March 11th, 2026

"You cannot find peace by avoiding life."

– Virginia Woolf

*Friendly Reminder*

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

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 15 Generosity

March 22 Gentleness

March 29 (Palm Sunday) Self Control

WEDNESDAY PRAYER CIRCLE WITH COMMUNION

5 p.m. in Fellowship Hall

Tonight, please join us in Fellowship Hall for a Prayer Circle with Communion. We'll meet at 5 p.m. in person. Everyone is invited to share a time of devotion, share what’s on our hearts and minds, and share the bread and cup. Due to illness, there will be no Zoom option this week.

TOPICAL DISCUSSION CIRCLES

March 19, 21

We are planning to circle up twice next week. We'll gather in Circle at 4 p.m. on Thursday, March 19, and at 9:30 a.m. on Saturday, March 21. No experience necessary and a topic will be provided in advance. Interested? Please e-mail bethanypastoramy@gmail.com. 

****Please note: Due to illness, the Circle planned for March 12 has been cancelled.

EASTER LILY ORDERS

For whomever would like to order Easter Lilies, they are $17.00 for a single stem 4-bloom lily plant. Please contact Jeanne Ward if interested in placing an order!

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!

PROJECT DOVE

Good News! We finally received news that our last shipment to Myrhorod has arrived safely!  It seems such a long time since November when the 8 shipping boxes left Randolph with the toys, baby supplies, warm blankets and clothing and we do not know why this was a lengthy trip but are so happy that, finally, Natalia and her crew at their relief organization are unpacking and distributing the gifts,

Blessings on all of you who contributed, remembering how cold and snowy it has been here in VT this winter and how much this means in a country that is war torn and without electricity and heat most of their winter!

-Irene Schaefer and Lee Khan

GRATITUDE FROM MYRHOROD

Alex sent a translation of a letter from Natalya in Myrhorod letting the congregation know of their gratitude for our ongoing shipments!
Please find the original article here and the translated letter here.

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 FINANCIAL REPORTS

Starting this month, Council will be sharing both Council minutes and financial reports through The Blast.

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

If you have questions about the financial report, please contact Randy Garner at garnerrc@aol.com

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

For Ashley Barrow's father, Butch, for health issues.

All the people who are suffering bombardment due to the war in Iran.

Immigrants and asylum seekers who continue live in fear.

Prayers for all of those who continue to mourn the loss of loved ones.

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

These are the minutes from the most recent meeting of the Bethany Church Council:

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.