hold back the rain and give us good weather so that we can do the parade, please God…” She prayed numerous times and was asking in faith that God would allow the parade to go on. God answered Kylie’s and our prayers as we were able to participate in a rain-free parade and were able to praise God with the kids and remind them of the power of prayer.
A lady at the festival noticed Corinne’s “Got Questions?” name-tag. She approached her and asked her questions about the difference between Judaism and Christianity and where our church stood on that. Corinne was able to talk with her and gave her Lon’s testimony CD, which is an incredible testimony of how a Jew came to faith in Jesus Christ as Savior. The lady was very interested in their conversation and said she is going to listen to the CD.
One of the highlights was hearing at the Grand Stand (which is the end of the parade where they announce each group) the name of Jesus Christ on the loud speaker, as the announcer shared information about our church and our mission to reach secular Washington with the message of Jesus Christ.
Some people who may not have had a good view of our church (as they have a different worldview and belief system) were able to see us in a different light. They were able to see friendly faces, and associate a Bible church with people who truly do care and were shining with the love of God.
God used the parade in many different ways. Through meeting people, friendly interactions, the Noah’s Ark Float, handing out bags with a smile, and more, it is exciting to know that at least 1,000 people were given a gospel tract, which clearly shares the message of Jesus Christ and eternal life.
MBC Bethesda marches in Kensington Labor Day Parade from Angel Turbeville on Vimeo.
We’ve had a great summer of Backyard Bible Clubs this year! With events in Rockville, Silver Spring, and Bethesda, we were able to bring Kid’s Quest to locations all over Montgomery County!
Even with the relay races, balloon tosses, and water games, when asked about their favorite part at one Backyard Bible Club, multiple children replied, “The Bible Story!” While clapping, shouting, and making waves, kids learned about God’s power in the story of Jesus calming the storm. This was a great way to introduce Christ’s power displayed on the cross as we shared the Gospel message at each event.
Not only did we have many MBC Bethesda kids attend, but they brought unchurched neighbors and family members! We even had a few attendees who had no connections with MBC except seeing the Backyard Bible Club flyer that was left at their door by their neighborhood host! Kids from Christian, Buddhist, Muslim, and non-religious backgrounds were all able to experience the love of Christ!
Great fellowship was also had by the MBC parents in attendance, as they met other families from their community. Andrea, one of our hosts, said “An unexpected blessing for us was the great fellowship we had with the parents and younger siblings who stayed during the Bible Club. We got to know other MBC Bethesda families in a more casual atmosphere–some whom we’ve not seen around the Bethesda campus since they attend the earlier service and still others who attend the same service but we just had not previously had an opportunity to chat. In either case, it was nice to get to know other MBC families whom live in the area close by. I was encouraged to hear parents echo that sentiment as they departed.”
God was greatly glorified this summer… but it couldn’t have been done without our host families! A BIG thank you to the Chans, Schenkels, Girouxs, Fraziers, Georges, and Weavers for all their help! Not only did they open up their homes, but they canvassed their neighborhoods, filled water balloons, grilled hot dogs, and so much more!
This summer’s Backyard Bible Clubs left kids eager to come to church, neighbors wanting to know more about the Lord, MBC families motivated to do more outreach into their communities, and the Kid’s Quest staff already anticipating next year!
Have you ever wondered:
Understanding how God wants you to live your life matters. There is too much at risk to ignore God’s design and expectations for biblical, Christ-centered male leadership. But how can you be sure if you are on-point or about to miss the mark entirely? We believe that biblical manhood, spiritual leadership and living life in community with other Christian men are mission critical elements to living life God’s way.
This is important. Our families, our communities and our nation need more than a few good men to answer God’s call and lead us, we need as many as are willing to lay down their lives for something greater than this world can offer.
Find out why these things matter and what’s really at risk really at the MAN Conference, May 18 & 19 at MBC Tysons.
Todd Wagner, Senior Pastor of Watermark Church in Dallas, will teach on what the Bible says about manhood, spiritual leadership, living life in community and what happens when men don’t step up and lead in the ways we were created to lead and in the manner we are called to lead.
This is a conference for men of all ages so come with a friend, a neighbor, your father, son, brother or uncle – just come.
$35 before May 14, $45 at the door
If you are on Facebook, you can use our event page to invite your friends to join us too! Click here to view our event and invite others on Facebook.
See you there,
MBC Men’s Ministry Team
MBC Bethesda celebrated Easter at the Hyatt this year. It was an amazing time of worship. God once again took a situation that could have been difficult and used it for His glory. As a staff, we were concerned the re-location would impact attendance, but instead, we had approximately 650 adults in attendance between our two services. Our MBC Bethesda choir and musicians led us in joyful worship. We had at least one person pray to receive Christ, and many first time guests. Andrew Wood, who is on our A/V team took some photos to capture the 10:45 service. We are so thankful for all who joined us to celebrate Easter. Please continue to pray for those in attendance. Our Savior lives and as a church we want to proclaim that truth. May God find us faithful with all who walk through our doors (wherever we may be meeting).
Our recent Kid’s Quest Boys’ Night was a fantastic event that God used in a mighty way. MBC Bethesda boys and their dads gathered to enjoy community and fellowship on Friday, March 9. They had a great time playing tug of war, garbage ball, nerf tag, relay races and more. The dads even got in on the action. At dinner time, the boys gathered around pizza and were encouraged and challenged by a lesson on lasting strength and what it means to be a true man of God: “For physical training is of some value, but godliness has value for all things, holding promise for both the present life and the life to come” (1 Timothy 4:8 NIV84).
As we hoped, many of our boys brought friends, and their friends were able to experience godly community and hear a clear presentation of the Gospel. At least one of the boys made a profession of faith in Jesus Christ, and several mentioned they were interested in coming to Kid’s Quest on Sunday mornings. Lord willing, we will see them and their families at MBC Bethesda in the near future. Thanks to everyone who helped make this event possible, and a special thanks to all the dads who participated!
A beautiful home with water views in Cambridge, MD, the amazing hospitality of the Butcher family, and 54 MBC Bethesda and Frontline Silver Spring women were the combination for a celebration of sisterhood. Away for the weekend with 600 other MBC sisters at the Women’s Conference at the Hyatt Chesapeake in Cambridge, MD, the women broke away for a refreshing afternoon. As the women entered the Butcher home they were greeted by volunteers serving appetizers. The main rooms of the home were filled with conversation and laughter as women mingled. Connections were made, beautiful smiles prevailed and the presence of blessed grace was evident. After a time of mingling the women sat down for a delicious lunch. Frontline Silver Spring women were able to converse with MBC Bethesda women. For women in their 20′s and 30′s the words “I’ve been there” are so reassuring. It was truly a celebration of what God can do in the lives of women united to encourage each other and speak words of truth.
Check out our Facebook page for pictures of this amazing event. If you missed out, don’t worry! In the next couple of weeks we will be gauging interest for the start of a women’s Bible study. We would love to see this community continue to flourish. Between our two campuses, we have some fabulous women. Why not continue to create times for all of our fabulous to be in one room? If you are interested in teaching, facilitating, hosting, or planning for women’s events, please contact angel.turbeville@mcleanbible.org
The MBC Women’s Conference is quickly approaching on March 2-4! Our keynote speaker is award-winning author and distinguished professor of women’s studies at Southern Baptist Seminary, Mary Kassian, and our very own Ashley Kelsey and Magen Thurman will lead us in worship. We are excitedly anticipating how God will reveal himself to us during this weekend away with the girls.
In addition to the main sessions, there will be a series of break-out seminars. To get a better idea of what to expect, watch these video messages in which the seminar speakers share their hearts regarding the topics they will address. These speakers are our very own MBC and Frontline women who are genuinely excited to share what the Lord has laid on their hearts about these issues.
Come to Rest
Identity in Christ
When Life Isn’t What You Expected
How to Study the Bible
From Genesis to Revelation in 60 minutes
Missional Living
Not only will this be a time of learning and deepening of your connection with the Lord, but you will also have time to simply relax and be refreshed in the company of other women in and around the luxurious Hyatt Regency Chesapeake Bay Resort.
Hope you will join us! Learn more and register here!
