BLC Weekly, October 7
Hello Bethlehem,
“Where your treasure is there will your heart be also. “ Luke 12:34
We are so grateful for your continued support, for the many ways you give, and for all that we have already accomplished. Together we live in our mission of being an inviting community, growing in Christ, loving our neighbors and serving God’s world. Pledge cards have been mailed out and there is an online pledge form available. We hope to have these cards returned by Sunday, October 27th. If you have any questions about the pledge form or setting up automatic or online giving, please contact our Financial Secretary, Elizabeth Ruiz at elizruiz@blcmankato.org or by calling the office. Thank you!
This week
Bibles & Brews will meet at Weggy’s this week! Join Pastor Jacie at 6:00pm this Thursday, October 10 for meaningful conversation on faith and culture.
Wednesday Night suppers
Join us for Wednesday night suppers, served at 5:00pm in the lower level. All are welcome. Offering is accepted but the meal is free. This week we are serving macaroni and cheese with salad and a roll. There will be no Wednesday Night Supper next week during MEA.
Learn to make lefse! Children, youth and families are invited to join us this Wednesday in the dining room during dinner, 5:00-6:00pm, to learn about one of our most delicious traditions.
Also on Wednesday, Cub Pharmacy will be in the library again with vaccinations. Stop by from 4:30-6:pm for flu and/or covid shots. Must be six years of age or older to receive vaccinations.
Adult forum
Connections Shelter Ministry As another new season begins at the Connections Shelter, join us to meet the new executive director Jennifer Echevarria and director of development Liz Paul and learn all that is new and exciting. Discover how YOU can get involved as a volunteer and financially support the BLC October monthly mission. Everyone can make a real difference by learning and contributing!
Family faith formation
Join us for a FLIGHT event on October 13th! Once again families will head to Laura and Jim’s for lunch and fall fun before heading to Pumpkin Junction to receive a free pumpkin for each kiddo. Head to our Friends & Family Facebook event for more information about our Fall Family Day!
No education next week during MEA break. We will begin again on October 23!
Trunk or Treat will be held on October 30th! Use this form to sign up for candy donation or to host a trunk. We invite you to bring Blessings Box donations and help us stock up for the season!
Announcements
We want YOU on lefse making crew! We certainly had a great turnout last year making our famous lefse! Can we do it again? We plan on making it Friday morning, November 22nd, 9:00am so it will be fresh for thanksgiving. Sales will be presales only (watch for details on doing this) and any leftovers open for sales on Sunday November 24th. But we will need your help on Friday to make it another success! Join us for coffee and goodies as we roll out this delicious Nordic treat. Please contact Ginger Erlandson either by texting 507-380-5268 or email rerlandson2@gmail.com. Let’s keep our Nordic traditions alive!!
ECHO Food Shelf needs your help. Volunteers are needed any day, any hours. If you’d like to help ECHO feed local families or are interested in more information, please call (507) 345-7477.
Our 2nd Annual Women’s Event will be held on November 9th! Join us from 9:00am to 1:00pm for a tour of tables, brunch, speakers and entertainment. More details and tickets are available here or by clicking the link on our homepage.
Pastor Jacie and the WELCOME Team submitted a letter to the editor at the Mankato Free Press which was published yesterday. Look for their letter, “Let’s work toward justice for all God’s people.”
Election years can bring tension and division. Bethlehem wants to address these issues head on and ensure members know that all are welcome here. The book Healing The Heart of Democracy: The Courage to Create a Politics Worthy of the Human Spirit by Parker J. Palmer was the topic of our Adult Forum yesterday. Here’s a link to Parker Palmer’s Healing the Heart of Democracy in case you’d like to explore the text for yourself.
VIGILS of PRAYER & LISTENING – the 2nd in a series School Sisters of Notre Dame in Mankato and North Mankato, together with SSND Associates, welcome you to join them for hour-long gatherings of “Prayer and Listening.” Given the realities of our country and world, enter the quiet, let your mind rest and center in God with people of any faith tradition in the Mankato area. The method is simple: prayer and listening to each other and the Spirit. The second session will be Thursday, October 10, 7:00-8:00 PM, St. John the Baptist Catholic Church, 632 S Broad Street. No registration necessary. Bring a friend and come as you are.
Thank you
A message from our friends at Crossroads Campus Ministry:
“Fall Term is here, and we have been so excited to welcome students back to Crossroads! We feel blessed to have Bethlehem Lutheran Church and your Men's Group as partners in our ministry to feed hungry students through our Lunch For-a-Buck program. On Tuesday, October 1st, faithful servants, Pastor Jay Dahlvang, Gordy Larson, Gary Petersen, Dennis Sandersfeld, Jason Bruns, Jack Halvorson, Bob Ihrig, and Roger Haug, served a delicious lunch of spaghetti with meat sauce or vegetarian sauce, garlic bread, garden salad, pasta salad, layered salad, cookies, and homemade bars to 45 hungry lunch-goers. They also collected $122.12 in donations that will be used to purchase the salad supplies, beverages, dinnerware, and other items for lunches during Fall Term. We look forward to seeing Bethlehem volunteers again on Tuesday, November 5th. God bless you for your generosity and for supporting the students and our ministry at Crossroads!”
Monthly Mission
Our October Monthly Mission Partner is Connections Shelter. Connections emergency shelter has 40 beds and they offer an additional daytime drop-in center with resources to acquire housing, employment, medical care, treatment and support. Bethlehem was one of several area churches which helped to launch Connections in 2017 and we have partnered closely with this mission ever since, through volunteers, meals and financial support. Our giving goal is $3,000. Please give generously and prayerfully for our neighbors experiencing homelessness. You can give online or send/drop off a check with the monthly mission in the memo line. Thank you!
This Week in our Prayers
Curt Halvorson Marian Mallory Pete Wachtel
Anna Moses Jim Freyberg Barb Girtz
Royce Elker Joan Stoffel Paul Haugesag
Amy Grams Haugesag Wally Boyer Rita Gibbs
The family & friends of Floyd Arntz
Gol Lutheran in Kenyon St. Paul Lutheran in Conger
Highland Prairie Lutheran in Peterson Grace Lutheran in Peterson
Mazoezi Mwankoko Lutheran in Tanzania Issuna Lutheran in Tanzania