From the Pastor

Goings and Comings

The LORD will keep your going out and your coming in from this time on and forevermore. (Psalm 121:8)

We have learned in recent conversations about grief that it is not only related to death. We grieve change. We grieve when children grow up. We grieve when people move away.

So we are to notice our experiences by asking God for help, asking for God’s blessing, asking God to keep us from evil.

We bless Bethesda’s youth and adult leaders leaving for a mission trip.

We bless Vicar Kurt in his last weeks as Bethesda’s intern.

We will offer Farewell and Godspeed to Wendy Mallette as caretaker and Natalie Benson at Bethesda House and recent YDS graduate seeking ordination through her membership here.

We ask God to keep all these goings outs.

We have learned that liminality means a time in between, a time on the verge of what’s unknown, a time related to biblical stories like the wilderness, Mary’s pregnancy, the time between Jesus’ resurrection and ascension and Pentecost.

Bethesda is gifted in its liminal posture as we consider how we might sustain our ministry and our building.

So we are to notice that we are on the verge of many things and ask God for help, ask God for blessing, ask God to keep us from evil.

We ask God to open insight into our conversations about our future.

We open our arms of welcome to those coming to worship with us and invite them to our ministry.

We ask God to guide Vicar Gabrielle Brown as she prepares to move to New Haven late July.

We rejoice at the students arriving at Bethesda House and Leah Snavely and Cameron Kritikos as they become caretakers soon after their marriage on June 11.

We ask God to keep all these coming ins.

From this time on and forevermore.
Pastor Tim Keyl

Coming up at Bethesda

Bible Study on Zoom

Bethesda's Bible Study meets every other Wednesday at 8:00 am on Zoom. The series on Women in the Bible continues with the following topics:

June 22: Abigail - 1 Samuel 25
July 6: Rahab - Joshua

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)

Save the Dates!

Hamburgers & Hymns Wednesday, July 13 at 6 pm outdoors in the Rose Garden sing and eat, what could be better!
Vicar Kurt’s last Sunday, July 17 Farewell and Godspeed
Vicar Gabrielle Brown begins Monday, August 1 look for ways to welcome
Ice Cream Social Sunday, August 28 at 4 pm Do you want to be the lead coordinator? Contact Pastor Keyl

The Youth are Going to Chicago!
5 high school youth and 3 adults are preparing for their trip to Chicago! They will be leaving on Friday, June 17th and returning Thursday June 23rd. They are still working on finalizing the schedule of events, but it will include multiple different service opportunities, worship, fun, food, and conversation with some students at the Lutheran School of Theology at Chicago (LSTC). They will be staying at LSTC for the entire duration of the trip and are so grateful for LSTC's willingness to host and take care of the group while they are in Chicago! More information will be forthcoming soon once the details of the trip are finalized and of course pictures will be posted from the adventures during the week there! Gratitude abounds for the continued support of the youth and this trip as it is now on revision 3!

New Service Music

For Trinity Sunday and the first half of summer, we’ll be singing selections of Setting 11 from All Creation Sings. Designed to be singable in both English and Spanish, the setting is drawn from a variety of sources, including our ELW hymnal, songs from Spanish-speaking cultures, or were newly created for All Creation Sings.

We’re familiar with a few of the selections already. You can find YouTube recordings below of what we’re using in worship, as well as a complete playlist of the entire setting in both English and Spanish:

Glory to God

Gospel Acclamation

Holy, holy, holy

Lamb of God

Full playlist of all of Setting 11

Traveling this summer?
We would like to pray for you during your time away. Please look for the white binder in the Narthex and add your travel plans to it.

Funeral Planning Document

Planning ahead for your own funeral or memorial services is a form of witness and can be a gift to your loved ones. Following last Sunday's forum on this topic, we want to share this planning document (linked here) so you can make clear the location, readings, songs, and other elements you would want at your own funeral. Paper copies will also be available in the Narthex. The form may be returned to Pastor Tim or Leigh in the office.

Family of Four Seeks Housing
An immigrant family from Haiti seeks housing in New Haven. A mother and two sons ages 5 and 3 are looking for housing in New Haven, such as a mother-in-law apartment, while the father remains in Haiti. Pastor Keyl is looking on behalf of a colleague and friend in Stratford. Any leads can be referred to Pastor Keyl at [email protected].

2023 Companion Synod Trip

Join pastors Tim Keyl, Wendy Anderson, and Scott Howard on a life-transforming New England Synod Companion Trip to the 2023 Companion Synod Trip on February 2-17, 2023. Our theme is Sitting Under the Vine and Fig Tree, an image of peace and unity among nations found in Micah 4.

Sermons online

View recorded sermons online at Bethesda New Haven’s YouTube Channel, by clicking the button at the bottom of the eNews, and posted on Bethesda New Haven’s Facebook Page.

Click here to view this Sunday's bulletin.

Upcoming Commemorations

Barnabas, Apostle

Saturday, June 11, 2022

Barnabas was not numbered among the twelve apostles, but the book of Acts gives him that title. After Paul was converted to Christianity, Barnabas welcomed him to Jerusalem, and later the two traveled together on missionary journeys.

Basil the Great, Bishop of Caesarea, died 379; Gregory, Bishop of Nyssa, died around 385; Gregory of Nazianzus, Bishop of Constantinople, died around 389; Macrina, teacher, died around 379

Tuesday, June 14, 2022

The Cappadocian fathers, as the three men in this group are known, explored the mystery of the Holy Trinity. Basil's monastic rule forms the basis for Eastern monastic life. Gregory of Nazianzus defended orthodox Christianity in Constantinople. Gregory of Nyssa, Basil's younger brother, wrote on the spiritual life. Macrina, older sister of Basil and Gregory of Nyssa, was the leader of a community dedicated to asceticism, meditation, and prayer.

Emanuel Nine, martyrs, died 2015

Friday, June 17, 2022

On June 17, 2015, Clementa C. Pinckney, Cynthia Marie Graham Hurd, Susie Jackson, Ethel Lee Lance, DePayne Middleton-Doctor, Tywanza Sanders, Daniel Lee Simmons, Sharonda Coleman-Singleton, and Myra Thompson were murdered by a self-professed white supremacist while they were gathered for Bible study and prayer at the Emanuel African Methodist Episcopal Church (often referred to as Mother Emanuel) in Charleston, South Carolina. Pastors Pinckney and Simmons were both graduates of the Lutheran Theological Southern Seminary. A resolution to commemorate June 17 as a day of repentance for the martyrdom of the Emanuel Nine was adopted by the Churchwide Assembly of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America on August 8, 2019. Congregations of the ELCA are encouraged reaffirm their commitment to repenting of the sins of racism and white supremacy which continue to plague this church, to venerate the martyrdom of the Emanuel Nine, and to mark this day of penitence with study and prayer.

Prayer Requests

For healing and strength: Elya Bottiger, friend of Nora Lee; Michelle Lee, friend of Christina Castañeda; Rachel Ronnevik, Maggie Astrup’s sister; Wayne Wright, father of Laura Wright’s; John Hively; Mark Barnett, nephew of Becky Lerud; Marie Gray; Sonja Krummrey; Maureen Anderson; Natalie Denardis, granddaughter of Gail Denardis; Shirley Farm; Linda Johnson; Anne and Lee Keck; Kay Leone; Molly Dinneen; Karen (Starbranch) Blitch, daughter of Chuck Starbranch.

For those serving in the military.

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 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 and Calli Micale.

For peace in Ukraine. 

For the New England Synod at their Assembly, June 9-11.

For Leah Snavely and Cameron Kritikos at their marriage in Pennsylvania Saturday, June 11.

For those traveling this week: Vicar Kurt Saenger-Heyl to Mannheim, PA; Pastor Kari Henkelmann Keyl, Gabu Keyl and Manu Iglesias Fernandez to Minnesota; Wendy Mallette and Emilie Casey to Boston, MA.