Church Committees
God gave His people a multitude of talents. "Each one should use whatever gift he has received to serve others, faithfully administering God's grace in its various forms.” 1 Peter 4:10
Bethel CRC has a variety of committees through which people can do just that. Click on each committee below to learn more about each one:
Members: Grant Postma (chair), Jordan Hoogland (deacon), Justin Dekkers, Timon Rens, Will Warntjes, Adam Fedders, Wanda Vande Kieft
Our responsibility is to maintain the church building in a stewardly way. We meet the first Monday of every month.Anyone who has a willingness to serve and help out maintaining the church can join the committee.
Specific tasks/duties/projects and how often they occur (weekly/monthly/annually):
- Yearly inspect property.
- Make repairs as needed.
Members: Dan De Weerd (chair), Adam Fedders (VP/Chair) Gretchen De Wit (treas), Ashley Brundell (sec), Pete Haverhals (elder) Jordan Hoogland, Greg Jansma (deacon), Cindy Hubers, Nick Fanning, Jason Meyer, Denise Vanden Berg, Jillian De Hoog, Eric Bleeker
The Christian Education committee is responsible for raising money to cover Bethel CRC's fair-share portion to local Christian schools. By being a part of the fair-share program, we help keep tuition costs down for families sending their kids to a Christian school. We do this by organizing fundraisers and depositing the monthly offerings.
Each year we need to raise funds to pay to Unity Christian High School, Western Christian High School, Sioux Center Christian School, Hull Christian School, and Orange City Christian School.
Any professing member of Bethel CRC may be on the committee. If interested, please talk to a current member.
Members: Dan Elgersma (chair), Julie Hoogland, Mike Meyers (elder), Shawn Meyers, Joel Scholten, Ashley Wynia, Pastor Duane Tinklenberg, Pastor John Lee, Dave Tinklenberg, Jina Tinklenberg
The Discipleship Committee encourages and equips Bethel church education leaders in their calling to shape lifelong faith formation and works to ensure Bethel’s ministries disciple all generations with an intentional and resilient faith in Jesus Christ.
Specific tasks/duties/projects and how often they occur:
- Shepherding an integrative approach to Christian discipleship and life-long faith formation throughout the congregation
- Oversee all church education programs, maintaining contact with leaders of Children and Worship, Sunday School and Catechism, Cadets, GEMS, High School and Middle School Youth Groups, and Adult Sunday School.
- Set annual faith formation goals for approval by council
- Appoint Sunday School superintendents and teachers.
- Review and evaluate curriculum.
- Assume responsibility for additional educational opportunities for our church membership, including providing support of Bethel Bible studies.
Members: Matt Boogerd(chair), Kyle Lindbergh, Pastor John Lee, Daryl Wieringa, Stan Wynia, Mark Haan,
Purpose: To make decisions and set direction that will enhance our ministry here at Bethel and our partnership with God's Kingdom work.
Specific tasks/duties/projects and how often they occur:
- Making committee assignments
- Conducting job interviews and making hiring decisions
- Handling conflict within the staff or congregation
- Handling issues that require policy making
- Make decisions on matters that must be decided on short notice.
- Act as a committee when dealing with matters that need study, and make recommendations to Council.
Members: Dirk De Koning (chair/deacon), Nicole De Koning, Keith and Hannah De Jong, Alvin & Verla Hoogland, JJ & Sally Hoogland, Joel & Melinda Scholten, Ashley & Kyle Wynia (elder), Mike & Teri Bruck, Kristine De Koning, Mitchell & Caitlin Post,
We strive to make people feel welcome at Bethel CRC – both visitors and members – with fun, food and fellowship. Here are a few of the ways we do this in addition to meeting and greeting people at church:
- We help to plan the all-church Rec Center Day (winter), the Church Camping Trip (summer) and the Outdoor Worship Service (late summer).
- We also help to plan the Thanksgiving meal and Care & Concern Group potluck meals.
- We like to have cookies after each church service with a special occasion (baptism, profession of faith, mission presentations, introduction of new members, visiting choirs/bands, etc).
- We hand out goodie bags to college students at the end of each semester.
- We organize "Shepherds" — pair up current members with new members help new members future explore Bethel CRC.
- Other miscellaneous things include the pew “Welcome” cards as well has hosting a booth and giving out goodies at the Dordt College “Taste of Sioux Center” (late summer).
We welcome any comments or suggestions!
We invite anyone who enjoys serving and welcoming others to serve on the Hospitality Committee. There is no term length to be a member, as we don’t want to limit hospitable people from serving others.
Members: Jennifer Frens and Dawn Vanden Hull are the contacts for the Bethel kitchen.
"Our ministry is to serve God by supplying a clean and organized place for that cup of refreshment. We want the kitchen to be the place where families and friends share their faith during times of joy and sadness. We want the kitchen to be inviting and usable for all groups."
Some of our duties on the kitchen committee are:
- Washing dish towels/clothes and linens
- Clean cupboards, appliances
- Annually clean vents and under appliances
- Make lemonade for Sunday mornings
- Setup Sunday School juice trays
- Monitor the dishwasher and instant coffee server
- Order dishwasher soap and rinse supplies from Chemco
- Place the orders for supplies
- Keep kitchen supplied with creamer/sugar, teabags and plastic wrap/bags, etc.
- We don't supply the paper products. Our janitor orders that.
- Help church members with learning the kitchen and the equipment in it.
Members: Elaine De Leeuw - 722-1454; Carol Van Voorst - 722-1289; Ruth Mahaffy
The Library Committee’s goal is to provide a place where people can find information to challenge, inspire, inform and entertain them. Other duties include:
- Cataloging books that are donated.
- Re-shelving books that are returned.
- Repairing Bibles and Hymnals.
- Keeping an eye out for different authors that would be of interest to our members.
The committee would like to encourage donations of all types of books but we would especially like to see more children's books and DVDs as well as inspirational novels.
Anyone is welcome to join the committee. A love of books and reading as well as a knowledge or desire to learn library skills is all that is needed.
Members: Amy Ross (chair), Stan Wynia , Keith De Jong (deacon), Ruth Mahaffy, Martha Hulshof, Merlin Zwart, Carla Koedam, Bruce Dooyema, Mick Visser, Sandi Wynja, Dawn Zomermaand
Purpose: To promote Evangelism and Mission Outreach awareness among the congregation at Bethel. To set up a budget based on needs and requests of missions and serve projects.
The committee, which meets once a month, is involved in a list of activities:
- Managing the budget our church pays out to the many missionaries we support.
- Maintaining the Wayside Chapel.
- Setting up the annual visit to The Banquet in Sioux Falls, S.D.
- Overseeing the giving of funds to our young people who are going on any service project during the year and manage other requests that need support from our committee.
- Organizing volunteers to work at a Bethel CRC-hosted Community Unity Meal, a free meal offered the second Thursday of every month at New Life Reformed Church, 232 16th St. SE, Sioux Center. Different area churches and organizations take turns hosting the meal each month.
- Setting up the annual visit to Cornerstone Prison Church in Sioux Falls, SD.
- Setting up the Mid-Sioux Opportunity Christmas Ornament project.
- Coordinate the annual Amistad Cristiana’s potluck supper.
- Offering English as a second language, or ELL classes, to provide a one-on-one course study with our Hispanic neighbors.
- Promote Evangelism and Mission Outreach
Members: Renee Wielenga, Lynn Wielenga, Marcia Van Voorst, Wanda Vande Kieft
Are you a detail-oriented and organized person who likes to write a little or take just pictures of events? If so, this committee may be for you! Contact Kim Van Dam to find out when our next meeting is. Come with a smile and a willingness to connect people to Christ and one another.
Members: Kristin Haan, Sally Hoogland, Courtni Bootsma, Kelly De Haan
Nursery committee members alternate months being responsible for cleaning the toys, furniture, changing pad covers, blankets, etc. in the nurseries. We used to haul all the toys to our houses to be washed and brought back, but the church renovation included a large commercial dishwasher that we use for this task! This not only takes less time, but we are confident that it sanitizes very well. We also keep an eye on the stash of snacks, cups, Kleenexes, wipes, etc, in the nurseries. One committee member also makes the nursery schedule for every service.
The committee is generally a three-year commitment. We invite anyone who loves children and cares for their safety and well-being to join the committee.
Members: Lyle Vande Kamp, Arlin Franken, Geri Van Ruler, Karen Wynia, Lucas Dubbelde, Lynn Wielenga, Dylan Obbink, Barb Bootsma, Mary Jo Lee, Pastor John Lee
Members: Dan Elgersma, Heidi Van Rockel, Julie Hoogland, Josh Koedam (deacon), Becky Groeneweg, Shawn Meyers
Members: Tom De Jong
How did the Stewardship Committee start?
The committee started as the Foundation Committee, formed at the request of the council in 2014, to launch the Bethel Legacy Foundation. But in discussing giving and leaving a legacy with our committee members, we found it impossible to separate those topics from the broader context of stewardship of the resources God has entrusted to us. So instead of being a fundraising arm for Bethel, council has agreed to allow us to pursue a broader mandate: to promote stewardly living and growing in generosity among the Bethel family for the advancement of God’s Kingdom.
How does the Stewardship Committee plan to pursue that mandate?
While increasing the generosity of hearts requires the work of the Holy Spirit, we plan to help foster a ‘stewardship culture’ at Bethel through education (such as adult classes), seminars, resources for small groups, short presentations, newsletter articles and mailbox inserts highlighting stewardship topics or creative ways to give to charity, one-on-one consultations, etc. We will most likely also collaborate with Pastor John as he preaches on stewardship topics.
Members: Mike Meyers (chair), Allan Bolkema, Bruce Dooyema, Mark Haan, Keith Roghair, Sean Quinlin
The technology committee was formed in 2010 as it became increasingly clear there was an opportunity for technology to play a more significant role in the life of the church.
The purpose of the technology committee is to implement, manage and support technology to further the mission of the church. We are essentially looking for ways to utilize technology in a way that enhances the worship experience, improves efficiencies of the church, and keeps us more connected to Christ and one another.
During the past three years, we have focused on various projects including: computer upgrades, a multi-camera video system installation, website enhancements and the addition of many screens to allow more participation in our worship services.
Technology continues to advance and we will continue to look for ways to accomplish our purpose, enabling technology to play a role in the mission of the church. Five men currently make up our technology committee. If you have experience with or an interest in technology, we'd welcome additional members! Contact the committee for more information.
Members: Pastor John Lee (chair), Jennifer Frens, Robin Fedders, Melissa Gulker, Mary Jo Lee, Brian Gulker (elder), Wanda Vande Kieft, Janie Van Dyke, Jeff Van Voorst, Ashley Wynia, Barb Dubbelde, Brittany Noteboom, Rebekah Vande Kamp, Mandy Van Schouwen, Cole Wynja
Why do we have a Worship Planning Team? Can’t the pastor just preach and pick out a few songs for each service? To help answer these questions, let’s examine the statement of purpose:
“The goal of the team is to bring the whole community of God’s people — young children, young people, young adults, middle-age adults and elderly adults — together in worship. While traditional ways of worship are meaningful for some, it may not be as meaningful for others...The coming together of the historical and the contemporary is called ‘blended’ or ‘convergent’ worship.”
What is worship?
Worship is about proclaiming the glory of God; He alone is worthy of our worship. As we worship together, we pray that we will be taught by the Word, inspired by the Spirit, united by love and equipped for our mission. We remember that worship is not simply about what we “like” or “don’t like.” We pray that our worship at Bethel CRC is all about praising our triune God and honoring our Lord Jesus Christ!
Duties
The Worship Planning Team assists the pastor, whether our own or a guest, in planning services. When committee members plan music and other details of the service, it frees the pastor to spend his time in study and sermon preparation. Not all pastors have musical gifts or the desire to plan all of a service, in addition to their sermon.
In reformed worship, God’s Word is central. Worship planners work to fit all elements of the service to the central scriptural theme so everything done will enhance the preaching of the Word. We want the entire service to drive the Biblical message home.
We recognize that there are many ways to worship God and many styles of music for worship. So we strive to blend various approaches, instruments, and styles in our services; if not in every service, then incorporating different ideas over time. Worship must be meaningful for a diverse body by including members of various ages and personal responses. We all sacrifice our own opinions and tastes at times for the unity of the body and the benefit of other members. God delights in the praise of all His people worshiping Him in unity!
Meetings
The Worship Planning Team usually meets 7 p.m. the first Wednesday evening of each month. Members take turns leading devotions, then Pastor John guides our discussion, following the agenda. We review the services of the past month and discuss details that add to or detract from true worship. Then we preview the calendar of coming services, do some initial planning, and assign volunteers to work on specifics.
The team plans services, schedules/rehearses with other worship teams, communicates with pastors/musicians/guest groups, finds appropriate readings/litanies, and encourages the members of Christ’s body to use their gifts in worship.
Feedback
The Worship Planning Team welcomes feedback and new members! If interested, feel free to join us to observe a meeting and consider becoming a worship planner. Without setting term limits for Worship Planning Team members, except the two elders who serve, we trust the Spirit to lead individuals in and out of this group. Members gain experience, which benefits everyone.
Contact any member of this committee to learn more, ask question or to join!
Members: Peg Mouw and Katie De Wit
"Our responsibilities include: 'Decorating' the sanctuary with seasonal floral arrangements, banners, sashes, etc. We have also put up vinyl 'wall words' in some of the classrooms, pictures in other rooms, and clocks in almost all of the rooms. Our vision is to make Bethel a beautiful place to worship."
“Some hopes for the future are that we would like to make more banners for the sanctuary. We would also like to put more Bible verses on the classroom walls. We have been approached with different ideas and we try to help out. For example, the Evangelism committee asked that we put up wall words in the Wayside Chapel, and they also asked that we put up, 'You are entering God's mission field,' over exit doorways, which we have now completed."
“Anyone who enjoys doing what we do is welcome to join us. Just give one of us a call!”
