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BLC Weekly, Oct. 17

Hello Bethlehem,

Next Sunday, Oct. 23, we will welcome Pastor Jacie Richmond as she delivers her first sermon here at Bethlehem. Later that evening, from 5-7pm, we will enjoy a congregation-wide celebration dinner at the Courtyard by Marriott. See you there! 

Check out the latest installment of our Vision of Hope series. This week we heard from Chelsey Kunkel.

Connections Shelter is open for the season, and Bethlehem is signed up for this week! We are in need of a volunteer to provide a meal next Sunday, October 23rd. We know this conflicts with our celebration dinner that evening, but arranging catering is also acceptable! Interested in making it happen? Use this link. Thank you, Bethlehem!

Some changes this year: there will be no morning shifts and only meal providers and servers are needed. Meals will be served daily from 5:45-7:30pm. Grocery donations will be needed for our weeks and a wish list will be sent out the weekend before the week starts. There is also an afternoon cleaning session once a week. Call or text Derek at 210-863-4202 for more info. 

You can sign up to prepare food and bring it to the shelter, sign up just to serve the meal, or do both. We serve up to 35 guests every evening. If that number changes, we will notify you beforehand. Sign up here for a meal shift. 

Bethlehem is signed up for the following weeks: Oct. 17, Dec. 5, Jan. 23, Mar 20, May 22. Text Derek if you are interested in helping to coordinate Bethlehem’s weeks. 

Due to MEA weekend, we will not be serving dinner this Wednesday, Oct. 19th. Join us the following Wednesday, Oct. 26th for dinner and worship. We will be serving spaghetti with meatballs, salad and garlic toast.

Grab your costumes, donate some candy, and join us Wednesday, Oct. 26th from 6:45-7:45pm for a fun evening in Bethlehem’s parking lot! Our annual Halloween event has something for everyone and is open to the whole community! Trick or Treat down Trunk Alley, get your face painted, play ring toss, enjoy hot cider by the campfire, and more! Sign up here to host a trunk or donate candy! Donated candy should be dropped off in the main office by Oct. 23rd.

Bethlehem will host a Halloween-Themed Youth Lock-In for 5th-9th graders, coming up on Friday, October 28th from 7pm to midnight. There is no cost, friends are welcome! Register here by Oct. 26th. 

Note: Your Congregational Services Coordinator, Molly Nelson, will be on vacation Oct. 27-30 following her wedding on Oct. 22nd. Thank you in advance for your patience during this busy and exciting time. Special thanks to the staff, volunteers and Bethlehem members filling in during her absence! 

Bethlehem's October Monthly Mission is Echo Food Shelf. Echo has been an important part of the Mankato and surrounding communities since 1981 when a group of concerned people recognized a crisis in the community and organized the collection of food in a church basement. The need for services has increased and Echo has expanded to meet the growing needs of our community. Volunteers bring food to local families who are unable to get to the food shelf and the summer feeding program fills the meal gap with many families. Many volunteer positions are available for those interested in helping Echo with their program. We have set a monetary donation goal of $3,000. We thank Bethlehem members for their commitment to our community.

Our goal is $3,000. Please give prayerfully and financially to our community. You can give online here. Thank you, Bethlehem! 

Bethlehem LutheranComment