Bethany News

September 2015

Tidbits and Tidings

When I remember my father, gone almost in an
instant, from a brain hemorrhage at age 43, gone
now for over 43 years, it's not a compilation of
the things he did, his deeds, that comes into
view. No, what I see is more so a picture, a
description of the qualities, both positive and
negative that were part of him. He was a hard
working, mechanically minded, chain smoking
man, with a salt and pepper tongue.
Though
sometimes demanding and quick to anger, he
was just as quick to forgive and forget and
though his faith was seldom verbally on display,
when this strong man was sitting in a church
pew, singing Rock of Ages, his voice was as
smooth and angelic as Perry Comos.
Each of us is more than a listing of our deeds,
and they, however noble, cannot save us. Deeds
are windows. The reason? They provide a
glimpse, a clue to what is inside a person. So
while I cannot recall ever hearing my dad say I
love you, his looks and his deeds were the
window through which was all the proof I
needed.
It's the same Way with God. Jesus walked the
talk, doing for us what we could not. He went to
a cross, not for Himself, but to rescue you and
me, who had been prisoners of death.
It's no
accident that the message of the Bible is not a
theological lecture, but rather the story of God,
the deeds of God, as He entered our history, our
world, His world, to save us.
Another Autumn is nearly upon us. This year
will be over soon, either in an instant or in a few

months. None of us knows the time for us, time

enough to make a difference in someones life or
time to make amends with others? So what do
people see when looking at us through the
window that we build? And what shines through
that window??... a picture of one who is more
good or bad, generous or selfish, trustworthy or
devious? And most importantly, do they see a
person who kneels before the Lord or one who is
too busy, too far above or too self -important to
do so? Rock of Ages, cleft for me; let me hide
myself in thee.
See you at worship.
Pastor Scott
ADULT BIBLE STUDY
Beginning Sunday, October 4, Pastor Scott will be
teaching an adult Bible Study Class. Class will begin at
9:15. Just a few of the potential study options include,
(1) A Real Life Look at Luthers Catechism
(2) How to Read and Understand the Bible
(3) Experiencing God (
(4) A Study of a particular Book of the Bible
(5) Biblical Characters the real, unpolished and
unexpected personalities of biblical heroes how
God used them and can use us.
(6) The Theology and Parables of Peanuts. Please
make your interest known for which of these or
whatever Bible Study topics you would like to
study this Fall.

New Members !!
We recently added Bert & Sue Mueller, and Sues
Mom Hazel to Bethanys membership. Please
wrap your arms around them and let them know
how happy we are that they joined with us.

CONFIRMATIONS BIG NEWS

IF YOU STARTED A CONFIRMATION PROGRAM IN THE PAST

AND YOU ARE IN 8th grade or older

BETHANY LUTHERAN CHURCH IS MEETING THE CHALLENGE OF

CONFIRMATION STUDENTS THAT WANT TO BE CONFIRMED

CONFIRMATION CLASSES FOR OLDER STUDENTS MARK September 13th on your calendar.
YOU ARE INVITED TO MEET IN THE FELLOWSHIP HALL ON SUNDAY, SEPTEMBER 13
AT 10:45 11:45 am, FOR YOUR FAST TRACK CONFIRMATION CLASS TO BEGIN.
A Bethany adult member and Pastor will introduce you to your FAST TRACK confirmation curriculum. You
will meet every Sunday from 10:45 to 11:45 (following 9:25 worship) in September and 9:15 to 10:15 (then
worship at 10:25) for the next 7 Sundays. This has been carefully scheduled (10 weeks total) to allow
former confirmation students to complete the qualifications that they need to join ELCA Evangelical
Lutheran Church of America and be spiritually equipped to defend his/her faith in lifes challenging
circumstances.
CONFIRMATION SERVICE for this confirmation class WILL BE NOV. 22, 2015 (Attendance will be critical.)

SUNDAY SCHOOL
MARK October 4, 2015 for RALLY DAY
This is also when our service time changes to winter hours:
Sunday School 9:15
Worship 11:25
Sunday School will begin for ages 4 years thru 6th grade.
Confirmation class will begin for students in 7th grade during the Sunday School hour.
For those completing this 30 week course Confirmation will be May 22nd.

(Attendance will be very important so on individual need basis.)

Lets All Have a Pot Luck

Birthday Party !!

September Birthdays

Plans are being made to have a Pot Luck and

Congregational Birthday Party on Sunday,
September 27th at 10:30, following worship. The
plan envisions 12 tables, and 12 cakes but the plan
needs planners to make it work. Both Council and
WELCA will be working on this and will provide
more details via the bulletin, phone calls, and
emails, as they are worked out. Join the fun.
Volunteer to make a casserole and/or a cake.

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Jean Erickson
Alisha Miller
Jeffery Parsons

September Anniversaries
Our Altar Painting is Getting a Face Lift
The "Restoration for the altar painting"
Committee is HAPPY to report that they have
commissioned Steve Maker and Harvey Freer
of the Uncultured Pearl (shop located in the
Pearl District) to restore our 95 year old "Christ
in Gethsemane" altar painting. They will begin
the project on Monday Oct. 5 and plan on
completing it on Friday, Oct. 9! The painting
WILL be restored on site! Details are
displayed on the bulletin board downstairs in
the Fellowship Hall.
The Memorial Fund has the money that was
designated ten years ago for this project. If you
have any questions or wish to thank someone
for their time spent on this project just contact
the Altar Painting Restoration Committee
members Larry and Sue Lucas (original
committee members from 2005), Pam
Heimuller (recommended the names of Steve
and Harvey), Angela Boatfield, Tracey Barker,
and Barb Topham.

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Val & Ralph Lauter

Pam & Henry Heimuller

CAP Bowlers
Our August CAP (Christians at Play)
resulted in a small, but MIGHTY turn
out! Pat Lange was our cheering fan
as Mary Trapp, Ron Peterson, and
Pastor heated up their personal
bowling balls. Barb T kept her 45
year old average of 73!
There is potential of a Bethany team.
See Mary Trapp if interested!!!
In Case Youre Wondering
Services are now split between
traditional and alternative formats.
Sundays 1-3-5 will be traditional with
communion at the altar, and Sundays 2-4
will be alternative with intinction
communion.

Welca - September 2015

Greetings and Happy Fall!
As many of you know I am rapidly
approaching my retirement from 40+ years
of working for a big bank! It is bittersweet
for sure. But I look forward to spending
more time with family, doing some travel (if
you notice that I am missing from church)
and, of course, doing a better job of helping
out at Bethany.
That said, we have an active fall ahead of
us before we head into the holiday season
and on to the 2016 Quilt Show.
The main and most significant project
ahead is the restoration of our beloved altar
painting. Over the past several years
multiple folks have picked up this project
only to find the cost to be prohibitive, or that
the restorer insisted that the painting must
be removed from Bethany for the
restoration. Well, through a stroke of luck,
and endless tenacity, two highly qualified
individuals and art experts have been
contacted and have provided an estimate
that allows the painting to be restored on
site at nearly half the cost previously
estimated.
The funds for the painting restoration have
been designated and have been in the
Memorial Fund for many years. Now that
we know what the painting restoration will
cost, the extra funds will be open to reallocation toward another project. Please
see the article pertaining to the memorial
fund also included in this newsletter.
In other WELCA news, the kitchen area has
been cleaned up and re-organized. So, the
next time you do coffee hour, or host
another event, you may not be able to find
the article you are looking for where it has
always been.
That said, please make

every effort to put items back where you

found them, or at least in a drawer/
cupboard or shelf with the same type of
items. This will make it easier for the next
group using the kitchen.
The WELCA ladies have not had a
business meeting for a few months now.
So, I do not have any further items to
share. Please remember that all ladies are
welcome to our meetings which are usually
on a Sunday after worship. If you have any
questions, the officers are: Diane Cate,
president; Barb Topham, Vice; Nancy
Conner, Secretary; and Val Lauter,
Treasurer. We also organize the Circles
that rotate service for special events
throughout the year. Please contact any of
us if you would like to join a Circle, or have
questions pertaining to WELCA or our
meetings. As the fall approaches, we can
use ideas for a special Christmas meeting,
and volunteers to help us plan and prepare
for our annual quilt show in February.
Our next meeting will be September 20th
after the service.
One last note, I am thankful that, so far the
wild fires have not touched us too badly
close to home. But there are so many folks
still being affected. Many firefighters and
others are still working tirelessly to put out
the fires and to save precious lives and
lands across the Northwest and the entire
country. Please pray for all the victims and
firefighters as well as the military Service
members protecting our country. We are so
very, very fortunate.
Enjoy the rain and pending cooler weather!
Nancy Conner, Secretary

Bethany Memorial Committee/Fund

The Memorial Fund consists of funds contributed to
Bethany in remembrance of deceased friends and
family. These funds can be contributed toward a
specific project or left to the discretion of the
Memorial Committee. The funds are not used for
bill paying or any other up-keep expenses, but for
special items to embellish the beauty of Bethany
and to sustain the Glory to God for the generations
to come.
When you look around the sanctuary, you can see
numerous items that have been made possible
through the generosity of folks that have
contributed to the memorial fund in the past:
Stained glass windows, the gold cross on the altar,
the candelabras, altar candle holders, and the
perpetual candle above the altar, the sound system,
the wheel chair ramp out front, the chimes and
more!
The Memorial Committee has not been very active
for many years due to the majority of funds being
designated to the altar painting and not wanting to
over-spend until that project was finalized. And, in
the meantime, we have lost several valued
members of the committee.
I got elected when I took over the records from
Bonnie G. when she moved away. To the best of
my knowledge the other participants include Shirley
Parsons (by default from past involvement), Pat
Lange, Jean DeLonais, and Barb Topham. Jean,
Pat and Barb may not KNOW they are on the
committee, but I routinely discuss my thoughts with
them to ensure our actions stay within the original
intent of the committee. If I have missed anyone,
please let me know.

WELCA investigated having the existing carpet

professionally cleaned and stretched. The cost
would be $7-800 and would not be practical as the
fabric would basically disintegrate.
While replacing the carpet when we have so many
other financial considerations ahead of us may
seem frivolous, we still need to consider sanctuary
improvements as an imperative part of the future of
Bethany. We will approach any memorial fund
designations on a matching basis. This ensures
that the congregation supports any projects we
undertake.
What this means is that whatever the potential
project is, the need and the cost should be
determined and presented to the Memorial
Committee to determine their involvement. The
committee will meet and decide if memorial funds
can be contributed and in what amount.
The
congregation would then be responsible for raising
the remainder of the funds.
In the event an exact dollar amount is donated to
the committee with the express purpose of one
project, those funds will be used accordingly to the
best of our ability.
We are interested in hearing other suggestions.
Please provide the information to the committee for
consideration including the project, the total cost,
the amount being requested from the memorial
committee and the plan for raising the balance.
If you are interested in serving on the committee,
please let me know.

In early 2015, memorial funds were used to re-pay

the building fund for the ceiling fans installed when
we got the new furnace. Funds were also used to
purchase the new speakers in the back of the
sanctuary, and to repair the carillon bells.

Lastly, we owe a thank you to Brita for her MANY

years of service. She is currently the only signer on
the memorial fund account.
I consider her
signature as a final seal of approval for any
disbursement of these precious dollars.

I would like for the committee to consider using a

portion of the leftover painting funds as a start to
matching congregational funds to be raised to
replace the sanctuary carpet.
So far we are in the fact-gathering process to see
what the replacement cost would be.

Thank you,
Nancy Conner

Bethany Lutheran Church Council Minutes 8/11/15

Present: Jerrie Cate, Tracey Barker, Shannon Fitzgibbons,
Pam Heimuller, Ron Peterson, Angela Sera & Barb
Topham

need repaired; banisters still need caps on them and

Tracy B. noted the womens bathroom light does not
come on right away.

Council convened at 6:35pm with no devotions, but

Pastor Scott led Council in prayer.

Evangelism & Stewardship: Shannon F. reported that

last Scrip Sunday, $1700 worth of cards were sold, we
made $62.50 on those cards with a current Scrip
balance of $481.61. Four welcome bags are available.
Shannon F. needs mugs and pens to make up more bags.
She asked about having an adult Bible Study. Pastor
replied he intends to start one October 4, 2015.

Pastors Report: Pastors ankle fusion is doing okay. He

met with a neurosurgeon about his hand. Ryan, Lisa and
Declan came to talk about confirmation class. He, Barb
T. Angela S. and Pam H. are working on FastTrack
version of confirmation. Burt & Sue Mueller joined
church last Sunday by affirmation of faith. Pastor had
hoped to welcome Eve, Dan and his son as well.
Minutes: Unavailable for review from July..
Financial Reports: As of 8/6/15, total income:
$5,810.79; total expenses $6,192.82 with a deficit of
$382.03. A suggestion was made to have the financial
report run just before Council meets or on the 15th of
the month to get a more current idea of finances. Jerrie
C. volunteered to ask Jean E. & Mary ND about doing so.
Rent from the parsonage is still partial at this point. Next
month should be a full rent check. As of the end of July,
Pastors 2nd salary payment is due and Portico
insurance has not been paid. Ron P. moved we accept
the report as presented, Shannon F. second. Passed
Committee Reports: Christian Education Barb T.
passed around invitations to Sunday school &
confirmation, which Council members signed. There are
11 students grades 8-12, eligible for confirmation. A
Fast Track confirmation program begins September
13th for 10 weeks. Students who participate will be
confirmed in a ceremony the Sunday after Thanksgiving.
Rally Sunday is October 4th for 4th-7th graders. Material
for these grades will line up with confirmation lessons.
Practice for the Christmas program begins Sunday,
November 29th until the program December 20th.
Bowling was held August 9th at 11:30am and a few
adults came.
Building & Property: Ron P. reported the ditch alongside
the wall that leaked was repaired and sealed. Jerrie C.
said apparently there is a leak in the upstairs bathroom
at the parsonage. The management company will
address it and let us know the outcome. The renters
have expressed an interest in mowing the lawn. Renters
were asked not to park on the lawn and to move any
extra vehicles to the back parking lot. The water bill is
being monitored. Ongoing: roof shingles that blew off

Old Business: Barb T. reported on the Altar Painting

Project. The bid is $4200 to clean it onsite. Contractors
suggest the lighting be changed from underneath to
overhead. The altar will need to be moved. An appraisal
of the painting for insurance purposes will also be done.
Jerrie C. recalled $400,000 in insurance covers the
contents of the church. Council recommended to the
Memorial Committee that they proceed with cleaning
the painting. Council continued discussion about the
congregational surveys which were evenly split on
having traditional vs. non-traditional services.
Council felt a balanced approach is best, and
recommended the 1st & 3rd Sundays, be from the green
book, traditional and the 2nd & 4th Sundays, will be nontraditional, more casual with use of the media. A media
person needs to be designated and available for these
services.
New Business: Angela S. and Randy B.s wedding is
being moved to October 17, 2015. Angela S. brought up
having a Fall pledge drive for stewardship and
volunteered to run it. Pam H. requested that an
inspection be done of the stain glassed windows. She
said that Sandy N. knows the family who made and
installed the windows. There was discussion about
pulling up the carpet in the sanctuary and possibly
asking the Memorial Committee to use those funds to
replace it. Angela S. asked if there are hard wood floors
underneath. Jerrie C. can check them after the meeting.
Ideas ran from re-carpeting entirely or leaving all or part
of the wood floors exposed, depending on their
condition and input form the congregation.
Motion was made to adjourn council by Ron P. with a 2nd
Tracy B. Council adjourned at 7:55pm
Respectfully Submitted,
Pam Heimuller, Council Secretary

Church Calendar Summary for 2015-2016

Confirmation Fast Track (10 weeks) September 13 thru November 22

Older students
Confirmation (30 weeks) October 4 thru May 15

Sunday School and first/second year confirmation

Thanksgiving Eve Eve Service November 24
Christmas Program practice November 29 & December 6, 13, 20

Advent dates Wednesdays, December 2, 9, 16, 23

Christmas Program December 20


Christmas Eve Service December 24



Sunday School reopens January 10



No SS on December 27 or January 3
Ash Wednesday February 10

Lenten Services February 17, 24 and March 2, 9, 16

Palm Sunday March 20

Maundy Thursday March 24

Good Friday March 25

EASTER March 27


Spring Break (same as Holy Week 2016) March 19 thru March 27.


SS is OPEN on March 20 and 27
MLKJ January 17

St. Valentines Day February 14

Holy Week March 20 thru 27

Pet Blessing April time TBA

Mothers Day May 8


Last Day of Sunday School May 15

2016s confirmation class May 22

2015 WELCA Circles

These Circles have been formed in an effort to organize the efforts of willing and faithful servants at
Bethany. The main focus of the Circles would be to organize and serve at special events at Bethany,
specifically weddings and funerals.
However, based on the size and scope of an event, it may be necessary to call on other Circle
members to assist, or to recruit help within the congregation from ladies not yet assigned to a specific
Circle.
In addition, Circles may host special celebrations such as baptisms or confirmations.

To join a Circle or ask Questions:

Diane Cate, Nancy Conner, or Val Lauter

Magdalene Circle
June July
December January

Mary Circle

August September
February March

Barb Topham, Leader Valerie Lauter, Leader

(503) 366-1973
(503) 397-4131

Eve Circle
October November
April May
Vi Brown, Leader
(503) 312-1133

Chris Mollenhour
(503) 543-6003

Jean DeLonais
(503) 397-3876

Virginia Erickson
(503) 397-6289

Deanna Grogg
(503) 543-6256

Diane Cate
(503) 396-6742

Betty Blankenship
503-312-1125

Shelly Redpath
(503) 543-7016

Nancy Conner
(503) 397-6316

Sandy Nastrom
(503) 397-5997

Christina Parsons
(503) 366-9045

Mary Newell
Dickinson
(503) 397-6831

Pam Heimuller
(503) 369-1634

Tracey Barker
(503) 397-3488

Amy Miller
(503) 366-1258

Pat Lange
(503) 397-3237

Mary Trapp
(503) 369-1625

Shannon Fitzgibbons
(503) 260-4966

Kathryn Frank
(503) 543-3009

9:30 AM Sun. Service

10:30 AM Birthday
Party
10:45 AM Confirmation Class

27

9:30 AM Sun. Service

10:30 AM WELCA
10:45 AM Confirmation Class

20

9:30 AM Sun. Service

10:30 AM SCRIP
delivered
10:45 AM Confirmation Class

13

9:30 AM Sun. Service

10:30 AM SCRIP
purchase

30

9:30 AM Sun. Service

Sunday

Labor Day

10:30 AM Town
Hall Meeting

Monday

28

21

14

31

September 2015

5:00 PM Christian
Ed.
6:30 PM Church
Council

Tuesday

29

22

15

Wednesday

30

23

16

9:00 AM Bethany
Quilters
9:00 AM MELCA
Coffee

9:00 AM Bethany
Quilters
9:00 AM MELCA
Coffee

9:00 AM Bethany
Quilters
9:00 AM MELCA
Coffee

9:00 AM MELCA
Coffee

9:00 AM MELCA
Coffee

Thursday

Mary Circle

24

17

10

Friday

25

18

11

Saturday

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