BLC Weekly, November 18
Hello Bethlehem,
Mankato area ELCA churches present, Winter Warm-Up 2024, with music by Minneapolis-based singer/songwriter, Rachel Kurtz! Join us Wednesday, November 20th in the sanctuary. Doors open at 6pm and the concert will go until 7:45pm. Note, there will be no worship service in the chapel this Wednesday. Confirmation youth are expected to attend this event but the whole community is welcome! Grab your friends and join us at Winter Warm-Up!
ELCA SURVEY
Our congregation has the unique opportunity to participate in a national study of worship attenders. The study is being conducted by Faith Communities Today (FACT), a research partner of the ELCA. Since 2000, FACT has conducted research that provides religious leaders of all traditions with critical information about the changing nature of congregational life and how to respond effectively. For participating in this survey, our congregation will receive a $200 Amazon gift card and, if at least 10 people respond, a report of our responses.
Anyone 18 or older who is a regular participant can complete the survey. It should take between 12 to 15 minutes. To take the survey, please click this link. Please complete the survey by Friday, Nov. 22. If you are interested in learning more about this study, please visit: https://www.covidreligionresearch.org/attender-survey/
THIS WEEK
Thank you, landscaping crew, for getting us ready for the Thanksgiving season!
Wednesday Night Supper this week: roast turkey, mashed potatoes, vegetables, rolls and salad. There will be no supper next week. We hope you have a blessed Thanksgiving.
We are making lefse this Friday, November 22 at 9am. 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.
Lefse pre-orders are now open! Pre-order now to pick up on the 22nd or at church on Sunday the 24th, just in time for fresh Thanksgiving lefse! Any leftovers not claimed in the presale will also be available for purchase after worship on Sunday the 24th.
family faith formation
Youth Bake Sale: This Sunday, November 24th after worship 10:30-11:30 am. Stop in the Narthex and buy a delicious treat to take home and support our youth trips to the Boundary Waters and camp at Shores of St. Andrew. If you want to donate bake sale items, you can contact Anna (annawencl@blcmankato.org).
We are looking for 20 adults who would like to correspond with LIGHT & NightLIGHT kids as they share crafts they make during education at BLC. We would like the adults and kids to correspond roughly once a month Dec.-May. Please contact Anna or Kaitlin if you are interested.
There is no NightLIGHT Nov. 20 or 27. Kids are invited to attend the Rachel Kurtz concert in the sanctuary from 6:15-7:45 pm instead. The nursery will still be available.
announcements
Thank you to everyone who attended the Semi-Annual Meeting. We had a quorum and all items were passed. As always, our Council Documents are available on our website for your review. The meeting was livestreamed to the Friends & Family page on Facebook and is available for viewing.
Advent Wednesday services in the sanctuary begin December 4. We hope you will join us for this quiet and reflective series.
Bethlehem will host another blood drive with the Red Cross on Thursday, December 19th from noon to 6pm in Grounds for Joy. Sign up today to save lives!
VIGIL of PRAYER & LISTENING – final 2024 session, November 21, 7-8 PM, St. John the Baptist, Mankato School Sisters of Notre Dame in Mankato and North Mankato, together with SSND Associates, welcome you to join them for this hour-long gathering 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 final session in 2024 will be Thursday, November 21, 7:00-8:00 PM, St. John the Baptist Catholic Church, 632 S Broad St. No registration necessary. Bring a friend and come as you are.
Bethlehem is signed up to provide meals at Connections Shelter on December 5, 6, 7 and 8. Can you help? Please sign up online.
Our Fair Trade Committee will have their Fair Trade Bazaar on Sunday, December 1st. Shop after worship for holiday gifts that do good!
Bethlehem members are welcomed to join in the Lincoln Park Neighborhood Association’s (LPNA) bi-monthly meetings, held here at Bethlehem. Meetings begin at 6:30pm in Grounds for Joy. Upcoming meetings are November 18th and January 20th.
The Community and Global Missions Board will be hosting a drive to collect Period Products for women served at Crossroads Campus Cupboard. During the month of November, Bethlehem members are invited to drop off menstrual products - especially pads - in the metal basket located in the Narthex. Many thanks for helping to address this critical need of women in our community.
Monthly Mission: THe reach youth resource center
Our November Monthly Mission is the REACH Youth Resource Center, a program of Lutheran Social Services. Located on the Liberty Street side of the Bethlehem campus, the REACH assists area unhoused and at-risk youth ages 16-24. Since opening in 2011, they have served over 5,500 youth by providing basic necessities, housing and shelter options, assistance with employment, access to support and education, and opportunities for recreational activities. The REACH has served 33,600 meals. Referrals are up 15% and the needs of our area youth continue to rise. Your financial support provides youth with the resources they need to live productive, healthy, and independent lives. You can give online or drop off a check written out to Bethlehem with the monthly mission in the memo line.
This Week in our Prayers
Curt Halvorson Marian Mallory Pete Wachtel
Anna Moses Barb Girtz Royce Elker
Joan Stoffel Paul Haugesag Amy Grams Haugesag
Wally Boyer Al Rossow Maxine Wagner
Delores Raveling Donna Quick
Sudanese Nuer Community at St. Olaf Lutheran in Austin Zion Lutheran in Stewartville
North Blue Earth Lutheran in Bricelyn Shelui Lutheran in Tanzania
Ishenga Lutheran in Tanzania Banytic Lutheran Parish in South Sudan