Dear Church Family,

As you know there’s a lot happening at Bethel Baptist Church, and I want to take advantage of this opportunity to share some important information with you. It would be good to visit with each of you personally, but that’s not possible. I hope that through what I am about to share our entire Bethel family will sense the leadership of God as we are faithful to him in the days ahead.

I know you would agree that the ministries of our church are a joy and a blessing, not only to our church families, but also to many families outside our walls. God continues to bless us by adding new individuals to our church. There are ways in which we believe God wants us to continue to expand our ministry. Our annual budget is directed toward meeting the needs of our current weekly ministry expenditures, including our missions commitment. Therefore, we must focus on a way to raise additional funds to expand and improve our ministry.

“GIFT” (Growing In Faith and Trust) is the name we have chosen for our ministry expansion campaign. As part of our “GIFT” program, we are asking every household in our church to prayerfully consider making a sacrificial commitment – over and above your ongoing tithes and offerings – to be given over the next three years. This is an important step to our future and you are vital to its success. Enclosed is a “Fact Sheet” with some preliminary information regarding our “GIFT” ministry. Please read this fact sheet carefully.

In the very near future people from our Information Team will be distributing information packets containing much more in the way of details.

These are exciting days of decision in our church. Let us commit ourselves to know and do the will of God. He has granted to each of us the privilege of being a part of a fellowship where the Spirit of God is so warm and alive. This privilege implies a responsibility of sharing our blessings with others. To the glory of God we will step forward to grow in faith and trust.

In His name and love,
Pastor Dennis Erickson