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May 16th Announcements

Guest Preacher
Pastor Erin is out of the office until Monday, May 20, so she can be with her family in New York to attend her daughter's college graduation. David Swartling has graciously offered to preach and lead worship on Saturday, May 18, and Sunday, May 19. Please note communion will not be served in worship on Saturday evening. We are especially grateful to hear from David on this Pentecost Sunday. (Be sure to wear red!) Thank you, David!!

Sunday School
Doug Olson, a former science teacher will be filling in for Kathy Dudgeon this weekend in Sunday School. He is looking forward to sharing scripture-based science experiments for Pentecost with the children. There will not be Sunday School on May 26, Memorial Day weekend. Our last day of Sunday School will be June 16. A huge thank you to Kathy for leading our program. While Sunday School takes a break for the summer, we will be planning for the fall and a new program year!

Confirmation Exploration
Our confirmation exploration class is in full swing--and it's a lot of fun! Our next gathering will be on Sunday, May 19, from 3:00 pm to 5:00 pm in Fellowship Hall. All 8th – 12th graders are welcome, even if you weren’t able to attend previous gatherings. We’ll continue to discuss BIG questions about faith and more while we prepare ourselves for baptism and confirmation, which will be celebrated in worship on June 2. Please let Pastor Erin know if you are interested.   

There will be NO Saturday worship service on June 1. Please plan to come on Sunday to witness confirmation and baptism!


Men’s Bible Study
The Men’s Bible Study group will meet on Tuesday, May 21 at 8:30am. Please note the new time for this Bible Study group.

Debbie Out of the Office
Debbie will be taking a vacation and out of the office May 18 – June 3. Kathy Dudgeon will be providing some limited office coverage over those two weeks. Debbie will have limited or no email access during her vacation so a call to the office is best for any administrative questions or needs during this time. And while Debbie is not visiting her granddaughter during this vacation, she couldn’t resist including a cute picture!

 

Transition Facilitator
We are blessed to welcome Pastor David Hahn, to Bethany as our Transition Facilitator. Pastor Hahn will be working with the Transition Team and also the Call Committee as we move forward in our discernment process to call a new pastor. Pastor Hahn is going to preach and lead worship for us on Saturday, May 25 at 5:00 pm. Please consider attending on Saturday night to meet Pastor Hahn and welcome him to Bethany!

Pastor Hahn has a ministry and academic background and currently serves the synod offices part-time. Here's a little snippet  from the synod website to help you know something about him: Pastor Hahn brings imagination, curiosity, playfulness and thoughtfulness to his position as the synod’s Director of Formation and Learning. His central focus can be said to be living at the intersection between the Holy Spirit’s leadership and listening practices.   

He is most excited about developing the LiVE Project alongside a faithful team of synod leaders. Living into Vocational Engagement, LiVE, is the synod’s newest initiative focused on partnering with lay leaders to deepen their own exploration and discovery of God’s passion for their lives and communities.

 

Transition Team Seeks Your Comments
As we live in this time of change and growth, the Transition Team invites Bethanians to share comments about our current and future life together. While the Transition Team might share suggestions and comments received with the congregational council or the community, this will be done anonymously. Comments and suggestions can be emailed by clicking this email address:   

Christian Nationalism: A Threat to the Gospel and Democracy
Plan now to come to worship on Sunday, June 9 when our guest pastor will be the Rev. Dr. Rick Rouse. In addition to preaching during the service, Rev. Rouse will lead an adult forum after the service. The forum will explore the phenomena that is sweeping the country known as White Christian Nationalism and discover why it threatens both our democracy and the future of the Christian Witness in the United States. We will also unpack the myth that America was founded as a Christian nation. Rev. Rouse is the author of The World is About to Turn: Mending a Nation’s Broken Faith (2020), and A Journey Called Hope: Today’s Immigrant Stories and the American Dream (August 2024 release date).

Supporting Martha & Mary
Giant bouquets of gratitude to you most generous Bethanians for your support of the annual Martha and Mary Generations of Care auction offerings!  A special thanks to the quilters and the altar guild for their stellar efforts. Bethany’s support of the mission of Martha and Mary serving seniors and children is well noted.  Thank you, thank you. From your delegates: Benay Nordby, Kristi Sutton and Noreen Sievertson, and Board members: Lynn Nordby and Linnea Chu.  

And registration is now open for the online auction. For more information visit the Martha and Mary website or click here to register.

 

Schola Nova’s Vespers
Vespers is a short, contemplative service which marks the transition from day to evening. You are invited to join us for music and readings which celebrate the gift of the Holy Spirit on Sunday, May 19, 6:00pm at St. Barnabas Episcopal Church.   

Altar Flowers: The altar flowers this weekend are provided by the altar guild in celebration of Pentecost.

Thank You to this weekend’s Worship Assistants:
          Altar Duty: Carol Fenner
          Saturday 5:00pm – Greeter/Usher: Dick Coar; Lay Reader: Jennie Harris; Hospitality Host: Jennie Harris
          Sunday 10:00am – Greeters/Ushers: Luanne & Tom Croker; Lay Reader: Linnea Chu; Communion Assistant: Linnea Chu; Hospitality Hosts: Miriam Barrenger & Alice McCain               

Next Weekend’s Worship Assistants:
          Altar Duty: Kathy Dudgeon
          Saturday 5:00pm – Greeter/Usher: Charlene Selvar; Lay Reader: Rachel Pritchett; Hospitality Host: Carol Fenner
          Sunday 10:00am – Greeters/Ushers: Barbara & David Swartling; Lay Reader: Noreen Sievertson; Communion Assistant: Jeff Sievertson; Hospitality Hosts: Becci Kerstetter & Vicki Browning

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May 9 Announcements

Congratulations!
We congratulate Emily and Vaughn Rohrdanz on the birth of Penelope Mae. Grandparents Sylvia and Jim Cauter are already in love with their new granddaughter. Please keep Penelope and her parents in your prayers as they embark on this new journey together. 

 

Guest Preacher
Pastor Erin will be out of the office from Tuesday, May 14 to Saturday, May 18, so she can be with her family in New York to attend her daughter's college graduation. David Swartling has graciously offered to preach and lead worship on Saturday, May 18, and Sunday, May 19. Please note communion will not be served in worship on Saturday evening. We are especially grateful to hear from David on this Pentecost Sunday. (Be sure to wear red!) Thank you, David!!

Confirmation Exploration
Our confirmation exploration class is in full swing--and it's a lot of fun! We've met twice to probe big questions about the church, its role in the world, and how the Bible might be relevant to our lives today. Our next gathering will be on Sunday, May 19, from 3:00 pm to 5:00 pm in Fellowship Hall. All 8th – 12th graders are welcome, even if you weren’t able to attend the first two gatherings. We’ll continue to discuss these questions and more while we prepare ourselves for baptism and confirmation, which will be celebrated in worship on June 2. Please let Pastor Erin know if you are interested.  Please note there will not be a Saturday 5pm service on June 1 so that the Bethany community can all attend on Sunday morning to celebrate our confirmands.

New Bethany Cares Team
Bethany is forming a new team called Bethany Cares to help meet pastoral needs in the community. As a way of identifying who might have pastoral needs and who would like to join our Bethany Cares team, the council is asking everyone to complete a survey that will help us understand how we can better serve our church community when needs arise. The surveys will be available on a table in the narthex and we ask that you complete one the next time you attend worship or stop by the church. You can also print a survey and complete it at home by clicking here. Completed surveys can be placed in the designated envelope on the table in the narthex. They can also be dropped off or mailed to Debbie in the office. We thank you for caring.

Transition Team Seeks Your Comments
As we live in this time of change and growth, the Transition Team invites Bethanians to share comments about our current and future life together. While the Transition Team might share suggestions and comments received with the congregational council or the community, this will be done anonymously. Comments and suggestions can be emailed to

Supporting Martha & Mary
Thanks to Bethany’s generous 2023 Auction contributions, Martha & Mary opened a beautiful new childcare center in Poulsbo this past January. Our 2024 campaign will benefit improvements to the Silverdale Childcare and Learning Center. Over 700 families are served by these facilities with a waitlist of 300 children. The 2024 online auction begins on May 20 and culminates on May 30. Gift cards, memberships, entertainment certificates and themed ‘baskets’ like Family Fun Night, Garden Work, Spa Party are examples of popular items. If you would like to donate funds towards an auction item, your Bethany delegates (Lynn Nordby, Kristi Sutton, Benay Nordby and Linnea Chu) will be happy to assemble themed baskets. Please make a check out to Bethany with Martha & Mary in the memo line. Envelopes to contribute towards auction items are available on the table in the narthex. Questions? Please see any of your delegates.  

 

Schola Nova’s Vespers
Vespers is a short, contemplative service which marks the transition from day to evening. You are invited to join us for music and readings which celebrate the gift of the Holy Spirit on Sunday, May 19, 6:00pm at St. Barnabas Episcopal Church.  

Altar Flowers: The altar flowers this weekend are given by Birgit Davis in honor of all the mothers on Mother’s Day. 

Thank You to this weekend’s Worship Assistants:
          Altar Duty: Gail Christensen
          Saturday 5:00pm – Greeter/Usher: Jennie Harris; Lay Reader: Gail Christensen; Hospitality Hosts: Birgit Davis & Carolyn Weiss
          Sunday 10:00am – Greeters/Ushers: Debbie & Andy Rimkus; Lay Reader: Doug Dudgeon; Communion Assistant: Doug Dudgeon; Hospitality Hosts: Vicki Browning & Kristi Sutton               

Next Weekend’s Worship Assistants:
          Altar Duty: Carol Fenner
          Saturday 5:00pm – Greeter/Usher: Dick Coar; Lay Reader: Carol Fenner; Hospitality Host: Carol Fenner
          Sunday 10:00am – Greeters/Ushers: TBD; Lay Reader: Linnea Chu; Communion Assistant: Linnea Chu; Hospitality Hosts: Miriam Barrenger & Alice McCain

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