We welcome all children to our Sunday school program 3 yr. old – senior high. We strive to offer children a positive learning environment where their faith is nurtured and strengthened. We seek to model Christian community through safe, caring relationships and shared experiences among students, teachers, parents, pastors, and others in the congregation. Sunday school meets between the two worship services from 9:30 – 10:30 throughout the school year.
We invite children to participate in worship services and encourage their sense of belonging within our worshipping community. Children’s bulletins are available from the ushers. Children’s soft bags can be found in the entry area. “Taking Faith Home” inserts are added to the worship bulletin and are family-friendly devotions for the week ahead. A children’s message often precedes the sermon in the service.
Sunday morning child care – our Nursery is located on the lower level in the northeast wing of the parish ed building. We have child care for newborns to children age four throughout the morning.
Spark Activates Faith Our Bethlehem Sunday school kids are beginning an exciting year learning from a brand-new curriculum from Augsburg Fortress called “Spark, Activate Faith.”
Spark is designed to fit all the different ways kids learn. Kids learn about their faith in different ways. Some kids learn best through hands-on activities. Other kids learn best through writing and reading activities. Still others learn best through a combination of activities. Spark has been designed by children’s education experts to accommodate all the different ways kids learn. Kids explore their faith through interactive activities and games, colorful lesson leaflets, creative art projects, and engaging music.
Each lesson is structured around a clear lesson focus statement. All kids explore the same Bible story each week, yet each age level focuses on the story in an age appropriate way. Each Bible story has a Lesson Focus statement for each age level, and all content reinforces that focus statement, making it easy for teachers to feel confident with what they are teaching.
Lectionary Model Spark follows the Revised Common Lectionary, meaning that each story lesson comes from a Bible story in the Old Testament, the Gospel readings, or Acts that kids will hear during worship. The age appropriate classroom leaflets offer interactive content that engages kids in the Bible story. Each leaflet also includes a "Faith at Home" activity to encourage faith discussion at home.
We will also be introducing art and drama lessons for each age group. Please call or e-mail Val (736-5614, valjohnson@prtel.com) if you are interested in being a part of this exciting new chapter in the education of our youth!
Bibles Bibles are presented to the children of Bethlehem three times during their Sunday School years:
3 year olds receive the Rhyme Bible at the start of their first Sunday School year.
2nd graders and their parents are given some instruction in the fall, and presented with the Beginner’s Bible during a special worship service.
6th graders receive the New Student Bible at the beginning of their confirmation years.
Children’s Groups:
Little’s – Sunday school choir sings once a month during the late service under the direction of the Sunday school music director.
GYFTS (Growing Young Families Together Socially) events are planned throughout the year to give young children and their parents opportunities to connect with one another in a social setting.
VBS – Vacation Bible School is held for one week during the summer. Our 3, 4, and 5 year olds have a great time learning about Jesus through story, craft, music, snack and outdoor activities.
Parish Education Committee, is responsible for developing and supervising the education and programs for our children from infants through senior high school including Sunday School, Vacation Bible School, Day Camp, Basket Bonanza, Confirmation, and the GYFTS program. The committee meets the last Thursday of each month at 6pm
Youth
Our Youth Ministry Mission Statement is: Cradled by... Gathering in God's presence Reaching out to those in need Accepted and forgiven Called to follow Jesus Encouraging others to join us
We have three youth groups at Bethlehem, one for senior high, one for middle school, and one for upper elementary. They are aptly named after Bible verses:
9:12 Cell Group, Weds 7:30-9 pm “Those who are well don’t need a doctor, but those who are sick.” Matthew 9:12
6:8 Confirmation, Weds 6-7:30 pm “What does the Lord require of you but to do justice, love kindness, and walk humbly with your God?” Micah 6:8
This year all confirmation classes will be using a new on-line curriculum – Here We Stand. Our middle school Sunday School group will also be tied into the action. Here We Stand uses online power point presentations together with contemporary film clips and music, skits, comedy, Bible Study, object lessons, and a theme for the day. The Bible is our guide, our text, and our focus. Another book we use is a wonderfully wise and good humored The Lutheran Handbook (with a winking Martin Luther on the cover).
Wednesday Night 6th Grade: Old Testament 7th Grade: New Testament 8th Grade: Lutheran Theology and Doctrine
Sunday Morning 2009-2010: The Lord's Prayer and Church Stuff 2010-2011: The Apostles' Creed, Holy Baptism, Holy Communion, and Everyday Stuff 2011-2012: The 10 Commandments and Bible Stuff
“What is required for my child to get confirmed?” you may ask… Each of the three years (the guides will track these):
2. Two service projects/year There are many choices available, here are some options:
Homeless Night (Oct 10-11) and the Famine (Mar 12-13).
Camp (July 25-30) counts as one.
The Mission Trip (June 27-July 3) counts as two.
Plan a project for a local service agency with your family or confirmation small group.
How to fulfill this requirement is entirely up to you.
3. Involvement in one or more of the following ministry areas:
· Acolyting
· Altar Guild (w/parent)
· Greeting (w/parent)
· Ushering (w/parent)
· Reading the Lessons
· Worship Team
· Drama Team
· Youth Team
Fall of Confirmation:
4. Mid-August—Expressions of Faith Dessert
5. Mid-August-late October—Present Expression of Faith in worship or equivalent
6. Last weekend in September (Friday night-Sunday noon)—Retreat
7. Sunday Night of MEA Weekend—Banquet and Pictures
8. Last Sunday in October—Confirmation
4:5 After School Program, meets two Wednesdays per month from 3:30-5 pm “We proclaim Jesus Christ as Lord and ourselves as your servants for Jesus’ sake.” 2 Corinthians 4:5
We are exploring the Exemplary Youth Ministry model. Studies have shown that basically nine things impact the faith of our youth [corresponding spiritual gifts are listed too]:
Trusted relationships [Exhortation]
Engaging Worship [Artistry, Music—Vocal or Instrumental, & Writing]
Focused Prayer [Intercession]
Small Groups [Faith]
Experiential Bible Study [Knowledge, Teaching, & Wisdom]
Service Projects [Evangelism, Mercy, Service, & Skilled Craft]
By the time our youth get confirmed, we expect them to be using their gifts to serve in the church AND in the world. We also provide ample opportunities for them to give, encouraging them to establish the habit of tithing early in life.
The Youth Team is responsible for developing and supervising educational programs, events, and activities for our youth starting in fourth grade through high school including fellowship opportunities, bible studies, mission trips, and funraising for local and global missions.
At Bethlehem we offer a variety of educational opportunities for adults that include bible studies and book groups.
Open Forum Every Sunday at 9:45 a.m. adults gather for study and reflection, conversation and coffee in the Chapel. We begin the Open Forum year with a study on the book Beyond Belief, led by Dick Pemberton and assisted by Pastor Paul. That study will start Sept. 20 and run through September and into October. Following that series, there are other issues that we will explore in study and conversation.
One of the studies is a video-led discussion Seeing Gray in a World of Black and White. The book by the same title (available in the church library) will guide the conversation and, with the video, will lead us into discussion. Everyone agrees that America is polarized, with ever-hardening positions held by people less and less willing to listen to one another. No one agrees on what to do about it. “One solution that hasn’t yet been tried,” says Adam Hamilton, “is for thinking persons of faith to model for the rest of the country a richer, more thoughtful conversation on the political, moral, and religious issues that divide us.” The sessions include: 1. Where Faith and Politics Meet, 2. Christ, Christians, and Culture Wars, 3. How Should We Live? The Ethics of Jesus, 4. Spiritual Maturity and Seeing Gray, 5. What Would Jesus Say to America? Other topics and presentations are being planned.
The Book of Faith Initiative encourages and enables good conversation about Scripture at the congregational level. The Book of Faith Initiative is an invitation to do what we have always claimed we do: read, study, reflect, and meditate upon the Bible together. Book of Faith is designed to initiate a conversation between the people of Bethlehem and their sacred book, the Holy Bible. The conversation is growing with new Bible study/book club options from Augsburg Fortress that are “hot off the presses”. In the coming days, we will be encouraged to be “fired up” by the options and possibilities found in reading and studying God’s Word using our “Lutheran lens”. We are all invited to participate! More information about the Book of Faith Initiative can be found at www.bookoffaith.org.
Bible Studies
Brown Bag & Bible is a Wednesday noon (12-1:00 p.m.)
The Rapture Exposed: Focus for Jan/Feb
The Wednesday noon Bible Study with Pastor Paul for January and February will feature a second look at the book of Revelation. During the fall of 2009, the study focus was on a reading of the book of Revelation using Dr. Craig Koester’s video discussion series “Is This the Time?” For January and February the basis for the study will be Dr. Barbara R. Rossing’s book The Rapture Exposed: The Message of Hope in the Book of Revelation. There will excerpts from a video based presentation with Dr. Rossing. Dr. Rossing teaches New Testament at the Lutheran School of Theology in Chicago and is an ordained minister in the ELCA.
With this book Rossing challenges the violent Rapture rhetoric of the Left Behind novels and offers instead an interpretation of the book of Revelation that focuses on God’s healing love for the world – a world that will not be left behind. The book was featured on CBS’s Sixty Minutes II (“The Greatest Story Ever Sold,” April 14, 2004) in the ongoing public debate about Rapture theology and politics.
Left Behind and the eleven other books in the Left Behind series by Tim LaHaye and Jerry Jenkins use the form of the popular novel to tell the sensational story of the end of the world as envisioned by fundamentalist theology. The drama begins with the so-called “Rapture,” when all the world’s “real” Christians disappear into heaven. Everyone else is “left behind” to fend for themselves on an increasingly bizarre Earth during seven years of tribulation and terror. It is a popular, action-packed but, according to Dr. Rossing, misguided understanding of the Bible, particularly the fascinating book of Revelation.
Bill Moyers writes about Dr. Rossing – “Barbara Rossing has done the Christian faith a great service by exposing one of its modern heresies.But she goes beyond dissecting the fantasies of its perpetrators and adherents. She unfolds and affirms an alternative interpretation of one of the Bible’s most complex books and points to a reading of its powerful metaphors that will stir the heart and honor the mind.”
Womens Tuesday morning Bible study meets at 9:00a.m. During the fall, this Bible study group has been learning some valuable Lutheran insights on how to do Bible study by using four different approaches to Bible study: devotional, historical, literary, and Lutheran theological. We have completed reading Opening the Book of Faith and are ready to put into practice this winter what we’ve learned.
This is a transition time for us. Not only are there changes in the New Year for how we do Bible study, but there are changes in how our Bible studies are led. We will continue to meet as a whole group for coffee and fellowship every Tuesday at 9 AM, but at 9:30 we will be dividing in half to concentrate on two separate studies:
Genesis, from the “Books of Faith series” and
A Gardener, Two Travelers, and a Cheat, from the “People of Faith series.”
When each study is completed, the two groups will switch their books and their leaders (who come out of our group). This division into smaller groups will allow us to engage in more discussion and will open the opportunity for more lay leadership of the studies themselves.
These two Bible studies: Genesis and A Gardener, Two Travelers, and a Cheat, are two of the earliest studies developed from the E.L.C.A’s “Book of Faith Initiative” that Bethlehem became involved in this past fall. We propose to begin at the beginning.
The questions we will be addressing in Genesis are: Where do we come from (creation)? Can we live with God’s terms (temptation)? How does God deal with evil (disobedience)? How long must we wait, O Lord (covenant with Abraham and Sarah)? How could God ask such a thing (sacrifice of Isaac)? Does God love just anybody (Jacob and Esau)? Whose future is it (Jacob’s sons)? Are we promise-bearers (Joseph)?
The gardener is Adam, but we’re going to learn quite a bit about Eve too), and we will study the relationships that develop between them, them and God, and them and the serpent. One traveler is Abraham, and we will focus on: 1) God’s covenant with him and how impossible it sounds, 2) go with him on his travels to Egypt where he tries to save himself from the Pharaoh by sacrificing his wife, and 3) empathize with him at God’s command to sacrifice his son. The other traveler is Sarah who 1) struggles with the curse of barrenness, 2) gets pregnant when she’s 90, and 3) gives birth to Isaac (whose name means “laughter” which she has). The cheat (or usurper) is Jacob and begins with his conniving to steal his brother’s birthright, continues with his wrestling match with God, and ends with a name change – Israel – and a mission for his life.
As we read our Bibles, work through our leader guides, and carry on spirited discussions, we will be applying what we have learned to our own lives in our own time. It promises to be an interesting winter!
Bethlehem WELCA Bible Study To God’s Beloved: Paul’s Letter to the Romans The church at Rome received letters from the apostle Paul which were read and discussed in worship. Paul raised up for their attention problems that were confronting the church and offered solutions because he was their pastor and very concerned about them. For our church circles’ study of this letter, the author, Sarah Henrich, has divided the letter into nine parts so that we might be mutually encouraged, know what the obedience of faith means in our lives, discover that hope does not disappoint, and allow the book of Romans to guide us in our faith journey. The circle leaders are led by Pastor Kate.
Men’s Bible study group, All men are welcome to join one of our Men’s Groups. One group meets Monday evenings at 7:00p.m., and the other group meets Thursday morning at 6:30a.m. Last spring the Monday evening group was working through the Master Builder’s Bible for Men and found the study to be rewarding. This fall both groups will begin by using the Master Builder’s Bible for Men. After that, the groups will decide on new materials to study. There’s a lot of great stuff out there so suggestions are always welcome. Nathan Johnson will initially lead the Monday group and Jerry Ness the Thursday group. They’ll be starting again after Labor Day. See you then!
Young Women’s Bible study and book club Women of Faith: Contagious Joy. If you’re yearning for a more joyful outlook on life, take a look at this uniquely Christian characteristic with this Women of Faith Bible study. Discussion questions, stories, quotes, reflection and prayer will help you cultivate the fruit of joy. This group will meet at Val Johnson’s house Sundays at 7:00 pm for 12 weeks starting September 27 and will be led by Val.
Augustana Apartment Bible study/book club Young Parent’s Bible Study Sundays This group will be viewing and discussing Parenting-The Early Years a6-session video Bible Study for parents of young children written by Drs. Les and Leslie Parrott. Watch the Tidings and Sunday bulletins for more information about dates and times.
Couple’s and Single’s Adult Bible Study Sundays at 6:30p.m. – This Bible study group finished studying the book of Acts this fall and agreed we needed a change in direction during the winter months. We have decided to learn more about the life and times and writings of Martin Luther . Our study will begin by reading the book Martin Luther, a Life by James A. Nestingen. That will provide for us a good background for delving into selected readings from his writings: “The 95 Theses”, “The Bondage of the Will”, “The Freedom of a Christian”, “Table Talk”, and if there is time “How Christians Should Regard Moses” and “The Heidelberg Disputation”. We will also compare the “Large and Small Catechisms” for the fun of it.
Our study of Luther will also include parts of Timothy Lull’s book My Conversations with Martin Luther, Steven Paulson’s Luther for Armchair Theologians, and Martin Marty’s Lutheran Questions, Lutheran Answers. We will conclude our series by viewing the film Luther that Thrivent Financial for Lutherans produced a few years ago. This promises to be an informative, challenging at times but up-roariously funny at other times, book and Bible study.
All adult singles and couples from Bethlehem and Augustana are welcome to join this study. If you are curious about this study and want to sample it before committing yourself, please let the Bethlehem office staff know you’re coming so Pastor Kate can prepare adequately.
Book of the Month Club
Senior Ministry Bethlehem believes that we are never too old to live boldly and joyfully. We believe that we can set aside the misconceptions and myths about older adults. Bethlehem’s history is an active one with a variety of activities and ministries.
VSP (Very Special People) “55 and Better” is an organization of older folks who meet monthly for worship with Holy Communion, food, fellowship, and fun. The festive lunches in December and May and the field trips to interesting places are popular and looked-forward-to events. Women of the ELCA (WELCA) at Bethlehem Bethlehem’s WELCA involves all confirmed women of the church in Bible study, service projects, and fundraisers.
There are five circles that meet once a month for fellowship and Bible study. The women collect items for school, health, sewing, layette, and midwife kits to benefit Lutheran World Relief.
In the fall of the year, the women organize a bazaar and in the spring a salad luncheon to raise funds to support church projects and community needs. They also meet for dinner or brunch three times a year for special programs and in the middle of the summer for a picnic.
Bethlehem is part of Cluster 8 and attend (and take their turn hosting) fall and spring gatherings
Services in Mission/Social Action
Service in Mission awareness and opportunities are encouraged and supported in local and global contexts in the following ways.
Local
Habitat for Humanity
Fergus Falls Food Shelf
Meals by Wheels
Tree of Hope
Matthew House
Someplace Safe (Women’s crisis shelter)
Salvation Army (centered crisis and transient ministry)
Global
The Evangelical Lutheran Church in America
Companion Synod Covenant between the Andhra Evangelical Lutheran Church-India and the NW MN Synod & Reach Orphanage
Operation Bootstrap Africa
Missionary support
Lutheran World Relief
Multiple Mission Trips have been made by Bethlehem members in recent years.
2008
Youth Mission trip to South Carolina
Youth Mission trip to Michigan
2007
Mission Trip to the Gulf Coast with the NW MN Synod / Lutheran Disaster Relief
2006
Mission Trip to the Gulf Coast with the NW MN Synod / Lutheran Disaster Relief
2005
Youth and Adult Mission trip to Alaska
Caring Ministry
Bethlehem promotes caring ministries within the congregation and beyond.
Parish nurses - The church employs two parish nurses who administer blood pressure checks, educate the congregation about health issues through the monthly newsletter, and participate in various events such as healing services throughout the year.
Stephen Ministry – Bethlehem has three trained Stephen Leaders and twenty-one Stephen Ministers who weekly visit people within and outside the congregation who are going through crises in their lives.
Friendly Visitors – Bethlehem has fifty-five home-bound seniors who enjoy a monthly visit from their “friendly visitor”.
Eucharistic Ministers – Bethlehem has an average of twelve – fifteen members who welcome Eucharistic ministers into their home Sunday morning who have directly from the Holy Communion service at church and distribute the sacrament to them.
Prayer Chain – Bethlehem has six prayer chains that receive prayer requests to pass the information along the chain of pray-ers.
Prayer shawls, Cards and Flowers, Christmas and Easter cards – Prayer shawls are knit and crocheted by members for people going through a crisis and then taken to them. They are wrapped in the shawl and in the prayers. Cards are sent to members at significant moments in their lives. Flowers are taken to members who are hospitalized. Christmas and Easter cards are sent to the home-bound members.
The pastors regularly schedule visits to the church’s home-bound members and give group communions to members living in nursing homes and assisted living facilities.
Evangelism/Hospitality Ministry
Hospitality Ministry at Bethlehem is the "recognition that God comes to us through strangers and that by receiving another we open ourselves to the expanding message of an incarnate God." (Gerald Hoffman, Hospitable Community booklet, 1990, Augsburg/Fortress, p. 8)
We invite strangers to become friends at Bethlehem. "Hospitality is the very nature of God. To be of the body of Christ is to reflect an openness to receive others. We serve as Christ's hosts. Our status is a gift from a gracious God and is to be reflected in our lives." (Hoffman, p.10)
The primary focus of this ministry is to welcome new members who are making a transition into our community of faith. Twice each year we go through a formal time of welcome and entry. Throughout the year we practice relationship building, grow in Christian education, and participate in worship and service.
Sunday hospitality is another dimension of this ministry. Greeters, Food Servers, Church Bus Drivers, Eucharistic Ministers, Nursery Attendants, and Ushers all serve on Sundays throughout the year to welcome one another in Christ's name.
Worship & Music
Worship is central to the Christian life. Bethlehem’s Sunday worship gives shape to our week, rhythm to our life, and good news for our living. Word and Sacrament are the foundation for everything else that we do as Christians. We need the forgiveness God gives through Christ at the end of our week, and that same good news supports us throughout the following week until the next Sunday.
Bethlehem has a proud history of excellence in music. In recent years the music ministry has been enhanced and extended to include a Worship Team for the 10:45 Sunday worship, the remodeling of the Moeller Pipe Organ in 2007 & 2008, the addition of a Youth Worship Team, the periodic production of a youth musical, and a new sanctuary sound system.
Two distinct worship styles are offered at Bethlehem each Sunday morning. The 8:30 a.m. worship service is accompanied by the organ as the principle instrument, and the congregation sings traditional hymns and liturgies. The 10:45 a.m. worship service is contemporary in style and accompanied by a “worship team” playing guitars, drums, keyboard, violin, etc. All musicians have been using the new Evangelical Lutheran Worship (ELW) hymnal for hymns and liturgies. Additional contemporary worship resources are used by the worship team to supplement the hymnal.
Holy Communion is currently offered at the 8:30a.m. service on the first, third and fifth Sunday of the month and all festival Sundays, and every Sunday at the 10:45a.m. service.
Our worship service is broadcast on KBRF radio (1250 AM) every Sunday, at 8:30 a.m. and for special mid-week services during Christmas and Lent.
We invite children to participate in worship services and encourage their sense of belonging within our worshipping community. Children’s bulletins are available from the ushers. Children’s soft bags can be found in the entry area. “Taking Faith Home” inserts are added to the worship bulletin and are family-friendly devotions for the week ahead. A children’s message often precedes the sermon in the service.
Sunday morning child care – our Nursery is located on the lower level in the northeast wing of the parish ed building. We have child care for newborns to children age four throughout the morning.
Why Worship? Worship is the people of God using the human speech of adoration for God and is addressed to God. Worship is God’s language heard by the worshipping assembly to inspire us and to equip us to live out both our earthly and heavenly lives and to bear witness to the presence of God in our lives. Worship is ritual; it is practiced repetition that offers order into the chaos of human existence by providing stability and integrity at the beginning of our week. Worship is prayer because it encourages two-way communication with our God who created us, loves, and abides with us.
Music Groups
Jubilee Choir: The Jubilee Choir is Bethlehem’s adult choir. The choir provides special music and worship leading at the 8:30 worship service. They also present a Christmas and Easter Cantata each year. The Jubilee Choir meets weekly at 7pm in the balcony. No audition is needed!
Triple Trio: The Triple Trio is Bethlehem’s women’s ensemble. It is comprised of 9 ladies and just celebrated it’s 20th Anniversary! The Triple Trio provides special music a the 8:30a.m. worship service once a month.
Worship Team: The Bethlehem Worship Team is a worship band that leads music at the 10:45 Worship Service. The band rehearses each Wednesday at 8pm in the Sanctuary and is always looking for new members. The worship team will also be offering a pre-service sing-along starting this fall in the sanctuary at 10:30.
The Littles: The Littles are our 3 year old through 4th grade Sunday School children. They enjoy a music time during the Sunday School hour and also provide special music once a month at the 10:45 Worship Service.
New Life Choir: The New Life Choir is open to young people in grades 1-5. It meets once per week and performs during the 10:45 church service once per month. Weekly rehearsal times will be from 5:15-5:45 p.m. on Wednesday nights and are held in the sanctuary. A New Life Choir Christmas Concert is held at the Broen Home Light and Life Auditorium in December and is a chance for the group to showcase many of their favorite tunes. An end of the year pizza party in mid May is a great way that we top off the year!! A New Life Choir t-shirt is provided to all participants. Students are encouraged to move, dance and sing God's praise while learning some great Christian songs! All 1st-5th graders who have a desire to sing are encouraged to attend. For more information, contact Beth Monke at 739-9366
Middle School Musical: Once every two years, the Middle School students at Bethlehem have the opportunity to audition for and perform in a musical. Generally, rehearsals begin in mid February and performances are in April. Performance week generally includes 6 performances in Fergus Falls at various locations and one weekend overnight at a church in Moorhead that includes a Sunday morning performance as well. Musicals are light-hearted, but with a powerful message and have been a wonderful evangelical tool in our community. For more information, contact Beth Monke at 739-9366
Bethlehem Brass: The Bethlehem Brass provides excellent special music at Christmas and Easter and also special Sundays throughout the year.
Altar Guild: The work of the Altar Guild is to assist in creating and maintaing a climate of worship for the congregation. Through our worship service, we seek the message of the Gospel of Christ and respond to it. The preaching, liturgy, administering of the Sacrament all are for the primary purpose of communicating this message and responding to it. The communication is two-way, from God to us and from us to God. We build our churches, furnish our chancels in such a way as to help this communication. The flowers, candles, altar hangings with their symbols are not just decorations. Each is meaningful, and it is the duty of the Guild members to help members of the congregation understand the symbolism in their own church.
Stewardship
Stewardship, Finance, Lay Ministry Coordination, and Interpretation Ministries join together in regular planning to coordinate the ministry from Bethlehem’s Mission Center. Responsibilities include fall mission support commitment (Consecration Sunday style), Time & Talent invitations and coordination, communication and interpretation for the congregation and community, and assessment of financial situations and goals.
