A Response to Violence in Charlottesville

A Response to Violence in Charlottesville

A UCC pastor's response to the violence in Charlottesville, VA this past weekend. Thank you, Reverend Tara Wilkins.

"Dear CWC Members and Friends,

The heinous acts of violence over the weekend reveal a sickness that lurks in our society. The disease is active, not extinct. It impacts more than half of our population, and yet, it continues like an unchecked pathogen. 
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The world watched the horror unfold in real time in Charlottesville, Virginia this weekend. It wasn't a movie or lesson in history, it was the contemporary implementation of intentional terrorism meant to employ fear and chaos. I hesitate (in this letter) to use words like white supremacy, neo-Nazi, KKK etc., for fear that their mention is reducing them to jargon that we easily can distance ourselves from.

We mustn't pull away from the atrocity, we step forward so that we can learn and understand just exactly what happened, so we will no longer continue to be complicit in creating the environment where this disease can be incubated.

What can we do to make it be different?

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Beaverton Community Rummage Sale and Music Fundraiser

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Beaverton Community Rummage Sale and Music Fundraiser

Bethel's Rummage Sale

Bethel’s Rummage Sale this year will be held on Friday, October 6 and Saturday, October 7. As in the past, proceeds from this sale will benefit our music program. Donated items may be brought to the church Monday and Tuesday, (October 2 and 3) between the hours of NOON and 8 PM. If you need assistance with your donations, please contact George Patch at 2lula@frontier.net or (503) 625-0910.

PLEASE NOTE: The Monday and Tuesday hours are a departure from previous years. Volunteers will start working at noon, rather than 9 AM, so that donations can be received later in the evening. We are hoping that the later evening hours (to accommodate those working during the day) will also mean more volunteers to help with this enormous undertaking of sorting and pricing, or to help during the actual sale, on Friday and Saturday. Last year during the sale, at times, we were swamped with customers and there weren’t enough workers (critical to the success of the rummage sale).

If you can volunteer for any amount of time, please contact our volunteer coordinators, Carolyn Rundorff at carolyn@rundorff.com or Cathy Thoma at cdthoma4@comcast.net. Thank you for your contributions to Bethel’s Music Program!

Pride Northwest 2017 Impressions

Pride Northwest 2017 Impressions

Bethel showed its gay pride last Sunday with over 20 marchers representing our open and affirming church at the Pride NW parade in Portland.  The only dreary signs were the morning clouds - everything else around us glittered with rainbow colors.  The spirit of the event matched our identity and mission as a welcoming congregation.  Warm smiles, words of encouragement, feelings of shared values, and sheer joy knit us together as an affirming community.  
 
I was impressed with the rich diversity of our Bethel contingent:

Beaverton HS Homeless Students Fed Over Spring Break

Bethel Congregational United Church of Christ provided food and supplies for 40 Beaverton High School homeless families over spring break. Each family received seven bags of groceries including a backpack with personal items. Watch the video on KPTV.com.