Stewardship 2022 - Rooted in Love

They are like trees planted by streams of water, which yield their fruit in its season.

This Sunday we will begin our Stewardship Worship Series - Rooted in Love. During this time we will look at the unique contributions Bethel UCC and the wider church make to our community, our country and the world. You'll have the opportunity to explore what "roots" you in our congregation as well as how the "roots" of Bethel make you stronger. You'll have the opportunity to hear testimonials from members of Bethel of how the roots of love that are a part of our community spread seeds of justice and joy. Our hope is that your "roots" will be nourished as you discern what is yours to give to Bethel in the coming year. Stewardship Sunday will be November 13th. We will also have a place available to leave pledges on November 20th as well. Stewardship packets will be mailed the week of October 30th.

Peace & Blessings

Welcome Melanie Madigan our New Music Director

Melanie grew up in Denver and started singing in choirs at her large Lutheran church when she was five. She continued to have a passion for choral music and chose to attend Concordia College, Moorhead, MN. She received a Bachelor of Music degree in vocal performance, and had the privilege of singing under and studying choral conducting with Paul J Christiansen, son to the renowned F. Melius Christiansen who founded the St. Olaf Choir.

Melanie has conducted choirs since graduating from college and has held full time Director of Worship positions at St. John’s Lutheran, Denver and Victory Lutheran, Mesa, AZ. As the Choral Conductor for West Hills Universalist Unitarian from 2014 to 2019 she grew the choir membership from 14 to 33 members. She comes to us from First Christan Church where she has been the Director of Worship since 2019. Melanie has been vocal staff for the Portland Symphonic Choir and toured Europe several times as a paid soloist. Her claim to fame as a choral singer is that she performed in the Sistine Chapel–surreal!

Melanie is also Project Coordinator for the Department of Pediatrics at OHSU. She has 3 children, the youngest of whom will graduate from PSU spring of 2023l. They are her crowning joy and she loves spending time with them. Dancing, hiking and theater are her hobbies.

Melanie is so pleased to be joining the staff at Bethel! Building strong choirs and meaningful worship continues to be her passion and vocation.

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.

Neighbors in Need Offering

One of the ways the United Church of Christ celebrates and honors World Communion Sunday is with one of our all church offerings called Neighbors in Need. Neighbors in Need (NIN) is a special mission offering of the United Church of Christ that supports ministries of justice and compassion in the United States.
Historically, one-third of the offering supports Council for American Indian Ministry (CAIM). Two-thirds are used by Justice and Witness Ministries to provide grants to UCC churches and organizations as well as supporting a variety of justice initiatives, advocacy efforts, and direct service projects.
For example, a UCC congregation in South Carolina is building a tiny house for an LBGTQI+ person who finds themselves without a safe place to live because their families deny them their humanity and kick them out. https://www.ucc.org/a-tiny-house-aims-to-provide-big-solutions-for-south-carolina-lgbtq-community/
We will be receiving the Neighbors In Need offerings All of October. If you would like to help, please mail a check to Bethel UCC with NIN in the memo line or visit our website: https://giving.ncsservices.org/App/Giving/bethelucc

Bethel Changing to “Masks Optional”

The Phase Forward Committee has reviewed the survey results, accompanied by current Covid data. We have concluded that for now, masks will be optional for Bethel's Sunday Service Events. Concerns about interaction with the public, singing, and health are real for a number of Bethel people and we expect some will continue to wear masks. We honor and respect people’s decision to wear a mask or not, for whatever reason.
We will have a few rows of social distanced seating available, for those who would feel more comfortable with more space around them. Phase Forward will continue to monitor county Covid data and evaluate our “mask optional” stance, as cases may rise as winter approaches. Thank you for your understanding and support as we work through our options to keep Bethel safe and moving forward.
The Phase Forward Committee has reviewed the survey results, accompanied by current Covid data. We have concluded that for now, masks will be optional at Bethel events. Concerns about interaction with the public, singing, and health are real for a number of Bethel people and we expect some will continue to wear masks. We honor and respect people’s decision to wear a mask or not, for whatever reason.
We will have a few rows of social distanced seating available, for those who would feel more comfortable with more space around them. Phase Forward will continue to monitor county Covid data and evaluate our “mask optional” stance, as cases may rise as winter approaches. Thank you for your understanding and support as we work through our options to keep Bethel safe and moving forward.

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.

Bethel Welcomes Interim Director of Music Ministry

We are excited to welcome Amanda (Mandy) Hofmann-Smith as our interim Director of Music Ministry. Mandy is well known to our congregation as the wife of our former music director, and as a talented musician who has contributed to our music program over Owen’s tenure.
Mandy will be providing leadership with our chancel choir and our worship band. Also, she will encourage and support soloists or ensembles who may want to share their gifts with the congregation. Mandy and Pastor David will be collaborating to integrate music offerings that support the worship theme of the day.
Mandy’s first official Sunday was September 11th. We have a contract with her through the month of October. She has graciously agreed to extend her time with us through the Advent and Christmas season if we need additional time to search for a permanent Director of Music Ministry.
If you haven’t already, please share a warm welcome with Mandy.

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!

Response to Racism New Logo

We asked Beaverton High School’s art department to make us a Respond to Racism (R2R) logo to use in our communications. We gave them our Bethel tree logo with colored leaves as inspiration. They have given us a beautiful logo of many skin toned hands as leaves of our Bethel tree. Like in the original tree logo, the path doesn’t end at the tree but continues. Just like our faith journeys, we always continue the path, striving to grow in our understanding and practice

Peace & Blessings

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.

City of Beaverton - 2022-2023 Social Services Grant

Dear Bethel Congregational UCC, Thank you for the time and energy you put into your application to the City of Beaverton's Social Service Funding Committee (SSFC). We greatly appreciate the support that your organization provides to the Beaverton community. Beaverton City Council voted to fully fund Bethel, $6,000 for BHS homeless teens food bags for Winter and Spring break for the 2022-2023 fiscal year, starting July 1.

We, at Bethel, are grateful for this grant to help us feed these teens

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

Phase Forward Covid Update Report

Masks in Worship:
The Phase Forward Team recently met to work through the complicated subject of when to require masks at Bethel. We tried to balance the need for safety with the desire to have face coverings be optional. We reviewed the Covid numbers for our area, along with CDC guidelines, and came up with the following:

• If the CDC community risk level for Washington County is “Low”, masks will be optional. Even though it will be up to each individual, it is likely some folks will still choose to wear masks. We will honor people’s personal choices, whichever option they choose to make.

• If the CDC community risk level is “Medium” or “High” we will require masks.

• Right now, Washington County is in the “Medium” risk level and masks are required. When the current outbreak fades we hope to again be in the “Low” category.

• CDC updates its ratings every Thursday, but you won’t need to research the CDC community risk level before coming to worship. Instead, you should come prepared to wear a mask. There will be signage in the Narthex saying whether masks are required or optional that particular Sunday.

When it’s best to worship remotely:

• We would love to see you in church, but if you have any Covid symptoms like congestion, runny nose, cough, sore throat, fever, shortness of breath or fatigue, please stay home and worship remotely.

• Also, please worship remotely if you have been exposed to someone within Covid within the last 5 days.

The Phase Forward Team will continue to meet to make assessments and adjustments to our policies as time goes on. We thank everyone for being flexible and respectful of everyone’s masking choices.

Thank you for your understanding, support and involvement with Bethel.

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.