Love Your Neighbor
Thank You Habitat for Humanity Leaders!
Mission and Outreach is proud to announce that Paul Griffo will be taking over Bethel’s role on the Habitat for Humanity’s Faith Relations Board. Thanks to Paul! We also want to thank Bob Leitner who leaves this position after many years of dedicated service. Bob has made it possible for many of us to have the great experience of helping to build a house and for many deserving families to have decent housing!
What Does the Bible Say About LGBTQ?
SHOCKING: Bible, Gay Marriage, and LGBTQ! MUST WATCH!
Ken Bussell's sermon on what the Bible says about LGBTQ.
Scripture Verse References:
Genesis 19:1-13
Leviticus 18:22
Leviticus 20:13
Ezekiel 16:48-50
Romans 1:26-27
1 Corinthians 6:9
1 Timothy 1:10
Faith Development Volunteer Training & Information Meeting
Have you been curious about what we do in our Nursery, Sunday School and Youth Programs but have been unsure if or how to get involved? Are you someone who regularly volunteers? If you answered "yes" to either of those questions, then mark your calendars from 9 am - noon on Saturday, September 30th for Volunteer Training.
Progressive Christianity: Love of God
Bethel Weekly Highlights
Want to know what activities are scheduled over the next few months at Bethel? Check out our online Activities Calendar or pick up a 3-month schedule in the Narthex on Sundays. A great big THANK YOU to Jan Hodge for creating this easy guide. Be a part of the Bethel fun!
Progressive Christianity: By What Authority?
Bethel Beaverton Bash - Free Carnival - Free Lunch
Instant Sermon
Hurricane Harvey Relief
Information on donating to Harvey relief efforts through the United Church of Christ can be found here: http://www.ucc.org/disaster_hurricane_harvey
Shelter of the Rock
Special Musical Guests
Join us for worship THIS Sunday, Aug 27 at 10am. We will have special musical guests joining music director, Owen Hofmann-Smith to form a full worship band. We will welcome Eddie Parente on fiddle, Laith Thoma on guitar, Jacob Estep-Ignacio on drums and Amanda Hofmann-Smith on vocals performing sacred music written by Dolly Parton. You won't want to miss it.
A Response to #Charlottesville Violence
Many of us have been wondering how to respond to the brazen show of white supremacy (and the hatred that goes with it) that appeared in Charlottesville, VA last weekend. Such blatant hatred is abhorrent and runs counter to everything I believe as one who strives to live as Jesus did. White supremacists must be challenged and confronted. My first reaction was one of righteous indignation! If such bullies use violence to terrorize and dehumanize others, then use violence to stop them. Hit them back. Strike fear into them. Isn't brutality the only thing they understand?
Clergy and People of Faith March for Justice
On Monday, August 28th, 2017, one thousand ministers of all denominations will convene in Washington, D.C. to reaffirm their commitment to the social justice movement and stand in solidarity with the spirit and legacy of Dr. King, on the anniversary of the March for Jobs & Justice.
In an act and action of solidarity, the Portland Interfaith Clergy Resistance is sponsoring an event in Portland that will bring together Clergy and People of Faith of all traditions to recommit to being at the forefront of justice and civil rights, to call into accountability President Trump, Attorney General Sessions and all public officials, and to return to its rightful place in the words of Dr. King as the "headlight" in the struggle for justice. We are calling on religious leaders from ALL religions and community leaders to join us! The event on Facebook can be found here. Join us Monday, August 28th at 11 AM at Terry Schrunk Plaza in downtown Portland.
Higher Ground
Beaverton High School Homeless Students
It's almost time to go back to school and sales are starting. We are collecting pens, markers, 3-ringed spiral notebooks (college ruled) and backpacks for Beaverton High School homeless students. We would also appreciate any kind of toiletries- shampoo, soap, toothpaste and toothbrushes, razors. These can be travel sizes. There is a donation box outside the chapel. Thanks!
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.
.
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?
God is Our Shelter and Strength
Governor Kitzhaber to Speak on Death Penalty Abolition
Mark your calendar for August 24 when Oregonians for Alternatives to the Death Penalty will hold their annual meeting at the Bethel Congregational United Church of Christ in Beaverton, Oregon.
The featured speaker will be Gov. John Kitzhaber. Governor Kitzhaber, has served the State of Oregon for over three decades as a member of the legislature and as a three-term governor. He is a hero among death penalty abolitionists as the person who first declared a moratorium on executions in November of 2011. That halting of executions continues today. The governor will speak to his earlier fateful experience with the death penalty and proclaim his outspoken passion for abolition now.