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JULY 2020 Volume #586
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In this issue… BeFrienders ........................ 4 Children ............................. 4 Finance ............................... 6 Mission Interpreter ............ 7 News .....................................3 Pastor .................................. 2 Scrip ..................................... 5
1321 North Ave., Northfield, MN 55057 • 507.786.6674 • bethelnorthfield.org • facebook.com/bethellutheran
TALKING ON THE TELEPHONE
WELCOME, JESSICA! Jessica Labenski has joined the church staff this summer as a pas-toral intern. She’ll be involved in many aspects of church ministry, particularly shadowing Pastor Tim, as she discerns whether minis-try is her future vocation.
Welcome, Jess - we’re so glad you have you with us!
Bethel's Befrienders and Companions ministries have been using phone calls to stay connected to Bethel members. During this time of social isolation, a phone call is meant to "check in" with a member and let them know that Bethel is here to support you. Bethel wants to stay connected while we continue the Stay Home/ Stay Safe social distancing practices necessitated by the pandemic.
Some members have been unreachable by phone, others are not interested in being called, and some of you may want a caller
to check-in with you. Please let us know what you need to stay connected by calling the church office at 786-6674.
AND, if you are thinking about a
person who sits near you at church or shares a table with you at coffee hour, please become a caller. What JOY in knowing that somebody is thinking of you!
ATTENTION SMALL GROUPS Bethel has opened to small groups of ten or fewer members, including our Scout Troop and a Bible study group. Each group meets in the CLC.
Masks and social distancing are required. Hand sanitizer is available for use in and out of the building. The custodians are sanitizing the space between uses.
If your small group would like to meet in person, please contact Candy in the church office. ANTI-RACISM SMALL GROUP
Several of us have wanted to start a group that would watch and discuss podcasts and films monthly that would help us be more educated about racism and that would also teach us how to become more active anti-racism advocates. Now is the time for this to happen. If you are interested in being part of such a group and/or have questions about it, please contact Paula Mathison at 507-645-7546 or 612-702-
2496 -- or Connie DeGrote at 507-645-7091 or 507-581-0240. We are hoping to begin this summer. Depending on how many are interested, we will probably start on Zoom. Do not let that put you off. We will make sure this will work for you if you want to be part of this study group.
Page 2 THE BETHEL BANNER
Dear Partners,
A monk from Big Sur, California, was asked recently, “Do you think there is a future for your way of life?” Imagine receiving such a question. The questioner might well have asked, “Doesn’t your practice of poverty, chastity, and obedience while living in a communal setting - a practice nearly 2,000 years old - make you irrelevant to modern life and needs?” Do you have a future?
My mind immediately turned to the question that has been asked again and again since the outbreak of Covid 19: When we get back to normal, will there be a church to return to? Will people return to the church after months of being shut out of church? Will some church members decide that now is the time to let church membership go? I have heard pastors say, “When we open up again, will anyone return to Christian community?”
“Do you think there is a future for your way of life?”
I think that the monk’s answer is instructive. He said our community is “ready to evolve and grow with the living Church.”
Two points deserve emphasis. First, he said that in his monastic community (the New Camaldoli Hermitage of Big Sur, California) they “are ready to evolve and grow.”
Whatever difficulties the church in North America was facing before March 2020, the stakes and challenges are higher now since the pandemic took hold. As endangered as the church (in its local, national, and global expressions) was before COVID-19, the stakes are much higher now. I submit that if the church in all its expressions is unwilling to
evolve and grow, it may just find itself irrelevant in a post-Covid society. As I wrote last month, “if you [church members] cannot come to us…then we must go to you.” I suggested that we must embrace a “Bethel Inside Out” response to Covid 19. Your Church Council and staff are working diligently to flesh out this strategy. This is the time, the time to evolve and grow.
The second point to notice in the monk’s response is that we must be ready “to evolve and grow with the living church.” Notice, he did not say evolve and grow with changes in society. There have been wonderful societal changes in recent decades that mirror closely the commitments of the church. We celebrate those developments.
But the church does not take its cues from society or from its legislative bodies. The church has a calling. It answers to the Lord of the church - Jesus Christ. A council and staff of a local congregation trying to evolve and grow takes its cues from Jesus. Where is Jesus leading this church? How does Jesus need us to change so that the
FROM OUR SENIOR PASTOR... body of Christ (the church) will continue to be the voice of Jesus addressing questions of salvation, forgiveness, spiritual growth, welcoming, inclusion, justice, peacemaking, and harmony in the society in which it finds itself?
Transformation is not easy. Adhering to the tried and true is easier. Holding to the familiar because it is less disruptive is always a temptation. But this is not the future of Bethel Lutheran Church. Like the monks of Big Sur, we can, we must, we will continue “to evolve and grow with the living Church.” Please join us in this effort. Please pray for your leaders. Please speak your truth about how this congregation can continue to be the love and the light of Christ in the world.
Your Partner in the Gospel,
JUNE 2020 Page 3
Vision Seekers will have a Zoom get together on Tuesday, July 14, at 7 pm. If you'd like to add your email to the list and join the group, send the request to [email protected].
Would you prefer to receive the
Monthly Banner via email? Contact the church office and we’ll add you to the email list.
NEWS FROM AROUND BETHEL
HELP AVAILABLE Are you affected by all the layoffs and slowdowns and in need of our Good Samaritan Fund?
Are you stressed out, or depressed, or lonely, and in need of our pastoral care ministries?
Are you sheltering in place and in need of our Errand Angel ministry?
Whatever help you might need, Bethel wants to stand with you. Contact the church office.
Are you in a good spot and can offer your help? Contact the church office for that, too!
Pray with us! Bethelites are praying for each other, church staff, and the world each morning at 8:45 a.m. Use the prayer from our Facebook post on Mondays, the prayer in the Weekly Banner, a prayer of your choice, or freestyle it. Where two or three are gathered, Jesus is there - even through social distancing!
BLOOD DRIVE AT THE LIBRARY Memorial Blood Center will be holding a blood drive outside the Northfield Public Library on Thursday, July 9, 1:30-6:30. Go to mbc.org or contact Karen Mader, if you’d like to sign up.
WORSHIP SERVICES ON TV Worship services are available on NTV daily at midnight, 9 a.m. and 6:30 p.m. on Cable Ch. 187, and at the NRC on Sundays, Tuesdays, and Thursdays at 1 p.m.
The Bethel Banner is published monthly as a ministry of Bethel Lutheran Church of Northfield, Minnesota. Articles are due by the 15th of each month. Questions, suggestions, or comments? Contact editor Lisa McDermott at [email protected], or call the church office at 786-6674.
FAITH AND BOOKS FaB, our women’s book group, has started reading Barking to the Choir by Father Gregory Boyle. FaB meets the first and third Thursdays of each month at 9:30 a.m. for an hour on Zoom. Our July meeting dates are July 2 and July 16. The book is available at Content Bookstore in Northfield or wherever you buy books.
We would love to have you join us; you can join at any time by emailing Lana Reich at [email protected]. Do not be put off by Zoom. We can help you get started and the book discussion in small groups works great. Hope you will join us.
REACHING OUT TO OUR NEIGHBORS Are your days feeling long? Then consider helping out at the CAC with special food packing projects. The CAC needs volunteers desperately this summer - and kids are welcome, too. (Kids 13 and under must be accompanied by an adult.)
Plan to work from 10 a.m. - 12 p.m. on any of the specified days. Masks, gloves, and hand sanitizer will be provided and participants will safely distance. Contact the church office if you’d like to help. You can also find the sign-up link in the Weekly Banner email on Wednesdays.
ARE YOU AN AMAZON SHOPPER? During our social distancing, many of us are shopping online more than usual. Your purchases on Amazon can benefit Bethel, through Amazon Smile. If you go to smile.amazon.com and choose Bethel from the list of organizations, .5% of your purchase totals will be donated back to Bethel. How great - and easy - is that?!
Thanks for all that you give!
Our Virtual VBS: PANdemic Edition was great fun! If you missed out, check our Bethel Facebook page or the Children’s Ministry page of our website to watch the Opening Messages, Bible story skits, and participate in all the At Home activities!
God as our Rock or a Fraying Thread of Hope
What a wild ride we have experienced in 2020! This has been a year filled with uncertainty, frantic creativity and innovation, fear, pain, anger, and opportunities.
My sister recently reminded me that “in God’s economy, nothing is wasted.” Sometimes it is easy to see God’s hand
WHAT’S NEW IN CHILDREN’S MINISTRY?
Children ~ Youth ~ Disciples ~ Children ~ Youth ~ Disciples
Brenda Atzinger, Director of Children’s Ministries
786-8878 [email protected]
in a situation. Other times it seems he is very far away. Especially in those distant times, it is helpful to cling to that which is unchanged. God is sovereign. God is love. God is good…all the time. God is with us through the happy times and the gut-wrenching times.
Sometimes is it easy to stand our ground with God as our rock, steadying our steps. Yet, holding onto faith and hope are not always easy. Sometimes it is a deliberate, almost desperate choice. There have been times in my life where I felt like I was hanging on to a fraying thread of hope and faith. But I cannot imagine how I would have persevered without at least that thread to keep me
connected to the source of life, hope, and joy.
May you be blessed today, whether you are standing on a rock or clinging to a fraying thread of hope. Know that the God who holds the universe in the palm of his hand, also knows the number of hairs on your head and loves you beyond measure.
Be blessed! We’re in this together.
~ Brenda
Page 4 THE BETHEL BANNER
2020 seems to be a year that demands we reshape ourselves. First, we were asked to figure out how to survive a potentially deadly virus. Most recently, a disturbing video demanded we view the way we treat each other, specifically how we respond to those whose skin color is different than ours. We are filled with emotions of fear and doubt. Although it’s hard to believe, it’s not our actual circumstances that cause our emotions, but rather our thoughts and attitudes about those circumstances. As Henry Ford once quipped, “Whether you think you can or think you can’t, you are right.” In other words, although we cannot control our emotions, we can learn to choose the thoughts that produce them.
Today’s circumstances seem to be daunting, to the point one exclaims “I just can’t do it anymore”! This “can’t”
BEFRIENDERS by Marci Groenewold
attitude is a setup for failure since “can’t” almost always means “won’t”. If you get into the “can’t” mindset, you might want to think of “can’t” as this acronym: Can After Numerous Tries. We might not get it right on the first try, but sometimes our best teachers are our failures and mistakes. As the Japanese proverb advises, “Fall down seven times, get up eight”. Be gentle and kind with yourself as well as those around you as the reshaping happens. Think about what’s right for you and keep trying as you continue to learn, grow and improve.
Consider what could happen if you change your thinking and ultimately your life:
When you change your thinking, you change your beliefs,
When you change your beliefs, you change your expectations,
When you change your expectations, you change your attitude,
When you change your attitude, you change your behavior,
When you change your behavior, you change your performance,
When you change your performance, you change your life.
- Anonymous
Blessings from Bethel’s BeFriender Coordinators
A fundamental BeFriender principle: “God is Present”. For more information regarding the BeFriender Ministry at Bethel, please contact Marci Groenewold (507-649-0760), Knight Stanley (612-877-0893), Myrna Luehmann (507-951-7112), Vicki Roller (507-645-8999) or the Bethel Office (786-6674)
Summer Zoom Schedule
It’s summer and yes, we’re planning to still meet some by Zoom. Below is the July schedule:
• 6th grade - once/month, beginning Wednesday, June 17, 4 p.m.
• 7th grade - every other Monday beginning next week, 4 p.m.
• 8th grades - every other Tuesday, beginning next week, 4 p.m.
9th grade - once/month, beginning Thursday, June 18, 4:00 p.m.
Zoom links will be sent by email and text the days of your meetings!
Hang Time is continuing to meet through the summer. Meetings will take place at 1 p.m. every other Wednesday at a different location each time. Safe distancing will be used. You will receive text updates with the
WHAT’S HAPPENING IN YOUTH MINISTRY?
location for the week and whether or not you will need masks.
Hey Middle School Youth ~
Summer SonShine Days are back?!? We have plans for ways we can still have fun while distancing. Bethel 6th – 8th graders, put Wednesday, July 15, on your calendars and watch for more information at the beginning of July. Hooray – something on the calendar!!
Fall Youth Registrations ~ The Annual Scoop and a new electronic registration packet have been sent to your email boxes. If you haven’t already completed the registration, please do it soon to enable our planning for the fall. Hopefully, it will feel easier than the paper version we’re all used to!
Barb Farmer, Director of Youth Ministries
786-8877 [email protected]
JUNE 2020 Page 5
Children ~ Youth ~ Disciples SCRIP ONLINE Did you know that you can continue to participate in Scrip from your home? It’s as easy going to shopwithscrip.com and signing up for online payments with their PrestoPay system (much like Paypal’s system) or a credit card.
There are many different national retailers who participate in Scrip and a great number of them offer the ability to purchase e-gift cards and/or reload physical cards. If you are already in possession of one, you can reload a Cub or Speedway card online or purchase a Subway, Target or Dominos e-gift card. You can also purchase e-gift cards to be emailed to a recipient elsewhere.
Signing up is easy to do:
1. Go to shop.shopwithscrip.com and click “Sign In” then “Join a Scrip Program.”
2. Enter Bethel’s enrollment code (obtained by contacting Krista Sorenson at 612/840-3626 (call or text) or [email protected].
3. Once you enter the enrollment code, follow the directions to set up your account (accounts are family-based, not distinct to individual children). An email will then be automatically sent to Lori Cowdin, our Scrip coordinator, who will “approve” your registration.
4. To order e-cards and reload cards, you will also need to set up a PrestoPay account or pay online with a credit card. (FYI: There is a 15¢ fee, per time, to use PrestoPay and a 2.6% charge for using a credit card but it is a minor amount when compared to the return earned on many cards). To enroll in PrestoPay, you will need your bank account number and routing number, along with the account holder information. Within 1-2 days of signing up, you will receive a small deposit in your bank account of a few pennies from Scrip. At that point, you simply need
to log back into ShopWithScrip, enter those small amounts, and create your PIN. To use a credit card, you will need to enter that card information as your payment method.
5. Start shopping while earning a percentage for your child’s trip or for the general youth scholarships! Please note: Make sure you are either reloading a card you already have, or that you are buying a ScripNow! e-gift card—physical cards are available for online ordering but they are sent to church and you will not be able to pick them up, at least not in the near future.
6. If you wish, you can also use the MyScripWallet website which operates on a smartphone like an app—it is an easy and convenient way to use Scrip. The “app” can be found at myscripwallet.com and can be utilized after you have followed the above steps.
If at any time you have questions, please contact Krista, or Lori at [email protected]. The support team at ShopWithScrip is also a great resource for many issues. Your support makes a huge difference in the lives of our Bethel youth and their ability to participate in summer camps and trips—Thank you!
OPERATING RESULTS SUMMARY We continue to have incredible support from our members and staff, resulting in another great month, financially. We are so thankful to all of you! Net Income May: $18k net income vs. $2k net income budgeted. Revenue May: $79k actual, $1,500 over budgeted. YTD revenue is below budget by $2.5k (1%). Expense May: $61k actual vs. $75k budgeted. YTD expenses are $336k vs. $380k budgeted. Garbage pick-up has been restarted, but compost is still on hold.
Page 6 THE BETHEL BANNER
FISCAL HEALTH as of May 31, 2020
ACTUAL May 2020
YEAR TO DATE
Actual Budget
Fav (Unfav)
Variance Annual Budget
Revenue Total Revenue $79,106 $434,918 $437,525 $(2,607) $990,000
Expenses
Personnel $42,432 $231,765 $256,647 $24,882 $704,549
Trustee 2,804 $35,462 44,737 9,275 85,873
Benevolence 10,308 $26,316 26,540 224 62,380
Mortgage/Reserves 3,407 $17,038 17,040 2 40,892
Youth Formation 708 $6,800 11,172 4,372 29,700
Administration 594 $12,088 14,525 2,437 44,275
Adult Formation (negative denotes income) 555 $813 1,975 1,162 4,845
Worship - $2,156 2,995 839 6,884
Stewardship 450 $1,491 1,964 473 7,200
Congregational Life - $1,700 1,949 249 3,402
Total Expenses $61,258 $335,629 $379,544 $43,915 $990,000
Net Income (Loss) $17,848 $99,289 $57,981 $41,308 0*
*We always budget our revenue to meet expenses.
While Nichole is on maternity leave, please contact
Alice Carson, [email protected]
JUNE 2020 Page 7
FROM OUR MISSION INTERPRETER By Lois Stratmoen
All staff may be reached through the main church phone number, 786-6674.
Staff
Timothy McDermott, Senior Pastor [email protected]
Megan Engel, Dir. of Music and Worship [email protected]
Barb Farmer, Dir. of Youth Ministries [email protected]
Brenda Atzinger, Dir. of Children’s Min. [email protected]
Juley Jenkinson, Nursery Coordinator [email protected]
Nichole Porath, Dir. of Finance [email protected]
GETTING IN TOUCH Candy Nordine, Secretary/Receptionist [email protected]
Church Council
Darlene Broughton - [email protected]
Chelsey Headrick - [email protected]
Brian Jermeland - [email protected]
Peder Jothen - [email protected]
Angie Mathews - [email protected]
Gordy Olson - [email protected]
Wade Schulz - [email protected]
I received this email from Lutheran Social Service, an agency that Bethel supports, and thought you would be interested in knowing what our contribution is helping do in a time of tragedy in Minneapolis. The email starts telling of a statement that Lutheran Social Service of Minnesota (LSS) had sent after the death of George Floyd. Here are just three stories that have encouraged me over the past week.
Meeting Basic Needs in South Minneapolis Yesterday at the Center for Changing Lives in Minneapolis, LSS volunteers and employees collected gifts to meet the immediate needs of those impacted by grocery store closures, damage to businesses, job loss and transportation challenges. We are grateful to more than 100 generous neighbors who showed up with essentials like food, diapers, toilet paper, shampoo, cleaning supplies, gift cards and more. Volunteers and items are still needed. For an updated list of opportunities in
the Twin Cities and around our state, please visit lssmn.org/helpneighbors.
Moving Quickly to Keep Twin Cities Youth Safe Last week in Saint Paul, riots and looting erupted near Rezek House, our transitional living program for youth ages 16-20 who are experiencing homelessness. Our employees needed to react quickly to protect Rezek’s residents, some of whom have young children of their own. Within hours, they found transportation and a safe alternative place to stay. After a weekend away, youth and children were welcomed home on Monday with a dinner freshly prepared and delivered by volunteers from a local congregation.
Preventing Evictions in North Minneapolis Housing is one of many disparities that Minnesotans of color face. In North Minneapolis, LSS Housing Services is promoting safe, stable housing by establishing relationships with landlords and advocating for families in court.
Our advocacy takes place at the Capitol, too. Between the COVID-19 pandemic and the destruction of local businesses, many of the families we support have lost some or all of their income. LSS is asking legislators to extend protections against eviction beyond our current state of emergency. Earlier this week, I was thrilled to learn that out of 50 families we have supported on the Northside – all of whom are African American – 100% are still in their homes after one year.
We celebrate successes like these. They are just a few of the ways LSS is working toward equity and justice – toward a Minnesota where all people have the opportunity to live and work in community with full and abundant lives. This work is far from complete – but thanks to your support, we are seeing more reasons for hope every day.
With gratitude,
Jesse M. Stremcha Vice President & Chief Development Officer
Tyler Severson - [email protected]
Pat Stahly - [email protected]
Bethel Lutheran Church 1321 North Avenue Northfield, MN 55057 ● ● ●
Phone: 507-786-6674 Web: www.bethelnorthfield.org www.facebook.com/bethellutheran Email: [email protected]
● ● ● Return Service Requested
Non-Profit Organization U.S. Postage Paid Northfield, MN
55057 Permit No. 138
Bethel’s Vision
Bethel’s Mission
JULY 2020
able crew of platform builders, Candy Nordine and the parking lot ushers, high school and college kids who have decorated the skirting on the platform, musicians, the AV team, Tim Valley, Kelly Groenewold, and (last but definitely not least) Pastor Tim and Megan!
DRIVE IN WORSHIP ROCKS! Join us every Sunday at 8:30 or 10 a.m. in the Bethel parking lot for worship. (Enter off Cedar Avenue.)
Many thanks to all the folks who have worked hard to make this worship happen, including Don Pavek and his
FIRESIDE WORSHIP CONTINUES ONLINE, TOO!
