On Sunday, August 14 at 10 am, we will be honoring all of those special sages at Bethel who are 80 years and older! If you fit this category, please contact Beth Astarte at ba@bethelbeaverton.org with your favorite hymn and favorite Bible verse, and one Fun Fact about you that no one at Bethel knows, by July 31st. It is our desire to make this worship service about you! If you'd like to participate in the worship service by reading scripture, saying a prayer, leading the call to worship or any other part of the service, please reach out to Beth. Whether you can attend the service or not, please email Beth one "fun fact" that nobody at Bethel may know about you. This gives everyone a chance to get to know you better. Afterwards, we'll have a special fellowship time complete with cake! Please join us!
Starfire Singers
Starfire is a High School Youth Choir from Los Altos United Methodist Church. They will be performing a Concert, Sunday, July 24th, 7:30pm, here at Bethel. They will also be singing in our 10am Worship Service on the 24th. Their music director is Carol Demonte, Cathy Thoma's sister.
Concert Details:
Weave, an original musical by Dirk and Carol Damonte, celebrates the stories that make us who we are, and the ways the strands of our individual stories weave together with the stories of others we encounter to create a beautiful tapestry. Created around the life experiences of the singers and actors on stage, Weave, through story-telling and music, invites all of us to embrace the creative story that God continues to weave in and through us every day.
July 10 – Bethel Serves Faith Café – In Person
Bethel will take its first turn since February 2020 to serve Faith Café guests in the Fellowship Hall. This is a BIG shift from the way Faith Café meals have been prepared and served since the pandemic began.
We will need a full contingent of volunteers July 10th. We will need a contingent of 10 volunteers, including 4 cooks, for July 10th.
In full transparency, the decision to begin serving meals inside has some important aspects to consider. The Faith Café board decided that guests would not be required to wear masks upon entering the building, nor will they be asked to show proof of vaccination. Many of the guests do not enjoy adequate health care. As a result, there will be, most likely, a higher unvaccinated percentage of persons gathering in the Fellowship Hall.
Faith Café has taken precautions to limit this potential additional risk. There will be fewer tables and chairs set up thus creating more distance between guests and a room that is not crammed with people. Additionally, Faith Café is requiring that all volunteers be fully vaccinated and masked during their volunteer shifts.
Remember, too that our new HVAC system provides enhanced ventilation including filters that help with the spread of any air born disease.
We want to support Faith Café’s decision to serve meals inside. However, we believe it is important to inform our volunteers of the policies in place to make assessments based on their own risk tolerance. Please consider donating a couple hours of your Sunday afternoon to serve this critical need. Contact Susan (SusanBauer@comcast.net) or Peter Bauer (PeterWBaueriii@comcast.net) for more specifics or to volunteer.
Christian Identity New Worship Series
Join us as we begin a 6-week worship series on Brian McLaren's book, "Why Did Jesus, Moses, the Buddha, and Mohammed Cross the Road?: Christian Identity in a Multi-Faith World." This series helps to answer the questions, Can you be a committed Christian without having to condemn or convert people of other faiths? Is it possible to affirm other religious traditions without watering down your own? How can we stand in solidarity with "the other" as Jesus did and cultivate empathy and humility?
To help us focus on peace, our visuals will include peace cranes. The peace cranes you see were made by Darren Damonte's art students in Japan who created them as a gift to Los Altos United Methodist Church - LAUMC (Cathy Thoma's sister's church.) They are on loan from LAUMC to further peace and good will around our country and the world.
Click here to watch the story of the peace cranes: https://youtu.be/5wRabZXQ-hQ. Beginning this Sunday and every Sunday throughout the series, you'll have the opportunity to make peace cranes to add to the communion table during the song after the sermon. Packets with paper and instructions will be available in the narthex before service.
Here's a YouTube video that will show you how to make the cranes: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KfnyopxdJXQ. Here are the instructions for those that prefer written instructions: https://www.instructables.com/How-to-make-a-Paper-Crane-1/
Questions? Contact Beth Astarte at ba@bethelbeaverton.org.
Pride Beaverton
Pride Beaverton’s GAY Celebration will be SunGAY June 26, 2022 at City Park and the Beaverton Farmer’s Market Parking Lot. Link to Pride Beaverton 2022
Neomie Lemke has agreed to coordinate the Bethel Booth.
If you are able to help with setup/cleanup, or sitting at the booth for 1-2 hour shifts, please contact Neomie.Lemke@gmail.com
VBS is MONUMENTAL!
It's time to register for this Monumental Vacation Bible School happening July 25-29, 2022 from 9 am - 11:30 am outside at Bethel. This program is free for all children who have finished Kindergarten through 5th grades.
Click here to register: https://forms.gle/RumFmvFjZf7bxxEx7
If you are part of the youth group (6th-12th grades) or an adult and would like to help (we need about 2-4 helpers) then please contact Beth Astarte at ba@bethelbeaverton.org. If you're not available that week, you can still help out by participating in our work days scheduled after service on Sunday, July 10th and the morning of Wednesday, July 13th.
Take Me Out to the Ballgame
That's right! It's time for Bethel to head back out to a Hillsboro Hops baseball game. Join us on Friday, July 8 at 7 PM when the Hillsboro Hops take on the Eugene Emeralds. Friday nights are fireworks nights so it will be a blast! Kathy McCullough will be our fearless leader! In order to have an idea of how many tickets to purchase, please sign up in the Narthex on Sunday or email Beth: ba@bethelbeaverton.org. Tickets are $17 for adults and kids are free. You may pay by check(put into envelope and put Hops and ticket quantity on check or envelope) Drop envelope in offering plate, in the mail, or the Bethel mailbox on Watson St. or by cash to Kathy or church office. Handicap seating is available. The deadline for sign-up is May 15. Tickets will be distributed on July 1. Don't strike out! Hit a home run and have some fun with your friends from Bethel!
Freeing Jesus
The liturgical season of Eastertide marks the 50 days between Easter and Pentecost. This year, Pastor David will be offering a worship series based on Diana Butler Bass’ book – Freeing Jesus: Rediscovering Jesus as Friend, Teacher, Savior, Lord, Way and Presence.
Ms. Butler Bass relies on experiences from her own life to share how her understanding of Jesus has changed over time. Story-telling is at the heart of this book. Diana Butler Bass’ models the way listening to our own stories can uncover new insights and experiences of Jesus. She invites us to look in the mirror to see how and when Jesus showed up or didn’t show up.
Freeing Jesus serves as an excellent sequel to Richard Rohr’s, The Universal Christ. The shift toward a more narrative approach to spiritual growth and faith formation will help root the alternative orthodoxy that God is in everyone and in everything.
The series will begin May 1st. There will not be a formal, structured study group for this series; but, you are encouraged to get a copy of the book and follow along with Rev. David’s sermon series.
May 1 – Liberating Jesus
May 8 – Jesus as Friend and Teacher
May 15 – Guest Preacher – Rev. Jennifer Brownell (series interrupted)
May 24 – Jesus as Savior and Lord
May 29 – Jesus as Way and Presence
Habitat for Humanity: HopeBuilder Lunch with Soledad O'Brien
Bethel’s long standing dedication and support of Portland Region Habitat for Humanity continues in 2022.
Mark your calendars for the annual Habitat's HopeBuilder Virtual Lunch next Wednesday, April 27th at noon. Join virtually for a powerful and inspiring event which will raise funds to build and repair homes for families and individuals across the Portland region. Award-winning journalist and extraordinary thought leader Soledad O’Brien is the guest speaker. Learn more about the importance of affordable homeownership, especially at this time of housing crises in our nation, and how systemic racism continues to impact access to homeownership.
During the live program, there will be an update on Habitat Portland Region's plan to scale its impact, what the future holds for our mission, and more.
How do I participate in the virtual event?
Click on the livestream link here before the event goes live on Wednesday, April 27, 2022 at 12PM (PT).
If you need any technical assistance during the event, you can call or text our tech support line at 503-564-3044 on April 27 from 11AM–1:30PM (PT)
How can I donate to Habitat for Humanity Portland Region?
To make a donation before or during the livestream event, click here or text HABITATPDX to 44-321. Reference ‘Bethel Beaverton’ as enter your information in the Name field to cross reference your support as part of the Bethel community.
Reach out to Paul Griffo (paul.griffo@msn.com) with any questions.
Grief Recovery Group
These last couple of years have been filled with grief for all of us. Not only may some of us have lost loved ones, but the pandemic itself has brought varying levels of grief at different times. Trish Schuetz and the Called to Care Group is offering an online Grief Recovery Group that will meet for 6 weeks on Sunday afternoons from 1:30-3:30 pm beginning May 1st.
This group will allow us to connect together online to discuss loss in all its forms and provide support as well as encourage healing. We will process thoughts around moving beyond death, divorce, loss of health, career or faith. We will assign and discuss homework designed to inspire inner search for personal meaning after loss. We will discuss common myths around grief and loss in our society. We will discuss a Loss History Graph, and the concept of an “incomplete loss”. We will discuss a Relationship Graph and convert that into recovery components. And lastly we will discuss guidelines for dealing with specific losses.
The group will use "The Grief Recovery Handbook" by John W. James and Russell Friedman as a guide. However, you do not need the book to participate. To sign up for this class, please email Beth Astarte at ba@bethelbeaverton.org.
ISing Chorus Performing at the Patricia Reser Center for the Arts on Saturday, April 30th, and Sunday, May 1st
The ISing Community Chorus will perform at the Patricia Reser Center for the Arts on Saturday, April 30th, at 7:30 pm; and Sunday, May 1st, at 3:00 pm. The mission of the Beaverton-based chorus is "to share innovative and exceptional choral music while supporting nonprofit organizations." The diverse music of ISing has given them with opportunities to perform internationally. These performances will include music from South and North America, including an arrangement of "La Llorona" featuring Mercedes Estevez of Los Gallos Rumba. Music from northwest composer, Morten Lauridsen will also be featured.
This concerts will benefit HomePlate Youth Services, Washington County's only nonprofit provider of drop-in centers and street youth outreach for young people who experience homelessness. The link below will provide more information regarding the concert and how to purchase tickets.
https://www.isingchoir.org/events.
Click here to download the Press Release.
If you have questions, please contact Sue Pike at swpike@frontier.com.
Holy Week and Easter Sunday Guide / Clean up for Palm Sunday
Please join us this year for Holy Week and Easter Sunday! Click here to download this year's schedule of Holy Week and Easter offerings. This helpful guide includes a detailed schedule of our Holy Week and Easter opportunities.
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During the Pandemic we tried to have organized Grubby Saturdays or Sundays, but we never had many people show up. The Facilities Team (and a few others) tried to keep the campus cleaned up. Now we need lots of members to give a little time to help us on Saturday and/ or Sunday, April 2nd and 3rd. We are concentrating on outside weeding, trimming, and edging. Can you help us…just a little bit?
Saturday, April 2…1:30 pm-3:30 pm drop in any time (this gives the market goers time to vacate parking around the church)
Sunday, April 3rd…immediately following church until 2:00 pm.
On Sunday, wear your gardening clothes to church. Stay for 30 minutes, if that’s all you can do. Every minute is appreciated. If you have your own tools, please bring them. We also have some that you can use.
The jobs we will try to cross off the list are:
-EDGING We have an electric edger we’ll need someone to run and another person (or two) to follow scooping up the mess. If you have your own edger you’d rather use, you’ll hear no objections from us.
-FERN TRIMMING Before the new shoots get any higher, now is the time to cut off the old fronds.
-WEEDING Easy weeding in front of the church, along Watson, and near the outside tables. If we finish these areas, we can move to the circle areas around the trees and signs along 7th. You can do it from the ground, either kneeling or sitting. If you have a folding garden bench, those are very helpful used upside down for kneeling, or as a seat, to weed from that position.
If you aren’t available this weekend, but have other times you are available to help, please contact Linda Timmel at timmelin@comcast.net to see what’s left to do next wee
Holy Week and Easter Sunday Guide
Please join us this year for Holy Week and Easter Sunday! Click here to download this year's schedule of Holy Week and Easter offerings. This helpful guide includes a detailed schedule and description of each of our Holy Week and Easter opportunities.
One Great Hour of Sharing
One Great Hour of Sharing is one of the United Church of Christ's four special offerings. We will receive this offering on March 27, 2022. You can also give online.
This Lenten offering supports the disaster, refugee, and development ministries of the United Church of Christ within the Wider Church Ministries. For more information, please click on the following video link. https://www.ucc.org/giving/ways-to-give/our-churchs-wider-mission/one-great-hour-of-sharing/.
St. Patrick's Youth Event
Calling all Bethel children and youth! The Faith Development Committee has planned a fun-filled Saint Patrick's Day event to allow our children and youth to see each other, learn about this important Irish holiday, talk about Lent and eat some yummy food. So put on something green, and make plans to join us in the Fellowship Hall at 5:30 -7 pm on Friday, March 18, 2022 (yes, this is technically the day after St. Patrick's Day but it is the closest day that was not a school night.)
Parents: You are welcome to stay for the festivities or drop off your child and come back at 7 pm.
Youth (Middle School & High School): You are encouraged to come and help the younger children with the various crafts and to be a "buddy" to our younger children.
Please have your child wear their mask (unless they are actively eating or drinking.) We will be in the Fellowship Hall that has special filters for filtering out allergens and viruses.
Please RSVP to Beth Astarte at ba@bethelbeaverton.org by Monday, March 14, so we know how many to expect for food and crafts.
Questions? Contact Beth Astarte.
Registration for Camp Adams is Open in 2022!
If you are the parent/grandparent/friend/aunt/uncle of a child/teen, then you'll want to read on! Bethel believes that every child deserves to have the experience of going to camp, making new friends and experiencing God in nature. Children as young as Kindergarten can attend the Taller/Smaller camp with a parent or other adult. This is a fabulous introduction to the "camp experience." There are week-long camps for those who have completed 2nd - 12th grade.
Through the Bethel campership fund, any youth that wants to attend camp can. We just ask that if you can afford to, you make a donation to the Bethel Campership Fund. An email went out to all families this week with more details.
Taller and Smaller (completed K-3rd w/ adult) July 5-8, 2022
Exodus (completed 9th-12th) July 10-16, 2022
Sojourners (completed 7th-8th) July 24-29, 2022
Discoverers (completed 5th-6th) July 31-August 5, 2022
Genesis/Seekers (completed 2nd-4th) August 7-12, 2022
If you'd like to learn more about Camp Adams, click here.
If you're ready to register, click here and log out of the registration process once it asks for payment and the church will be notified.
Once you have registered, please let Beth know. If you have any questions or problems registering, please contact Beth Astarte, Program Coordinator at ba@bethelbeaverton.org.
The Universal Christ – An Eight Week Worship Series
On February 13, Rev. David Randall-Bodman will begin an extended worship series based on Fr. Richard Rohr’s book, The Universal Christ: How a Forgotten Reality Can Change Everything We See, Hope for, and Believe.
Who is Richard Rohr? Fr. Rohr is a Franciscan priest of the New Mexico Province. He is the founder of the Center for Action and Contemplation and academic dean of the CAC’s Living School. An internationally recognized author and spiritual leader, Fr. Richard teaches primarily on incarnational mysticism, nondual consciousness, and contemplation, with a particular emphasis on how these affect the social justice issues of our time.
Richard Rohr’s main point in his book is that “everything visible, without exception, is the outpouring of God.” He challenges many orthodox Christian beliefs. He wants to liberate the Christian faith from its “clannish” history. Rather than being Jesus’s last name, Christ means life in its fullness.
Fr. Rohr’s book invites us to envision Christianity in a new and different light. Rather than believing in the right things or saying the right words, at the heart of Christianity is a worldview that sees all of life as sacred. Many of us grew up believing that a “rational assent to the truth of certain mental beliefs, rather than a calm and hopeful trust that God is inherent in all things, and that this whole thing is going somewhere good.”
This worship series will stretch us. It will also provide an overview of an understanding and practice of Christianity that Fr. Rohr has been practicing for decades. The Universal Christ invites us to enter into mystery and experience God rather than trying to figure God out.
Pastor David and the entire staff are excited by the prospect that together we will develop a deeper appreciation for and practice of the religion of Jesus.
To Delve Deeper, Join The Universal Christ Book Study on Tuesday, February 15th
The learning continues on Tuesday evenings beginning February 15, 2022 from 7-8:30 pm when those who want to delve deeper into the Universal Christ materials come together to discuss the themes that Pastor David presents on Sunday mornings. All are welcome to join in the book study.
You will want to get a copy of The Universal Christ: How a Forgotten Reality Can Change Everything We See, Hope for, and Believe. Copies are available on Amazon and directly from the Center for Action and Contemplation (cac.org). If you'd like to join the book study but cannot afford the book, please contact Beth Astarte at ba@bethelbeaverton.org and a copy will be provided for you.
We will be offering the class only on Zoom. Here's the link: https://us02web.zoom.us/j/82579532974?pwd=OVhLaGdsclJVbmNHeEN4TkxrZlFxZz09.
Food Bag Delivery for Homeless Beaverton High School Students
Delivery of food bags for Beaverton High School homeless students will be Monday, December 13th.
Please plan to arrive at 8:45 so that your car or truck can be loaded. The Mayor will come between 9:00 and 10:00am! We will be delivering to the front of Beaverton High School where a team will be waiting for the 840 bags.
We can also use a few muscle bound volunteers for loading racks inside in a quick manner. If you are planning on coming, please let Mac Macpherson or Fran Jensen know. Thanks, again, for all the soup donations!
Blue Christmas
Blue Christmas
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 pandemic 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 12th at 2 pm as a hybrid service.
For further information, please contact Pastor David at drb@bethelbeaverton.org.
Advent Series: Calm and Bright
This Advent season join Bethel Congregational United Church of Christ as we celebrate the message of the beloved Christmas carol, "Silent Night, Holy Night" using materials from Marcia McFee and Worship Design Studio. This over 200-year old hymn gives hopes when we sing “all is calm, all is bright” bringing peace, joy and love to soothe our hearts and help us focus on and celebrate the message of Christmas – God with us.
November 28, 2021, 1st Sunday of Advent – Sleep in Peace (PEACE)
One of the most famous stories about this beloved hymn took place in World War I. British and German soldiers on the front lines called a truce on Christmas Day and they could hear each other in the peaceful quiet singing “Silent Night,” each in their own language. Humanity is the holy infant for whom God so desires a heavenly peace. Is it possible to bring calm and bright to our own corners of this world?
December 5, 2021, 2nd Sunday of Advent – Glories Stream (JOY)
The shepherds got quite a wake-up call that night when the sky lit up "like a Christmas tree" (so to speak). Awe at the transformative glory of what God can do in our lives is the focus this week. Glories are streaming every day if we only have eyes to see. How would our lives be renewed if we saw the world and our lives through the lens of wonder?
December 12, 2021, 3rd Sunday of Advent – Redeeming Grace (LOVE)
The presence of God in human form is the "dawn" of redeeming grace, says the hymn's third verse. God so desired to be "up close and personal" that God came to live, breathe, feel, teach, touch, and love. Made in the image of God, we are called to nurture relationships that birth, multiply and radiate grace in the world. What would the world be like if “love’s pure light” was at the center?
December 19, 2021, 4th Sunday of Advent – Let Us Sing (HOPE)
The last verse of the hymn invites us to lift our voices in alleluia's to the one who is "King." This descriptor was more radical for the people of Jesus' time as it resisted the powers of empire that threatened "the least of these" that Jesus came to serve. We are reminded by this seemingly benign and sweet song that whenever there is injustice in this world, we are to look to the one whose power is love. How might this increase our hope for the future?
December 24, 2021 – Calm and Bright
There is something about Christmas Eve. It is hard to describe that "something" that many of us feel and it is different, to be sure, for everyone. The older we are and the more memories we accumulate, the more complex the feeling becomes. Perhaps the tendency for reflection upon one's life and the presence or absence of loved ones on this night is why we love to hear "all is calm, all is bright." On this night we remember the promise of God–that God would be "Emmanuel," God-with-us forever more.
To download our schedule of Advent events and activities, click here.
To download our 2021 Advent Guide, click here.