June 4, 2023
Day of Pentecost
Worship at 9:30 am
BBQ Cookout following Worship

Presiding Minister: Rev. Paul Stuehrenberg
Assisting Minister: Vicar Gabrielle Brown
Preacher: Calli Micale
Music Director: Stephen Gamboa-Díaz
Lectors: Clara Cortright and Alexander Labadia
Altar Guild: Clarissa Youngberg
Livestream: Miles Kirschner
Tellers: Anna Franz and Blair Goodlin
Bread Baker: Lee Family
Coffee Hour: Chris Wigren

From the Vicar
    
Friends,
Grace and peace to you.

Sometimes we Christians put a lot of energy into identifying God in a way that reduces God to the constraints and understandings of humankind. The thing is, God transcends physical and chronological and human limitations.

On this Holy Trinity Sunday, I share with you excerpts from the writings of Steve Garnaas-Holmes, a retired United Methodist pastor.

“Father God, we say.

As if we know just exactly what we're talking about.

The Ineffable, the Unsearchable, the Infinite made into a specific creature, a Thing. A guy. Definitely male. X Chromosomes. Old (but not too: 60, maybe, but buff. Certainly not 120. No wrinkles.) But white hair. (What color was it before?) With a face and hands. Not flippers, not wings. We're pretty sure what The Invisible One looks like.

Silly, huh?

The image of God is love, not physical appearance.

The image of the Holy Trinity undermines all our images,
our cartoons of gender, age, ability and power.
If God is both parent and child, and neither,
then God is both male and female and neither,
both human and non-human and neither,
Supreme and also Crucified and also Newly Alive,
beyond all dualities, categories, distinctions.
Every little insistence is a lie.

The Trinity lets God be Not What You Think,
All Of The Above, and Other. All at once.
God says, “I am not this or that, I AM.”
Question your assumptions
about what God “has to” be like.”

I invite you today to be curious, to give yourself permission to imagine what God might be like through all your senses and feelings.
All that. All at once.

Vicar Gabrielle

Coming Up at Bethesda

Worship Livestream

We stream Sunday worship services live on Bethesda’s YouTube Channel. Join us live at 9:30 am every Sunday or watch the recording afterward.

Click here to access this Sunday's bulletin.

Ministry at Bethesda

Vicar Gabrielle will be the primary contact for day to day ministry along with Leigh Cromey ([email protected]), other staff, and leadership until her last Sunday on July 9. You may reach her at her email ([email protected]).

For pastoral care, urgent or otherwise, please call or text Vicar Gabrielle at (719) 352-8918.

Elaine Ramshaw, congregation council president, is also available should you have questions or need pastoral care ([email protected], (203)747-1343)

If you are not able to reach Vicar Gabrielle, Leigh, or Elaine for pastoral care needs, Pastor Josh Sullivan at Christ the Good Shepherd will be available through the end of June at (860) 748-3837 and Deacon Jeff Hawewinkel will also be available after July 16th at (219) 929-8684.

We have a slate of preachers and presiders for Sunday mornings. Plan to greet them and thank them for their leadership.

Music Sunday 2023 Follow-up

Bethesda’s sanctuary resonated with joyous singing and jazz solos last month when we presented the 2023 Music Sunday concert, titled “Sing God a New Song: the Music of Christopher M. Lee. $1,080 was raised to underwrite the 2023-24 season of the Bethesda Music Series.

Huge thanks go out to everyone involved! An updated video of the event (with improved audio quality) has been posted in place of the original livestream; it can be found via Bethesda’s YouTube channel or here.

Online donations can still be made in support of the Music Series.

Contemplative Prayer

Contemplative Prayer continues on Wednesday evenings from 7:00 to 7:30 pm - no longer at 6:30 pm. Light a candle and join us on zoom for prayer and reflection.

Click here to join

Congrats Graduating High School Seniors

Matthew Judd

Matthew Judd is a lifelong Bethesda member and a senior at Cooperative Arts and Humanities High School. In the fall, he will be attending the University of Washington in Seattle and is planning to pursue a degree in gender sexuality studies. Matthew has been singing professionally for the past 3 years in Yale Institute of Sacred Music, church, and New Haven community choirs. He plans to continue singing during his time at UW. He wants to thank the entire Bethesda community for years of support and his loving family.

Alex Labadia

I’ve had a great time working with Bethesda and plan on continuing involvement through the future. I recently graduated from Notre Dame High School and plan on attending Boston College in the fall. I’m set to major in political science but that is up to change as I don’t really know what I want to do yet. In school I’m interested in government and history while outside of school I enjoy football, lacrosse, weight lifting, and music.

Jack Marchand

I will be graduating from James Hillhouse High School this spring, and attending Wesleyan University next year. I have always been interested and involved with music, and I have been playing soccer from a young age. I'm excited for what college will bring and thankful to Bethesda's congregation for all of the support.

Clara Cortright

I am graduating from Amity High School. I will be attending Wheaton College for undergrad. I will also be studying abroad my first semester in Switzerland. My major is international relations and I will be minoring in German or Chinese. Thank you to everyone for your constant support!

Bethesda's Sustainable Future

Thank you, Rachelle Goto, for leading Bethesda’s Sustainable Future forum last week. In addition to updated information from Rachelle, participants raised thoughtful questions and participated in helpful conversation.

Summer Worship Assistance

We are looking for volunteers to help June run smoothly. Specifically, we need assistance with altar guild, bread bakers, and tellers. Please look for an email from Tyler Fair([email protected]) for June signups.

Thank you Miles Kirschner, Richard Ford and Ray Bussolini for ensuring our altar colors are liturgically correct.

Have announcements or updates you wanted included in the eNews? Please share your photos for Bethesda’s eNews and online presence by uploading them here.

Bible Study on Zoom

Bethesda's Bible Study continues to discuss NT Wright's Acts. The next gathering will be Wednesday, June 7 at 8:00 am.

When? Every other Wednesday at 8:00 am
Where? On Zoom, click here to join (or join by telephone: 203-432-9666; Meeting ID: 961 0888 6279)

Support Bethesda's Internship!

Generous gifts have been made to the Student Ministry fund - Praise be to God, and thank you! The remaining need is $10,300. Vicar G will be in the lead when Pastor T departs on his sabbatical, and her guidance will be essential to Bethesda's ministry. Your new or renewed financial support will honor her internship and Bethesda's charism for nurturing future pastors.

Prayers requested for the family and friends of retired Pastor Ruth Drews

She died of complications from pneumonia on Monday, May 22, following a bone marrow transplant. Pastor Drews was known and loved in our community. She served as the pastor developer at Resurrection, New Haven, from 1985 through 2014.

She is survived by her husband, John, and her son, Daniel.

A celebration of Ruth's life and thanksgiving for her ministry will take place on Thursday, June 8th, at 2pm, at Trinity Lutheran Church, 21 Robert Treat Parkway, Milford, CT. The service will be available on Zoom. More info here.

Pastor Drews had pre-designated two scholarships for memorial gifts:

 - the Drews Brandt Scholarship at Luther College in Decorah, Iowa (her alma mater)
 - the Ruth Drews Scholarship of the New Haven Scholarship Fund: PO Box 8936, New Haven, CT 06532-8936

Prayers for the family of Rev. Charles Seivard

Prayers are also requested for the family of The Rev. Charles Seivard. He died on

Tuesday, May 30. Charles had been actively serving Emanuel Lutheran Church as the pastor until shortly before his death. He is survived by his three children, Grant, Michele, and Christopher, as well their families.

The funeral for Rev. Seivard will be held at Emanuel Lutheran Church, 83 Main St., N. Grosvenordale, CT on Saturday, June 3 at 11:00 a.m.

Arrangements are being handled by Gilman Valade Funeral homes.

Potluck and Cookout June 4th

Following  worship, we will cook out and enjoy a shared meal as we recognize departing Music Director Stephen Gamboa-Diaz and our high school graduates Alex Labadia, Clara Cortright, Jack Marchand, and Matthew Judd.

We will need the following volunteers:

 - 4-6 people to help set up. Volunteers are to arrive before 9:30 am worship to set out tables, plates, etc. and to get the grill from the shed.
 - 2 people will staff the grill following worship.

Some of our “regular” volunteers will be gone, so here’s your chance to help out!

If you can help, contact Vicar Gabrielle [email protected] 

Volunteer at DESK This Summer

We could use a little more help this coming Monday and Tuesday.  Click here  or contact Natalie Judd to sign up for as many 4:00 - 6:30-ish shifts as you like.

Upcoming Elm City Concert at Bethesda

Saturday, June 17th, at 5 p.m. Bethesda will be hosting a concert by violist Arnie Tanimoto and friends. Learn more about the event here

Free Concert! Save the Date

On Saturday, June 10, join Bethesda friends on the New Haven Green for a free concert of the New Haven Symphony Orchestra, with special guest Anjelique Kidjo as part of the International Festival of Arts & Ideas.

The concert begins at 6:00 and you may look for the Lee family (who may be flying a flag emblazoned with the Luther rose, and perhaps a balloon or two) after 5:30pm. Bring chairs, blankets, food, beverages, and know there are often food trucks along Temple Street. Most of all, bring yourselves to this very family-friendly event in the heart of our Elm City!

CD Player for Lee Keck

Lee Keck is looking for a simple single unit CD player with a speaker. If you have one or know of one, please contact Vicar Gabrielle at [email protected].

Prayer Requests

For healing and strength: Lynn Arezzini; Rachel, daughter of Mary Browne; John Ferreira, nephew of Chris Couture; Kathryn and Karolyn Lee, aunts of Chris Lee; George Arndt, father of Lynn Arezzini; Michelle Lee, friend of Christina Castañeda; Mark Barnett, nephew of Becky Lerud; Marie Gray; Sonja Krummrey; Maureen Anderson; Natalie Denardis, granddaughter of Gail Denardis; Shirley Farm; Anne and Lee Keck; Kay Leone; Molly Dinneen; Karen (Starbranch) Blitch, daughter of Chuck Starbranch.

For comfort in grief: family and friends of Pastors Ruth Drews and Charles Seivard

For our partners in the Gospel: the congregations and schools of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in Jordan and the Holy Land (ELCJHL) and LuMin Campus Ministry; for Bethesda House and Yale Divinity School students.

For our Ecumenical Partners Worldwide: in Lesotho, Namibia, South Africa and Eswatini.

(The Ecumenical Prayer Cycle takes us through every region of the world over the course of a year. Praying for each place on earth and its people at least once a year, we affirm our solidarity with Christians all over the world, siblings living in diverse situations, experiencing diverse problems and sharing diverse gifts.)

For Bethesda New Haven: that God continues to guide us into the future with ministries of witness, service, hospitality, and care while building up our community in all its diversity.

For those in candidacy for rostered leadership in the ELCA: Natalie Benson, Tyler Fair, Calli Micale, Vicar Gabrielle Brown, and Jeff Hazewinkel (in formation for consecration as deacon).

For Pastor Tim and Pastor Kari Henkelmann Keyl on sabbatical May 22-August 21, that they may be renewed.

For those remembering their baptismal anniversary: Teddy Franz (June 5)

For Bethesda members traveling over the summer: Maggie Astrup and Max Marmor spending time in Minnesota and Austria; Dianne Witte and Richard ford traveling West for triathlon related travel; Blair Goodlin headed to Pennsylvania and Maryland; and for Becky Lerud who will be in Minnesota early June.