For many years the John Nilsen Trio has been performing at the Bethel Congregational United Church of Christ.
This is a wonderful opportunity for the entire family to enjoy some great music and worship together. John is Cathy Thoma's brother, and we appreciate him sharing his talents with us.
Join us at Bethel Sunday, December 29, 2024 at 10:00 AM!
PIANIST, SINGER-SONGWRITER, RECORDING ARTIST
John Nilsen is one of the Pacific Northwest’s most successful performance and recording artists
We will gather on Christmas eve for a family friendly service of the story of the nativity, carols, and hymns at 4pm in the sanctuary.
We hope you’ll join us for this beautiful tradition filled with light, love, and mystery.
We will gather on Christmas eve for a service of lessons, carols, and candle-lighting at 10pm in the sanctuary.
There will be special music from the chancel choir.
We hope you’ll join us for this beautiful tradition filled with light, love, and mystery.
Calling all cookie lovers and baking enthusiasts!
Once again, it's time to share and enjoy your favorite Christmas cookie and candy treats. On Sunday, December 15th, we'll be gathering in the Fellowship Hall after worship for the annual Christmas cookie potluck. Bring a big batch of your signature cookie to share and bring a variety home with you for your family to enjoy. Smells of cinnamon, cloves, ginger and more are in the air. If you have questions, please contact the office.
If you have gluten free, or other allergy free recipes, they would be most welcome. Please label your offering so we know which have nuts, etc.
Any leftovers you are welcome to bag and take home.
This year, consider a unique gift for your friends and family as part of the Habitat for Humanity Portland Region Gifts that Build program. These gifts of kindness will help build a Habitat for Humanity home for a local family. We will provide you with a specially designed greeting card (see examples below), a commemorative ornament, and the joy of knowing that a hardworking family will soon have a decent home of their own. Give a gift of any amount!
How Gifts that Build Works:
Paul Griffo will host a Gifts that Build table in the Fellowship Table on December 5th and December 12th following church service. You can obtain the greeting card(s) and commemorative ornament(s) then. Alternatively, you can also contact Paul Griffo at paul.griffo@msn.com / (503 707-0226) of your interest and how many cards/ornaments that you wish to gift. Paul can arrange to deliver the card(s) and ornament(s) to you either at church or to your home. Under either option, make check payable to “Habitat for Humanity – Portland Region”.
How Habitat Works:
After acquiring land and materials, volunteers and the future homeowners work side-by-side to build homes. Habitat sells the homes to pre-qualified families using a 1% down payment and 0%-interest mortgage. Payments are set below 30% of each family’s monthly income to ensure long term affordability. Because Habitat acts as the lender, 100% of the mortgage principal payments return to Habitat to help build more homes! Reach out to Paul Griffo or Leon Taylor (mr.leon.taylor.new@gmail.com) with any additional questions and thank you for supporting Habitat for Humanity Portland Region!
Each year during Advent, Bethel offers a quieter, more meditative worship service. The holidays can be a difficult time for those who are coping with illness, grief, loss, other difficulties and challenges of life.
This time of year, the culture around us seems to demand hearty good cheer at all times. When we are grieving, in pain, trying to make ends meet, and dealing with the continued uncertainty of the election results and how to have a safe holiday celebration, we may feel out of step and off balance.
The Blue Christmas Worship Service gives us an opportunity to give voice to our pain and frustration, and the opportunity to allow the Holy Spirit to minister to us through candlelight, music, and, if desired, the ancient practice of anointing with oil. The Blue Christmas Worship Service will take place Sunday, December 1st at 2 pm as a hybrid service.
This year we will celebrate the season of Advent with resource materials from A Sanctified Art. Our theme will be “Words for the Beginning”.
Advent is a season of endings and beginnings. As the calendar year comes to a close, a new church year rushes in. Christ’s birth ushers us into new ways of living and loving—and yet, we feel the weight of many things coming to an end.
Given our polarized world, and in anticipation of continued anxiety regardless of the Election Day outcomes, we need the support of comforting messages.
“Words for the Beginning” will include these weekly themes
• You Are a Blessing (Luke 1.26-38 and Isaiah 43.1-7)
• We Can’t Go Alone (Ruth 1 and Ecclesiastes 4.9-12)
• Do the Good that Is Yours to Do (Luke 3.7-16 and Isaiah 58.9b-12)
• Hope Is Worth the Risk (Matthew 1.18-25 and Luke 1.46-55)
• Love Knows Your Name (Luke 2.1-20 and Isaiah 9.6)
• Don’t Forget to Laugh (Luke 2:10, Matthew 2:10, Isaiah 9:2-3,
Psalm 148, Psalm 126:1-3, Ecclesiastes 3:1) Texts of joy!
• Epiphany – The Road Isn’t Straight (Matthew 2.1-12 and Isaiah 43.16-21)
In addition, we will be sharing artwork, music, and fellowship times that deepen these themes and prepare for and celebrate the gift of Christmas.
Bethel's LGBTQI+ Friends are Invited to Tea Saturday, Nov 9th
It's LGBTea+ time! Amy Tobey has organized an ongoing meeting for anyone in the LGBTQIA+ community including friends, family, and allies to regularly get together for coffee/tea around the Beaverton area.
Saturday, Nov 9th at 2 pm to 4 pm at Brickhaus Coffee
12600 SW Crescent St UNIT 110, Beaverton, OR 97005
Feel free to send questions to Amy at amy.l.tobey@gmail.com
Each year we engage in a Stewardship campaign to request a financial pledge to support our mission and ministry for the upcoming new year. The campaign begins October 27 and ends November 17. On November 17th, we will receive our pledges of time, talent and treasure during worship.
Our theme for this year is “Imagine Together.” This theme is grounded in our belief that God speaks to us through prophets of ages past and through visionaries and leaders today. God speaks in our hearts “with sighs too deep for human words” (Romans 8). And God speaks through spirited debate as we seek to discern the right thing to do. In all these ways, God stretches our imagination for what’s possible and what’s necessary.
Together: God calls us into community. We follow Jesus as siblings in faith. United with other believers, we form a Christian movement living the way of Jesus. Faith is not a solitary life but one that brings our hearts close to others. As a statement of faith from the United Church of Canada affirms, “we are not alone; we live in God’s world.”
The spiritual practice of generosity arises from imagining all that God calls us to do as a community. Our donations to our congregation make it possible to turn what we imagine into a reality. Through our annual commitments to our congregation, we imagine together all that we can do.
Imagine Together!
Fire up the griddles because we're planning our annual Pumpkin Pancake Fundraiser! After service, our kids and youth will get to help serve pancakes to the congregation to help raise money for our kids and youth activities like the Pumpkin Patch. The Faith Development Committee will begin preparations during service and then kids can help serve during Fellowship Time. Be sure to bring your appetite!
As we live into the teachings of “Our Family Tree” sermon series, this Laity Sunday we lift up awareness of Breast Cancer. We hope you can help in our efforts to focus on the good we can do rather than being sabotaged by fear, anger or despair.
U.S. breast cancer statistics:
People of every country, race, ethnic group, and income level are affected by breast cancer. In the U.S., the percentage of women diagnosed with breast cancer has been slowly rising for the past couple of decades.
A woman in the U.S. today has a 1 in 8 chance of developing breast cancer over her lifetime and a 1 in 39 chance of dying from breast cancer.
Nearly 30% of women diagnosed with early-stage breast cancer later develop metastatic breast cancer.
U.S. men make up 1 of every 100 breast cancer diagnoses in the country.
There are about 4 million breast cancer survivors in the U.S., including women receiving breast cancer treatment.
While the percentage of women dying from breast cancer has gone down in recent decades, black women remain more likely to die from breast cancer than women of any other racial or ethnic group.
This information is provided by Breastcancer.org.
The Ways you can help:
Come dressed in your favorite shade of pink
Following service, we will have a Tea Time Fellowship where a representative from Pink Lemonade Project will speak. If you are able, donations to Pink Lemonade Project will be gladly accepted. https://pinklemonadeproject.org/
Saturday, 9:00-Noon in Fellowship Hall
The national political arena has brought into sharp relief toxic versus healthy male spirituality. Many of us who identify as male know what it is like to struggle with age old norms about what it means to be a “real man”. “Real men” don’t cry. They don’t share feelings (unless it’s anger). They are strong and never admit weakness or vulnerability. They devote their time and energy into their work and career advancement at the expense of deep relationships. Winning and succeeding are the forces that drive them. Failure is not an option and to be avoided at all costs.
These cultural norms, of course, don’t align with our Christian values. Many of us who identify as male have found ways to listen to and be shaped by the messages from our culture and our Christian faith. In other words, we are pulled in two directions at the same time. We have a foot in both worlds.
The purpose of our retreat will be to discuss these two arenas and seek ways to develop a “male” spirituality that combines positive attributes of culturally defined maleness (strength, courage, tenacity, drive) with the positive attributes of our Christian faith (compassion, empathy, grace and humility).
Finally, in today’s world, with the acknowledgement of great gender fluidity, if this article resonates in your head and heart, you are welcome to attend. If you have questions, Pastor David will be happy to discuss them.
Please RSVP to drb@bethelbeaverton.org We would like to provide coffee and bagels, and a head count would be a great help.
Our Youngish Adults Group and families are invited for an evening of Halloween Fun in the fellowship hall! Come prepared to carve or paint a pumpkin and enjoy a family friendly Halloween flick. Pizza will be provided and we encourage you to bring a side like a salad, drinks, or dessert. This is a kid friendly event!
If you don't have a pumpkin of your own to bring, please let us know in your RSVP so we can provide one for you.
Please email Erin Barber at eb@bethelbeaverton.org if you plan to attend by Wednesday October 9th.
This fall our Sunday worship series is designed to lean into the roots and wings of our larger church family – The United Church of Christ. To stay grounded and hopeful in the anxious climate leading up to election day, we will rely on the network of relationships that we share with other progressive Christians. And keep our focus on the good we can do rather than being sabotaged by fear, anger or despair.
For years, the United Church of Christ has offered a worship planning calendar. Rather than having one overarching theme, the worship calendar lifts up the vast array of special needs within our diverse congregations. Here is a listing of annual special ministry needs: American Indian and United Samoan Ministries; Children’s Sabbath; World Communion (including the Neighbors in Need All Church offering); Disabilities and Access Sunday; UCC Higher Education Day and All Saints Sunday.
We will be doing our own version of special ministry needs. Drawing from the UCC worship planning calendar.
Know that our gathering to worship on Sunday mornings will continue to be relevant, comforting, supportive and inspirational.
Have you ever wondered what goes into a Sunday morning here at Bethel? Or how we come up with all the different events we do? Or how YOU can be a part of it? Come to our All Committee Fair following service on September 22nd in the Fellowship Hall to learn more!
We have many committees to thank for the amazing things Bethel does from Growth to Faith Development to Communications and Facilities (just to name a few). All this work is run by people who believe "church" is a verb.
We invite you to come and learn more at this fair and see if there is a place for you and your unique gifts. You'll receive a punch card and get a stamp at each committee you visit, and if you visit all of them you'll earn a special prize!
Reach out to Erin Barber at eb@bethelbeaverton.org to learn more!
Every Sunday, you can pick up a sturdy box at the Rummage Sale display in the Narthex. Please take it home and fill it up with “treasures” you no longer need or want. If something isn’t useful or bringing you joy, do you really need it taking up space in your home?
SOME of what we can take:
• Clean, with no holes, clothing and accessories/shoes...kids, women’s, and men’s. We don’t have the manpower to clean clothing and shoes, so cleaning them before you put them in a donation box is very helpful.
• Jewelry
• Collectibles... If you are donating collectibles and have some idea of your item's value, please let us know. It could save someone hours of research.
• Books…nothing damaged or missing pages; no tech/computer manuals, medical advice, or textbooks older than 5 years; no travel guides older than 3 years; no encyclopedias or yearbooks
• Toys and kids’ gear
• Household items...kitchen items, dinnerware, cutlery, bathroom items, tools, holiday decor, linens, pictures/frames/mirrors, luggage, etc.
• Working electronics / small appliances (Please attach any power cords to your item. They tend to get separated easily.)
• Sports Equipment
• Garden items
• Items for pets
• Furniture...if it can be moved by two strong adults.
WHAT WE CANNOT TAKE:
-Mattresses (including crib mattresses)
-Big boxy TVs
-Car seats
-Tires
-Open toiletries
-Used underwear/bras/swimsuits
-Any item too large to be moved by two strong people
The Rummage Sale display on Sundays has pictures of past Rummage Sales in case pictures “speak to you” more than lists. Those dates and times to bring your boxes and other items are printed for you to pick up at the Rummage Sale table.
We need everyone to work a 2-hour shift (or more) to make this a successful event. Please sign up on Sundays starting in September for at least one shift.
Just to get started we need:
-Many hands on September 29th after church to help bring up things from the basement or that evening after Faith Cafe leaves around 6:00ish to get the tables and racks set up.
- Work a shift on Sept 30th or Oct 1 from 9:00 am to 8:00 pm receiving donations, unpacking boxes, and putting things out on tables.
- Work a shift on Oct 2nd from 9:00 am to 3:00 pm receiving donations, unpacking boxes, and putting things out on tables.
- Price items on Oct 3rd from 9:00 am to whenever it’s all priced.
- Work the Sale on Friday or Saturday October 4th and 5th…by working the floor, cashiering, working the hold area, greeting shoppers, etc.
-October 5th at 3:00-5:30 pm to clean up.
September 15th will be an exciting Sunday here at Bethel, starting with our annual Stump the Pastor sermon.
Do you have a theological question, or a question about the life of faith or the way the church works that you’ve always wanted to ask but were afraid to ask it? September 15th is your chance! Pastor David will offer an instant sermon with impromptu answers to your questions.
For the rest of the month, we will have a submission box and paper slips for questions out front in the Narthex on Sundays, or you may submit your questions via email to Erin (eb@bethelbeaverton.org) Please send your questions to us by Wednesday, September 11th.
Then following this service we will have our Homecoming Potluck! Do you have a favorite chili recipe to share? Or a favorite side to go with chili? We're getting fired up for all the fall favorites so please bring a dish to share to help us celebrate the start of a new school year and enjoy fellowship together with Pastor David's return. Please email Erin in advance to help coordinate our meals!
Let Justice Roll Down - God’s Call to Care for Neighbors and All Creation
Join Anderson Campbell, Victory Nichols, and Paige Unangst as they facilitate discussion using a bible study written by Patricia K. Tull. Starting September 15th from 9:00 – 9:50 am in a to be determined room at Bethel and going through to November 10th. Each lesson is stand-alone so come for one or all sessions. Bible Study booklets will be available in the church office. Please RSVP to Erin Barber at eb@bethelbeaverton.org so we have an idea of how many people are coming and can make sure we have enough booklets.
Join us in the fellowship hall for an all-ages brunch themed potluck following service! Bring a dish and/or a favorite board game to share! We recommend games that aren't too hard to learn and can be played in less than an hour so that you can visit with more than one group of people. To help with coordinating potluck dishes, email Erin at eb@bethelbeaverton.org to let us know what you'd like to bring.
On Sunday, August 18th during fellowship time we will hear a presentation from Izzy Fawson (they/them) about issues of injustice in the Philippines, alongside Copeland Downs (he/him), who works for the International Coalition for Human Rights in the Philippines. Izzy is partnering with our Respond to Racism committee to bring this information to us as part of R2R’s mission to keep educating the church on issues related to race/discrimination. There will be a brief time to grab our refreshments and visit before we settle in for the presentation in the fellowship hall. Education is a crucial first step in developing awareness and providing help so we hope you will join us!
To understand more, check out this information: Why does the Philippines have the most number of Christians in Asia?
The name may sound familiar as Molli has preached at Bethel and worked with the R2R group on the resolution to become an anti-racist congregation. We welcome her as our Sabbatical Pastor, starting August 5th.
Molli is a joyful and compassionate minister with a deep commitment to liberatory theology and an understanding of the unique challenges faced by progressive congregations in our shared social and political climate.
She has served as a pastor and chaplain for the past four years and has gained valuable experience ministering to diverse congregations and fostering inclusive and welcoming communities.
Molli holds a Master of Divinity from Yale Divinity School along with a Master of Science in Social Work – Children, youth & Families and a Bachelor of Science – Human Development and Family Studies for the University of Wisconsin – Madison. She has completed all requirements and will be ordained this fall.