SUNDAY'S SCRIPTURE
1 Thessalonians 5:12-28
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"For Beauty of the Earth" |
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A Look From Brook
Cornbread Stuffing and the Process of Holiness
How does something become holy? Cyndy and I are going to New York for Thanksgiving to visit my son, Sam, and his girlfriend, Iris. This will be, for them, their first-time hosting Thanksgiving in their new apartment! Needless to say, they are super excited, and a bit nervous. They’ve never done Thanksgiving! Iris, Sam’s girlfriend, is originally from China. She knows nothing about the North American tradition of Thanksgiving! And so, when I asked her what kind of stuffing she was going to make, she looked at me funny and said: “Stuffing, what’s that?” I replied, “You know…dressing?” She still had no clue. And so, Cyndy, Sam, and I spent the next 15 minutes trying to describe stuffing! It was hilarious. In the end, she went on YouTube or Pinterest and did her own research. When we zoomed last, they both announced that the stuffing of choice was going to be “cornbread stuffing”! Then they looked at us and asked: “So do you have a go to recipe for cornbread stuffing?”
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Plan now to come to Bear Creek UMC’s Thanksgiving Feast:
Stay for our Thanksgiving Feast on Sunday after worship! The meal is: chicken salad croissants, greens and mandarin salad, chips, and cookies! We will plan to serve the meal in the celebration space, so we will need some extra hands after worship. Please stay and enjoy this meal as we thank you for being Bear Creek UMC!
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Today is our day to bring our 2022 generosity pledge and service cards forward! If you need one, there are some on our table. You can also fill one out online at bcumc.org/give. There will be a time to come forward during the worship service and place your pledge and service to our God. Thank you for your generosity!
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Bear Creek UMC Christmas Candlelight Concert Set for Sun., Dec. 12th, @ 5pm! Special Choir numbers, Bell Choir, Violin, Candlelight, and more! Call a friend, get your family together, and join us for this special night of celebrating the gift of Christ at Christmas!
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Coordinating Board Meetings 2021
Saturday, December 11
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CAMP UNITY EASTSIDE IS HERE!!
Camp Unity has moved into our parking lot and will be staying with us until February 24th. There are currently 13 campers. These are folks from all walks of life and all have a common goal of moving into a more prosperous and sustainable future.
They are all fully vaccinated and have passed a background check and drug test before they are allowed into the camp.
We are still looking for volunteers to help with the following:
- As we have done in years past, we will be providing Tuesday night dinners once a week from Oct 26th through Feb 22nd. Could you sponsor an evening? Maybe get with a few others at church and work together to sponsor an evening?
There is a signup sheet at Church and you can contact Bill & Karen Robinson, or Karl Brackmann 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. Sign up at church or email the office at office@bcumc.org and we can add your name to the calendar.
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There are several folks in the camp that are struggling with finding warm clothing. Do you have a coat that you could donate? Or, a sweater? Please consider only slightly used coats and sweaters. There is one woman living at Camp Unity and men’s socks, thermal undergarments or gloves don’t fit or work properly for her. Please keep this in mind when considering your donations. Bring those to church when you can. We have an urgent need!
Thank everyone!
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Feeding the 5,000! From now until Super Bowl Sunday, we are collecting cans and non-perishables for the local food banks. The goal: 5000 items by the Feb. 13! You can also donate online and we will buy the goods! Go to bcumc.org/give and on your online giving form give to “Feeding the 5000”! THANKS!
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ALTERNATIVE GIVING 2021 COMING SOON!
Be on the lookout for more details in the first newsletter of December, as well as a table in the lobby to get your “alternative” holiday shopping done (12/5, 12/12, 12/19). The three non-profits we are focused on this year include:
- Helping Hands Fund
- Counseling Centers, N Puget Sound
- Afghanistan Ministries
Have questions or want to help? You can see Mimi Johnson, Karen Robinson, Brook Self, or Danielle Walsh for more info. They are all in the church directory.
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We’re Having Children’s Christmas Pageant this year! The plan is to share our production on Sun., Dec. 19. Practice begins Sun, Dec. 5th during our Parent’s Night out from 3-6 pm. We will practice a bit, play some games, share in a quick meal, and then practice a bit more, and end in games/crafts. Some of the work with “littles” will be done in family groups! We hope you can join us! There will be one Saturday practice on Sunday, Dec. 18th.
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Sunday School is Back in Session!!
Thanks to all who filled out our survey about what families want for educational opportunities at BCUMC! We got lots of responses, and are excited to offer new programs:
Coming soon (Nov 14th) we will start up some fun curriculum for our children every Sunday! We look forward to offering crafts/games/stories in the playroom for the younger children that align with Pastor Brook’s message and our “Simply Loved” Bible lessons.
For the slightly older children who want more structured materials, we are offering Children’s Church (aka Sunday School) after Children’s Moment in the sanctuary – in the youth room with Danielle Walsh. This multi-age “Simply Loved” program will offer Bible discovery, crafts, games, and supplemental activities. We plan to return to the sanctuary for communion and closing songs (unless we’re having too much fun).
**Pastor Brook plans to join in with all the kids once/month for some fun & games every 1st Sunday of the month too – after church from 11:00-11:15**
Other findings from our survey include (1) Families want quarterly events and offsite gatherings – we are working on a parent’s night out in December – we will keep you posted! (2) Almost every family has other commitments after church, so we’ve combined Sunday School at the same time as adult worship. (3) All families want healthy snack options after church & we will provide as many as possible! (4) Parents want take-home options for faith-based activities & we will supplement after church with bags of activities each week if kids can’t make it to Sunday School or the Playroom. You can pick them up in the lobby. Any questions or want to help? Text Danielle 425-785-9887 / A big thank you to Kirsten Adams for helping develop the program with Danielle!
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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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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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New Giving App! We now have ‘Vanco Faith’ as an app that you can use to set up your giving electronically. You can use your bank account info, a debit card, or a credit card to make one-time payments, reoccurring payments, etc. (Note: this replaces the ‘Give Plus’ app)
Steps: (1) Download Vanco Faith app shown below (2) Once downloaded, open app and enter our church code on the welcome screen - code is NKNBJG (3) Set up your login/password OR use your current login info if you’ve used Give Plus in the past (4) You’re in! Set up payment.
Questions? Please contact Janelle in the church office 425-788-2953 or email the pastor: pastor@bcumc.org
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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 “Vanco Faith” 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: November 21 - November 28 |
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Sunday, November 21
Virtual- In Person - 10:00 AM
Thanksgiving Feast 11 AM
Monday, November 22
PSWTE Reunion group -7pm -9pm
Tuesday, November 23
Virtual Book Study - 9:30 a.m
Pastor Morning Prayer group - 7am-9am
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Wednesday, November 24
Thursday, November 25
Band Practice 5:15pm
Choir Practice 7pm
Thanksgiving Day
Friday, November 26
WTE Prayer Group- 12pm- 2pm
Saturday, November 27
Sunday, November 28
Virtual- In Person - 10:00 AM
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Bear Hugs
Bear hugs to Bill & Karen Robinson who, with neighbors Ryan & Owen, did the last of the furniture moving needed before my new carpet was laid. I'm so thankful for church family and my neighborhood family.
Joan Pierce
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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. If you are traveling for Thanksgiving be safe out there! Todays song is Home by Michael Bublé. This song was released in 2005.
COUTNDOWN
Thanksgiving: 6 days
Christmas: 36 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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![Michael Bublé - Home [Official Music Video]](https://web-extract.constantcontact.com/v1/thumbnail?url=https://i.ytimg.com/vi/lbSOLBMUvIE/hqdefault.jpg)
