Sign up is now available for volunteering at the shelter. You need to have an email address to sign up, as you will get training videos sent to you. If you do NOT have email, you will need to have a training with Pastor Collette.

If you sign up to bring a meal, you will be told the week before how many to cook for, but it is important there is enough for our guests to have seconds or leftovers. You can choose to cook the meal (it must be delivered to Connections ready to eat, as the kitchen is not yet finished) or you can support a local restaurant by buying the meals.

If this is not the season for you to volunteer, you can donate coffee, napkins, paper towels, or monetary contributions. Please mail checks to Connections Shelter, 220 E. Hickory St., Mankato MN 56001 or donate online at connectionsshelter.org. There is also a list of items you can purchase from Amazon and have sent directly to the shelter. All support is appreciated.

On Thursday, November 19, the Mankato Free Press published a full page ad with an Antiracist Statement written by a group of Mankato clergy. Both our pastors as well as our Family Faith Formation Director signed the statement. The Racial Justice Ministry at Bethlehem has started meeting monthly to find ways we can actively create change in our church and our community.

Director of Family Faith Formation, Anna Wencl, is pairing children and youth with older members of our congregation to serve as pen pals during this difficult season. There is plenty of love to go around! If you are interested in being a Faith Friend to someone, young or old, let Anna know by emailing her at annawencl@blcmankato.org.

Shirts will be dark royal blue in a 60/40 cotton/ poly blend (read: SOFT) with the simple version of our new logo on the front in white. Available in sizes Youth Small to 4XL, each shirt will be $9, delivered the week of Christmas. Order and pay online (preferred) at blcmankato.org/forms or call the office with order and mail a check. Order forms and payment due by Dec. 6th. Help us feel connected, even when we're apart.

Join your Bethlehem church family on Wednesday, December 16th at 6:30pm for “A Night of Christmas Music (on Zoom!)” What better way to celebrate the birthday of Jesus than to come together and raise our voices in special songs of Christmas. Together we can share in the joy of Christmas during this sing-along. Mark your calendars and watch your email for the zoom link for what promises to be a Christmas to remember!

This is your invitation to tune your voices (and/or your musical instruments!) and share your musical gifts with your Bethlehem family this Christmas . if you or members of your family would like to be part of this by singing or playing your favorite Christmas carol, please email Laurie at 1jam@hickorytech.net or call (507) 779-9914 for details. The deadline to be including in the program is Monday, December 7th.

Join the Adult Ed board for a forum this Wednesday the 18th with Pr. Heather Hammond from Crossroads Campus Ministry (https://crossroadsatmnsu.org). Find out how the ministry is engaging their community during these unprecedented times, and how you can help!

Click here to join the Zoom conversation on Wednesday, Nov. 18 at 6:45pm.

Bethlehem was awarded an Outstanding Service Award for our continued support of the American Red Cross during the pandemic. The blood drive in August collected 22 pints of blood. Our next drive at Bethlehem will be on December 28th. You can sign up to donate at https://www.redcrossblood.org

Bethlehem’s Shelter weeks are Dec. 14-21 and Dec. 28- Jan. 3, including an all-day shelter on New Year’s Day. There are no-contact options available. In the new location, the jobs are a little different, too. Please put those dates on your calendar and stay tuned for details and the sign-up link/form. Thank you!

It is with great joy we announce the approval of our new Welcome Statement (below) which passed with 97% approval at our Semi-Annual Meeting on November 15, 2020.

“Bethlehem is an inviting congregation with its doors open to all people. We joyfully affirm that every person is a Child of God. We believe we are one body with many diverse members.

We welcome all who desire to learn more about Jesus—seekers, doubters, and inquirers alike. We strive to include people of every race, age, gender identity, gender expression, sexual orientation, nationality, spoken language, ethnicity, immigration status, physical condition, size, level of chemical use/abuse/dependence, neurodiverse function, mental health condition, appearance, marital status, family configuration, political affiliation, criminal history, economic circumstance, level of education, housing situation, theological background, and other intersection of life. 

The world can be an unloving place, and the experience of alienation is all too common. To those who have felt excluded here or elsewhere, we are deeply sorry, and extend our warm welcome in Christ's love. Everyone is invited to join and fully participate in the daily life and mission of the Bethlehem community.

Together we are better able to love our neighbors and serve God’s world. Together we are better able to learn and share God’s word. Together we are better.”

Here is everything you need to prepare for the Semi-Annual Meeting this week:

**Planning to attend in person? The meeting will be held in the sanctuary immediately following church. No need to even move. Not coming to church? Please enter the sanctuary by the door closest to how you enter the building and wear a mask.

**Got kids? Childcare is available for those attending in person. Please register here: https://blcmankato.breezechms.com/form/SemiAnnualMeetingChildCare

**Planning to watch online? Viewing will be available on Facebook and YouTube. You may ask questions in the comments' sections of these platforms, but you MUST BE PRESENT TO VOTE. Drive-thru voting is open at Door #1 from 10:45am-11:15am.

**Still have questions about the RIC Welcoming Statement? Please attend the Zoom forum this Wednesday, Nov. 11th at 6:45pm to have your questions answered. Join the meeting by clicking here.

**Want to be prepared? All the meeting documents, including the slideshow that will be presented during the meeting and the ballots, can be found on our website, blcmankato.org/council-documents.

PLEASE, PLEASE make every effort to vote at this important meeting. Make a plan (attending the meeting or using the drive-thru?) and put it on your calendar. Set a reminder. We must meet a quorum (75 people) to hold a vote.