There are four ways to worship at Bethlehem:
- Indoor worship on October 3, 10, 17, 24, and 31 at 9 AM.
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You will be asked to sign-up for this worship ahead of time using this Signup Genius link. Attendance will be limited to 70 people.
- Masks are required for the duration of our indoor worship services. You may remove them to take communion. We have returned to our BYOC (bring your own communion) practice which means you are once again free to bring whatever elements speak most to your heart! We do ask that you bring white wine for the sake of the upholstery on the pews.
- We will keep our current socially distanced seating model for the time being. Upon arrival you will still check in with the host and be directed to your seats by an usher.
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For more guidance click on What to Expect When You Come to Indoor Worship
- You may attend in person worship on the grass at 10:30 AM.
- You are no longer be required to sign up for outdoor worship.
- Masks will be required during arrival and departure, and anytime that you are talking or interacting with people outside of your worship pod. Once seated, you may remove your mask if you are vaccinated. Please bring your own communion supplies for this service as well, and we ask that you do your best to maintain social distancing before and after the worship service.
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As we move, once again, into the winter months (such that it is here in Southern California) the possibility of wet weather will sometimes require us to cancel our outdoor worship service. When that happens, we will offer a second indoor service for any who feel comfortable coming indoors. The same indoor protocols will apply, and it will start at the same time. If you do not feel comfortable joining us indoors we completely understand, and will look forward to seeing you on the lawn the following Sunday.
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For more guidance click on the updated What to Expect When You Come to Outdoor Worship.
- You may join us for livestream worship currently at 9 AM.
- In order to join the livestream click on this link here.
- The link will not appear until we go live 5 minutes before the start of worship/ Fear not, we will be there.
- You may use the chat stream to talk with other worshipers in real time. This is really fun.
- You may watch worship on demand at any time you like.
- The livestream is immediately uploaded to YouTube at the close of worship.
- You can access the recorded worship on our YouTube channel.
- Or it will be available to you on our worship page on our website by midday on Sunday.
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If you need help navigating the Covid-19 vaccine sign up process, we are here to help. Our Stephen Ministry/Parish Nurse team can assist with:
- Finding out your eligibility to receive a vaccine.
- Helping you find a vaccination site and make an appointment.
- Assisting with transportation to the site.
Please call the church office, (760) 753-1026, and we will get you the help you need.
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Bethlehem Serves - A Huge Success! |
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On Sunday, September 19th, 98 people came masked to Bethlehem to do 10 service projects in our community. The projects included:
- Packing 100 School Bags for LWF and 100 Backpacks for Ocean Knoll School with school supplies.
- Making 400 hygiene kits for TACO that were delivered this week.
- Creating and delivering 24 flower pots to the homes in our neighborhood.
- Replacing and restocking 30 metal food storage racks at the Community Resource Center
- Weeding and collecting 7 trash bags of weeds at Ocean Knoll School Children's Gardens
- Digging a 20 foot trench, making 20 critter cages and cutting wire for 70 more at The Ocean Knoll Farm
- Washing 15 cars that raised money for St. Andrews Food Bank
- Knitting prayer shawls and writing thank you notes to the First Responders
- Creating and delivering goodie baskets with thank you notes to the Firemen, Sheriff Station and Moonlight Beach Lifeguard station.
- Collecting trash for two hours at Swamis Beach resulting in 40 pounds of trash and recycling
THANK YOU TO ALL WHO PARTICIPATED AND DID AN ACT OF SERVICE THAT DAY! IT WAS GOD'S WORK, OUR HANDS!
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Upcoming Giving Tree Ministries:
- October 3 & 10 Lutheran World Relief Ingathering: Quilts, Lead By: Scraps and Prayers Quilting Group
- October 17 - November 30: Secret Santa Lead By: Cheryl Monreal
- December : Happy Advent/Merry Christmas/Joyous New Year
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October Educational Opportunities |
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Exploring Personal Identity and Faith - We are excited to offer a new zoom educational opportunity at Bethlehem. Pastor Laura and Pastor Sam will lead a 5-week study on the Enneagram as a tool to better understand ourselves, our faith, and the journey we share as community.
If you don’t know what the Enneagram is, do not fear, we will learn together. The Enneagram is a personality inventory with some similarities to the Myers-Briggs. We will begin by exploring the identity we all share as beloved children of God. Together we will discern our Enneagram types, and then begin to explore what this knowledge teaches us about ourselves and the faith journey that is uniquely ours, as well as the journey we share. Join us beginning Wednesday, October 6th at 6 pm on Zoom and subsequent class dates will be on October 13th, November 3rd, 10th and 17th. A Zoom link will be sent out with a reminder, a few days before the first class.
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Acting on Our Faith: Following Christ Together in the Face of Racism -
Please join us for the next meeting on Tuesday, October 5th at 6:00pm. The zoom link will be sent out before the meeting.
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Electronic giving by Bethlehem members and friends has been particularly critical to sustaining our ministries during the pandemic. Both the website and our mobile app enable recurring and one-time special gifts in safe, secure environments. A big THANK YOU to everyone who has availed themselves of these resources!
Because of the importance of electronic giving, we are excited to announce that both online giving (accessed through the BLC website) and our mobile app are being updated:
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Our online giving options have been realigned to Bethlehem’s various ministries in an easy-to-navigate, picture-filled user interface – click here to check it out. Your current log-in credentials (username, password) will stay the same, and any recurring payments that you have enabled, along with your giving history, will carry over seamlessly. You also do not have to have an account to give via the website. You can simply select the tile you would like to donate to and check out using your credit card information. And as always, you have the option to cover the credit card processing fees in your donation.
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Now is the time to download the new Vanco Mobile app to your phone or other mobile device from your favorite app store. (Note that the Give Plus+ app we previously used will not work after September 30.) Select Bethlehem Lutheran Church Encinitas by typing “Encinitas” into the search window. There are other churches named “Bethlehem,” so be sure to look for “Encinitas” to ensure you select the right one. As with the online platform, your current log-in credentials will work for this as well.
We thank you SO MUCH for your financial generosity, and hope these enhanced tools make your giving that much easier and more cheerful! Please feel free to call the church office if you have any questions or run into any issues.
If you haven’t yet accessed this easy-to-use on-line site, click Sign Up here to create your profile!
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ELCA World Hunger virtual event “Until All Are Fed!” Thursday, 10/7 @ 7pm - The Sierra Pacific Synod, in cooperation with ELCA World Hunger, is presenting a hunger education hour over Zoom on Thursday, October 7 at 7 p.m. Email Edie Lott at thelotts@gmail.com to get the Zoom link. Join us to learn what ELCA World Hunger International is doing to work for all being fed. Download flyer here.
Bishop Eaton urges humane treatment of Haitian and other migrants - Presiding Bishop Elizabeth Eaton released a statement on September 24th urging the Biden administration to vigorously pursue actions to grant protection to migrants at the Del Rio, Texas, sector of the border and ensure accountability for those responsible for “deeply problematic” treatment of migrants. She reiterated that the ELCA “recommits itself to seeking just, wise and compassionate immigration reform,” citing both the Churchwide Blueprint for Action on Central America and the Caribbean Concerns and the Declaration of the ELCA to People of African Descent. She invites congregants to engage in deeper discernment on the plight of migrants by visiting elca.org/ammparo.
“Advocacy in Quarantine” - Every Wednesday at noon. You can join this weekly Zoom meeting to hear an update on current legislative priorities from Regina Q. Banks, Director of the Lutheran Office of Public Policy- California. These quick 30-minutes sessions include a specific action you can take in support of our efforts to end child poverty, fight for water justice, and support equitable reform of housing, hunger, and immigration policies.
Follow us!
Pacifica Synod Bishop Andy Taylor: Facebook
For information or questions about Bethlehem’s Advocacy Team, contact Karin Kloehn at blcadvocacy@gmail.com.
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Suicide Prevention, Mental Health, and Special Education
The Stephen Ministers invite you to join us for special learning opportunities.
Suicide Prevention - Please join your Stephen Ministers for a Zoom learning opportunity:
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Monday, October 4th, 7 pm: Question, Persuade, Refer (QPR) training, an educational program designed to teach lay "gatekeepers" the warning signs of a suicide crisis and how to respond. This training is sponsored by the San Diego County Suicide Prevention Council and presented by Community Health Improvement Partners.https://www.sdchip.org/
Note: You can participate in the class with or without your video.
National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI) - In September, the Stephen Ministers hosted a session presented by the San Diego chapter of the National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI) about the smart phones apps they developed.
NAMI San Diego’s three free Apps were developed by listening to the voices of individuals, peers, family members, caregivers, and anyone working with youth who are navigating a behavioral or mental health crisis, or who are frustrated with the often challenging and misunderstood Special Education process for school age children. Their Apps are available to download on Apple or Android and offer immediate access on any computer or mobile device. The three apps are:
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oscER: Assists families and their adult loved ones (over age 18) before, during, and after a mental health crisis. More info can be found here: http://oscer.namisandiego.org/
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oscER jr: Is directed towards families within the Children’s System of Care or youth under 18. You can learn more about oscER jr here: http://oscerjr.namisandiego.org/
NAMI Resource Line: 1-800-523-5933NAMI San Diego
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Music Continues at Bethelhem - Rehearsals are in full swing this month for all performing groups. Here are the rehearsal times if you want to join in!
- Children's Choir: Sundays 10: 00-10:25 a.m. - Family Center outdoor patio. Every Sunday except Oct. 24. Mona Goetsch, director
- Children's Chimers: Sundays approx. 11:45 a.m. - Outside . Mark Weed, director
- Good News Singers - Thursday nights outside in October ; 6:00pm. - 6:35pm. - Men; 6:40-7:10 p.m.- Women. October performances: Oct 3 and 31st . Mona Goetsch, director
- JuBellation Ringers - Thursday nights in October - Family Center - 7:15 - 8: 30 p.m. Kim Froke, director
- Second Sabbath - Rehearsals to begin in November. Contact Marilyn Stenoien. mstenoien@aol.com
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Save the Date! Adventure Ministry is back! Our next event will be:
Saturday, November 13, 2021
Watch for more details in the November newsletter or contact one of the leaders. We hope you can join us!
Dennis Astroth
Eileen Lajimodiere
Suzi Westmoreland
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Anyone interested in a recertification of CPR with AED please contact Rose Moldenhauer rosemoldy@cox.net. The class will be one hour by zoom and 1/2 hour safe, hands on practice. Date to be determined.
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As you may be aware, it is not currently possible to access our website using the Google search engine. We are aware of this problem and are working to address it. Unfortunately, the malware that is present in the system cannot be easily removed. We have increased security on the website and are working to correct the problem. It is very frustrating for us all. Until the problem is corrected you can simply access the website directly at www.blcenc.org.
Our apologies for this inconvenience.
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Learn Americal Sign Language (ASL) |
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If you have ever wanted to learn American Sign Language (ASL), now is your chance, in a friendly, supportive learning environment. The classes are designed for high school to adult learners.
Bethlehem ASL Classes:
Most Thursdays from 6 to 7 pm Pacific Time
Our textbook is available on Amazon: "Learn American Sign Language" by James W. Guido
If you're interested in joining us, contact Suzi Westmoreland at
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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.
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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/
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Global Mission "Global Links" E-Newsletter |
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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
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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. |
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Newsletters Available on Our Website |
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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.
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Bethlehem is now participating in the AmazonSmile program. This is a great way to easily benefit our congregation when you are shopping online.
Bethlehem will receive 0.5% of the price of eligible online purchases automatically when you use the smile.amazon.com website. See the website for more details.
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Bethlehem Lutheran Church
www.blcenc.org
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