Friends in Faith—
This coming Sunday is "Creativity Sunday.” We want to celebrate the many wonderful gifts that God has given us which help us express ourselves, benefit others, beautify our surroundings, etc.
The desire and act of creating is biblical and so we'll be focusing on 1 Corinthians 12:4-20 to unpack these ideas further. You are encouraged to bring a creation to share: a crochet piece, a story you have written, a painting, a piece of music you wrote, a wood carving, etc. We'll have your piece on display in the sanctuary, so if you have something to share, please bring it to the sanctuary by 10 a.m. on Sunday morning. Then, if you are willing, we will have time in our service to share a couple of sentences about what you made and why. Come and see! Click here for more details!
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.
Grace Presbyterian Church hosted a wonderful Lunar New Year Celebration this past Sunday. We also enjoyed the movie we showed—"All Saints." This film is about a dying congregation that forms a relationship with Burmese farmers who plant a farm on church property. What a blessing it is that Bethany has this relationship with Grace, with SSIP, with Altar of Truth, and other groups in our community. These relationships are not only special for the interactions and support we offer one another, but also because together, we are able to reach so many people in a variety of ways. Most agree that in this time of big changes in the life of our churches, the way forward will be through partnerships!
This coming 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.
On Monday, February 13, we'll be meeting for snacks and drinks in honor of "Palentine's Day"—a time to gather with friends just before Valentine's Day. The gathering will be between 5-7 p.m. at Hop Garden Neighborhood Tap Room. Details are here.
On Sunday, February 19, we'll be having our Annual Meeting immediately following worship.
On Wednesday, February 22, an ecumenical Ash Wednesday service will be held on behalf of SSIP at Sacramento Japanese Methodist Church. The service begins at 7 p.m.
On the mornings of the 4th Monday of each month, Sacramento Food Bank offers a free food distribution in the Bethany parking lot. We are glad to be offering a space to this organization for their good work in our neighborhood. However, do note that during these monthly distributions there can be long lines and zero parking spaces between the hours of 8 a.m.-12 p.m, so plan accordingly.
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.
Please keep in your prayers those affected by the recent mass shootings happening across the nation, but those especially close to home in Monterey Park, CA and Half Moon Bay, CA.
Peace to all.
—Jesse
