Bethel Fellowship International

Are you still wondering what Christmas gift would be good for your pastor, husband or a Bible school student of the Word? Well, we have a great suggestion. SLINGSTONES, Comparative Studies For Your Arsenal by Robert “Bob” Brodland.

Bob and his wife, Marian, were Bethel Temple missionaries to Indonesia spending over 38 years overseeing the Batu Bible school in East Java. Thousands of native Indonesian students graduated from the school returning to their native villages equipped with the Word of God to pioneer countless churches throughout the nation.

Bob and his wife pastored Bethel Temple from 1986 through 1992. Since then Bob has actively ministered in places around the world including Holland, Norway, Russia, China, Mexico, Mongolia, Cambodia, Burma, India, Malaysia, Singapore, Vietnam and many islands of Indonesia.

Brother Brodland has devoted his life to the study of God’s Word. This can be seen as one reads this inspiring book of truths from the Bible.

An easy-to-read book, SLINGSTONES will make a wonderful gift to anyone who is actively involved in their church, especially a pastor, elder, deacon, husband-wife team or young adult. The studies make for great morning devotional reads.

The book can be easily ordered by clicking one of the optional links below.

Amazon SLINGSTONES paperback

Amazon SLINGSTONES Kindle

Barnes & Noble SLINGSTONES paperback

Barnes & Noble SLINGSTONES Nook Book

Bethel Fellowship International has received a note and a few photos from former Missionary Kid (MK) Ruth Askew Edwards, daughter of former Bethel Temple missionaries to Japan Manfred and Hope Askew. Ruth said, “Our son, Ron, is restoring some old photos from Mom & Dad’s negatives.”

Two of the photos were shot inside Bethel Temple during what looks like a farewell service for the Askews. They can be seen on the platform in the closeup photo below with Pastor Offiler standing behind the pulpit, his wife, Brother W W Patterson, his wife, Gladys,  in the choir loft sitting next to a woman who looks like Wilda Bade. Common to that day of fashion in church services most women wore hats as you can see. These pictures were taken in 1951. The one of the Askew Family was taken as they were preparing to leave for Japan in 1951.

 

 

Photographs preserve history. BFI appreciates those of you who have helped add to the historical archives of Bethel Temple.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

BFI recently obtained a complete PDF copy of a Bethel Temple publication created by W H Offiler in January 1935 from Pastor Yoshio TSUZAKA of the Fussa Bethel Church in Japan. Tsuzaka’s pastor was former Bethel Temple missionary to Japan Clyde BADE. Before Clyde retired and returned to the United States, he set up what is now the JAPAN BETHEL MISSION (JBM), which Tsuzaka heads now. JBM consists of four well-established Bethel churches in Japan: Fussa Bethel, Kurume Bethel, Munakata Bethel and Rikuzen Takada Bethel.

The publication in the link below details the missionary vision and the efforts of those early years of the Bethel Temple membership to reach beyond its walls to “The Uttermost Parts of the Earth.” You will find many old black and white photos of Bethel missionaries’ work in Indonesia throughout the publication. Indeed it is astounding just how big this missionary vision was.

It has been said that Bethel Temple sent missionaries to not only to the islands of Indonesia, but to New Zealand, Australia, Japan, China, Formosa (present-day Taiwan), Pakistan, Nepal, India, Africa, Europe, South America and even Alaska many years before it became a state in 1959.

We encourage you to take time to read through the entire mini-magazine newsletter to find out just how far-reaching Bethel Temple’s missionary vision was way back in 1935. Some of the headlines in the publication are listed below.

CLICK HERE to access “From The UTTERMOST PARTS.”

—And Inspiring Sight!

—Advertisement of new book, The MAJESTY of the SYMBOL

—Onward to Borneo!! Seattle’s Greatest Missionary Celebration

—All Aboard

—Making Melody

—Borneo For Christ! by Arland Wasell

—Soldiers of the Cross

—Water Baptism in Java

—Old Favorites

—The Early and Latter Rains by W H Offiler

—My Father’s Business

—A New Field “BRAZIL”

—The Home Coming

—Honored Memory

—The Radio Ministry

—The Seven Churches

—Broadcasting the Message

—Back Page Advertisement for Radio KXA

 

The following black and while photographs of W H Offiler’s funeral were received from Tim Bentz, whose uncle was a Bethel minister named Larry Bentz. Larry sent the pictures to his nephew and he forwarded them to us.

Tim is pictured here with his wife, Karen, at a recent sporting event. We want to thank Tim for allowing BFI to include these photos in its archives.

After viewing the first few photos here, there are several others that will surely interest you.

Old Bethel Temple at the familiar corner of 2nd Avenue & Lenora in downtown Seattle.

W H Offiler Funeral, October 3, 1957 at Bethel Temple. Notice the neon signs that emphasized the teaching of the name of God the Father, Son and Holy Spirit, the LORD Jesus Christ and confirmed by the signs of the Sun (Father), Moon (Son) and Stars (Holy Spirit). In later years of Bethel Temple these signs were hidden under ceiling-to-floor curtains.

 Thursday, October 3, 1957, leaving the church for procession to Mt. Pleasant.

Left side front to rear: Jim Apple, Mayo McPherson, Eric Benton, Jim Reetz, Brother Washburn, Carl Johanson, Brother Lambert, Brother West, Walter Lamb.

Right side front to rear: W W Patterson, Eric Anderson, Jim Downs, Home Undertaking Co. Funeral Director, Don Miller, Johnny Phillips.

According to the Seattle Times obituary dated October 1, 1957, burial was at Mount Pleasant. It was noted that Brother Offiler pioneered the missionary movement in the East Indies, now Indonesia, where he helped organize more than 300 mission churches there.

The Pentecostal Church of Indonesia (Gereja Pantekosta di Indonesia) which had its beginnings by missionaries sent out from Bethel Temple under Offiler’s leadership, today numbers more than 10,000 congregations.

Other photographs Tim included in the collection follow here —

Left to right on the platform: W W Patterson, C J McKnight and Brother Apple. Far right unknown. Mary Beth Frazier far left choir.

Brother Apple ministering the Word.

Everett & Leaorpha Earlywine were pastors at Bethel Tabernacle in Carnation WA.

Brother W W Patterson with two visiting Indonesian brethren in July, 1955.

Left to right are Mildred and Jim Apple, Norma & Mayo MacPherson standing in front of the old Tabernacle at Mirror Lake Park.

Jim & Mildred Apple posing in front of the Old Tabernacle at Mirror Lake Park.

Brother Apple and Brother Offiler pose at the Mirror Lake Camp Ground.

Bethel Temple Bible School Class of 1959.

Pastor and Mrs. Offiler standing in front of Bethel Temple at 2nd Avenue & Lenora.

Jean & Joe McKnight

We appreciate these photographs very much and want to thank Tim Bentz again for his sending them to us for archival preservation. —end