Ash Wednesday is THIS Wednesday, March 2, and marks the beginning of the season of Lent. Lent is a 40-day period of remembering Jesus' life and death and prepares us to fully participate in the resurrection.
Although we still cannot share a meal like we used to, Nikki Manley-Smith has graciously agreed to make soup for those who pre-order it to pick up as early as 4 pm on Ash Wednesday, March 2nd. For those who will not be able to come at 7 pm and participate in person, you will have the option of picking up the soup, ashes and instructions to have your own service at home with your family. If you plan to join us for our Ash Wednesday service at 7 pm, you can pick up your soup early and have it for dinner and come back or wait and pick it up after service.
Nikki is offering two options: chicken and wild rice (gluten free) or Hungarian mushroom (gluten-free and vegan). A free-will cash offering will be taken to cover Nikki’s costs and to thank her for her time and effort. All soup will be in quart size containers (32 oz) and serves a family of 4. All orders need to be sent to Nikki by noon on Sunday. A sign-up sheet will be available at church on Sunday or you can email mushmellowfrmhvn@comcast.net or text your order to 503-577-6851.
This year for Ash Wednesday on March 2nd, we will be offering an in person service at 7 pm which includes the imposition of ashes. You also have the option of picking up ashes and instructions earlier in the day and having your own service at home. There will NOT be a hybrid option.
We are hoping that you will join us on Ash Wednesday in the Sanctuary at 7 pm or that you will do a service at your home at a time that works for you and your family.
Beaverton High School Homeless Teens Need Candy and Soup for Spring Break
Once again, we are supplying food for Beaverton High School students over the 2022 spring break. We hope to provide 4 cans of high protein soup (10 grams) as well as individually wrapped candy to each of the 120 designated students, who are homeless. So far, we need about 164 more cans of soup (recent progress in donations have been great). As you purchase bags of wrapped candy for your special Valentines, please consider buying extra or donating your extra to BHS homeless students for their Spring break food bags.
Our target date for gathering all of this is Sunday, February 27. Please place your donated soup and candy on the rack in the box by the Chapel. Your donations may be brought to the church on Sundays or during the times listed below.
Food Cupboard hours are the preferred times for delivery.
Mondays, before 8:30 am or from 11:30 am to 12:30pm
Wednesdays, from 6:00 pm to 7:00pm
Thursdays, from 11:30 am to 12:30 pm
If these times do not work for you, donations may be brought to the church office during scheduled office hours on Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays, from 9:00 am to 3:00 pm or Fridays, from 1:00 pm to 3:00 pm
Finally, Fran Jensen (franjensen@frontier.com) or Mac Macpherson (macmacpherson@hotmail.com) are able to pick up your donations. You also have the option of giving a monetary donation to Bethel UCC for "Beaverton Homeless Youth," and the project members will shop for you.
Key Dates for Opportunities to Volunteer with the BHS Food Project
Saturday, March 12, at 10:00 am. Volunteers pack grocery bags with food for the BHS kids
Monday, March 14, at 10:00 am. Volunteers pack remaining bags
Tuesday, March 15, starting at 9:15 am Volunteers deliver 720 full bags of groceries to Beaverton High School
We hope that the Saturday work session will be perfect for families with school-age kids and others who have Saturday off. All are welcome! On each of the days that we a packing bags, there will be 3 assembly lines. Each of the assembly lines will need 2 or 3 volunteers. Please contact franjensen@frontier.com or macmacpherson@hotmail.com if you can volunteer.
Registration for Camp Adams is Open in 2022!
If you are the parent/grandparent/friend/aunt/uncle of a child/teen, then you'll want to read on! Bethel believes that every child deserves to have the experience of going to camp, making new friends and experiencing God in nature. Children as young as Kindergarten can attend the Taller/Smaller camp with a parent or other adult. This is a fabulous introduction to the "camp experience." There are week-long camps for those who have completed 2nd - 12th grade.
Through the Bethel campership fund, any youth that wants to attend camp can. We just ask that if you can afford to, you make a donation to the Bethel Campership Fund. An email went out to all families this week with more details.
Taller and Smaller (completed K-3rd w/ adult) July 5-8, 2022
Exodus (completed 9th-12th) July 10-16, 2022
Sojourners (completed 7th-8th) July 24-29, 2022
Discoverers (completed 5th-6th) July 31-August 5, 2022
Genesis/Seekers (completed 2nd-4th) August 7-12, 2022
If you'd like to learn more about Camp Adams, click here.
If you're ready to register, click here and log out of the registration process once it asks for payment and the church will be notified.
Once you have registered, please let Beth know. If you have any questions or problems registering, please contact Beth Astarte, Program Coordinator at ba@bethelbeaverton.org.
The Universal Christ – An Eight Week Worship Series
On February 13, Rev. David Randall-Bodman will begin an extended worship series based on Fr. Richard Rohr’s book, The Universal Christ: How a Forgotten Reality Can Change Everything We See, Hope for, and Believe.
Who is Richard Rohr? Fr. Rohr is a Franciscan priest of the New Mexico Province. He is the founder of the Center for Action and Contemplation and academic dean of the CAC’s Living School. An internationally recognized author and spiritual leader, Fr. Richard teaches primarily on incarnational mysticism, nondual consciousness, and contemplation, with a particular emphasis on how these affect the social justice issues of our time.
Richard Rohr’s main point in his book is that “everything visible, without exception, is the outpouring of God.” He challenges many orthodox Christian beliefs. He wants to liberate the Christian faith from its “clannish” history. Rather than being Jesus’s last name, Christ means life in its fullness.
Fr. Rohr’s book invites us to envision Christianity in a new and different light. Rather than believing in the right things or saying the right words, at the heart of Christianity is a worldview that sees all of life as sacred. Many of us grew up believing that a “rational assent to the truth of certain mental beliefs, rather than a calm and hopeful trust that God is inherent in all things, and that this whole thing is going somewhere good.”
This worship series will stretch us. It will also provide an overview of an understanding and practice of Christianity that Fr. Rohr has been practicing for decades. The Universal Christ invites us to enter into mystery and experience God rather than trying to figure God out.
Pastor David and the entire staff are excited by the prospect that together we will develop a deeper appreciation for and practice of the religion of Jesus.
To Delve Deeper, Join The Universal Christ Book Study on Tuesday, February 15th
The learning continues on Tuesday evenings beginning February 15, 2022 from 7-8:30 pm when those who want to delve deeper into the Universal Christ materials come together to discuss the themes that Pastor David presents on Sunday mornings. All are welcome to join in the book study.
You will want to get a copy of The Universal Christ: How a Forgotten Reality Can Change Everything We See, Hope for, and Believe. Copies are available on Amazon and directly from the Center for Action and Contemplation (cac.org). If you'd like to join the book study but cannot afford the book, please contact Beth Astarte at ba@bethelbeaverton.org and a copy will be provided for you.
We will be offering the class only on Zoom. Here's the link: https://us02web.zoom.us/j/82579532974?pwd=OVhLaGdsclJVbmNHeEN4TkxrZlFxZz09.
Mental Health Awareness is Not Just for Sunday
On Sunday, February 6, 2022, Chris Bouneff, the Executive Director of the Oregon chapter of the National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI) was the guest speaker at Bethel UCC as part of their Mental Health Awareness Sunday. Please click here to download various behavioral health support resources for Oregon and Southwest Washington.
In addition to being the Executive Director, Chris oversees NAMI’s statewide public policy and education efforts, among his other duties. Chris previously served as board president of NAMI Oregon and was active in public policy issues.
NAMI Oregon is a grassroots, membership-governed organization dedicated to improving the quality of life for individuals living with mental illness and their families and other loved ones through education, support, and advocacy. NAMI is composed of members with direct lived experience with mental illness — people who live with illness, family members with a loved one who lives with illness, or people who are often both. NAMI members and leaders use their lived experience and expertise to spread acceptance and to improve services for all people affected by mental illness.
Prior to his current position with NAMI Oregon, Chris served as director of marketing and development for De Paul Treatment Centers, an addiction treatment provider for adults, youth and families located in Portland. Chris has spent a career in communications, marketing and advocacy with various agencies, including Trillium Family Services, one of Oregon’s largest children’s mental health care providers. He also served in similar positions with the Oregon Trial Lawyers Association and Boise State University. Prior to that, Chris worked as a reporter covering public policy and enterprise stories for various newspapers and magazines across the West.
He was born and raised in Portland and attended the University of Oregon, where he graduated with a degree in journalism.
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.
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.