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.
Fall Worship and Study Group Series: Confronting Systemic Racism
Beginning September 18 we will be offering a combined worship and study group opportunity to move us toward a deeper understanding of systemic racism. The series will run for six weeks, culminating with a retreat October 29th with consultant, Carla Gary, J.D.The Respond to Racism committee has been working for over two years. The fall series represents a concrete step toward educating and equipping Bethel members and friends. We want to discover what we need to do in order to resist the ways systemic racism affects all of us.
Rev. David R-B will be preaching on Sunday mornings following the United Church Christ curriculum: White Privilege: Let’s Talk – A Resource for Transformational Dialogue. The following Tuesday evening from 7-8:30pm, we will offer a Zoom study group. The study group will use the resources for small groups provided by the UCC curriculum. There will be videos, readings, and opportunities to discuss and journal about our own unique experience of race.
Members of the Respond to Racism committee will serve as facilitators and guides Tuesday evenings. Team members include: Sia Lindstrom, Bob Abbey, Nancy Winston, Donna Fowler, Paul Griffo, Barbara Cormack, Mo and Nikki Manley-Smith, and Pastor David R-B.
If you would like to participate in the Tuesday evening study group, Register Here . We want to provide hard copies of the participant’s guide for those who prefer that to an electronic PDF. If you’d like to look at and download your own copy of the participant’s guide Click Here. And if you would like to see an overview of the curriculum click here (http://privilege.uccpages.org/)
New Program Coordinator
The Personnel Committee is pleased to announce the hiring of Rebekah Albert for
our position as Bethel’s Program Coordinator. Rebekah comes to us with an extensive ministry in non-profit, community-centered, team-building environments. She was a Manager at Beaverton Loaves and Fishes and knows Bethel and many of our past Food Cupboard workers well. Her skills include program development, community outreach, recruiting and training volunteers
and she sees her job as one that supports, helps and champions youth and adults.
By her peers she’s been described as, “collaborative, humble, inclusive, trusted
partner, hands-on, humorous and compassionate”. Rebekah sees her personal mission to be in perfect alignment with Bethel’s values. We will welcome Rebekah in church on August 28 and she looks forward to meeting all of you.
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.
Bethel Visits Oregon Gardens June 28th
Join us for a visit to Oregon Gardens on Tuesday June 28th. We will meet at Bethel at 9:45 and car pool from there. The drive takes a bit over 1 hour. You can explore the gardens on paved paths or take a 30-minute tram tour. There is a café there or you can bring your own lunch and eat at convenient picnic tables.
Admission is $12 for adults, $10 for seniors (60+ years old), and $9 for students age 12-17, $6 for children 5-11 and free for children 4 and under. The optional tram tour costs $3 and is available 1st come 1st serve. Please email macmacpherson@hotmail.com or call 503 641 6598 if you plan on joining us and also let him know if you can drive.
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.
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