Sunday Worship

8:30 Bethesda

11:00 Immanuel

Contact:

Pastor Connie Monson

678-360-6089

connie.monson@gmail.com

Parish Office:

715-779-5611

bethesdachurchbayfield@gmail.com

Immanuel:

715-742-3440

Links

Bethesda/Immanuel Website



Bethesda FACEBOOK 

Immanuel FACEBOOK 

We pray for those afflicted by war, oppression, or violence of any kind.

 Greetings!

From the Pastor

Dear friends in Christ,

Summer in the Northwoods always seems to take me by surprise. This spring in particular we seem to have moved from 32 degree mornings to shorts-and-ticks season in about 20 minutes. We welcome back our friends who have been wintering in warmer places, we get the boats ready, we brush down the barbecue grill. And then we give thanks for living in this awestriking place, surrounded by God’s creation.

I have been pondering the position of the Church, and our congregation, in the upcoming celebration of 250 years of United States independence. I love my country wholeheartedly, and even as a doting daughter can see that it isn’t perfect. No human institution is. At the moment we are experiencing a particularly wrenching breakdown in civil discourse, and yet we do not lose hope. God is both faithful and just.

Our Lutheran heritage helps us to see “both/and” within a complex of meanings. We can be both patriots and devoted Christians without falling prey to the serious error of Christian nationalism. We can be grateful for this beautiful land and regret that most of us are here as a result of broken promises to and outright theft from its original inhabitants. Our worship on July 5 will give voice to lament and celebration, culminating in a sending affirmation of Christian vocation in civic life. Always we remember that our unity does not depend on agreeing with each other politically or theologically; our unity is in Christ.

A meaningful semiquincentennial to you!

Pastor Connie

Reconciling in Christ Statement

There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither slave nor free, there is no male and female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus. Galatians 3:28

We welcome YOU to Bethesda and Immanuel to participate fully in our congregational life. You who may have experienced exclusion, injustice or racial inequity; You who are young, old, rich, poor; You of all abilities; You from all nations and ethnic backgrounds; You of all sexual orientations, gender identities or gender expression.

We are committed to racial equity, economic equity, gender equity, sexual equity. We are committed to learn, celebrate, advocate and welcome everyone through a series of forums and educational opportunities. May we grow in acceptance and become a voice for inclusion, equity and justice.

No matter where you are on life’s journey, you are welcome here.

Indian Boarding Schools: ELCA Truth-Seeking and Truth-Telling Initiative – Join the work

The Truth-Seeking and Truth-Telling Initiative is leading a coordinated effort to research Lutheran involvement in Indian boarding and day schools dating back to the 1820s. We are seeking both clergy and lay volunteers who want to be part of this initiative. All are welcome, including those with skills in research, data collection, organizing, education, and leadership. The goals are to find and gather information in order to share it with impacted Indigenous individuals, families, and communities; for our church members to know our history of church-sponsored Indian boarding schools and their devastating impacts on Native communities; all as part of an ongoing truth and healing process.

We started in 2022 with 15 synods across four states. In May 2023, we expanded to 27 synods across ten states. We are now expanding to all synods across all states. We welcome you!

To learn more and to get involved, click HERE. Please talk to Connie if you have any questions.

Glasses left in the fellowship hall are pictured below.

Last Call for Red Cliff 2.0

Our field trip with Jim Pete is scheduled for June 13, from 9 am to approximately 2 pm. We will meet at Bethesda and carpool through the sites that Jim will show us. (There is no elder van this year.) Please let Diane or Pastor Connie know that you will be coming. A few things to remember:

• Please bring your own lunch. 
• There are a few picnic tables at Raspberry campground, where we will be eating, but you are welcome to bring your own camp chair along, not only for lunch but if you find it challenging to stand for a long time.
• There is an artesian well at Raspberry too, so if you’d like to get water there—a little or a lot—please bring your own container.
• We are grateful for Jim and his willingness to share his knowledge, and we’ll show our appreciation by listening carefully. He’ll take our questions at his own discretion.

We’ve always had a good time on these trips and learned so much!

Zoom Bible Study



Topic: Tuesday Bible Study

Time: 2:00 Central Time (US and Canada)

To join Zoom meeting:

https://us02web.zoom.us/j/81000510562?pwd=HdJLF2gxH7m2JZcT2FujgrYOYZKr1O.1

Meeting ID:  810 0051 0562

Password: 615053



If you know of someone who could use some sunshine or a thank you please let Sharon Bestul at bestulshack@gmail.com or 715-828-0455 know.

Other Immanuel Sunshine spreaders are Al Reedy, Yvette Fleming and Charlotte Calhoun.

Joint Worship June 21

We will celebrate our third annual joint worship with the Lutheran churches of Bayfield Peninsula on June 21. Bring your father or your kids (or both) and join us for worship at 10:30 am at the Town of Bell Community Center in Cornucopia. Potluck lunch to follow, with pulled pork sandwiches made by Siskiwit Farmhouse. Bethesda will bring desserts, and Immanuel will provide condiments and paper products. Additionally, each church has been asked to send two people to help set up the food, two people to serve, and two people to clean up. Sign-up sheets are in the Fellowship Hall.

Pride Worship Service June 23

As a Reconciling in Christ parish, we affirm that all people are of sacred worth. We take pride in our welcome for and willingness to learn about LGBTQIA+ siblings. Please come worship with us at Thompson West End Park in Washburn on June 23 at 5:30 pm as we close out Pride Month together. The theme this year will be parenting: learning anew how to be a parent, chosen parents, queer parents—all the ways we show up to support one another.

The BRICK’s Food Shelf Program focuses on providing a wide variety of food options in a range of forms (fresh, frozen, canned) to program participants. At times, some of the items we offer are not available through our usual donations network. This means we either need to purchase those products or go without. YOU can help out to ensure that the Food Shelf Program has a wide variety of nutritious foods to offer pantry shoppers. Throughout June The BRICK is asking for donations of canned tomato products -  diced tomatoes, pasta sauce, tomato paste, pizza sauce, etc..  (Please no home-canned foods.)  At the end of the month, please connect with our Food Shelf Manager Amaris Shrider to drop off your donation. Reach her by phone at 715-682-7425 ext. 3 or email at foodshelfmanager@thebrickministries.org. Thank you for your support!

Bethesda donated 47.5 pounds of food in May!

Council Meetings

June 17, 2026

May Draft Immanuel Council Minutes

March Draft Joint Council Minutes

May Draft Bethesda Council Minutes

Monday Book Club

See our website or the link above for the Zoom link

Meeting ID: 851 3905 2851

Passcode: 467574

Dial by your location

    +1 312 626 6799 US (Chicago)

We are currently reading "Without Buddha I Could not be a Christian" by Paul F. Knitter

Questions? Call Leanne 715.742.3553

South Shore Quilters

Mondays 9:00 am - Noon at Immanuel

Wednesdays 9:00 am - Noon at Immanuel

The mission-quilt group at Immanuel is always in need of donations of clean usable bed sheets--preferably flat sheets--which we use as backing for the quilts, spools of thread (whether full or not) and fabric.

The Knit Wits

Knitting & Crocheting at Cornucopia Coffee Shop

Fridays 1:00 - 4:00

Immanuel has a painting group that meets on the second and fourth Thursday of the month, 10:00 - 12:00.



The Immanuel Juliet Club will meet on June 11 at 9:00 at Cornucopia Coffee Shop, and on June 25 at 11:30 at Coco's in Washburn.