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What’s Coming Up

This Weekend

• A Foretaste of the Feast: A lot of watching is going on at the sabbath meal in today's text. The Pharisees are watching Jesus closely. Jesus in turn is watching them closely—watching them jockey for places at the table, watching who was included and who was kept out. He then gives the group an etiquette lesson. Take the lowest place, Jesus says, so you won't be embarrassed. He sounds a little like a mom telling her kids how to behave: "Don't invite yourself to dinner—wait to be asked." What are we to make of this mannerly Jesus, who has not been particularly concerned with manners in the past? When Jesus gets to the point of his parable, it starts to make more sense: "All who exalt themselves will be humbled, and those who humble themselves will be exalted" (Luke 14:11). Clearly Jesus isn't just talking about how to behave at a party; he's talking about life, and about God's promise to lift up the humble and the downtrodden. Jesus' point in his lecture to the guests and his advice to the host is not ultimately about choosing a humble seat or making a humble guest list—it's about turning power and control over to God rather than taking matters into your own hands. Let yourself be repaid and rewarded by God. Whether you are looking for political favors, social recognition, or just a return invitation, trust that God can and will bless you, and pay that blessing forward by throwing open the doors to your home, your church, and your heart. By including all those we normally exclude, we both share and receive ourselves a foretaste of the feast to come, a feast at which, whether we play host or guest, we will all be God's guests.

• Kickoff Meeting for Sunday School Teacher & Aides will be held Sunday, August 29 at 12:00. The Brat Fest will be going on so feel free to grab lunch and meet in Education Hall.

• Bethlehem's Annual Habitat for Humanity Brat Fest/Ice Cream Social will be held Sunday, August 29, 10:30 a.m. - 1:00 p.m. in the backyard (indoors, if weather is inclement). This event is a fundraiser for our local Pottawatomie Habitat for Humanity Partnership that is currently renovating an existing home in the Valley View neighborhood of St. Charles for a qualified family. Please support this ministry with your attendance and your donation through a free-will offering. There will be brats, hot dogs, condiments, chips, pies, beverages, fellowship and music for all!

• Fun & Games at the Fest, Sunday, August 29, 10:30-2:30 p.m.  Join us for family games on the lawn during the Brat Fest.  We are also looking for parents to join the Family Fellowship Team. If you are interested in planning or helping out at our events, contact Leslie Blount.

Coming Soon

• Fall Dates to Remember
  • Senior Choir Rehearsals begin September 8!
  • Backpack & Briefcase Blessing, Sunday, September 12, All Services
  • Sunday School begins September 12
  • All Children & Youth Choir and All Handbell Rehearsals begin September 15!
  • Wednesday Night Live! & Confirmation begins September 15!

• Come up and visit the Ark in room 403 and get started reading for great prizes in our 4th annual Summer Reading Program! No registration is necessary--just grab a book log and start reading! Prizes are collected as books are read and can be collected every Sunday morning from 9-11a.m.  We have dozens of new books that have just been added to our shelves and gobs of chapter books (many series) for older readers as well. As always, there is fun for all ages, printed parenting resources and our famous "Family Fun in the Fox Valley" guide that has been put together just for Bethlehem parents!

• Register Now for Adventure Club. Our “second Sunday School program”, reaches young children from Kindergarten through 5th grade on Wednesday afternoons to early evening September through April. Class sessions are 45 minutes long with 3rd – 5th grade from 4:30 – 5:15 p.m., and K – 2nd from 5:15 – 6:00 p.m. Adventure Club helps young children understand Bible Stories, prayer and building community, with an emphasis this year on prayer. Click Here to find information on how to become part of the adventure!

• Stop by the Sunday School office to register for next year.  Registration cards are on the counter. We are always looking for people interested in teaching or aiding in our classrooms. Please prayerfully consider how you can help. E-mail Karen McGee or Kelly Olson for more information.

• Parents of incoming 6th and 7th graders and new 8th graders: You may register your students for the confirmation program. Forms are in the hallway across from Room 305. Once filled out you can return it to the rack with the green folder or to Room 304.  Parents of 8th graders already enrolled in the program do not need to re-register your student for confirmation but there is a form that is available to fill out if any information has changed.

• Women’s Ministry: If you are looking for a women’s ministry, join us at the WELCA Kickoff (Women of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America) on Tuesday, September 7 at 6:30 p.m. This meeting will include highlights of upcoming meetings and events, a raffle, and refreshments (cider, coffee, finger sandwiches, fresh fruit and cookies). Please sign up on the registration slip if you would like to be contacted with more information or if you plan on attending our kick-off meeting. Everyone is welcome to attend!

• A Women's Bible Study begins Wednesday, September 8 at 4:30 p.m. We will be reading and discussing the book "The Hole in Our Gospel" by Richard Stearns, the current president of World Vision. Please register for the study in the bulletin and purchase a copy of the book on your own. All women are invited to join in this interesting and thought provoking discussion.

• Breadbreaker Sign Ups for Fall Session: Breadbreakers are small groups of adults who get together to share a meal and fellowship at each others’ homes. If you enjoy eating with friends and look forward to meeting new people, Breadbreakers is for you! It’s a great way to meet new people and build relationships with those you already know. Please contact Sarah Belinski at 630-289-7566 or sbelins3@hotmail.com if you have any questions.

• “Rebuilding the Bond” A couples only get-away that Includes: a relationship check-up, time to walk in the woods, opportunities to look into the eyes of your partner and recall the passion that brought you together and enjoy a dinner (without kids).  Saturday, September 25, 4:00 pm to 10:00pm, at a secluded retreat center, just for grown-ups, only minutes away limited to 25 couples - Register today! All this will be included for one low price (TBA) Contact Pastor Jeff or the church office to register.

• Trunk Sale, Saturday, September 25, 2010 from 8:00 am. until 12:00 noon.

Registration is now open for those interested in selling. What is a Trunk Sale, you ask? It is a great way to sell off some of your oldies but goodies. You will bring your ‘trunk’ (yes, you pull your car/truck/van right into our front parking lot) full of your goodies and gather with other sellers, some from Bethlehem and some not, to sell off your treasures. There will be up to 70 different sellers. The shoppers come from everywhere. The $10 registration fee collected will be used to support Lutheran Social Services. The money you make from the sale of your treasures is yours to keep.  Please Click Here to download a registration form you can print out and return with your fee. New this year….Pancake Breakfast!! Not only will you find goodies at the Trunk Sale, there will be yummy pancakes as well. There will be a small fee for a plate of pancakes and great fellowship. Pancakes will be served from 8:00 am – 10:00 am. We will be looking for talented and gifted disciples to assist with this breakfast. If you like to cook, shop, set-up, serve, or just smile, we need your help. Detailed planning for this breakfast will start in August. Please contact Kelly Collins or Michelle Kovar if you are interested.

• We still have gently used copies of With One Voice Hymnals looking for homes. Stop by the Welcome Center and pick one up today.

• When the Storms of Life are Raging, Stand by Me.  Storms are ever present in all of our lives. They affect our Faith, our Economics and our Emotions. Where do we seek refuge when the storms of life are raging? Jesus reminds us that he will stand by us and the only cost is our love and trust in him.  This fall, our New Ventures Team is planning a very special gathering for us to reflect on and move forward from the economic storms that have battered us in recent times. Join us on Sunday,  September 26th, from 3 PM until 5 PM.  We will hear about he latest economic trends from a professional analyst (who just happens to be the father of our Praise Director, Jim Stellmacher).  We will here how our friends and neighbors are being affected and how they are responding from a panel including Darlene Marcusson of Lazarus House, David Norton of Centennial Counseling and Jim Klink of Tri Cities Unemployment Group.

• Bethlehem continues to Support The Tri-City Unemployment Group The Tri-City Unemployment Group (TUG) was organized in October 2001 to address the needs of the unemployed in our community. TUG was organized by several concerned community leaders and several St. Charles churches as an ecumenical and grass roots effort to help. The mission of the Tri-City Unemployment Group is to provide an opportunity to network, offer presentations on the job search process, to develop skills, and provide resource materials. The Tri City Unemployment Group (TUG) meets on the 2nd and 4th Mondays of each month at Bethlehem, from 6:30 to 9 p.m. The first part of each gathering is a general presentation on a topic related to unemployment, such as dealing with personal and family stress, resume-writing, interviewing skills, financial management, career skills assessment, networking, and automating the search process. The second part of the program provides an opportunity for direct networking and interpersonal support. Job notices are posted for sharing; individual assistance and guidance is provided, one-on-one, by steering team members and other vocational experts.  Over 400 residents have sought out TUG services at least once, depending on their specific needs and current place in the job-search process. Services provided are free to all those who attend. Please consider yourself welcome and join us. For further information Click Here.

Opportunities To Serve and Give

• Are you a Prayer Warrior?  We are forming a prayer group to be part of the ELCA network which will be coordinated by Judy Hanson.  Once you join this group, you will periodically receive an email with a prayer request, either from our local congregation or from someone around the world.  Your only commitment is to lift up that prayer request at least once a day for a week.  If you would like to serve the body of Christ in this way, or would like more information, please contact Pastor Mark.

 

• Sunday School Begins September 12: Stop by the Sunday School office (down the hall from the Sanctuary) to register your children. Teachers, substitutes, adult aides, and high school aides are also needed. Please prayerfully consider participating in a program with immense rewards, for both you and the children! See the registration slip to join this ministry.

• Blood Drive: Hosanna Lutheran Church will be holding a blood drive on Saturday, August 28, 2010 from 7:30 am to 11:30 am. Free quart of ice cream to all donors.

• Communion Assistants Needed! With Holy Communion at all worship services, 21 communion assistants are needed each weekend. Please consider signing up to serve on the registration form or in Room 312.

• Drivers Needed: Bethlehem Lutheran Church has made a commitment to provide drivers to deliver meals for the Tri-Cities Salvation Army Golden Diners Program. If you can spare an hour and a half each month on a Friday between 10:30 and noon, please sign up on our church registration slip.You will be contacted by Jimmie Haessig who will answer all of your questions regarding this program.

• Bethlehem Choirs begin in September! Do you enjoy making music but are not sure you want to do it solo? Choirs are the place for YOU to make your music with other singers and ringers. This is a wonderful way to make Scriptures a part of your life as you praise God through the ministry of MUSIC. See the registration form to sign up TODAY.

• Lazarus House is in need of the following items: laundry soap, Ziploc bags (all sizes), tin foil, paper towels, toilet paper, garbage bags (30 or 33 gallon and 13 gallon tall kitchen), Swiffer “spray on” wooden floor cleaner, and size 6 diapers. Please make your donation directly to Lazarus House at 214 Walnut St. in St. Charles. They can also use Walmart gift cards.

• Do you have any small hotel-size bottles of shampoo?With the very hot weather and lots of showers, Hesed House is in desperate need of shampoo. Please drop off the small bottles at church at the lower entrance in the box marked "Hesed House".

• Help Us Welcome New Members: Remember when you moved into your new home and a neighbor welcomed you with a plate of cookies, a casserole or just a kind word? We want to greet those joining Bethlehem with the same warm welcome during our New Member Classes. We are looking for those who can supply food for Sunday class luncheons or help with set up and clean up. We would love to have a team of folks to call upon a couple times a year, with our next set of Sunday New Members classes scheduled for September. For more information please contact Cathy Paydon. Sign up on the registration form to volunteer.

• Help with Adventure Club, our “second Sunday school program” which reaches younger children on Wednesday afternoons to early evening. Class sessions are 45 minutes long, and just as with Confirmation ministry in addition to parents, we need adults who have moved beyond the early childhood stage of life and can help young children understand Bible stories, prayer and working in smaller groups that learn to build community. These young children have hearts that are wide open to the Gospel… as someone once helped your children, can you now be that caring adult who comes to them in faith to explore God’s presence and grace in the life of a child? Contact Pastor Jeff for more information

• Confirmation is not just for parents to help out anymore! Our Middle School kids are at a critical stage in their faith development. We need adults who are willing to mentor kids in a small group setting, share issues of faith and life and be willing to encourage them to explore the Bible each Wednesday during the program year. We offer 4 training/planning events for adults as well as weekly lesson plans, ideas for small group time and immediate access support from the pastors. Our preference is to capture the imagination of adults who have lived through the Middle School years with their own children and now bring a seasoned perspective to working with kids at this stage in life.  Contact Pastor Jeff for more information.

• Looking for Progressive Dinner Planners.  Do you like parties? Do you like good food? Then come be a part of the planning team for this year's annual Bethlehem Progressive Dinner that will be held in December.  We are looking for men and women volunteers who like to plan a menu for this event ---your favorite gourmet soup, salad and main course -- and then organize host/participant sign-ups at church, route the guests to homes and then partake in the great Saturday evening of traveling between 4 different homes and enjoying conversation and GREAT food at each venue. If this sounds like fun to you (and it IS!) please contact Julee Cranfill or Debbie Eckhart for more information. Menu selection meetings will start in September.

 

• Help with our Homeless Ministries: Each month Bethlehem helps staff the Homeless Shelter at Lazarus House in St. Charles, and every other month, Hesed House in Aurora. The sun is shining, the temperatures are warmer, the flowers are in bloom and the homeless shelters are still full. During the summer many of the "regular" helpers have other commitments. We need shoppers, people to deliver supplies, work all three shifts, and make breakfast sandwiches and brownies. We look forward to seeing some new faces this month. Our next service date for Lazarus House is September 11 and Hesed House is August 27. Click Here to email the office and let us know where, when and how you’d like to serve, or simply if you would like to be contacted to get more information.  Please see the weekly registration slip for all opportunities.

 

ELCA Link of the Week

 

ELCA Bishop Hanson visits China

ELCA Presiding Bishop Mark S. Hanson will visit China Aug. 28-Sept. 5. The Rev. Gao Feng, president of the China Christian Council in Shanghai, invited Hanson and others from ELCA Global Mission.

The ELCA group will visit sustainable development programs as well as the relief and rehabilitation work done in response to the 2008 earthquake in Sichuan.

More  |  ELCA companions in China

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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