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December 14 Announcements

Faith Formation: Please join us for our last Advent Adult Education offering in the sanctuary after worship. Fred Truitt will continue leading us on an Advent journey exploring the scriptural basis of Advent, the characters in the birth story of Jesus, and our cultural and familial traditions surrounding the season. Together in conversation, we make meaning of this special time in the church year. Join us, all are welcome! Reminder: There will be no Sunday school or nursery care available throughout the Advent season so that we can all worship together in the sanctuary.

2023 Year-end Donations: Year-end giving statements will be mailed by the end of January, 2024. Please note: any year-end donations that you want to count towards your 2023 giving statement must be received in the office by December 28 so that it can be deposited on December 29. 

2024 Stewardship Campaign: A huge thank you to all who have turned in a 2024 pledge card. If you haven’t had a chance to submit your pledge card yet, please consider dropping it the collection plate or mailing it to the office by December 17. This will help the church council draft our 2024 budget.

Christmas Poinsettias: The Altar Guild will be decorating the sanctuary with beautiful poinsettias again this year and welcomes your donations to help cover the cost. Please consider making a donation in honor or memory of someone special in your life. Envelopes for the special donations are available on the table as you enter the sanctuary.

Our Christmas Tree: A huge thank you to Karen Selvar, of Bainbridge Island Farms and Suyematsu Family Farm for donating the Christmas tree that will grace our Sanctuary. We encourage you to visit Bainbridge Island Farms on Manzanita Road if you are looking for a live tree as a way of thanking Karen for her generous donation.

Christmas Eve Services: Bethany will have two worship services on Christmas Eve. Both services will include music and candlelight. The earlier 5:00pm service will feature a special message and gift for children. This early service will be slightly shorter. The later 10:00pm service will feature the Bethany Choir and include the Service of Holy Communion. There will not be a service the morning of December 24 or Christmas morning.

Give the Lifesaving Gift of Blood: Bloodworks Northwest will hold a blood drive at Bethany on Friday, December 22. During this season of giving, please consider giving a lifesaving gift by donating blood. Appointments can be made by clicking the following link: https://donate.bloodworksnw.org/donor/auth/signin

Service of Remembrance: The annual Service of Remembrance is an opportunity to remember, honor and pray for those who have died on the streets or as a result of being homeless. The service will take place on Friday, January 5 at 4:00pm at Immanual Lutheran Church, 1215 Thomas St. Seattle. The event will also be live-streamed at hhtps://www.youtube.com/c/ImmanuelLutheranChurch.

Altar Flowers: The altar flowers this weekend are given by Barbara & Stephen Deines in honor of their 52^nd wedding anniversary.

Thank You to this weekend's Worship Assistants:           
          Altar Duty: Barbara Swartling
          Saturday 5:00pm – Greeter/Usher: Carol Fenner; Lay Reader: Carol Fenner: Hospitality Host: Jennie Harris
          Sunday 10:00am – Greeters/Ushers: Barbara & David Swartling; Lay Reader: Linda Knudsen; Communion Assistant: Barbara Swartling; Hospitality Host: Karen Kushner & Linnea Chu

Christmas Eve Worship Assistants:
          Altar Duty: Gail Christensen
          5:00pm Early Service – Greeters/Ushers: Rachel & Lloyd Pritchett; Lay Reader: Rachel Pritchett
         10:00pm Late Service – Greeters/Ushers: TBD; Lay Reader: Carol Fenner; Communion Assistant: Vicki Browning

December 7 Announcements

Faith Formation: Please join us for our Advent Adult Education Forum co-led by Fred Truitt and Pastor Erin. This creative study is reflective of the season and will offer scriptural, poetic, and theological insights. It's interactive and discussion based, so please come for learning and sharing. Fred has also made available some Advent books from his own collection for you to borrow to enrich your own Advent reflection at home. Come and experience what promises to be a meaningful and thought provoking offering this Advent season. Everyone is welcome! We meet in the sanctuary after worship. Reminder: There will be no Sunday school or nursery care available throughout the Advent season so that we can all worship together in the sanctuary.

Advent Devotionals:  With many thanks to Fred Truitt, this year our Advent devotional will be in the form of poetry--one for each day of the season including a reflection prompt for your personal use. The devotionals began on the first day of Advent, December 3, and you'll continue to receive one poem and reflection prompt by email--so don't forget to check your inbox for daily inspiration! Hard copies of all the poems and reflection prompts (plus a resource list of Advent books) is available on the table in the Narthex.

2023 Year-end Donations & 2024 Stewardship Campaign: A huge thank you to all who have turned in a 2024 pledge card. If you haven’t had a chance to submit your pledge card yet, please consider dropping it the collection plate or mailing it to the office by December 17^th. This will help the church council draft our 2024 budget. Year-end giving statements will be mailed by the end of January, 2024. Please note: any year-end donations that you want to count towards your 2023 giving statement must be received in the office by December 28^th so that it can be deposited on December 29^th. 

December Bible Study: The Women’s Bible Study and Book Group will meet on Monday, December 11 at 9:30am. The Men’s Bible Study Group will meet on Tuesday, December 12 at 8:00am. All Bible study groups meet in fellowship hall.

Christmas Caroling: Calling anyone who enjoys singing Christmas carols! Everyone is invited to gather after the 10am service on Sunday, December 10 and venture out to sing Christmas carols to Bethany members who are unable to come to church. Carolers will also bring Christmas joy by delivering cookies provided by the Altar Guild’s annual cookie exchange on Thursday, December 7. Sign up for caroling on the hallway bulletin board.

Winter Wonders Holiday at Bloedel Reserve:  Plan now to meet at church at 1:00 on December 17 to carpool to the reserve for a "wintry walk through the gardens and pause at the Residence to enjoy festive decorations, photo opportunities, and community-oriented activities".  Several members of the congregation have memberships so we can get some people into the gardens at no cost. Reservations are required at Bloedel so the last day to sign up for the walk is December 10. The first to sign up will get the no or low cost option! Contact Mary Jensen at  or Benay Nordby at   or put your name AND email address on the sign-up sheet in the hallway to join the group! And let the same two people know if there is interest in a day trip in December to walk around Port Townsend to see festive holiday decorations, perhaps shop and meet for lunch.  If there is a group, we will choose a day and carpool!

Christmas Poinsettias: The Altar Guild will be decorating the sanctuary with beautiful poinsettias again this year and welcomes your donations to help cover the cost. Please consider making a donation in honor or memory of someone special in your life. Envelopes for the special donations will be available in your bulletin or on the table as you enter the sanctuary.

Our Christmas Tree: A huge thank you to Karen Selvar, of Bainbridge Island Farms and Suyematsu Family Farm for donating the Christmas tree that will grace our Sanctuary. We encourage you to visit Bainbridge Island Farms on Manzanita Road if you are looking for a live tree as a way of thanking Karen for her generous donation.

Christmas Eve Services: Bethany will have two worship services on Christmas Eve. Both services will include music and candlelight. The earlier 5:00pm service will feature a special message and handout for children. This early service will be slightly shorter. The later 10:00pm service will feature the Bethany Choir and include the Service of Holy Communion. There will not be a service the morning of December 24 or Christmas morning.

Christmas Gifts for Martha and Mary Residents: Please help us share the Joy!  Bethany has a covenant relationship with Martha and Mary Health Services and we enjoy a history of generously supporting their mission and helping to enrich the lives of residents. In past Christmases, we have provided a list of specific gifts for residents, but given the short timeframe this year, they have suggested that people donate cash or contribute online at the Martha and Mary website indicating that the funds are for resident gifts. Online donations can be made by clicking this link: https://marthaandmary.app.neoncrm.com/np/clients/marthaandmary/donation.jsp. Be sure to note 'resident gifts' in the comment section. Deadline for donations is December 10th.  A staff person and some members of our Church and Community committee plan to shop for items on December 11th.  Questions?  Contact Linnea Chu (text or call: 206-499-4346)

Give the Lifesaving Gift of Blood: Northwest Bloodworks will hold a blood drive at Bethany on Friday, December 22. During this season of giving, please consider giving a lifesaving gift by donating blood. Appointments can be made by clicking the following link:

Altar Flowers: The altar flowers this weekend are given by Sonja Selboe.

Thank You to this weekend's Worship Assistants:           
          Altar Duty: Vickie Bech
          Saturday 5:00pm – Greeter/Usher: Jennie Harris; Lay Reader: Jennie Harris: Hospitality Host: Veronika & Jim Rohrscheib
          Sunday 10:00am – Greeters/Ushers: Debbie & Andy Rimkus; Lay Reader: Claire Dasler; Communion Assistant: Linnea Chu; Hospitality Host: Claire & Marty Dasler  

Next weekend's Worship Assistants:
          Altar Duty: Barbara Swartling
          Saturday 5:00pm – Greeter/Usher: Carol Fenner; Lay Reader: Carol Fenner: Hospitality Host: Jennie Harris
          Sunday 10:00am – Greeters/Ushers: Barbara & David Swartling; Lay Reader: Linda Knudsen; Communion Assistant: Barbara Swartling; Hospitality Host: Karen Kushner & Linnea Chu