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Forward in Faith Celebration Sunday Today Today is a special day of thanksgiving as members and friends of Bethlehem are bringing their 3 year offering commitments for the Lord.

In addition to the offering, there will be spe-cial treats following the services and also a

presentation from Pastor Don Fastenau at 10:00am. Pastor Fastenau was Bethlehem’s pastor from 1988-2003.

If you’d like to learn more about the goals and opportunities of Forward in Faith, you are invited to take some information from the table in the atrium. If you forgot your commitment this weekend, you are invited to mail it to church or bring it next weekend.

Bethlehem’s Website has a New Look You’re invited to check out our website’s new look. We hope that the new format and look makes it easier to navigate and find what you’re looking for. As with our last site, sermon messages and notes are a great resource that can be found there. There are many people to thank for getting this new look up and running, including: Ryan Goss, Mike Lindberg and Tracy Ha-nisch. We’d enjoy your feedback.

Poinsettias A sign-up-sheet for poinsettias to decorate our church during the Christmas season is posted at the informa-tion center. Please take note of the December 6th deadline for sign up and payment. The cost of the plants will be $9.75 each. As always, those purchasing plants may take them home following their use here at church.

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God’s Blessings at Bethlehem

November 14, 2010

Attendance Saturday 5:00pm 12 Sunday 8:30am 168 10:45am 70 250

Thankofferings General $4335.15

Building $0.00 Total $ 4335.15

Sunday School 52 Nexus 8 Mid-week Bible Classes 83

General Fund Budget Needs July 2010-June 2011

Weekly General Fund Needs $ 5,480.00 Year to Date General Fund Needs $ 109,600.00 Year to Date General Fund Received $ 92,945.69

The Lord’s Supper

Today in our service we are celebrating the Lord's Supper, or Holy Communion. As has most of the Christian Church for 19 centuries, Bethlehem practices "close communion" (close as in "close friends"). This means that we invite members of Bethlehem or members of other WELS or ELS churches to commune.

This practice is not a judgment of faith, but instead is done out of love for a person’s faith. The Bible teaches (1 Corinthians 11:27-29) that any participant who does not recognize that the body and blood of Christ are present in the bread and wine may actually be harming their faith.

God’s Word also says (1 Corinthians 10:17) that participation at communion is a public statement that the participants are united in their beliefs and confession (all the teachings of God’s Word). We don’t want someone to make a confession of unity with us without knowing what we believe. Bethlehem’s “Starting Point” class is a great way to find out what we believe.

With these Biblical truths in mind, we would ask that guests please speak with one of the pastors before communing. Thank you.

Duties for Weekend (11-28) Clean: Beckstrom, Aarre

Serve: Booth, Buck

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Connect to GodConnect to GodConnect to GodConnect to God

Bethlehem’s VisionBethlehem’s VisionBethlehem’s VisionBethlehem’s Vision: “To Create Opportunities for Life-Changing Connections through Jesus.”

Saturday December 4th @ 5:00pm

Christmas is coming – and so is Proclaim Christmas, a live Christmas concert by local Twin Cities music group Proclamation! Bethlehem friends Stafford and Becca Christensen and Andy Reich are members of this group. Through Christmas readings and the popular Christmas song stylings of Trans-Siberian Orchestra, Amy Grant, Debra Soule, and Proclamation's own individual ar-rangements, the wondrous story of Christmas is told in an exciting way that is fun for the whole family. This free concert takes place here at Bethlehem on Saturday, December 4th at 5:00p.m. For details and other concert dates, visit www.proclamationmusic.com.

Thanksgiving Service Bethlehem’s Thanksgiving Service will be held on Wednes-day, November 24th at 7:00 pm. BMW will be hosting a pie fellowship following the service. If you would like to donate a pie, please sign up in the information center.

Upcoming Message Series - An Unexpected Christmas November 28th - December 19th Advent is a time when we look forward to celebrating the birth of Jesus. As our Savior, He was perfect in every way. And yet, the family from which He was born was not. The Gospel of Matthew begins with a geneal-ogy of Jesus. And just like your family tree, you might be surprised about some of the wayward people that are found in it. In this series, An Unexpected Christmas, we’ll be

studying parts of Jesus’ genealogy and find some things that might be a little “unexpected.” And yet, in these weeks leading up to Christmas, this study will give us a renewed appreciation for Jesus’ work and forgiveness.

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Youth Musicians We are looking for Bethlehem children (through 12th grade), who would like to use their musical gifts by playing pre-service music (sing, play piano, flute etc.) at the Children’s Christmas Service on Sunday, December 20th. To volun-teer or learn more, please speak with Pastor Steve or Melissa Werner 952.469.8943.

Practices during Sunday School Practices for the Children’s Christmas Service will begin next Sunday. The children will continue to practice each and every Sunday during the first 15 minutes of Sunday School. Since this is the main practice time for the ser-vice, it is very important that your child is there as often as possible. Also, your child should receive their recitations for the Christmas service very soon. Please be sure to practice them at home. If you have questions, please contact Melissa Werner or Pastor Steve.

Connect to MinistryConnect to MinistryConnect to MinistryConnect to Ministry

Children’s Christmas Service Sunday, December 19th

4:00pm

Christmas Service Practices Saturday, December 11th

9:00-11:00am

Saturday, December 18th 9:00-11:00am

Church Decorating & Potluck-December 3rd

We need your help! We will be decorating for Christmas on Friday, December 3rd at 6:00pm. All adults and high school teens are invited to come and join the fun. There will be a potluck that will precede the decorating. There’s a sign up sheet for helping posted at the information center.

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Connect to OthersConnect to OthersConnect to OthersConnect to Others

Gracie Norlin

Ways to be a Blessing to the Family: Prayers– As Gracie continues her treatment, continue to pray for Gracie and the entire Norlin family. You can fol-low Gracie’s journey on her CaringBridge website at www.caringbridge.org/visit/gracienorlin. Ways to Help - Occasionally there will be ways that the Norlin’s may need our help. Gennia Provencher has volunteered to coordinate that help. If you are willing to help out, please contact Gennia and give her your name

New Picture Directory Our church is going to publish a new pictorial directory through Olan Mills. Reserve your appointment time today at the table in the atrium. Each family that comes for photography and portrait viewing at the church will receive a complimentary directory and 8X10 custom color portrait. You will be able to view and select your portraits electronically from a variety of poses. Addi-tional portraits will be available for purchase. Your entire appointment will normally take less than one hour. Please sign up today!!!

Pastor Ben has received a “Call” This week Pastor Ben received a “call” to serve as pastor at Mt. Calvary Lutheran in Menasha, WI. For those that may not be sure what this means…the Holy Spirit has led Mt. Calvary to extend an invitation for Ben to be their new pastor. With God’s guidance and prayer, Ben will consider in which congregation (Bethlehem or Mt. Calvary) he can best use his gifts and serve God’s people. Usually a decision is made within 3 or 4 weeks of receiving a call. You are invited to a short meeting next Sunday to hear more details. Please keep Ben, Carrie and family in your prayers during this time.

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Sunday Morning Adult Bible Class This year for Sunday Bible Class, we will be going through the Bible, highlighting some of the most important stories. The other neat thing about our study this year, is that it will be coordinated with the children’s Sunday School curriculum. If you have children in Sunday School, each week you will have studied the same part of the Bible as they did. This, we hope, will lead to more opportunities for discussion and encourage-ment.

Here are some of the upcoming lessons: November 21st Pastor Fastenau Presentation November 28th The Birth of Moses December 5th God Calls Moses to Lead Israel

New Midweek Bible Study Group BMW is excited to be offering a midweek Bible Study Group . The Study Group meets at church on Wednesday mornings at 10:00am, on the 1st and 3rd Wednesdays of the month. They are using a book entitled “A New Song Planted by Streams of Water.” This book will encourage and uplift you as you reflect upon God’s wisdom and our Savior’s love found in selected Psalms. The Study Group also gives you an opportunity to discuss your faith and real-life issues that we face. If you’d like more information or to sign-up, please contact Dawn Halloran at (507) 645-5536.

A Night in Bethlehem: A Family Christmas Celebration Saturday, December 11th 4-7pm

Bring your whole family to see, hear, touch, taste and feel what it may have been like in Bethlehem the night that Jesus was born. Wander through the streets and marketplace of Bethlehem for an in-credible hands-on experience.

Items Needed We are in need of many items for our Christmas for Kids event (A Night in Bethlehem). You will find a listing in the information center. Please take a look at the list and see if there are any items you might have. Please label your items so that they can be returned to you after the event. Please talk to Pastor Steve if you have any questions.