BethesdaLife-Line

Worship Services*Sunday 8:30 & 10:00AM

Service of Holy Communion is celebrated on the First and Third Sundays of each month.

Coffee fellowship is held in the fellowship room following the Sunday Worship service. All are invited to share in conversation and warm fellowship.

Dec. 4 Sunday Worship 9:00 AM AMCommunion

Dec. 11 Sunday Worship 9:00 AM

Dec. 18 Sunday Worship 9:00 AMCommunion

Dec. 24 Christmas Eve Worship 3:30 &5:00 PM

Dec. 25 Sunday Worship 10:00 AM

Bethesda Mission Statement:We will LIVE and SERVE through FAITHwe will ACT with LOVE and KINDNESSwe will GIVE hope and SUPPORT to all

Upcoming Events

Dec. 5 -Church Christmas Party

Dec. 10 WELCA Christmas Luncheon.

Dec. 18 Cantata 9:00 one service only until Spring

2016Christmas Day Potluck Dinner

If you find yourself alone this Christmas Day, why not join others in the same situation.  Plan to participate in a Potluck Dinner in the Fellowship Hall following the 10:00 a.m. Christmas Day Service.  A sign-up sheet will be in the narthex with a suggested menu or feel free to bring your favorite dish to share.  Ham will be provided

The choir has been busy practicing our cantata for the upcoming Christmas Season.  We will be presenting a Christmas Musical “The King of Love" on Dec. 18th at 9:00 am. It is a wonderful inspiring Cantata with a few of our choir members singing solo's.  Make sure you put this on your calendar for Dec 18th at 9:00 am.  It will be a wonderful way to start the Christmas week and celebrate the birth of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.  I wish a Merry Christmas to all of my Church family here at Bethesda.  Thank you for all of your support to our wonderful choir and to myself throughout the year!  God Bless all of you with a wonderful Christmas season and a Happy & Healthy 2017!  Sheila Penoyer/Choir Director.

Orders for poinsettias to be placed in the sanctuaryChristmas poinsettia tree will be taken through Sunday Dec 4. A member of Altar Care will be in the Fellowship Hall between church services to take orders.

1

From the Interim Pastor

Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ,

As we move into the work of Interim Ministry, Three Questions focus the energy of our journey together.Two of these Interim Questions are:“What is God’s hope and

dream for you (Bethesda Lutheran Church of Malmo)?” Or, in other words, “Why do you exist, and for whom? What would someone who observes you from the outside conclude about your sense of purpose and mission?”

“In what ways are you strong and unique?”Or, in other words,“What are you clearly good at? What ministry activities bring out the best in you and seem to be valued by others?”

These two questions are 2/3 of our Interim Work! The third question comes a little later. For now, please put on your “Identity and Purpose” hat (question #1) and your “Gifts and Resources” hat (question #2) because we are about ready to answer these questions. Please mark your calendar for the First Interim Conversation on Sunday, December 4, 2016. We will worship at 9:00am and gather in the Fellowship Hall at 10:00am. Please make every effort to participate in this conversation! We will be working together to discern the top priorities for BLC looking at the Five Functions of the church (see below). Take a look at the ministries under each of the Five Functions of the Church. You will be asked to choose what ministries are most important to you. This will be fun! You get to vote and share your opinions around the table with your friends in Christ. The conversation will be reported to our Call Committee and be used to complete our Ministry Site Profile that prospective pastors will review before being interviewed for Call to BLC.

So, here we go! BLC’s Interim has begun!!Pr. Terry

What is most important for you as a person Worshiping in this church? Pick 5 in each area.

LEARNINGSunday School & VBSCatechism (Confirmation)Adult Education (Bible Study & Forums)Youth MinistryChristian's MinistryYoung Adult MinistryRetreat MinistryMission Statement and Vision MinistryLutheran Living (ELCA Publication)Men & Women's MinistrySmall Group MinistryFellowship

SUPPORTProportional Giving (Tithe)a sign of mature

StewardshipBenevolenceStaffing for GrowthAdequate FacilitiesLeadership TrainingStewardship EducationMutual Ministry CommitteeCurrent technology tools and office support

SERVICEWork ProjectsNursing home visits/worshipELCA Disaster Relief OfferingsWorld HungerWork Camp (Youth & Adult)Elder CareCommunity Support and LeadershipReady to Act when need is presentedWorking with other congregationsPastoral CareHelping Hands

WITNESSCommunity OutreachChildren's worship resourcesCommunity Marketing & AdvertisingMember Participation in Service OrganizationGlobal MinistryWelcome VisitsOne on One VisitsUsing Facility for OthersDoor to Door Visitation

2

Parish NurseCare of the EnvironmentQuiltingWebsiteNeighborhood Care Group

WORSHIPMusicLiturgyLiturgical DramaLectors (reading God's word)PreachingPrayersSilent MeditationHoly CommunionHoly BaptismBlessingsChildren SermonsStaffed NurserySharing the PeaceAltar CommitteeAcolytes, Ushers, Greeters

Bethesda Lutheran Church of Malmo Excerpt from Monthly Treasurer's Report

OCTOBER 2016Month YTD

Income Actual$ 23,289 $76,562Income Budgeted $16,333 $32,667Expense Actual $7,704 $48,451Expense Budgeted $13,793 $27,586Over/(Short) $15,585 $28,111

Bethesda Lutheran Church of MalmoMinutes of November 15, 2016 Council Meeting

In attendance: Randy Tofteland, Mary Braun, Lee Forrester, Craig Kullberg, Melody Lackner, Pastor Terry Frovik, Ron Mehlhop, Tom Christenson and Judie Birk.

The meeting was called to order by council president, Randy Tofteland.

Secretary's Report: Motion was made to accept the minutes of the October meeting by Mary Braun, seconded by Lee

Forrester, and passed. Treasurer's Report:Mary Braun is now the liaison for the Stewardship and Finance committee. A motion to approve the recommendation for changes to the financial statement and that Mary Braun and Randy Tofteland will work with the Stewardship and Finance committee to finalize the details was made by Tom Christenson and seconded by Melody Lackner and passed. Financial view and current month activity for October was presented by Mary Braun. Motion was made by Lee Forrester to accept the treasurer’s report, seconded by Craig Kullberg and passed. Interim Pastor Terry Frovik Report: Pastor Terry talked about being an interim pastor and about tools that a congregation can use. On December 4, after the 9 am service, there will be Interim Conversations with the congregation in the Fellowship Hall. Explanation along with a ministry site profile will be in the December newsletter. The transition team is Joanne Stueven, Pat Becker, Sandy Pullen, Darlene Christensen, George Smith and Gene Whipple. Pastor Terry will work with transition team on some visual tools for this congregational discussion.DATES: Sept. 7 – Nov. 15WORSHIP SERVICES

Sunday Morning – 12Holy Communion Services – 6Sermons – 12

MEETINGS – 16Interim Synod, Duluth Oct. 6th Fall Theological Conference, Grand Rapids,

Sept. 26th VISITATIONS Health Care Centers – 4CLASSES TAUGHT

Bible Study – 2 Confirmation – 2

SPECIAL EVENTS Jamboree, Sept 23rd

Bazaar, Oct. 29th

Old Business: Nov. 20 Special Congregation Meeting:

1. Finalize meeting agenda and format (Randy showed us an example of estimated annual costs with and without a parsonage that we will share with the congregation before the vote.)

2. The ballet wording was approved3. Members list was discussed

3

4. Finalize voting process – assignments were given for handing out and counting ballots.

5. Review supporting documents (annual operating costs, etc.)

6. Discuss and finalize actions post vote

A motion was made to approve the ballot as written by Mary Braun, seconded by Tom Christianson and passed.

BLCM Action List — Discussion on how we use this tool will be discussed more at our December meeting.

Web site design — Content has been added and the team is working on finalizing the design. We hope to be up and live soon.

New Business:Constitution — Review Chap 12 – Congregation Council Responsibilities — Randy Tofteland asked that the council review the current constitution and especially Chapter 12 on council responsibilities. He will championing this process to make recommendations to our current constitution leading up to next year’s annual meeting.Fellowship Hospitality Sign-up — It seems we’ve been struggling to get people to sign up for the hospitality between services. One suggestion was to have the church purchase cookies and/or donuts. Judie Birk will bring this to the Mission and Evangelism committee for further discussion.A van for shut-ins and outings — An outreach ministry was brought up for council to consider. We will add this to the BLCM Action List for future discussion.The Giving Tree — Pastor Terry brought up an idea of a Giving Tree 2017 where the congregation would share God’s unconditional love every day throughout the year. It was suggested that we try this during the 2017 Lenten period and work out the logistics. We could then apply it for the whole year of 2018.

Committee Reports:Randy asked that each committee representative report on what are the challenges or highlights in a verbal report to the council.

Mission & Evangelism:November 9, 2016 – Members present: Pastor Terry Frovik, Sue Samuelson, Sandy Pullen, Judie Birk, and Joanne Stueven1.We shared our job description and 2016 annual report with Pastor Terry. 2. We explained the "Assessing your Hospitality" survey that is being completed by committees and individuals.Pastor Terry thought this would be a valuable tool in helping the transition team collect information for the Internal Inventory portion of the Ministry Site Profile.3. Mary Vukelich suggested we consider looking at lessons available at info@elca.org . This is in conjunction with celebrating the 500 anniversary of the reformation. Pastor Terry would like to study Luther's Small Catechism in the 21st Century with adults and confirmation students Wednesday evenings during the Lenten season.4. Pastor Terry is going to contact staff at First Lutheran Church in Aitkin to see it there are youth activities that could extend the experiences of our four confirmation students. We are willing to offer volunteers or donations to support their programs.5. This Christmas season we will offer Heifer International Gifts and ELCA 's Animal Gift Program. Displays will be set up in Fellowship Hall.Sue and Judy will set up the Aitkin area Christmas Giving tree collecting mittens, hats, and gifts for local families in need.Our traditional Christmas Caring and Sharing Outreach will be asking for suggestions of names of of people who could use food gift cards over the holidays.Stewardship & Finance:RECOMMENDATIONS FROM STEWARDSHIP AND FINANCE COMMITTEEWithin the Statement of Financial Position:Recommend closing out fund 340 Endowment/Memorial net asset account and moving the $6,339.69 into Liabilities under Restricted Memorial (total) $1882.00 and Unrestricted Memorial (total) $4457.69. Fund numbers to be set up by Mary Braun. The restricted account will give a summary of designated giving.Within the Statement of ActivitiesRecommend setting up an expense account for Memorials (There is an income fund at present but no expense account. By establishing an expense

4

account it will be easier to see what expenses are attributed to memorials)Other items we are considering and will discuss at the December meeting:The Edward Jones Fund 108 General Fund there are four categories : Endowment, Memorials, Scholarship and General Fund. The fund has a total of $25,345.52 with a breakdown of Scholarship of 3% ($3,346.77), Endowment of 10% ($2,514.92), Memorials of 22% ($5,555.00) and 55% General Fund. Question: Should the fund be left as is? Should there be restrictions on some of the funds to only use the interest generated? Should some of the funds be pulled out and moved into Liabilities?Pat Becker, ChairpersonWorship & Music:Members Present: Pastor Terry Frovik, Randy Tofteland, Paula Spetz, Sharon Whipple, Wally Swenson, Carol Bakken, Tom Christensen, Jim Christensen, Pat Kullberg, Julie Swaggert, The meeting was held on November 3 and begin with an opening prayer by Randy Tofteland. It was announced that Jim Christensen has accepted the recently created position of Digital Music and Technology Coordinator. Much of the meeting focused on the committee’s review of the Committee job description. It was agreed further work needs to be completed to get the job description up to date on current and new responsibilities and systems put in place to track and manage those responsibilities. Discussion was held regarding the need for someone from within the committee to step up and assume the committee chairperson role. Randy Tofteland is currently filling this role on an interim basis, but he explained that needs to end in December. The committee discussed the need for someone to schedule readers for the worship service lessons and Psalm. Until someone is appointed for this role Carol Bakken agreed to schedule the November readers and Paula Spetz the December readers. The committee discussed multiple changes and additions that are planned for worship services. It was agreed that Pastor Terry would explain the intent of these changes during upcoming services and that this will help the congregation understand and deal with ongoing change. The committee selected hymns for the month of November and adjourned the meeting after praying the Lord’s Prayer.

Motion was made to adjourn by Judie Birk,

seconded by Tom Christenson, and passed.

The next council meeting will be December 13, 2016 at 5:30pm.Respectfully submitted by Judie Birk, council secretary.

The Special Congregational Meeting, to vote on whether the church continues to own a parsonage or not, came to order at 10:00 am on November 20, 2016. The meeting was brought to order by council president Randy Tofteland. Pastor Terry Frovik led an opening prayer. We did have a quorum, as there were 95 church members who voted. Randy began with an explanation of the ballot and process. The ballot had two items to vote on, as follows:___ My vote is to continue to provide our Pastor a parsonage and to approve the church council to make a final parsonage building decision for up to $200,000 along with the appropriate financing to complete the project.

___My vote is to not provide a Parsonage to our Pastor and in lieu of that, pay our Pastor a housing allowance that is in-line with the then customary Synod guidelines which is currently 30% of the Pastor’s base salary.

After many questions and discussion, it was put to a vote.

The vote to continue to provide our Pastor a parsonage won with 59 votes. There were 35 votes to not provide a parsonage and 1 vote that had a question mark.

The next step will be with the Building Committee to gather information for a building decision. Randy asked the congregation to consider helping and giving support to the project.

A motion to close the meeting was made by Jim Lange, seconded by Dick Stebbins and passed. Pastor Terry Frovik gave a closing prayer.

Respectfully submitted by Judie Birk, council secretary

Join us on Thursdays at 12:30 to play 500 or dominoes! Join in on the fun and potluck!Double Pinochle has started at 1:00 on Mondays.

5

2016 Holiday Bazaar Results The final figures for the Oct 2016 Holiday bazaar proceeds are:

Raffle $ 1,435.00 Lunch counter 818.30 Hot lefse 93.00 Quilts, crafts, cookie walk,

Baked goods, 8,584.45 Credit cards 1,719.77

TOTAL $12,650.52Thank you to all who participated in making the bazaar a success.

WELCA Mtg – Nov. 16, 2016Chairwoman Sandy Pullen opened the mtg with 18 members present. The luncheon prayer was read & refreshments were served by Janice Olson and Pat Becker. Devotions were given by Jeannine.The secy’s report was accepted as written in the Sept Lifeline.The treasurer’s report was given by Dianne Jones. Motion made to accept the report by Janice, Elsa seconded it. Motion passed.Old business:

Char reported on the bazaar proceeds.Lynn reported on the Dec. 10th WELCA

luncheon plans. Set up will be Fri, Dec 9th at 11 A.M.

Marilyn & Pat reported on the church Christmas party plans for Dec. 5th.

The Wish List for Thrivent Action Projects was started and discussed.

Sandy will contact a local person re: the fellowship hall window coverings.

Jeannine reported on the Fall Heartland Conference @ the Lord of the Light church in Baxter.

There was discussion to drop the church COSTCO card. Council will be notified of the discussion. New business:

A list of ideas for how and where to spend the 2016 bazaar benevolence money was

made. Final decisions on the list and amounts of money will be made at the Jan. WELCA meeting.A motion was made by Elsa & seconded by Pat to give Jan Phillips a $50 gift card for being Mrs. Santa at the bazaar.The next WELCA mtg is Jan 11th at 9:30 A.M.Servers for refreshments will be Judy Wurio & Cheri Johnson.

Motion by Shirley & 2nd by Char to adjourn the meeting. The Lord’s Prayer was prayed in unison.Respectfully submitted, Char Berg

SIMPLY GIVING is an automated giving program through Thrivent Financial for Lutherans which allows us to conveniently, consistently and joyfully contribute to the work of Bethesda. Through this program, your gifts are made through a pre-authorized withdrawal from your bank account. You determine the amount and frequency of your automatic gift. For more information contact Barb Forrester

Notice to UshersBefore the service, bring offering plates to altar on the first Sunday of the month, bring blessing boxes also.

After the sermon hymn, go to the altar and pastor will give you the plates for the offering, when finished wait for his nod to come forward. Snuff

The Church Choir needs you! Wednesday night at 6:00, Practice has begun for the Christmas Cantata; every voice contributes to our performance.

BETHESDA CHRISTMAS PARTYMONDAY, DEC. 5 Social Hour- 5:00 PMMeal- 6:00 PM COST- $15.00 includes tipThe party will be held at Flagship. Tickets will go on sale in November.

LADIES CHRISTMAS LUNCHEONWITH CATHY HUGHES

6

SATURDAY, DECEMBER 10 at 11:30Tickets will go on sale in November. Cost $10.00.All women are welcome. Bring a friend

Special dates• First Sunday of Advent, November 27• Second Sunday of Advent, December 4, • Third Sunday of Advent, December 11• First Day of Winter, December 21• Fourth Sunday of Advent, December 18• Christmas Eve, December 24• Christmas Day, December 25• New Year’s Eve/Watch Night, December 31

Coming Soon! Christmas Giving!Each Christmas season we have shared a portion of the veggie stand dollars and local benevolence donations with local families or individuals in need. There will be a Christmas Caring and Sharing suggestion box in narthex . If you know of someone who could use food or gas cards please complete the suggestion form provided.

There will also be information in the Fellowship Hall from the ELCA and Heifer International suggesting we consider giving animals to poor countries as part of our families Christmas giving .

The traditional Mitten Tree will be in Narthex. Children's gifts of clothing or toys will be collected and taken to the Moose Lodge Children Program for kids in the Aitkin area.

Keeping ChristmasAre you willing to believe that love is the strongest thing in the world — stronger than hate, stronger than evil, stronger than death — and that the blessed life which began in

Bethlehem [two thousand] years ago is the image and brightness of the Eternal Love?

Then you can keep Christmas. And if you can keep it for a day, why not always? But you can never keep it alone.Christmas Care is one of the five designations for local benevolence. 20% of all committee

members. Money for local benevolence comes from envelope giving and the veggie stand. If someone designates a specific charity then that entire donation goes to that charity. Christmas Care was added to the list of categories for local benevolence in 2012. The Mission and Evangelism committee is in charge of this donation and two people and pastor are the only people who know where this money goes. The full 20% plus any specified donation is given out around Christmas time in the form of grocery cards. If you know of someone who needs some groceries for the holiday, there will be a suggestion box put up several weeks before Christmas. What a great time of the year to show our generosity and giving spirit to those in need. Have a blessed Christmas and a Happy New Year.

SNOWBIRDS Before you leave to head towarmer climates please let Mary in the officeknow your forwarding address and the dates youwill be gone (Telephone No./e-mail too?) so that wemay get your newsletters and any other informationto you. If you can’t find Mary, just leave a note onthe secretary’s desk with the pertinent information.

Christmas Worship Schedule

Dec 18th – Christmas Cantata, one service 9:00am

Dec. 24th Christmas Eve Services 3:30 & 5:00 p.m.

Dec. 25th 10:00 Christmas one service only

Service with Christmas potluck to follow. Sundays in January, February and March, one service only at 9:00, coffee hour to follow.

7