Bethany Calendar May 7      6:00 PM    Building Committe Meeting May 8      6:00 PM    Choir Practice-you are welcome to come join us!                  7:15 PM    Bell Choir Practice (Bell Appeal) May 11    9:30 AM    Bethany Choir Rehearsals - you are welcome to sing with us!                 10 :00AM    Christian Formation Hour: Reading Nobu Hanaoka's new book, On the back of a buffalo, in the Stockwell room - join us for the coming weeks!                11:00 AM    Morning Worship. Children's Sunday School following children's message.  Please enjoy the fellowship and refreshments together following worship.

Ongoing

Sunday Worship Leaders Needed - Use Your Spiritual Gifts Please contact the church office if you can volunteer with Sunday Worship duties such as: Lay Liturgist, Scripture Reader, Children's Time, Greeter, and/or  Coffee Hour Host.

Volunteer for Techniques to Wellness - Tuesday We need your talents for: Homework help, computer training, activities and games. Techniques to Wellness is a program of Bethany UMC for grandparents raising their grandchildren. Tuesdays 3pm - 5pm at Bethany Center. Contact Jeannette Given at tech2well@yahoo.com

Annual Events There are a number of annual events that further define our community:     "Snow Weekend" at Lake Tahoe in January. Blessing of the Animals - Pet-owners are invited to bring their pets to church for a time of celebrating our animal companions and offering them a special blessing-held in October. Mardi Gras Sunday - A Dixie Land Jazz band joins us for a joyous worship service followed by a New Orleans brunch--held the Sunday before Ash Wednesday. Easter egg hunt for kids. Outdoor worship service - Each summer, our congregation moves to a local park for an outdoors service and picnic. Bethany holds retreats in the mountains including Labor Day weekend. Halloween party for the kids. Other events include luncheons, dinners, talent auctions, theatre nights, etc.

News & Notes Gloria B. Soliz - Program Ministries May 4, 2008

Only Two Weeks Away! Spread The Word!

On May 18th, Bethany will celebrate its 100th anniversary with a special worship service, luncheon and program. We need help to make sure we can welcome guest, honor our past, look forward to our future and have a great day! Our District Superintendent, The Rev. Jane Schlager, will be our guest preacher. The planning committee is looking for volunteers to help with cleaning and preparations, polish silver, decorate Trinity Hall, set up and take down tables and wash dishes (we are bringing out the good china). We need food contributions for the luncheon that will compliment a turkey and ham. Please notify Shannon Horton if you can contribute one of the following items; Drinks ( need a volunteer or two to bring the fixings for punch), Appetizers, Salads and Sid Dishes. Dessert is not needed, as there will be a large cake. This will be a very special day, and the best opportunity to honor our past as we prepare to launch into the future with a renewed facility together. If you would like to contribute to creating a wonderful occasion for all, please use the sign-up sheet int the back of the church or call Julie Freeman (415) 824-0632 or the church office at (415) 647-8393.

Bethany's Spiritual Renewal Retreat Do you ever feel spiritually dry, like God is some distant idea rather than a sacred presence in your life? Ever wonder who that person over in the next pew really is, on the inside, and what their life’s journey has taught them about faith? On May 31, come and share in a special day with your Bethany family, designed to deepen your relationship with God and your community with one another. There will be time for personal reflection, to allow the scriptures to work in your heart, to experience in a new way the Spirit of God in your life and in our life together. We will meet at the beautifully renovated Hope United Methodist Church in South San Francisco, where there will be infant and toddler care, a children’s program, and sessions for youth and adults combined. The leaders of our event will be staff members of the San Francisco Interfaith Organizing Project . We will begin the morning with light refreshments at 9:30 am and conclude by 3 pm, with lunch provided. Please reserve your spot with Gloria at the church office.

Disaster Preparedness Workshop The San Francisco Interfaith Council and the Mayor’s Office is presenting a half-day workshop to help congregations be prepared for when the “big one” comes. We will want to know how to keep functioning, and also how to be helpful to those in our neighborhood who may need support from various sources. Please let Pastor Lauren know if you would like to be a part of this workshop on May 9th.

Dinner with CLUE and Hotel Workers Clergy and Laity United for Economic Justice are inviting all churches and pastors in SF to join them in Dinner Fellowship with the “invisible” hotel, restaurant and service workers of our city. Many of them are immigrants, and church goers, with families. At this dinner, on May 6 at St. Patrick’s Roman Catholic Church, 756 Mission St., beginning at 6:30. The event is free, but an rsvp is encouraged for planning purposes to ialvaran@clueca.org.

Bishop's Retirement Party The Conference Committee on Episcopacy invites all members and friends of the California Nevada UMC to join in expressing our gratitude to God for the ministry of Bishop Beverly Shamana , our Episcopal leader for the last 8 years. You may attend on Sat. May 10 at St. Paul’s UMC, Fresno , CA at 2 PM, or on Sat May 24 at Central UMC in Stockton at 2 PM. There will be fellowship, worship, entertainment, food and creative ritual. Children are invited and welcomed.

ATTENTION JR AND SR HIGH YOUTH! Are you curious about the different parts of the Bible?  Come to our new, short term beginners Bible class for Junior and Senior High youth.  The class will meet during worship on Sundays in April and May (Apr 6, 13, 27, May 4, 11, 25). Bring your questions about the Bible and possibly leave you with some new ones to think about!  There will be breakfast goodies too! For info see Peter Smith after church or email him at smithpm25@yahoo.com."

Remembering in Prayer… ©        Whelmina Lopez, Josie Penaflor and their family upon the death of John Lopez. ©        John Elam, Margaret Elam’s son who at 15, has a possible stress fracture in a spinal vertebra and has ongoing pain. ©        Stephanie as she begins a new job. ©        Doug Hogan as he starts a new job. ©        Hans Purkey, Vicki, Calvin and tiny Jason, as Jason remains in the intensive care unit following an early arrival, and for a new job for Hans. ©        Doug, Gloria’s brother, recovering from hernia surgery, and Beulah, Gloria’s mom, is home from an overnight in the clinical decision unit. ©        Jenx Jenkins, Bob Carey, and others in our Bethany family ‘weathering’ health conditions that keep them from joining our worship. ©        Herb Donaldson, who has pancreatic cancer. ©        Jeff Ellis’ mom, fighting brain cancer

Golden Gate District Prayer The Rev. Phillip C. Lawson, of Jones Memorial UMC writes: "God appoints all believers to be ministers of comfort, prophets of justice, and priests of creation. We pray, and ask for your prayers, that God will build us up so that we can live into the vision for which Jesus worked, suffered and died. "We pray that the UMC will become a sanctuary for those who have your gift of being gay, lesbian, transgender, or bisexual. We pray that the world may know the UMC as a sanctuary for every traveler, every stranger, every sojourner. That the world may know that Jesus is our Lord -- not the nation, not the church, not any doctrine, nor anything made by human hands.  "Please pray that the Great Spirit settles a comforting, soothing presence upon the People called Jones Memorial. They have been through so much. Yet, God has enabled Jones to rise up and stand tall -- in spite of, rather than because of.  We pray, 'God, heal, and make whole, all who are broken, separated, or discouraged.' "Buddhists teach us, 'When the student is ready, the teacher will appear.'  We want to be ready.  Pray that we are prepared to receive the Teacher." Back To Top