SUNDAY'S SCRIPTURE
l Kings 19:1-9
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Palms up, Heart open, Ready to Give
Part 2: Finding your Broom Tree
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A Look From Brook
Side by Side vs Top down
As I write this this afternoon, I am watching Camp Unity Eastside, our homeless community, move into our parking lot. They are coming our way via the wonderful folk at Northshore UCC church here in Woodinville and will be staying with us over the winter. It turns out we are a very good winter location for them, because in the PNW most of our winter includes rain and rain in a grassy environment like Northshore turns into mud very easily. So, it turns out our beautifully paved parking lot is ideal for them at this time of the year. In the summer, when it’s hot, our pavement would be miserable for them, it is then that Northshore and it’s wooded, and grassy environment is ideal.
This is the third time I have been a part of hosting Camp Unity Eastside at Bear Creek UMC and I thought I would take this time to reflect just a bit about a transformation that has happened in my heart about this ministry. The first time Camp Unity came to Bear Creek, I was on fire to “change their lives”. I wanted to end homelessness now! I wanted these folks to know how much I cared, and I wanted my care to be able to inspire them to do everything they can to get out of homelessness. My goal was to get them to a better place.
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Listen to Darin Danner share about Generosity. |
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This Saturday from 3-5, Bear Creek UMC will hold it’s annual Charge Conference. Because of Covid, Rev. Mark Galang, our D.S., is holding the meeting on Zoom only. The meeting will consist of two one hour meeings. At 3pm we will have our Staff Parish Relations Committee meet with Mark. And then at 4 pm our Bear Creek Coordinating board will meet with Mark. The meeting will conclude at 5 pm |
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Coordinating Board Meetings 2021
Saturday, November 13
Saturday, December 11
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CAMP UNITY EASTSIDE IS COMING TO BEAR CREEK UMC ON OCTOBER 21ST
Camp Unity will be moving into our parking lot on Thursday, October 21st and will be staying until February 24th. There are currently 17 residents at the camp.
Folks from all walks of life live at the camp, and all have a common goal of moving into a more prosperous and sustainable future.
We are looking for volunteers to help with the following:
1) Help with moving days on Thursday, October 21st and Friday, October 22nd. This entails packing and unpacking a moving truck. Call Bill Robinson at 714-794-7710 if you are interested in helping.
2) Welcome Gift Bags - We are providing a welcome gift to each camper. Each bag will hold socks, hand warmers, and snacks. Can you provide any of these items? Or, provide a donation? Please drop them in the box at church by October 31st or call Karen/Bill at 949-637-8951 for more information.
3) As we have done in years past, we will be providing Tuesday night dinners once a week from Oct 26th through Feb 22nd. There will be a signup sheet at Church and you can contact Bill, Karen, or Karl for additional information. Dinner time is 6:00 PM and you would typically serve a meal similar to what you would feed your own family. Look for sign up sheets soon at church or email the office at office@bcumc.org and we can add your name to the calendar. |
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One way you can stretch your generosity muscles at Bear Creek is to sign up to prepare and serve a meal to Camp Unity Eastside, a homeless community that is “homing” in our parking lot for the next 4 months. Bear Creek has signed up to provide suppers for this community for the next 4 months on Tuesdays! Sign up in the lobby!
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Dear church family,
Many of you have asked how to help the Afghan refugee crisis. We are continuing to serve families as they contact us, and we deal with multiple requests every week.
A big THANKS to Anne and Ted Rupley who delivered a toddler bed, dresser, clothes, toys and activity bags to an Afghan refugee family in Auburn last Sunday. The children, ages 2, 4, and 9, had been sleeping on the floor. Thanks also to Angie Brown and Erika who delivered two wooden cribs.
And a big SHOUT OUT to Marge and Ted Kuykendall who stepped up to be Diaper Sponsors, and to Mimi Johnson, also a Sponsor, who outfitted a young family with clothes and educational toys. Joan Pierce has been knitting baby clothes and hats which we have given to families with newborns.
Thanks also to everyone who donated nice, lightly used children’s clothing. The clothes were sorted and given to a family with five children in high need, and the remainder have been given to the Tukwila Clothing Bank whom we work with closely.
How can you help?
1. “ Diaper Sponsors" are still needed to send a package of diapers once a month to a designated family. To be a diaper sponsor, you simply order the diapers online and have them shipped directly to the family. The cost is about $30 per month and we ask for a 6 month commitment. This seemingly small effort makes a huge difference to a family who is trying to support a family on the father’s minimum wage. You can choose to communicate and get to know the family if you would like, and they are so appreciative!
2. Monetary donations are still needed to keep the Afghan Ministry program going.
3. We are in contact with agencies who have pro bono lawyers helping families who need to flee Afghanistan due to imminent risk of serious harm apply for Humanitarian Parole. Afghans who came here on a Special Immigrant Visa ( SIV), a process available to help those who worked to help the US military, can bring their spouses and young children to the US, but despite the risk an entire family carries, relatives such as siblings and parents are left stranded. The Taliban is going door to door, searching for extended families who have ties to the US military. We have first hand reports from families we know whose relatives paid extortion in the thousands of dollars to the Taliban, homes looted, cars stolen, and threats made. Volunteers are needed to help families here in the Seattle area complete these applications for their families in Afghanistan. It would take about an hour of your time to meet with the family, using their computer, to help with this process.
4. US sponsors are also needed for families applying for Humanitarian Parole. Once brought to safety in the US or a third country the family continues with the process of filing for asylum and then permanent residency in the US.. A Sponsor is an individual who files Form I-134 in support of a beneficiary’s application and agrees to provide financial support, if it becomes necessary, for the beneficiary during parole. However, this month, in October 2021, Congress passed a Continuing Resolution which now allows Humanitarian Parole beneficiaries to receive the same benefits of refugees, including housing assistance, access to public benefits, food assistance, resettlement assistance, job search assistance, and more. Access to these benefits makes it highly unlikely that the sponsor will need to provide financial support for Humanitarian Parole beneficiaries.
If you can help with any of the above, please contact office@bcumc.org
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BCUMC HALLOWEEN CELEBRATION:
HALLOWEEN HELP -- We invite you to share your treats!
Do you enjoy dressing up & celebrating the Halloween tradition?
Would you like to add to the fun of our upcoming BCUMC Trunk-or-Treat event by decorating your car & handing out candy?
How about taking photos of guests in our photo booth? Or greeting families & directing them to the festivities?
If dressing up is not your thing, what about helping with set-up and tear down? Or donating candy?
BCUMC has a tradition of throwing an exciting Halloween Bash for our congregation & the surrounding community. We need you to help foster this year's fun. The event will take place Halloween afternoon, Sunday Oct 31st from 3pm to 5pm outdoors.
As you know, our annual Trunk-or-Treat event is fast-approaching.
Did you know you can order trunk-or-treat design kits from Amazon and Oriental Trading Company? Whether you design your own, or order a kit, we can't wait to see what you come up with!
Please contact Kristin at support1@bcumc.org or 425-922-3181, and let her know how you'd like to be involved!
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Pastor Brook is starting to put together plans for a Children’s Christmas Pageant! If you are interested in helping, he’d love some help. Text him at 6056107793 and you will make his day...no week! We plan to rehearse right after a quick lunch at the church. So worship/lunch/ and then rehearse. We will start right before Thanksgiving.
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NEW “SUNDAY SCHOOL” CLASS SET FOR MONDAY, OCT 11TH
Led by Stephen Ministries
Navigating the Voices of Aging
O God, from my youth you have taught me, And I still proclaim your wondrous deeds So even to old age and gray hairs, O God, do not forsake me, Until I proclaim your might To all the generations to come. Psalm 71:17-18 The new norm. When did I become the parent? I know this isn’t who they truly are. I pray each day and night for strength, for understanding, for patience. I pray for their health, their protection, and most of all, their peace. Do you hear your voice in any of the previous thoughts? You are not alone. Bear Creek will begin a new class every Monday evening by Zoom, beginning October 11 at 7:00 p.m. If distancing issues allow, we will also have an in-person gathering one Sunday a month for the duration of the class. “Voices of Aging,” by Missy Buchanan, and “Chicken Soup for the Soul, Navigating Eldercare and Dementia,” compiled by Amy Newmark, will be the reading material for the class. These are not study books, rather they are designed to let you know you are not alone, and to open honest, perhaps sorrowful, and even joyful dialog with others who have experienced or are experiencing the new challenges within your life and your family. The class will be led by Connie Gagnon and Sue Burkholder. For more information, contact Pastor Brook or Connie Gagnon. Please contact the church office to register, so that you will be included in the Zoom connection
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PICK UP YOUR FREE BOOK TODAY! BEAR CREEK IS GIVING OUT 25 COPIES OF JACK ALEXANDER’S “The God Impulse”! For Jesus, truth and mercy went hand in hand. Where he preached he also healed. He presented the gospel in a hands-on, relational way. Today we have lost this powerful pattern of self-giving love, focusing on truth at the expense of mercy, and often failing to build genuine, lasting relationships with the people around us. In this book, Alexander helps us recover Jesus's model, showing through biblical and modern real-life stories that God's first impulse toward us is mercy. He then sets forth a pattern for us to follow--to see, go, do, and endure--that not only spreads truth and love to those around us who are suffering but also causes them to gasp in amazement and consider the claims of the gospel for themselves. |
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On Tuesday mornings at 9:30, Pastor Brook leads a books study. This Tuesday he is starting one of his favorites: Messy Spirituality. Hey, life gets messy sometimes and this book has always been one of my favorites. Come join us on zoom on Tuesdays to discuss!
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Pictured today is a proud first grader: Ava Coleman. Angie just turned 6 and makes her mother, Angie, proud every day!
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Featured Song with Bridget singing. |
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As you may have noticed, the state of Washington has new rules in place concerning masks and vaccines. As a church, we have some “religious” exemptions, but as a people who are committed to being “in community” with those around us, we have decided to follow the mandates set out for all Washingtonians. So this means that we are asking that you all get vaccinated. We won’t require this at the worship door, but we do ask that if you come to worship at Bear Creek UMC that you either be up to date on your Covid-19 vaccinations, or that you get a current Covid-19 test before you come. Of course this does not pertain to children, as they are not able to be vaccinated yet. I trust that we can be on the honor system on this, and that we will all continue to day all we can to keep safe in our building and out in the world! Just so you know, all of our staff is up to date on their vaccines. When Pastor Brook and Cyndy travelled to South Dakota recently, the first thing they dis was get tested. The tests were negative!
By the way, I recently asked an expert on the Covid-19 virus, about the safety of our sanctuary the way we have it set up, and he said, that given the height of our ceilings, the distance we have for our chairs, the plexiglass in front of our pulpit, (along with the wearing of masks and the knowledge that our membership is very vaccination conscious) that this church is very safe for folks during worship...as long as we do all we can to follow the rules. Let’s keep following them folks!
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Just so you know: Every worship service we have had online is available on our website at: bcumc.org/worship
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Check out our website at https://www.bcumc.org/! We have updated it to make it more friendly to anyone wanting to plug in to what is going on at Bear Creek UMC right now. Here are some of the features I suggest checking into:
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Instant Church Directory Online
1. Download the App from the App Store search for “Instant Church Directory”
2. Open the app and click “create login”
3. Enter email that is listed in the family portion of the directory.
4. Create password and retype to confirm password
5. Check your inbox for an email from Instant Church Directory
6. Verify your email address by clicking on the link sent to you in the email.
7. Once you confirm your email, close browser and return to App to login.
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Texting is now an option at BCUMC!
You can now sign up for texting alerts from BCUMC! Please let us know what info you want via text & your current cell phone number.
1.Send Janelle an email with your name and phone number at
2.Fill out the Welcome card and include your phone number
3.Fill out the text slip form available throughout the church
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If you'd like to give
electronically you can do that a couple of ways:
1) You can go to our website at bcumc.org and navigate to the Give>Give Online tabs and there you will see one time and recurring options for weekly and monthly giving.
2) You can go to your Apple App Store or Google Play and download the “GivePlus” App to your phone. On the app you can set up one time and/or recurring options for weekly and monthly giving.
3) We can also set up a monthly electronic withdrawal from your bank account. If you want to do that it is best to call our office at 425-788-2953 and we can help you fill that form out.
Again, if you have any questions or need help, call our office or call Pastor Brook at 605-710-7793.
Thank you!
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Week At A Glance: October 24 - October 31 |
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Sunday, October 24
Virtual- In Person - 10:00 AM
Monday, October 25
PSWTE Reunion group -7pm -9pm
Tuesday, October 26
Virtual Book Study - 9:30 a.m
Pastor Morning Prayer group - 7am-9am
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Wednesday, October 27
Thursday, October 28
Band Practice 5:15pm
Choir Practice 7pm
Friday, October 29
WTE Prayer Group- 12pm- 2pm
Saturday, October 30
Sunday, October 31
Virtual- In Person - 10:00 AM
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Friday Feel Good Song!
T.G.I.F! You have survived the grind and hustle of the work week. It's time to celebrate with the Friday Feel Good Song.
I hope you all have a wonderful weekend. Todays song is Can't Help Falling In Love by Elvis Presley. This song was originally released in 1962.
COUTNDOWN
Halloween:9 days
Thanksgiving: 34 days
Christmas: 64 days
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Worship:
Sundays at 10:00 AM
Office Hours:
Mon, Tue, Fri:
9:00 AM - 3:30 PM
Wed:
Calls and Emails only
Thu:
8:30 Am - 3:30 PM
Closed Weekends & Holidays
Ph: 425.788.2953
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Have An Announcement?
Do you have something to tell the Bear Creek UMC community? Send us your announcement (60 words or less) and a preferred graphic (if you want one) and we'll place it in our publications.
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