Saving Suds Ministries Update

Last Thursday, Lynn and Kim Burnett served 22 families with 62 people in total. They gave out $523 in quarters and numerous detergent pods. It was a slower night, likely due to the rain. Thank you to all who continue to support this project.

Saving Suds is in need of more volunteers to keep this heavily utilized ministry going. If you are able to volunteer at least an hour and a half of your time, either from 3:45 PM - 5:15 PM or from 5:15 PM - 7:00 PM, the first Thursday of every month, please consider being the people to let this ministry continue as it is highly utilized within the community.

Interested in volunteering, but unsure what you'd be doing? Find step-by-step directions for the volunteer position here.

To volunteer for Saving Suds sign up online or call the church office.

Celebrating Our Seniors

THIS WEEKEND! Celebrate our high school and college graduates! On Saturday, we will have a cake reception as part before the service at 5:00 p.m. with Sunday's cake reception following the service at 10:40 a.m. Congratulations graduates!

Get Ready for The End of Year Celebration!

All are invited to celebrate the end of the programming year Saturday, May 17th after our OUTDOOR service at 5:30 pm on the East Patio (be sure to bring your lawn chair).

The festivities include food, yard games, a bounce house, a face painter, and balloon artist. It's sure to have something for everyone!

This celebratory combined service will blend elements from both worship services.

There will be no service Sunday, May 18th.

Join Us in Supporting a New Congregation in Davenport!

Bethesda has partnered with the SEIA Synod through the month of May by giving $1,000 to support a new Spanish-speaking church (Iglesia Camino De Emanus) in Davenport, Iowa with a goal of raising $45,000 throughout the synod by the end of the month and we need your help to reach the goal!

To support Iglesia Camino De Emanus, write a check for any amount and put "church partnership" in the memo line before you put the donation into the Transparent Cubes of Christ during weekend worship.

Thank you for helping a new congregation in Iowa!

Volunteer for VBS!

Help make this the best VBS year yet by volunteering! Volunteers are needed June 22 - 26 from 5 - 8 pm for ALL ages in addition to A/V volunteers, kitchen chefs, craft assistants and game and recreation helpers.

Sign up near the Welcome Center to volunteer!

Register for VBS Today!

Register your preschool through 5th grader for five days of fun this summer June 22-26 from 5-8 PM!

Registration is $10/child and includes a t-shirt, nightly dinner for the kids at 5 PM, Bible Study, music, and other recreational activities throughout the week focused on how we can magnify God's love!

Register here!

For organizational purposes, we ask that you fill out the form once for every child you have attending.

If you would like to sponsor a child's VBS experience this summer, you can write a check or bring cash to our main office and notate your donation is for a VBS Sponsorship.

AMOS' Housing Campaign Final Stretch

We've reached the final month of our Ames Housing Civic Academy journey, and the momentum is growing! Ames community leaders have already hosted nine engaging Civic Academies, but it's not too late to join the conversation. Upcoming sessions include:

• May 9 at 7:00 PM – Ames United Church of Christ
• May 18 at 11:30 AM – Collegiate United Methodist Church/Wesley Foundation (Wesley Hall)
• May 22 at 6:45 PM – Ames Public Library (Farwell T. Brown Auditorium)

Interested in hosting a Civic Academy at your own organization? There's still time! Visit the Ames Civic Academy Hub to access materials, register your event, or view our calendar of past and upcoming academies. For assistance, email our Civic Academy Team at amosameshousingca@gmail.com, and we'll respond within two business days.

Mark your calendars for our Housing Civic Academy Wrap-Up on Sunday, June 8 at 2:30 PM at the Unitarian Universalist Fellowship of Ames. This event is your opportunity to reflect, share insights from your academy sessions, learn about the next steps in our Ames Cluster Housing Campaign, and discover how to get involved further.

Help us reach our goal of 100 attendees by inviting friends and colleagues from your organization. Your participation makes a difference!

Compete to Win a $50 Gift Card at the Bethesda Women's Summer Salad Social

Wednesday, June 11, 2025, at 6:00pm in the commons the Bethesda Women will host a Summer Salad Social where Women of Bethesda are welcome to make their favorite summer salad to share and compete for a chance to win a $50 gift card.

All salads entered in competition will be required to bring the recipe written out for Women’s Ministries to keep. Recipe must be from a church or community cookbook. 

Please include approximate cost of ingredients. We will set up a salad buffet for all those in attendance to sample each entry. (For clarification, our definition of summer salad is a salad you would bring to a potluck or family event. It can be sweet or savory.) Women of all ages are welcome to participate! RSVP HERE

Sponsor a Living Water Wednesday Meal!

Next Week, the community meal will be sloppy joes with peas, carrots, and potato chips. If you would like to partially sponsor a Living Water Wednesday meal with a $100.00 donation, click here or contact the church office.

Celebrate African American Culture with Bethesda!

Join members of Bethesda Saturday, June 14th from 12:30 - 5:00 pm at Bandshell Park to celebrate African American culture this Juneteenth; Bethesda will have a booth!

Additional Ladies Lunch Bunch Dates!

If you're interested in attending the Ladies Lunch Bunch, but can't make the May 8th date, mark your calendar for outings the second Thursday of the month June through September!

June 12th - The Mucky Duck Pub (3100 S Duff Ave. on the porch)

July 10th - Tosca (303 Welch Ave. on the porch)

August 14th - La Casa Maya (631 Lincoln Way)

September 11th - Boulder Tap House (114 S Duff Ave.)

All ladies are welcome!

Attend the "When a Dream Lives" Seminar

Join AMOS and leaders in Iowa's small towns and farming communities as we learn from our past to together create a new dream for our state, Saturday May 31st from 9:00 AM - 4:00 PM in the Scheman Building at Iowa State University (1805 Center Drive). Lunch will be provided.

The statewide seminar with Iowa State University historian Pamela Riney-Kehrberg will focus on her book When a Dream Dies: Agriculture, Iowa, and the Farm Crisis of the 1980s. Participants will learn how the 1980s Farm Crisis inform the challenges facing rural communities in 2025 and how we can address those pressures impacting Iowans today.

Register by Friday, May 23.

Become a Holy Visitor (with training!)

If you would be interested in visiting Bethesda members in their homes to offer communion and conversation to those who cannot attend in-person services, join Pastor Chris in the conference room (#119) on May 19th at 3pm OR 7 pm.

Bethesda Book Discussion Group's June Read

Please join us for Bethesda’s book club’s next book, The Nature of Fragile Things by Susan Meissner. We will meet at 7 pm on Thursday, June 5, in The Crossroads. The book club is open to everyone, and there’s no obligation to attend every time. If we’re reading a book that interests you, join us! If you haven’t read the book but you’d like to listen to the discussion, join us! 

Looking ahead, on July 31st we will discuss Abundance by Ezra Klein.