July 23, 2023
Summer Worship
Worship at 9:30 am

Presiding Minister: Volker Leppin

Preacher: Volker Leppin

Assisting Minister: Tyler Fair

Lectors: Abigail Kromminga & Rev. Paul Stuehrenberg

Altar Guild: Susan Berube

Livestream: Miles Kirschner

Tellers: Elaine Ramshaw & Rachelle Goto 

Ushers: Ray Bussolini

Bread Baker: Rebecca Lerud

Coffee Set-Up: Leah Snavely

Organ: Kathryn Nichols

Cantor: Michaela Natal

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.

Godspeed to Vicar Gabrielle Brown

Vicar Gabrielle’s internship has come to an end.

She sends her sincere thanks for all who helped with moving--especially loading the truck with her belongings. Everything fit and she and her spouse are Colorado-bound.

Please add and/or keep the Brown family in your prayers.

Thanks.

[email protected]

719-352-8918

Gabrielle Brown 1385 Bison Ridge Drive Colorado Springs CO 80919

We Need Volunteers for

July & August

Email administrative assistant, Tyler Fair ([email protected]) to volunteer for needed roles!

The following roles need filled for July 30th: two lectors, two ushers, coffee set-up.

Introduction to Volker Leppin
Volker Leppin is an ordained Lutheran pastor from Germany. He has been living in Greater New Haven for two years now, working as the Horace Tracy Pitkin Professor for Historical Theology at Yale Divinity School

A June/July 2023 Food Challenge
For Christian Community Action

With the delivery on Monday 17 July 2023, Bethesda has gathered and delivered over 880 food items for the month’s challenge. This Thrivent Action Team project’s timetable will end on the 24th of July. With $250.00 seed money for this project and an initial goal of 500 food items, Bethesda’s phenomenal generosity has once again blessed CCA’s Food Pantry, including the wide variety of items requested.

The project was significantly boosted by the Gail and Alex collection at their dance party where 236 food items were contributed. Wow! In addition, some Giving Garden items were also delivered. A final accounting will be made at the end of the project; however, a heartfelt thank you flows from all the CCA staff to all the participants from the Bethesda community. The CCA staff insisted that today’s delivery be documented via the attached photo.

Each food item is your blessing to others who are blessed by it through CCA.

- Martin Gehner

The Partnership with Literacy Volunteers of Greater New Haven is looking for volunteers!

They are experiencing an uptick in interested students and need volunteer literacy tutors to teach. The serve both native English speakers with low literacy levels and speakers of other languages who need to speak, read, write, and understand English.

In addition to volunteering, if you know anyone who could benefit from their services, don't hesitate to refer them.

You can contact the partnership via phone at (203)776-5899 or by visiting their website at https://lvagnh.org/

DESK Help Needed
Our next shifts at DESK are July 24-25 from 4 pm to 7 pm.
We need around 4 volunteers each night. Please let Natalie Judd know if you can help ([email protected]). 

Facilities Work Day

On Saturday, July 22, the Facilities Committee will be hosting a work day from 8-10am.

Anticipated projects include invasive species removal, general ground keeping, and continued clean-up of the finance office.

Please bring any gardening tools you may have and email Leah at [email protected]  if you have any questions.

Mission Investment Fund (MIF) Loan Update

Look for the Chimney in the Narthex - there you will find a QR code to give online. Let’s see how quickly we can pay back this loan!

Remember, for the cost of one fancy cup of coffee a week, together we can buy down this ten year loan!

You can choose to contribute online here or by notation in the comment line of a check. Thank you for your generosity!

Ministry at Bethesda

For pastoral care, please reach out to Elaine Ramshaw, congregation council president [email protected], (203)747-1343

Deacon Jeff Hazewinkel will also be available after July 16th at (219)929-8684.

For other needs, reach out to Bethesda's administrator, Leigh Cromey [email protected] or (203)787-2346.

Commemorations

Sunday, July 23

Birgitta of Sweden, renewer of the church, died 1373

Birgitta married at age thirteen and had four daughters. Widowed at age thirty-eight, she gave all that she owned to the poor, and founded a community of monks and nuns led by a woman. Her work is continued today by the Society of St. Birgitta.

Tuesday, July 25

The Apostle James

James and his brother John were the sons of Zebedee, fishermen by trade before their call from Jesus. He was the first of the twelve apostles to be martyred, and his death is the only one recorded in scripture (Acts 12:1-2).

Friday, July 28

Johann Sebastian Bach, died 1750; Heinrich Schütz, died 1672; George Frederick Handel, died 1759

These three German-born musicians have done much to enrich the life of the church. Schütz was an early master who focused on settings of biblical texts. Bach wrote over 300 cantatas along with works for organ and instrumental pieces, and has been called the "fifth evangelist" for the way he proclaimed the gospel in music. Handel's great work, Messiah, is a setting of scriptural texts.

Saturday, July 29

Mary, Martha, and Lazarus of Bethany

Friends of Jesus, Mary and Martha are remembered for the hospitality of their home that they offered him—Martha focused on serving their guest, and Mary on listening to him. Their brother Lazarus was raised from the dead as a sign of the greater resurrection to come.

Saturday, July 29

Olaf, King of Norway, matyr, died 1030

Considered the patron saint of Norway, Olaf went from a life of piracy to becoming Christian and declaring himself king of Norway. He revised the laws and tried to administer them fairly. Driven from Norway in a rebellion, he was killed in battle trying to regain his kingdom.

Prayer Requests

For healing and strength: Rebecca Lerud; John Ferreira, nephew of Chris Couture; George Arndt, father of Lynn Arezzini; Marie Gray; Sonja Krummrey; Maureen Anderson; Shirley Farm; Anne and Lee Keck; Kay Leone; Molly Dinneen; Matthew H., cousin of Tyler Fair

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: We pray for Burundi, Democratic Republic of Congo and Rwanda. The Ecumenical Prayer Cycle takes us through every region of the world over the course of a year.

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

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

For Bethesda members traveling over the summer: Eleanor Lee attending the Lutheran Summer Music in Valpro, Indiana until late July; the Lee Family will be in Indiana, Iowa, North Dakota and Minnesota mid-July through early August; Maggie Astrup and Max Marmor spending time in Minnesota and Austria through August; the Franz Family in Alaska early August; Dianne Witte and Richard Ford traveling West for triathlon related travel through August; Ann Louise Onton headed to Japan in early August; Ike Harijanto who will be in Germany until the end of 2023.