November 23, 2025
Read this in your inbox
Get the bulletin as an email every friday. Sign up now.
Sunday Worship
Prelude: Behold Him
Welcome & Announcements
Lovingkindness
Christ the Sure and Steady Anchor
Only a Holy God
Fellowship & Greeting Time
Bethany Family Prayer
Sermon: Generosity through Service
I Set My Hope
Benediction
Weekly Schedule
View our calendar HERE for the weekly schedule.
Highlights
Hands of Grace Ministry Food Collection
The Hands of Grace food pantry collection is still going strong. This year’s focus is on canned fruits, vegetables, and meats to help meet specific needs in our community. Please make sure all items are unexpired before donating. Visit bethanycentral.org/handsofgrace to donate or volunteer to help the ministry beyond providing food goods. Look for the food collection table in front of the church office.
Feast of Thanks
Sunday, November 23rd, 5:00 pm
Join us for our end-of-year celebration as we thank God for all He has done through our Know Their Story gospel focus. We’re still collecting stories as we pursue our goal of hearing 2,000 by year’s end! Come celebrate with your church family as we reflect on God’s faithfulness and all He has done this year. Please RSVP at bethanycentral.org/feast so we can plan accordingly. When you RSVP, you’ll also find instructions for bringing a side or dessert to share.
Christmas Night of Worship
Sunday, December 7th, 6:00 pm
Celebrate the joy of Christmas and the incredible gift of Jesus at our Christmas Night of Worship! Enjoy an evening filled with carols, Christmas classics, and beloved songs that help us reflect on the gift of our precious Savior, Jesus. Stay afterward for a time of dessert and fellowship with festive treats.
Announcements
GO Partner Christmas Gift Collection
November 23rd
-
30th, 2025
Each year, we have the privilege of blessing our GO Partners with a special Christmas gift. If you’d like to contribute, envelopes will be available throughout November on tables in the foyer as you leave the sanctuary and in your ABC rooms. You can also give online at bethanycentral.org/gogive.
Church Office Holiday Hours
Our church office will close at noon on Wednesday, November 26, and remain closed through Friday, November 28, for the Thanksgiving holiday. We’ll reopen on Monday, December 1. Thank you for keeping these holiday hours in mind as you plan your week.
The Table & The Anvil: Small Gatherings, Real Connection
The Table (for women) and The Anvil (for men) are small gatherings designed to help you build community and share life together. There are still spots open for both men and women! Visit bethanycentral.org/gatherings to browse all available gatherings and sign up!
Operation Christmas Child
Sunday, November 23rd
Collection for Operation Christmas Child is in its final week! Bring great joy — and the Good News — to children in need around the world by packing a shoebox. Ready-made boxes are available at the Samaritan’s Purse tables in the foyer near the gym entrance, or you can build a box online at bethanycentral.org/occ.
Advent Resources Available Now
Christmas devotional resources will be available at a table in the foyer this Sunday. Supplies are limited, so please take one per family. We’re offering The Coming of the King: 25 Devotional Readings for Advent, a classic J.C. Ryle guide that helps families reflect on both Christ’s first coming in Bethlehem and His promised return.
We also have a children’s option, The Christmas Promise Advent Calendar, a lift-the-flap calendar for ages 5–11 that includes 25 short devotions and colorful illustrations to help families explore the Christmas story together.
This Season, Let Us Pray With You
It is our desire to be praying for you in every season of life. You can go to bethanycentral.org/prayer or use the Bethany app to share a prayer request or praise so that our leaders, staff, prayer team, and church family can be praying for you personally.
We also now have a Prayer Wall in the foyer, where you can write your prayer needs on a card and post them for others to lift up throughout the week. As we enter the holiday season—a time that can be joyful for some and difficult for others—please know that we would love to pray with you and for you.
Discussion Questions
Icebreaker: What’s something you actually enjoy doing for others that might surprise people? Why do you enjoy it?
Application 1: Before the Passover meal, Jesus — fully aware of His authority and identity — chose to serve by washing His disciples’ feet. How does that change your view of what true strength and leadership look like? What might it mean for you to follow His example in your home, workplace, or friendships this week?
Application 2: Peter resisted at first, feeling uncomfortable with Jesus serving him. Why do you think it’s sometimes harder to receive help than to give it? How can humility on both sides — giving and receiving — help build deeper, healthier relationships?
Application 3: Jesus said, “If I then, your Lord and Teacher, have washed your feet, you also ought to wash one another’s feet” (v.14) What do you think Jesus meant by this (See Mark 10:45)? What are some “foot-washing” moments that might exist in your daily life — ways to serve that may feel beneath you or unnoticed by others? What might make serving in these moments hard for you?
Application 4: Jesus promised that those who follow His example will be blessed (v.17). What do you think that blessing looks like in real life? How has serving others brought unexpected joy, peace, or purpose to you personally? How can remembering that we can’t outdo God inspire you to serve with open hands and a full heart? In what ways can we “claim” this promise — trusting that as we serve others with humility and love, God will bring His blessing in His time and in His way?
