BLC Weekly, July 31
Hello Bethlehem,
And they’re off! 11 Bethlehem kids and youth left yesterday for camp at Green Lake Lutheran Ministries! We wish them and their leaders a wonderful week of adventure and praise!
Directory photos will be taken Aug 8-12 at Bethlehem. Head to the UCDIR website enter our church code, mn379 and password: photos to schedule your appointment. Unable to make it to these dates? Contact Molly Nelson, mnelson@blcmankato.org for alternate dates and accommodations.
We need hosts to help facilitate the directory photo check-in process throughout the week, but especially from 12:45-4pm on Saturday. Please contact the office or reply to this email if you are interested in assisting!
The Sioux Trails Chapter of the American Guild of Organists is presenting it’s annual summer organ recitals on Tuesdays at noon here at Bethlehem, and our own Christine Schulz will be performing on August 8th! Admission is free, donations are accepted. Visit www.agosiouxtrails.org for more information.
Over 50 kids from Bethlehem, Centenary and the surrounding community joined us for VBS last week. With a theme of RENEW, the kids made natural art, planted seeds, created compost, and so much more! Thank you to Kaitlin Carter, our Children’s and Family Ministry Associate, for all your hard work in planning, and thank you to the rest of our staff and volunteers who helped give the kids a great week! Check out some of the photos from the week:
New Young Adults Small Group! This group is open to all post high school young adults. We will meet once a month at various places and have a chance to socialize and build relationships with one another. All are welcome and friends are welcome too! Fall events include:
Sept. 16th- Meet and Greet @ Jake's Pizza
Oct. 14th- Bonfire, location TBD
Nov. 11th- Cooking Competition @ BLC
Dec. 8th- Hockey Game @ MNSU
Bethlehem will host a Blood Drive on August 22. Sign up with the Red Cross to give blood, donation hours are from 1-6pm. And mark your calendar, another Blood Drive has been scheduled for December 21st!
Home Care for Pr. Don: Bethlehem has been caring for and supporting Pastor Don and Bonnie Roberts since he was diagnosed with ALS in 1995, and now the Roberts need our help. Are you interested in helping with Pastor Don's home care? If you have experience as a caregiver, a good heart, and a willingness to learn, you are needed, as they are looking for more caregivers to round out their team. Let Pr. Don and Bonnie know if you can help! Connect with the Roberts by emailing dbroberts320@hotmail.com
It’s not too early to start thinking about fall! We are excited to begin Wednesday Night Suppers again in September. Interested in getting on the Wednesday Night Supper server schedule? Contact Amy Haigh at haigh29@yahoo.com
The Community and Global Mission Board has signed up to help with Sunday Suppers for the unhoused during the summer. Upcoming BLC dates August 27th, September 24th, from 4-6 at Grace Lutheran Church. Simple meals of sandwiches, chips, water will be provided. We can use donations of water, gatorade, individual packages of chips, bars, paper plates, paper bags for take home. Please, contact Dee Bennett 317-679-3277, deebennett@mac.com to coordinate a donation. Thank you in advance for your generosity!
Deborah Circle would like to invite all interested persons to join us for a summer bible study. We will meet on the 3rd Saturday in June, July, and August in Grounds for Joy from 10:00-11:00 am. We will use the summer study found in Gather Magazine. Copies of the study will be available for those who don't have a subscription. Hope to see you there!
Pastor Kristin Engstrom’s July Newsletter is now available!
Last call! Our July Monthly Mission is Partners for Housing. P4H works by providing emergency shelters at Theresa House, Union Street Place, and the Welcome Inn. They provide transitional housing, rapid re-housing and long-term housing in collaboration with many other supportive services. Bethlehem’s goal is to raise $1,300 for Partners for Housing. Please consider supporting this important mission!
Our August Monthly Mission is Crossroads Campus Ministry at Minnesota State-Mankato. Bethlehem’s ties to this ministry go back over several years, volunteering regularly with their Lunch-for-a-Buck program, and Pastor Jacie Richmond is currently on the Board. Crossroads has been without a pastor for the past year and is focusing on rebuilding their programming after Covid and finding a new pastor. You can send a check to Bethlehem with Monthly Mission Crossroads in the memo line, or give online throughout the month of August. Thank you for supporting the physical, emotional, and spiritual needs of our area students!
This Week in our Prayers
First Lutheran in Blooming Prairie
Solor Lutheran in Webster
Redeemer Lutheran in Alden
Ngimu Lutheran in Tanzania
Igengu Lutheran in Tanzania
CELCO (Colegio de la Evangelica Luterana de Colombia) in Paz de Ariporo
Curt Halvorson Brenda Goetsch Marian Mallory
Pete Wachtel Carol Peterson Jim Norland
Shari Elbert Verona Roberts
Pastor Don Roberts, Bonnie, and his caregivers