September 2025
Together In Mission
Monthly Reflections from BCC
Making Sense of Life Through God’s Big Story
By Phil Rushton
Lead Pastor
“I cannot answer the question, ‘What ought I to do?’ Unless I first answer the question, ‘Of which story am I a part?’”
Alasdair MacIntyre, After Virtue
Starting on September 14, we are going to start a new sermon series that will follow the entire arc of the biblical story from Genesis to Revelation. This series will run through the entire school year and we will look at the key moments throughout scripture. To encourage the value of intergenerational fellowship, our kids and youth programs on Sunday morning will be following the same schedule. If you have kids, they will be studying the same biblical story or text as we will in the sanctuary!
As the Philosopher Alasdair Macintyre suggests, stories are incredibly formative for us. They shape the way we live our lives. The stories we tell ourselves help us make sense of our identity. If you’ve ever spent time working with a therapist, a lot of the preliminary work involves looking back over your past and understanding the dynamics that have shaped your circumstances and behaviors. Just as a rower has to face backward to move forward, so we often have to look back over our history to find our way to our preferred future. The scriptures help us understand our origin story. The bible tells us something significant about our fundamental identity, value, and vulnerability as people.
Stories also shape our future. They help us make sense of the telos or goal of life, which determines how we invest our time and energy. For example, American society is built on a narrative that defines happiness as self-determination, wealth acquisition, rugged individualism. The biblical story gives us a different telos or goal. It invites us to live a life that pursues God’s vision for shalom or wholeness in our world. It invites us to imagine ourselves into a different kind of kingdom that is marked by love, sacrifice, and the common good.
I think it is significant that the inspired word of God primarily comes to us in the form of narrative or story. God did not just give us an instruction manual for life. He gives us a complex and beautiful story of how God engages with the world. It is a story that speaks of our creation, fall, redemption and future hope. I think this form of communication is significant. The narrative form not only speaks to our intellect but to our hearts and our desires.
The author Antoine de Saint Exupéry says it well: "If you want to build a ship, don't drum up people to collect wood and don't assign them tasks and work, but rather teach them to long for the endless immensity of the sea." The biblical story doesn't just give us a set of ethical principles or a list of instructions for life. The biblical story teaches our hearts to long for the immensity of God’s in-breaking kingdom. As we tell God’s big story this year, I pray that it will shape the trajectory of our lives both personally and communally!
God Bless,
Pastor Phil
Middle School Adventure Trip
by Jacob Henderson
Middle School Director
From August 1–4, we headed out to Plain, Washington, for a middle school adventure full of kayaking, climbing, and camping under the summer sky with Youth Dynamics. We pitched tents in a big open field, though some chose to roll out their sleeping bags under the stars. Evenings were slow and full of laughter, the kind of moments that only happen after a long day outside.
Our camp leads, Hayden and Zephie, kept everyone fueled with meals, turning every gathering into a chance to share stories from the day. On the river, we learned to work with the current, paddling through splashes and shouts of encouragement. On the rocks, we harnessed up and climbed while friends, parents, and kids below cheered each new step.
Between adventures, team-building games pulled everyone closer, and by the end, it felt less like a group of peers and more like a crew. Those four days blur together now as a mix of fresh air, laughter, and new experiences, an adventure that left us with memories wanting more!
Developing as Disciples
By Adria Willett-Leonardo
Associate Pastor
At the end of his time on earth, Jesus placed a call on his disciples. He charged them to “go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you.” How, then, do we make disciples? We baptize them and teach them. It seems, however, that those phrases indicate much bigger concepts, the content of which has been debated by theologians and practitioners since Jesus spoke those words.
More specifically, pastors and church leaders often wonder how to do the "teaching" part. How do we develop disciples? How do people go from being new believers to whole-life, mature, Christ-like followers of Christ? What is the role of the individual and what is the role of the Christian community?
I don't have the space to give my perspective on all of that here! I have been developing, with the help of the Christian Formation, a "map" for discipleship. We hope to have something tangible in the next few months to help you assess where you are on the discipleship journey and what next steps you can take.
In the meantime, I can share from my experience in ministry and study what are some key elements to develop into a mature disciple of Jesus. I do believe gathering with other Christians for regular worship, the preaching of the good news and practical teaching is hugely formative. But there is so much beyond that! Transformation does not seem to happen without personal spiritual practices, service, and community life.
Spiritual practices such as study of Scripture, prayer, Sabbath, giving, and spiritual direction regularly put us in places where the Holy Spirit can change us. There are a many helpful and faithful practices to explore from various streams of Christianity. When we use our skills and gifts in God's service, both inside and outside the walls of the church, on our own and with others, we are following in the ways of Jesus, which trains our souls. When we do so, we open ourselves to experiencing God at work in and through us.
When we share life together, rather than staying isolated, we are challenged to grow. The perspectives and experiences of others can challenge our assumptions and inform our decisions. Trusted relationships can help us learn to trust God. Our brothers and sisters in Christ can both keep us accountable and support us when we struggle. And in community we can practice loving others well.
So, my question for you, BCC family, is this: Are you deeply rooted in your faith and growing as a disciple? If not, this is the time for you to lean in further. Perhaps it is time for you to join a small group or help lead a new one. Perhaps it is time for you to help with the tasks of life together or to go outside the walls of our building and use your skills to help the hurting or reach those who are lost. Perhaps you feel led to explore a different type of prayer or to get your out of your head through art or the care of God's creation. Or maybe it is time to join an immersive experience that combines learning and community and so prompt significant growth.
I invite you to check out the resources that we have on the Next Step kiosks, the black shelves in the hallway across the library, or online here. Feel free to contact me for more information or to set a time to talk more. One of my deepest joys in ministry is helping people find their place(s) to serve and grow!
FROM YOUR BCC LIBRARY
By Nancy Henderson
If you’ve attended BCC for many years, you may have come to take our library for granted, but it’s more than just a warm, inviting room in our lovely building. It’s a repository of materials ranging from Bible studies, commentaries and devotional materials to the place of Christianity in society, the day-to-day living out of our faith, and wisdom for creating and maintaining healthy families, to inspirational biographies and works of quality fiction for all ages.
Many of the items in our library have been donated by past and current members of our congregation. Sometimes we receive a book or two at a time, sometimes several boxes full at a time. Processing library materials takes considerable time and effort, so every now and then we end up with a backlog, which is where we are right now.
As sincerely grateful as we are for recent donations, we ask that if you have books you feel would be appropriate additions to our library, please hold onto them for a few months. If you’d like to donate something you feel is particularly timely, please speak to Nancy Henderson or Pastors Phil or Adria. While you’re waiting to bring books, please consider donating elsewhere anything that is not in like-new condition, that has been written in or otherwise marked up, or that is obviously out-of-date.
And, as always, please take advantage of this wonderful resource. If it doesn’t get used, then it is just a warm, inviting room in our lovely building!
Up next:
2nd Cup of Coffee
Saturday, September 13
10:00 am in Cafe Fika
*Ladies, join us for coffee and fellowship! If you are new to BCC, this is a great way to get to know other ladies in our church!
Prime Timers Brunch
Thursday, September 11
12:30 pm in the Dining Room
*Prime Timers is a ministry for those who are 60(ish) and above.
Life Together Resumes (Worship Service Returns to 9:30 a.m.)
Sunday, September 14
10:45-11:45 am in various rooms
*Life Together is our time for Christian formation classes for children, youth, and adults
BCC Arts Night
Sunday, September 21
6:00 pm in the Foyer
* This evening will be our wrap-up to our sermon series on the Parables. People will share visual arts, songs, and written reflections on how the parables have met them this summer. Please come and join us!
Youth Group Kickoff!
Wednesday, September 24
6:30-8:00 pm, in the Youth Room
*Youth group meets every Wednesday throughout the school year and is open to all middle school and high school students, and their friends!
Life Together Guest Speaker, James K Bruckner
Sunday, September 28
10:45 am in the Sanctuary
*James will be discussing Biblical foundations for creation care.
Guest Speaker, James Amadon
Sunday, October 5
10:45 am in the Sanctuary
*James will be discussing Eschatology (end times) and creation care
Vespers Evening Service
Sunday, October 5
6:00 pm in the Sanctuary
*Vespers is a contemplative evening worship service of scripture, singing, and prayer