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News Notes for June 2009:
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CHOIR Practice begins Wednesday, September 15th, and will continue each Weds. Please join us for music and fellowship!~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Thrivent Financial for Lutherans members:
I am your congregational advocate and would like to remind you of a couple items mentioned in the latest Thrivent magazine. First you can order a free wall calendar for 2011 by using the postage paid postcard in the last magazine or by logging on to Thrivent.com/magazine/calendar by September 30th.
The second is “Thrivent Choice Dollars”. You will be receiving a let-ter soon detailing how many Choice dollars you have to donate to Lutheran organizations and how to go about doing that. Bethlehem is a registered organization and I would encourage you to designate your “dollars” to Bethlehem. This program replaces “Care in Con-gregations” where we previously received matching funds for our Fun Fairs and Spaghetti Suppers.
Any questions please see me, or email me at piehl35@charter.net.
Thanks, Ginger ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
October 31st ... Save the Date!
Please join us in celebrating the retirement of Pastor Fred and his lovely wife, Lesley, on Sunday, October 31st. We will have a luncheon in CLINE HALL after service. We are ask-ing everyone to contribute a dish. Please see Karen Bodamer or me for more information.
There will be no Sunday school on October 31st.
Thanks,
Ellen FinelliBR>
CHRISTIAN EDUCATION NEWS
Sunday School Kick Off is the Sunday after Labor Day ...
September 12th. We will be having ice cream on that registration day and it will be an opportunity to meet the kids in your class and your teachers.
The first day of Sunday School will be September 19th.
CHANGE OF PLANS!!
The Annual Fine Artisan Festival scheduled for October has been canceled due to lack of participants.
The FUN RAISERS hope to hold an-other Spring Craft Fair as well as a Fine Juried Artisan event next fall. Details will be announced in January.
Thanks!
Coming in September
Our next BETHLHEM yard sale will be held at the church on Saturday, September 25th from 8 am to 2 pm. We are looking for donations of gently used items to sell. No computers or exercise equipment please.
We also need volunteers to help sort and price the week of September 19th.
For more information, contact Ellen Finelli at 508-347-9525..
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Congratulations Sarah!
Sarah was in the Special Olympics August 21 and 22. She competed in cycling and won two medals, a gold and silver!! She had a great time and made a friend!
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Lorraine’s Soup Kitchen and
Pantry (in collaboration with Valley
Opportunity Council)
Opportunity Council)
Located at:
35 Center St. Chicopee, MA
01013
If you are interested in serving at
the soup kitchen in Chicopee
call Cindy Laub @ 508-867-
3610. We carpool from Bethlehem
the last Tuesday of each
month.
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Youth Group News—Lutheran Inter-parish Youth/Central Mass.
YOUTH
August-September Newsletter/Youth
A draft schedule for the LIPY (Lutheran Inter-Parish Youth) group for 2010-2011 has been developed. There will be a kick-off meeting on October 3 at Immanuel Lutheran, Holden where the youth will finalize the events for the upcoming year. All youth, grades 7 through 12 are welcome. (Adults too!). Those of you who have been involved with LIPY for a few years will be pleased to know that Kevin Joslyn and Tim Dodd will officially return as Adult Advisors as their sched-ules permit.
(We would like to extend a personal invitation to our recent confirmands to come to the planning session and bring fresh voices to the group. We want to hear what you have to say!)
Rides will be provided from Bethlehem to Immanuel, Holden; call Tom or Laurie if you need a ride.
Although the schedule is not yet finalized you may review it on the web at: www.lutheransonline.com/lipycm.
As in past years, the highlight of the year will be the Mission Trip in April, to Washington, DC. The host will be The Church of the Pilgrims, located right in downtown. (www.churchofthepilgrims.org).
Bethlehem youth will present to the congregation a recap of the 2010 trip to Philadelphia this coming September.
Some details for those who might have questions about our Youth Group: Any young person in grades 7-12 is welcome to take part in Bethlehem‟s Youth Group and/or the events sponsored by LIPY. The only exception is the Mission Trip, where grades 8-12 are invited (we will make exceptions for „mature‟ 7th-graders). There are no dues to pay, you don‟t have to sign-up for a period of time, and you may attend one event or all of them. There is no pressure to participate or attend any events. But since the events are so much fun, we‟re pretty sure that once you attend one you‟ll want to keep going to the others. If you are interested please talk with any of the youth who are already involved, or see Tom or Lau-rie Houston.
Rides will be provided to all events not held at Bethlehem. Call Tom or Laurie Houston (508) 347-3927, or
Email to www.HoustT@aol.com. You can also text to (508) 596-0065.
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Bethlehem Youthful Orchestra:
Bethlehem Youthful Orchestra hopes to have a piece prepared
for church on September 26th at 9:30. We hope
you will be there and realize that we only have a few people
interested in performing, but some very eager ones
who want to glorify God with music from their instrument.
We will have our first practice on Sept. 12 after the
Ice Cream social at 11
- 12 noon or 12:30.
Our second practice
will be on Sept. 19th
after Sunday School at
11:00 - 12 noon.
Please be at both practices
in order to be
eligible to play on the
26th. If interested in
joining us, please contact
Barbara Jensen,
413-245-9008.
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Please pray for our service men and women
in Iraq and Afganistan:
Brian Perras, Jordan St. Clair, Geoff Polizoti,Joel Collins, Jim Collins, Diane Dunn, Philip Harding
Also, keep in your prayers those who have
returned home:
Jamey Richards, Jared Wimberly, Derek Hitt, Zack Creps, Jeremy Lincourt, John S.
God bless you and thank you for serving our country.
There is a sign-up sheet in the narthex where you may sign up to pray specifically for a week. Any questions or additions see Lesley.
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