At Bethany, we have the opportunity to build a stronger community right within our own walls! In an era when so much is changing in our churches, we are able to create connections with many special people of a variety of backgrounds. We believe that such connections and relationships are crucial to the construction of the Kingdom of God. It's a new year—thanks be to God—and let's widen our circle!

As a preacher, I often find it hard to break out of the Gospels each Sunday, as the stories about Jesus are so vibrant and uplifting. Although Jesus is the core of our Christian faith, we value the entire story of God's faithfulness to God's people over the many eons. Scripture is full of so many fascinating stories, characters, and lessons in both the New and Old Testaments. So, for the next couple of weeks, I thought I'd spend some time reflecting about some texts from the Old Testament.

As we work our way through the many struggles of this era, our faith is proving to be much more important to us that we may have previously realized. Believers and non-believers alike are in deep need of hope and perspective amid so many unpredictable, challenging days. Our faith in Jesus Christ, the encouragement of the Holy Spirit, the wisdom of the Bible, and the support of our sisters and brothers of our church community are priceless resources to remaining positive and joyful no matter what comes our way.

As 2022 begins, we find our news feeds inundated with warnings, statistics, protocols, etc., concerning the Omicron Variant. The ever-changing landscape of the COVID pandemic gives us all so much anxiety, and we are all beyond frustrated. How we long for normalcy and to be rid of these masks! But we are also thankful that the vaccines seem to be fairly successful in mitigating the risks of this strain. Masks continue to be a very helpful way of protecting yourself and others.

As we enter into the joy of Christmas and the hope of 2022, let us remember to hold one another in prayer. Some of us are carrying heavy burdens, some are full of anticipation, some feel overwhelmed, others are grieving a loss, while others are feeling thankful.

This coming Sunday, December 19, is the fourth Sunday of Advent. You are invited to bring one of your favorite creches to the worship service. We'll have tables set up at the front of the sanctuary so you can display your set.

Our December 8 “Blue Christmas” service will offer comfort … baptisms of children on December 12 are our promises to the next generation … and the season of Advent leads us into the joy of the Christ child’s birth.

Can we let go of very good things, trusting that God has plans for unimaginably better things?

We really do have so very much to be thankful for—God has blessed us beyond measure.

This coming Sunday, November 21, is "Pledge Sunday." If you are making a pledge for 2022, you are encouraged to bring your completed form with you to worship so that it can be brought forward and consecrated (blessed). We'll also be focusing on gratitude and celebrating the countless blessings we have received from God.

The last time "Lunch and Learn" was held was the day before we entered into our first COVID-19 lockdown: March 12, 2020. Just think of all that has happened in our lives, in our nation, and in our world in the past 19 months of the pandemic! I hope that all of you are beginning to share in more of these wonderful "reunions," too.

This coming Sunday, November 7, is All Saints Day. First, remember that Daylight Saving Time ends, so set your clocks back an hour on Saturday night. We'll honor all of those we have loved and lost, and who now rest in peace with their Creator. We'll be celebrating communion—so if you are worshiping from home, be sure to have some bread and juice on hand. Our scripture lesson will be from Hebrews 12:1-2, and we'll be reflecting about our ancestors.

This Sunday is Halloween—a holiday that I really enjoy. Who doesn't enjoy costumes, creepy crawlies, and candy?! If you are feeling inspired, come to worship in a costume—after all, some of our Halloween traditions come from old Christian practices of putting on costumes and masks to keep away the bad spirits as souls made their way to heaven.

in Christ, we find healing, wholeness and new beginnings.

Having just held our "healing service" this past Sunday, I felt that the article Everyone Around You is Grieving by Rev. John Pavlovitz might resonate with many of you. We might be wise to offer more regular healing services, and we should continue to keep kindness and grace at the core of our being.

Each of us faces those challenging times when we carry with us many burdens—health issues, financial worries, broken relationships. This Sunday we'll be taking some time to lay our burdens down before the cross and renew our spirits.

October 3, is World Communion Sunday. We will be celebrating the grand diversity of Christianity in our world and our unity as disciples of Jesus Christ. We'll also be ordaining and installing our new elders, so it's going to be a busy, beautiful day.

Friends in Faith,

This coming Sunday—September 26th—at 1 p.m. we'll be worshiping with Grace Presbyterian Church, which is a beloved congregation that was birthed out of Bethany through our endeavors to welcome Vietnamese immigrants into our community in the ‘70s and ‘80s. Please note that we will NOT have our normal 10:30 a.m. service.

This coming Sunday, we thought we'd try something new! We were inspired by all of the incredible artistic gifts in our Bethany community at the recent church recent retreat at Zephyr Point, so this Sunday is our first "All Music and Arts Sunday." We have a variety of talent that will be shared during worship, and we hope you'll join us to make a joyful noise unto the Lord!