June 22, 2022
Sisters and Brothers in Christ,
As of this week, summer has officially begun! I can think of few joys as special as the beginning of summer vacation as a young person growing up in our beloved country. Two whole months of pure freedom! Sleep-overs, swimming, camps, road trips, family reunions, bike-rides, movie-marathons, camping, museums, staying up late and then sleeping in. I would argue that this joyous feeling shouldn't only be felt during our growing-up years—how can we renew our spirits in these frenzied times? This coming Sunday, June 26, we'll be focused on the gift of Sabbath: the importance of rest and relaxation, recreation and new visions. Our text will be from Genesis 2:1-4. With jam-packed schedules, we regularly forget God's 4th Commandment to "honor the Sabbath and keep it holy." We'll be enjoying some very special music this Sunday as a way of embodying joy, celebration, and recreation.
As always, the worship service will begin at 10:30 a.m. Gathering music by Natalya Amelchenko starts around 10:20 a.m. Folks can join from home on Facebook. (You can also watch prior services at any time here.) Consider asking a friend to join you in person at the service … or start a “watch party” on your Facebook account!
As we begin "Project Regeneration" together, we are to read Sailboat Church by Joan S. Gray. We now have copies available for pick-up after worship. Or, if you'd like a copy delivered, please let Maria in the office know. "Sailboat Church" has 10 chapters and we'll discuss each chapter, one by one, over the coming months. Our conversations will be informal and last for about 45 minutes. You can join discussions which will happen immediately after worship in our Fellowship Hall (at a dedicated table), or on Monday mornings at 10 a.m. or via Zoom on Wednesdays at 6 p.m. Our entire congregation is asked to read this book and try to attend at least one of these sessions every two weeks.
Once we have finished reading the book, we'll then commit to a time of 40 days of prayer in November and December. On January 9, the Presbyterian Foundation will host a workshop and congregational meeting for us to share our reflections about the book and our time of intensive prayer. The hope is that we will then be able to take solid steps towards a plan that makes sense for us in this unique time and place. Here is our Project Regeneration schedule:
6/26 – Books available for pick up after worship
7/10 – Chapter one discussion after worship
7/24 – Chapter two discussion after worship
8/7 – Chapter three discussion after worship
8/21 – Chapter four discussion after worship
9/4 – Chapter five discussion after worship
9/18 – Chapter six discussion after worship
10/2 – Chapter seven discussion after worship
10/16 – Chapter eight discussion after worship
10/30 – Chapter nine discussion after worship
11/13 – Chapter ten discussion after worship
40 days of prayer – Right up through Christmas
January 9—Workshop and congregational meeting with The Presbyterian Foundation
This Sunday, June 26 will be my last Sunday with you all for two months. I'll be headed home to my parents' home in Erie, PA for all of July and August. I thank you all for granting me this time to spend with my family; as we all know, time marches on and health concerns seem to add up with each passing year. So I want to be more intentional about enjoying God's wonderful gift of family. I've lined up 9 guest preachers for the Sundays I'm away— I'm sure it will be refreshing to hear some new voices from our pulpit!
7/3—Rev. Janice Kamikawa
7/10—Jackie Sneed
7/17—Jim Guida
7/24—Rev. Judy Davis
7/31—Rev. Judy Davis
8/7—Jim Guida
8/14—Rev. Peggy Krong
8/21—Rev. Jeri Dahlke
8/28—Rev. Mary Westfall
In the event of a pastoral emergency, I will still be checking my messages and email on occasion. You can also reach out to our session and prayer team for support—Ron Carlsen can help with building issues, Debbie Leibrock can help with budget and financial issues, Jackie Sneed can help with spiritual formation questions, Cathy Sapunor can help with worship and mission questions, and Juli Jensen can assist with personnel questions. Maria will be away from August 1-19, so it will be very quiet around Bethany. If you have business to take care of, it would be best to set an appointment, or call ahead before making your way to Bethany.
We have a wonderful year planned—so we'll gather with much excitement in September with much hopeful expectation for what God will be doing in our midst!
UPDATES
We know that Bethany is a time of great change—we are all adapting to what it means to be the church in the year 2022. We are also doing a lot of experimenting, especially as resources and volunteers aren't as available as they once were. Beginning next week, Maria will now be working from home each Tuesday. She has faster internet, a newer computer, and more apps that she can use from her home. She'll still be checking her email and can also check phone messages remotely. She will still be in the office on Mondays, Thursdays, and Fridays, from 10 a.m.-2 p.m. And please know that Maria and Rev. Jesse are always available for an appointment.
Bethany’s Spiritual Formation Discussion/Lunch Group continues to gather every other week for a special time of sharing, discussion and fellowship. We'll be meeting on June 27th at 10 a.m. to continue our discussion of a recent article from The Presbyterian Outlook entitled #Trust Black Women. We have several copiesof the magazine if you are interested in joining us. The magazines are available on the table outside of the sanctuary, or you can contact the chair of Spiritual Formation, Jackie Sneed, for more information. Lunch will be served—we hope you'll join us!
Reservations for the 2022 Friends and Family Retreat at Zephyr Point Presbyterian Conference Center at Lake Tahoe are now overdue! If you are still planning to attend, get your reservation into Trisha Uhrhammer or Cathy Sapunor ASAP! This year's theme is "Isaiah in the Coffee House.” As always, this special time together is a great way of connecting with fellow church members, reflecting on some spiritual themes, enjoying a spectacular location, and tending to your soul. Click here for information.
The word "pray" appears in the Bible over 300 times while "prayer" is mentioned over 600 times. Prayer is certainly an profoundly important aspect of our faith. Prayer is a way of communicating with God—sharing our joys and concerns, our hopes and fears, our questions and our doubts. It is a holy time of setting aside the many duties and distractions of life, and seeking to come before God just as we are—trusting that God's Spirit is present and in the promise that Christ will help us to bear all of our burdens. In this wild life, there is certainly no shortage of tragedies and joys to offer prayers about. In order to help us weather the many storms of life, and to better tune ourselves into the many blessings that continue to surround us, I encourage us all to continue to cultivate an active prayer life. Even pausing for a few minutes at the ending or beginning of each day can help us to feel supported in all that we carry with us. Generations of the believers have prayed to God in good times and in difficult times, and God continues to help us along the path of faith.
If you have a prayer concern you'd like to share with our church family, please let me or office manager Maria Mar know. We also have a special page on our web site dedicated to sharing prayer concerns; click here to send a prayer request by e-mail.
Philippians 4:6-7 reminds us, "Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus."
May it be so.
Jesse
