BLC Weekly, Nov 21
Hello Bethlehem,
It’s the season of giving and we are so thankful for your generosity! As we wrap up our Capital Campaign we hope to hear from you if we haven’t already. Bethlehem has already received commitments from 130 members, totalling $753,000. If you’d like to make a pledge, you can use our online commitment form on our website, or stop by the office for a physical form. Whether they are financial or in the form of time or talent, it is your gifts that make Bethlehem the incredible place that it is. Thank you for inspiring and imagining a vision of hope!
Thank you to everyone who attended and weighed in at our Semi Annual Meeting! In case you missed it, you can view the livestream here, on our BLC Family & Friends page. All relevant documents are available on our website’s Council Documents page.
Thank you to all the volunteers, rollers, flippers, packers and planners who pulled off our lefse-making event on Friday! We hope you and your family will enjoy this tasty and traditional treat this Thanksgiving. Check out more photos in the blog post below!
November 15th was our second Reconciling in Christ anniversary! Bethlehem is proud to be an RIC congregation. Learn more about what this means by visiting Reconciling Works or reading What We Believe.
REMINDERS:
There will be no worship or meal served this Wednesday, November 23rd. Join us next week for dinner at 5pm in the dining hall and worship at 6:15pm.
Our office will be closed Thanksgiving day. We wish you and yours a blessed holiday!
Bethlehem will host another blood drive with the American Red Cross on Thursday, Dec. 22, 2022 in Grounds for Joy. Our last drive was a huge success: we exceeded our goal of donating 29 units and donated a whopping 41 units! Nice work Bethlehem! We hope for another great turnout in December and still have many time slots available. Please sign up here to donate. Thank you!
SCAM ALERT: Please do not purchase gift cards or give money to anyone posing as one of the pastors online or via a text. This is a scam! The pastors, staff, and no one from the church, will ever solicit money or gift cards in this way. If you ever have any questions or concerns about this, contact the church directly.
Connections Shelter is open for the season! Bethlehem is signed up for the following weeks: Dec. 5, Jan. 23, Mar 20, May 22.
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's November Monthly Mission is Holy Grounds. A cornerstone ministry of Centenary UMC, Holy Grounds is an important resource in the community for food security and a place where all individuals are treated with respect and dignity. What a wonderful way to live out the gospel call to love our neighbors as ourselves!
There are many ways to help: through monetary donations, items such as underwear, tents, sleeping bags, and socks, as well as volunteering your time and talent. Items for donation can be dropped off in the donation bin in the Narthex. Our monetary goal for November is $1,500. Thank you, Bethlehem community, for your kindness and generosity!
