The tragic explosion and fire on September 9, 2010 had a huge impact on the San Bruno community at large, and our Bethany community was devastated when three of our beloved members perished that day: Lavonne, Greg, and Will Bullis.  We were rocked to the core as we tried to support each other, and sort through the grief that filled our hearts.

One year later, with funds and leadership from Presbyterian Disaster Assistance, filmmaker and documentarian David Barnhart arrived in our midst to chronicle our experience, told in our own words: the Bethany Story Project.  

Everyone at Bethany was invited to participate in the project, to tell each of our stories, and 21 of us did so.  The resulting film is a stitching together of these stories, including our personal connection to Bethany as home, the event and aftermath, our feelings of loss and healing at the time, the service of remembrance at the one-year anniversary in 2011, and our hopes for the future.

The interviews were done with great care, and the tenderness of the stories are quite moving.  There are many images from the history of Bethany going all the way back to our founding, and there is a 5-minute segment which includes some news footage of the event in the 51-minute film.  Consensus from past viewings has been that of comfort and hope.  When we watch the film, those who were there in 2010 remember; those who had not yet met Bethany learn about our shared experience and become part of the sharing.

In observance of the 10-year anniversary of the event, the Outreach Committee will host a joint viewing of the film via Zoom meeting, on September 26, at 7:00 p.m.  All Bethany folk, past, present and future, are invited to be with us as we watch the film together, and will be invited to discuss afterward if we wish to do so.  We do hope that you will choose to be with us!

If you are interested in seeing the film, but cannot or would prefer not to do so in the context of a Zoom viewing with others, please contact the church office and we will provide you with a DVD of the film.

September 26, 7:00 p.m.

Zoom Viewing of the Film on