March 18th, 2026

“We look forward to the time when the Power of Love will replace the Love of Power. Then will our world know the blessings of peace.”

– William E. Gladstone

*Friendly Reminder*

Special Note: The deadline for the March 25 edition of The Blast, please have all information to Jenni by 11 a.m. Friday, March 20.

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

Holy Week is a special time in our journey of faith, as we remember the events of Jesus’ final earthly days. Please invite someone to join you at one of our beautiful services at Bethany Church, UCC.

Palm Sunday March 29

Worship 10 a.m.

Palm Sunday honors Jesus’ joyous entry into the city of Jerusalem. We’ll celebrate with palms and beautiful music. A special activity is planned for children during Sunday School.

Maundy Thursday April 2

Tenebrae Service 7 p.m.

Maundy Thursday commemorates the Last Supper, when Jesus gave us the sacrament of Communion before washing his disciples’ feet, and praying in the Garden of Gethsemane.

In the sanctuary, we’ll share Communion and listen to scripture’s account of Jesus’ passion as candles are extinguished.

Good Friday April 3 

Sanctuary Open 12 - 3 p.m.

Good Friday remembers the day of Jesus’ crucifixion. The sanctuary will be open and available for prayer from noon to 3pm.



Easter Sunday April 5

Sunrise Service 6:30 a.m.

BYOBreakfast Potluck

Sanctuary Service 10 a.m.

Come celebrate the Risen Christ on Easter Sunday morning! We’ll start with a simple sunrise service in the church parking lot, followed by a BYOBreakfast in Fellowship Hall. Bring juice, coffee, coffee cake or something else to share. Then, we’ll head to the Sanctuary for a glorious service, celebrating the Resurrection with Communion, lots of music and beautiful flowers. Invite someone to join you!

FOLLOWING JESUS: A SERMON SERIES FOR LENT

This Sunday we’ll continue our sermon series, “Following Jesus.”  

Much is being said these days about being Christian. But what does it really mean to follow the way of Jesus? What does it mean to love each other, to do hard things, to keep the sabbath, and otherwise be faithful in today’s world of division and violence? 

We’ll take our cues from Jesus, as told in the Gospel of Matthew. We’ll touch on areas such as inner strength, being other-focused, and the importance of community. Our framework will be the Fruit of the Spirit as described in Galatians 5:13-15. 

Please invite someone to join you:

March 22 Gentleness

March 29 (Palm Sunday) Self Control

****PRAYER CIRCLE WITH COMMUNION CANCELLED****

Due to continued illness, all further Wednesday prayer Circles have regretfully been cancelled. During this Lenten season, you are encouraged to have your own time of devotion and prayer. 

TOPICAL DISCUSSION CIRCLES

Due to continued illness, our *Thursday Circle (March 19) has been cancelled*. Fingers crossed for a Circle on Saturday, 9:30 -11 a.m. on March 21! If you are interested, please contact Rev. Amy Lignitz Harken at bethanypastoramy@gmail.com. No experience necessary! The topic will be “Church in Transition.” 

EASTER LILY ORDERS

If you wish to place an Easter lily in the sanctuary and have it be "In Memory of," "In Honor of " "In Gratitude for" particular people or groups please contact Jeanne Ward at 802-565-8676 to order a lily and the church office for it's dedication so Jenni may include this in the Easter service bulletin. It will be helpful to have orders placed by 3/25. This is a lovely tradition from our past and we hope it will prove meaningful this Easter season!

SAVE MARCH 25th FOR SINGING RESISTANCE


On Wednesday, March 25 at 6:30 pm, Bethany will host a Singing Resistance gathering.

Hannah Smith has been trained to teach the songs of resistance that originated in Minneapolis in response to the surge of ICE agents into that city and the murder of two American citizens by ICE agents.

These songs are beautiful and simple to sing. They have spread across the country to be sung at protests, in churches, and at vigils.

Their purpose is to offer a form of "embodied resistance" that uses song to disrupt, grieve, and foster community strength.

The gathering is open to anyone in the greater Randolph community who would like to learn these songs, so please spread the word and plan to come!

GRATITUDE FROM PSYCHOLOGICAL WELLNESS CLINIC

Members of Bethany Church have been part of making a meaningful difference through support of The Psychological Wellness Clinic’s Assistance Fund. We are deeply grateful to those who have already given—your generosity is helping individuals in our broader community continue accessing mental health care during times of financial hardship.

Even small donations can make a significant impact. Those who feel led to give may visit our website at https://www.thepsychologicalwellnessclinic.com/ to donate online, or make a check payable to The Psychological Wellness Clinic with “Assistance Fund” noted in the memo.

A NOTE FROM THE CHURCH ADMIN:

If you have an item for the calendar, or are scheduling an event at the church, please notify the church office either by phone or e-mail. This will keep us from double-booking our space. Thank you!

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.)

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.

BETHANY TRUSTEES MINUTES

Starting this month, Trustees Meeting minutes will be shared through The Blast.

You may also request a printed copy from Jenni at the church office.

In the future, there will be a link to these reports near the post about Church Office Hours.

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!

PRAYER JOYS/CONCERNS

Condolences to the family of Dwayne Brees who passed away on March 12th.

For Inga dealing with health issues.

For a member of St. John's church dealing with ill health and surgery.

For Kathy Nowlan's sister, Roz, dealing with blood infections.

For Rick Edwards who is experiencing declining health.

For those in treatment for cancer and those dealing with PTSD.

For the immigrants arrested and detained in South Burlington by ICE agents.

For all those who are being killed and displaced by the war in Iran and for the U.S. service members and their families who have been killed or injured.

Continued prayers for our friends at Menig: Ruth, Grace, Marge, Ed, Mary and Nancy.

These are the most recent council meeting minutes and latest financial report:

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.