Friends in Faith—
On Wednesday, December 8, we'll be gathering for a simple soup and bread meal at 5 p.m. Then we'll head into the sanctuary for a "Blue Christmas" worship service. Sometimes the holidays can be a challenging time for folks who are missing loved ones, or struggling with short, dark days, or just feeling lost and overwhelmed. We want to create a space to acknowledge our pain and grief; we'll be praying and singing together, as well as lighting candles. Click here for details. The service will be available for live viewing on Facebook. You can also check back later on the website and view the Blue Christmas worship service video whenever convenient for you.
This coming Sunday—December 12—is the third Sunday of Advent. We have the special privilege of baptizing three children; we hope you'll join us in making promises to nurture these young people and their families in the faith. We'll also be welcoming Vickie Weaver McNamee Owens to share some liturgical dancing with us. Our scripture passage will be from Philippians 3:1-11. Pianist Natalya Amelchenko begins playing gathering music at 10:20 a.m, with the service starting at 10:30 a.m. Folks can also join from home on Facebook. (You can also watch services at any time here.) Following the guidelines of Sacramento County and the CDC, we continue to practice social distancing and require masks while worshiping while indoors. If you plan to attend a worship service at the church, you can find out more about our safety protocols here.
"WRITE CHRISTMAS" is coming. Rev. Judy Davis invites each of you to participate Monday, December 13 at 7 p.m. in a Zoom gathering to share Christmas memories, a written prayer or description of one of your Christmases: past, present or hopes for the future. Prepare a 3- to five-minute memory and come ready to read it aloud (if you choose) or just enjoy as a listener. “Write Christmas”—now in its 8th year—is one of the most spirit-filled evenings of the Christmas season. The Zoom link for this special event is here. The Zoom "Meeting ID" is: 852 0487 0710. The passcode: 828045. For details about the “Write Christmas” event, click here.
Our own Peter Baird and Rowena Frick are singing in a "Coro del Pueblo" (traditional Christmas songs in Spanish and English) prior to a play at the Guild Theater in Oak Park December 15-19 (entitled "La Pastorela de Sacramento"). The singing outside of the theater—from 7:30-8 p.m.—is free on December 16, 17 and 18. All are welcome to stop by for this special Sacramento Christmas tradition! For more information and to purchase tickets for the play, click here.
We are excited to share that we have hired Robert and Lety Lopez as part-time custodians at Bethany. They will be cleaning the interior of our facility for five hours a week. They are kind, adaptable and hard-working, and we are eager to welcome them aboard! Robert Madrigal will continue to reside in our house and work for us on Mondays. He'll also do nightly rounds to make sure the facility is locked up. As we adjust to the financial realities of our church, some of our expectations need to be modified. We are asking all groups to take care of their own set-ups, and then returning the room to its original set-up. If you run across a problem with our facility, please let me know. We thank you for your help in pitching in to keep our campus clean, and we thank you for your understanding.
As a faith community, we have the privilege of being able to journey with one another through a chaotic and beautiful world, full of many highs and lows. We celebrate one another's victories, and we hold one another in prayer during those times of pain, fear, and loss. If you have prayers that you would like to share with our community, please contact myself or Office Manager Maria Mar. Also, be sure to indicate if you'd like your prayer to be shared, or if you'd like it to be held in confidence.
God hears all of our prayers, and in Christ, we find healing, wholeness and new beginnings. With each passing day, the Spirit of God is presenting us with new opportunities of love and grace. No matter what comes our way, all roads lead to Jesus—thanks be to God!
Blessings,
Jesse
