September Morning Worship

• September 6th, 13th & 27th - 9 & 10:30 am
• September 20th - 10 am (1 service)

Healing Sunday

• September 13th (Prayer and Qi Gong practice after both services, 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.

September 13 is Health and Wellness day at church. There will be helpful booths between and after last service. Look for...

• Stephen Ministry
• Qigong and soundbath at 12 noon in the MU room
• Social and emotional resources for children
• Advanced directive essentials
• Stroke prevention, what to do
• Healthy refreshments

Guten Tag Bethlehem!

Join us for an afternoon of food, fun, and fellowship at this year’s Oktoberfest Family Festival on Sunday, September 27th after the second service! As Martin Luther may have said (the quote’s legitimacy is disputed), but most likely thought at one point or another – “Whoever drinks beer, he is quick to sleep; whoever sleeps long, does not sin; whoever does not sin, enters Heaven! Thus, let us drink beer!”

There will be traditional German food, a cash beer garden, a jump house for the kids (and adventurous adults), and plenty of fun for all. Admission is free but donations are appreciated. All Are Welcome!

September is the month when the larger choirs begin weekly practices. We welcome new members to the groups listed below and hope to get some new adults and children to participate. Even though the groups have weekly rehearsals, they do not sing/play weekly in church. We accommodate everyone's schedule as much as possible. Please contact the director of the group if you're interested in trying it out.

First rehearsals ...

September 16

• JuBellation Ringers - 6:00 -7:15 pm. - Family Center , Mark Weed, director email: weedster1@gmail.com
• Good News Singers - 7:22- 8:35 pm. - Sanctuary, Mona Goetsch, director email: monagoetsch@gmail.com

September 27

• Children's Choir - 10:00 -10:30 am. - Multi-Use Room, Ages 5- 13 - WE NEED MORE CHILDREN, Mona Goetsch, director 

September Special Music 

•  9/6- Mona Goetsch/Mike Lindberg, duet 
•  9/13- Sandy Lakey/ Mark Stauffer, duet 
•  9/20 - 10 am service only - Dave Ensberg/ Mark Reynolds, duet
•  9/27- Carolin Meinhardt/ Mona Goetsch, duet 

Youth Drop-in - Wednesday, September 9 - From 5:30-7pm at Board and Brew (119 N El Camino Real, near Trader Joe’s) It's an opportunity to check in with me and other 6th - 12th grade students over a sandwich, a snack, or a soda. All are welcome!

Serve Breakfast at St. Andrew’s - Saturday, September 26 - We will start at 8:30am and end at 11:30am. Youth and parents are welcome. Please sign up here.

Fall Fun-fest - Sunday, October 11 - Area youth groups are invited for outdoor fun & games with a potluck at Ascension Lutheran Church from 4-6pm. Ascension is located at 5106 Zion Ave., San Diego. Parents are invited to help with driving to the event. Sign up with Mindy before October 7. 

Tuesday, September 29 - Confirmation Classes Begin - We will kick off the new year of Confirmation classes on the 29th from 5:30-6:30pm. This meeting will include the incoming 7th grade students and parents along with the returning 8th grade students and their parents. Classes will continue on the 1st and 3rd Tuesdays of each month at 5:30-6:30pm. If interested in confirmation instruction for your student, please contact Pastor Laura, Pastor Sam, or Deacon Mindy.

Learning Circles will begin again on September 13th. 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. The children will be split into two groups, one with younger children (3 yr - 3rd grade) and one with older children (4th - 6th grade). We will also continue with our monthly music time with Mona. 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 us at childrensministry@blcenc.org.

September Themes:

• Sept. 13 - Joseph Helps His Family (Gen. 45:1-15)
• Sept. 20 - The Vineyard Workers (Matt. 20:1-6)
• Sept. 27 - The Chief Priests (Matt. 21:23-32)

We are really excited to let you know that Tammy Sivert will be sharing some of the Children's Ministry responsibilities starting this fall. She will be sending out the weekly Learning Circle materials, helping to plan the Christmas program and starting to plan some family activities. We are so thankful that Tammy is willing to be a part of our Children's Ministry Program and we know she is going to be a great addition.

2026 Bethlehem Women’s Retreat

Act Justly, Love Mercy,

and Walk Humbly with your God

Join us for our upcoming Women’s Retreat on September 18-20 at the Luther Glen Retreat Center, Oak Glen, CA

The Luther Glen 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.

Registration will  continue through September 8th. Please sign up in person at church or by calling the church office. The cost for the weekend will be $250 if paying by cash or check. Paying electronically or by credit card will cost $257.50.

Full and partial scholarships are available. For more information contact Laure Reynolds (laurereyn@roadrunner.com).

As a reminder, our remaining Saturday to meet in the Family Center to cut our PJ's and make kits is September 26th.

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.

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.  

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.

Save the Date!

Saturday, November 7, 2026



Brick N Barn

29200 Miller Rd

Valley Center, CA 92082

This is the former estate of the real Betty Crocker, Agnes White. The house was built in 1883. We can enjoy the monthly antique and crafts sale and purchase tickets to tour the house and grounds. We can also sign up for various workshops like the one that taught us how to make these beautiful Christmas trees. November is the perfect month to go because the vendors will be selling lots of Christmas goodies: gifts, clothes, food, jewelry, crafts, and more. Food trucks are available for lunch. And there are lots of peacocks!

Election season is right around the corner. ELCA Advocacy has created an Election Engagement Toolkit filled with inspiration and tools to channel love in an election season as people and communities of faith. Filled with practical and actionable material for adults and young adults, each section contains Action Steps at Beginning, Ready for More, and Challenging levels. 

Download the ELCA Election Engagement Toolkit at by clicking here.

What a wonderful day of service and fellowship! Bethlehem Serves Day brought together about 140 people who worked on 13 different projects throughout our community. Together, we made dog and cat toys for the Humane Society, assembled more than 250 backpacks filled with school supplies, and prepared hygiene kits and laundry bundles for local shelters. Volunteers also assembled food bags for some of our local neighbors, delivered native plants to neighbors in our community, delivered thank you gifts to local first responders, and helped organize and clean spaces at the Community Resource Center. Others worked on the Ocean Knoll garden and Moonlight beach cleanups, while 12 cars were cleaned in the Car Wash, raising money for disaster relief after the earthquake in Columbia. Our last group of the day brought the gift of music to local assisted living facilities with hand chimes—including a memorable rendition of Dolly Parton’s "9 to 5"!

It was an amazing day of serving others and having fun together. We’ll have more detailed information about each of the projects in next month’s newsletter. Thank you to everyone who participated, and a very special thank-you to all of our project leaders and to everyone who helped prepare and serve our wonderful fellowship lunch! Your time, energy, and enthusiasm made Bethlehem Serves Day a truly special celebration of service and community.

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.

What Do Our Stephen Ministers Do? - At Bethlehem Lutheran Church we have thirteen Stephen Ministers: Annmarie Robbins, Beth Nelson, Blair Lindberg, Dan Halvorson, Frank Belock, Linda Inskeep, Mark King, Mary Velardi, Molly Hall, Monika Gaus, Nancy Henroid, Suzi Westmoreland, and Laure Reynolds.  Stephen Ministers are assigned a care receiver by one of our leaders who serves as our referrals coordinator. The Stephen Minister will visit with his or her care receiver usually for one hour each week. During this time they will listen to the care receiver, pray, and offer support. Between visits the Stephen Minister is available by phone if needed. Twice a month all Stephen Ministers gather for Supervision and for Continuing Education.



At Bethlehem the Stephen Ministers also perform other tasks. A Stephen Minister may be called on in times of crisis to assist the pastor or a member of the congregation. They may be called on to visit or bring communion to the sick, hospitalized, or home bound. Stephen Ministers are present at all funerals. On the second Sunday of each month Stephen Ministers are available in the back of the church during communion to offer healing prayer for you or your loved ones. If you would like a prayer at another time, our Stephen Ministers are always happy to share a prayer of joy, healing, or thanksgiving with you. Look for us on Sundays with our blue and white name tags.