BLC Weekly, September 1
Hello Bethlehem,
We will gather for God’s Work, Our Hands this Sunday, September 7 & Wednesday, September 10. This year’s theme is Share, Receive, Be Blessed. Join us for a meal, music, community art and service projects, and a chance to reconnect with your church family.
This is a great time to bring in your extra garden produce for the Farm Stand or nonperishable items to help restock the Blessings Box pantry! This will also be your time to complete a Time & Talent form, so begin to think about where you feel called to share your passions and gifts.
On Sunday we will gather for 9:30AM worship, 10:30AM projects and stations, then share a meal in the dining hall at 11:30AM. On Wednesday supper will be served at 5:00PM, worship will begin in the sanctuary at 6:15PM, projects and stations will begin at 7:00PM and we will wrap up with music and dessert at 7:45PM. Additional God’s Work, Our Hands details are available in the Facebook Event.
It’s not too soon to start signing up! Head to the BLC website to check out our Small Groups, take a look at the Wednesday Night Supper Menu and Adult Forum schedule, and register for youth programming.
Let us reunite for a new season to share, receive, and be blessed!
Events
Werner needs help loading 2,400 school kits into a U-Haul at 9:00 a.m. on Tuesday, September 2. The kits will be taken to Lutheran World Relief in the Twin Cities.
Bethlehem’s Welcome & Inclusion Board invites you to participate in SEMN PrideFest on Saturday, September 6. Saturday’s events will begin with a worship service at First Presbyterian at 9:30 AM. Then, we’ll head together to the 2025 Pride Parade at 11:15 AM. Wear your BLC shirt and join us! We also need volunteers to staff a table in Riverfront Park from 1:00-4:00 PM that day as well. A sign-up sheet is available at the Welcome Center.
BLC Men’s Vikings Football Watch Party is Monday, September 8th. Contact Pastor Jay to join BLC Men!
Bibles & Brews meets Thursday, September 11th at Weggy’s beginning at 6:00PM. Join Pastor Jacie for meaningful conversations on faith and culture.
Book of Faith- Genesis begins Sept. 10. Join this 8-session study exploring the book of Genesis from a historical, literary, Lutheran, and devotional perspective, 10:30AM Wednesdays. Sign up here.
The 53rd Annual Traditional Mahkato Wacipi honoring the 38 Dakota is September 19-21 at Dakota Wokisuye Makoce (Land of Memories Park). A BLC group will leave the church at 6PM on Sept. 19 to attend the first evening of the weekend together. Grand Entry begins at 7PM and the cost is $7 to enter for the weekend. Please RSVP by Sept. 12.
New Meet & Eat groups are forming! We match 3 couples/individuals to each host and share a meal with their group throughout the season. Let us know if you’d like to host your meal here at Bethlehem. Sign up here.
Announcements
Adults Forums resume soon! Join us Sundays at 10:45AM in Grounds for Joy for coffee and speakers selected by your Adult Education Board. We kick off the season with Jerry Gale, founder of Christians Against Christian Nationalism, Minnesota, to discuss, “Understanding and Responding to Christian Nationalism.” The Adult Forum schedule is available on our website.
BLC Vice-President: Good news! Jason Bruns has accepted our invitation to serve as BLC Vice-President for this year. He will then step into the role of President-Elect for 2026-27 and President in 2027-2028. We are grateful for his continued service to Bethlehem since he recently served in these 3 roles from 2021-2024. Thank you!
The BLC Farm Stand: Located inside the narthex, this is a place to share your garden extras and pick up delicious produce grown by members of the congregation. Stop by Sunday mornings or during office hours throughout the week. Just like the Blessings Box, the Farm Stand is free and you do not need to bring in produce before taking some home.
Staff will regularly check the table to make sure produce is fresh and any produce that isn’t taken home quickly will be brought out to the Blessings Box. The Farm Stand will be up until the end of God’s Work, Our Hands on Sept. 10th.
The final Summer Sack Lunches of the season will be distributed this Sunday, Sept. 7th at 5:00 PM in the parking lot, and then we will return to Wednesday Night Suppers. The fall menu is now available online.
September Menu:
Sept. 10 Hamburger/cheeseburger with cold pasta salad and chips
Sept. 17 Ham, macaroni and cheese, salad and roll
Sept. 24 Chicken, mashed potatoes, salad and roll
Monthly mission partner
Bethlehem’s September Monthly Mission partner is Iambi Secondary School Scholarships. This church-managed boarding school serves 200 students in the Mkalama district, Singida region in Tanzania. Academically, it is among the top ten schools in regional and national examination results. ISS has a conducive environment for students to learn with a reliable power supply, enough books, and enough teachers for all subjects. They also teach computer studies courses and religion. Gifts from Bethlehem have been transformative for ISS, and our past generosity enabled the school to install electricity, allowing the students and teachers to study and prepare lessons after the sun went down. Test scores soared, and enrollment boomed. Please give prayerfully and financially to our friends at Iambi Secondary School. You can give online or drop off a check written out to Bethlehem with the monthly mission in the memo line.
This Week in our Prayers
Curt Halvorson Marian Mallory Pete Wachtel
Anna Moses Barb Girtz Paul Haugesag
Amy Grams Haugesag Pat Nelson Lisa Hagen
Sandy Birkholz Kurt Burdick Mary Clark Nikolas Perez
Connections Shelter Church in Mankato St. Ansgar’s Lutheran in Cannon Falls
St. Paul Lutheran in Le Center Mazoezi Kitusha Lutheran in Tanzania
Nguony Keel Lutheran Parish in South Sudan Sudanese Nuer Community at St. Olaf Lutheran in Austin