By Sherrie Norris
Bethany Lutheran Church in the Green Valley Community just north of Boone is hosting a fish fry and bake sale on Saturday September 8 to raise money for the much-needed replacement of the church’s steeple.
According to church pastor, Laura Weant, Bethany’s steeple “has been in bad shape for years,” with the situation becoming “quite serious,” she described, due to extended periods of rain over the last year contributing to damaging leaks.
“The long and short of it is, this steeple has served this church beautifully for decades, but it’s time for it to go,” Weant added, referring to the scripture passage “To everything there is a season.”
It is the hope of the church that a new steeple will soon be put into place, and located slightly forward of the current spot to avoid leaks and associated problems in the future.
As a loving church that serves its community well, it is time now for the community to come out to support the church in its time of need.
Weant reminds us of the children’s rhyme – “Here is the church, here is the steeple, open the doors, see all the people” — and that there is another verse that is just as important: “You can have a church without any steeple, but you can’t have a church without any people.”
“We are firm believers in that,” Weant said. “The people are the body of Christ who are joined to him and his mission in the world. And we don’t need a steeple, or even a building to be the body of Christ. However, a building is a very great asset in the work that we do — a common place to come together and worship God, a place at which we pack food boxes, and wrap Christmas gifts for angel tree families, host events for the community, and other things we do.”
And for this small brick building, nestled in the pastoral community, Weant described, “Our steeple is part of what identifies us and what we do here. It’s a landmark in the community. It contributes to the beautification of what God has done here naturally with the hills and knolls. So, while the steeple isn’t strictly necessary to do the work of Christ, the church feels that it is important as a symbol of who we serve and what we do here.”
As a beacon of love and light, as Bethany has been described, Weant said, “It’s the steeple that marks us as that beacon.”
Mark your calendars now and plan to be part of this fundraising effort at Bethany.
The event will be held in the church fellowship hall between 4 – 7 p.m. with guests invited to eat on premise or take out.
The menu will include fried flounder, coleslaw, baked potatoes, hush puppies and cookies. Hamburgers and hotdogs will also be available. A bake sale will be set up with full, half, and quarters of cakes. Gluten-free options will also be available.
Monetary donations will be greatly appreciated.
Bethany Lutheran Church is located at 1030 Big Hill Road, Boone.
You must be logged in to post a comment.