Practicing the Presence
Interim Pastor Heidi Husted Armstrong
Something Jan Johnson said in her sermon on Sunday, February 13, clarified what I have been struggling to articulate for years. Jan explained that being a Christian is not about just trying harder to do good things (because we mostly fail!), but about learning to abide. And abiding, she continued, means “practicing the presence of God,” or being fully present to God’s presence in our lives (and here’s where the penny dropped for me) “for the next ten minutes!” ...

Nine Men with Bad Manners
Kurt Dale
Last Thanksgiving our family attended the worship service at Bethany and all of us shared our gratitude. Fresh off the Men’s Retreat, I chose to give thanks for the men of Bethany. I am still feeling grateful for these men, and Pastor Todd asked me to write something for the Briefs about my experience on that retreat...

Life Looks Different Now
Cal Uomoto
Lando was ready to vomit. At the airport, Immigration officials informed him that his visa to work in Alaska was fraudulent. That was only the first shock. Then came the humiliation of being taken in handcuffs like a common criminal, herded onto the crowded bus with other desperate souls, and deposited at the Northwest Detention Center. He was fingerprinted, his mug was shot. He was told to take off all his clothes and don the dark blue detention uniform. No dignity...

Ancient Christian Commentary
Brad Ward
Quick! Name your favorite bible commentary series! Okay, I know what you’re thinking right about now. “Favorite bible commentary series? You’re talking about those plain sets of books with pages of 6-point font that analyze every ‘thee’ and ‘thou’, right? I’d rather read the phone book.”...

An Optical Instrument
Amy Retsema Eyler
A few weekends ago, my husband and I, along with another couple from Bethany, enjoyed an incredible concert at the Triple Door — an intimate concert venue in Downtown Seattle. I found it to be an intense experience, filled with both musical depth and lyrical insight...

Stewardship Update
Janette Plunkett
Thank you for your faithful support of all the ministries at Bethany in 2010. Recessions, leadership transitions and building campaigns can be nervous times for the church budget. We've been blessed with both generous giving and careful stewardship...

Farewell
We are excited to announce that Kurt Dyrhsen has accepted a call to be the Director of Worship at Sammamish Presbyterian Church, starting March 6. Kurt has been part of music ministries at Bethany for 17 years and is currently serving as our Assistant Director of Music. Our prayers are with Kurt, Kristin, Amadea, Oliver and Ezra as they begin this new chapter in their lives.

Special Congregational Meeting
Session has called a special Congregational Meeting for Sunday, March 6, after the second worship service (approximately 12:15 pm) in the Sanctuary. The purpose of the meeting is to have the congregation vote to approve proceeding with the seismic safety retrofit and borrowing up to $1.4 million loan for the project.

Bethany 101
Fri-Sun, March 11-13 in the Parlor
Bethany 101 is designed to help you learn more about the Bethany community. If you want to meet more people and find out more about Bethany...this is a great place to start! If you want to explore membership here, this class is a prerequisite to becoming a member. In this discussion-oriented setting we will investigate:

• what it means to be a Christian
• the faith traditions that
• influence our congregational life
• the rich heritage of the Presbyterian Church
• the many ministries and opportunities for community and service at Bethany
• how to discover your personal and spiritual gifts

You will also get to know our pastors and people involved in our ministries.

If you decide to become a member, you will be asked to write brief responses to four membership questions, and you will meet with one of our elders.

Children's Ministries

Third Grade Milestone Unit in March
During the four Sundays of March our 3rd graders will be enjoying their Bible Milestone Unit, culminating in receiving their Bibles from their church family on Sunday March 27 at 9:00 am. They will lead the congregation in a responsive reading that morning during both morning services.
They will learn about the structure and content of the Bible from teachers Nina Shoop, Rebekah Boettcher, and Wayne Gustafson. Jill Dickinson will help them create their own Bible cover and bookmarks. The children will meet with Pastor Heidi on Wednesday, March 23rd, to learn how she reads and studies the Bible for herself, as well as the role of Scripture in our worship services.
Please pray for our children as they learn about the Bible and learn how to read it to grow in the knowledge and wisdom of Jesus Christ!
(The class will begin March 6th in Fellowship Hall classroom number 2, and will find out at that point where they will meet the rest of the month!)

Lenten Resources
Lent begins on Wednesday, March 9th (Ash Wednesday), and the Children’s Ministry team has purchased Lenten resources to guide parents in teaching their children about Lent. These resources will be distributed on two different dates.
The general information about Lent will be available for families on Sunday, March 6th (in the lobby). Then on April 10th children will be able to choose from several “Holy Week” resources that will help them learn about this important last week of Jesus’ life.

Baptisms at Bethany
Baptisms of young children take place on the 2nd Sundays of each month. Prior to an infant’s baptism, parents are required to attend a one-time class, which is offered quarterly. The next class will be held on Wednesday, April 6th from 5:00 - 6:00 pm in the Parlor and will be taught by Pastor Todd.
To reserve a spot at this class (and to sign up for childcare if needed) contact Children’s Ministry Assistant Kjrsten Gunning at Kjrsten@earthlink.net. Kjrsten also schedules the baptisms, so you can discuss dates with her at any time.

Come and Sing!
A “Seeds Family Worship” event will be held here at Bethany on Saturday night, April 30th, at 6:30 pm. This will be a wonderful event for children of all ages and their parents (even infants like music!). Therefore we’re purposely having it early in the evening so young children can attend. We encourage you to prayerfully consider inviting a neighborhood family to this great outreach event.

Here’s a UNIQUE way to serve the children…
Feel like you’re not called to teach or play games with children or lead them in music? The Children’s Ministry team has a great way to help you fulfill your baptism vow to support the children of Bethany. It’s called “storage ministry!” With the upcoming seismic retrofit, we need to get everything out of the attic (which presently houses about 35 bins of supplies, 150 Godly Play stories, and 5 bins of Holiday Magic supplies).
If you could store a few bins in your basement, attic, garage or playroom for 9 months, please contact Kjrsten Gunning at Kjrsten@earthlink.net.

On the Calendar
see interactive calendar for complete listing

Wednesday Night Dinner
Wednesdays, 5:30 pm in the Fellowship Hall

Healing Prayer
1st Sunday of the month after the 10:45 am service on the Sanctuary balcony
3rd Sunday of the month after the 5 pm service on the Sanctuary balcony

Women's Bible Study
1st & 3rd Tuesdays, offered at 9:30 am & 7:00 pm in the Parlor
Studying 2 Corinthians. Childcare is available in the morning.

Choir Rehearsals
Wednesdays, 7:00 pm in the Parlor

Special Congregational Meeting
Sun, March 6, 12:15 pm in the Sanctuary

Partners in Preaching
Wednesdays, March 16, 23, 30 and April 6, 13
7:00-8:00 am in the Parlor OR 7:30-8:30 pm in a Fellowship Hall classroom

Bethany 101
Fri-Sun, March 11-13 in the Parlor

Young Adults' Brunch
Sun, March 13 at noon in 7 Howe

Session Meeting
Tues, April 12 at 7:00 pm in the Parlor

Deacons
Tues, April 26 at 7:00 pm in the Parlor

Seeds of Faith Concert
Sat, April 30, 6:30 pm in the Fellowship Hall

News & Notes

Baptism

Malia Lynnae Mitchell - February 13