Our blog

July 30 Announcements

LWR School Kit Supplies Needed 
The supply collection box is in the narthex, along with lists of needed supplies. Please take and use the provided list when shopping and donating, as LWR needs to guarantee uniformity and fairness to all recipients. We will collect supplies until October, when kits will be assembled and sent. Last year generous folks helped provide enough supplies for 109 school kits from Bethany; we can make it to 125 kits or more with your help!

Garage Clean Out August 5th
We are requesting help to clean out the church storage garage & anyone is welcome to come and keep items that you need at your home. The work party is Wednesday August 5th at 10am. Garage will be torn down at the end of August. There are coolers, lots of wood, garden supplies, and more. Please reach out to   or
Doug Olson, 206-920-3584    if you can help.

Let’s Get Together!
Saturday, August 8, at 5:30pm is the annual, not-to-be missed Bethany BBQ. Thanks to Vicki Browning we have a new, beautiful BBQ found at huge cost savings at the Rotary Auction. Please bring salads and sides (such as cheese slices, lettuce, tomatoes, pickles, etc.) and your appetite. Hot dogs, burgers for both vegetarians and meat eaters, buns, and desserts will be provided. See you there!

Join the bus(van) tour of Housing Resources Bainbridge properties on Sunday, August 23 You may see homes you never knew were part of HRB's mission. You will certainly see how homey and well-maintained they are. Soon there will be HRB homes on Bethany property - a long-held dream becomes reality! This is a great opportunity to see what built dreams look like. Sign up on the bulletin board. There are two time slots - one right after the church service and one a half hour later. See you on board!

Update on Women's Retreat
Join Bethany and Vinland women for a retreat focused on our role in preserving the environment. From stewardship at a Biblical level to nature walks, to crafts, to spotlights on women in the field, this will be both an informative and fun weekend. Oct 9-11. Come for Friday evening through Sunday morning or Saturday only. Sign-up sheets are on the bulletin board. Check out the beautiful poster in the Fellowship Hall!

Bloodwork’s Northwest Blood Drive
Bloodworks NW will be at Bethany for a blood drive Friday August 7.
There are still spots open to schedule blood donation so please consider giving. https://donate.bloodworksnw.org/donor/schedules/drive_schedule/109333  

Donations for Helpline Red Wagon!
Red Wagon Sunday. Please bring your non-perishable food as well as cleaning and personal care products.
These last two categories are not part of SNAP benefits but are important to us all in daily life.

Help Furnish the Newest Church Building in the Synod!
Columbia City Church of Hope was founded in 2017 and just completed their church building alongside the 87 affordable housing units that were built first. Theirs is the first new church building in decades in our synod, however they still need help furnishing the inside. CCCH is part of our South-Central Conference, if you would like to help with this, please give using one of the envelopes in the narthex or online at bethanyofbainbridge.org. Please indicate, “Columbia City Church of Hope” in your gift. If you want to know a little more about CCCH, visit their website at: columbiacityhope.org. Thank you.

Joe Sommerseth                           Aug 3

Ruth Bartunek                              Aug 5

Benay Nordby                               Aug 5

Burton Shields                              Aug 5

Bruce Anderson                            Aug 8

Vickie Bech                                    Aug 8

Melanie Olson                               Aug 9

Paul Robbins                                 Aug 10

Whitney Lane                               Aug 13

Steve Christensen                         Aug 15

Stephen Deines                             Aug 17

Brooke Russell                              Aug 20

Gladys Schulz                                Aug 30

Colleen Chupik                             Aug 31

Bethany Facebook and Instagram
Bethany Lutheran Church - ELCA Facebook 
BethanyLutheranELCA Instagram

Want to Join Bethany Community?
If you would like information about Bethany Lutheran, please talk to Pastor Martin or contact the office during the week. Kelsey, our office administrator’s contact information is below.

This Sunday's Altar flowers were sponsored by Al & Marlene Orwiler in thanksgiving for our blessings!

This Sunday’s Worship Assistants:
Altar Duty: Kathy Dudgeon; Greeter: Kathy Dudgeon; Ushers: Mike & Eve Curtis; Lay Reader: Kathy Dudgeon;
Communion Assistants: Jonathon Tiller & Megan Kennedy; Hospitality Hosts: Becci Kerstetter & Miriam Barrenger

Next Sunday’s Worship Assistants:
Altar Duty: Barbara Swartling; Greeter: Jim Rohrscheib; Ushers: Joe Sommerseth & ?; Lay Reader: Linnea Chu;
Communion Assistants: Ron & Carol Fenner; Hospitality Hosts: Kristi Sutton & Karen Kushner

Additions to Announcements, Prayer Chain requests, and questions can be directed to Kelsey, Bethany’s Office Administrator: Email
Please have additions in by Wednesday morning to allow time for printing.

July 9 Announcements

Fire Safety Talk with BI Fire Marshall
Bainbridge Island Fire Marshal Jackie Purviance will take a look around the perimeter of Bethany to spot any vegetation that might add to fire risk. She has some good advice about what we can do around our homes, too. Come join us at 10 a.m. Thursday, July 16, at the front door. Bring a friend. ---Rachel Pritchett, Buildings and Grounds

B&G Help Needed!
All hands-on deck needed to move a roomful of items from the education building to the former choir room. The move will take place from 10 to 11 a.m. on Saturday, July 18, but not before donuts and coffee. No stairs or heavy lifting is required. Please come pitch in, and thanks. Rachel Pritchett, 

Let’s Get Together!
Saturday, August 1, at 5:30pm is the annual, not-to-be missed Bethany BBQ. Thanks to Vicki Browning we have a new, beautiful BBQ found at huge cost savings at the Rotary Auction. Please bring salads and sides (such as cheese slices, lettuce, tomatoes, pickles, etc.) and your appetite. Hot dogs, burgers for both vegetarians and meat eaters, buns, and desserts will be provided. See you there!

Donations for Helpline Red Wagon!
Please bring your non-perishable food as well as cleaning and personal care products. These last two categories are not part of SNAP benefits but are important to us all in daily life. Next Red Wagon Sunday is August 2.

Bethany Preschool is Hiring!
There are two openings at the preschool. Bumblebee Class Assistant – Tues & Thurs, 8:30am-11:30am and Firefly Class Assistant – Mon, Weds, & Fri. 8:30am-12:30pm

Bethany Facebook and Instagram
Bethany Lutheran Church - ELCA Facebook 
BethanyLutheranELCA Instagram

Want to Join the Bethany Community?
If you would like information about Bethany Lutheran, please talk to Pastor Martin or contact the office during the week. Kelsey, our office administrator’s contact information is below.

This Sunday’s Worship Assistants:
Altar Duty: Barbara Swartling; Greeter: Ron Fenner; Ushers: Jim Rohrscheib & Joe Sommerseth; Lay Reader: Carol Fenner; Communion Assistants: Barbara & David Swartling; Hospitality Hosts: Noreen & Jeff Sievertson

Next Sunday’s Worship Assistants:
Altar Duty: Vickie Bech; Greeter: Lynn & Benay Nordby; Ushers: Stephen Deines & Mike Curtis; Lay Reader: Barbara Deines; Communion Assistants: Linnea Chu & Vicki Browning; Hospitality Hosts: Alice & Bruce McCain

Additions to Announcements, Prayer Chain requests, and questions can be directed to Kelsey, Bethany’s Office Administrator: Email or Call 206.842.4241.