Life-Changing Experience at Bethany, Vacaville

Bethany Lutheran Church is located in Vacaville, California, serving the Vacaville community since 1960, and their school has been a ministry of Bethany since 1983. The school moved to their current location in 2008, situated in a growing community of new developments. For thirteen years, the church and school were at different locations across town from each other until 2021, when the old property was sold and the church ministry joined the school at its current location.

Paula Rush, the Office Manager at Bethany Lutheran Church & School, was born in Napa, California and grew up as one of five children, including her twin sister. She moved with her family to Vacaville at age 12, where she attended high school and met her husband, Lonnie. They married on June 23, 1985, and went on to raise two children, Michael and Morgan. Paula began her career as a court reporter for the State of California, and after Morgan was born, she opened Room to Roam, a home daycare she operated for 10 years while raising her children. In 2009, a friend from Bethany Preschool contacted her about a position at Bethany, and Paula became the Administrative Assistant to Pastor Vern Oestmann, who became not only her employer, but also a mentor, shepherd, and dear friend. Recently Paula shared how working at Bethany changed her life. Here is her story:

My husband Lonnie and I have been together for 41 years. Before I came to Bethany in 2009, we lived very secular lives. I had grown up Lutheran and believed in God, but church was not part of our lives, and I didn't have a personal relationship with Him.

Before coming to Bethany, I lost my father to cancer. I remember waking the morning after he died, seeing the sun rise, and wondering how the world could simply continue as though nothing had happened. I was grieving and angry, and without a real relationship with God, I didn't know where to put those feelings.

Soon after, my mother, my best friend, was diagnosed with cancer. For four years, our family lived with her illness. Then, in 2009, a friend who worked at Bethany Preschool asked if I would interview for a position as the senior pastor's administrative assistant. I thought I was simply accepting a new job. Looking back, I believe God was bringing me exactly where I needed to be.

At Bethany, I was surrounded by people who openly lived their faith. I watched them pray, care for one another, and turn to God in both ordinary and difficult moments. Through them, I began to understand the love of Jesus, and my own relationship with God began.

Four months later, my mother passed away. At her funeral, Bethany friends came simply to be there for me. This time, I wasn't facing grief alone. I had Jesus, a church family, people praying for me, and the hope that death was not the end. I believe God brought me to Bethany not only to change my life, but to change my family's life. What began in me reached my husband, our children, and now our grandchildren.

For that, I will be forever grateful.

After many years, Bethany is much more than a workplace for Paula. The children, families, and staff have become an important part of her life, and she is grateful for the opportunity to serve them. Bethany has also become part of her family's story: Morgan attended Bethany Preschool, later worked at Bethany School, and now serves as a Kindergarten Teacher's Assistant, while Paula's granddaughter, Magnolia, is a kindergartener at Bethany, making three generations of her family connected to this ministry. Looking back, Paula can see how God has woven together her love of family, children, and service, and she is deeply grateful for the people and experiences He has brought into her life through Bethany.