Bethlehem Lutheran Church

 Dave Dronen, Stewardship Ministry Team

I love it when I can say those words every spring. Yes, I did grow up in Minnesota, and no, I do not like winter. There ...I said it. The changing seasons remind me of my life. Growing up my Dad taught me "you get out of something exactly what you put into it." I can remember times in my life when my faith was on "cruise control." I put the least amount of effort into it and expected great things in return. It took me awhile to figure out that this is not how it works. I doubt that God put me on this earth to sit idly on the sidelines. I noticed a change when I got married and started to come to church on a regular basis. My wife was getting involved in everything and having a ball. I saw the change in her and decided to get in the game. I had no idea how fun it could be to get involved and work together with other Bethlehem members towards common goals. It was as though winter was ending and the sun was coming out. I have seen Bethlehem bring cohesiveness to our family and strengthen our faith.

Getting involved at Bethlehem is easy; doing something about it is the hard part. It is part of human nature to want to leave things as they are and resist change. Winter would love to stay around all year, but spring won't let it. Take that leap of faith and try something new at Bethlehem. It can be anything-a small group, ushering, choir, teaching Sunday school or any other group that may interest you. I think you will be amazed by how it enriches your life. I can see now the more I put into my faith, the more I get out of it. Arizona is not the only place where the sun shines...it shines at Bethlehem too.