Strengthen the Church Offering- June 5th - United Church of Christ

The Strengthen the Church (STC) Offering reflects the shared commitment of people across the United Church of Christ to cooperatively build up the UCC. Conferences and the national setting equally share the gifts given by members and friends through their local congregations. The funds raised support leadership development, new churches, youth ministry, and innovation in existing congregations. By your generosity to this offering, you build up the Body of Christ.

As God calls our congregations to be the church in new ways, your generosity will plant new churches, awaken new ideas in existing churches and develop the spiritual life in our youth and young adults. Bethel will receive the STC offering on Pentecost Sunday, June 5, 2022.  You can place your offering in the offering plate or online at any time here. 

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.

Revolutionary Love For Ukraine

As we all are concerned for our brothers and sisters in Ukraine,
we remember our journey through Valerie Kaur's book, "Revolutionary Love".
Valerie sent a very informative email, that included a prayer and guided process
to help us know how to grieve with and support the Ukrainian people.
Click here for the copy of the email.

Here's what you can do immediately.

#1 Click here for a curated list of organizations you can choose from to support the people of Ukraine. These have been vetted by partner organizations we trust and our friends on the ground.

#2 Contact your elected officials to voice your support for peace in Ukraine.

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.

New Office Administrator

Shneeb Covington (they/them)! They are a non-binary musician and Twitch streamer originally from Gadsden, AL. Shneeb joins us from the University of Portland, where they studied Music, and have been working for the last four years as a Music Director, Office Administrator, and the Assistant Producer of Mocks Crest Opera. They bring a wealth of experience including strong administrative skills, facility management, financial skills and website administration. Outside of the Office, Shneeb can be found playing Dungeons and Dragons, listening to Taylor Swift, and coaching young Performing Artists along their career paths.

Christmas Wreath Sale

To fundraise for future Bethel Youth Trips, Bethel Youth are selling Christmas wreaths, swags, and mantelpiece arrangements through November 12. All wreaths and swags are made with fresh, local noble fir boughs and decorated with pine cones, cedar, juniper, and a fabric bow. Weatherproof bows are available upon request. Mantelpieces are NEW this year - they are 36" long, decorated with three clusters of cones, juniper, holly, and cedar. Pick up will take place at the church on Sunday, December 5.

You may order your wreath online by using the order form here: https://forms.gle/TCpmcbDTaUq9mjS9A

You may order your wreath in person on Sunday, November 7 before or after the Sunday worship service.

Habitat for Humanity - Critical Home Repair Services Available to Income-Qualified Beaverton Homeowners

We would like to spread the word about a great program made available by Habitat for Humanity Portland Region: Habitat for Humanity Portland Region has partnered with the City of Beaverton to provide Community Development Block Grant funds for home repair activities to low income Beaverton homeowners! If you are a Beaverton resident in need of critical home repair, please reach out to Habitat for Humanity Portland Region to learn more. You may visit their website at https://habitatportlandregion.org/ or call 503-844-7606 (ext 110).

Neighbors in Need Offering

Neighbors in Need is a special mission offering of the United Church of Christ that supports ministries of justice and compassion in the United States. The 2021 Neighbors in Need “Unfailing Love” offering is focused on supporting organizations and projects that are serving homeless and immigrant neighbors or communities. One-third of NIN funds support the Council for American Indian Ministry (CAIM). Two-thirds of this offering is used by the UCC’s Justice and Witness Ministries (JWM) to provide funding grants to UCC churches and organizations leading justice initiatives, advocacy efforts, and direct service projects in their communities.

Bethel will be collecting the Neighbors in Need offering on Sunday, October 24. You may donate in-person or online, where you will see a special giving category for Neighbors in Need.

Food Drive for Homeless Beaverton High School Homeless Students

Once again we are supplying food for BHS homeless students over their winter break. We are asking the congregation to provide cans of hearty soup with meat and veggies. Please donate the cans with pop-tops. No light or diet soups please, we are trying to keep the students well fed. Our goal is 600 cans. So far we have 360. Donations can be placed on the metal rack outside the chapel. Our target date is December 1 to gather all 600 cans.

P.S. For extra credit, please place your flavor soup with similar flavors on the metal rack.

Sunday School is Back - New and Improved!

This year the Faith Development Committee has decided to provide Sunday School virtually for all of our children in Kindergarten through 5th grades. It will be a combination of Kid's Lunch with Beth and YouTube videos that you can watch when it is convenient for your family.

It all begins THIS Sunday, October 3 with Kid's Lunch with Beth. During that time, the children will be introduced to the story for the month and the concepts we'll be covering. By October 10, the YouTube video will be ready for your family to view. The support materials will be emailed to each family. There are pages that help guide family discussions around the monthly featured topic. This month the topic is "reconciliation." On October 17 and 31, we'll once again have Kid's Lunch with Beth and continue to explore and "wonder" about reconciliation and how it works in the lives of your children. By October 24, there will be a second YouTube Sunday School video for you and your family to enjoy.

A packet or support materials will be emailed to each family or you can click here to download the materials. If you would like a printed copy, please contact Beth Astarte at ba@bethelbeaverton.org and she will get a printed set mailed to you. Please contact Beth with any questions.