One Day on the Ave' / Pastor Dan Baumgartner
It's mid-morning on a Sunday. Dogs are being walked, children are being strolled, runners move steadily down Queen Anne Avenue. Cars, mostly very nice cars, move in a steady stream in both directions...

Weddings as Worship / Michelle McFarland
Judy was just fifteen years old when she told her father, "I just saw the guy I'm going to marry," after seeing a handsome sixteen-year-old from her vantage point up in Bethany's balcony. It was a short while later that she met Bill for the first time and they began to date...

Crunching the Number$ / Pastor Todd Holdridge
Steve and his wife Stephanie have worshipped at Bethany since 1988, except for a hiatus in Chicago from 1992 to 1998. They have three children; Kendall (12), Carson (9), and Juliette (7). Steve currently serves as elder of Administration, which includes functioning as Bethany's Treasurer...

Welcome Summer Children's Ministry Interns / Dianne Ross
One of the many great benefits about teaching the child development/children's ministry class at SPU is that I meet some super students! This year was no exception, and two of those students will be working in our Children & Family Ministries this summer!...

Loneliness. Solitude. Quiet. Unheard. / Janet Moore
I have often felt like our society overlooks the power of loneliness. As you would expect, feeling alone and isolated has profound negative effects on a person's well being. God knew this when he called us into fellowship together. We were created with a need to worship and pray with others. It is not that He needs two or more people in order to complete His will. We do...

Group Life / Adult Christian Education
Marie Fritzberg and Pastor Todd Holdridge
There's a well-known African proverb that says, "If you want to go fast, go alone. If you want to go far, go together." At Bethany, one of the goals of the Group Life team is to help us go far. God deeper. So we need to go together. Group Life is committed to resourcing groups, forming new groups, and helping people become part of existing groups...

Bethany's Personnel Committee / Brian Beaumont
If you walked past Pastor Dan's office on the evening of the third Thursday of last month, you would have heard the strains of an African Ring Shout - a form of rhythmic prayer that preceded Negro spirituals and gospel music in America...

Kathy Cranston
After serving 10 years with Latin America Mission, I've been back in Seattle since 2003, serving now with Mission to Unreached Peoples (MUP)...

Children's Ministries

All Are Invited to the "Country Fair!"
On Thursday, July 24 during VBS, the whole congregation is invited to the "special program" at noon in the barn (aka Fellowship Hall). Come hear the children sing some of their "Seed Scripture songs," watch the hilarious skit, see how many animals the children have purchased for 2/3 world families, eat a great Doug Rutherford county fair meal ($2.00 a person for those not working or attending VBS)...then come out to the lawn for some real County Fair fun...including live music, a petting zoo, bake sale, and games!

Youth Ministry

Summer Mission Trip
Sat, June 28-Sun, July 6 in Seattle
Our youth will participate in summer mission trips in Seattle. We'll be staying at Ashton Hall dormitory at SPU and assisting at five different sites: Union Gospel Mission, Solid Ground, World Relief, Bayview Retirement Community and Urban Impact.

On the Calendar
see interactive calendar for complete listing

Wednesday Night Dinner
Wednesdays in July, 5:30 pm in the Fellowship Hall

Young Adults (Post-College) Group
Sat, July 5, 7:00 pm - Mariner's Game

Session Meeting
Tuesday, July 13, 12:15 pm in the Fellowship Hall

Prayer for Honduras
Sunday, July 13, 12:15 pm in the Fellowship Hall

College Age Fellowship Summer Barbecues
Sundays, July 13 & 27, 6:30 pm
July 13 - Holdridge home
July 27 - Golden Gardens

Esperanza Mission Trip
August 10-16 at Vancouver Island, Canada

Mariners vs Minnesota Twins Game
Monday, August 25 at Safeco Field

Alpha
Monday evenings September 8 - December 1

Session Notes

On Tuesday, June 10, the Elders gathered in the Parlor for the monthly Session meeting.

• Gene Williams opened in prayer and Pastor Dan pointed us toward Christ with a devotion on Philippians 4:8.
• Time was spent welcoming the new elders; Dave Campbell, Phil Mote, Lisa Hudson, LauraLeigh Young, and John Chase and installing Christy Mansfield to her second term. We also prayed for Julia Sensenbrenner as she completed her term of service.
• Steve Jones provided an update on the finances. We are currently running at a deficit and discussed the best format and frequency for communicating budget updates. No decisions were made at this point.
• Marie Fritzberg updated the group on the state of home groups at Bethany. An area of focus is how best to facilitate home group creation or joining for those seeking groups.
• Pastor Dan continued the discussion on “Honest Answers - An Exploration of Tough Questions.” In small groups and general discussion, we looked at how to respond to someone saying, “Why has Christianity done so much harm? If there's a good God, why would he allow his church, as His representative, to allow such things?" Scripture used to support this discussion was Genesis 3:1-8, 1 Timothy 1:15-17, Ephesians 3:14-19.
• Session closed with thanks and prayer.

News & Notes

Baptisms

• Alysia Rose Jeide June 8
• Whitney Major June 8
• Brendan Uomoto June 15
• Myung-Sung Kim (John) June 15