September 2024
Together In Mission
Monthly Reflections from BCC
Jesus in His Own Words: Reframing Faith in the Sermon on the Mount
By Phil Rushton
Lead Pastor
There have been many things done in the name of Jesus that do not reflect the life and teachings of Jesus. This has been true throughout Christian history. It continues today. Jesus continues to be appropriated and reinterpreted to fit the agenda, priorities, and interests of various groups. In our current American context, we often see an alignment of Christianity with affluence and worldly forms of power. A commitment to the unholy trinity of God, guns and gold, sometimes replaces a commitment to Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.
The Sermon on the Mount (Matthew 5-7) helps us bring our faith back into alignment with the vision of Jesus. In the Sermon on the Mount, we encounter the common refrain, “You have heard it said, but I say to you . . .” It is notable that Jesus is addressing religious people here. He is addressing people who have studied the scriptures and sought to be faithful. We, religious people, have often heard or said things about God that miss the point. We need to humbly return to Jesus and rediscover what it really means to be his disciple.
As I was discerning what to preach through this fall, I was drawn back to this central part of scripture. We are going to spend the fall working our way through the full Sermon on the Mount. This seems like a timely study for us as we navigate a cultural landscape where the nature of Christianity is often being distorted. Matthew 5-7 helps us discern between the ways of Jesus and the ways of the world. It also gives us a helpful vision for what it means to engage culture in the ways of Jesus.
My prayer is that Jesus’ teaching in the Sermon on the Mount will capture our hearts yet again. My hope is that we will discover that the way of Jesus is ultimately what will lead to the transformation we long to see in our lives and in the world around us!
God Bless,
Pastor Phil
School Readiness Program Update
By Steven Shetterly
Resettlement Manager with World Relief
This August, BCC hosted and coordinated the third annual refugee youth School Readiness Program in partnership with World Relief, Bellingham Public Schools, and Lettered Streets Covenant Church. It was a tremendous success, with nearly 60 children from preschool through 12th grade participating!
The program, which was designed to mimic a typical school day for students unfamiliar with the American education system, had great buy-in from the congregation. In all, BCC provided 25 adult volunteers and 6 youth volunteers, with an additional 9 BCC kids attending the program as participants. BCC volunteers served in a variety of capacities, from classroom teachers to lunchroom prep, recess monitors, and transportation volunteers. The church also provided significant funding for food, classroom supplies, and contracted teachers via the church’s Mission Catalyst fund.
It was a tremendous act of welcome to these families; for some of those who participated it was their third year returning to the program, while others arrived just days before it started. During a season of very busy arrivals and other work for World Relief staff, it was crucial to have the support of our church partners in seeing this through to a successful conclusion. A huge thank you is due to BCC for the generous use of your building, your time, and your resources—you are a blessing to this community and to those whom Jesus has called us to welcome and care for!
Steven Shetterly (Resettlement Manager with World Relief)
Our Broader Church Family
By Adria Willett-Leonardo
Associate Pastor
Did you know that our church is a member of the Evangelical Covenant Church? The ECC is a multi-ethnic, inter-generational association of churches that join together "in God’s mission to see more disciples among more populations in a more caring and just world.” The ECC and the Pacific Northwest Conference of the ECC—our local conference of churches—are our broader church family. These two associations both support and influence who we are and what we do in our local context. We also regularly support the ECC and the PNWC with our tithes and offerings. To know more about the work of the ECC and PNWC and how your gifts are spent, you can watch this video.
The highest authority in our association of churches—under Christ!—is our Annual Meeting. This is an annual gathering of delegates from each of the churches, camps, organizations, and institutions in our association. Together they make decisions to further the mission of the whole church. It’s basically what we do in our church every year, but on a national level. This year, BCC's Lead Team asked John Kerl and I to be your delegates at the Annual Meeting in June. John (and Letha) traveled to Cincinnati, Ohio, to participate in person, and I joined via the online platform from my church office. John and I wanted to share with you a summary of that meeting, including some of the decisions made. You can read it here. You can also watch videos of the services here.
We encourage you to explore what resources are available through the ECC and PNWC. We also encourage you to pray for our broader church family regularly, so that we may be faithful to Christ's call to be his witnesses and his hands and feet in the world.
BCC | YOUTH ANNOUNCES
SURVIVOR NIGHT!
Wednesday, September 18, 2024
6:30 PM 8:00 PM
Brace yourself for the ultimate adventure! BCC Youth's Jaw-Dropping Annual Kickoff Event!
Students in 6th-12th grade have one mission: Survive your first night of youth group by conquering 6 thrilling challenges! In teams of 5, you'll face 6 epic tasks that will test your mental and physical agility!
Parent Help Needed:
Reach out to Jeff if you’re interested in helping run one of our challenges!
Reach out to Jeff if you’re able to make a pan of fun cereal marshmallow treats (Think Rice Krispy Treats, but with different cereal, like Fruit Loops, Capt’n Crunch, Apple Jacks, etc)
Up Next:
Prime Timers
Thursday Sept. 5
12:30 pm
Join this great group of retired or semi-retired folks for a potluck lunch and fellowship! Contact Jim Bruns if you have any questions at (360) 393-1403.
BCC Arts Night
Sunday, September 8
6:00 pm
Visual Art, Music, poems & journal responses from our Psalm Series.
BCC Men's Bible Study Begins
Wednesday, Sept. 11
7:00 - 8:30 am in Classroom C
All men are invited to join this group.
Women’s Friday Bible Study Begins
Friday, September 13th
9:30 am in Classroom C
All ladies are welcome to join.
Men's Breakfast, Saturday
September 14
8:00-9:30 am in the multi-purpose room
BCC’s five different men's groups and Bible studies are combining to host our annual men's breakfast. This is open to all men in the church, regardless of whether you are part of a regular group.
2nd Cup of Coffee
Saturday, Sept 14,
10:00 am in Cafe Fika
Ladies (High School and older), we kick off the fall season with Donna Schultz sharing about her life and work.
Fall Kick Off, Sunday
September 15, 10:45am
Kids, Youth, and Adult Life Together classes resume.