Bethany News

April 2015

Tidbits and Tidings

It was years ago, in North Dakota, but
I still recall making a crown of thorns for
our Good Friday worship. It was made
out of what I was told was a branch from
a Russian Olive bramble bush. At any
rate, it surely served the purpose, what
with thorns protruding every maybe an
inch, many which were over an inch long
and very sharp. We soaked it in the
bathtub for a day to get it pliable to even
try to form the shape of a crown of
thorns with it.
No one would ever want or be able to
take having such a crown forced down
upon their head, but it happened to
Jesus.
Why is this important? Well, what
strikes me more and more these days is
that Jesus could have skipped out on
Holy Week and by passed the pain, but
for our sakes, He came and innocently
endured not just any death, but the most
gruesome one of all. and He did so
because He wouldnt ask of His disciples
what He, Himself, would be unwilling to
endure.
Nearly all of the 12 died martyrs
deaths, and now in these perhaps latter
days of the world, radical Islamic
terrorists are adding to that number. It
grows virtually every day, as these
terrorists, instead of engaging in faith
conversation, cowardly martyr all in their
path, in the name of the one they call
Allah.
Well, Holy Week will be here soon.
The theme of it is really the sufferings
and ultimate triumph of the Lord over sin
and death, again for our sakes. He
suffered the crown of thorns and

crucifixion.for all sinners, including

those who crucified Him, saying Father,
forgive them, for they know not what
they are doing.
I guess that my two bits for this
Tidbits and Tidings is not to have us try
on a crown of thorns, but to urge each of
us not to take for granted or skip out
on this critical week in which God
showed His love for us, forever changing
the sequence of our lives from death to
life.
See you at worship,
Pastor Scott

Holy Week Worship Services

Holy Week begins with Palm Sundaythe Sunday of
the Passion. Each of us will take a palm branch and
make it into a cross, to remind us that the glory and
adulation of Palm Sunday was gone by Friday and
replaced by shouts of Crucify Him. On Holy
Thursday and Good Friday, we will worship at 6:30
p.m., with Holy Communion being served by the
Lord on Thursday. Our Good Friday worship will
juxtapose the words and events of Jesus birth with
those of His death, thus helping us see the
connection between Christmas and Easter.

Easter Sunday At Bethany

He is RisenHe is Risen, indeed!! We will begin our
morning at 7 a.m. with our traditional Sunrise service in
the cemeteryfollowed by our Easter Breakfast, Sunday
School decorating of the Bethany Easter Cross and
conclude with our 10:25 a.m. Easter Celebration Worship
service. Please join us for an entire morning of celebrating
the real reason why we gather each week .


It wont quite be Easter when you read this
newsletter, but I will say Happy Easter and
Christ is Risen Indeed! Because, thankfully,
we already know the rest of the story.
I
cannot even imagine the first Easter and NOT
knowing how the story ends. What a roller
coaster ride that must have been!
The month of March was another busy month
for the WELCA ladies.
Several of us participated in the World Day of
Prayer on March 6 by reading, preparing and/
or serving food, and/or attending the service.
It was a very uplifting day.
One of the
participants in the program celebrated her
101st birthday the next day. She was amazing!
th

On the 12 , we traveled to St Helens to

visit the WELCA group at First Lutheran
Church. I can confidently say, A good time
was had by all. We saw a slide presentation
and heard the story about a lady in San
Francisco who used to be an atheist. One day,
she received communion at the altar of an
Episcopalian Church.
At this church, the
guests line up at the altar which is round.
And they serve each other communion from
the front of the line to the back of the line.
She was so inspired by this service at Gods
table, she went on to create an amazing food
pantry that serves over 1000 people every
Friday. And, this same lady cooks and serves
lunch for all the other volunteers that help out
at the food pantry every week.
After that, the Bethany ladies presented their
portion of the program.
Sandy read our
opening devotions. Then Mary N-D, Barb T,
Diane and Nancy presented a skit entitled We
Need Each Other. Its a story of three ladies
traveling to a womens retreat and they get
into all kinds of trouble before figuring out that
they all need each other. The ladies could not
stop laughing and have invited the Bethany
Actresses back to do the skit again for their
Ladies Tea in May. Angela will be replacing
Nancy in the skit as Nancy has another
commitment that day. (I am sad to miss it.)

April 2015
Valerie led us in our closing prayer.
We
adjourned for brief, individual business
meetings, and then re-convened to partake in
delicious refreshments provided by the First
Lutheran ladies.
Lenten Soup Suppers and Services have
been well attended. The skits featuring The
Dodgers Family have been funny, but also
have provided us with some very good lessons
to remember during this time of year and yearround as well.
The final soup supper and
service will be on March 25.
The week of
March 30-April 3 will be Holy Week with
Maundy Thursday and Good Friday services,
but no soup supper service.
Easter is April 5 with 7:00AM service in the
cemetery, decorating of the cross at 9:30 and
regular worship service at 10:25.
The church could still use some sprucing
up before Easter. (And ongoing through the
spring and summer months) There is still a
sign-up sheet in the basement if you could
please pick a spot outside to keep maintained
(year-round) that would be wonderful. And,
indoor cleaners are needed as well. Thank you
for your efforts!
The congregation is welcome to bring lilies
for Easter Sunday. If you wish to bring them
early, please leave them in the basement as
the altar will be completely cleared for Good
Friday service. I will personally see that any
lilies left in the basement get taken up to the
altar Easter morning. And, again, thank you!
Our next meeting will be after church on
April 19th. And, Bethany will be cooking and
serving Community Meals on April 30th.
Please join us if you have time to help with the
preparations and/or serving.
Nancy Conner
WELCA Secretary


Last Sundays Animal Blessings worship was so
successful that another one in the summer is being
planned.
Several adults want to be sure that the students get
another opportunity to bring their animals to church.
Just ask Collin and Declan how they felt watching their
pets being blessed.

A GIGANTIC THANK YOU to Angela Sera and Pam
Heimuller for the Blessing arrangements and the
feast following the worship. The baked potatoes, hot
dogs and garnishes (including chocolate chickens) were
delicious. St. Patricks Day was the theme and we
enjoyed seeing green through-out the meal!!! J

Another HUGE thank you to Sandy Nastrom for the lovely
forsythia that adorned the altar and the Fellowship Hall.
SPRING was felt in Warren!

Last, but NOT least, THANK YOU Pastor for all of the right
scripture passages and prayers for the Animal
Blessings! Thank you for inviting so many of Bethanys
neighbors to attend. Everyone appreciated the new
service to Bethany.
We are all looking forward to Easter now with several
dates of preparation including Gospel passages

March 29- Palm Sunday John 12: 12-16

April 2- Maundy Thursday- Holy Communion will be
served at 6:30 PM service John 13: 1-35
April 3- Good Friday- John 18: 1-19

April 5- EASTER Sunrise Service- 7 AM John 16: 1-8

EASTER Sunday School- decorate the CROSS- 9 AM

EASTER Worship- 10:25 AM Mark 16: 1-8

April 12- Gospel John 20: 19-31- Bring a friend

April 19- Gospel Luke 24: 36-48- Bring a friend

April 26- Gospel John 10: 11-18- Bring a friend

April Birthdays
1
3
18
20
21
22
24

Della Larson
Mark Parsons
Kristy Larson
Val Lauter
Sierra Redpath
Christina Parsons
William Jordan Coleman
Bruce Grabhorn

April Anniversaries
7
9
20

Bruce & Robyn Grabhorn

Marvin & Florence Kost
Diane & Jerrie Cate

Visiting shut ins has been a worthwhile

endeavor!!! Please don't let one visit be
the limit. Please continue to send cards
and visit when you can.
Everett Stermer
(call first- 503-397-2238)
58055 Fisher Lane,
St. Helens 97051
Clarence Kuhn
(call first- 503-693-9944)
Avamere
2000 SE 30th Ave,
Hillsboro 97123
Diane Tucker
Marquis Care Vermont Hills
6010 SW Shaddie,
Portland 97221
Florence & Marv Kost
(call first- 503-543-7605)
31162 Pond Drive,
Scappoose 97056

Jo Kallberg
Spring Meadow Retirement,
36070 Pittsburg Rd.,
St. Helens 97051
Harold Tucker is being relocated along
with his daughter and her family. Their
family home was sold before they had a
new place to stay and they are living with
family and friends in the interim. As soon
as his daughter sets up residence we hope
to hear where Harold is, too! Please keep
Harold and his family in your thoughts and
prayers through this transition.
There has been a request to visit folks
we haven't seen in a while and take
them a "prayer" quilt. PLEASE let
Diane, Nancy, Vi or Barb know if you
have anyone else in mind for this
special project of appreciation and
recognition to some of our senior
members.

Quilts
Quilting Ladies have been busy making Prayer lap quilts for our Bethany loved ones.
At this time, Mary Trapp and Barb Topham have been able to deliver these heartfelt
gifts. WELCA hopes to continue visitations to many of our members that might not
make all of the meetings or worship services. Dont forget to keep these folks in your
thoughts and prayers.

So far WELCA has presented prayer quilts and visited Everett and Brita; Carolyn (in
January) and Clarence; Diane Tucker; Jo Kallberg; Lorene Larson and Jean DeLonais.

WELCA is taking requests as well. Please contact Diane Cate with your names, phone
numbers and addresses of loved ones wishing a visit! J

Bethany Lutheran Church Council Minutes - March 10, 2015

Present: Pastor Scott, Jerrie Cate, Tracey Barker, Bill Grogg,
Pam Heimuller, Chris Mollenhour, Angela Sera, & Barb Topham
Council convened at 6:40pm with devotions by Pastor Scott.
Give of yourself because you want to, not from a sense of
obligation. This gives us joy in serving others.
Pastors Report: He reported on an email between himself
and Michael Curry Studios in which he asked them about
bringing puppets to be a part of VBS. They are unable to do so,
but Pastor is checking on taking a tour of the studio instead.
He passed around the worship service for the Animal Blessing
this Sunday. It will be a short service inside followed by the
blessing of animals outside after communion. He asked Tracey
B. to draw a large paw on a poster board for departed pets, so
people could put a votive candle on the paw in memory of
past pets. The next door neighbors may bring over horses. He
then passed around a quote on unconditional love he hoped
to use.
Mid-week Lenten worship is on Wednesdays starting with
soup and bread at 5:30pm followed by a short skit at 6:16pm.
Palm Sunday is March 29th. Both Maundy-Thursday & Good
Friday Service will be at 6:30pm. Pastor is considering playing
clips from the film Jesus of Nazareth.
Pastor visited with Lorene Larson. He also met with the Kuhn
family in preparation for Carolyn Kuhns funeral service held at
Columbia Funeral Home. Pastor shred his doctor said his ankle
is shot and he needs surgery to fuse it soon.
Minutes: February 10th meeting minutes were reviewed by
council. Bill G. made a motion to pass them as presented, 2nd
by Barb T. Passed.
Financial Reports: February 2015; Income is $5499.93 &
Expenses $6183.67 with a deficit of $683.74. It was noted that
only $150 was paid in parsonage rent due to cost of repairs
made by River City Management. Portico for February is not
yet paid. Report was passed as presented.
Committee Reports: Christian Education Barb T. stated
attendance at Sunday school seems to be holding steady at
two. Chris M. offered an explanation that sports commitments
conflict with Sunday school. Pam H. shared that Henry H. had
shown Oliver how to acolyte last Sunday. The status of VBS is
still being discussed. Barb T. reported that WELCA participated
in World Day of Prayer at the Presbyterian Church.
Building & Property: Ron P. was absent, so a discussion on a
possible concrete contractor as a possible solution to the wall
leak problem will have to wait. Ron P. had mentioned to Jerrie

C. that sealing the ditch where runoff is and reconnecting the

down spouts to redirect water away from the church might
solve the problem.
Evangelism & Stewardship: Shannon F. reported there are
currently plenty of welcome bags for now. On Scrip, she
reported 18 cards were purchased last Scrip Sunday for a total
of $1125. Scrip made $38.50 leaving a balance of $137.01 in
the Scrip account. Thanks to WELCA for their outreach efforts
for World Day of Prayer.
Old Business: A decision was made by council consensus to
contract with the Redding Group for parsonage management.
Jerrie C. contacted them and passed around a copy of the
contract. The Redding Group will conduct an inspection of the
parsonage to get a baseline of condition. A letter was sent to
River City Management to discontinue their services. Bill G.
asked about issues found at the last walk-thru in February.
Jerrie C. explained that most of these issues arise from lack of
cleaning by the tenants. He also reminded council that the
renters sister would be moving into the parsonage until
summer. He expressed appreciation to Scott M. who agreed to
fix hinges of a door in need of repair. He noted this was NOT
due to normal wear & tear. Chris M. asked for more info on
the hinges be provided to Scott M.
New Business: Jerrie C. brought up rent to be charged for the
parsonage. Jerrie C. said he The Redding Group recommended
raising the rent to be more consistent with area amounts. Pam
H. had checked a website for rent in this area, which was
$1187 per month on average. Jerrie C. reiterated that the
Redding Group would take 10% of the rent for their fees. After
much discussion and debate among council, Barb T. made a
motion to raise parsonage rent from $1050 to $1200 a month,
Chris M. 2nd, passed.
Miscellaneous Business: Tracey B. asked if the shrubs in front of
the cemetery sign could be trimmed. A question as to who
should trim them came up. Bill G. asked if a survey of the
congregation was necessary. Barb T. explained that a survey
could help with planning. She also suggested that surveys be
handed out in church instead of just sent by email. Jerrie C.
asked for input for the monthly newsletter. He provides most of
the input aside from council meetings.
Motion was made to adjourn council by Bill G. Chris M. 2nd.
Council adjourned at 7:55pm
Respectfully Submitted,
Pam Heimuller, Council Secretary

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

Eve Circle

Magdalene Circle

Mary Circle

April May
October November

December January
June July

February March
August September

Vi Brown, Leader
(503) 312-1133

Barb Topham, Leader Valerie Lauter, Leader

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

Virginia Erickson
(503) 397-6289

Chris Mollenhour
(503) 543-6003

Jean DeLonais
(503) 397-3876

Betty Blankenship
503-312-1125

Deanna Grogg
(503) 543-6256

Diane Cate
(503) 396-6742

Sandy Nastrom
(503) 397-5997

Shelly Redpath
(503) 543-7016

Nancy Conner
(503) 397-6316

Pam Heimuller
(503) 369-1634

Christina Parsons
(503) 366-9045

Mary Newell
Dickinson
(503) 397-6831

Pat Lange
(503) 397-3237

Tracey Barker
(503) 397-3488

Amy Miller
(503) 366-1258

Kathryn Frank
(503) 543-3009

Mary Trapp
(503) 369-1625

Shannon Fitzgibbons
(503) 260-4966

9:00 AM Sunday
School
10:30 AM Sunday
Service

9:00 AM Sunday
School
10:30 AM Sunday
Service
11:30 AM WELCA
Meeting

9:00 AM Sunday
School
10:30 AM Sunday
Service

9:00 AM Sunday
School
10:30 AM Sunday
Service

Easter

Palm Sunday

Sunday

26

19

12

29

April 2015
Monday

27

20

13

30

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

Tuesday

28

21

14

31

Wednesday

29

22

15

9:00 AM Quilting
9:00 AM MELCA
Coffee

9:00 AM Quilting
9:00 AM MELCA
Coffee

9:00 AM Quilting
9:00 AM MELCA
Coffee

9:00 AM Quilting
9:00 AM MELCA
Coffee

Maundy Thursday

Thursday

30

23

16

Friday

Good Friday

Eve Circle

24

17

10

Saturday

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25

18

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