Bethlehem Star (newsletter): September 2009

The Bethlehem Star

Volume 8, Issue 8 September 2009

New Schedule

Worship 9:00 a.m.

Beginning on September 6

ELCA Church-Wide Decisions

and Implications

The Evangelical Lutheran Church met in Assembly August 17 – 23 in Minneapolis. This is the primary decision-making body of our church and it meets every two years. Important decisions of the Assembly included:

Overwhelming approval of Full Communion with the United Methodist Church – at a local level this action affirms cooperative ministries that have been happening for a long time. This action now causes our national and synodical churches to cooperate in many matters;
Approval of a social statement "Human Sexuality: Gift and Trust" – a comprehensive statement on sexuality that has been 8 years in creation which will guide members on a whole variety of sexual matters;
Approval of a Lutheran Malaria Initiative that will seek to raise funds with the Lutheran Church – Missouri Synod, Lutheran World Relief, and the United Nations Foundation to eliminate malaria;
After many hours of emotional and contentious debate removed the prohibition in our ELCA that prevented gay and lesbian persons, who were not celibate, from being pastors and AIMs. The Assembly also called for any guidelines and procedures related to this change to respect the "bound consciences" of all. In the months ahead, guidelines and rules will need to be developed. The calling of pastors and other "rostered" church leaders still is the decision of local congregations.

Re-elected Carlos Pena as Vice President for a 6-year term. The Vice President of the ELCA is a layperson who presides over the ELCA Church Council. This is a non-paid position.

Missionaries to Visit

Bethlehem's missionaries Dirk and Sarah Stadtlander are on home leave and will visit Bethlehem on Sunday, September 13. Pastor Stadtlander will speak during worship and the family will share their experiences during fellowship time. The Stadtlanders have served in Senegal.

Getting into the Book of Faith

Question for Jesus, Studies in Mark

A conversational Bible study

6 weeks

Wednesday, September 30

Mondays, October 5, 12, 19, 26, November 2

6:30 – 7:45 p.m.

Bethlehem Conference Room

Phone or email office to register

Video Camera Operators Needed

Have you seen Union Presbyterian's worship service on local access cable (channel 62)? Bethlehem's Council has been looking into the feasibility of recording our worship services for playback also on channel 62. Most importantly we need some folks willing to operate a video camera (turn on, aim, and eventually, pan in and out and around). Additionally, we will need a video camera and a tripod, and perhaps some video editing software. What do you think of the idea of having our worship service televised weekly? Would you be willing to try it – a Sunday a month or so – running a camera? Share your thoughts or your willingness to help with a council member.

Mid- Year Financial Statements Available

The Financial Secretary has provided mid-year financial statements reflecting individual giving for the first 6 months of 2009. They are included inside this letter. Please check them for correctness and use them to make adjustments in you giving goals for 2009. See the Treasurer's report later in this Star.

EWALU News

All Are Welcome Appeal

Concludes

The All Are Welcome Appeal to raise funds for capital improvements has ended, except for the continued reception of funds committed and pledged. $1,360,000 has been committed, falling a little short of the $1.5 million goal. However not included in this total is $140,000 in matching funds from Thrivent and interest accrued on unspent funds that have been contributed.

All Are Welcome Projects Begun

Work began immediately and was completed on a new septic system and replacement of the sewage lagoon. This was required by the state in order to operate.

After a year delay due to storms, floods and subsequent difficulty in finding contractors, work began in earnest this spring and summer on the Walnut complex of lodge and cabins. A new walnut cabin has been started. The foundation and all the underground water, septic, electrical and heating elements are installed and by now the cement floor should have been poured and framing should begin any day. In addition, all of the cement block footings for the additions to the existing cabins and lodge are in place.

Ewalu Fall Festival and Quilt Auction
Sunday, September 20, 2009

Leo Greco "Variety Time" Radio Show WMT 600
Broadcasting live from Fall Festival
Starting at 7:30 a.m.

Quilt Review/ Country Store 9:00 a.m.

Worship Service 11:00 a.m.

Pork Luncheon 12:00 noon

Quilt Auction 1:00 p.m.

Over 175 quilts will be on display from 9:00 a.m.
Country Store with garden-fresh produce and hundreds of handcrafted items.
Live demonstrations of quilting and woodcarving.
Kids' fun activities.

Ewalu House on the Rock Bus and

Apple Orchard Tour

Thursday, October 8

7:00 am – 8:30 pm

Cost $93

(includes transportation from Ewalu, admissions, 2 meals and snacks)

To register: Call 563-933-4700 or

email Paul Little@Ewalu.org

Support Wartburg Seminary When You Buy Books Online

When Augsburg Fortress closed their retail stores, the bookstore at Wartburg Seminary also closed. But, with the closure a new opportunity opened. Wartburg Seminary entered into an agreement with Amazon.com. If you are in the habit of ordering books on-line, go to www.wartburgseminary.edu. On Wartburg's homepage, click on the big icon near the top of the page that says "WTS Virtual Bookstore". Anything you order from Amazon.com will result in a contribution made to Wartburg Seminary.

Offers Economic Workshops

Wednesdays at 6:30

Beginning September 2

Thrivent Office – 1419 11^th St. Suite C, DeWitt

Call 659-2992 to register

Choose one, some, or all

Workshops are free and open to all (You do not need to be a Thrivent member)

Sept 2 Economic and Investment Outlook

Sept 16 From me to We (for engaged or recently married couples)

Sept 30 Intermission: Embracing Life Transitions

Oct 14 Parents and Teens: Money Matters

Oct 28 Focus on College Funding

Nov 11 Keeping the Farm in the Family

Thrivent Member Meeting

Sunday, September 27

5:30 p.m.

Immanuel Lutheran Church Youth Center

Grand Mound

Free meal followed by short business meeting

All Thrivent members and families invited

Wheatland Area CROP Walk

Sunday, Oct 4

Register 12:30

Walk 1:00 p.m.

St. Paul United Church of Christ, Wheatland

Confirmation Classes Resume

Confirmation classes resume soon for those in grades 7, 8, 9, ad for a few in grade 10. First year students will meet at Bethlehem on Wednesday, August 26 at 6:15, along with a parent or parents for a time of orientation. All first and second year students will meet Wednesday, September 2 and on each Wednesday following at 6:130. Third year students, who wish to affirm their baptisms on October 26, will meet for 8 hours at times yet to be determined.

Council Meets

Bethlehem council met August 11 for its regular meeting. In business they:

Discussed the possibility of airing worship services on local accesses cable (see p.1);
Approved a revised mission endowment budget to present to the congregation;
Discussed the possibility, but did not decide at this time to install a meter so the amount of gas used at both the parsonage and church can be monitored;
Appointed council members Scott Doll and John Alden to be on the nominating committee:
Heard the following Treasurer's report:
General    Farm
Balance 6/30/09    $ 825.00    38984.79
July Income    $ 5006.34    0.00
July Expenses    $ 7681.79    0.00
Balance     - 1850.45    38984.79

BWELCA Hilites

The Joint Bible Study on Thursday, July 31, 19 women enjoyed a bible study focused on Mary, the mother of Jesus. We thank AIM Barb for leading our study as well as hosting it in her new home.

Hope Cluster Women's Fall Retreat at the Owl's Nest at Camp Wyoming will be Friday - Saturday September 11 – 12. Pastors Donnita Moeller, Lisa Dietrich, and Lynn Thiede will share "Latte, Laughter, and Love." There is a poster on the bulletin board. Come join us for a fun and memorable weekend. Let Deanne know that you are interested in attending by Wednesday, September 2.

Elections of Officers for 2010, ballots are being assembled for the Sept. circle meetings. Offices are: (continue to middle of next column)

Vice President: Jan-April, May-August, and Sept.-Dec., Treasurer and Mission Growth.

Upcoming Events:

BWELCA Board meeting Tuesday, Sept. 1 at 6 PM.

EWALU Quilt Auction/Pork Dinner Sunday, Sept. 20.

To God's Beloved: Paul's Letter to the Romans

Be Mutually Encouraged

This month at BWELCA Sept. Circle Meetings

Rebecca – Wed., Sept. 9, 1:30 PM at Marge Long's, Leader: Betty Rehmke

Eve – Thurs., Sept. 10, 7:00 PM at Elenor Bentrott's, Leader: Rochelle Busch

Bethlehem – Sat. Sept. 19, 9:00 AM Hostess/ Leader: Ellen Pithan

All women are invited!

Want to Learn about Being Lutheran?

Never Been Confirmed?

Informational Gathering

Monday, September 21

6:30 – 8:00 p.m.

Bethlehem Conference Room

At this gathering we will plan for future learning opportunities tailored to meet individual needs.

Kits-Kits-More Kits

Midwife Kits and Hospice Kits: Thank you to Pastor Keith for delivering our midwife (57) kits and hospice (24) kits to Global Health Ministries in Minneapolis this past week.

School Kits: During the month of August, we have been collecting school supplies for our school kits. We will be packing them during coffee hour some Sunday in September-a date to be yet determined. We must have them completed for shipping to LWR in October.

Bethlehem Women of the ELCA thank all of you for your generous response to this project.

Thanks!

The family of Wilbur Pithan would like to thank all of you for your kind words, memorials and flowers. We extend a very special 'thank you' to the Women of the ELCA circle for providing the wonderful meal following the service.
The Family of Wilbur Pithan

From Barb, Associate in Ministry

Visualization is very powerful. I love to watch the television show, "Ace of Cakes," because it is absolutely amazing to me to see all that these artists can do with cake. The cakes that are produced by Charm City Cakes are incredible and make remarkable personal statements to the people for whom they are created. One family had Charm City Cakes make a cake in the perfect shape of a human ear, as a way of thanking the doctor who had given the father hearing again. A wife honored her husband by having a cake made in the shape of a box of cigars. The way Charm City Cakes did the details – the wood grain on the box, the personalized cigar bands on the chocolate cake cigars – was so cool. I am so impressed by the fact that Charm City Cakes can replicate everything from a helicopter, to a movie setting, to a snowboard course in cake!

But the visual image of those cakes is powerful in ways other than just to impress the viewer – at least for me. Whenever I see one of the Charm City cakes, I become obsessively hungry! I have been known to make a lemon cake and a coconut cake after watching their shows. If I don't have time to make cake, I scrounge around in the kitchen until I, at least, find something sweet to eat. Such is the power of seeing something presented to us.

Jesus knew there was power to visualization. When he wanted to impress upon the disciples that his was an authority that transcended that of humanity, he walked on water. When he wanted to show what God was doing, through him, he raised Lazarus from the dead. And when he wanted people to particularly remember significant events, he added a visual element.

He took bread, lifted it up, and said, "This is my body, given for you." Again, he took wine, lifted it up, and said, "This is my blood shed for you." Bread and wine are the elements presented to us at the table, visually, over and over again, so that we can actually see what is ours in Christ. It gives substance to Christ's promise. Seeing the bread and wine, as it is served to us in the Eucharist, makes us hungry for Christ's sustenance, forgiveness, and salvation. Actually having the visual elements, given to us, leaves an impression of his love and sacrifice in our minds.

September Birthdays

1 Kathy Duffey

8 Kathy Becker

10 Josh Beeck

11 Evelyn Petersen

12 Angie Box, Andrea Kula

13 Duane Schroeder

16 Dennis Kleppe

17 Cyndi Hartley

18 Richard DeMoss, Skylar Mullins

19 Melanie Hute

20 Viola Holtz, Emily Kleinsmith

22 Corey Rigg

23 Jeff Fields, Jo Thiede

25 Chloe Bennett, Clifford Berner

25 Kelly Schroeder, Raymond Suthers

25 Don Hainstock

27 John Alden

28 Dawn Suthers

29 Ethel Bicknese, Doug Wulf

30 Bruce Von Sprecken

September Anniversaries

3 Wilma and Ron Adrian

8 Linda and Ron Gruenwald

10 Dale and Laurie Rickels

14 Marlene and Darrel Hicks

15 Ellen and Bill Pithan

24 Jone and Les Paarmann

24 Stacey and Gary Current

27 Kathy and Rex Duffey

Worship Assistants

Greeters:

Clay Ketchum, Enos Ihns

Ushers:

Diana Ihns, Pat Hendrickson

Lectors

6- Madge White

13- Ginger Anderson-Larson

20- Deanne Bennett

27- Joan Clapp

Communion Servers:

6- Darrel Hicks, Connie Kleppe

20- Joan Kleppe, Enos Ihns

Acolytes:

6- Dylan Rickels

13- Jo Thiede

20- Emily Horst

27- Sammie Adler

Altar Care:

Connie Kleppe,

Kathy Duffey

Bread Maker:
Eleanor Sheldon

Children's Story Tellers:

6 - Darlene Christiansen

13 - Madge White

20 - Tim Thiede

27 - Dawn Suthers

Tellers:

Pat Hendrickson, Ron Christiansen

Fellowship Servers:

6- Elenor Bentrott, Kathy Becker, Lola DeMoss

13- Rochelle Busch, Marlene Hicks, Amber Suthers

20- Joyce Feuss, Kathy Duffey, Darla Fields, Donna Dosland

27- Pat Hendrickson, Leta Dunt, Deanne Bennett

The LN Food Pantry is in need of toilet paper.

Sunday School Resumes

Sunday School will resume on September 13 for pre-school and elementary students. Note Sunday school will be approximately every other week, unless volunteers contact the office. Sunday school will be held on Sept. 13, 23, Oct. 11, 25, and Nov. 8, 22.

Beds for Weary Heads

Des Moines, Iowa – On June 15, LSI Refugee Cooperation Services (RCS) received 200 beds to be distributed to refugee families. Many families come to Iowa with little more than the clothes on their backs. In an effort to make the first days of their lives in a new country more comfortable and welcoming, LSI and its dedicated volunteer network launched the "Beds for Weary Heads" campaign. The campaign raised $20,000 to ensure refugees resettled by RCS have a bed to welcome them to their new home.

The beds were provided to RCS by Ken Akers of Restonic Mattress in Toledo, IA. The sets were provided at a greatly reduced price and included a mattress, box spring and bed frame. Restonic Mattress's retail partner Midwest Mattress has also been very supportive of the project.

Donations for beds were given by acquaintances of LSI's volunteer and community support programs. Friends, co-workers of volunteers and churches have also contributed to the cause.

"We let our volunteers and community contacts know about the drive and they spread the word through church or community organizations and co-workers too, and the response has been great," said Michelle Raymer, community resource supervisor for LSI's refugee program in Des Moines.

The "Beds for Weary Heads" program is and effort by RCS, a partnership of LSI and Catholic Charities. This program helps resettle refugees who have fled their countries because of persecution or a well-founded fear of persecution based on their race, religion, nationality, political opinion, or social group. RCS introduces refugees into new communities and provides support to help foster self sufficiency. For a full article, please visit www.lsiowa.org.

Parish Nurse Carm Schneider

Office Hours 9:00 a.m. -10:30 a.m. Tue.

Phone 678-2302

Sunday Schedule

Worship 9:00 a.m.

Fellowship following

Office Hours

Pastor Keith is in the office most mornings Monday – Thursday 9:00 a.m. – Noon

and Saturday 11:00 a.m. – 2:00 p.m.

Intern Matt's office hours are yet to be determined

If you need to enter the church and do not have a key, always call ahead to be certain he or someone is here.

Saturday, September 5, 2009