“The power of receiving the cross on our foreheads on Ash Wednesday is in the layering: there is a sign of sin and death traced and layered on top of the tracing in water and oil of the promise of life, rebirth, and liberation from sin and death. On Ash Wednesday, we feel the full weight of the ashy tracing. It does not negate or obliterate the liberating sign it is layered with, but it is a suitably tangible reminder of the reality of grief, loss, and death.” —Bishop Anne Edison-Albright

(You can read more reflections on Ash Wednesday during a pandemic on the ELCA website. )

At Bethlehem this year, we will impose ashes outdoors and fully masked only. You can stop by on your lunch hour that day, receive ashes AFTER worship in the evening, or pick up your own jar of ash to impose the ashes with your family at home. You can certainly make your own ashes as well.

Worship is at 6pm only (no noon worship as in previous years), and will be in the sanctuary and online.

Questions? Call the office at 388-2925 during office hours (9am-4pm, Tues-Thurs.)

Join us for our annual Fat Tuesday youth fundraiser with a pre-ordered dinner for pick up and online silent auction! (Pre-orders for dinners have closed.) Our auction is available NOW on Facebook and you'll be able to pick up and pay for your item on Fat Tuesday, Feb. 16th. Bidding ends at 5pm on February 14th. To bid, go to this page on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/events/319603289410169/

Your support, in whatever way works for you, means the world. It will make our trip to the 2022 ELCA Youth Gathering possible.

February 1, 2021

Yes, February is here and that means it's time for Lent. We are excited to be meeting in person again starting this week (we'll still be online, too, if you don't want to come to the building) just in time for the Lenten season. We look forward to the important sermon series our pastors have planned for us.

Lenten Worship will be Wednesday nights at 6pm ONLY. No noon worship this year.

Looking ahead to EASTER worship, we ask for your help in planning. Please fill out this poll to give us an idea of how many people plan to attend Easter church in person, should that be an option. https://blcmankato.breezechms.com/form/EasterInterestSurvey
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The Annual Fat Tuesday dinner has NOT been cancelled! Woo-hoo! Join the Facebook event to participate in the Silent Auction (no Facebook? Connect with someone to bid on your behalf.) and PRE-ORDER your dinners for pick-up at this link: https://blcmankato.breezechms.com/form/FatTuesday2021

Want to help raise money but can't participate? Use this link to donate: https://thrivent.cotribute.co/events/484768/detail
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Adult forums are back! The first one is THIS WEDNESDAY, February 3rd at 6:30pm (NOT 6:45, as mistakenly announced in church), we'll have a speaker about grief. Read about it on our website: https://www.blcmankato.org/adult-education
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New month, new mission! Our February mission partner is Partners for Housing. Please read all the details on the blog.

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Our new website and church management system, Breeze, offers so many exciting ways we can streamline our communication with you. Using Breeze to send you weekly updates is one of the ways we can keep our email list consistent and accurate (it also saves time and money!).

Additionally, our new website features a "News & Updates" blog, which you can follow right from the home page (blcmankato.org). By including all the details there, you can easily reference it at any time.

News & Updates: https://www.blcmankato.org/news-updates

The website also integrates the Events Calendar from Breeze. You can view the calendar and event descriptions on the website, but you can also check into worship and register for events by using your own Breeze account (don't have one yet? Contact Emily in the office).

Church Calendar: https://www.blcmankato.org/calendar

"Bethlehem is an inviting community that is growing in Christ, loving our neighbors, and serving God's world."

blcmankato.org (507) 388-2925
Bethlehem Lutheran Church
720 S. 2nd St. Mankato MN 56001
A Reconciling in Christ Congregation

The Community and Global Missions Board invites you to support Partners for Housing, chosen to be our “monthly mission” for February here at Bethlehem. Partners for Housing believes it is essential that affordable housing and temporary shelter be available to those in need and, for over 35 years, the agency has responded by providing a variety of housing solutions for the most vulnerable members of our community. At any given time, there are more than 80 households residing underneath the umbrella of Partners for Housing. The continuum of care features: 


• Three emergency shelters which offer safe respite to single females and families with children.

• Supportive Housing - Transitional Housing and Rapid Rehousing for Minnesota individuals and families most vulnerable to homelessness. These housing options provide case management for 12 to 24 months (depending on location and program funding available), helping clients overcome barriers to stability, as well as providing supplementary rent assistance for rent above 30% of the client’s income during this time.

• Long-term Housing - In partnership with a local landlord, four rental units are designated for persons who are at-risk of homelessness. Partners provides consistent case management, as clients continue to maintain stability or to elevate their economic status.

• Six apartment buildings and two single-family dwellings which offer permanent housing where the monthly rent is set at below-market rental rates. Residents who utilize housing voucher programs through the city or county are welcome.

  Your financial support of Partners for Housing will help ensure the continuation of services despite the challenges presented by the nationwide pandemic. We sincerely thank you.

Lenten Worship starts on Ash Wednesday, February 17th, at 6pm, and runs for six Wednesday nights (Feb 17, 24, Mar 3, 10, 17, 24.). We will NOT be offering noon worship services this year, so please plan accordingly. These services will be live-streamed on Facebook and YouTube. If you plan on joining us in person, please make note of our COVID preparedness plans.

Lent leads to Easter, of course, and we need to plan that week carefully, so we don’t go over our maximum capacity in person. Please take this quick survey to help us out: https://blcmankato.breezechms.com/form/EasterInterestSurvey

If you haven’t joined the Facebook event page yet, now is the time to do so! The Silent Auction will go live on Sunday, February 7th and you’ll want to be ready to bid!

If you’re unable to get any of your desired items and still want to help raise money, please use this Thrivent link to maximize your donation: https://thrivent.cotribute.co/events/484768/detail

Of course, you’ll want to order dinner for take-out as well! Pre-orders ONLY, so fill out this form: https://blcmankato.breezechms.com/form/FatTuesday2021

January 25, 2021

You read that right! We are opening back up for in-person worship on Sunday, February 7th. Read all the details here: https://www.blcmankato.org/worship-plans

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Adult forums are back! The first one is coming soon. Wednesday, February 3rd, we'll have a speaker about grief. Read about it on the blog.

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Pick up your offering envelopes in the vestibule during the month of January. Details on the blog.

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Time to think of Lent already! The Annual Fat Tuesday dinner has NOT been cancelled! Woo-hoo! Join the Facebook event to participate in the Silent Auction (no Facebook? Connect with someone to bid on your behalf.) and PRE-ORDER your dinners for pick-up at this link: https://blcmankato.breezechms.com/form/FatTuesday2021

---------------------------------------------------
Our new website and church management system, Breeze, offers so many exciting ways we can streamline our communication with you. Using Breeze to send you weekly updates is one of the ways we can keep our email list consistent and accurate (it also saves time and money!).

Additionally, our new website features a "News & Updates" blog, which you can follow right from the home page (blcmankato.org). By including all the details there, you can easily reference it at any time.

News & Updates: https://www.blcmankato.org/news-updates

The website also integrates the Events Calendar from Breeze. You can view the calendar and event descriptions on the website, but you can also check into worship and register for events by using your own Breeze account (don't have one yet? Contact Emily in the office).

Church Calendar: https://www.blcmankato.org/calendar

"Bethlehem is an inviting community that is growing in Christ, loving our neighbors, and serving God's world."

blcmankato.org (507) 388-2925
Bethlehem Lutheran Church
720 S. 2nd St. Mankato MN 56001
A Reconciling in Christ Congregation

We’re excited to have you back in the building this February. Please follow all the same guidelines as before, which are outlined here: https://www.blcmankato.org/worship-plans.

If you have questions or concerns, please reach out. We want everyone to feel safe and included. Our online and radio services will continue for everyone choosing to stay home.

January 18, 2021

"Unless an infection is diagnosed, named, and treated, healing cannot begin. Now we've come again to a time that has got the entire country's attention, where we should be able to name, diagnose, and begin to treat the infection that is racism, and to work on this together. Dr. King wrote, 'We are all caught in an inescapable network of mutuality, tied into a single garment of destiny. Whatever affects one directly, affects all indirectly.'"
--Presiding Bishop Elizabeth Eaton; listen to her entire (short) message here: https://www.facebook.com/ELCABishopEaton/videos/1102502956861058

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Our next week serving Connections starts TODAY. Please sign up here if you are able.

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Adult forums are back! Read about it on the blog.

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Pick up your offering envelopes in the vestibule during the month of January. Details on the blog.

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Time to think of Lent already! The Annual Fat Tuesday dinner has NOT been cancelled! Woo-hoo! Join the Facebook event to participate in the Silent Auction (no Facebook? Connect with someone to bid on your behalf.) and PRE-ORDER your dinners for pick-up at this link: https://blcmankato.breezechms.com/form/FatTuesday2021

---------------------------------------------------
Our new website and church management system, Breeze, offers so many exciting ways we can streamline our communication with you. Using Breeze to send you weekly updates is one of the ways we can keep our email list consistent and accurate (it also saves time and money!).

Additionally, our new website features a "News & Updates" blog, which you can follow right from the home page (blcmankato.org). By including all the details there, you can easily reference it at any time.

News & Updates: https://www.blcmankato.org/news-updates

The website also integrates the Events Calendar from Breeze. You can view the calendar and event descriptions on the website, but you can also check into worship and register for events by using your own Breeze account (don't have one yet? Contact Emily in the office).

Church Calendar: https://www.blcmankato.org/calendar

"Bethlehem is an inviting community that is growing in Christ, loving our neighbors, and serving God's world."

blcmankato.org (507) 388-2925
Bethlehem Lutheran Church
720 S. 2nd St. Mankato MN 56001
A Reconciling in Christ Congregation

Offering envelopes are now available for those who requested them.  You can pick up your envelopes at the office entrance this Tuesday, Wednesday, or Thursday between the hours of 9 am and 4 pm throughout the month of January.  If you are truly not able to pick up your envelopes or arrange for someone to pick them up for you, please let the office know.  If you did not request envelopes, but you would like a packet, there are extras which can be picked up during the same time frame. Simply take a blank one and note the number on the sheet provided.