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.
Stewardship 2021 - Together for Joy
Starting this Sunday, October 31, join us for a special Stewardship worship series: Together for Joy. Psalm 98 tells us to “Sing to God a new song, for God has done marvelous things. Let the floods clap their hands; let the hills sing together for joy.” Staying together through the delights and struggles of life - being “together for joy” - has never been more important. And while change brings financial challenges in its wake, it also brings fresh opportunities to sing to God a new song, for God has done - and will do - marvelous things.
October 31 – We will begin the series remembering the difficulties we have faced over the past couple of years, both globally and locally: the losses, grief, uncertainty, and anxiety.
November 7 – We will “pause” our Stewardship series and celebrate All Saints Day. We will light candles for those who have departed and honor those in our community who have passed during this last year.
November 14 – We will look at all the ways we have found “new songs” to sing over the last couple of years: online and now hybrid worship, virtual choir, creative ways of continuing to serve the community through our food programs, serving the vulnerable and isolated, speaking out for justice through education and action and so much more. This is who we are, and who we’ll continue to be and become. The church was made for times such as these - not times of ease and tranquility, but times of difficulty and struggle.
November 21 – Dedication Sunday - We will conclude our Stewardship series, Together for Joy, by looking ahead to what the church will do in the year ahead. This is why all of us, as a community, ask each other to share our treasure and invest in our mission as a church. Now more than ever, your generosity can and will make an enormous difference. In a time of difficulty and despair for so many, we are a community of light and hope. In a time of injustice and struggle, we are a community of love and justice. In a time of silence and isolation, we are and can be a community of gathering, a community of song, of new songs and new ways of singing, new ways of being God’s church for God’s world, together for joy!
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.
Wednesday Contemplative Prayer and Meditation
Beth Astarte's weekly contemplative prayer and meditation program has moved to Wednesday mornings! Join together for a live, guided contemplative prayer and meditation practice that is live streamed in the Bethel Misfits Facebook group on Wednesdays at 9:30 a.m.
Register for the CPC Annual Gathering!
The CPC Annual Gathering will take place September 24 - October 3 via Zoom. The theme for 2021 is "Living Water". The CPC will be spreading the events of the gathering over 10 days in shorter “bite-sized” online Zoom meetings, culminating with an all-Conference worship service for World Communion Sunday on October 3. To learn more about the Annual Gathering, including information about speakers, music, and registration, visit the website here: https://cpcucc.org/wp14/about-us/2021-cpc-annual-gathering/
Beaverton Welcomes Afghanistan Refugees
In response to the current political situation in Afghanistan, the Beaverton City Council approved a resolution during their Aug. 24 meeting declaring the city a sanctuary for Afghanistan refugees. As Bethel organizes around a multi-pronged recommendation to respond to racism, this opportunity to live our progressive Christian beliefs comes face to face with the very real condition of Afghan refugees. Pastor David will share more about this as part of his sermon series. If you are looking for a way to show support alongside others, consider participating in Beaverton's upcoming Welcoming Week.
The City of Beaverton will be hosting a Welcoming Week September 10th through 19th, and is one of many cities participating in a larger national Welcoming Week campaign. Beaverton's 2021 theme is “Belonging Begins With Us.” To learn more about events scheduled in Beaverton, visit the website at: https://www.beavertonoregon.gov/welcomingweek
National Welcoming Week is an annual series of events designed to bring together immigrants, refugees, and U.S.-born residents to raise awareness of the benefits of welcoming everyone. The week’s activities celebrate the contributions of newcomers and provide opportunities to build cross-cultural relationships and understanding.
To learn more about Beaverton's broader Welcoming Beaverton initiatives and activities, visit the website here: https://www.beavertonoregon.gov/1634/Welcoming-Beaverton
See No Stranger Fall Sermon Series and Book Study
“Love is a form of sweet labor: fierce, bloody, imperfect, and life giving – a choice we make over and over again. Love can be taught, modeled, and practiced…’Revolutionary love’ is the choice to enter into labor for others, for our opponents, and for ourselves in order to transform the world around us. It is not a formal code or prescription but an orientation to life that is personal and political and rooted in joy.” – Valerie Kaur, p. 310
Beginning September 12, 2021 and for 7 weeks, Bethel UCC will begin a study of Valerie Kaur’s book, See No Stranger: A Memoir and Manifesto of Revolutionary Love. Join us as we explore what it means to enter into labor for others, our opponents and ourselves while we are rooted in joy. The first two weeks we’ll explore Love for Others through wonder, grief and fight. The next two weeks we’ll look at Love for Opponents by investigating rage, listening and reimagining. The follow two weeks we’ll focus on Love for Ourselves through the labor metaphor of breathe, push and transition. In the final week of the series, we’ll see how we can be rooted in joy as part of our commitment to Revolutionary Love.
You are invited to join the book group that will delve more deeply into the topics presented on Sunday morning. The book group will start on Tuesday, September 14, 2021 at 7 pm. If you need assistance purchasing a book, please contact the office at office@bethelbeaverton.org.
Book group Zoom link: https://us02web.zoom.us/j/82579532974?pwd=OVhLaGdsclJVbmNHeEN4TkxrZlFxZz09
To find out more about Revolutionary Love, watch Valerie Kaur's TedTalk: https://www.ted.com/talks/valarie_kaur_3_lessons_of_revolutionary_love_in_a_time_of_rage?language=en and join us for the upcoming sermon series beginning September 12, 2021.
To hear Valerie's Keynote Address at the UCC General Synod this year: https://vimeo.com/573828542 or go to https://www.generalsynod.org/keynote-speakers/ and click on "Watch Keynote" under her picture.
Hybrid Worship Updates
As a response to the Delta variant of COVID-19 and new state health mandates, we are making some adjustments to our hybrid worship practices. We will begin using a sign up system again, with some changes. We will be asking everyone to sign in before attending worship - not to reserve a seat, but to make sure Bethel has accurate attendance information if any contact tracing becomes necessary. You may sign up online prior to Sunday, or you may sign in on the sign in sheet in the Narthex.
Online sign up sheet: https://forms.gle/LedhojGYTa1X4b5VA
Things to know about hybrid worship and safety:
Everyone is required to wear a mask that covers both the nose and mouth at all times.
Please maintain social distancing between households while indoors and outdoors.
Refrain from hugging or touching those outside of your household.
All seating will be socially-distanced for now.
No congregational singing in the Sanctuary.
Pastor David will greet congregants OUTSIDE after worship. Please plan to do your personal socializing outside.
Our services will continue to be live-streamed to Zoom and Facebook. We will continue to offer breakout rooms on Zoom after worship.
If you have reason to suspect that someone in your household may have or have been exposed to COVID-19 or you are experiencing symptoms of illness, we ask you to please worship from home.
Our newly installed HVAC system includes air ionizing technology, which not only filters the air that circulates in the Sanctuary, but works to remove virus particles from the air!
If you have any additional questions, please email the office at office@bethelbeaverton.org.
Stump the Pastor
We need your questions! Do you have a theological question, or a question about the life of faith or the way the church works that you’ve always wanted to ask but were afraid to ask it? September 5 is your chance! Pastor David will offer impromptu answers to your questions. For the rest of the month, you can submit your "Stump the Pastor" questions. We will have a box for questions in the Narthex on Sunday, or you may email the church office at: office@bethelbeaverton.org.
Outreach Committee Donation Projects
Did you know that Outreach committee has several projects that help our climate and our community? We are currently accepting your donations for the following projects. You may bring your donation during office hours Monday through Wednesday from 9 am - noon, and 1 pm - 3 pm.
We take recyclable cans and bottles to benefit Family Promise.
We take slightly used clothing that is appropriate for school-aged kids to Beaverton School District clothes closet.
We take used, clean plastic and paper bags for the Food Cupboard.
Maybelle Center for Community Mosaic Mural Project
Nikki Manley-Smith is participating in a community art project organized by Old Town Portland's Maybelle Center for Community, a nonprofit community center that specifically addresses issues of social isolation. Maybelle Center for Community is currently fundraising by working with community members to sponsor, design, and create mosaic tiles to create a large mosaic mural for a courtyard space at their assisted living facility. Donors who give $150 receive a kit to create a 1' tile for the mural installation. So far, Nikki and other Bethel members have purchased/donated one tile kit, and are halfway to raising the funds to purchase/donate a second tile kit.
If you would like to participate in this fundraising opportunity for the Maybelle Center for Community, Nikki Manley-Smith is collecting funds to pool for tile donations, and plans to meet at the Bethel campus to assemble the tiles outdoors on either Saturday, August 21 or Sunday, August 22 following service. If interested, please contact Nikki directly by emailing nikki.manley.smith@gmail.com.
To learn more about the mural project, you can watch this video: https://youtu.be/hxP0aVE-B3Q
Beaverton Chalk Art Festival
The annual La Strada dei Pastelli Chalk Art Festival in Beaverton will be held August 13-14. This year’s festival is being hosted in collaboration with the Beaverton Night Market. Activities will be held along a five block stretch of SW 1st Street in downtown Beaverton. The event is free to attend. If you're interested in volunteering, you can contact Sue Pike at swpike@frontier.com. For more information, view the event website at: https://www.2d4d.org/la-strada/
Outdoor Fellowship Time Starting July 25
On Sunday, July 25 following the congregational meeting, those who would like to are invited to gather outside in the courtyard for a fellowship time complete with cookies and coffee! Masks outside are optional. However, if you are not vaccinated, we strongly suggest you wear one. There will be other dates for outdoor fellowship time in August. More details to come.
Vacation Bible School
Bethel will be hosting Vacation Bible School for all children who have completed Kindergarten - 5th grade the week of August 9 through 13. This summer, our VBS will be held outdoors from 9 a.m. to 11:30 a.m. Everyone in attendance will be required to wear a mask, and all of our teachers and volunteers have been fully vaccinated. Children, grandchildren, nieces, nephews, or friends are all welcome.
To register please click on this link and complete the registration form: https://forms.gle/9qEAg7cuyvo6YdHG8
This summer, we'll be following the series Knights of North Castle:
North Castle is hidden in a frozen land. The King’s valiant knights are on a quest in search of the king’s armor. But the armor isn’t what they think it is. Knights of North Castle invites children to be strong in the Lord and in the strength of his power by exploring how we put on the armor of God. They’ll explore Old and New Testament stories and discover different pieces of protective armor — the Belt of Truth, the Breastplate of Justice, the Shoes of Peace, the Shield of Faith, and the Helmet of Salvation — at work in the lives of familiar Bible characters, and explore how that armor works in their own lives as they follow and serve God.
If you have any questions about VBS or safety protocols, please contact Beth Astarte at ba@bethelbeaverton.org.
Independence Day Holiday
In observance of Independence Day, the Bethel office and Food Cupboard will be closed on Monday, July 5.