August 14 Announcements
Welcoming Pr. Martin and Shelly Edred
This Sunday we welcome the Rev. Dr. Martin Eldred, the call committee’s recommended pastor candidate, and his wife Shelly. They will be joining us for worship and then staying during the fellowship hour for a “meet and greet”. Pr. Eldred was born and raised in the Seattle/Tacoma area and attended Pacific Lutheran University. He studied theology at Wartburg Theological Seminary and has served calls at Shepherd of the Hills Lutheran in Stevenson, WA, Hope Lutheran in Enumclaw, WA, Joy Lutheran in Eagle River, AK, and Holy Cross Lutheran in Herndon, VA. He is currently serving as an interim pastor at River of Grace Lutheran in Manassas, VA. Pr. Martin and Shelly are looking forward to this opportunity to get to know the Bethany community. For those of you that cannot be here on Sunday, Pr. Martin will also be at Bethany on Monday, August 18 beginning at 10:00am. Please stop by and introduce yourself!
Special Congregational Meeting
Please plan now to come to worship on August 24 and stay after for a special congregational meeting. The purpose of the meeting will be to vote on extending a call to the Rev. Dr. Martin Edred and to vote on the compensation package to offer Pr. Martin. We are excited to be in the final steps of this transition process!
LWR School Supply Drive Progress
Wow, leave it to Bethany folks to be generous and thoughtful! School supplies have been magically appearing in the donation tub(s )in the narthex, and we are very grateful. Because of this generosity we are getting closer to our goal of over a hundred (110?!) filled school bags. Here’s an amended list of supplies we still need:
- Notebooks (70-page spiral, one subject)
- Rulers (12 inches, with centimeters on one side)
- Scissors (children’s blunt nose)
- Ball point pens (non-gel; black or blue ink)
- Crayons (16 or 24 count)
Bethany Preschool Update
Our preschool offers three classes. The Bumblebee class for 2 1/2 3 year olds meets on Monday and Wednesday mornings. The Firefly class for 3 - 4 year olds meets on Tuesday and Thursday mornings. The Grasshopper class for 4 - 5 year olds meets on Monday, Wednesday and Friday mornings. While preschool takes a break for summer, they did have three fun weeks of summer camp with 14 children enrolled each week. They enjoyed perfect weather and lots of exciting activities.
Bethany Preschool has an opening in the Firefly Class (3 - 4 year olds). If you, or someone you know might be interested, please contact our Director, Julianne Haggerty, at
Women’s Retreat
The Women’s Retreat is only a few weeks away! We have started collecting the fee for the retreat. Please send it to the church or put it in the labeled, decorated box you will see on the table in the narthex. Please pay $200 for 2 nights and 5 meals if you can. The base fee is $190 but we are hoping to collect a little extra to help pay for those who find the fee a bit steep. Please be sure to note ‘women’s retreat’ in the memo field of your check. If you have questions contact Collen Chupik (
) or Mary Jensen (
).
Debbie Out of the Office
Debbie has family visiting next week and will be out of the office on Wednesday and Thursday. Please send Debbie any items for next week’s announcements by noon on Monday, August 18.
Supporting Glory Godwin
Bethany Lutheran Church has had a long-standing, close relationship with the MaaSae Girls Lutheran Secondary School in Monduli, Tanzania. We have hosted visits from teachers and students; pastors and members of the congregation have visited the school; a number of members sponsor students; in 2017 Barbara and Stephen Deines volunteered there as tutors. During their time at MGLSS, they met one of the older students, Glory Godwin. Since then, Glory received an ELCA scholarship to study at Concordia Lutheran College in Moorhead, MN. She served as a dorm resident assistant, worked in a medical lab and sang in the choir. Glory is a remarkable and gifted young person who hopes to serve the people of Tanzania. She has been accepted to George Washington University's graduate program in public health. She worked the year after she graduated from Concordia in order to help pay the cost of her tuition. If she works another year, she will lose her student visa and be sent back to Tanzania with no hope of return. Funds are still needed to cover the cost of this fall's tuition. If you wish to contribute you can do so three ways. In each case, please make a note that the donation is specifically for Glory Godwin. All donations will go to Operation Bootstrap Africa, a nonprofit that partners with Africans to create a brighter future. (Funds are due no later than 8/20/25.)
- You can send a check to OBA's Elemu Fund: OBA, 7100 Northland Circle North, Suite 403 , Brooklyn Park, MN 55428
- You can write a check to Bethany and designate it for Operation Bootstrap, Africa's Elemu Fund/Glory Godwin.
- You can donate online: bootstrapafrica.org
You can pray for Glory! She is trusting in God's presence as she works toward her goal. Barbara and Stephen Deines and Glory are grateful for any support you can give.
Bainbridge/North Kitsap CROP Hunger Walk-Dance, Sepember 28
You can help fight hunger by supporting the Bainbridge/North Kitsap CROP Hunger Walk-Dance. No one in this world should be hungry. That's why the CROP Hunger Walk-Dance is more than just a gathering of people in a place. We're part of a movement, taking steps and raising funds together to provide meals for those in our own community who need them - and supporting programs that create greater food security in communities all around the world.
Celebrate "Everybody Eats!" week with the BINK Interfaith Council September. 21-28! We invite you to plan your own CROP Walk of any duration; and/or attend our CROP Dance Sunday, September 28, 1:30-3:00, which will be our culminating event, led by Dances of Universal Peace. IFC is also planning a prayer vigil and food drives during "Everybody Eats!" week. Funds raised will be shared between Church World Service, Helpline, and Fishline. Join this community effort to fight food insecurity here and around the world.
Please join us in the fight against hunger. The steps we take and funds we raise will make a difference in the lives of others. To sign up or to donate to Bethany Lutheran’s Team, click here: https://events.crophungerwalk.org/crophungerwalks/team/bethany-lutheran-of-bainbridge
Altar Flowers: The altar flowers for this Sunday are given by Luanne and Tom Croker in thanksgiving for their grandchildren.
Thank You to this Sunday’s Worship Assistants:
Altar Duty: Barbara Swartling
Sunday 10:00am – Greeters/Ushers: Eve & Mike Curtis; Lay Reader: Mike Curtis; Communion Assistants: Barbara & David Swartling; Hospitality Host: Church Council
Next Sunday’s Worship Assistants:
Altar Duty: Carol Fenner
Sunday 10:00am – Greeters/Ushers: Jim Rohrscheib & Stephen Deines; Lay Reader: Barbara Deines; Communion Assistants: Barbara Deines & Linnea Chu; Hospitality Hosts: Kathy & Doug Dudgeon
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.