Bethlehem August News

“Where there is hatred, let me sow love; where there is injury, pardon; where there is doubt, faith; where there is despair, hope; where there is darkness, light; where there is sadness, joy.”

This prayer came to me this week as I reflected on the radical nature of this gospel we claim. This prayer came to me, as I stood at Home Boy Industries in central L.A. with the youth of this congregation. We listened to our tour guide David, tell us of his journey through addiction and incarceration, and his current path of purpose and dedication. David’s was a radical story of transformation. The Gospel is a radical story of transformation. The light I saw in David’s eyes was that of a man who has seen much and endured much and now carries the wisdom of one who holds kindness and grace as a sacred gift and calling.

The gospel is the death and resurrection of Jesus. The living out of that gospel is our transformation.

This prayer is attributed to St. Francis. It is in keeping with his humble and peaceful spirit, yet it originated in France in 1912. It was widely published during WWI and WWII when the world longed for peace. That longing is an ancient yearning. Those who study this prayer note that the second half of the prayer resembles one written by Giles of Assisi in the early 1200’s. He was one of Francis’s closest companions. Giles’ verses, however, appear heavily inspired by an earlier text themselves, namely the Beatitudes in Matthew and Luke. It seems there is an echo, throughout the ages, of this yearning. This word, repeated again and again, calls us to radical love. That we might have the courage to replace hate with love, and despair with hope, and sadness with joy in the living of our days.

David stopped on our tour, at a wall painted with a wide set of wings. On the wings were written the words, “Tenderness, Freedom, Hope, Love”. David said, “These are four words I certainly never experienced in my life.” His words caught me. What would it mean to have never experienced tenderness, freedom or hope in his young life?

The gospel is the determination of God to lay exactly that in the world. The living of the gospel is our determination to lay exactly that in the world. To sow love when we can, and bring joy as we are able, and bear witness to the light. David is doing so in Los Angeles. We are doing so in our community, and God is doing so in your life and in mine. Please pray for David and his work, as I am praying for you and your work. The Gospel will find us all.

August Worship Schedule

Sunday Morning Worship

August 2nd, 9th, 16th & 23rd - 9 & 10:30 am
August 30th - 9 am (1 service followed by Bethlehem Serves)

Healing Sunday

August 9th (Prayer after both services, QiGong and Sound Bath at 12 noon)

Worship usually takes place in the sanctuary for both services, and there is the option to sit outside in the eco-narthex as well. The livestream usually takes place during the 10:30 am Sunday service or as indicated.

Music Ministry

Special Music - During the summer, our regular groups have time off for rejuvenation. However, special music is provided by smaller ensembles each Sunday. Here is the list of August special music groups.

8/2 - Carolin Meinhardt, Mona Goetsch- duet
8/9 - Julie Draskovic, Dave Ensberg- duet
8/16 - JuBellation Ringers
8/23 - to be announced
8/30 - Bethlehem Serves - no services ( join the Chimers for Seniors Group!)

Bethlehem Serves - August 30 - Music Offering - Each year we take a group to senior homes where we play hand chimes as we sing "old time favorites". If you can read, you can play hand chimes - no music note reading is required! We need about 11 people to ring the chimes. NO EXPERIENCE NECESSARY!!

This year we will play and sing at Belmont Village-Cardiff and Sunrise Memory Care. We will practice on Sunday, Aug 30 and then go play and sing that morning. All AGES are welcome!!

Youth Ministry - 6th thru 12th Grades

August 9 - 6th-12th Grades -Rock Climbing

Youth are invited to climb with other youth groups from the San Diego area. For details and to sign up, email or text Deacon Mindy.

Also on August 9th, don't miss worship! Youth travelers will be sharing their experiences from the summer service trip. Come to worship to hear how being “Rooted in Hope” impacts lives.

Hey Parents! - Let’s get together for coffee and breakfast on Saturday, August 22nd. I’ll be at Isabelle Briens French Pastry Café. 127 North El Camino Real, Suite A, Encinitas, from 9am – 11am. Let’s check in with one another as we look toward the new school year with our children. Mark the date on your calendar. All are welcome!

Children's Ministry

Children's Ministry - Learning Circles will start up again on Sept. 13th. During the month of August, worship resources and snacks will continue to be available in the narthex. If you have any questions or need further resources, please contact Jana Hegg @ childrensministry@blcenc.org

Have you ever considered teaching Learning Circles? We use a multi-age curriculum and all of the lessons are planned out for you. If you are interested or would like more information, contact Jana Hegg.

Bethlehem Serves 2026

Bethlehem Serves will be on August 30th. This is a Sunday where congregational members of all ages come to church and participate in a community service project for the morning. Projects will include onsite projects: School Kits, 1st Responders Gift Baskets, Plants to the Neighbors, Car Wash, One Safe Place Laundry Kits, Interfaith Shelter Hygiene Kits, Somas Tias Food Bags and Toys for the Humane Society. Offsite projects will be Community Resource Center Resale Shop, Ocean Knoll Children's Farm, Beach Clean-up and Chimes for the Seniors. To sign up for one of the projects for Bethlehem Serves, click here.

There will be a short service at 9:00 a.m. at church before leaving for the service projects. At the end of the morning, participants are encouraged to stay for a catered lunch and some fellowship with each other! Please bring a lawn chair for lunch. If you have any questions, please contact Mona Goetsch (mona.goetsch@gmail.com) or Jana Hegg (rjjhegg@gmail.com).

If you would like to donate to Bethlehem Serves, please click here.

School Kits Project - One of the projects for Bethlehem Serves will be to make 200 backpacks with school supplies for Lutheran World Relief and children in our San Diego community. If you are able, please pick up a few of these items to help fill our backpacks:

2 1/2 inch eraser
30 centimeter ruler
Pencil sharpener
Blunt scissors
Unsharpened #2 pencils
Blue/Black ballpoint pens
Box of 16 or 24 crayons
Single subject notebook, 70 pages

Please bring items to church by August 15th and leave in the basket marked “School Kits.” Thank you!

BLC Women of Welcome

2026 Bethlehem Women’s Retreat

Act Justly, Love Mercy,

and Walk Humbly with your God

Join us for the 2026 Bethlehem Women’s Retreat at the Luther Glen Conference Center in Yucaipa, CA on September 18 to 20th.

Sign-ups will begin after church on August 16 and will be FIRST COME FIRST SERVE based on when we receive your money. The cost for the weekend will be $250 if paying by cash or check. Paying electronically or by credit card will cost $258. The last day to sign up will be September 8th.

The conference center sleeps 40 people and features shared rooms with attached baths. Bedding and towels are included. Meals from Saturday breakfast through Sunday breakfast will be provided.

After the conference center is filled, participants will have the option of sleeping in one of the cabins, which are downhill from the conference center. Those sleeping in the cabins must provide their own bedding and towels.

For more information about the retreat contact Pastor Laura or email Laure Reynolds (laurereyn@roadrunner.com). For more information about Luther Glen please visit the Luther Glen website by clicking here.

Full and partial scholarships will be available.

Would you like to sponsor a scholarship?

Pajama Project

As a reminder, our remaining Saturdays to meet in the Family Center to cut our PJ's and make kits are: August 29 and September 26

We will be working from 9 until 2, but begin our teardown at 1:30. Please come when you can and stay as long as you would like. We will break for lunch at noon so bring your lunch or something to share if you would like.

Meals for Parishioners

If you are willing to occasionally provide a meal for parishioners of Bethlehem who are sick or in need please contact Rose Moldenhauer, Parish Nurse Rosemoldy@cox.net.

Stephen Ministry

When You Need Someone to Listen… - Stephen Ministers do a great job of walking alongside people going through tough times like grief, illness, separation, or divorce. During these times, people often feel very alone. They may have no one to talk to who will really listen. Stephen Ministers give them a listening ear-someone who they can talk to about things they wouldn’t discuss with anyone else. Someone who will be there for them, week after week. They know, “This person has my back. They’re looking after me and helping me through.”

Could you or someone you know benefit from a Stephen Minister? For more information, please contact Pr. Laura, Pr Sam, or one of our Stephen Leaders- Molly Hall, Suzi Westmoreland or Laure Reynolds.

After School Tutoring

After School Tutoring at Ocean Knoll - Starting September - Bethlehem Lutheran Church is excited to begin a partnership with Ocean Knoll Elementary School to provide after-school tutoring for students who need extra academic support. Tutoring sessions will be held twice each week, most likely on Tuesdays and Thursdays, and will last approximately 30–45 minutes. Lessons will mostly focus on Math to begin with as we build the program. All lessons will be prepared by the school's intervention teacher and will include clear, easy-to-follow directions, making this a wonderful opportunity for volunteers of all experience levels. We will work closely with the family liaison and intervention teacher to ensure students receive the support they need to succeed. Tutors do not need to be available both days and you do not need to make a weekly commitment. We will take you whenever you are available! If you are interested in learning more about this rewarding ministry and community partnership, please click here or contact Jana Hegg for additional information.

Adventure Ministry (BAM)

Camping in Idyllwild

October 9 - 11, 2026

Idyllwild Regional Park

54000 Riverside County Playground Road

Idyllwild CA 92549

Join us to camp in gorgeous Idyllwild Regional Park. The campground has beautiful trails, the Idyllwild Nature Center, and historic sites and museums. It is just a short walk to the community of Idyllwild where there are artsy shops, wine tasting, a brewery, and restaurants.

This campground does not have a group site but has an area that has several campsites in the same loop. Most of these sites accommodate either tents or an RV. There are a couple of loops near this loop that accommodate tents only and tent campers could easily share a campsite.

Please use the following Signup Genius link here to let us know if you have already reserved a campsite. It will be a fun weekend of camping, hiking, and exploring the town.

If you are interested in joining us, please click here to go to the Idyllwild Regional Park website and reserve your campsite. This campground does not have a group site but has an area that has several campsites in the same loop. Most of these sites accommodate either tents or an RV. There are a couple of loops near this loop that accommodate tents only and tent campers could easily share a campsite. We suggest reserving a site in Campground 2, in the loop that contains sites #84 - #96.

As we get closer to October, we will send out another signup for the Saturday night group dinner.

Food Pantry

THANK YOU for supporting St. Andrews Food Pantry. We collected about 30 bags of groceries during our Lenten food drive and raised $1100 to send directly to St. Andrews to purchase necessary food items. The pantry is distributing groceries every Thursday to about 260 families.

Also, give a shout out to our BLC volunteers who have helped at the pantry this year: Marty Topp, Karl van Schlieder, Arleen van Schlieder, Teri Grady, Steve Grady, Bev Laning, Susan Serdar and Cheryl Mozino.

All are welcome to receive groceries from St. Andrew’s on Thursdays, 2-4 pm. If you or your neighbor are in need, come on over! - Cynthia Heigold

Prayer Chain

Are you or someone that you know and love in need of prayer? The BLC Prayer Chain is a virtual space where we can share prayer concerns with one another, hold each other in prayer, and support one another during times of need. You can share your prayer requests by clicking here. On that same page you can also sign up to receive prayer requests when they are sent out, so that we might hold one another in prayer, light, and love.

Volunteers Needed for Sat. Breakfast at St. Andrews

Volunteers Needed! Saturday Breakfast at St. Andrews - Our mission to feed the hungry a hot breakfast each Saturday is starting back up again, and the kitchen at St. Andrew’s is now open for business. Bethlehem will be preparing breakfast on the 4th Saturday of each month. We need 6 volunteers to crack and scramble 6 doz. eggs, cook 60 hash browns, 13 lbs. of bacon, make 80 pancakes and serve up plates with a smile! Click below to volunteer!

Opportunities to Engage

Qigong/Tai chi -The weekly Qigong/Tai chi practices at our church is available by Zoom. You are able to join online from your computer on Wednesdays at 6 pm. Also, Chacha is having a Friday at 9 am practice by Zoom.

These practices are moving meditation practices that focus on relaxation, breath, and visualization while carrying out gentle movements. Everyone is welcome, no previous experience is necessary. If you are interested in joining please e-mail Chacha at chachapinillap@gmail.com. Please let her know which of the practices or if you would like to be invited to both practices. She will send an e-mail invitation with the zoom link.

Scraps and Prayers - This ministry sews quilts for people in need of comfort and care. We meet each Wednesday morning from 9am-11am in the Multi-Use Room. We need your help sewing and tying quilts. No experience necessary! Stop by for an hour or stay for the whole morning; we'd love to share our scraps and prayers with you. For more information, contact Bobby Allen at roberta798@aol.com or Laure Reynolds at laurereyn@roadrunner.com.

Pastor Sam's Sermon Blog

Did you miss one of Pastor Sam's sermons? Want to double check if he actually said what you think he did? Accidentally fall asleep and want to go back and read the section you missed? Check out all of Pastor Sam's sermons on his blog at: https://sinningboldlywithsam.wordpress.com/

Global Mission "Global Links" E-Newsletter

Rooted and built in Jesus! This is the core of our work as the ELCA walks with more than 80 companion churches in other countries to participate in God's reconciling mission through proclamation and service. Participating in these relationships, ELCA members see how people's lives are touched by the gospel, how their lives are transformed and renewed, and how their communities live in hope. If you would like to receive the ELCA Global Mission e-newsletter "Global Links", please click on the following link to subscribe: https://community.elca.org/elca-email-subscriptions

Bethlehem Cares Fund

Bethlehem Cares Fund: For members of Bethlehem, we have a fund to assist you with temporary financial needs such as medical, home, family or personal needs.Contact Pastor Laura, Pastor Sam, Rose Moldenhauer or Molly Hall. If you are able to contribute to the fund please mark your gift to BLC with the notation Bethlehem Cares.

Newsletters Available on Our Website

Have you missed one of our monthly e-newsletters? Have you wished you could open up that newsletter again to get that bit of information you were looking for? Well, now you can. On our Newsletter Archive page there are links available to view current and past newsletters.

Bethlehem Lutheran Church

www.blcenc.org