Friends in Faith—
Maria Mar here, filling in for vacationing pastor Jesse Larson. This Sunday, February 12, Jim Guida will lead our worship service. As I prepare for Sunday's worship, I notice that Jim has a theme going … four hymns with the word "walk." Among the highlights of this Sunday's worship, the Bethany Women's Choir will sing "You'll Never Walk Alone." Come and see! Vickie Weaver Owens will play the prelude. We begin gathering at 10:20 a.m. You can also join virtually here: Facebook Live. More details about the service can be found here.
Walking through the grounds of Bethany Presbyterian Church is a wonder. I am honored and blessed to witness the vibrant activity that happens each day. I usually arrive to the Bethany office at 9:30 a.m. By that time there is already a line of people waiting for food from the SSIP Food Closet.
Tai Chi on the church lawn.
I see neighbors walking and riding their bicycles early each morning. Just this morning I captured this picture of two neighbors doing Tai Chi on Bethany's front garden area. What if we invited all to come each morning for a short session of Tai Chi? I wonder what impact that might have on neighbors and on Bethany.
You may not know it, but on Saturdays there is a growing church which uses the Social Hall. Once they fellowshiped as a group of 15. Now they regularly have 70 people in attendance.
What a blessing … and what a challenge. As I manage the church calendar I have the good problem of trying to make accommodations for different groups of people.
On January 28th I “overbooked” Bethany. Two large groups, Daughters of Scotia and the Altar of Truth church, were scheduled to gather. Pastor Jesse was set to lead a day retreat for the Presbytery committee which he chairs.
Mark Strack at work.
With Mark Strack's help, we made it work. It took some time (Mark moved tables and chairs), compromise (Pastor Jesse agreed to move his retreat to another location), and a whole lot of grace (the kitchen needed to be a shared space).
There are many days when I walk through the halls of Bethany and notice God at work. There are a lot of church mice who do things behind the scenes. Sometimes they bump into each other or step on toes … and that is OK.
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.
Pastor Jesse will be on vacation until February 18.
Gail Blue's memorial service will be held at Bethany on Saturday, February 25 at 1:30 p.m. The Rev. Judy Davis will be presiding.
Let us lift up our prayers in the aftermath of the unimaginable loss of life and livelihood for those in the aftermath of the devastating earthquake in Turkey and Syria.
Peace to all.
—Maria
