BLC Weekly, July 1
Hello Bethlehem,
BLC Youth had a great week at Service & Sun! They spent Monday assembling health kits for Global Health Ministries, then set off for the Kerfoot High Ropes Adventure Course. On Tuesday they did yard work at the Harry Meyering Center before viewing Inside Out 2. On Wednesday they painted at Connections Shelter and went swimming at Spring Lake Park. Thank you to all the youth and volunteers who made this week possible! Check out the photos on our Service & Sun Facebook album.
Family faith formation
Register today for VBS! All youth ages 3 years to 6th grade are invited to join us July 22-25. Please sign up soon so that we can begin getting a head count. Our theme this year is Wholly Holy and together we will remember Jesus’ words from John 10:10b, “I came so everyone would have life, and have it fully.” We will learn about wellness and our connection to God. Interested in volunteering with VBS? Check out options in the Volunteer Opportunities section below!
Mark your calendar: we’re going to ValleyFair! BLC Youth are invited to join us at ValleyFair on August 21. Keep an eye out for more details!
Youth Gathering Prayer Partners: pick up cards for your pen pal at the Welcome Kiosk! Contact Anna Wencl with any questions.
Crisis Nursery On-Call Volunteers Needed! Keeping children safe & promoting child & family well-being are the primary goals of the Crisis Nursery (CN). We provide short-term childcare when families are experiencing stress.
Lutheran Social Service of Minnesota CN volunteers answer calls during non-business hours. Volunteers take incoming calls, listen non-judgmentally, gather data, share resource information &, when appropriate, arrange for placement with one of our foster / day care providers or childcare centers. All contact between families & volunteers is via technology - normally phone, but sometimes text & e-mail. This volunteer position can be done from your home!
Volunteers need:
To understand & follow data privacy rules
Professional boundaries
Ability to pass a background check
Smartphone
A way to get completed forms to the family, provider & LSS (scan & e-mail, photo & text, etc.)
Contact kate.hengy-gretz@lssmn.org or 507-995-9259 for more information.
Volunteer opportunities
VBS Volunteers & Donors:
Youth and adult VBS volunteers can use this form.
The Wish Tree is up in the narthex! Stop by and see if you’d like to donate something we need. Please drop off donations ASAP so we can start preparations.
If your board or committee would like to sponsor a meal that week, please contact Kaitlin Carter or Anna Wencl for more details. We need sponsors, servers, and cleanup crew.
Worship Technology Volunteers wanted!
We are looking for folks interested in operating the worship livestream and slideshow. Basic computer skills will get you by, and we will train you! Contact Molly Nelson if interested: mnelson@blcmankato.org
The 2nd Annual Women’s Event is scheduled for November 9th. We want your group to join in the fun at a tour of tables! This year’s theme is Warm your Heart with Plaid! Be creative and advertise your group.
Bring a plaid tablecloth
Decorate the table with a centerpiece celebrating your group
Plates/napkins are provided but optional to bring if your group has something in mind!
Interested? Contact Joy Dykema, dykemajoy@gmail.com
ANNOUNCEMENTS
Summer Organ Recitals are returning to Bethlehem! Recitals will take place Tuesdays at 12:10pm in the sanctuary, July 16 through August 13. Here is the schedule:
July 16 - Thomas Andrews
July 23 - Kaleb Schmidt
July 30 - John Stender
August 6 - Kraig Windschitl
August 13 - Christine Schulz
Monthly Mission
Monthly Mission Match! BLC Endowment will match your contributions $1 for $1 for the next four Monthly Mission Projects:
June: Lutheran World Relief
July: Partners for Housing
August: Crossroads Campus Ministry
Designate a special gift to Bethlehem for any or all of these projects and the Endowment Fund will double it!
Bethlehem’s July Monthly Mission partner is Partners for Housing. For 40 years Partners for Housing has worked to support stable permanent housing for those in need. Blue Earth County has been labeled a “severe cost-burdened county” meaning many in our area spend more than 50% of their household income on housing. Partners for Housing provides emergency shelter and offers affordable transitional and permanent housing, as well as case management and other support services. Our giving goal is $1,300. You can give online or drop off a check written out to Bethlehem with the memo line: Monthly Mission, Partners for Housing. Thank you for giving generously.
This Week in our Prayers
Curt Halvorson Marian Mallory Pete Wachtel
Les Biesterfeld Anna Moses Jim Freyberg
Barb Girtz Mark Woelfel Tracy Carter
Amy Grams Haugesag Michael Buesing
Anne Ferris Nancy Bartell
The family & friends of Mark Kreger
First English Lutheran in Cannon Falls Elstad Lutheran in Peterson
Jackson Lake Lutheran in Amboy Ihanja Lutheran in Tanzania
Mission of San Juan in Bucaramanga, Colombia