Bethany Briefs BETHANY PRESBYTERIAN CHURCH 1818 QUEEN ANNE AVE N. SEATTLE WA 206.284.2222 Learning How To Live by Pastor Doug Kelly The grass withers, the flower fades; but the word of our God will stand forever. Isaiah 40:6, 8 The season of Lent consists of the 40 days before Easter (not counting Sundays) where the Christian Church has historically tried to slow down and walk with Jesus to the cross. It all begins with Ash Wednesday. Ashes in the ancient world were a symbol of repentance and of mortality, and so Lent is often a time to stop, to assess our lives, to take stock of our relationship with Jesus Christ. And it all begins by pondering your mortality. I am not trying to be dark here at all. I love the old King James poetry of Isaiah 40:6: “All flesh is grass.. the grass withers and fades.” It has struck me over my 30 years of pastoral ministry, how many people in our culture do not realize that they will die – aging parents who do not get their will in order, mid-lifers who are caught up in the dogma of eternal youth, and people of all ages and stages who are genuinely surprised when death approaches. Isn’t it interesting that the one thing that everyone knows for certain will happen WWW.BETHANYPC.ORG February 2013 Wednesday Night Dinner Wednesdays, 6:00 pm Fellowship Hall All flesh is grass… I remember geing confused as a child when I heard my Sunday School teacher talk about the season of “Lent.” “Isn’t that the fuzzy stuff my mom removes from our clothes dryer?” “No, that would be lint.” “Lent” simply means “spring.” But it is a spring that emerges from delving into the ashes. February 2013 in their life – that it will end – is the one thing we seem most unwilling to acknowledge? The Bible has beer counsel. “All flesh is grass.” “L789, make me to know my end, and the measure of my days.” (Psalm 39:4) Anne Lamo, in one of her books, recounts the day she accompanied her friend to an appointment with her oncologist. After the doctor estimated the measure of her days, he turned to Lamo and declared, “Watch your friend in the coming months. She’s going to teach you how to live.” Ever since that moment, Lamo is fond of reminding her readers, “You don’t know how to live until you know you’re dying.” I love the season of Lent. It is a time to learn how to live. It is a season to ponder my days, to turn (repent) to Jesus anew in the confidence of his resurrection power and eternal love. I hope to see you at our Ash Wednesday service on February 13th. Ashes remind us to turn to God, to recommit to Christ, and to remember that from dust we came and to dust we shall return. All flesh is grass… The grass withers, the flower fades; but the word of our God will stand forever. Choir Rehearsals Thursdays, 7:00 pm Sanctuary Young Adult Lunch Sunday, February 3 12:00 pm 11 Howe China Prayer Team Sunday, February 3 12:15 pm 3 Howe basement Caring for a Loved One with Alzheimer’s Thursday, February 7, 21 7:00 pm Parlor Death and Discipleship A Study of the Gospel of Mark Sundays, February 10-March 17 9:30 am 3 Howe Basement Dorothy Sayers Reading Group Sundays, February 10, 17, 24 10:45am Parlor Young Adult Planning Sunday, February 10 12:00 pm Fellowship Hall PACT team prayer Sunday, February 10 12:00 pm 3 Howe basement Annual Meeting Sunday, February 10, 5:00 pm Sanctuary & Fellowship Hall Session Meeting Tuesday, February 12 6:00 pm Parlor Third Saturday Deacons Saturday, February 16 10:00 am Honduras Prayer Group Sunday, February 17 12:15 pm Library Read Good Books Sunday, February 17 7:00 pm Parlor Deacon Meeting Tuesday, February 26 7:00 pm Parlor 1 staff 206.284.2222 Senior Pastor Rev. Dr. Doug Kelly [email protected] / x11 Assoc. Pastor (Outreach) Rev. Lynne Faris Blessing [email protected] / x12 Congregational Care Linda Cutshall (Director) [email protected] / x13 Youth & Family Ministries Scott Gronholz (Director) [email protected] / x18 M.S. Coordinator Anthony Jones [email protected] / x15 Children & Family Ministries Dianne Ross (Minister) [email protected] / x14 Sara McMahon (Nursery) 763-8871 Kjrsten Gunning (CM Asst.) 604-5509 / [email protected] Kim Kleeh (Special Needs) [email protected] Young Adult Barb Williams [email protected] Music Ministries Music Ensemble, interim Amy Eyler - [email protected] Sound Coordination, interim David Purdy - [email protected] Choir Director, interim Anthony Spain [email protected] Organist Sylvia Oines [email protected] Communications Communications & Operations Manager Susan Forshey [email protected]/ x20 Communications Assistant Gail Beran Neils [email protected] / x21 Facilities Mike Christensen [email protected] / x22 Final Budget Approved for 2013 by Gerry Champagne, Session Treasurer On January 8, Session met and approved the final budget for 2013. It was the end of a lengthy process, which began with the adoption of new budget procedures last June. The procedures included the establishment of a timeline to allow elders, deacons and staff sufficient time to prayerfully consider what God might be calling Bethany to do in the upcoming year, align that effort with the annual stewardship campaign, and provide an opportunity for the congregation to provide input for Session’s consideration prior to final approval. The budgetary procedures were developed in conjunction with Bylaw amendments that were also approved in 2012 and gratitude is expressed to the members of the Bylaws Commiee – chair, Jay Derr, Bob Kunde, Paul Carlson, Frank Holman, and Mike Purdy. Feedback regarding the new budgetary procedures has been uniformly positive and we thank the commiee for their hard work, thoughtfulness and wisdom. After prayerfully considering all input, including the results of the Stewardship Campaign, Session has determined that it will be possible to restore some of the budget cuts which occurred in 2011 and 2012. The 2013 budget restores staff hours in a number of areas, increases support for local and global outreach partners and provides additional funding in growing areas including Children and Youth ministries. We are also blessed to note that due to the generosity of the Congregation and the careful stewardship of those entrusted with Bethany’s resources, we were able to finish 2012 with a sizable surplus. That surplus will allow Bethany to provide a modest bonus to our hard working staff, provide additional funding to our local and global ministry partners, and pay down some principal on our seismic loan. Praise God! If there are questions about the 2013 budget, please contact Gerry Champagne at gerrychampagne@ gmail.com or 617-543-8092. A copy of the 2013 budget on our website: www.bethanypc.org. Death & Discipleship A Study of the Gospel of Mark with Barb Williams Then he called the crowd to him along with his disciples and said, Social Services WND Director Janet Moore [email protected] / x19 WND Kitchen Karen (Taylor) Rider / 282.4560 would come after me, Communications he must deny himself Communications & Operations Susan Forshey (manager) [email protected]/ x20 and take up his cross Communications Assistant Gail Beran Neils [email protected]/ x21 Office Sylvia Lidell [email protected] / x10 Custodians Bernardo Reyes Jordan Garrett (asst.) 2 “If ANYONE and follow me. For whoever wants to save his life SJK9LMN, FOP8JL8M 10 - ML8QR 17 9:30-10:30 LT UK VRO 3 H7WO BLNOTOKV A 6-week Bible Study during Lent for adults, exploring physical and spiritual death in the life of Jesus and in our own lives. will lose it, but whoever loses his life for me and for the gospel will save it.” (Mark 8:34-35) The Prayer Corner: Adding for Lent by Chris Gustafson Lenten Practice I didn't grow up in a church with a liturgical tradition so I still remember the first time I heard anything about Lent. In the Celtic tradition, Philip Newell speaks of “listening to the heartbeat of God.” John, the Beloved Disciple, heard the human blood pumping through Jesus as he rested his head on Jesus’ chest during the Last Supper. Just like John, we are all invited into such deep intimacy with God. ʺIʹm giving up chocolate for Lent,ʺ Mary Ann announced. Mary Ann lived on my street and we played together sometimes but I didnʹt know her very well because she went to Catholic school. ʺWhy?ʺ I asked her. ʺWhatʹs Lent?ʺ Mary Annʹs reply left me horrified. God wanted us to give up things like chocolate? For forty days before Easter? It was clear that I did not love God nearly enough to do anything like that and the envy I felt for all those extra days Mary Ann got off of school to celebrate saintʹs days disappeared. Somehow my feelings about Lent got all mixed up with the math I was learning - addition and multiplication were fun, subtraction and division not so much. According to Mary Ann, Lent was all about subtraction. As a grown up I occasionally felt a twinge of guilt about Lent. By then I had figured out that the point of any sort of Lenten fast was to draw me closer to God, but I was stubbornly resistant to the whole idea until my daughter Mae casually mentioned that she was writing poems for Lent. She explained that she wanted to add a spiritual discipline to her life to prepare for the celebration of Easter, and had seled on creating a weekly poem. I could do that. It didnʹt have to be good poetry since it was just between me and God. Pastor Dan was preaching through some Psalms that year during Lent so I decided to write a poem and take a photo to go with the theme of each of the sermon Psalms. I made a few rules for myself. The poem could be any length and any form or no form. It just had to be done by Sunday. I found that I was happiest if I read the Psalm every day, wrote a draft of the poem early in the week, and revised it as the week continued. That was the first year I really entered in to Lent. I loved taking time to read the Psalms and discover their themes. I found myself praying more as I wrote and being more aware of the world around me as I searched for just the right image to capture with my camera and pair with my poem. This Lent will be the fifth one Iʹve marked with weekly poems. One year all my poems were about death. Another year they focused on joy. But adding something to your Lenten life doesnʹt have to be poetry. What could God be calling you to add to your life during Lent? Each week you could: ▪ Take a photo and caption it. ▪ Draw, paint, or sculpt. ▪ Choose a hymn or praise song to sing daily for each week. ▪ Go on a weekly prayer walk, choosing a different location each time. ▪ Compose music to play or sing. Pray about what God might be calling you to do. Donʹt do anything out of obligation but pay aention to any nudges from the Holy Spirit. Itʹs even possible you might find yourself drawn toward the more traditional Lenten practices of self-denial and reflection. I'll be writing poetry and eating chocolate - but I think Iʹll wait to taste those amazing chocolate-covered malted milk ball Easter eggs until we celebrate the resurrection. Ash Wednesday marks the beginning of Lent, and an invitation to listen more deeply for God’s heart in and for the world. Some people select a spiritual practice to engage in more intentionally - to let go of something that is not life-giving in order to free space for God, or to embrace a practice or relationship more closely, listening for God’s own joy in it. The Bethany community will gather at 7:00 pm on February 13th for a contemplative Ash Wednesday service. Worshippers are invited to receive on their foreheads the mark of the cross in ashes, remembering our mortality, and then receive communion as a sign of God’s redeeming grace. Maundy Thursday remembers the mandatum--Latin for command--that Jesus gave his disciples after the Last Supper: A new commandment I give unto you, that you love one another; as I have loved you (Jn 13:34). One of the most cherished services at Bethany, the community will gather for a Maundy Thursday service at 7:00 pm on March 28th to hear the scripture texts of Jesus’ final days before the crucifixion, and experience the poignant darkening and stripping of the church. 3 Young Adult Events Fellowship First Sunday Lunch Sunday, February 3 noon - 11 Howe Planning Meeting Sunday, February 10 noon - Fellowship Hall Bible Studies Wednesdays 7:00 pm - 7 Howe Contact Krissy Rustia: [email protected] Thursdays 7:00 pm - Parlor/3 Howe basement Contact Adam Loeffler: [email protected] Book Reads Dorothy L. Sayers Reading Group T'( M)* B,-* ., /( K1*2 Sundays, February 10 - March 24 10:45 am in the Parlor led by Dave Anderson A collection of 12 radio plays wrien by Dorothy Sayers and produced by BBC in the early years of WWII. Each play focuses on the life and ministry of Jesus. Copies are available at the class, or you can bring one. Sponsored by Adult Christian Ed. Read Good Books T'( P3)4( ,5 .'( L1,* by Charles Williams Sunday, February 17 7:00 pm in the Parlor Michael Paulus, facilitating meets once a month This novel explores how people react when spiritual realities break into and overwhelm the natural world. 4 Assimilation vs. Adoption by Scott Gronholz I have been doing youth ministry as a vocation for my entire adult life and I have always found that the ultimate “goal” of my work was prey nebulous. There are some things I know I should be doing like introducing students to Jesus, teaching from the Bible, providing a safe place to discover faith, and creating opportunities for mission and service. However, these items rarely happen under the banner of a definitive all-encompassing goal. I know the Church should play an important role in the lives of students, but I struggle to find the right words to describe what that role is. Ever since I started studying youth ministry I have had a deep conviction that students need to be connected to the larger church body and not just their youth group. In fact, that is one of the things that aracted me to the youth director position at Bethany in the first place. At the time I applied for this job I was working with Young Life and found it very challenging to connect our newly “converted” students to a healthy church body. I thought working in youth ministry in a church seing would be way different. Turns out doing youth ministry at a church can often feel like working for a para-church organization like Young Life in that we also tend to separate our kids from the adults to have their own segregated spiritual experiences. I’ve been aware of this problem for a long time and have tried to come up with creative ways to address it for years. One term that I’ve used very subtly and maybe even unintentionally to describe the connection we want our students to have with the rest of Bethany is assimilation. This actually sounds prey smart and fancy and usually people will respond positively to this concept. As I used the word assimilate I had this really great image of students being present with our adults in worship, classes, and other activities. Theoretically, over time, they would begin to assimilate into the world of adults and then just nat- urally become part of the church. But is assimilation really the answer? I have come to discover that the notion of adults expecting kids to assimilate to adult culture is a pervasive and detrimental mindset in our modern society and even in the church. The onus for change and adjustment is all on the kids. It’s a mindset that is (often times subtly) rooted in arrogance, stubbornness, and power. The idea that teens--who are still in the throws of development and self-discovery - would need to make complicated adjustments to be with adults simply seems unrealistic and unfair. Fortunately, the Fuller Youth Institute introduced me to a new word to use to describe our ultimate goal in youth ministry: adoption. Pause and think about that for a moment. My ultimate goal for our youth as a youth director, and our ultimate goal for our youth as a church family should be to adopt our kids into the body of Christ. There are several significant and positive elements to this mindset: Affirms “family of God” status. There is a theological statement being made that affirms a congregation as a family. We are not a cold institution where students need to perform and achieve to earn our love. If a congregation collectively sees the virtue in the adoption mindset they can warmly welcome and embrace students with all of their complications and cultural differences. Honors developmental phases. One of the main tasks of an adolescent to become an adult is the task of individuation. To put it another way - individuation is simply the process of becoming an individual. Three crucial elements to this process are identity (who am I?), autonomy (do I maer?), and belonging (where do I fit in?). The adoption mindset instantly gives students a safe place to belong while they continue to wrestle with issues of identity and autonomy with parents, youth-leaders, and other continued on page 5 Marriage Nurturing by Linda Cutshall, Director of Congregational Care In marriage, we have an opportunity to develop the most intimate of partnerships; one in which we freely give and receive love, are truly known and understood, and grow as persons as we support and encourage each other through the seasons of life together. Marriage Nurturing is a way to develop skill and practices that nurture this relationship of Christ like companionship love. It is love that can last a lifetime. The eight-session interactive small group class highlights common elements found in thriving marriages and invites reflection, discussion and action (see sidebar). Marriage Nurturing expands the vision for a successful marriage by viewing it as a crucible for learning to “love one another” in a context of God’s covenant love for us. Each week, as the class meets, you will have an opportunity to get to know the other couples, and receive encouragement as you focus ways to enhance your relationship and make it a high priority. Fol- Marriage Nurturing Weekly Sessions Session 1 Commitment Making your marriage a priority through a second commitment to ongoing marriage nurturing. Session 2 Wednesdays, February 20-April 10 7:00-9:00 pm - 10325 15th Ave NW led by Milt & Metta Smith lowing each session an hour couple nurturing time during the week provides a way to apply what you learn in class through a variety of nurturing activities. The class concludes with the formation by each couple of a vision for the ongoing nurturing of your marriage. Suggested Donation for materials: $ 100 per couple; Scholarships available Questions? Please call 206-715-2582 or email [email protected]. Building Trust & Security Creating a nurturing environment and seeking each other’s best. Session 3 Deepening Connection Growing in intimacy and companionship by expressing your love often in a variety of meaningful ways. Session 4 Support Talking & Listening Heart-to-Heart: Being there for each other with supportive communication and other forms of support. Session 5 Assimilation or Adoption? (continued from page 4) trusted adults in a developmentally appropriate way. The church family becomes the hero. Too often in youth ministry students latch onto their youth pastor or a charismatic and caring youth volunteer instead of the whole church. This, sadly, is the only connection to the church that “sticks”. Adoption, if done well, helps the entire church family become a relationship that sticks. There is an endless list of practical implications for a congregation if they embrace the notion of adoption as the ultimate goal of youth ministry. I don’t have the space to address that here. My hope is that this article will simply begin a conversation about how we can do a beer job as a congregation in adopting our students into our family. This is a whole church calling, not just the calling of a few youth volunteers. This is something we all need to be thinking about. In his now classic book called Family Based Youth Ministry, Mark Devries warns against the power and allure of an exciting youth program. He says in the long run, “the teenagers in our churches will be affected by significant experiences with adults much more than by the mountaintop youthgroup experiences that we spend so much energy creating. Everything we do in our youth ministries should be, first and foremost, about helping to give kids excuses to build connections with Christian adults.” Adoption is the goal of our youth ministry at Bethany. We want students here to feel a deep connection with the adults in our congregation and not just our volunteer youth leaders (as amazing as they are, they are not enough). Over the next few months I would ask you, Bethany Presbyterian, to think about our identity as a church family and how we can adjust to beer welcome our students into our family. Managing Conflict Talking Through Issues – Regulating Emotion: Staying connected emotionally during conflict with compassionate personal responsibility (CPR). Session 6 Reconciling Differences Repentance & Forgiveness Meet: Reconciling hurts through a work of repentance and forgiveness. Session 7 Living out Covenant Love Our Spiritual Foundation & Hope: Becoming rooted and grounded in God’s covenant love in Christ as a foundation for life-long companionship love together. Session 8 Vision Where To Go From Here: Creating a vision for the ongoing growth and enjoyment of Christ-like companionship love in your marriage. 5 Local Outreach March 2013 Wednesday Night Dinner Wednesdays, 6:00 pm Fellowship Hall Choir Rehearsals Thursdays, 7:00 pm Sanctuary China Prayer Team Sunday, March 3 12:15 pm 3 Howe basement Dorothy Sayers Reading Group Sundays, 10:45am Parlor Young Adult Lunch Sunday, March 3 12:00 pm 11 Howe Stephen Ministry Continuing Education Thursdays, March 7 & 21 7:00 pm 3 Howe basement Walk Thru the Bible (for children & adults) Saturday, March 9 9:00 am Sanctuary PACT team prayer Sunday, March 10, 12:00 pm 3 Howe basement Soup & Bread Sunday, March 10, 12:00 pm Fellowship Hall Session Meeting Tuesday, March 12 6:00 pm Parlor Third Saturday Deacons Saturday, March 16 10:00 am Honduras Prayer Group Sunday, March 17 12:15 pm Library Read Good Books Sunday, March 17 7:00 pm Parlor First Aid Training King County Youth Chaplaincy by Jonathan Abe King County Youth Chaplaincy is a partnership of churches, parachurch organizations, individuals and likeminded businesses that seeks to provide Christian chaplaincy, mentoring and after -release pastoral care for incarcerated juveniles in King County, Washington. It’s been 3 years since we first stepped into the King County Youth Detention Center. Many may think that we go to the detention center to bring Jesus, but we actually go to meet him. We may be inclined to believe that the youth do not know Jesus. Many of them do, but like all of us, they go through seasons of struggle. Some of my most memorable highlights have been when youth have a fire for Jesus that is so hot, you canʹt help but be intrigued by the flame and touch it. Sometimes, that flame seems to diminish as they are bombarded with the realities before them. However, those with this fire never lose sight of who is in control— God! These youth in particular, have encouraged me greatly. Their faith, which is challenged tremendously and regularly and the way that they remain on fire for Jesus, inspire me. Even for those youth who may not believe in Jesus yet, their questions are encouraging: questions Iʹm sure many of us have asked. How do you know God is real? What if heaven doesnʹt exist? If God is real, why does my life look this way? (Men’s Ministries) Saturday, March 23, 8:00 am Fellowship Hall Deacon Meeting Tuesday, March 26 7:00 pm Parlor community life Baptisms - January 13 James Tower Barry LinaRose Adams Burwell Madeline Jean Konswa 6 As adults, we may believe that weʹre supposed to have all the answers for our youth when often times an appropriate response would be, ʺI donʹt know, but let’s find out.ʺ When humbling ourselves in this way, the youth become more comfortable and transparent because they come to the realization that we are now on this journey together and our young people need someone to walk with, not ahead. “ God has really been entering into the conversations between me and the youth, to speak truth about God and provide scriptures to equip the youth to fight off lies. One youth, Charles, was really challenging the word and asking provoking questions but was clearly wrestling. He had said the prayer to believe in Jesus and expected things to get more difficult, and they had. Now he was wondering if he made the wrong decision or not. I encouraged him and clarified that he had accepted the Lord and he said yes. We talked a lot about Ephesians 6 and how we donʹt wrestle with flesh and blood but principalities and powers in the spirit realm and how this bale is often times for where and in whom we place our trust. I told Him that living your life for God isnʹt easy, but it is freedom. By the end of the conversation, he was very encouraged and said he wanted to do what I am doing when he gets older and to speak about what God has done in his life.” - Chaplain Tony We praise God for the last three years and are excited about what he has in store in our future. For more information, find them on Facebook at King-County-Youth-Chaplaincy. children & family ministries Walk Thru the Old Testament Live Event By Bobbie Windus February 3 (Sunday) 9:20 am Fellowship Hall My mother likes to send funny e-mails. A while ago she sent me the Bible story according to kids: In the first book of the Bible, Guinesses, God got tired of creating the world, so he took the Sabbath off. Adam and Eve were created from an apple tree. Lotʹs wife was a pillar of salt by day, but a ball of fire by night. Moses led the Hebrews to the Red Sea, where they made unleavened bread, which is bread without any ingredients… children’s ministry First Sunday Gathering music & missions for 1st - 5th graders Saturday, March 9 9:00 am - 4:00 pm @ Bethany [Register by Sun, Feb 25.] We can laugh at the kids’ confusion, but most of us are not Bible experts either. We look to the Bible for guidance and comfort, but those of us who haven’t gone to seminary can feel baffled by the myriad of people, places, and events. Yet understanding the sweep and arc of God’s story is so powerful. Teaching the 2/3rd grade Sunday School has helped me gain a beer understanding of God’s redeeming work over time. Inspired by Walk Thru the Bible, each week we tell the next chapter in God’s story, turn the room into a map and learn motions to remind us of key events, people and places. By the end of last year the kids were able to tell the Old Testament story in 77 motions, and I had gained a sense of the big picture and context of Scripture, the paerns of sin and grace. February Sundays (Sunday) Lord’s Prayer Milestone Unit for 1st grade class (see article) February 10 (Sunday) Baptism Sunday (at both 9am and 10:45am) February 10 (Sunday) 5:00 pm Children’s Program during the Annual Meeting “Celebrate the church’s birthday (see article) SAVE THE DATE Vacation Bible Camp! July 29 - August 2, 2013 So I’m really excited that our church will be hosting a Walk Thru the Old Testament Live Event for ages 7 - 107. This event is no dull lecture or dry seminar but rather a fully interactive, educational and inspirational (though slightly cheesy) expedition through the pages of Scripture. So if you don’t have time to go to seminary or teach Sunday School, why not spend one Saturday getting a panoramic view of the Old Testament? Celebrating Bethany’s 125th Birthday! by Dianne Ross, Minister of Children & Families On February 10, the Bethany community will gather again at 5 pm for the traditional “Annual Meeting.” Because the Childrenʹs Ministry team feels this is a very important function for parents to aend, we work hard to provide a fun, celebratory children’s program that evening for the kids. Infants/Toddlers Our young ones will enjoy a time of play in their normal Nursery rooms. Two-year-olds through 4th Graders These children will enjoy a mini birthday celebration (including puppets!) to honor Bethany’s 125th birthday. Rooms by age: 2 and 3-year-olds: Puffin Room 4 and 5-year-olds: Oer Room 6-year-olds through 4th graders: Parlor The laer two groups begin with their families in the Sanctuary; then around 5:25 pm go to their rooms for “birthday activities.” At 6:30 pm, parents pick up their children and go enjoy dinner (and birthday cake) in the Fellowship Hall with the entire Bethany family. Parents: please sign up your children by February 3, so we can ensure enough leaders/materials. Space is limited in some of the rooms, so we serve the first ones to sign up. You may register your children by signing up on the Children’s Ministries bulletin board, or contacting Dianne Ross: [email protected]. First Grade Milestone Unit in February Here at Bethany, each elementary grade has a special “Milestone in Christian Formation.” During the 4 Sundays in February, the first graders will be learning the Lord’s prayer, and learning what all those words mean! This special milestone unit will be taught by the great first grade teaching team, during the 9:00 am hour. Don’t miss it! Gold Basin Camping Trip Save the Date! July 5, 6, and 7 More details to come. 7 Sunday morning - 9:00 am Thursday nights - 7:00 pm High School Sunday mornings - 10:45 am Tuesday nights - 7:00 pm All events meet in the Youth House. Bethany Briefs is the monthly newsletter of Bethany Presbyterian Church. Mailing address: 3 Howe St. Seattle, WA 98109 We welcome submission requests by the 1st of the month: [email protected]. Gerry Champagne presented the year end Finance report, which saw Bethany close 2012 with an $87,000 surplus primarily due to a well-stewarded under spending of the 2012 budget by $82,000. Janee Plunke presented the Stewardship report, spoke about the 2013 budget Q and A meeting, and presented a motion to split the 2012 budget surplus three ways - 1/3 to personnel, 1/3 to outreach, and 1/3 to debt retirement. Session passed this motion unanimously. After staff left, Gerry and Janee presented the final 2013 budget, and Session approved this budget with minor corrections. Ma MacLean gave a brief report on how the Personnel Commiee will use its portion of the 2012 surplus to give bonuses to Bethany’s staff. After staff returned, Ma informed staff about both the bonuses and about the budget strategy Personnel used for 2013. Session prayed for and thanked staff members present. After a brief fellowship break, Session endorsed Ryan and Alethia White’s application for PCUSA Mission Service as Ma and Alethia are currently under Bethany’s care. Session passed a motion to call the Annual Congregational meeting on February 10, and brainstormed ideas on how to welcome Doug and Jean Kelly to Bethany as they start their ministry here. Session then closed with prayer. Bethany Presbyterian Church 3 Howe Street Seale, WA 98109 Middle School Reverend Scott Lumsden opened the January Session meeting with prayer, and after approving the agenda and minutes, Craig Barwell “pointed Session towards Christ”. Using the 2nd and 3rd grade Sunday School curriculum and with a rough map of Israel on the floor of the Parlor, Session learned a few of the motions that go along with the objects that represent significant events in Jesus’ life. The events around the aempted stoning of Jesus were tied to Jeff Van Duzer’s sermon the previous Sunday. Return services requested BPYG youth Session Notes by Craig Barwell, Clerk of Session Non-Profit Organization U.S. Postage PAID Seale, WA Permit No. 438
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