STAR MAY 2015 - Bethlehem Covenant Church

STAR
May 2015, Issue 388
From the Senior Pastor
Dr. Ryan Eikenbary-Barber
Ten Places I Will Miss in Minnesota
10. Dunn Brothers on Lake Street
My favorite place to hide when I needed to buckle down and complete a sermon on Friday afternoon. Some
of you knew that Dunn Brothers on Lake Street was my not-so-secret hiding place, but you still gave me
freedom to write. Thank you! I met lots of neighbors and invited several new people to visit church at Dunn
Brothers.
9. Finnish Bistro
Here is a hidden gem close to Luther Seminary in the St. Anthony Park neighborhood in Saint Paul. Do you
like Swedish bulla rolls? The Finns call their rolls “pulla,” but it is essentially the same Scandinavian treat.
They also have a strange but wonderful concoction of cinnamon roll and cardamom pulla. There is also a
Dunn Brothers coffee shop next door. Every time I completed a major assignment in my doctoral work at
Luther Seminary, I would celebrate by visiting Finnish and Dunn.
8. Mel-O-Glaze Doughnuts
I was heartbroken that Scandia Bakery closed a few weeks before we moved back to Minneapolis in 2003.
Mel-O-Glaze has done a fine job of mending my broken heart while at the same time clogging my arteries.
7. Baseline Tennis Center at the University of Minnesota
I have to burn off those pulla rolls and doughnuts somewhere! It took me awhile to adjust to the maroon
and gold colored tennis courts, but now I love them. These indoor courts kept me sane and reasonably
healthy during the long, cold winters.
6. Covenant Pines Bible Camp
I used to speak at camp frequently when I was the associate pastor at Bethlehem. These days, I only get up
to camp for our family retreat. I don’t see enough of the Covenant Pines facility, but I see plenty of impact
of the ministry in the lives of our young people.
5. Blue Door Longfellow
I can’t eat cheese. It just doesn’t agree with me. Blue Door specializes in cheese-infused Juicy Lucies
(Blucies), but they never fail to make me the perfect Jif Peanut Butter hamburger, or spicy Thai chicken
sandwich. The fries are close to perfect. Order a cherry Coke.
4. Adventurous Christians
Most of my trips to the Boundary Waters Canoe Area have originated from A.C. The Covenant Church has a
wonderful launch pad for canoe trips into the Minnesota wilderness. I am surprised that more people don’t
take advantage of Adventurous Christians, their very own campground in the BWCA.
3. Minnehaha Academy
I am so grateful for the ministry of Minnehaha Academy. My wife had wonderful colleagues, administrators, and students working as the high school Spanish teacher. My three children had great teachers,
friends, and coaches. Don’t dismiss the notion of sending your kids or grandkids to Minnehaha without
checking out what kind of financial aid they might give your family. They are really trying to make the
school accessible.
1
...Continued on Page 2
From The Senior Pastor
Ryan Eikenbary-Barber
...Continued from page 1
2. Riverview Theater
Best popcorn ever! Only three bucks for a movie ticket! Two bucks if the show is before 5:00pm! The theater holds on to its classic beauty while embracing modern sound and digital projection. I love movies and
the Riverview Theater is the best place in the world to watch them.
1. Bethlehem Covenant Church
This one is not so much a place as it is a community of faith. Bethlehem taught me how to be a pastor
back in the Nineties. Bethlehem trusted me over the past six years to lead the congregation towards a
healthier and more missional future. I won’t shed a tear over good hamburgers, pastries, or popcorn, but
I just might cry when I say goodbye on Sunday, May 17. I will have to hurry out of the building that day so
that I can get downtown for my graduation ceremony. If I don’t get to say so in person, let me offer in
print my love, my thanksgiving, and my abiding hope in the future of this wonderful congregation. In the
words of St. Paul, “He who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion” (Philippians 1:6).
Christmas Pageant Rehearsal, 2012
Lucia Fest, 2014
Children’s Sermon, Easter 2015
Worship in the Park, 2013
2
From the Worship Pastor
Rev. Matt Kennedy
With a heavy downpour in the forecast I knew I couldn’t put it off any longer: this Saturday it was time
to rake up the leftover leaves and debris that I didn’t finish last fall. As it does every spring, the receding
snow reveals the unfinished work of autumn. So I spent my Saturday dutifully raking, pruning, and trimming back dead growth. I bagged up the leaves and put them out by the alley for collection. Sunday’s predicted rain didn’t soak us like I thought it would, but even though the rain was more of a sprinkle than a
deluge, we had plenty of wind this weekend. It was enough wind to blow my bags over and blow the yard
waste all over the alley. So much for all that work!
When the Bible speaks about the Holy Spirit, it frequently associates the Spirit with wind. This May 24
we celebrate the day of Pentecost. Scripture tells us that 50 days after Jesus’ resurrection, the Holy Spirit made a profound entrance into the lives of the disciples. A mighty rushing wind blew the doors off the
room, and the disciples had an inexplicable experience of God’s amazing power (Acts 2:1-4). Jesus described the Spirit like a wind, blowing where it wants, unpredictable in its coming and going (John 3:8).
Even the Greek and Hebrew words in the Bible for spirit are homonyms for breath and wind. Wind is an
appropriate symbol for the Spirit. Wind can be gentle or wind can be powerful, wind is unseen but certainly felt, wind is unpredictable, wind can change the course of a ship, it can power an entire city, it can
also crumble an entire city, and it can undo a whole Saturday’s worth of raking.
The Spirit is the life of the church. Just as the Creator breathed life into human beings (Genesis 2:7), so
the Spirit breathes life into the church. As Bethlehem Covenant has experienced an enormous amount of
change and transformation in the last five years, we’ve worked hard to observe what the Spirit might be
doing among us. We’ve asked the question, “What is God up to?” The answer is that God is up to the
same things God has always done: breathing life and sending wind, renewing and transforming. We read
in the book of Acts that when the early church was still young and held together with a fragile unity it
encountered its first great controversy: how would they include their gentile neighbors? The Apostles
searched the scriptures together and listened to one another’s stories to discern where the Spirit was
leading them and what the Spirit was doing among them. They came to consensus because “it has
seemed good to the Holy Spirit and to us…” (Acts 15:28).
As we enter yet another season of great change here at Bethlehem, let us do likewise. Let us continue to
read the scriptures together, to seek the guidance of the Word of God, and let us listen to each other’s
stories with receptive ears because it is in this way that we can better understand what the Holy Spirit
will ask us to do. The Spirit brings life and power, comfort and wisdom, but it also brings challenge and
change. Sometimes, it’ll even undo the hard work you spent all day to clean up. Wind does that. Let’s see
where it blows.
Matthew Kennedy
Sunday Preparations
Sign up to volunteer at: bethlehemcov.org/find/sign-up-to-help;
Or contact the office at [email protected]; 612.721.5768
*All blank spots are open for volunteers, as of April 27
Texts to Prepare
for Worship:
May 3
May 10
May 17
May 24
May 31
Romans 1:1—17
Romans 5:1-11
Acts 20:7-12
Acts 2-1-21, 37—47
Isaiah 6:1-8
Lowery Smith
Lowery Smith
Flowers
Contemporary Service
Greeter
Lowery Smith
Lowery Smith
Scripture Reader
Ushers x4
Lowery Smith
Confirmands
The Sylvester’s
The Sylvester’s
Pastor Dan
Pastor Dan
Pastor Dan
Nursery Care x2
Kelly Laudon/
Evelyn Ramgren
Amy Sokolski/
Annie Booker
Kaarina K/Liz
Camozzi
Kaarina K/Lori
Frasch
Kaarina K/Haley
Hutchinson
9:45 Coffee Hour
Emily Nemecek
Sara Christiansen
Juli Swanson
Nicole Kennedy
Amy Sokolski
Randy Bevis
Pastor Ryan’s
trip to Israel
Alaska with
Aunie Benson
No Sunday
School
No Sunday
School
Children’s Church
Adult Sunday
School
The Sylvester’s The Sylvester’s
The Sylvester’s
Classic Service
Greeter
Lowery Smith
Lowery Smith
Lowery Smith
Scripture Reader
Shirley Norman
Sally Sundberg
Confirmands
Ushers x4
Pat and Peter
Koontz, Ruth
Koontz, Sherry
Dahlman
Pat and Peter
Koontz, Ruth
Koontz, Sherry
Dahlman
Ruth Koontz,
Sherry Dahlman
Ruth Koontz,
Sherry Dahlman
Ruth Koontz,
Sherry Dahlman
Nursery Care x2
Lina S./Ruth
Johnson
Lina S./Sonja
Swanson
Lina S./Madison
Zieper
Lina S./Nicole
Kennedy
Lina S./Liz
Compton
Children’s Church
Pastor Dan
Laura Loban
Pastor Dan
12:00 Coffee Hour
Lynette Clausen
Marj and Evie
Pat Koontz
Mary JM
Grace Bergstrom
4
From the Interim Children Pastor
Dan Booker
Vacation Bible School and Covenant
Pines Day Camp Dates


Choir Parties!
The Cherub, Hosanna, and Alleluia Choirs will be celebrating the 2014-15 choir season with parties during
Mark your calendars!
each of the choir rehearsals on Wednesday, May 13.
Vacation Bible School will be held August 10-14.
To volunteer for snacks and other activities, please
Children ages 3—entering 5th grade are invited to
contact Miss Cindy at [email protected].
attend. There is no charge to attend VBS.
Camp $cholarships
Covenant Pines will be hosting a day camp at
Thank you to everyone who donated to our Easter
Bethlehem this summer. The dates are July 2023, and all children entering grades 1—5 are invit- Flower/Camp Scholarship fundraiser. $766.00 was
raised to help send kids to camp. Be sure to ask Pased to attend. This camp will cost $15 per child a
tor Dave if you are interested in receiving a scholarday to attend.
ship. Forms are available in the office.
May 17 is Bible/Confirmation Sunday
Thank You Party for Pastor Dan
All children who are graduating from first grade will
receive a Bible during both of the services.
May 31st, 10:00 am
Please join the Children’s Commission in honoring of
all Pastor Dan’s hard work on Sunday, May 31st at
10:00 am.
The Alleluia and Hosanna Choirs singing on
Palm Sunday.
Becky Anderson and Shrestika
at the Easter Brunch.
5
From the Youth Pastor
David Johnson
Bethlehemcov.org/Youth
May Youth Events
CHIC! FINAL
Registration Deadline
Confirmation Sunday
May 8th
CHIC 2015 (the Covenant’s super-youth-group convention) is approaching quickly. If you haven’t
hitched yourself to our bandwagon, take heart:
there’s still time! But not much. So, call/email/text/
tackle Dave if you’ve got any interest in sending
yourself (or someone you love) along with us. After
all, CHIC won’t return for another 3 years, and odds
are that Canada will have invaded by then.
Middle School Lock-In!
May 15th, 8:00 pm—9:00 am
Rescheduled, sure, but no less awesome. Celebrate
the almost-successfully-completed school year with
the Lock-In you always dreamed of. We’ll have an
evening-to-early-morning packed-to-exploding with
friends, movies, pizza, arcade games, and Nerf obstacle courses. If that’s not enough for you, we’ll
also have the Harlem Globetrotters! Just kidding, no
Globetrotters. But it’s still going to be awesome. The
cost is $10, friends are welcome, and the ugliest pajamas will be rewarded with prizes. Adults wishing
to chaperone will be hugged by a teary-eyed youth
pastor. RSVP with an email to Dave. Hope to see you
there!
May 17th 8:45 am and 11:00 am
Celebrate 2 years of hard work by our own Haley
Hutchinson (and one year of work by a whole bunch
of 7th graders)! Confirmation is a time-honored rite
of passage, and we at Bethlehem are proud of the
time and effort these students have put into studying their faith. Keep up the good work!
Bake Sale Fundraiser
May 31st 10:00 am and 11:30 am
Maybe you bought cupcakes because you were hungry, or maybe you bought them because our Youth
Group is adorable. Either way, we sold a lot of baked
goods. And so, we shall return. Preheat your ovens,
and go ahead and skip breakfast, because after each
worship service we’re baking up a fundraising
storm. If you’re interested in adding your talents to
our efforts: let Dave know.
May Birthdays
1
2
5
6
9
10
11
Ken Bacon
Amber Paige
Peggy Benson
Amy Eikenbary-Barber
Steve Swanson
Gregory Karpenko
Becky Elliott
Lance Johnson
Spencer Lilla
Elizabeth Swanson
Laurie Erickson
12
13
15
18
19
20
21
Laura VanderMolen
Kelly Piatt
Cassie Lund
Jed Anderson
Elton Nemecek
Evan Kerl
Sherry Dahlman
Breanna Woolley
David Koontz
Phyllis Lundin
Evelyn Ramgren
6
22
23
24
26
27
28
30
31
Anna Bergstrom
Jeanne Woolley
Jocelyn Compton
Donna Abramson
Linda Leonard
Ellen Bergstrom
Janel Cox
Grace Bergstrom
Benjamin Spohr
Paul Swanson
The Bethlehem Bulletin Board
Seims will be moving into their second year of studies. We will celebrate Haley’s accomplishments on
Wednesday, May 13th, during Wonderful Wednesday
with an ice cream social. All are invited to attend.
From Dick Sundberg,
Council President
Happy New Year!
It’s a new year, for the church council, that is. As
you read this, several new members have been
elected to the church council. We have a new president, Kirsten Ryding, who will be leading us this
coming year. We also have 12 commissions led by
the people you elected.
We have many wonderful people serving on these
commissions. I want to give a big thank you to each
one of them. I hope they will all continue to serve.
However, we don’t have enough people serving on a
few of the commissions. I’m asking each of you to
consider giving a little bit of your time to serve in
one of these roles. It can be very rewarding and is a
great way to become more involved. Here’s a list of
commissions and chairpersons.
 Administration – John Housenga
 Adults – Joyce Denham
 Celebration – Paul Compton
 Children’s – Amy Sokolski
 Finance – Wally Abramson
 Hospitality – Mary Jones-Morris
 Leadership –
 Missions – Deb Shold, Pat Koontz
 Properties – Tim Lilla
 Spiritual Life – Juli Swanson, Ellen Reeher
 Strategic Planning – Katie Elden
 Youth – Blake Christiansen, Aunie Benson
If you have an interest in serving on one of these
commissions, talk to the chairperson or Kirsten
Ryding. We’d love to have your involvement as we
continue on Bethlehem’s great journey of Loving
God + Loving Neighbor.
Volunteering with Worship
We are currently looking for ushers, greeters, readers, and additional help with the nursery and children’s church for our summer worship. Please signup online at Bethlehemcov.org or by contacting the
church office at 612.721.5768.
Legacy & Lace Luncheon
Saturday, May 9, 2015, 11:30 am to 1:00 pm,
Please come to honor the women of Bethlehem who
have achieved 80 years or more!
All women, young and old, are welcome to come and
celebrate with us.
RSVP to church office by Sunday, May 3. Freewill
donations accepted at the event.
Thank You Party for Pastor Dan
Please join the Children’s Commission on Sunday,
May 31st at 10:00 am as we thank Pastor Dan for all
his hard work this past year with cake and well
wishes.
Thank You From the
Paul Carlson Partnership
Confirmation Sunday
Thank you! Thank you! For your support of PCP and
the people of Congo. As you know, we are determined to invest in local partners utilizing best practices. Love and your church are a key part of this!
Thank you for your very generous support of the
Congo Clinic Initiative. Blessings, Merritt
Bethlehem Covenant has donated money to help
build the Bobangala Clinic. The village has 7,977 people in it. The clinic is staffed with one nurse, 3 nurses assistants, and one lab assistant.
May 17, 8:45 am and 11:00 am
On Confirmation Sunday, we will celebrate the hard
work of several of our middle school students. Haley
Hutchinson will be graduating, and Will Bergstrom,
Arne Christiansen, Andrew Karpenko, Juliette Klein,
Emily May, Cale Parton, Evelyn Ramgren, and Ben
Dear Bethlehem Covenant Church,
Thank you for your support in my missions trip to
Alaska. We all had an amazing time and saw God at
work. Please come to the Adult Sunday School Class
on May 17th to here more. Aunie.
Thank you from Aunie Benson
7
The Bethlehem Bulletin Board Continued
training. Family stays are likely to minimize costs.
High school students are welcome. Total time commitment is around 10 days plus travel. This is a great
opportunity to serve our missionaries and their community members. You will learn and be challenged in
ways that can benefit our Minneapolis community
too. If you are interested, please contact Marj
Ramgren at 612-722-9323 or
[email protected].
STAR Deadline
Please forward all articles for the June STAR by May
18 to the church office.
Pastor Ryan’s Farewell Party
Wednesday, May 6, 5:45—6:30 pm
Please plan on attending a special Wonderful
Wednesday for Pastor Ryan’s farewell party. His last
Sunday at the pulpit will be May 17.
Summer Schedule
Randy Bevis, Covenant Missionary to
Thailand and Beyond to Visit Adult
Sunday School
Our summer schedule will begin May 24th. Worship
services will be at 9:00 and 10:30 with refreshments
being served after each service. Sunday School will
resume in the fall.
May 3, 10:00 am
DON’T
MISS
THIS
FASCINATING PRESENTATION!
Wonderful Wednesday
Randy Bevis has been a Covenant Missionary since
Our last 2015 Wonderful Wednesday will be held on
1996 and been serving in Thailand for 20 years. He
May 13th. Wonderful Wednesdays will resume in
and his wife, Cheryl, have resettled currently to
September.
Willmar, MN. Randy continues to serve with minisSummer Special Music
tries focusing on his background of fish farming to
Do you have musical talents and are you interested
help projects around the world. Some of the counin providing special music during the classic worship tries he has been helping in are: Thailand, Laos, Maservice this summer? Contact Pastor Matt for more
laysia, Bangladesh, Haiti, and in March he will be
information.
making a survey trip to DR Congo. Through PowerPoint slides and stories, we’ll learn about God’s
2015 Mission Trip
amazing work on the other side of our globe.
to Antwerp, Belgium
Are you interested in learning, service and seeing
new places? Then join the 2015 Mission Trip to Belgium. It is planned for either July 10—18, or August 14
-22 depending on interest. A June 1st informational
meeting with Barb is planned. Activities include:
 Learning about Barbara and Steve Swanson’s ministry in Belgium including ministering to marginalized
peoples;
 Assisting Sunday worship or Sunday School at the
AIPC Church;
 Visiting women at the refugee outreach center;
 Presenting a “VBS” to refugee children;
 Prayer walks around Antwerp;
 Sightseeing in Belgium
The trip includes advance reading and on-ground
8
The Bethlehem Bulletin Board Continued/
Walk to Emmaus by Tim Lilla
NOAH Presents Big Summer Fun - Walk to Emmaus 4th Day Gathering
Friday, May 15th, 6:00 pm
Get in the boat!
You know our dear Bhutanese kids. You don’t?
Well, here’s your chance to get to know them and
to make a summer to remember—for them and
for you.
On June 20, NOAH (Neighborhood Outreach And
Hospitality) committee invites you to a heartfilling symposium presented by Bethlehem Covenant and Crosstown Covenant. It will be led by
Pastor Ram Aryal, a Bhutanese Christian from
Thornapple Covenant Church in Grand Rapids, MI.
You’ll learn about our Bhutanese friends’ lives in
Bhutan, then as fleeing exiles, as refugees in a
130,000-person camp in Nepal, and as immigrants
coming to America. You’ll also learn about their
family and community lives, their Hindu culture
and beliefs, and how Jesus meets, rescues and befriends us all. Stay tuned for time, place and all
other details.
The Twin Cities Walk To Emmaus 4th Day Gathering will be held at Bethlehem on Friday, May 15th.
A potluck will begin at 6:00 pm. The gathering will
begin at 7:00 pm with comments from Walk to
Emmaus pilgrims, sing, break into small groups
and have Communion. Anyone is welcome. For
questions, please contact Lowery Smith at
612.720.6569 or via email at [email protected].
What the Walk to
Emmaus Means to Me
There is a bible story about two disciples walking
to the village of Emmaus. It is a day’s walk, approximately 7 miles, and they took this walk
three days after Jesus was crucified. As they
walked, they came upon a stranger who, unknown to them, was the Risen Christ. As they
walked with him, they spoke of the crucifixion,
their sorrow, and their doubt. The stranger
spoke to them with wisdom. He taught them
For continuing inspiration, be part of Wednesday
again what the scriptures had told them as Jews.
Evening Child’s Play. On four Wednesdays: June
He reminded them what Jesus had told them
10, June 24, July 8 and July 22 we’ll go to our Bhuabout his being a sacrifice, and that he would
tanese kids’ neighborhood for a little relaxed outdie. At the end of the disciples’ walk, they asked
door fun—group games, projects, treats, and
the stranger to stay the night with them. During
more. Or if you prefer indoor fun, set aside 6:00the blessing of the meal, Jesus revealed himself
8:30 pm on June 17th and July 15th to drive kids to
to the disciples and their eyes were opened. They
Movie Night at Crosstown Covenant.
knew that the Lord has risen, as the scripture
Most awesome of all, in June eight Bhutanese kids and Jesus had told them he would. They got up
are going to Covenant Pines camp. Some of them that moment and ran back to Jerusalem to tell
are in need of suitcases, sleeping bags, and swim- Peter and the others the good news that Jesus
suits. Donate whatever you might have or contrib- was risen.
ute to our camp scholarship fund. You’ll be giving
This is how the Walk to Emmaus 72 hour retreat
our young friends an unforgettable summer.
worked in my life. See if you can pick out the
As you can see, all the excitement is almost here— similarities with the Gospel story.
June is coming fast and the kids need you now. To
As a child and teen, I attended a local Lutheran
find how your talents can fit in, contact any NOchurch. I was taught the teachings of the Bible. I
AH committee member* right away. Bless you.
knew that God sent us his Son and that his Son
*Chris Simon, John and Judy Peterson, Pat and
died on the cross so that we could go to Heaven.
Peter Koonz, Pete Lundstrom, and Alyssa Isaacs
9
Emmaus...continued on page 10
Walk to Emmaus...Continued
Tim Lilla
Emmaus...continued from page 9
I knew the stories. I listened to the songs and the
preaching from the pulpit. I had an idea of what I
was listening to, but I didn’t invest enough of myself to really know what it meant.
Fast forward 20 years. My wife (Karen) and I were
looking for a good neighborhood place to send our
son (Spencer) to preschool. We had heard about
Bethlehem from other people in the neighborhood
and decided to check it out. As neither Karen nor I
knew anything about the Covenant Church we started showing up on Sundays to see what it was all
about. We liked it and became members of the congregation. About a year later the senior Pastor
(Ryan) was giving a sermon about what it is to be
saved. At the end of the sermon, he told the congregation that if there was anyone in attendance that
didn’t know what it was to be saved, they should
find him after church. I went and found Ryan that
day. I found out what it was to be saved. I understood the Gospel that day, that Jesus lived with us
and died for us. He sacrificed himself so that I could
be with him in heaven. There was nothing I could do
to earn this gift. It was mine by his grace.
Now I was engaged. I knew I had something special
in God’s grace, and I didn’t want to waste it.
It was about that time when an elderly man in our
church (Lowery!) asked if I wanted to go on a 3 day
retreat. I said no. I didn’t think that the retreat
thing was for me. Over the next 6 months, I floundered through my faith. I was reading my Bible, but
it wasn’t going very well. I was going about my
study all wrong. I wasn’t living the way I should. I
felt like my anger and sinful ways must make it impossible for God to love me. He gave me his grace,
but I didn’t feel deserving of it. I was right back
where I was before my saving moment. In May of
the following year, I went on the 72 hour retreat
known as the Walk to Emmaus. Over the course of
the 3 days, I heard stories from guys who at one
time or another in their life had felt a lot like I was
feeling. I also heard from members of clergy, who
gave me clear examples in the Bible of God’s grace.
They told me that God’s grace does not start just
when you decide to believe. God’s grace is always
there. I heard and believed God longs to have a relationship with me. I was happy to finally understand
that God searches for me, and all of us, constantly. I
could picture God the Father standing there, with
the light on, waiting and watching for us. I could
imagine him running to meet us, ready and willing
to meet us right where we were. God is willing to
give us a clean robe, to order the calf to be slaughtered for the party. All we have to do is to stop trying to hide from God.
I learned that church involvement and reading
Christian books help me to grow in faith. I learned
that prayer and engagement with worship help me
to stay connected. Most of all, I learned how much
could change and how much I could do if I was willing to take the first step.
I left Emmaus on fire. I was singing along with the
songs on the Christian radio stations. I was talking
about God with people I work with. I went 23 days
without swearing, which was my longest run since I
was nine years old. I was using the tools I knew
would help me grow in faith. I was thrilled to run
home and proclaim to my friends and family that
Jesus was risen! It was as though the shroud of
doubt had been lifted from my eyes.
I have news for you, friends. Sometimes I still feel
like I am floundering through my faith. My anger
still gets the best of me and I can be rude and stubborn. The difference between then and now is that
now I know unequivocally that God loves me. I
know that he listens to my prayers. I know that if I
stop running from him, that if instead I run towards
him, he will meet me.
DeColores!
Tim Lilla
10
Contact Information
Telephone
612-721-2290
Website
www.bethlehemkids.org
Email
[email protected]
From the Childcare Director
Jill Ravensborg
Once again our summer registration is online and is working efficiently so far. This summer we will offer
soccer on Thursday at Cooper field as well as continue the tradition of taking the children to swimming
lessons on Fridays at the YWCA, and of course, multiple field trips. The staff has already been making
plans for field trips, studies to focus on this summer and plans for organizing our days. On our webpage
you will find a description of many summer themes for which activities are planned. If you know of families wanting to sign up for summer care remind them to do so soon, we want to plan staffing to meet the
need in each classroom. Sign up is online at www.bethlehemkids.org, click on the “Summer 2015” link in
the upper right corner.
Our Beginner and Pre-K staff will meet with families for the third time this year to share observations the
staff has made over the course of the year. We look forward to showing off the growth each child makes in
a variety of areas: physical, emotional, academic, and social. So much of what these precious children
learn in the give and take of play involves incredible social skills. How do I ask someone to play with me?
How do I negotiate so I can play with that toy next? What words do I use to say how I’m feeling? How do I
get the attention I need in an appropriate way? If we can teach these young children the skills of getting
along with others now as well as advocating for their needs - imagine what an impact they will have as
they make their way through school and friendships.
On May 21st our children will be participating in our annual “Wheel-A-Thon” to raise money for H20 for
Life. The children will bring their bike, trike or scooter to school and take turns riding around the lower
level circle –out of Fellowship Hall around the hallway near the kitchen, past my office, passing the elevator and back to Fellowship Hall before they repeat the path. Other children, staff, and families will be here
to cheer the riders on as they practice their bicycle safety skills. The children will bring in donations they
collect from friends and family who sponsor them in practicing their safe riding skills. We’ll end the morning by going to Cooper Park for lunch and outdoor play.
On May 29th the preschoolers will have an end of the year celebration in the BCC Sanctuary. All of the children will participate with their class in singing songs they have learned this year. We love to share a
slideshow of photos of all of the children taken throughout the school year. Following the program families
are invited to stay and share a picnic lunch. We’d love to have you come celebrate the end of another fantastic year; the celebration begins at 11:00.
Your continued love and support of the center is noticed and appreciated!
Jill Ravensborg and the BCCC Staff
11
Bethlehem Covenant Church
3141 43rd Avenue South
Minneapolis, MN 55406
Bethlehem Covenant—Minneapolis
Bethlehem Covenant Church Staff:
Rev. Ryan Eikenbary-Barber, Senior Pastor
@BethlehemCov
David Johnson, Director of Youth
Rev. Matt Kennedy, Pastor of Worship
BethlehemCovenant
Rev. Dan Booker, Interim Children’s Pastor
612.721.5768
Tesfa Wondemagegnehu, Adult Choir Director
Cindy Bergstrom, Children’s Choir Director
www.bethlehemcov.org
Dianne Jelle, Organist/Pianist
Jill Ravensborg, Childcare Director
[email protected]
SUNDAY
Kelly Piatt and Terri Stromberg, Administrative Secretaries
Weekly at Bethlehem
8:45 am
Contemporary Worship (beginning May 24 at 9:00 am through summer)
9:45 am
Coffee and Conversation
10:00 am
Sunday School for all (through May 17)
11:00 am
Classic Worship (beginning May 24 at 10:30 am through summer)
12:00 pm
Coffee and Conversation
MONDAY
7:00 pm
Community Activities Evening
TUESDAY
8:00 am
Breakfast at Bridgeman’s—2nd and 4th Tuesday of the month
9:30 am
Properties Work Day at Church
6:30 pm
Gathering for Prayer
10:00 am
Women’s Bible Study
12:30 pm
Staff Meeting
WEDNESDAY
THURSDAY
FRIDAY
3:30 pm
Cherub Choir (Pre-K, 4 and 5 year olds) to 4:00 pm (through May 13)
4:00 pm
Hosanna Choir (K to 2nd grade) to 4:30 pm (through May 13)
4:45 pm
Alleluia Choir (3rd grade and up) to 5:45 pm (through May 13)
5:45 pm
Wonderful Wednesday Meal for all (through May 13).
6:15 pm
The After Party—programming for children up to 6th grade (through May 13)
6:15 pm
Confirmation and Sr. High (through May 13)
6:30 pm
Adult Choir
9:45 am
Bible Encounter
6:30 am
Men’s Breakfast and Bible Study (Book of Jeremiah)
9:00 am
Walk and Coffee at Mall of America
12