Our blog

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.)

1. You can send a check to OBA's Elemu Fund: OBA, 7100 Northland Circle North, Suite 403 , Brooklyn Park, MN  55428
2. You can write a check to Bethany and designate it for Operation Bootstrap,  Africa's Elemu Fund/Glory Godwin.
3. 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.

August 7 Announcements

Annual Bethany BBQ
Come this Saturday, August 9 at 6:00 for the annual Bethany BBQ. We will provide many delicious items for the grill:  hot dogs, hamburgers, turkey burgers and veggie burgers. Buns, condiments and desserts also provided. Please bring sides and salads to add to the feast. (This could include cheese, lettuce, tomatoes etc.) There will be a sing-a-long for fun between bites. Set up for those who can help will start at 4:00pm. For questions, please contact Mary Jensen at  .

Pr. Kristy Available for Office Hours
Pr. Kristy plans to come over to Bainbridge on the 12:30 ferry on Saturday and stay for the BBQ. She will be at Bethany Saturday afternoon for anyone who would like to set up a time to talk. You can email her at

Call Committee Update
The Call Committee is pleased to inform the Bethany community that they have presented their candidate of choice to the congregational council! The next step is for the council to prepare an offer to extend to the candidate, the Rev. Dr. Martin Eldred. Pastor 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. Mark your calendars and plan now to attend our 10:00am service on Sunday, August 17, when Pr. Martin and his wife, Shelly will join us for worship and stay after for a ‘Meet & Greet’. Then return the following Sunday, August 24 for worship and a special congregational meeting to vote on calling Pr. Martin as Bethany’s next pastor!

Lutheran World Relief School Kits
It’s late July, and school supplies are on sale! That’s good news for folks who want to help students around the world with Lutheran World Relief school supply kits. Last year generous folks helped provide enough supplies for 101 kits from Bethany, and we could even top that number this year.

The supply collection box will be in the narthex, along with lists of items needed. Please take and use the list when shopping and donating, as LWR wants to guarantee uniformity and fairness to all recipients. We will collect supplies until October, when kits will be assembled and sent. 

Thanks to generosity of Bethany members and friends, children in poverty-who otherwise might not attend school-have the chance for education and a better a life. You can be a part of this rewarding experience.

Buildings and Grounds Work Party
All are invited to a 1-hour work party at 10:00am Saturday, August 16, at Bethany, hosted by the Buildings and Grounds team. A variety of tasks will be offered, as we work to keep our premises in good shape. One pickup needed. RSVP to Rachel Pritchett at rachelpritchett@com.

Women’s Retreat
The Women’s Retreat is only a few weeks away! This weekend we will start 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 ( ). 

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.)

1. You can send a check to OBA's Elemu Fund: OBA, 7100 Northland Circle North, Suite 403 , Brooklyn Park, MN  55428
2. You can write a check to Bethany and designate it for Operation Bootstrap,  Africa's Elemu Fund/Glory Godwin.
3. 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. And Barbara and David Swartling had the pleasure of connecting with Glory at the ELCA Churchwide Assembly last week! 

CROP Walk
The CROP Hunger Walk is a nationwide movement sponsored by Church World Service (CWS) to raise funds to end hunger and poverty in the U.S. and around the world. Hundreds of religious groups, businesses, schools and others organize local Walk events in their communities each year, while others join the National Walk and choose their own location and experience. With leadership from a committed group of Bainbridge Island-North Kitsap Interfaith Council (BINK IFC) folks over time, BINK IFC has participated for many years and raised a significant amount for hunger relief. CWS has received 75% of those funds, with the remaining 25% going locally to Helpline House and Fishline. This year the need is even greater, and BINK IFC is looking for new and better ways to address growing food insecurity. We need to get started planning and the first step is to identify team leaders who could help with planning and spreading the word in our congregations. Our local CROP Walk event will take place the last week in September culminating with the CROP/DANCE on Sunday, Sept. 28th. Are you ready to sign up, share the fun, and be a TEAM LEADER for our Week to Feed Our Neighbors? If so, contact Debbie in the office for more information:

Pastoral Care at Bethany
Pastor Kristy Daniels and Pastor Erin continue to be available for Pastoral Care for congregants during this transition period. If you have a pastoral care need, please email or call the church office and Debbie will assist you. If Debbie is not there to take your call, leave a message or call the number provided for emergencies.

Prayers are Requested: for Sue Morris as she mourns the death of her father, Pastor Sam Hatlestad.

Altar Flowers: The altar flowers for this Sunday are given by Melanie and Doug Olson.

Thank You to this Sunday’s Worship Assistants:
          Altar Duty: Kathy Dudgeon
          Sunday 10:00am – Greeters/Ushers: Barbara & David Swartling; Lay Reader: Benay Nordby; Communion Assistants: Linnea Chu & Lynn Nordby; Hospitality Host: Kristi Sutton & Vicki Browning              

Next Sunday’s Worship Assistants:
          Altar Duty: Kathy Dudgeon
          Sunday 10:00am – Greeters/Ushers: Eve & Mike Curtis; Lay Reader: Mike Curtis; Communion Assistants: Barbara & David Swartling; Hospitality Hosts: Call Committee & Congregational Council

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.