Bethlehem September News

As the fall approaches, we turn our attention from the relaxation and renewal of summer to school schedules, renewed work commitments, and a busy schedule at church as well. Learning Circles is beginning, our stewardship focus begins in October, the budget is being created, and Confirmation and Reformation Sundays are before us. But on Sunday, Sept. 15th, we will gather for one of our most gifting and joyous days — Bethlehem Serves. Once a year, we come together to see just how much good we can do in the world, as a congregation, in 3 hours. And every year we try to outdo ourselves. What a witness!

It is important, as a congregation, to be clear about our calling, lest we become worried and distracted by many things, as Jesus said to Martha. Our center must always be the cross and our proclamation of the grace and love of God for all people. Secondly, we gather to worship and sing and pray, that we might welcome everyone to the grace of God, regardless of where they are on their journey. Finally, we are called to go into the world and serve in Jesus name. We feed hungry people, make backpacks for children, support our local domestic violence center, clean up our beaches, and so much more.

My thanks to all of you, for your part in it all. My abundant thanks to Mona Goetsch and Jana Hegg for overseeing Bethlehem serves so capably. Jana shared this story with me. As she walked out of a store a few days ago carrying 200 notebooks for the backpacks we will be creating, Jana was stopped by a woman in the parking lot. Her name was Sue. Sue asked, “Are you a teacher?” Jana said, “I’m a retired teacher, but I am doing this for my church.” And she described what we were doing. Sue said, “I’m a part of a church too!” And she handed Jana 20 dollars. Jana said, “She made my day. We talked for a long time. This is what the church looks like.”

I agree. This is what the church looks like. We who live our lives in God’s grace. We are not the Lions Club or a social service agency. We are a people gathered around the cross. Not just one congregation, but many expressions of faith. We are the recipients of unmerited grace and we are called to carry that grace as far as we can. This week from a Walmart parking lot, to Bethlehem, Encinitas, to a backpack that will reach a child on the other side of the world.

In this fast paced culture, it is easy to be worried and distracted by many things. Let us not be distracted, but rather know where we stand and in whose hands we are held. May grace be yours this day. May hope be yours today. May you find opportunity to give both away, in Jesus name.

In Christ,

Pastor Laura

September Worship Schedule

Sunday Worship

September 1st, 8th, 22nd and 29th - 9 am and 10:30 pm
Sepember 15th - Bethlehem Serves - 9 am

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 or as indicated.

Bethlehem Serves - September 15

Bethlehem Serves will be on Sunday, September 15th. 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, Showers of Blessings Hygiene Kits and Prayer Shawl Ministry. Offsite projects will be Community Resource Center Resale Shop, Ocean Knoll Children's Farm, Beach Clean-up and Chimes for the Seniors. You can sign up for the various projects by clicking the link here.

There will be a short service at 9 am 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).

Showers of Blessings Hygiene Kits - If you would like to donate now to help with items for the hygiene kits, please click here.

Music Ministry

First Rehearsals for Choirs starting in September

JuBellation Ringers - September 11 @ 6:00 p.m. - Family Center
Good News Singers - September 11 @ 7:22 p.m. - Sanctuary
Children's Choir - September 22 @ 10:00 a.m. - Multi- Use Room

Special Music in September

9/1 - Sherry Cass/Mona Goetsch - duet
9/8 - Second Sabbath
9/15 - Bethlehem Serves, no special music
9/22 - Carolin Meinhardt and Mike Lindberg - duet
9/29 - Mark Weed, trumpet solo

Bethlehem Serves - September 15 - Chiming for the Seniors - There is one music project for Bethlehem Serves. Please join us as we ring handchimes and sing old time favorite songs to senior citizens at two senior homes. Everyone that can read, can play instantly! We need 12 people to make a complete group. You will experience a warm glow of satisfaction as we share music with others! Plus, it's fun!!!

Handbell Professional Development - Several members of the JuBellation Ringers attended a handbell workshop in Oceanside on August 17th titled Brushing up on Handbell Techniques. Over 50 ringers in the area attended the 4 hour workshop that taught us proper techniques to play handbells. Those attending are eager to apply what they learned. Another special workshop just for Bethlehem's group will be scheduled this fall.

Youth Ministry

Three Changes to Youth Group -

Meetings move to Thurdsays from 6:30-8pm!
6th - 12th grade students meet together.
Once each month the high school students will gather for a special activity or event. This could be brunch, a movie, laser tag, etc.

Changes begin on September 5th. We will meet at St. Andrew's in the Friendship Room with subsequent meetings alternating between Bethlehem Lutheran and St. Andrew’s Episcopal churches. Join us for games, snacks, discussions, service projects, and great fellowship. For more information contact Deacon Mindy at mindybugaj@blcenc.org.

Confirmation Classes - Classes for 7th and 8th grade students, who are planning to be confirmed, begin Tuesday evening, September 24th at 5:30pm. To join the class and get more information, speak with Pastor Laura, Pastor Sam, or Deacon Mindy.

Children's Ministry

Learning Circles will begin again on September 22nd. Our theme for this day will be The Disciples. All of our preschool and elementary aged children are invited to join us in the Multi-Use/Library each week during the 10:30 service. We will leave the sanctuary right after the children's sermon and return during communion time. If you are interested in finding out more about helping during Learning Circles or if you would like more information about Learning Circles, please contact Jana Hegg at childrensministry@blcenc.org.

First Communion Class - Bethlehem Lutheran Church will be holding a First Communion Class for children in Kdg. - 5th Grade. The class will go over the history and meaning of communion and will give children an opportunity to ask questions at their level. The schedule for the class is as follows:

November 4th - 6:00 - 7:00 pm - First Class in the Multi-Use Room
November 9th - 2:00 pm - Second Class in the Multi-Use Room
November 10th - First Communion during services

Please let us know if you are interested in having your child(ren) attend this class by emailing Jana Hegg at childrensministry@blcenc.org. Also, feel free to reach out to Pastor Laura or Pastor Sam if you have any questions.

We look forward to sharing this experience with your family!

BLC Advocacy

Despite my going to seminary and serving for years as a volunteer chaplain, it was my Sacred Ground experience in 2021 that helped me understand that I was afflicted with a kind of racial myopia, and I am still striving to see clearly what is right in front of me. — Chaplain and Sacred Ground participant Macauley Lord

This is a quote from a powerful story shared by chaplain Lord with Bishop Curry about his expereince in Sacred Ground, a 12-part film- and reading-based dialogue series on race, grounded in faith, hosted by the Episcopal church. Read chaplain Lord's full story here.

Inspired by stories like these, Bishop Curry will be leading a virtual conversation on September 17th from 10-11:30 a.m. to explore the spiritual dimension of Sacred Ground and to share in the hope, joy, and purpose that the program embodies. All are welcome to attend. Please register here.

A new Sacred Ground virtual circle will be offered in San Diego in the fall for anyone interested in participating in this powerful experience. Look for updates in future newsletters or email blcadvocacy@gmail.com to be put on the advocacy list for direct announcements.

Bethlehem Adventure Ministry (BAM)

Save the Date! - Bethlehem Adventure Ministry (BAM) is planning a day trip to the San Diego Maritime Museum. Our own Bill Dabbs is a docent there and has offered to lead a tour. Thank you, Bill! We hope you can join us.

San Diego Maritime Museum Tour

1492 North Harbor Drive

San Diego CA 92101

Saturday, October 5, 2024, 9:30 am

Please sign up here so we can send you notifications and updates:

Tickets:

$24 for adults

$18 for seniors over 65

Children are free in October!

Once you have paid your admission, you can stay all day.

Parking along the Bayfront is $7.50 for 3 hours. If you want to take the trolley or Coaster, Union Station is about 4 blocks away. More transportation and parking information is available here. There is so much to do in the area. You may want to plan to spend the day there or least have lunch.

Questions? Contact Suzi Westmoreland at blcsm@outlook.com.

Stephen Ministry

Bear one another’s burdens, and in this way you will fulfill the law of Christ.

Galatians 6:2

What is Stephen Ministry? - Stephen Ministry offers a proven and effective way to organize, equip, and supervise a team of congregation members—called Stephen Ministers—to provide high-quality, one-to-one, Christ-centered care to people in the congregation and the community experiencing life difficulties.

Who’s Involved in Stephen Ministry? - Stephen Leaders are church staff, lay leaders, and pastors trained to provide ongoing leadership for their congregation’s Stephen Ministry. They are equipped for this key role through the Bridge Leader’s Training Course offered by Stephen Ministries St. Louis.

Stephen Ministers are congregation members trained by their Stephen Leaders to offer care to people who are hurting. A Stephen Minister typically has one care receiver at a time and meets with that person once a week for about an hour.

Care receivers are individuals in the congregation or community who are going through a crisis or life difficulty. Potential care receivers first meet with a pastor or Stephen Leader, who assesses their needs for care and matches them with a Stephen Minister. The caring relationship lasts for as long as the need persists.

The Blessings of Stephen Ministry

Stephen Ministry multiplies blessings throughout the church and community.

Congregations carry out Christ’s commandment to “Love one another as I have loved you” (John 15:12) in a powerful and practical way.
Pastors have a team of gifted, trained, and committed lay caregivers ready to minister to hurting people.
Laypeople nurture and use their gifts in meaningful ministry, growing spiritually as they serve others.
People who are hurting have a caring Christian presence to provide emotional and spiritual support.

In short, Stephen Ministry helps carry out the mission of the church.

From: https://www.stephenministries.org/stephenministry/default.cfm/917

Our next Stephen Ministry Training Class will begin in January, 2025

Stewardship Stream

“Like good stewards of the manifold grace of God, serve one another with whatever gift each of you has received.” 1 Peter, 4:10 NRSV

Stewardship takes many forms. We hear most often about financial stewardship as our response to God for the blessings laid in our lives, sharing the fruits of our labors generously and willingly. Certainly this is important.

But there is also stewardship that is lived out through serving one another. We do this in our individual lives to lift one another up, to care for those who need it, contribute talents at church or for important causes, and to just lend a hand. September for Bethlehem means Bethlehem Serves, our collective opportunity to serve others. As we join together on September 15, may we appreciate that living out “God’s Work, Our Hands” is an important act of stewardship, both for us as individuals, as well as for us all as a church community. We hope you can join us, either in-person or in spirit, and help with one of our service projects. Thank you for your many different forms of stewardship!

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