Prayer & Call to Action for Racial Justice
Sunday, May 23rd at 6:30pm
Washington Park, Mankato

Join Mankato clergy and faith communities as we gather together to pray, repent, speak out against white supremacy and systemic racism, and invite our communities to action centered in God’s justice and peace. Our 30-minute gathering is open to all, but is centered in our shared faith. Our time together will include music, prayer, and speakers. Look for more details on the event as it gets closer. https://fb.me/e/SNhjITo7

Join the Bethlehem Gait Keepers for our 15th year supporting the Walk to Defeat ALS in honor of Pastor Don. Don Roberts served our congregation from 1989 to 1996, when he retired because of ALS (Lou Gehrig’s Disease). Pastor Don continues to be an inspiration of life and faith to our congregation as he navigates his journey with ALS.

Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) is a progressive, fatal neuromuscular disease that slowly robs the body of its ability to walk, speak, swallow and breathe. The life expectancy of a person with ALS averages 2 to 5 years from the time of diagnosis, although Pastor Don has far surpassed that life expectancy since his diagnosis in 1995 thanks to advances in care and technology. More than 5,000 people are diagnosed with ALS every year, and there is currently no known cause or cure. 

That’s why we participate in the Walk to Defeat ALS. To bring hope. To raise awareness. To provide resources and services to families free of charge. To support the scientific research community working to unlock the mystery of ALS and find the key to treatments and a cure.

Help the Bethlehem congregation rally together this year by making a donation in honor of Pastor Don. Visit bit.ly/BethlehemGaitKeepers to make an online donation toward our team's goal, or you can send checks (made payable to The ALS Association) to the church office to be sent in. Donations sustain The ALS Association MN/ND/SD Chapter's work providing equipment, resources and support to people living with ALS and their families across our region, as well as fund cutting-edge research to discover treatments and a cure for ALS.

The Adult Education Board wants to hear your ideas for educational opportunities for adults this next year. Please submit suggestions for possible topics, organizations, or individual presenters to Bob Ihrig at robert.ihrig1@gmail.com by July 31. Provide contact information, if possible. Thanks.

May 4, 2021

Please take time to welcome Pastor Kristin Engstrom when you see her in the coming weeks. Pr. Kristin will be with us while Pr. Jay is on sabbatical until August. Read about all she has done before coming home to Mankato on the blog.
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The final day of LIGHT is May 16th! Another wonderful year for the young families of BLC, despite challenges and change. Read the details of their final week on the blog.
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Congratulations to our 2021 Confirmands! View photos on the blog.
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May's Monthly Mission is Open Door Health Clinic. You can read about their mission here, and make a donation here or by sending a check to the church, memo line "May Mission."
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IMPORTANT NOTES:
1. Radio broadcast of worship will be at 5pm on May 9 and May 23. Please share this information with any of our homebound radio listeners you visit with.
2. Weekly emails will be sent on Tuesdays during the summer, and there will be no email the week of May 9.
3. This Sunday's vaccine clinic is ONLY for people who received their vaccines at BLC on April 18th. There are NO FIRST DOSES available.
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It's time to register for VBS! Find out more: blcmankato.org/vbs2021
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The Spring Adult Forums have been scheduled. Please check out the website for details.
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Did you get the email with the COVID preparedness plan updates? In case you missed it, read it here.
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Our new website and church management system, Breeze, offers so many exciting ways we can streamline our communication with you. Using Breeze to send you weekly updates is one of the ways we can keep our email list consistent and accurate (it also saves time and money!).

Additionally, our new website features a "News & Updates" blog, which you can follow right from the home page (blcmankato.org). By including all the details there, you can easily reference it at any time.

News & Updates: https://www.blcmankato.org/news-updates

The website also integrates the Events Calendar from Breeze. You can view the calendar and event descriptions on the website, but you can also check into worship and register for events by using your own Breeze account (don't have one yet? Contact Emily in the office).

Church Calendar: https://www.blcmankato.org/calendar

"Bethlehem is an inviting community that is growing in Christ, loving our neighbors, and serving God's world."

blcmankato.org (507) 388-2925
Bethlehem Lutheran Church
720 S. 2nd St. Mankato MN 56001
A Reconciling in Christ Congregation

We are so happy to welcome Pastor Kristin Engstrom as our interim pastor during Pastor Jay’s sabbatical. Pastor Kristin most recently served as the Country Coordinator for the ELCA Young Adults in Global Mission (YAGM) program in Senegal, West Africa from 2016 until March 2021. A graduate of Mankato West High School, she studied at the University of Wisconsin-Madison and the Lutheran School of Theology at Chicago. After being ordained by the ELCA in 2009, Pastor Kristin served two different parishes in northern New Jersey for six years, and then accepted the call to coordinate the YAGM program in Senegal. When COVID precautions put the YAGM program on pause, Pastor Kristin returned to Mankato and is currently seeking where God will call her to serve next. She is honored to serve as interim pastor at Bethlehem while Pastor Jay is on sabbatical until August 1.

Another amazing year of LIGHT is coming to an end this month. We are so grateful to Miss Anna who had to get so creative, to the Children’s Board, for supporting her and helping her, and to all the families who kept showing up, either online or in person. We look forward to what fall will bring! The remaining Sundays are below.

Our kids are preparing their banner for the parade on the 16th!

MAY 9TH (MOTHER'S DAY): NO LIGHT, so we can celebrate all those who mother us!

MAY 16TH: Come celebrate our last Sunday of Family LIGHT of the year at BLC! We will end our year with a parade and some delicious treats.

JOIN US FOR VBS! Amazing (G)Race: Season 2 is coming June 21st-24th. You can participate at home on your own time or in-person as a family. Register by June 9th by visiting blcmankato.org/vbs2021

On Sunday, May 2nd, we rejoiced with six young adults as they affirmed their baptism. Congratulations to Alexa Bolstad, Alayna Bruns, Evan MacLean, Emily Swenson, Adam Timm, and Devon Wolff.

Open Door Health Center is best known as a one-stop clinic that offers medical services, mental health services and dental care to patients of all walks of life, insured or non-insured, regardless of their ability to pay. While these services are probably best known to our community-at-large, Open Door also offers free School-Based Dental Care within 50 Minnesota counties! Elementary students, whose parents have completed the initial registration form, can receive a full exam, fluoride treatments and dental sealants where needed to prevent decay, all without cost! Additional services, such as fillings, may be completed within the main Open Door Health Center facility. The Global and Community Missions Board invites your support of Open Door and the health services they provide to our community’s most vulnerable. You can donate HERE, or send a check to the office with the memo line “May Mission.”

April 26, 2021

Go with our blessing! We sent Pastor Jay into sabbatical a week before his actual leave date, due to Confirmation next week. You can view the entire photo series and more details on the blog.

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It's time to register for VBS! Find out more: blcmankato.org/vbs2021

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The Spring Adult Forums have been scheduled. Please check out the website for details.

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The pastors will also once again participate in "Ask the Pastors" with our Confirmation kids. This event will be held on Facebook Live in our private Friends and Family Group, on Wednesday, April 28th at 6:30pm. Pop in before the forum to learn about your pastors! (Not a member of the group? Click here to request to join.)

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Did you get the email with the COVID preparedness plan updates? In case you missed it, read it here.

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Our partners in our Reconciling in Christ ministry, ReconcilingWorks, have made their monthly newsletters available online. You can read it here and know we will share it with you monthly.

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DUE THIS WEEK! High School Seniors and current college undergrad students, the Endowment Fund Scholarship Application is now available! blcmankato.org/scholarship

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Our new website and church management system, Breeze, offers so many exciting ways we can streamline our communication with you. Using Breeze to send you weekly updates is one of the ways we can keep our email list consistent and accurate (it also saves time and money!).

Additionally, our new website features a "News & Updates" blog, which you can follow right from the home page (blcmankato.org). By including all the details there, you can easily reference it at any time.

News & Updates: https://www.blcmankato.org/news-updates

The website also integrates the Events Calendar from Breeze. You can view the calendar and event descriptions on the website, but you can also check into worship and register for events by using your own Breeze account (don't have one yet? Contact Emily in the office).

Church Calendar: https://www.blcmankato.org/calendar

"Bethlehem is an inviting community that is growing in Christ, loving our neighbors, and serving God's world."

blcmankato.org (507) 388-2925
Bethlehem Lutheran Church
720 S. 2nd St. Mankato MN 56001
A Reconciling in Christ Congregation

Pr. Jay’s sending ceremony was Sunday, April 25 (because May 2nd is Confirmation Day), and his sabbatical will start May 3rd. He returns on August 1st Please remember he won’t be returning calls or emails during this time. We ask you respect his time of rest and renewal, but feel free to say hi if you see him around town.