January 14, 2024
Time After Epiphany Lectionary 2
Worship at 9:30 am

Presiding Minister: Rev Kari Henkelmann Keyl
Preacher: Deacon Jeff Hazewinkel
Assisting Minister: Elaine Ramshaw
Organist and Choir Director:
Isaac Lee with Bethesda Choir
Lectors: Marietta Meyer & Maggie Astrup
Altar Guild: Richard Ford
Ushers: Ray Bussolini & Miles Kirschner
Livestream: Blair Goodlin
Coffee Set-Up: Cameron Kritikos
Bread Baker: Karen Harris

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 for the bulletin.

This Week at Bethesda

Sunday 1/14 - 9:30am

Worship
Sanctuary

Sunday 1/14  - 11:00 am

Coffee Hour and Learning Hour for all ages
Campanius Room and various locations

Monday 1/15 - Office Closed (MLK Holiday)

Tuesday 1/16 - 7:00pm

Finance Committee Meeting Zoom

Wednesday 1/17 - 8:00am

Bible Study Zoom

Thursday 1/18 - 7:00pm

Choir Rehearsal
Chapel

Friday 1/19 - 12:30pm

Lunch Club
Parish House Living Room

Sunday 1/21 - 9:30am

Worship
Sanctuary

Sunday 1/21 - 11:00am

Coffee Hour and Learning Hour for all ages
Campanius Room and various locations

Sunday 1/21 - 12:00pm

Worship and Music Committee Meeting
Zoom

From the Pastor

God loves the earth
The earth worships God

In Psalm 96, the cosmos joins the chorus in praising God:
Let the heavens be glad, and let the earth rejoice;
let the sea roar, and all that fills it;
let the field exult, and everything in it.
Then shall all the trees of the forest sing for joy

That vision from the Psalm fills me with delight.  It makes me look to recognize the wonder in the vast places of the earth and the beauty that is still visible in the dead of winter.  After all this rain, I have marveled at the swelling of rivers and streams and watersheds just out driving: the Mill River and Lake Whitney especially, but also around my neighborhood of Mt. Carmel in Hamden.

Have you ever been in a place which is empty of people? This is how Kathleen Norris describes where she has made a home from her book Dakota: A Spiritual Geography:

In western Dakota, as in few other places I’ve seen in this country, one realizes the truth of Gertrude Stein’s remark “In the United States there is more open space where nobody is than where anybody is.” Eleven counties in South Dakota now meet the traditional definition of frontier, places having two or fewer persons per square mile. This is two more than in 1980, and 52 of the state’s 67 counties are still losing residents at a rapid rate.

This weekend fifteen of us, youth and their families, will head north about four hours to get away from it all at our church camp on Lake Ossipee in New Hampshire, Calumet. The quiet of Calumet’s woods (if there aren’t snowmobiles!), the vistas of the White Mountains in the distance, the calm of the lake (if there is no wind), all are places which God blesses. And the company of people there for much of the same reasons as us, to get away, and to share faith, food, and fun, all find delight in that part of New England.

Whether you get away, or spend minutes each day in quiet or gazing at the sky, know that God loves the earth and God loves you. Perhaps you might read Psalm 96 to add your praise.

Pray for confirmation youth and the families at Calumet. Calumet has more lakeside property than any others on Lake Ossipee, and the ministry there brings more campers than most other outdoor ministry centers in the ELCA.  

From Calumet’s website:

Calumet is a ministry of the Lutheran Church, ELCA. Because this is a place where people meet love in action, hope in flight, justice-seeking at every turn, and compassion for each one in all we do -- this is known to Calumet Nation as a special and sacred spot.

At Calumet, we strive to reach out to people from all walks of life. We seek to gather them together in a safe and secure environment where they can think about their spiritual connection, laugh with each other, grow in friendship, and dig deep into their personal journey.

If you have a child or youth that want to go to Calumet for one week or two this summer, know that Bethesda has scholarship funds to assist with costs. Let me know!

Pastor Tim Keyl

Bread bakers needed for February,

please email Cynthia if you can help --
[email protected]

Christmas Clean-up Crew

Thank You!

Just as the Wise Men needed to make their way to the narthex manger scene, the Christmas tree and wreaths needed to make their way to the North Haven wood chipper. Many thanks to Richard Ford, Pastor Keyl, Miles Kirschner, and Dianne Witte for seeing to those tasks, storing our decorations, and for preparing the sanctuary on Saturday for the Baptism of Our Lord and remembering our own baptisms on Sunday.

Bethesda’s Sustainable Future News

A newsletter of the Bethesda Lutheran Church Council December 2023

Please click here to read this newsletter from the Council

View Newsletter

Learning Hour Sunday, January 14

Sunday School for young children will be in the yellow classroom following worship.

Bryan Leone, retired pastor and on the board of Opportunity Palestine and on the synod Global Mission Team will talk about Opportunity Palestine at the forum in the Parish House Living Room at 11:00 am.

Confirmation Youth and families are on retreat at Calumet.

Bethesda Bible Study

Bethesda Bible study meets every 2 weeks and is currently studying The Letter to the Romans. The next meeting will be at 8AM to 9AM on Wednesday, January 17, 2024. We will discuss The Letter to the Romans 8:18-39 which corresponds to N. T. Wright's Romans chapter 10. Please read the selections before the meeting.

New:  Please make a note of any question that is important to you. Rather than discuss all the questions, we will spend more time on questions that interest us, intrigue us, puzzle us, or just makes us think.

To access the call on Zoom, join from PC, Mac, Linux, IOS or Android;
or Telephone: 203 432 9666
Meeting ID:  961 0888 6279

Worship Preparation Opportunity!

By coming to church a bit early on Sunday morning and delaying your cup of coffee a few minutes after the service, you can be a big help as an Altar Guild volunteer! There are detailed instructions and experienced folks to show you the way to set-up and clean-up for communion. This gift of your time and care would be greatly appreciated. Sign up in the orange folder in the narthex or contact the church office.

Thank you to Sue Berube for serving!

2023 Giving Statements, available after January 20

Breeze allows you to log in and print your own giving statement for use with taxes or general information. This link will bring you to 3-step instructions to create your own giving statement. Create Statement

If you have questions or need help, please contact Leigh [email protected]

Olivewood to Benefit Bethlehem Artisans

Pastor Keyl is acquiring handmade olivewood crafts on January 17 and available to take home beginning Sunday, January 24.  To place your order in advance, look for a sign-up sheet to make your product selection. Questions? Ask Pastor Keyl or email Leigh Cromey at [email protected]. See the items below:

2 large olive wood nativity music boxes ($70 ea)
2 small nativities with rustic wood backs ($20 ea)
5 medium nativities ($35 ea)
3 small nativities ($12 ea)
2 medium bells with holy family carving ($30 ea)
2 medium holy family carvings ($50)
2 small bell with holy family carvings ($10)
1 small star holy family carving ($25)
1 palm cross ($7)
2 peace dove pins ($4 ea)
6 holy family tree ornaments ($5 ea)

NOTICE Annual Meeting January 28, 2024

The Congregation Council has set Sunday, January 28, for Bethesda’s Annual Meeting. It will follow worship and be held in the Campanius Room.  

The agenda includes:

 - A review of the 2023 Annual Report (to be distributed electronically prior to the meeting, with hard copies available by request)
 - ACTION: Ratify amendments to Bethesda’s constitution.
 - ACTION: Approve the 2024 budget.
 - ACTION: Elect candidates to open Council positions as proposed by the Nominating Committee
 - Updates on Bethesda’s Sustainable Future: discerning partnership with non-profits while our ministry continues.

A light potluck lunch will precede the meeting. We ask that you provide food in categories by last name:

A - E -- please bring desserts
F - K -- please bring sandwiches
L - Y -- please bring salads

Vegetarian, dairy-free, and gluten-free options are appreciated. Please label your food offerings.

Childcare will be provided during the meeting.

Bethesda Music Series

The next BMS concert will be presented on Feb. 25 at 4:30 will feature Gabriel Fauré’s Requiem. Donations from the concert will benefit Downtown Evening Soup Kitchen (DESK) and will be a collaboration with the choir of First Presbyterian Church in New Haven.

Abraham’s Tent (AT) week is February 19-25

After a multi-year hiatus beginning with the COVID pandemic outbreak, this interfaith homeless shelter program, in partnership with Columbus House, has resumed in a new way. Volunteers from faith communities will provide dinner and companionship with ten men from Columbus House each week during the winter. AT will not be at congregations, but at the Wallingford Emergency Shelter (WES). Commitments include meal preparation, evening companionship, and lunch bags for the next day, with onsite presence from about 4:00 pm to 10:00 pm. Columbus House will provide its own overnight staffing.  Bethesda will be collaborating with Spring Glen United Church of Christ. Bethesda groups will be invited to staff one or more evenings.

Coordinating this year’s AT will be Dan Cortright and Pastor Keyl.

Pastoral Care

If you’d like to meet with Pastor Keyl, please make an appointment through Bethesda’s administrator Leigh Cromey [email protected] or by calling (203) 787-2346 most weekday mornings. Pastor Keyl can meet at your home, at Bethesda, or over a cup of coffee somewhere.

Prayer Requests

For healing and strength: Sue Bormolini; Becky Lerud; Michele Meyer, daughter-in-law of Marietta Meyer; Linda Johnson; John Ferreira, nephew of Chris Couture; Sonja Krummrey; Maureen Anderson; Shirley Farm; Ann 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.

Pray for an end to violence in the Middle East: Donations are being received for our companion synod the ELCJHL through Bethesda, using “ELCJHL” in the memo, or “Special Gifts” on Tithely.

For Confirmation Youth and Families on retreat at Calumet this weekend.

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 or seeking candidacy for rostered leadership in the ELCA: Natalie Benson, Gabrielle Brown, Tyler Fair, Calli Micale, Tim Bergeland, Jordan Baker, Eric Pitts.