In the Image of God / Pastor Dan Baumgartner
Everyone who walked into the lower Queen Anne Starbucks noticed him instantly. He was maybe fifty years old, but who can really tell when the skin is so weather-beaten it may never recover, and the hair is so long and matted with grease?...

Bethany Youth Fundraiser
Trace Bundy Live in Concert / Kelly Pearson
Sure, his original, finger-style acoustic guitar compositions are pleasing enough to even the most casual listener's ears. But how would two Bethany high school students respond when bribed into attending a Trace Bundy Concert? Both agreed enthusiastically, "Trace Bundy must not only be heard, but seen."...

Participate in a Lenten Small Group / Catherine Purdy
Lenten small groups provide a way for people at Bethany to join with others in coming weeks in preparation for our Celebration of the Resurrection. This year, Pastor Dan Baumgartner and Kimberlee Conway Ireton have written three studies entitled Creating Space for God: Fasting in the Wilderness that will draw our attention the wilderness stories of Elijah and Jesus...

Bethany Missionary: Kathy Cranston / Ben & Marit Newton
If you have the chance, ask Kathy Cranston about the behind-the-scenes ways God mobilizes people to use their unique gifts and callings in response to the Great Commission...

Mississippi Mud / by Mike Christensen
For most of my life, my knowledge of Mississippi was limited. Grandma taught me to spell Mississippi by singing a little song and I remember watching civil rights clips on television as a young man. There was also a song about people dancing on the Mississippi mud...

What's the Staff Reading Together? / Pastor Dan Baumgartner

“When I get a little money, I buy books. And if there is any left over, I buy food.” - Desiderius Erasmus

Okay, maybe Erasmus went a little too far. But you all know by now that I think it is very, very important to our faith and life to read—and read well. That’s how the Read Good Books invitations started in 2002. But beyond that, the Bethany staff is always chewing on something good or stretching together. Below is the current reading list for January-June staff 2007 meetings:

• Letters to the American Church
  Christianity Today magazine, Oct 25, 1999
  - 7 Christian authors write Revelation-type letters to various American churches
• Revelation / Flannery O’Conner (short story from The Complete Stories)
  - classic O’Connor gives you scriptural themes in an attention grabbing Southern setting
• Genesis
  (we’ll read through a number of chapters of Genesis out loud in the sanctuary prior to the next sermon series, which involves Genesis).
• Velvet Elvis / Rob Bell
  - slightly edgy & postmodern presentation of Christianity
• Why Does He Do That? / Lundy Bancroft
  - selected portions of this book on domestic violence

On the Calendar
see interactive calendar for complete listing

Bethany 101
Begins Fri, March 2, 6:30-8:30 pm in the Parlor

The Book of Revelation & The Power of the Apocalypse
… held in conjunction with our sermon series

• Mysterious Apocalypse:
  On the Millennial Kingdom and Being Left Behind
  March 4, 10:45 am in the Parlor
• Christian Zionism:
  The Salvation of the Jews and the End of the World
  March 11, 10:45 am in the Parlor

Healing Prayer
Sundays, March 4 & 18, 5:00 pm
To make an appointment, call 284-2222, ext 35.

College Age Fellowship
Sundays in March, 6:30 pm at 7 Howe

Dynamis Class
Mondays, March 4, 7:00 pm at Bethany
This class will be offered again at University Presbyterian Church on Thursday evenings, 7:00-9:00 pm, from April 12-June 14.

Narnia for 1st-12th Graders

• Rehearsals
  Tuesdays, March 6-27, 4:15-5:45 pm in the Parlor
• Tryouts for speaking parts
  To be held during rehearsals on Tues, March 27
• Performances
  Fri, May 11 & Sat, May 12 at 7:00 pm in the Sanctuary

Short-term Family Mission Trip to Hong Kong and China
Informational Meeting: Sun, March 11, 12:30 pm in 7 Howe

First Grade Milestone
Sundays, March 11-25, 9:00 am in Room 205
Our first Graders will be learning the Lord's Prayer.

Soup & Bread
Sun, March 11, 12:15 pm in the Fellowship Hall

Prayer for Honduras
Sun, March 11, 12:15 pm in the Parlor
Join us in prayer and a brief discussion about the Agros Uno Community.

Exploring Theology
The Church - Anointed, Messy & Marvelous
Sat, March 17, 9:00 pm in the Parlor
The church is the means that Christ chose to use to reach out to the world since the first century. And since the first century, the church as argued regularly and made catastrophic mistakes. How does it all fit together?

Led by Pastor Dan Baumgartner. This is the eleventh class in our series, which may be joined at any time.

Caring for Creation
Environmental Stewardship Because We Must
Saturdays, Mar 17 & 31, 7:00 pm at Bethany

Saturday Night at the Movies-

Mar 17 - Who Killed the Electric Car
with Aaron Campbell, Seattle’s bio-diesel guru
Mar 31 - End of Suburbia
with Mark Plunkett, Seattle biologist and marine life expert

This three-part series is designed to inform and spark discussion about creation and our stewardship of the earth. Each film will be introduced, shown, and followed by a brief discussion with ample time for questions to our experts.

Agros Uno Panel Discussion
Mon, March 19, 7:00-9:00 pm in the Fellowship Hall
Bethany is partnering with Agros Uno, a rural agricultural community in Honduras, and Agros International, a Seattle-based non-profit organization that works with the landless poor. Dealing with challenging issues is a component of this partnership.

Attend a panel discussion with staff and board members from Agros International to discuss the issue of charging interest to the families of Agros Uno.

Contact Frank Holman (holmans@raincity.com) or Gena Morgan (genam@speakeasy.net).

Women's Retreat: Lord, Teach Us To Pray
Fri-Sun, Mar 23-25 at Warm Beach Conference Center
Slow down, reflect and pray, rediscover God’s presence. Meet new people, deepen relationships. Laugh, sing, pray and rest. Enjoy the good company of other women.

This year our theme is “Lord, Teach us to Pray.” No matter where we are on our journey of faith, there’s always more to explore about the incredible invitation of being in communication with God. Hear three honest, down-to-earth Bethany ladies, Abby Mansfield, Tara Taylor & Anne Van Roden share their insights on prayer and teach us to experience prayer in new ways.

Contact lindac@bethanypc.org for information or to volunteer for the many aspects of the retreat. The last day to register is March 18.

Youth Mission Fundraiser
Trace Bundy Concert
Fri, March 30, 7:00 pm at Bethany

College Age Fellowship Retreat
Fri-Sat, March 30-31 on Whidbey Island

Mississippi Trip
Sat, April 21 - Sat, April 28

Read Good Books
The Sound and the Fury
Sun, April 22, 12:15 pm book discussion in the Parlor
William Faulkner was a Pulitzer prize-winning “southern” novelist in the United States who often wrote about his home state of Mississippi. The Sound and the Fury (1929) was Faulkner’s fourth novel and perhaps his best. It was Faulkner’s personal favorite, and one he called his “most splendid failure.” Teasing out the threads of human nature, faith and redemption is no easy task in Faulkner...but we’ll try together!

Monastery Retreat
Wed-Sun, May 9-13 at the Monastery of St. Gertrude in Cottonwood, ID

News & Notes

Births

• Adeline Kerena La Tour Feb 7 to Seth & Christine La Tour

Baptisms

• Samuel Jacob Janzen Feb 11

Session Notes

Bethany’s Session met on Tuesday, February 13, 2007 in the parlor. Breaking from the normal schedule, elders and staff enjoyed an Olympia Pizza dinner and conversation
together.

Steve Jones, Treasurer, gave a short update on 2007 finances, including the encouraging news that pledges for the 2007 budget are roughly where they need to be.

Session spent time with Matt Royston, listening in on the call he and Holly are feeling to ministry and beginning studies at Fuller Seminary.

Worship Elder Tara Taylor led an extended time of worship, and Pastor Dan facilitated a time of prayer for the Bethany community, including prayers for the folks under Bethany’s care in the ordination process.

The meeting closed in prayer with Dan and Anne Baumgartner as they take their family for a week’s vacation. Session also gave the Baumgartners a gift to speed them on their way.