Christmas Services

Christmas Eve Worship Service 10PM

It is not difficult to imagine this night as “reflecting the sacred.” We gather and sing and light candles and dare to believe that love truly enters the world time and again and anything is possible. What may be more difficult to understand, however, is that this love is ours, not because we’ve been “good” (as if God is Santa Claus), but simply because we are beloved–the firstborn of God. Our very being reflects the sacred. The incarnation of God in human flesh is proof.
We will gather on Christmas eve for a hybrid 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.
(https://www.facebook.com/BethelBeaverton/) and  (https://zoom.us/j/140844207 or by phone at 1-253-215 8782 Meeting ID: 140 844 207)  

Christmas Day Service 2022, Dec. 25th - Pre-recorded

We wanted our staff and volunteers to enjoy the Christmas day activities and traditions they value. So we have created a very special Christmas Day service, Christmas Day – Surprisingly Sacred. You can watch any time online either on YouTube, Facebook or on the website. Remember to celebrate the birth of Jesus in the midst of your holiday activities.
In the early church, Sunday was known as the “day of light.” And so it is special when Christmas falls on a Sunday, as it does in 2022. As light dawns on this morning, as the children scramble to the tree to see what has appeared, we remember that the sacred comes in the form of surprise sometimes, just as it did when light and life was known anew in the form of a baby in a humble stable. Can we dare to believe that we can know a surprising calm even in the midst of anxiety because of the in-breaking of this Prince of Peace upon our lives each and every day?

Our Christmas Day 2022 Worship service will become available on Facebook 10:00 AM Christmas Day. View, worship, and share comments with each other as usual. There will be no Zoom meeting. (https://www.facebook.com/BethelBeaverton/) and YouTube Link: https://youtu.be/0A9eFDbNfes

Christmas Eve Candlelight Service, Dec. 24th, 10:00pm

We will gather on Christmas eve for a hybrid 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.
(https://www.facebook.com/BethelBeaverton/) and Zoom (https://zoom.us/j/140844207 or by phone at 1-253-215 8782 Meeting ID: 140 844 207)  

Wassail and Fruit Breads

Sunday, December 18th, after worship service, we have a tradition hosted by the past and current members of the choir, to serve Wassail and fruit breads.
We do this in the old style, beautiful settings, glass punch bowls, and a masterful centerpiece. Wassail is an Old English spiced, warm apple drink (made by Diana Marsden). Traditionally, first cup is served by the Lord of the Manor.  Our current Lord of the Manor is David Thoma. He was taught by our longstanding Lord of the Manor (the late George Russell)
He brings out of the kitchen a bowl of wassail and sings (a cappella) 'Wassail, Wassail" and invites everyone to the table for refreshments. Please join us on December 18th, to celebrate the good harvest and the coming new year.  

Peace & Blessings

Blue Christmas 2023 Service, Dec. 3 rd, 2:00pm

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 3rd at 2 pm as a hybrid service.

For further information, please contact Pastor David at drb@bethelbeaverton.org.

Annual Bethel Christmas Tree Lighting Ceremony

Join us Friday, December 2, 2022, 7PM for our annual Christmas tree decorating. Bring weather resistant ornaments to decorate the tree. We will also sing some fun and familiar Christmas Carols, close with prayer. Then enjoy Christmas cookies, cocoa /coffee in the Fellowship Hall.

"The Gingerbread Bash" Family Advent Activity

Dear Bethel Families,

We hope you and your kids will come celebrate Advent with the “The Gingerbread Bash” Friday, December 2, 5:30 -7:00 pm. This is a Bethel family activity (including kids "of all ages") building “gingerbread house style” nativity scenes! The Faith Development Committee will provide all supplies including graham crackers, candies, cookies and frosting. Busy builders will also enjoy pizza for dinner in the Fellowship Hall at 5:30 PM and share in the story of Advent, get sticky and share the fun!
Please RSVP for us to buy the right amount of pizza and supplies to: Jan Hodge.

After “The Gingerbread Bash” will be the Bethel’s Annual Christmas Tree - Lighting Ceremony at 7:00 PM – with Christmas cookies, cocoa /coffee to follow!

"The Gingerbread Bash" Family Advent Activity

Dear Bethel Families,
We hope you and your kids will come celebrate Advent with the “The Gingerbread Bash” Friday, December 2, 5:30 -7:00 pm. This is a family activity for kids of all ages and parents; building “gingerbread house style” nativity scenes! The Faith Development Committee will provide all supplies including graham crackers, candies, cookies and frosting. Busy builders will also enjoy pizza for dinner in the Fellowship Hall at 5:30 PM and share in the story of Advent, get sticky and share the fun!
Please RSVP for us to buy the right amount of pizza and supplies to: Jan Hodge.

After “The Gingerbread Bash” will be the Bethel’s Annual Christmas Tree - Lighting Ceremony at 7:00 PM – with Christmas cookies, cocoa /coffee to follow!

A Great Learning Opportunity – Saturday, October 29: 9am-3pm

The Respond to Racism committee will host an all-day retreat in the Bethel Fellowship Hall. The purpose of the retreat is to grow in our understanding of diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI). And to explore together how we might live more fully into our identity as a church where “whoever you are or wherever you are, you are welcome here.”

Our retreat leader will be Carla Gary. Ms. Gary is a consultant who specializes in diversity and inclusion. She has a bachelor’s degree from the University of Oregon and a J.D. from the Iowa School of Law. She is currently serving as the consultant for our Central Pacific Conference.
Five years ago the CPC passed a resolution to become an anti-racist conference. Ms. Gary is assisting the conference in their goal to live into the vision of the resolution.

The retreat is designed to educate and equip Bethel’s staff and lay leadership: Board members, committee chairs and members of committees. However, if you would like to attend this learning opportunity and are not currently in a leadership position, please contact the Bethel church office (503-646-1191) or Office Administrator and share your desire to participate. Everyone who wants to benefit from this retreat will be welcomed to attend.

All-Church Rummage Sale

Every year Bethel has a HUGE rummage sale that is our biggest fundraising event for the year. One year our proceeds paid off the AC/Heat system in the Fellowship Hall. This year the proceeds will be going to make some badly needed repairs to Bethel’s roof. The sale is an opportunity to clean out your drawers, closets, and garage. It is a place where our Bethel neighbors come to buy affordable clothing and household items. Our leftovers go to many different non-profits. Please join us on Oct. 7th & 8th, 9 AM – 3 PM. It’s great fun, and you might find things for yourself.

ALL- CHURCH RUMMAGE SALE

What can you donate?

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 items value, please let us know. It could save someone hours of research.
Books
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 easily separated.)
Sports Equipment
Garden items
Items for pets
Furniture...if it can be moved by two strong adults. If you have bigger, bulkier, or heavier items you could sell them on Craigslist, Facebook Marketplace, or any other site, so the buyer comes to you and carts it away. Then you just donate the proceeds to Bethel. You are apt to make more money doing it that way.

WHAT WE CANNOT TAKE:
-Mattresses (including crib mattresses)
-Big boxy TVs
-Car seats
-Tires
-Open toiletries
-Used underwear
-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.

What are the plans to keep everyone safe?
Right now:
- We will be limiting the number of shoppers into the building. Then, as one shopper leaves, another may enter.
- Everyone will be required to use hand sanitizer as they enter. – As of now, everyone will be required to wear a mask. Linda Timmel

Back to Sunday School and Youth Group- Register Today!

Bethel Congregational UCC is "gearing up" for in- person Sunday School and Youth Group in September! We are even kicking off with a Taco Bar during Fellowship time on September 18.

For Sunday Schoolers, we are also continuing our "Monumental" theme from Vacation Bible School this fall so kids can collect “Bible Buddies!”

Our Youth will have the opportunity to attend the Central Pacific Conference Annual Meeting in Eugene September 23-25, where there is a special youth program planned. It is a wonderful time for the youth to connect with one another. You'll be hearing from Ken Ruse with additional details.

All of our Nursery, Sunday school and Youth Group registration is happening online.

Click here to register for Nursery, and Sunday school: https://forms.gle/4Y2qYRRSJg9q7PLZ6

Click here to register for Youth Group: https://forms.gle/4p3DTxGsUwCJv24A9

Please contact our new Program Coordinator, Rebekah Albert at ra@bethelbeaverton.org if you have any questions.

Owen Hofmann-Smith Last Sunday

Back in February 2014, Bethel UCC hired a new music director, Owen Hofmann-Smith. Little did we know that the next 8 years would be filled with so much talent from leading the choir to solos to handbell choir, to the Hot Shots youth worship band to the adult worship band to cello and guitar playing to talent shows to writing original music for one of our Christmas Pageants. Owen’s talents continued to shine during the pandemic when he kept our choir going by putting together a virtual choir. Owen has supported many nervous singers/musicians and allowed many people to bring their musical talents to Bethel!

Now it is time for others to enjoy Owen’s musical talents as he joins a professional choir. We are fortunate that his wife, Mandy Hofmann-Smith, has agreed to be our interim Music Director as the Personnel Committee looks for a permanent part-time one.

We will have a farewell service and luncheon for Owen on Sunday, September 4th. We wish Owen all the best in his new endeavor and know that he will shine his gifts wherever he goes.

Flicks By The Fountain

The City of Beaverton will be showing a movie (tentatively Encanto) in the park at SW 5th and Hall Blvd, August 26th. The Faith Development Committee will be reserving an area and supplying drinks and ice cream, just bring your own picnic dinner! The movie starts at dusk (between 8:10 PM and 8:40 PM). Look forward to seeing you there!

For more information (including some road closures) check the City of Beaverton's official page:

https://www.beavertonoregon.gov/505/Flick-by-the-Fountain

Peace & Blessings

80+ Honored Elders Celebration

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!