BLC Weekly, December 8
Hello Bethlehem,
Thank you to our Bethlehem members who helped prepare and decorate the sanctuary for this Christmas season!
This week
The Musicorum Christmas concert will be at Bethlehem this Saturday! Enjoy Christmas music by talented area musicians on December 13th at 6:30pm in the sanctuary.
The Ensembles Program is this Sunday! Join us for 9:30am worship.
Ecumen Pathstone Christmas bows are on the tree at the Welcome Kiosk. Pick up a card and return the listed gift by December 12 to spread a little extra Christmas cheer at Ecumen this year! Gifts can be dropped off in the office, open 9-5 Tuesday-Thursday this week.
Workplace Violence and Active Shooter Preparedness Training: Bethlehem members who did not attend the training session at Bethlehem and wish to get this safety training are invited to attend Mankato Public Safety’s presentation coming up on December 8. The training will provide a foundational overview of threat recognition, response options, and emergency planning considerations and will serve as the starting point for additional trainings and resources available in the house of worship safety program ahead.
Date: Monday, December 8
Location: Mayo Clinic Event Center – Banquet Room
Session Options: 1:30 – 3:30 p.m. or 6:00 – 8:00 p.m. Both sessions cover the same content.
Join us for Wednesday night supper, served at 5pm in the lower level! Upcoming menu:
December 10 - Hot beef on a bun with potato salad & roll
December 17 - Lasagna, garlic toast & salad
There will be no supper served December 24 or 31.
Family faith formation
Join us for Hot Cocoa & Caroling on Wednesday, December 17th! We’ll gather at 7:00pm in the library, then head to CADA for caroling and be heading home around 8:00pm.
Save the date! The Youth Christmas Party is scheduled for December 19th and the Christmas Program will be Sunday, December 21st.
Announcements
Bethlehem is hosting a Blood Drive on December 18 from 12-6pm. Schedule your donation appointment online.
Connections Shelter Volunteers: Are you looking forward to your annual holiday cookie exchange? Consider making an extra plate of your holiday favorites to share as a dessert for the guests at Connections Shelter. Please follow the link to sign up for providing dessert or any other meal option.
2026 Stewardship Pledge Update The latest report is in and we are pleased to report the following numbers for 2026 stewardship pledges as of December 6:
TOTAL PLEDGES: 168
Pledges $$ Increases from this year: 56
Pledge $$ Decreases from this year: 11
Same $$ pledged as this year: 101
TOTAL $$ Pledged: $423,186 WOW!
$$ Increase from this year: +$42,316 WOW!
% Increase from this year: +11.11% WOW!
The BLC Stewardship Board thanks everyone for their generosity and support of all that Bethlehem does for its members and the community. This exceeds our campaign goal of a 10% increase in giving. We are grateful!
We are still accepting 2026 pledges. We would like to include YOU in our pledge numbers. Use the online pledge form found on the BLC website or contact Elizabeth Ruiz in the church office. We welcome your pledge!
Newborn Baby Kits for Global Health Ministries
Global Health Ministries sends these kits to partners in Liberia, Madagascar, Tanzania and Zimbabwe. The gift of a newborn kit provides basic items to help a mother care for her child and celebrate a new life.
Bethlehem members assembled 23 newborn baby kits on November 15th. We will meet again on Saturday, January 17, 2026 to assemble more kits. Everyone is invited to join us in this project and donations for the kits are welcome! Here is a list of what each newborn baby kit needs.
1 bath towel, lightweight, approximately 50”x26”
1 washcloth- No microfiber
1 bath size bar of Ivory soap
1 cotton t-shirt or onesie, size 0-3 months or newborn
1 newborn stocking hat- a newborn’s head is approximately 14” in circumference
1 receiving blanket- flannel or soft cotton- Not knit or crocheted, between 30”x30” and 48”x48” in size
2 cloth prefolded diapers with absorbent center panel, minimum size 12”x16”
2 diaper pins
Note: we are using Thrivent Action Team dollars to order the diapers, and we have plenty of diaper pins on hand, so focus on the other items on the list. Questions? Contact Kristen Simon-Frank 507-383-1952
Thank you
Happy Holidays! We are quickly closing in on Winter Break, and we couldn't be happier with how Fall Term progressed. Students are joining us in increasing numbers for Lunch For-a-Buck every Tuesday, and they are always so polite and go out of their way to thank volunteers for the delicious, hot meals. We are thankful and blessed to have Bethlehem Lutheran Church and your volunteers as partners in our ministry to feed students through our Lunch For-a-Buck program. On Tuesday, December 2nd, faithful servants Jan Blaisdell, Dee Bennett, and Sue Larsen prepared and served a comfort food favorite of tater tot hotdish, mac-n-cheese, Italian bread, organic spring mix salad, and brownies to 45 hungry lunch-goers. They also collected $27.05 in donations that will be used to purchase the salad supplies, beverages, dinnerware, and other items for lunches during the school year.
Also, if your congregation is interested in monthly food collections for the Campus Cupboard food shelf, we could always use the following: dish soap - laundry detergent pods - toilet paper - shampoo - conditioner - bar soap - paper towels - cornmeal - black eyed peas - flour - sugar - pasta - carrots - peanut butter - jelly - green tea - oatmeal - cereal - tuna - red beans - cooking oil - Menstrual products are always desperately needed - Ramen noodles are always a favorite!
God bless you for your generosity and for supporting the students and our ministry at Crossroads. We look forward to seeing you again on Tuesday, February 3. We couldn't do what we do without you!!
Gratefully,
Crossroads Lutheran Campus Ministry
Monthly Mission Partner
God’s Global Barnyard is Bethlehem’s December monthly mission partner. This sustainable-development program of the ELCA provides animals for people in developing countries who are dealing with food scarcity and poverty.
These make particularly meaningful gifts this holiday season. Donate animals in honor of friends and family using our online form and have your names shared on the screens during Christmas Eve! Please complete a form online or pick one up from the welcome kiosk and return it by December 16 to have your names displayed on the screens. You can give online throughout the month.
This Week in our Prayers
Curt Halvorson Marian Mallory Pete Wachtel
Anna Moses Barb Girtz Paul Haugesag
Amy Grams Haugesag Nikolas Perez Tyler Ratcliff
Garrett Paul Brad Widness Becky Sullivan
Rae Allan Ramona Olsen Laurie Rossow
The families & friends of Ron Poole & Ted Glaser
St. Ansgar’s Lutheran in Cannon Falls Garness Trinity Lutheran in Mabel
Cross of Glory Lutheran in Hartland Merya Lutheran Church & Dispensary in Tanzania
Jokow Lutheran Parish in South Sudan Principe de Paz Lutheran in Colombia