BLC Weekly, December 15
Hello Bethlehem,
The Children’s Christmas program is this Sunday! Come and see The Not-So-Silent Night Shift at 9:30am worship on December 21st, performed by BLC kids and youth, with music from the BLC Praise Band.
Christmas Eve worship services will be held at 4:00pm and 6:00pm on December 24th. If you’d like to purchase God’s Global Barnyard animals in honor or memory of loved ones and have your names displayed on Christmas Eve, turn in a form or complete an online form!
This week
Hot Cocoa & Caroling is this 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.
Join us for Wednesday night supper, served at 5pm in the lower level! Upcoming menu:
December 17 - Lasagna, garlic toast & salad
There will be no supper served December 24 or 31. Have a blessed Christmas and a happy new year!
Bethlehem is hosting a Blood Drive this Thursday, December 18 from 12-6pm. Schedule your donation appointment online.
Prayer Shawl Makers will meet in the library from 6-8pm this Thursday. Please RSVP to Marcia Nagel if you plan to attend!
RSVP to Anna if you plan to be at the Youth Christmas Party this Friday! Friends are welcome. Text Anna at (507) 213-9276
Join us for Fair Trade Bazaar part two! There are still Fair Trade goodies available, including chocolates, coffee and olive oil, which will be available for purchase next Sunday in the narthex after worship. Grab those last-minute gifts that do good!
Announcements
A message from your Financial Secretary, Elizabeth Ruiz: please turn in or postmark all 2025 contributions by December 31st. Thank you!
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.
Newborn Baby Kits for Global Health Ministries: First, thanks to Marilyn Larson and Amy Haigh for delivering the last group of kits to the Global Health Ministries warehouse in Minneapolis. GHM then sends the 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
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 Laurie Rossow Gerry Morris Dee Singelstad
The family & friends of Laurie Lee
The family & friends of Dorothy Norland
Chatfield Lutheran in Chatfield St. Paul Lutheran of German Lake in Elysian
First Lutheran in Red Wing Shiloh Lutheran in Elmore
Muhintiri Lutheran in Tanzania Maiwut Lutheran Parish in South Sudan
Ilongero Lutheran in Tanzania