Friends in Faith—
This Sunday we'll be focusing on the famous story of Moses encountering God as a flaming bush in the wilderness (Exodus 3:1-12). We'll worship God, and reflect on "holy ground" and "sacred spaces." Natalya begins playing gathering music at 10:20 a.m. We know the weather may be volatile, so you can also join virtually here: Facebook Live. More details about worship can be found here.
We were happy that so many were able to attend our big meeting with Maggie Harmon of the Presbyterian Foundation. s we worked our way through the workshop, we began to see some themes emerging concerning who we are as a congregation and what our main strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and fears are as we discern a future with fewer and fewer members and decreased budgets. We determined that we greatly value our community and our traditions, while we also acknowledged that we struggle to agree or develop a unified plan which the majority support. Session is eager to move forward, and we plan to offer more regular congregational meetings to keep everyone in the loop as we put together a plan. Maggie Harmon will be sending me some notes from our meeting which I'll be distributing to everyone as well. It is certainly an unsettled time, but we trust God is with us and has prepared us for the next phase of our journey.
Grace Presbyterian Church has been busy upgrading our sound system - in the photo above, Grace's Clerk of Session and sound person, Abraham Nguyen, is training our sound person, Cathy Sapunor, in how to use the new sound board. As you can see in the picture below, it is quite the advanced device! But these upgrades are helping to make our worship even more accessible and creative, and we hope to use our sanctuary for even more events.
NOTES & HAPPENINGS:
This coming Monday, January 16, Bethany will be closed for the federal holiday, Martin Luther King, Jr. Day.
On Sunday, January 22, we'll be watching a film entitled "All Saints" immediately following worship. We'll gather in Farrand Hall (instead of the Fellowship Hall). Some fun goodies will be served. The film runs for a little less than two hours. Please let us know if you plan on attending— especially families who made need childcare.
Monday, January 30 is one of our volunteer days at the SSIP Food Closet; I believe there is one final position available. You can learn more about this volunteer opportunity here.
Bethany is hosting a "Winter Wander" nature walk on Saturday, February 4th from 9 a.m.-10:30 a.m. at Stones Lake National Wildlife Refuge. More details are here.
Save the date! On Sunday, February 19, we'll be having our Annual Meeting immediately following worship.
We know that COVID is still in our communities, as are several other nasty bugs. Please continue to do what you need to do to stay safe—mask up, maintain social distance, etc. We also know that we are in the midst of a series of big storms. If we are facing flooding, high winds, or other dangerous situations, please think twice about traveling and don't take any unnecessary risks. We know that Covid is still in our communities, as are several other nasty bugs. Please continue to do what you need to do to stay safe - mask up, maintain social distance, etc. We also know that we are in the midst of a series of big storms. If we are facing flooding, high winds, or other dangerous situations, please think twice about traveling and don't take any unnecessary risks.
Please pray: The relentless rain storms have battered California—so many have been flooded and others have been without power for days. Falling trees have no only destroyed homes and cars, and even a few lives have been lost.
As a church family, we are a community that is committed to caring for one another. One of the ways that we can support one another, loved ones and strangers, near and far, is to offer our prayers on their behalf. We share our prayers because we care for one another, and we know that God listens and cares for all of God's children. If you have a joy or concern to share, please let Maria or Jesse know; and if it is a confidential matter, please be sure to let them know.
Peace to all!
—Jesse
