February 1st, 2025

"Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. Blessed are those who mourn, for they will be comforted. Blessed are the meek, for they will inherit the earth. Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they will be filled. Blessed are the merciful, for they will receive mercy.

Blessed are the pure in heart, for they will see God. Blessed are the peacemakers, for they will be called children of God. Blessed are those who are persecuted for righteousness' sake, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. Blessed are you when people revile you and persecute you and utter all kinds of evil against you falsely on my account. Rejoice and be glad, for your reward is great in heaven, for in the same way they persecuted the prophets who were before you."


– Jesus (Matthew 5:3-12)

*Friendly Reminder*

Please have all information to be included in the Bethany Blast to Jennifer (bethanyucc@gmail.com) by Tuesday at noon

CIRCLE SATURDAY JAN 31st - PLEASE SIGN UP!

Interested in Circles? Please sign up for our next Circle at 9:30 a.m. on Jan. 31st. This time, we'll dive right in! We'll review and possibly tweak our Circle guidelines, and then start sharing our stories, thoughts, and ideas as we get to know each other better. 

Everybody is welcome! The Circle is always open and inclusive. Whether or not you've been to one of our previous Circles, you will quickly become a part of it. Circles are easy and intuitive and you'll pick it right up. There is no homework, nothing to prepare, but please do e-mail bethanypastoramy@gmail.com so we can set out enough chairs. Please bring your own coffee, water, back pillow, or whatever you will need to feel comfortable for a couple hours.

UCC Statement on Minneapolis Shooting

The UCC's General Minister and President, Rev. Karen Georgia Thompson, has issued a special statement and prayer regarding the fatal shootings by ICE agents in Minneapolis. To read the statement and prayer, please click here.

GRATITUDE FOR BETHANY CHURCH

We recently received four expressions of gratitude:

The Randolph Area Food shelf thanks Bethany Church for a “truck filled with food,” and writes, “Our Community is blessed by your contributions! Cheers for a New Year.”

The family of Marge Johnson writes, “Thank you for your thoughtfulness concerning Aunt Marge’s funeral reception (held Nov. 3). It was a great get together for family & friends, and reminiscing over the years with Aunt Marge.”

Connie Chamberlin now has 4 drivers as well as iPad to use for church zoom sessions. Thank you to the community for being such a huge help!

Jeanne Ward writes to pass along Ralph's "deep thanks for the thoughtful gift of 'all good things' and little Iris' poem was the 'cherry on the ice cream.' Blessings to you all for your remembering of folks in our community in times of illness and need of cheering up. 'Well done good and faithful servants.' "

LET'S WEAR OUR NAME TAGS!


As an act of hospitality and fellowship, let's remember to wear our name tags in worship and during coffee hour. This is a wonderful way to make people feel welcome, and makes it less awkward for everyone if a name is forgotten -- it happens to the best of us!

If you don't have a name tag, please contact the church office and one will be made for you.

RANDOLPH REFUEL

Students in the Randolph School community are excited to partner with the RTCC Culinary Program and local community members to provide a free hot meal served out of a food truck for individuals and families in need. This initiative is rooted in community care, dignity, and access to nourishing food for all. Our goal is to create a consistent, stigma-free space where community members feel welcomed, supported, and respected.

Hot meals will be served on Tuesdays: at the Randolph Food Shelf from 12 to 1:30 Tuesdays. 

February 3

February 10

February 17

If you have any questions or would like to support this project you can contact Tevye Kelman or Beverly Taft: tkelman@orangesouthwest.org & btaft@orangesouthwest.org

DIRECTORY

In order to access the latest version of the Bethany directory, please save this link somewhere where you can go back and access it on your computer/device. This is the shared link on google drive which will always show the most recently updated version - if you cannot access it, please let Jenni know.

For those of you who prefer downloading it directly or need to print, please find the PDF version here (****PLEASE NOTE the last update has been made on 1/21/26 and since this is a PDF document, it will NOT show recent updates like the link above.)

KEEP YOUR PRAYER LIST VISIBLE

Here is a way to keep the folks who are on our prayer list in our hearts and minds: Cut the list out from the bulletin or write the names down on a piece of paper and post the list somewhere you will see it each day. Take a moment to think of or say a prayer for those on the list. Think of the cloud of prayers that will surround each recipient if we all do that!

IN OUR PRAYERS

George Phillips, recovering from a medical event.

Kit Hood asks for prayers for Phil Dunn.

Amy's friend Kathryn who is battling cancer.

Sarah Isham’s friend, Alice Wright, who is battling cancer.

Continued prayers for Marty Strange, Carol Hodgdon, Ralph Ward, Pastor Kim's son Patrick, David Atkinson and our dear friends at Menig: Ruth, Grace, Marge, Ed, Mary, and Nancy.

Prayers for the family and friends of Renee Good and Alex Petti and the people in Minneapolis who have been so impacted by ICE actions.

CHURCH OFFICE HOURS

Office hours for the church are:

Wednesdays: 9:30am-2pm

Fridays: 9:30am-2pm

During those hours, the side door (near the kitchen) will be unlocked, and one of the staff will be in the office. 


While our minister always welcomes a pop-in visit, to ensure she'll be there and available, it's always a good idea to call ahead or make an appointment by e-mailing her at bethanypastoramy@gmail.com.