October 17 Announcements
Stewardship Update
A huge thank you to everyone who returned a commitment card last weekend. We are grateful for your generosity and commitment to Bethany’s mission. For those who weren’t able to be here, there is still time to drop your commitment card in the mail, in the collection plate, or with Debbie in the office. And did you know that October is National Estate Planning Awareness Month? Estate gifts provide an important opportunity for a multiplier effect in our stewardship. Indeed, estate plans are incredibly important for our families and our communities, and they can create a lasting legacy demonstrating a love for God and neighbors! You can read more about this and what it means on the website of the ELCA Foundation: Charitable Giving | the ELCA Foundation
Faith Formation – Adults
The LiVE Project is offering a Faith & Freedom Retreat: Biblical Interpretation in an Age of Christian Nationalism. The retreat takes place this Saturday, October 19 9:00am-3:30pm at First AME Church, Seattle. Drawing on the book of Galatians, Rev. Dr. Angela Parker will guide us through how to make sense of God’s Word in light of today’s cultural challenges with Christian Nationalism. Registration is FREE, lunch is included. Register HERE & enter promo code LIVEBUNDLE2024 to register for free!
Faith Formation – Sunday School
This Sunday Mr. Science (aka Doug Olson) will be here with a lesson about Moses and the Burning Bush. We will finish the month of October with Joseph and the Coat of Many Colors on October 27.
Faith Formation – Youth Group
Our second monthly Youth Group meeting in October will be on Sunday, October 27 from 3:00-5:00pm in Fellowship Hall. At this meeting, we'll have bible study for the first hour, and confirmation preparation for the second hour. Everyone is invited to come to both, even if they've already been confirmed! And don't worry if you don't have a bible, we've got you covered! We'll also have snacks on hand – just in case you need an extra incentive! Contact Pastor Erin with questions.
Debbie Out of the Office
Debbie will be away the week of October 21 helping granddaughter Marin celebrate her second birthday. (How is that even possible?!) While she will be checking email, it will be best to email Pr. Erin with any urgent matters.
Bethany Chili Cookoff
Come this Saturday, October 19 to the great Bethany Chili Cook-off! We have eight contestants vying for the honor and glory of Chili Champion! With the opportunity to taste and choose a favorite, it will be an evening to remember. We’ll start at 6:00pm after the Saturday service, with "Off the Grid" providing some appropriate accompaniment. While the chili competitors have been determined, others are encouraged to bring corn bread, dessert or a side dish to share. The fellowship team would welcome a few helpers to set up at 4:00pm on Saturday and everyone is encouraged to pitch in on clean up. This is a Fun-Raiser—Not a Fund Raiser!
Blessing the Quilts and Kits
We will be blessing the quilts and kits that we send to Lutheran World Relief (LWR) next weekend, October 26 and 27. In preparation for sending them off, the Rachel Circle is asking for donations to help with the shipping costs. The cost for delivering our donations overseas range from $1.80 for fabric kits to $3.10 for baby kits. Look for a donation envelope in your bulletin or 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. Along with blessing the quilts and kits, there will be an Adult Forum in the fellowship hall after the Sunday 10am service on October 27. Members of the Rachel Circle will give a short introduction followed by quick demonstrations of what they do on Tuesday mornings along with what it takes to put together baby and school kits. As always, the Rachel Circle is thankful for your generosity.
Hurricane Relief Efforts
Wondering how you can support our neighbors recovering from hurricanes Helene and Milton? Consider making a donation to LWR which is working to:
- Rush bottled water to North Carolina and Florida, which is the #1 most requested item.
- Cover the shipping costs to deliver LWR Quilts and Kits to multiple Lutheran and faith-based organizations in North Carolina, Florida, Mississippi and Louisiana. At least 10 semi-loads of quilts and kits are reaching these organizations, with more quilts and kits at the ready as needed. Watch and share this video of the semi leaving our warehouse for Asheville, NC with your quilts and kits.
- Deliver cash grants to many of the same organizations receiving quilts and kits. The grants allow the organizations to expand their local response, which often includes providing food, water, essential supplies and temporary housing. Most of these organizations fundraise locally, so your donation brings additional support and aid that would otherwise be unavailable.
All donations will be matched up to $125,000! Give online at lwr.org/hurricane-match or mail a check to Lutheran World Relief, PO Box 17061, Baltimore, MD 21297-1061. Write HURRICANE MATCH in the memo.
IFC-BINK Climate Circle Event at Bethany
The BINK Interfaith Council Climate Circle and Films for Flourishing invite everyone to join them as they continue to imagine a new earth-centered civilization that welcomes love and justice for all life. The event takes place tomorrow, Friday, October 18, 6:30-8:30pm. The evening will include showing the film For the Love of Life: Finding our Way to an Ecological Civilization. The film is based on the work and life of David Korten, who will offer remarks after the film to inspire conversation. All faiths, traditions, spiritual beliefs, and/or worldviews are welcome. RSVP is recommended but not required –
. For more information contact Mike Cox –
Schola Nova Vespers Service
St. Barnabas’ Schola Nova invites you to Vespers this Sunday, October 20 at 6 p.m. Please join us as we celebrate St. Teresa of Avila, which is the second in a series of three Vespers services honoring female saints. Save the date for our Vespers services celebrating St. Margaret of Scotland on November 17. If you are a treble singer interested in participating, please contact Music Director Sheila Bristow at
Housing Resources Bainbridge (HRB) Event
HRB invites everyone to join them when they host Dr. George “Mac” McCarthy, president and CEO of the Lincoln Institute of Land Policy on Thursday, October 24, 2024 at 7:00 pm. Based in Cambridge, MA, the Lincoln Institute works with communities and governments all over the world on affordable housing, conservation, and tax policy and has left its mark on affordable housing in the Seattle area too. Dr. McCarthy will be speaking about the institute’s new geospatial technology called Who Owns America.
Corporations are buying up owner-occupant single-family homes and converting them to rentals, often targeting communities of color and depriving residents of the opportunity to build wealth through homeownership. Thanks to this nationwide effort by the institute to uncover property ownership patterns, nonprofits, advocates, and local governments have a new tool to defend affordable housing stock from real estate speculators and absentee landlords. This powerful technology, with parcel-level precision, merges inaccessible, fragmented, and often out-of-date property ownership records with postal information, legal entity registrations, information on code violations, and other data to identify predatory investors and differentiate them from more honest actors.
To register for free tickets visit: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/who-owns-america-tickets-1031350947447?aff=oddtdtcreator
Stephens House Open House
Stephens House invites everyone to drop into their Open House on Saturday, November 2, 3:00-6:00pm. Come meet the staff and learn more about the program and how you might become involved. The Open House is a fundraiser for Stephens House, with tickets available for $20. Light refreshments will be available.
Prayers Are Requested: for Dick and Mary Coar who are recovering from an illness; for Ralph Schulz and Georgia Figgins who are under hospice care; for Vicki Browning who is recovering from a fall.
Altar Flowers: The altar flowers this weekend are given by Debbie & Andy Rimkus in celebration of granddaughter Marin’s second birthday.
Thank You to this weekend’s Worship Assistants:
Altar Duty: Gail Christensen
Saturday 5:00pm – Greeter/Usher: Charlene Selvar; Lay Reader: Gail Christensen; Hospitality Host: Jennie Harris
Sunday 10:00am – Greeters/Ushers: Tim Carlsen & Harry Wetzler; Lay Reader: Benay Nordby; Communion Assistant: Lynn Nordby; Hospitality Hosts: Kristi Sutton
Next Weekend’s Worship Assistants:
Altar Duty: Barbara Swartling
Saturday 5:00pm – Greeter/Usher: Jennie Harris; Lay Reader: Jennie Harris; Hospitality Host: Jim Rohrscheib
Sunday 10:00am – Greeters/Ushers: Barbara & David Swartling; Lay Reader: David Swartling; Communion Assistant: Barbara Swartling; Hospitality Hosts: Alice & Bruce McCain
