Habitat for Humanity - Save the Date! April 7th

On Sunday, April 7th following church service our partners at the Habitat for Humanity Portland Region will present an update to the congregation about progress towards affordable home ownership program and Habitat for Humanity local regional efforts. 

At the presentation you will learn about:

·         Current building underway across the Portland Metro, including an update on the 18-home construction in the Reedville neighborhood in Hillsboro.

·         The Habitat for Humanity ReStore where donated items help fund local construction of Habitat homes and keep useable items out of local landfills

·         The Home Repair program that allows long-time homeowners to stay in their homes and local communities

·         And their newest community offering, the Playhouse Experience, where teams of volunteers can fundraise and participate in the assembly and decoration of children’s playhouses, which are then donated to families through the Dougy Center for Grieving Families.

Later in April, on Wednesday, April 24th, the Portland Region will hold their annual one-hour program and free lunch.   Bethel will host two/three tables and the keynote speaker will be award winning Majora Carter, and urban revitalization strategist, author, and Peabody Award-winning broadcaster. Look for more information in future announcements in April. 

Contact Paul Griffo (paul.griffo@msn.com) and/or Leon Taylor (mr.leon.taylor.new@gmail.com) for more information.  Paul and Leon serve as the Bethel Congregational representatives on the Habitat for Humanity Portland Region Faith Committee on behalf of the Outreach Committee.

Support Emma Stewart's Book Drive Jan 14th - Feb 14th

One of our youth group members, Emma Stewart will be hosting a special book drive here at Bethel for the next month. The book drive is to support kids with a lack of access to books through the Beaverton book bank and mini libraries she's building. Bethel can contribute by donating used and new books for kids and young adults ages 0-20. A designated box will be available in the narthex on Sundays starting on 1/14. Thank you for sharing the love of reading with our community!

Please direct any questions about this project to Erin Barber eb@bethelbeaverton.org

Gifts that Build

The Perfect Gift for the person who has everything!

  This year, consider a unique gift for your friends and family as part of the Habitat for Humanity Portland Region Gifts that Build program. These gifts of kindness will help build a Habitat for Humanity home for a local family.  We will provide you a specially designed greeting card, an commemorative ornament, and the joy of knowing that a hardworking family will soon have a decent home of their own.  Give a gift of any amount.

How Gifts that Build Works
Notify Paul Griffo at paul.griffo@msn.com, 503-707-0226 of your interest and how many cards/ornaments that you wish to gift.  Make checks payable to "Habitat for Humanity."  Paul can arrange to deliver the card and ornament to you either at church or to your home.

How Habitat Works
After acquiring land and materials, volunteers and future homeowners work side-by-side to build homes.  Habitat sells the homes to pre-qualified families using a 1% down payment and 0%-interest mortgage.  Payments are below 30% of each family's monthly income to ensure long term affordability.  Because Habitat acts as the lender, 100% of the mortgage principal payments return to Habitat to help build more homes!

Reach out to Paul Griffo or Leon Taylor (mr.leon.taylor.new@gmail.com) with any additional questions and thank you for supporting Habitat for Humanity Portland Region!  

Beaverton High School, Homeless Teens Food Drive

BHS Soup Current Count: 748           Goal: 1008 cans of soup
NOTE: Please be aware that light or diet soups and chili will be given to the food cupboard. Teenagers need more calories than adults and we have chili from the Oregon Food Bank. We appreciate your donations wherever they are used.

The food for BHS teens experiencing houselessness will be packed and delivered on Tuesday Dec. 12. Start time is TBD. On Monday Dec. 11, the tables of food will be set up in the Fellowship Hall at 1:30 PM. We can use all the hands and backs we can get on both days.
 
What do we still need? Cash and soup. Food costs have gone up so donations of $$ are welcome.
https://giving.ncsservices.org/App/Giving/bethelucc
You can donate online using the drop down Fund menu to designate the BHS homeless youth. Or donate a check or cash. For soup, we want protein soups with veggies with pop top lids.
Thank you Bethel for always coming through to support these teens!  

Beaverton HS Homeless Teen Food Drive

We are beginning to amass the food we’ll need to feed 144 Beaverton High School homeless students(our best estimate) for 17 days during winter break. We’ll have a shelving unit placed outside the chapel for your hearty soup donations. Hearty soups made by Progresso or Campbells have a pop top and a vegetable and protein. Please don’t worry about a certain number of grams of protein. A vegetable and a protein are the criteria (tomato soup doesn’t meet the criteria). A hearty soup could be a meal in itself. Thanks! 
BHS Soup Current Count: 47

ESL: 1-1 Tutor and Other Opportunities

The Beaverton Literacy Council is looking for volunteer teachers and teaching assistants for beginning, intermediate, and advanced adult English classes. In-person classes at Bethel are Tuesdays and Thursdays 7:00-8:30 pm.  Or you can teach a Zoom class from you home.  Zoom classes are 75 minutes in the morning, afternoon, or evening.  You can volunteer for one class period a week or more. Classes start September 11. Training is available. Interested? Visit www.beavertonliteracy.org/volunteer or contact Jim Keniston.
There is also an opportunity to tutor a Mexican college student in English, one-on-one via Zoom. Some high-school Spanish would be a plus. Contact Jim for more information.  

ESL Teacher Needed

  Bethel’s Andy and Victoria Hyett have stepped up to teach a much-needed “Intro to English” (level-0) class at Bethel. This Tuesday was their first day of class. Bethel now hosts three level-0 classes. Thanks, Andy and Victoria!
Bad news: While we were setting up the Hyetts’ class, the Thursday teacher for Bethel’s level-3 (intermediate) class had to resign due to a job move. We have tentative coverage for Thursdays starting in late April, but we need a fill-in teacher for 4 Thursdays in March and 3 in April. Classes are 7:00-8:30 pm in Bethel’s education building.
Curriculum, mentoring, and other support are available. For more information, contact Jim Keniston (503-415-1961, jakeniston@hotmail.com). 

Beaverton Resource Center

The new Beaverton Resource Center is opening this March! Founded on the understanding that economic insecurity is often the result of interlaced issues, the Beaverton Resource Center offers a central hub for individuals and families living in the Beaverton area to easily find help. With a broad range of social service partners in one place, we empower those dealing with hunger, homelessness, and poverty to create stability for a better tomorrow. They are located on Walker Road, next to Holy Trinity Catholic Church, and are currently looking for volunteers. You can visit their website at https://beavertonresourcecenter.org/.