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November 9 Announcements

Faith Formation: This week in Sunday School we'll hear the story of the widow of Nain and how Jesus showed compassion and mercy for her when she was grieving for her son. We'll learn that by practicing the same kind of empathy Jesus showed, we become more aware of how we can be helpful to those around us. Together, we'll imagine ways we can practice empathy with others in our lives. Join us for discussion, good company, crafts, and a yummy snack! Children are invited to join the Sunday School teacher at the back of the sanctuary after the children's message in worship. The teacher will accompany kids to the education building. In addition to the Children's Corner in the sanctuary, nursery care is also available on the upper level of the education building. Please be sure to register your children at drop-off. 

Please join us for Adult Education after worship in the sanctuary when we'll welcome Barbara Deines, author of Sleepy Eye Dreams. Sleepy Eye was the name of a Dakota chief and is the name of the Minnesota town her father grew up in. The book is available anywhere books are sold - including Eagle Harbor Books. If there are no more on the shelf, they can be ordered. Barbara will share with us about her inspiration for the book, the process of writing it, and what it means to her to be able to tell her family's story. Come for what promises to be a great discussion--and who knows, maybe you'll leave inspired to write your own story!

Holden Evening Prayer: Our next Holden Evening Prayer service will be this Saturday, November 11 at 5:00pm

November Impact Gathering: Come for our next Impact Gathering this Sunday, Nov. 12 from 4:00-5:30pm in the Fellowship Hall. Being the "official" season of Thanksgiving, we'll be doing a "Bring-Your-Favorite-Thanksgiving-Side-Dish" potluck (no turkey, just sides and desserts). We also invite you to bring a donation of a non-perishable food item to contribute to the food bank. Join us for a festive gathering when we will give thanks, break bread, pray, and offer ourselves as the hands and feet of Christ in the world.  Please let Pastor Erin know if you think you might attend.

November Bible Study: The Women’s Bible Study and Book Group will meet on Monday, November 13 at 9:30am. The Men’s Bible Study Group will meet on Tuesday, November 14 at 8:00am. All Bible Study groups meet in fellowship hall.

Confirmation Class: The next confirmation class will be held Monday, November 13 at 2:00pm. Students should meet Pastor Paul at the Woodward Middle School office.

Thanksgiving Eve Service: Bethany will offer a service of Thanksgiving on Wednesday, November 22 at 7:00pm. The service includes a Thanksgiving litany and special music by the choir. It is also an opportunity to enjoy our beautiful Thanksgiving altar, decorated by altar guild members Whitney Lane, Linnea Chu, Barbara Swartling, Vickie Bech, and Ruth Bartunek. Thank you!

An Affordable Housing Vision Coming Into Focus: Last Sunday a second gathering at Bethany took an initial look at three preliminary drawings prepared by architect consultant Jonathan Davis showing what an affordable housing community could look like on Bethany’s property. His work was inspired by the conversation (and work with Legos!) at a prior gathering in early October. After an initial presentation on Sunday, participants took time to more closely examine each potential layout and provide written feedback. The same three drawings are available for review at Bethany along with comment cards on which you can indicate what you like and dislike about each possibility.

In addition, the pre-application process for a Finch Green LLC project has been officially initiated with the City of Bainbridge Island! Stay tuned as the long-time vision for affordable housing on Bethany property moves closer to reality!  

A Community Conversation on Homelessness: Gregg Colburn, author of Homelessness Is a Housing Problem, is back with another book talk on the island, this time with an introduction by HRB Executive Director Phedra Elliott. If you missed his talk last May as part of our series, perhaps you’ll catch him now. At HRB, we were feeling the energy from that event for months after — so much good information and so many surprises, leaving attendees with a new perspective on the problem of homelessness and new hope for what we can achieve when we identify its root causes. The free talk takes place on Thursday, November 16, 7:30pm at Stan Pocock Rowing Center.

Faith Action Network (FAN) Annual Dinner: FAN is an advocacy organization with which Bethany has been long associated, and Bethany members have a tradition of attending their annual advocacy day and their annual dinner. The annual dinner this year takes place in Renton, on Sunday, November 19, with a 4:30 social hour and a 5:30 dinner. Those interested in attending in person or via Zoom may register online at FANWA.org/Annual-Dinner. If you are attending in person and would like to perhaps share a table, contact Alice McCain.

Amabile Concerts: The Amabile Choir presents "Songs For a Winter's Night" at Bethany Lutheran Church on Friday, Dec. 1 at 7:30 PM and Saturday, Dec. 2 at 3 PM & 7:30 PM.  Tickets are on sale at amabilechoir.org and at Dana's on Bainbridge.  The Choir looks forward to sharing their holiday music with you!

Finding Joy: The First Church of Christ, Scientist are hosting a talk on “Finding Joy, Health, Hope for All”. Joy can seem fleeting – or even nonexistent. But it’s actually fundamental to our nature – unshakable, because it rests on a dependable good. The talk takes place at the Bainbridge Public Library on Saturday, November 11 at 11:00am. All are welcome.

Altar Flowers: The altar flowers this weekend are given by Wayne Daley in celebration of his 87^th birthday.

Thank You to this weekend's Worship Assistants:           
          Altar Duty: Gail Christensen
          Saturday 5:00pm – Greeter/Usher: Jim Rohrscheib; Lay Reader: Gail Christensen: Hospitality Host: Jennie Harris
          Sunday 10:00am – Greeters/Ushers: Nancy & Harry Wetzler; Lay Reader: Harry Wetzler; Communion Assistant: Vicki Browning; Hospitality Host: Miriam Barrenger & Alice McCain

Next weekend's Worship Assistants:
          Altar Duty: Linnea Chu (Saturday); Alice McCain (Sunday)
          Saturday 5:00pm – Greeter/Usher: Dick Coar; Lay Reader: Rachel Pritchett: Hospitality Host: Marlene & Al Orwiler
          Sunday 10:00am – Greeters/Ushers: Eve & Mike Curtis; Lay Reader: Linda Knudsen; Communion Assistant: Vicki Browning; Hospitality Host: Benay & Lynn Nordby

November 2 Announcements

Time Change: Daylight Saving Time ends this weekend! Enjoy that extra hour when you set your clock back before bed on Saturday.

Faith Formation: Sunday, November 5 is the first Sunday of the month, and there will be NO Sunday school or nursery care so that all of us might be present in worship together. Sunday school and nursery care will resume next week, November 12.

Join us next Sunday, November 12 for a special Adult Education discussion based on Barbara Deines' newly published book, Sleepy Eyed Dreams (available on Amazon), a collection of stories told through her father's eyes growing up in a small town in Minnesota. Come join the discussion to hear about Barbara's inspiration and writing process...and be inspired!

All Saints: This weekend, November 4 & 5, we will be celebrating All Saints. This is a special time to remember and honor those we love who have gone before us. During both the Saturday evening and Sunday morning services, there will be an opportunity to light candles in remembrance of those you love and see no more.

Bethany Variety Show: Come this Saturday, November 4, for "The Better Than Average (?) Variety Show”.  Beverages--wine and non-alcoholic options--and light hors d'oeuvres at 6:00. Show starts at 7:00. We hope to raise funds to benefit World Central Kitchen. Their mission is to serve chef-prepared meals to communities who have been impacted by natural disasters and during humanitarian crises. Brian Stoll, who works for World Central Kitchen, will be with us to talk about the organization before the show. (https://wck.org for more information) There is a suggested donation of $15 cash or check. Checks should be made out to Bethany Lutheran Church with WCK Fundraiser in the memo field. Come see your Bethany friends and people from the community at large entertain with music, skits, dance, and poetry!

Finch Green Update (and Brainstorming Session, Part 2!): Come and participate in Part 2 of the Finch Green brainstorming for the future session this Sunday, November 5 at 11:00am! (Those who attend the Saturday evening service are encouraged to return for this brainstorming session.) Finch Green consultants, Jonathan Davis and Marja Williams, will follow up on the first brainstorming session in early October, and this time they will present illustrations of what a sustainable, multi-generational, affordable housing community could look like on Bethany’s property. In this time of transition from ideas into options, your input and ideas are invited! Whether or not you attended the brainstorming session (with Legos) in October, don’t miss this opportunity to comment, ask questions, and help to translate a vision into reality. All are invited!!

Holden Evening Prayer: Our next Holden Evening Prayer service will be Saturday, November 11 at 5:00pm

November Bible Study: The Rachel Circle Bible Study Group will meet on Tuesday, November 7 at 10:00am. The Women’s Bible Study and Book Group will meet on Monday, November 13 at 9:30am. The Men’s Bible Study Group will meet on Tuesday, November 14 at 8:00am. All Bible Study groups meet in fellowship hall.

November Impact Gathering: Mark your calendars for our next Impact Gathering on Sunday, Nov. 12 from 4:00-5:30pm in the Fellowship Hall. Being the "official" season of Thanksgiving, we'll be doing a "Bring-Your-Favorite-Thanksgiving-Side-Dish" potluck (no turkey, just sides and desserts). We also invite you to bring a donation of a non-perishable food item to contribute to the food bank. Join us for a festive gathering when we will give thanks, break bread, pray, and offer ourselves as the hands and feet of Christ in the world.  Please let Pastor Erin know if you think you might attend.

Quilts, Kits, and More Kits: A huge thank you to the Rachel Circle who made and boxed up 54 quilts, 82 school supply kits, and 51 baby care kits. Thanks also to Joe Sommerseth for loading up the boxes and delivering them so Lutheran World Relief can ship them to those in need all over the world. And a special thanks to the congregation for supporting this ministry with donations towards the cost of shipping!

Join the Altar Guild Flower Team: Enjoy fiddling with flowers? Do you love the fun and creativity of putting together flowers into arrangements? If so, you are invited to put together arrangements for worship, placed each week at the right of the altar. Depending on your schedule, you can do this a couple of times a year, for special occasions or on a more regular basis. Expenses reimbursed. For questions or to volunteer, contact Altar Guild member Rachel Pritchett at (206) 498-0920 or  . 

Compline Services: Compline services will be offered once again this year on the first Sunday of the month at St Cecilia’s Church at 7:00pm The next compline service will be Sunday, November 5.

Altar Flowers: The altar flowers this weekend are given by Jan Thrun in celebration of her 85^th birthday.

Thank You to this weekend's Worship Assistants:           
          Altar Duty: Barbara Swartling
          Saturday 5:00pm – Greeter/Usher: Charlene Selvar; Lay Reader: Carol Fenner: Hospitality Host: N/A – Stay for the “Better than Average Variety Show”!
          Sunday 10:00am – Greeters/Ushers: Barbara & David Swartling; Lay Reader: Linnea Chu; Communion Assistant: Linnea Chu; Hospitality Host: Kathy & Doug Dudgeon

Next weekend's Worship Assistants:
          Altar Duty: Barbara Swartling
          Saturday 5:00pm – Greeter/Usher: Jim Rohrscheib; Lay Reader: Gail Christensen: Hospitality Host: Jennie Harris
          Sunday 10:00am – Greeters/Ushers: Nancy & Harry Wetzler; Lay Reader: Harry Wetzler; Communion Assistant: Vicki Browning; Hospitality Host: Miriam Barrenger & Alice McCain