A weekly e-newsletter of

Bethesda Lutheran Church

Ames, Iowa

September 26, 2024

LADIES: You're Invited to the Women's Ministries Cream Tea Sept. 28!

Women's Ministries invites you to their Cream Tea September 28th from 9:30 - 11:30 am in the Commons! Wear your favorite Tea-party/ Kentucky Derby hat or fascinator and join us for a short informative presentation followed by tea, scones, fellowship and crafting! Bring your daughters, mothers, sisters, friends and neighbors and join us! 

Register to attend here: http://tinyurl.com/BethesdaCreamTea

Sponsor a Meal for Living Water Wednesdays!

Our Living Water Wednesdays are underway and very well attended! Would you (or a business you know of) consider a $100 donation to help cover the cost of one of our weekly meals and be our "Sponsor-of-the-Week"? If so, we would love to list your name in that week’s Current! You can donate online starting today!

Interested? Please contact: Tess Hanson (thanson@bethesdaames.org) (515)232-6256

Saving Suds September Update & November Date Change

In less than two hours on September 5th, Saving Suds distributed numerous soap pods and $615.00 in quarters (two individuals donated $15) to 28 families with 72 people.

Beginning in November, Bethesda Lutheran Church will be doing Saving Suds on the 3rd Thursday of the month (Thursday, November 14th) and St. Andrews will be volunteering the first Thursday of the month. Bethesda's October Saving Suds date is still Thursday, October 2nd.

If you wish to volunteer for upcoming Saving Suds dates, head to the updated sign up form (click here)

Attend the Final MLK Jr. Adult Forum Sunday!

Russ Melby will facilitate the final Adult Forum on Martin Luther King Jr. on September 29, and we warmly invite all interested members to join. The church office will have copies of two articles available to be picked up during the week of September 16 for those who plan to take the class. 

On September 29, we will read in class the much shorter letter titled 'King's Letter to an unfaithful church' by the Rev. Richard Lischer, an ELCA Professor emeritus from Duke Divinity School. We will meet in Centennial Hall. 

October is Pastor Appreciation Month!

October is Pastor Appreciation month, so let's show Pastor Bryan and Interim Associate Pastor Chris how much we value them at Bethesda. You can simply offer your appreciation verbally, include them in your prayers or, if you wish, you could send them cards, get them a gift, treat them to dinner or lunch, or show your appreciation in a way that works best for you!

Upcoming VOYAGERS Adult Forums

October 6th - Israel/Palestine Update: Exploring the Court of Justice Rulings and more

Following worship, join Interim Associate Pastor Christine Cowan as she provides an update on the Israel/Palestine conflict and insight on the Court of Justice rulings. 

October 13th - Becoming an LGBTQ+ Ally in Your Faith Community

Larry Otteman will facilitate a discussion on how you can be an ally for LGBTQ+ persons in your faith community. The discussion will take place in Centennial Hall and include topics like best practices in LGBTQ+ terminology, bathroom equality for LGBTQ+ people, nondiscrimination, the introduction of pronouns and why they matter, and more. To attend, show up to Centennial Hall (Room #100) at 10:40 AM on Sunday, October 13th.

DATE CHANGE: Bonfire for College-Aged Students Oct. 20th

Bethesda's new ministry, The River, aimed at college-aged students is having a bonfire on the patio Sunday, October 20th at 7:00 PM. Come take a break from classes and the week to hang out and get to know other young adults!

Scandinavian Coffee Baking Workshops:

If you want to help make delectable Scandinavian treats to prepare for Scandinavian Coffee, baking workshops are as follows in the kitchen:

• Tea rings 2nd workshop, Sunday, September 29,12pm-3pm
• Lefse, Monday, September 30th, 1pm-4pm
• Potato Cakes, October 4th, 2-5pm
• Krumkake, Thursday, October 10th, 9am-12pm
• Rosettes, Saturday, October 12th, 9am-2pm
• Kringla session 1: Monday, October 14, 2-5pm
• Kringla session 2: Monday, October 21st, 5-8pm

Sign up for the workshops by the Welcome Center.

Bring Your Fall Closet Cleanout Finds to Grandma's Attic

If you are doing a Fall closet cleanout and have items that you don't want any more but are something your grandma would put in the attic to save for potential use, we invite you to donate them to The Scandinavian Coffee Grandma's Attic. 

We have room to store the items upstairs until the Scandinavian Coffee 2024, so please let us know if you have items to donate. Please let us know if you would like the items back if they don't sell. 

All items not sold or returned to their owner after Scandinavian Coffee will be given to Affordables in Story City. Affordables gives all proceeds to Bethany Life.

YOU ARE INVITED to gather at the Ames Golf and Country Club on Wednesday, October 2nd, with cocktail hour starting at 5:30 and dinner and a presentation at 6:30 for our 2024 Stewardship Event. Themed around "Because of God's Great Mercy" attendees can expect a buffet, and a special keynote presentation from Bethesda's own Steve and Randi Peters.

Register to attend the Stewardship dinner below, call, or come into the office to register.

There is no Living Water Wednesday on October 2nd. We hope to see you at the Celebration of Giving!

Upcoming AMOS Events

• “Iowa Building Bridges & Organized Communities Seminar” being co-led by an AMOS member pastor and our own SE Iowa Synod ELCA Bishop, Amy Current. This important event is hosted by 12 Iowa Faith Leaders from various religious communities. Iowa State’s Rural Shrink Smart Research Team will be presenting on Iowa’s changing demographic landscape and thriving small communities. The event will be held on Saturday, October 5, from 9 am - 4 pm at St. Patrick’s Catholic School, 1302 5th Street, Perry, Iowa 50220. Lunch will be provided from the Hotel Pattee. Come experience grassroots organizing at its best. The new relationships you will build will be awesome! Please see the poster at the Welcome Center for more details and register by September 27 at: https://www.amosiowa.org/BRIDGES-SEMINAR. We hope to see Bethesda strongly represented.  



• Fall Variety Show Fundraiser on Saturday, November 9th

Learn Ways to Talk to Grieving Individuals at OWLS Oct. 10

Have you struggled with what to say to a friend or loved one when a death has occurred? Kathy Slocum (a leader of Grief Share) is going to share information about how to talk to a grieving person. Matt Ringgenberg from Adams Funeral Home is going to speak about the purposes of holding a visitation and funeral and how they help with the grieving process. Attend OWLS Thursday, October 10th from 2:00 - 3:30 PM in the Commons to learn. Sign up at the Welcome Center.

Join Bethesda's CROP Walk Team!

The 2024 CROP Walk is being held October 13th at 1:00 pm at Ada Hayden Park. Help provide life-saving support by donating or joining the team today!

Decorate a Trunk for Trunk-or-Treat!

This year’s Trunk-or-Treat is October 30th from 6:30 – 7:30 PM! Congregation members and friends are invited to decorate a trunk for this community event! Register yourself, or a group, at http://tinyurl.com/besthesdatrunkortreat.

YOU Can Contribute to Yennifer's ELL Course Success!

In order for Yennifer to attend online DMACC ELL courses and allow them to be her sole focus, the family is in need of someone to watch their two children, Tadeo and Ana Paula, ages 6 and 3 as Jose works Tuesday and Thursday evenings. The requested time commitment is from 5:15 PM - 9:00 PM on Tuesdays and Thursdays starting ASAP. Contact Russ Melby if you would be available to volunteer your time.

Grieving a Loss? Join Us at GriefShare

Sundays through November 24th in the Conference Room. Call the church office or contact Kathy Slocum (kslocum@prodigy.net) or Pat Swanson (swansonrp@gmail.com) for more information.

What's The Difference Between The Current and The Living Current?

The Current is a double-sided sheet consisting of four or more announcements that may widely affect the congregation with a schedule of Sunday-to-Sunday activities and order of worship.

The current, the physical copy members pick up each weekend, is limited to a certain number of announcements and is determined by what events will largely affect the congregation as a whole, often on a first come-first serve basis.

The Living Current, an e-newsletter sent every Friday at 9 am, consists of the larger announcements that make The Current as well as other announcements and events that may not affect the majority of the congregation. Such things may include:

• An announcement for an event more than a month away. (As the event nears, it will be placed in The Current while holding its place in The Living Current.)
• Ongoing support and prayers

If you have an event that you would like advertised in The Current for weekend services, submit your announcement event via email to Tess Hanson and Lynn Anderson no later than the Tuesday before you would like it advertised. Please specify where you want it to be published. If submitted after the stated deadline, it will be integrated into The Living Current e-newsletter and The Current for weekend services the following week.

Address: 1517 Northwestern Ave.

Ames, IA 50010-5299

Phone: (515) 232-6256