Our volunteers had a very positive first week at the shelter Dec. 14-20. The new space is so beautiful and of course well-run by Prs. Collette and Erica and co-managed by our own Amy Haigh.

We hope to fill our next week up (Dec. 28-Jan.3) before Christmas, so our organizers can take a little break. Please take time right now to hop over to the sign-up page and commit some time or a meal. Connections is always in need of monetary support as well, which you can do from their website (connectionsshelter.org) or mail a check to Connections Ministry, 220 E. Hickory St. Mankato.

Sign up: https://www.signupgenius.com/go/20f0544aca922aafa7-connections

Donate directly to shelter: https://www.connectionsshelter.org

An online hymn-sing? What’s next? BLC musicians have come together to host a beautiful night of togetherness and music, LIVE on Zoom! The link to join is on the church calendar (or right here!). Nothing pre-recorded, nothing fancy, just hanging out together on zoom enjoying each other’s company and talents. If you want to feel like you’re in the Heritage Room from years past, go ahead and sit around a circular table and hang 50 coffee cups on your walls.

The fun will start at 6:30pm sharp, shortly after Pr. Jay’s 6pm Advent Evening Prayer service.

We will not be provided a program for this, so if you really want to follow along, we’ve set aside the next two days for you to pick up hymnals for the church vestibule if you desire.

Tuesday, Dec. 15, 9am-4pm

Wednesday Dec. 16, 9am-4pm

If you pick up a hymnal, please call and let us know (388-2925). Do not return them until we ask you to return them.

We’re excited to offer “The Greatest Story Ever (Re)Told” written and directed by your own Anna Wencl. The kids all recorded videos separately, making it an experience like we’ve never done. RSVP on the Facebook event, so you can easily invite your family and friends.

We can’t wait to celebrate Jesus’ birth with you! Whether you listen to the radio, join us online, or weather the cold in the parking lot, this Christmas will be unlike any other.

Don’t forget to send photos for inclusion in the online video by Dec. 22nd!

Sign up to donate at redcrossblood.org.

Please take some time to look at what ways you can serve Connections this year. Our weeks to provide volunteers are Dec. 14-20 and December 28-January 3, including an all-day shelter on New Year’s Day. No- and low-contact options are available for volunteering, and funds are always needed. Sign up at blcmankato.org/serve-at-blc.

Christmas in Christ Chapel at Gustavus this year will be virtual. Online broadcast premiere on Saturday, December 19 at 7:30 pm. To watch the premiere is free, but if you want a printed program mailed to you, you need to register by December 7 (TODAY!). You can also watch after the premiere date. Contact gustavus.edu/ccc for information. Bethlehem member Alex MacLean sings in the Gustavus Choir, but might be hard to recognize because the students are wearing masks.

Financial Peace University is a class everyone should take! It continues to change the lives of its participants years after. Get all the same great lessons from the comfort of your home! No more money stress! It’s possible when you know how to handle your finances. Join our virtual Financial Peace University class, and we’ll learn how to dump debt and build wealth. Financial Peace is free for Bethlehem members. Contact Pastor Jay or Visit fpu.com/1129784 to sign up and learn more. Class starts Monday, January 11, 2021. and runs 8 weeks on Monday nights. This class is open to the public, but is only free to Bethlehem members. Sign up today!

Our Christmas service will be different than ever before, but we still want you to be a part of it! If you would like to be a reader or a musician for Christmas (not live! record a video!), contact Laurie Rossow at 1jam@hickorytech.net or (507) 779-9114 by Dec. 14.

If you’d like a more low-key role, EVERYONE can send Emily Heinis a photo from Christmases past to include in the service. If you have pictures in the church (in front of the big tree, maybe?), even better, but all Christmas pictures will be accepted and included. Send them to blchurch@blcmankato.org by Dec. 22.

What is a Good Gift? It is a possible alternative Christmas gift you give to honor or remember someone who is special to you. We have enough “stuff!” A Good Gift - of chicks, bees, goats - is a statement that you care for the less fortunate in our world and are willing to support that caring with a financial gift. When you give a Good Gift, your name and the honoree will be listed on-screen before the online Christmas Eve worship. Deadline to be included on the list is December 21st. These gifts become a blessing both to you and to the person whom you honor. This year, you can submit your honoree names and make your payment online. Find the ELCA Good Gifts form on our website at blcmankato.org/forms. Or send a check to church with a note indicating your honoree.

It sounds a bit bold to say, but because of you, this day, a child in Africa will get enough to eat – and a chance for a better life. World hunger, need for clean water and sanitation, training for health workers in poorer countries – the needs are obvious and are among those addressed by the ELCA Hunger and Disaster Division. If you purchase a Good Gift, 93% of the dollars given will be used for direct aid to our brothers and sisters in need. Thanks in advance for your generosity.

~ Your Community and Global Mission Board​