Gethsemane

Weekly Newsletter

May 5th 2024

Welcome to the Gethsemane Lutheran Church Newsletter. We welcome all who are members of Gethsemane, as well as those who are discovering us for the first time, to join us in our mission journey. We hope to keep you up-to-date in these times of amazing change for our church community. Feel free to forward the newsletter to others and give us the emails of those you think my wish to connect with us and see what great things God is doing with our church each week!


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All Are Welcome


At Gethsemane Church, there is an overwhelming excitement and joy for the presence of all our new families and children within our congregation. We believe that every man, woman, and child is a cherished member of our spiritual family, and their presence brings vibrancy and hope to our community. We warmly invite families in search of food, clothing, support, and the love of God to join us for Sunday services and all our other outreach programs. Our doors are open wide, welcoming all who seek solace, community, and spiritual nourishment. We extend our arms in fellowship, eager to share the boundless love and grace of God with every individual and family who walks through our doors.

News and Announcements

Still Looking for Volunteers:


Volunteering at the Food Shelf or Clothing Closet continues to be an impactful opportunity to directly improve the lives of those in need within our community. Your time and effort are essential in our mission to provide vital resources and support to individuals and families facing hardship. Each task, no matter how small, contributes to a greater cause of compassion and care. If you feel compelled to join us in this meaningful work, please don't hesitate to reach out to Pastor Jeff or respond to this newsletter indicating your interest. Your willingness to volunteer is immensely valued and greatly appreciated as we endeavor to build a more compassionate and supportive community for everyone.



Contact us here to learn more on how to get involved! 


Prayers For God’s People

Please continue to lift up in prayer Linda Nehrbass, mom of Pastor Jeff, who underwent hip surgery after a recent fall, Jeff Nelson, who is recovering from hip surgery, Crystal Lund, who fell and hurt herself, and the Schepker family as they continue to mourn the loss of a family relative. We lift these and many more in our heart this week in prayer.


If you have anyone who you would like us to lift up in prayer in the newsletter, speak to Pastor Jeff.

Camden Clothing Closet Hours


Please come and try on what fits you! The Camden Clothing Shop is open every 1st and 3rd Saturday of the month at Gethsemane. We also accept donations from those looking to give clothes or valued goods to the community.

Weekly FoodShelf Schedule


The Camden Promise Food Shelf feeds boxes of food to community families every week!


Our hours are 11 to 2:30pm Monday through Saturday.


We also supply lunch after church on Sundays, so please come worship with us as well as enjoy a warm meal



Writer's Corner: Bat Fear

By Cindy Nehrbass

Psalm 34:4 - I sought the Lord, and he answered me and delivered me from all my fears.


This past week, leading up to Earth Day, there was a story on the news about how the bat population is decreasing around the world as humanity takes over their home environment. Pavement and concrete encroaches on forest and field, and bats have no place to feed. Initially, you might think to yourself, why is that a worry, bats are kinda creepy, Halloween visions, horror movies, and the lot. But reality is that the bat gets a bad rap and actually does humanity a great service by keeping the insect population down. And in Minnesota, with our mosquito swarms waiting to give my daughter huge welts every summer (especially after a warm Winter and wet Spring)…bats are really our friends. Perhaps, God gave us bats for that reason, as protection against the mosquito?


I grew up being afraid of bats, believing (from watching scary movies) that all bats always turned into vampires at night—and, well, vampires did awful things, and meant certain death. The boys in my neighborhood would tease my group of friends, I want to suck your blood, they’d say while showing their “fangs” of grins missing front teeth. Then they’d run away with arms spread wide like bat wings. On PBS’ Sesame Street, Count Dracula (even though he taught me about numbers), was still a vampire, and a bat. Later, when I learned about Batman, a hero whose alternative persona was that of a bat, I realized that my feared winged mammal could be for thought of as good, not evil. But, the gut fear still lingered.


A few years ago, a friend wrote an essay about how she tried to get a bat out of her cabin loft in the middle of the night. The story included all her childhood fears and grownup bravery, vampires and bat-women. In the end, after jumping and hiding, ducking and screaming, she was able to open a window and shoo it outside with a broom. When she read the essay at a writing retreat, we were all on the edge of our seats, squealing and covering our faces as if we were there in the experience with her. The power of words and recollection to involve the listener. Our hearts beat fast as we each revealed our own bat “experiences’. Mine was the most uneventful. I shared, “When I was five, my friend down the street had a tree full of bats, so I NEVER slept over at her house,” and then, “Now, our 1925 year-old house has a bat house 30 feet up high on the pine tree near our front walk. I wonder if anyone lives in there.” I didn’t reveal that (occasionally) I wished I’d witness a bat crawl out (not at night) and wondered how it’s body could fit through the tiny hole. I longed to not be afraid of something I’d been taught to be afraid of for so long.


I’m not alone. I’m sure many of you have various opinions on bats—both fears and friendly stories. Bats in caves, flying above heads in the reveal of a flashlight, or curled up and hanging like pea pods on branches in the dark underground cages of the zoo. When I brought my kids to the Minnesota Zoo, years ago, I realized that these slightly fuzzy creatures with big black eyes were “kinda cute” when they’d stretch and curl their wings back around themselves. I don’t think I’d ever want to touch one, who knows, but I put on my brave face in front of my kids. A no “bat-fear” expression.


I think of all the other fears I’ve grown up with, like swallowing a spider while I sleep (a friend shared a horror story of this) or other fears that I learned from movies, reading, teasing friends, “fake news”, or even silly rumors. I think of how many fears that still feed my anxieties—fears of past experiences repeating: my daughter not waking from heart surgery (as a baby) still keeps me sometimes hovering over her (now an adult) at night checking for her breathing. I wonder about the many “justified fears” about real concerns in what can seem like a dangerous world with so many people carrying guns into malls, attacking women in their homes, or drunk drivers T-boning loved ones on St. Patrick’s Day. But, how most of my little “bat fears”, that I’ve gathered throughout life, are really just misunderstandings, misinformation—like not realizing that bats are to be thanked.They are the heroes (like Batman) that eat the mosquitos who really do “suck the blood” from my daughter into welts each summer. Yet, my broad collection of fear stems from forgetting that, in all situations, I am not alone in God’s creation. 


Proverbs 29:25 - The fear of man lays a snare, but whoever trusts in the Lord is safe.


Yes, this world can be a very scary place, and bad things do happen. But Jesus teaches us about how to disperse our anxieties and fears, by trusting God. So, I guess I should not focus on the boys teasing me in childhood, or that once my daughter faced certain death, or any of the other things that plague my sanity each day: viruses, impending loss of loved ones, that a world seemingly heading toward another world war, or that humanity is forever changing the earth into self-destruction. I should remember that my daughter survived another twenty-nine years; everyday of breath is a true miracle; that bats are actually harmless when they curl up in their bat houses and are heroes hunting the dreaded mosquito in my backyard at night. I must remember, and be grateful, for God’s creation of natural checks and balances, so the world can flourish and heal: between bat and mosquito, or man’s progression and nature’s survival. That in the end, God’s glory rules over all, because true death was conquered on the cross once and for all. That even when our humanity gets in the way of this balance, both in the external world (the concrete war with the trees) and our internal world (faith battles with fear), whoever trusts in the Lord is safe. We can seek, we can trust, and the Lord will deliver us from all fear.


Amen.


Please Join Us for Weekly Worship!


We warmly invite you to join us at Gethsemane every Sunday for our in-person worship service. Whether you're a long-time member of our congregation or someone seeking spiritual connection, you'll find a welcoming community ready to embrace you. For those unable to attend in person, we offer the option to join us virtually via Zoom link, ensuring that everyone can participate in our worship experience regardless of their location. Our services, held every Sunday at 10:30 am, are conducted bilingually in Spanish and English, reflecting the diversity and inclusivity of our congregation. Come as you are and join us in lifting our voices in praise and worship. Below is the Zoom link for virtual attendance. We look forward to worshiping together with you.



Online Worship Service

Working Together So That All Experience Gracious Invitation Into Life-giving Christian Community


―Gethsemane Mission Statement

4656 Colfax Avenue North

Minneapolis, MN 55412

612-521-3575

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