Bulletins

May 18, 2025 Bulletin

The bulletin announcements for May 18th are listed below:

Congratulations to our Graduates!

There will be a short Board meeting after each service this morning in the Soul Seekers classroom.

Edgar County Brotherhood- Bell Ridge will be hosting Brotherhood on Tuesday at 7 PM.

VBS Planning Meeting – our next planning session is scheduled for Sunday, June 1st at 4:30 PM.

“The Link” Newsletter- some of our members and friends have requested to receive our monthly newsletter via email instead of the postal service. If you would like to be added to the list to receive it electronically, please send an email with your name to bellridge@bellridge.org.

Baby Bottle Blessings- Pick up a bottle in the foyer, fill it with an offering, and return it by Father’s Day to support the work of Choices, Pregnancy and Health.

Mission Project- Ladies Aid will be collecting paper towels and one gallon zip lock bags for Camp Illiana starting next week.

Wedding Card Shower- is being held for Tucker Marrs and Madison Neeley. A table is set up in the foyer if you would like to participate.

Vacation Bible School will be June 23-27 from 8:30 to 11:30 AM.

The Dollar Club We selected Cheryl Clark to receive our gift. Be looking for others that we can help through God’s goodness to us.

2025 Sign-Up Sheets – There are sign-up sheets in the foyer for several areas of ministry that you can help with. Please look and see where you might help.

Bible Study – Discover who you are in Christ on Thursday evenings at 6:30 PM. All are welcome.

Ridge Runners- Need a little help with a project around your home? Call the Church and ask if a Ridge Runner can help you. Brochures are in the foyer on the bulletin table.

Mary Lou Pine’s New Address- our church has been encouraged to send Mary Lou cards to Memory Care, Room 113, 738 18th Street, Charleston, IL 61920.

Youth News!

BASK  – Thank You to everyone that helped with our after-school program! May God bless you for your ministry to our children. We will see you again in September.

Jr. High Youth Group – Meets on Sunday evenings; 5:30 – 7:30 PM.

Sr. High Youth Group will meet on Wednesday evening at 6 PM.
CIY Registration has begun – Get it on your calendars.

Jr. Church …is looking for volunteer teachers for the 10:40 service. Students dismiss before the sermon. The curriculum will be provided to you two weeks ahead of time.  See Don with any questions.

Worship Emphasis
(submitted by Clella Camp)
 
Footprints 4
 
My cleaning ladies came today. I came home from lunch and my house even smelled clean. I love it!  But what I probably like the most is my smooth carpet. I am sure if you have a plush carpet, you understand my feeling.  Smooth and fluffy and not a footprint in it. 
 
 And then Mitch came!  His large footprints showed up immediately, and not long after that Jr. got up and ran his wheelchair over it leaving two strips of indented carpet from the living room to the bathroom and back to the kitchen.  The smooth was gone!  And I am thankful for each print on my carpet.  Who wants to live with a smooth carpet all the time!
 
Isn’t that life?  I go for a few days, and everything is as smooth as just swept carpet.  Life is good and I am glad, but then the footprints begin to show up. A grandchild has a problem that I think I could fix, but they want to “do it themselves.” A footprint on the carpet of life.  My daughter calls and she is struggling with a problem at her job-nothing major – just another footprint in my smooth carpet.  Then a friend becomes ill, a grandchild is sick, another one is disappointed at school…my smooth life is marked with footprints of life.
 
And as I think of all these footprints and more, I thank God that He has blessed me with family and friends to make these prints in my smooth everyday life. I am glad to acknowledge that a smooth carpeted life might be a rather boring existence. I am grateful for these footprints in my otherwise uneventful, smooth life. 
 
“I have said these things to you, that in, you may have peace.  In the world you will have troubles.  But take heart, I have overcome the world.”  John 16:33
 
Misc
 
Sermons are available online- If you are unable to be here on a given Sunday you can hear the sermon on our website. Just go to http://www.bellridge.org, click on the Media tab, click on sermons, and choose a sermon preference. The YouTube and Facebook options allow for both audio and video, and the SoundCloud option is just audio. By clicking on the scripture reference, you will be able to read the associated sermon notes and start the recording. The sermons will be in date order with the most current one at the top of the list. If you have any questions, please call the church. We are happy to help.

Bulletin Announcements- By accessing Media on our webpage you will see a new page titled “Bulletins.” Our announcements will be posted in that location every week.

Online Giving- Is available on our website by clicking on “Giving.” There is a “Give to Bell Ridge” button that you can click on, and then follow the directions.

 

May 11, 2025 Bulletin

The bulletin announcements for May 11th are listed below:

Happy Mother’s Day!

And the Lord Added- We saw three men come forward and confess their belief in Jesus as their Lord and Savior; Curt Miller, Evan Ramsey, and Charlie Ford. Eli Miller also transferred his membership to Bell Ridge.

Eunice Ladies will be meeting at Sue Anne Casey’s house on Wednesday at 5 PM for a boat ride to the Old Glass Shop to enjoy dinner at 6 PM. All ladies are invited to join us.

Baby Bottle Blessings- Pick up a bottle in the foyer, fill it with an offering, and return it by Father’s Day to support the work of Choices, Pregnancy and Health.

Cookies Needed for FIA Lunch- Bell Ridge has been asked to provide cookies for the Faith in Action Pulled Pork Lunch on May 16th. There is a sign-up sheet in the foyer if you would like to help with this event.

Mission Project- Ladies Aid will be collecting paper towels and one gallon zip lock bags for Camp Illiana starting next week.

Edgar County Brotherhood- Bell Ridge will be hosting the Brotherhood on May 20th at 7 PM.

Wedding Card Shower- is being held for Tucker Marrs and Madison Neeley. A table is set up in the foyer if you would like to participate.

Vacation Bible School will be June 23-27 from 8:30 to 11:30 AM.

The Dollar Club Be looking for others that we can help through God’s goodness to us.

2025 Sign-Up Sheets – There are sign-up sheets in the foyer for several areas of ministry that you can help with. Please look and see where you might help.

Bible Study – Discover who you are in Christ on Thursday evenings at 6:30 PM. All are welcome.

Ridge Runners- Need a little help with a project around your home? Call the Church and ask if a Ridge Runner can help you. Brochures are in the foyer on the bulletin table.

Mary Lou Pine’s New Address- our church has been encouraged to send Mary Lou cards to Memory Care, Room 113, 738 18th Street, Charleston, IL 61920.

Youth News!

BASK – Thank You to everyone that helped with our after-school program! May God bless you for your ministry to our children. We will see you again in September.

Jr. High Youth Group – Meets on Sunday evenings; 5:30 – 7:30 PM.

Sr. High Youth Group will meet on Wednesday evening at 6 PM.
Sr. High CIY Registration has begun – Get it on your calendars.

Jr. Church …is looking for volunteer teachers for the 10:40 service. Students dismiss before the sermon. The curriculum will be provided to you two weeks ahead of time.  See Don with any questions.

Mother’s Day Devotion
(submitted by Clella Camp)

Footprints to the Cross

Whose footprints have you followed to the cross? My path is filled with footprints especially my mother’s. Her faith and devotion have guided me throughout my life.

My mother was the personification of unselfish service. She was a devoted servant, not just to our family but to her faith and her community. Often at least two to three extra people (people other than my brother and I) lived in our household. She “mothered” them all and served all of us with joyful patience and love. Her days were long and filled with tasks that seemed endless, yet she never complained. She found joy in serving us, and it was through her footprints that I started my path to the cross.

She was my first teacher in the ways of faith. From a young age, she introduced me to the stories of the Bible, teaching me about the life and sacrifices of Jesus Christ. As I followed her footprints, I grew in my faith. Her footprints led me to a deeper understanding of my own faith, and I walked a bit closer to Jesus because of her. My mother’s footprints have left an indelible mark on my heart, and it is through her legacy that I strive to show the love of Christ to those around me.

As I reflect on my journey, I am thankful for all the footprints that have guided me. It is my hope that my own footprints will serve as a guide for others, just as my mother’s did for me.

Proverbs 31:26: “She opens her mouth with wisdom, and the teaching of kindness is on her tongue.”

Misc

Sermons are available online- If you are unable to be here on a given Sunday you can hear the sermon on our website. Just go to http://www.bellridge.org, click on the Media tab, click on sermons, and choose a sermon preference. The YouTube and Facebook options allow for both audio and video, and the SoundCloud option is just audio. By clicking on the scripture reference, you will be able to read the associated sermon notes and start the recording. The sermons will be in date order with the most current one at the top of the list. If you have any questions, please call the church. We are happy to help.

Bulletin Announcements- By accessing Media on our webpage you will see a new page titled “Bulletins.” Our announcements will be posted in that location every week.

Online Giving- Is available on our website by clicking on “Giving.” There is a “Give to Bell Ridge” button that you can click on, and then follow the directions.