news & updates
In worship on June 6, we were excited to honor the young adults of our congregation, recognizing the graduating seniors and awarding scholarships to the twelve undergraduate college students who applied. We also welcomed guest preacher, Rev. Lisa Kipp from Lutheran World Relief, and had a baptism! It was a full day. Check out these pictures from worship yesterday!
What happens when our world falls apart? How do we press onward when our tightly-knit plans unravel into loose threads? What do we become when our identity—or the path we’re on—comes undone? What if all of this is not the end we fear it will be? In our unraveling, sometimes life surprises us with unexpected joy, love, and hope—with a new beginning we couldn’t have imagined. Sometimes we need God to unravel us, for we long to be changed. This worship series explores 12 stories of unraveled shame, identity, fear, grief, dreams, and expectations. These are stories where God meets us in the spiraling, unraveling our plans—and us—into something new.
Last year we met outside out of necessity, and it was actually a great time! This year, we’ll do it just for fun. Plan on bringing your comfy chair (or use one of our not-so-comfy folding chairs) and joining us in the parking lot on the following dates:
June 13
July 4
July 18
**If the weather is bad, we’ll simply head inside!
***You will NOT be required to wear a mask outdoors, in accordance with the current MDH guidelines.
LWR is a non-profit organization that focuses on disaster relief/ recovery and offers many different services to the poor in 30-35 countries. Today, LWR helps communities living in extreme poverty adapt to the challenges that threaten their livelihoods and well being and responds to emergencies with a long-term view. Bethlehem has long supported this organization by volunteers sewing quilts and assembling school kits. Volunteers take the completed quilts and school kits to a LWR warehouse in South St. Paul, where they are packaged and loaded into shipping containers for Latin America, the Middle East, Asia, and Africa. One of the ways a financial contribution helps LWR is for shipping costs. It costs on average about $2.25 for a quilt and $1.40 for a school kit to be shipped from the U.S. to a designated country. The total spent by LWR for shipping kits and quilts exceeds $1.3 million per year. For more information, go to lwr.org.
Make a donation here or by sending a check to the church, memo line "June Mission."
June 1, 2021
Pictured is our guest preacher this week, Rev. Lisa Kipp. She works with Lutheran World Relief, our June Monthly Mission partner. Read more about her work on the blog.
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Bethlehem is honored to receive the 2020 Servant of Christ Award from LSS. Enjoy the video and find out more about it here.
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We are hiring again! There is a weekend/evening janitor position available. Learn more and apply on the website.
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This is the last week of school for Mankato! Congrats to our graduates, who will be honored on Sunday, and to all our school-aged members. Well done! Join Miss Anna for a school's out park play time with cool treats this Friday, June 4th at Highland Park at 4pm.
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The Drewitz Family invites you to Jack's graduation party this Saturday, June 5th from 1-3pm in Grounds for Joy. Come for cake and coffee, as you have been an important part of Jack's faith journey.
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Pride Month is upon us and ReconcilingWorks, our partners in our RIC ministry, is leading the parade! Find out more here.
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Please wear your name tags when you come to church, so Pr. Kristin can learn your names. See the updated look here.
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Want to sing along at home? We have takien the lyrics off the screen, but you're welcome to arrange pick-up with the office if you'd like to borrow a hymnal. Information on the blog.
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The ALS Walk has been scheduled for September 11. It is a statewide walk, but Bethlehem still has a team and encourages fundraising. Find out more, including a link to donate, on the blog.
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It's time to register for summer fun! DEADLINE FOR VBS IS THIS FRIDAY. Find out more: blcmankato.org/youth for Mission: Mankato! Find out more: blcmankato.org/vbs2021 for VBS!
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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 pleased to welcome Rev. Lisa Kipp as our guest preacher on Sunday, June 6th, 2021.
Rev. Kipp leads the congregational engagement team at Lutheran World Relief. In her role, she connects congregations across the United States with LWR’s work of bringing lifesaving aid and long-term hope to our most vulnerable neighbors around the world. Prior to this role, Rev. Kipp served an ELCA congregation in Rochester, MN, for nearly twenty years. While serving in the parish, she launched a local food truck ministry, guided a partnership with a rural hospital in Tanzania, and led more than 25 service-learning trips to locations in the U.S. and around the world. She continues to live in Rochester with her husband and three teenage sons.
Lutheran World Relief is the June Monthly Mission. You can make a donation by clicking here.
We are proud to be one of the 2020 recipients of the Servant of Christ Award for the Southeastern Synod of MN. Because the synod assembly was held online, there was no in-person presentation of the award. LSS has created videos for each synod to share instead. We played this video in service on Sunday, May 30th, but if you missed it, enjoy.
Each year, Lutheran Social Service of Minnesota recognizes partnering congregations that are leaders in social ministry and social justice in their community, have a connection to LSS services in their area, and faithfully provide financial support for the service ministry of LSS.
Congregations in each of the six ELCA Synods in Minnesota may be nominated by pastors, staff, congregation members, individuals in the community or LSS employees. Servant of Christ congregations are recognized at their respective Synod assemblies each spring as well as in a presentation directly to the congregation.
Selection criteria includes:
The strength, longevity, or richness of the relationship between the congregation and LSS.
A powerful connection to a service offered by LSS.
Providing extraordinary social ministry leadership in their community, whether or not as part of an LSS service.
Financial stewardship to LSS, both through congregational pledging and gifts from individual donors.
May 25, 2021
Pride Month is upon us and ReconcilingWorks, our partners in our RIC ministry, is leading the parade! Find out more here.
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Please watch your mailbox this week for an important congregational letter. Make sure to open it and read it.
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Please wear your name tags when you come to church, so Pr. Kristin can learn your names. See the updated look here.
***
Want to sing along at home? We're taking the lyrics off the screen, but you're welcome to arrange pick-up with the office if you'd like to borrow a hymnal. Information on the blog.
***
The ALS Walk has been scheduled for September 11. It is a statewide walk, but Bethlehem still has a team and encourages fundraising. Find out more, including a link to donate, on the blog.
***
Adult Education needs your help planning this fall! See their request here.
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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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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." FINAL WEEK!
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It's time to register for summer fun! Find out more: blcmankato.org/youth for Mission: Mankato! Find out more: blcmankato.org/vbs2021 for VBS!
***
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
From ReconcilingWorks, our partners in RIC ministry:
Happy PRIDE! ReconcilingWorks is excited to celebrate the diversity of the LGBTQIA+ community with you this PRIDE season!
Throughout the months in which many of our LGBTQIA+ siblings would be celebrating their fullness through PRIDE parades, parties, and festivities in accompaniment with many of the Reconciling in Christ (RIC) partners such as Bethlehem, ReconcilingWorks will be celebrating virtually this year! There are so many ways they invite you to celebrate our beloved queer siblings - here are just a few ReconcilingWorks invites you to celebrate through for the 2021 PRIDE season.
As we bring back singing to the sanctuary, we will be phasing out the lyrics on-screen. If you are unable to join us in person yet and would like to sing along, please call the office to arrange to pick up a hymnal. We are happy to loan them out. Office Hours: Tuesday-Thursday, 9am-4pm. (507) 388-2925
