Invite your friends and family to the Annual Groundhog dinner that will be on Monday, February 2nd from 4:00-6:00 p.m. in the Fellowship Hall. Pancakes, sausage and beverages will be served. Donations to go towards the meal will be accepted.

Words for the Beginning: You Are a Blessing

We look forward to reading and discussing A Man Called Ove, by Fredrick Backman.

Ove (pronounced “Oo-vah”) is a grumpy yet lovable Swedish man who finds his solitary world turned on its head when a boisterous young family moves in next door. This is a comical and heartwarming tale of unkempt cats, unexpected friendship, and the ancient art of backing up a U-Haul.

This is always a fun event! Families are invited to bring their children in Halloween costumes to receive treats from the decorated trunks of our community members.

We’ll read and discuss The Overstory: A Novel, by Richard Powers

Winner of the Pulitzer Prize, this is a novel of activism and natural-world power, which presents interlocking fables about nine remarkable strangers who are summoned in different way by trees for an ultimate, brutal stand to save the continent’s few remaining acres of virgin forest.

Everyone is welcome at this year’s picnic to be held at Cosmo-Bethel Park west on Bethel St. from the church. We’ll start gathering at the Ficklin Shelter around 10:00 a.m. with a worship time starting at 10:30. Worship will include favorite hymns, a choir number, and fond memories of times with Susan Houston, our music minister who is retiring after this Sunday. Join us for this time of celebration and fellowship. Bring a dish to share and table service for your family. Drinks will be provided but no paper products other than cups (you can bring your own cup as well, if you like!). Bring a lawn chair if you would like to sit on something other than a picnic table bench the whole time. You’re also welcome to bring games for after lunch. There are plenty of tables for puzzles and board games, or space for lawn games at the park. Of course, there are walking paths and playground equipment there as well. Invite your friends. This will be an excellent time to introduce folks to the church family.

This is the third year Bethel has participated in the Columbia PrideFest. This year Pastor Robin and several of our Bethel choir members will participate in the opening ceremony at 1:00 pm. We will also have a booth (#S11) located on St. James St. Come and find and us and say hello! We are proud to be a part of this event!

We will read Holy Envy: Finding God in the Faith of Others, by Barbara Brown Taylor

Not a primer on religions, Barbara Brown Taylor instead tackles the questions, worries, and concerns that arise when we encounter “difference” and “others.” She explores what is opened and what is revealed when we accept the invitation to investigate all the wonder before us. And we discover the spiritual riches God can teach us from the faith of others.

Join us for a discussion. of The First Ladies, by Marie Benedict

A novel about the extraordinary partnership between First Lady Eleanor Roosevelt and civil rights activist Mary McLeod Bethune—an unlikely friendship that changed the world and helped form the foundation for the modern civil rights movement.

We'll be reading the "One Read" Community Reading Book from the Daniel Boone public library.

The Columbia community voted in April to read “Migrations” by Charlotte McConaghy. We will be reading this book along with the community for our June read. We so enjoyed meeting at Sabu’s Books in May that we’ve decided to meet there again in June. Everyone is welcome.

We have learned that one of our Down to Earth preschool families recently found out that their precious one-year-old baby, Colt, has acute myeloid leukemia. The prognosis is not good at all. For him to survive and thrive with this diagnosis is truly going to take a miracle. We have added Colt and his family – parents Leslie and Forrest Shock and his older brother Forrest who is a DTE student – to our prayer list. Preschool Director Triere Boyer has asked if the Bethel community and the preschool community could join hands for a candlelight prayer vigil at 7:00 p.m. on Tuesday, June 25. The preschool families, the Shocks’ friends and their families will be invited, as well as all of us. The vigil has moved inside to the sanctuary. Attendees are invited to park in the upper or lower lot.

We’ve talked about how we could partner with DTE more and show them our love and compassion. This prayer vigil and our prayers for the Shock family is a perfect way to do just that.

We’ll celebrate the birth of the Church during this worship service. Read Acts 2 to find out more. Everyone wears red, which is the liturgical color for the day. This will also be our Graduation Sunday when we celebrate the recent college and high school graduates and will enjoy lunch then a concert with our pianist, Ema Iwasaki, after worship.