Our blog

October 30 Announcements

Installation for Pastor Martin!
Mark your calendars for 3:00pm, Sunday, December 9, when Bishop Shelley Bryan Wee will be here to install Pr. Martin as Bethany’s called Pastor. Reverend Paul Eldred, the pastor at Central Lutheran Church of the Holy Trinity and Pr. Martin’s son, will be preaching at the installation service. Plan now to attend this joyful and important day for the Bethany community.

A Note from the Stewardship Team
Last Sunday, Reformation Sunday, was also Commitment Sunday at Bethany, and a sincere thanks to all who braved a rainy morning to attend worship and place their 2026 Commitment Cards in the offering plate. We continue to welcome your Commitment Cards - which you may mail in, bring to the office, or place in the offering plate. Remember that more than 90% of Bethany’s budget is funded through our offerings. This means that we all share in supporting our staff, programming, and mission and outreach – to this community, the wider church, and a world in need. Thank you for your generosity!

3rd Quarter Statements
The 3rd quarter giving statements were mailed earlier this week. If you did not receive your statement, contact Debbie to receive a copy of the statement. If you have questions about your giving statement, contact pledge secretary Kristi Sutton at

A Thank You from Rachel Circle
The beautiful quilts and kits have been boxed up and are on their way to Lutheran World Relief for distribution to people in need all over the world. With your help, Rachel Circle shipped 72 quilts, 59 baby care kits, 109 school supply kits, and 25 personal care kits. The Rachel Circle is tremendously grateful for the support of the Bethany community through your help in assembling the school supply kits and donations towards the cost of shipping. Thank you!

Bible Study in November
The Rachel Circle Bible Study group will meet on Tuesday, November 4 at 10:00am followed by quilting. The Women’s Book & Bible Study group will meet on Monday, November 10 at 9:30am. All Bible Study groups meet in Fellowship Hall. 

Pastor Martin would like to begin offering additional Bible study opportunities. He invites anyone interested to come on Tuesday, November 11 at 9:00am. Bring your thoughts on Bible study topics, meeting times, frequency, etc. All are welcome to attend this first Bible study with Pr. Martin and information gathering session.

Open Position at Bethany
As noted previously, Debbie will be retiring by the end of 2025. The application and interview process for a new church administrator has begun! If you, or someone you know, would like to apply for the position, send a resume and cover letter to

LiVE Project Retreat
Come join in an exciting and informative retreat titled "Practicing Faith in a Woven Way," with speaker Bishop Leila Ortiz, from 9:00 to 3:00 Saturday, November 1, at Grace Lutheran Church of Des Moines or on Zoom. The day of learning, fellowship and fun is sponsored by the LIVE Project of the Northwest Washington Synod. The cost is $50 per person; lunch is included. Register at lutheransnw.org. A carpool from Bethany is planned. If you would like to carpool to the retreat, email Debbie at

Men’s Compline Service is Back after Summer Hiatus
The Men’s Compline Choir of Bainbridge Island is an ecumenical ministry, currently hosted by St. Cecilia Parish but with members from many island churches, including Bethany. For over 30 years, this choir has offered once a month the service of Compline, or Night Prayer, the final prayer liturgy of the day. Compline is a service of prayer and reflection. Set your heart and mind at peace as the end of the weekend as the choir sings at 7:00pm on Sunday, November 2, and the first Sunday of every month, September through June, at St. Cecilia Church. 

Stephens House Open House and Fundraiser
Stephens House invites the Bethany community to stop by their Open House on Saturday, November 1, 3:00-6:00pm. Come meet their staff and learn more about their mission and how you might support it. The Open House serves as a fundraiser for the program. A suggested donation of $20 will be much appreciated.

Community Thanksgiving DinnerAll are invited to a no-cost Thanksgiving dinner at St. Cecilia's Church on Thursday, November 27 at 11:00am. The dinner will be prepared by local restaurants with vegetarian options available. There is no cost for the dinner but reservations are needed. Register by November 14 by calling IVC (206-8424441), Helpline House (2026-842-7612) or BI Senior Center (206-842-1616). 

Altar Flowers: The altar flowers for this Sunday are given by Jan Thrun in celebration of her birthday.

Thank You to this Sunday’s Worship Assistants:
          Altar Duty: Kathy Dudgeon
          Sunday 10:00am – Greeters/Ushers: Eve & Mike Curtis; Lay Reader: Barbara Deines; Communion Assistants: Linnea Chu & Carol Fenner; Hospitality Hosts: Kristi Sutton & Barbara Deines              

Next Sunday’s Worship Assistants:
          Altar Duty: Carol Fenner
          Sunday 10:00am – Greeters/Ushers: Tim Carlsen & Bruce McCain; Lay Reader: Benay Nordby; Communion Assistants: Lynn Nordby & Rachel Pritchett; Hospitality Hosts: Becci Kerstetter & Rachel Pritchett

Bethany is a Reconciling in Christ congregation, which is an affirmation of welcome that specifically names people of all sexual orientations, gender identities, and gender expressions, and also expresses a commitment to racial equity.

October 23 Announcements

A Thank You to the Bethany Community
Pr. Martin, Shelly and Shelly’s mom Bonnie are grateful for the very warm welcome they received last Sunday. They are looking forward to many more joy-filled Sundays and getting to know the Bethany community. Pr. Martin will be away this Sunday celebrating the 50^th anniversary of his former congregation in Alaska. Pr. Kristy will be leading worship this Sunday, Reformation Sunday. 

Commitment Sunday
This Sunday, October 26, is Commitment Sunday. You should have received your commitment card in the mail. Prayerfully consider what your giving for 2026 will be, giving that goes well beyond the walls of Bethany and out into a world in need. Enter that amount on your commitment card, which also will offer an opportunity to give to Bethany's flush fund. Please bring your cards to church on Commitment Sunday to place in the offering plate. Cards after that can be brought to church or mailed to Bethany, 7968 Finch Road NE, Bainbridge Island, WA 98110. A giant and heartfelt thank you again this year for your generosity. See you on Commitment Sunday! - The Stewardship Committee - Jim Rohrscheib, Barbara Swartling, Rachel Pritchett

It Takes a Village!
To create 106 LWR school kits! On Sunday October 19, Bethany members did just that. It was a joy to see folks of all ages line up in the Parish Hall, before a pizza lunch, to fill book bags with supplies that were laid out by category. The filled book bags will soon be shipped to Lutheran World Relief in Baltimore and then given to children in need so that they can attend school and succeed.

This could not have happened without the help of so many. Book bags were sewn by volunteers with donated fabric, most of the school supplies were given by caring individuals, lunch was prepared and served by Bethany’s Fellowship Committee, and volunteers stepped up to lay out supplies and supervise Sunday’s activities. In addition, Thrivent Financial (Thrivent.com) gave a $250 Action Team grant which helped to purchase needed supplies and lunch treats. 

That’s quite a village! Our appreciation goes out to everyone involved. And if you missed out, remember there’s always next year.

Donations towards Quilt/Kit Shipping Costs
Joe Sommerseth and Stan Wigman will once again be taking the boxes of quilts and kits over to Seattle for delivery to Lutheran World Relief. You can still support Rachel Circle by making a donation to help with the shipping costs. Look for a donation envelope on the table in the narthex. Please note Rachel Circle or LWR Shipping in the memo field on a check. Any amount is welcome and all donations go to LWR to cover the shipping costs.

Bible Study in November
The Rachel Circle Bible Study group will meet on Tuesday, November 4 at 10:00am followed by quilting. The Women’s Book & Bible Study group will meet on Monday, November 10 at 9:30am. Both Bible study groups meet in fellowship hall.

Pastor Martin would like to begin offering additional Bible study opportunities. He invites anyone interested to come on Tuesday, November 11 at 9:00am. Bring your thoughts on Bible study topics, meeting times, frequency, etc. All are welcome to attend this first Bible study with Pr. Martin and information gathering session.

Open Position at Bethany
As Debbie noted last week, she and Andy will be starting life as retirees in January, 2026. The Executive Committee has met and begun the search for Bethany’s next church administrator. You can view the position description by clicking here. If you, or someone you know, would like to apply for the position, send a resume and cover letter to

LiVE Project Retreat
Come join in an exciting and informative retreat titled "Practicing Faith in a Woven Way," with speaker Bishop Leila Ortiz, from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. Saturday, November 1, at Grace Lutheran Church of Des Moines or on Zoom. The day of learning, fellowship and fun is sponsored by the LIVE Project of the Northwest Washington Synod. The cost is $50 per person; lunch is included. Register at lutheransnw.org. A carpool from Bethany is planned. If you would like to carpool to the retreat, email Debbie at

Operation Boot Strap 60^th Anniversary Party
Barbara Deines was lucky enough to attend Operation Bootstrap Africa's 60th Anniversary Party in Minneapolis on September 27. It was a wonderful event. (Stephen missed it because he was at his 60th high school reunion!). Glory Godwin was a featured speaker; she gave a stirring speech about the importance of girls' education. She will start her graduate program in public health at George Washington in January - thanks in part to the support of the Bethany congregation - through prayers and donations. The Bethany community has long supported Operation Boot Strap through our endowment fund. 

Stephens House Open House and Fundraiser
Stephens House invites the Bethany community to stop by their Open House on Saturday, November 1, 3:00-6:00pm. Come meet their staff and learn more about their mission and how you might support it. The Open House serves as a fundraiser for the program. A suggested donation of $20 will be much appreciated.

Altar Flowers: The altar flowers for this Sunday are provided by the Altar Guild in celebration of Reformation Sunday.

Thank You to this Sunday’s Worship Assistants:
          Altar Duty: Gail Christensen
          Sunday 10:00am – Greeters/Ushers: Barbara & David Swartling; Lay Reader: Rachel Pritchett; Communion Assistants: Rachel Pritchett & Doug Dudgeon; Hospitality Hosts: Debbie & Andy Rimkus              

Next Sunday’s Worship Assistants:
          Altar Duty: Kathy Dudgeon
          Sunday 10:00am – Greeters/Ushers: Eve & Mike Curtis; Lay Reader: Barbara Deines; Communion Assistants: Linnea Chu & Carol Fenner; Hospitality Hosts: Kristi Sutton & Barbara Deines

Bethany is a Reconciling in Christ congregation, which is an affirmation of welcome that specifically names people of all sexual orientations, gender identities, and gender expressions, and also expresses a commitment to racial equity.