Friends in Faith—
I had a wonderful couple of weeks away with my folks—and now it's also good to be back at Bethany. Vacations are always such an important time to rest, recreate, and also get out of the grind of our normal routine. We often return from vacation feeling renewed, invigorated, and we may even have some new perspectives to share.
As we begin the season of Lent together—which begins today with Ash Wednesday—we remember that Jesus went into the wilderness for 40 days before he began his ministry. While his time away certainly wasn't a vacation—he was fasting, with few comforts, and tempted by the devil—he did come away from the experience with new perspectives and a strong sense of purpose. Our prayer for the season of Lent is that we are all blessed with fresh perspectives for our faith. We also cherish this time to inventory our faith lives, and work to re-invigorate our commitment to being disciples of Jesus Christ.
This coming Sunday, February 26, we'll be focusing on Matthew 4:1-11—Jesus' experience in the wilderness with the devil. As we reflect upon this text, we'll have a time of sharing in worship. Please consider these questions for Sunday:
Do you have a word(s) that reflects your approach to life?
What are your core values?
Are there any values or behaviors that you'd like to improve or explore as we enter into Lent?
Natalya begins playing gathering music at 10:20 a.m. We know the weather may be unpredictable, so you can also join virtually here: Facebook Live. More details about worship can be found here.
Today, February 22nd, is Ash Wednesday.
An ecumenical Ash Wednesday service
will be held at
Sacramento Japanese United Methodist Church
6929 Franklin Blvd.
The service begins at 7 p.m.
A special collection will be received to benefit the SSIP Food Closet
The service will also be live-streamed via Youtube—here is the link:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lZXicvN22UA
The memorial service for Gail Blue will take place on Saturday, February 25, at 1:30 p.m. Rev. Judy Davis will conduct the service.
The office will be closed February 27-March 3.
Next Monday, February 27, we'll be gathering to watch an episode of "The Chosen"—a series about the life of Jesus. We meet at 10 a.m. and the viewing will be followed by a discussion and lunch!
Next Sunday, March 5, will be a communion Sunday. If you are worshiping from home, be sure to have some bread and juice on-hand. And, we also collect donations of canned goods, dry goods, and financial donations for the SSIP Food Closet.
A big thank you to Ron Carlsen for fixing our parking lot lights!
At our annual meeting this past Sunday, our 2023 budget was reviewed. We also voted in two new elders, Jim Guida and Susan Just, who will begin their terms of service in June. In consultation with the Presbytery, we also voted to extend Cathy Sapunor and Debbie Leibrock's terms of service as elders until the end of this year. Normally, elders must take a year off after serving back-to-back three year terms on session. However, due to extenuating circumstances and all of the work our session has been doing towards a plan for Bethany's future, session felt it was wise if they could "see it through" over the next few months.
A few of our members have been discussing the news of a "revival" happening at a small school in Kentucky. It's quite a story of young people growing in their faith. You can read more about this hopeful story here.
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. You can also reach out to Barbara Greene, who heads the prayer chain.
John Heath passed away this past week from a long struggle with cancer. Please keep the family in your prayers.
Our prayers are with the people of Syria and Turkey who are still reeling from an awful earthquake (and aftershocks) that killed over 40,000 people. If you would like to donate to the recovery efforts, we recommend Presbyterian Disaster Relief. Here is a link to their website for more information.
Hear our prayers, O Lord!
Peace to all.
—Jesse
