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December 15 Announcements

 

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 on Christmas morning.

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 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.

 

2022 Year-end Donations & 2023 Stewardship Campaign: A huge thank you to all who have turned in a 2023 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 18th. This will help the church council draft our 2023 budget. Year-end giving statements will be mailed by the end of January, 2023. Please note: any year-end donations that you want to count towards your 2022 giving statement must be received in the office by December 29th so that it can be deposited on December 30th. 

Faith Formation: Come join us for Sunday School where we'll reflect on God's love for the world. We'll ask ourselves where we see evidence of God's love in our lives and in the story of Jesus' birth. Lessons are designed especially for children in grades K-6, but young people of any age are welcome to join the class as helpers and/or participants. We'll enjoy learning from each other, supporting each other, and praying for each other. And, oh yeah, a yummy snack too! Hope to see you on Sunday morning!

The Adult Education program is pausing during the Advent season so as to be fully present to special activities during and after worship. We'll resume on Jan 8, when we'll hear from Rachel Pritchett about the sanctuary renovation. Also planned for January is a special forum on the Affordable Housing project. Near the end of the month, we'll begin a new theological study. With much gratitude for the work several of you put into our Land Acknowledgement over the last months, I'm glad to announce that it will be put into action after the first of the year. There's a lot to look forward to! Join us in January! 

Debbie Out of the Office: Debbie will be taking some time off over the holidays to be with family and help new granddaughter Marin celebrate her first Christmas. The Bethany office will be closed beginning December 22 through December 28. Pastor Paul and Pastor Erin will be around during this time.

 

Service of Remembrance: The annual Service of Remembrance will be held at Immanuel Lutheran Church on Friday, January 6th at 4:00pm. This is a time to honor and pray for those who have died on the streets or as a result of being homeless. The service will be in person and live streamed. To participate via live stream, visit https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCZX-yIVUa_5z-J3PVVPFoqw

Altar Flowers: The altar flowers this weekend are given by Barbara and Stephen Deines in celebration of their 51st wedding anniversary.

Thank You to this weekend's Worship Assistants:           
         Altar Duty: Alice McCain
         Saturday – 5:00pm – Greeter/Usher: Jennie Harris; Lay Reader: Jennie Harris; Hospitality Host: Carol Fenner
         Sunday 10:00am – Greeter: Andy Rimkus; Ushers: Barbara & David Swartling; Lay Reader: David Swartling; Communion Assistant: Barbara Swartling; Hospitality Hosts: Debbie & Andy Rimkus

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