BETHEL WEEKLY NEWS

CHILDREN ARE

WELCOMED AT BETHEL!

Parents will find bags of soft

toys for children at the en-

trance to the worship areas.

Thank you for doing what you

can to help in creating a wor-

ship environment where all

can participate by keeping

distracting noise and move-

ment to a minimum. If you

prefer, a nursery is available

Sunday mornings at the

Highlands campus (9:30 am).

TODAY’S RADIO BROADCAST Today’s radio broadcast on WEVR is sponsored by Linda Keefe, Wade and Paul Bailey & families in loving memory of Don & Jeanne Bailey.

FLOWERS The flowers on the altar Downtown are placed in honor of Pearl Reed’s 103rd birthday, by Joe & Carol Alms and family. Happy birthday, Pearl!

ANNUAL MEETING & CELEBRATION TODAY! Please plan to join us at 4 pm TODAY, Sunday, January 25 for our Annual Meeting & Celebration in the sanctuary at the Highlands campus. There will be entertainment for the kids (Rockin’ Woody and the movie, “Frozen”) in the children’s theater while parents are in the meeting. Childcare will be available for infants and toddlers. Everyone is invited to stay for a congregational meal following the meeting. Please remember to bring along your Annual

Report (now available online and at either welcome center). Your pres-ence, your voice and your vote are important!

THANKS FOR YOUR HELP BRINGING THE STEELES HERE! A great big thank-you to the Bethel Endowment Fund and the Women of Bethel (and the Scandinavian Food Fest dollars) for helping us bring Jearlyn and Billy Steele to Bethel last weekend! Your financial support helps us do special events like this that would not otherwise be possible. Thank you so much for your thoughtfulness and generosity, friends!

CAN YOU HELP US SET UP FOR THE ANNUAL MEETING TODAY?

We are in need of men, women and youth to help with set-up and tear-down for today’s Annual Celebration at the Highlands campus. We would love to hear from you if you are able to volunteer before the celebra-tion (2 pm) or after the supper concludes (6:30)…Please talk to one of our pastors after today’s services if you’d like to volunteer. We appreciate your help!

THANK YOU, BETHEL, FOR YOUR WONDERFUL GENEROSITY

You may recall that Bethel's General Fund (the fund that pays for daily ex-penses) operated with a sizeable deficit during the first eleven months of 2014. We are pleased to report that Bethel finished 2014 "in the black" due to your generous offerings. December contributions were so strong that the year-to-date deficit was eliminated and we ended the year with a modest sur-plus of $8,000. Total offerings to the General Fund in 2014 were right on budget and were up 4.8 percent compared to 2013. Thank you for support-ing your church in such a strong way!

BETHEL LUTHERAN CHURCH ONE CONGREGATION—TWO LOCATIONS

JANUARY 25, 2015

WELCOME WORSHIP

GUEST!

Bethel believes that God is at

work in our life together to

transform and renew the

world by making followers of

Jesus. You are welcome to

be a part of this community of

those who celebrate the for-

giveness and hope that are

God’s gifts to imperfect peo-

ple through Jesus Christ, to

grow in your faith, and to join

in serving human need in his

name. The people and pas-

tors of Bethel look forward to

sharing your life-journey in any

way that is helpful to you. If

you are a visitor to this beauti-

ful area, we hope your visit

was refreshing; your travels

are safe, and your homecom-

ing joyful. If you’d like more

information about Bethel,

please stop by our welcome

center or speak to a pastor.

BETHEL’S VISION FOR MISSION

To WELCOME all people to

know Jesus Christ and come

to faith in him. To provide the

means for growth for Chris-

tian maturity, EQUIPPING peo-

ple with the power of faith in

Christ for everyday life. To

challenge each member to

take a personal share of

God’s mission, SENDING them

to bring Christ’s compassion,

hope and joy into the world,

our communities and homes.

ONE CONGREGATION—

TWO LOCATIONS 715.386.8821

bethel@bethelhudson.org

www.bethelhudson.org

DOWNTOWN CAMPUS 920 Third Street

Hudson, WI 54016

(Administrative Office)

Office Hours:

M-F: 8:30 am-4:30 pm

Sunday: 8 am-10 am

HIGHLANDS CAMPUS 504 Frontage Road

Hudson, WI 54016

BETHEL’S PASTORAL STAFF John Lestock, Senior Pastor

Alicia Hilding, Assoc. Pastor

Ben Hilding, Assoc. Pastor

Bob Bipes, Visitation Pastor

BETHEL HIGHLANDS PRESCHOOL 504 Frontage Road

Hudson, WI 54016

P 715.381.8254, ext. 401

Kari Jo Fore, Director www.bethelhighlandspreschool.org

B E T H E L H A P P E N I N G S

FINANCIAL PEACE UNIVERSITY TIME CHANGE TODAY Due to the Annual Meeting and Celebration TODAY, Sunday, January 25th, the Financial Peace University class has been moved to 1-2:30 pm this afternoon, Highlands campus, children’s theater. The class will also meet from 1-2:30 pm next Sunday, February 1st (Super Bowl Sunday). The 4 pm start time will resume on February 8th. HAVE YOU CONSIDERED SPONSORING? Would you like to share your knowledge and enthusiasm of Bethel with someone new to our church community? Because there are many fun oppor-tunities to grow and serve within Bethel, sometimes new members can be overwhelmed at where to start! You can help, by offering to sponsor a new member, couple, or family. This is a short-term, no-cost commit-ment and one great bonus is a new friendship with long term advan-tages! Please contact Juli Hilding at jhilding@bethelhudson.org or call her at 715.386.8821 ext. 27 for more information, or to sign up. NEW MEMBERS/DISCIPLES—FINAL CLASS THIS WEEK The final session is THIS Monday, Jan. 26 in the children's theater at the Highlands campus, from 6:45-8:15 pm. Free childcare will be pro-vided. New disciples will be received during worship NEXT Sunday, February 1st. Please send an email to jhilding@bethelhudson.org or call 715.386.8821 ext. 27 to enroll or with any questions. HUDSON BACKPACK PROGRAM Thank you to all who have provided constant support for the Hudson Back-pack Program. Bethel currently provides backpacks with food once a month for 27 children in the school district. Just a gentle reminder to watch those expiration dates . . . We want to provide the freshest food possible to families and not have to throw away food items that are past their expiration date. Thank you for continuing to be aware of this. Also, if you would like to support the program in another way, mone-tary donations are always welcome and needed. Each food voucher pro-vided allows families to receive milk, cheese, eggs and bread (store brand) from County Market (the local grocery store that we currently use for vouch-ers). At this time, each voucher costs approximately $10 and is paid for out of the Hudson Backpack Program funds. On average, 59% of vouchers are redeemed, which amounts to $1,630.00 in monthly expenses overall for the program. We are fortunate to live in an area where the local churches and community provide financial support to fund the program. Thank you for considering making a donation. HAITI MISSION TRIP MEETING SET FOR FEBRUARY 1ST A Haiti Mission trip meeting will be held NEXT Sunday, February 1st at 10:45 am at the Highlands campus (lounge area at the end of the hall). Deposits for the trip will be taken and help with booking airfare will be pro-vided. Half of the spots are now filled and those flights have been booked. You are welcome to attend the meeting and gather information, even if you haven’t made a decision yet. You would be welcome to join later if spots are still open, but may need to make your own travel arrangements. Trip dates: July 11-17, 2015 (Sat. - Fri.). Questions? Contact Alan Park (parka99@sbcglobal.net) or Mary Gerzmehle (mgerzmeh@hotmail.com).

Y O U T H A N D F A M I L Y H A P P E N I N G S BETHEL YOUTH STAFF

Pastor Ben Hilding, Pastor

of Youth and Family (8th &

9th Grade Confirmation) bhilding@bethelhudson.org

Cindy Halunen, Director of

Faith Formation (Sunday

School and 6th & 7th

Grade Faith Formation) chalunen@bethelhudson.org

Missy Austreng, Coordina-

tor of Faith Milestones missy@bethelhighlandspreschool.org

Marcie Andrews, Youth

Ministry Communications

Assistant mandrews@bethelhudson.org

FAITH MILESTONES January Faith Milestone - Kindergarten and 1st Grade, Beginners Bible Congratulations to the Kindergarten and 1st grade students who receive their Beginners Bibles this weekend! The students will receive their Bibles at the 9:30 am worship service with a laying on of the hands and blessing. This represents the congregation’s part in the baptism promise to put the Word of God into their hands.

SENIOR LEAGUE

GRADES 9-12

Each week, Senior League

begins with a 7 pm worship

in the Downtown sanctuary

followed by an activity

at 7:30. All Senior League

nights will conclude by

9 pm Downtown.

1/28 Feed My Starving Chil-

dren (Worship at 7, bus

leaves following worship)

2/4 Karoline Lewis speaks at

Bethel Highlands (no 7 pm

worship)

BETHEL’S WINTER

WEATHER POLICY With winter weather here, it

is Bethel’s policy to cancel

or postpone youth/children’s

activities if Hudson schools

are closed for a snow day.

EDUCATION UPDATES Sunday School - Jesus as a Kid 6th Grade Wednesday Night - Does God still create stuff today? 7th Grade Wednesday Night - How do I stop doing things I know I

shouldn’t do? 8th Grade Confirmation - : Pastor Ben will lead a discussion about crea-

tion care 9th Grade Confirmation – Service Project: Feed My Starving Children 9th Grade Confirmation & Senior League – This Wednesday these stu-

dents will travel to Feed My Starving Children in Eagan to package nu-tritious meals for hungry children around the world. It is estimated they will pack $3750 worth of food which will provide 16,200 meals. Any donations are always welcome (www.fmsc.org) .

DETROIT NATIONAL YOUTH GATHERING FUNDRAISERS Did you know we have 28-30 kids traveling to Detroit this summer to at-tend the National Youth Gathering? Fundraising is in full swing and here is just one of the upcoming events we've planned that you may want to take advantage of! SELLING FRESH CINNAMON ROLLS, FEB. 8 (SUNDAY) * Downtown - after 8 am service * Highlands - between 9:30 & 11 am services

Kindergarten: Ava Blomquist

Alyssa Carlson

Jack Dumond

Tate Ertel

Clair Foster

Zoey Gulick

Logan Hagman

Isaac Harrison

Evan Hilke

Mallory James

Jayla Johnson

Aiden Kost

Myla Kapaun

Lawson Ludeman

Jillian Mason

Liam McNamara

Cohen Nasvik

McKenna Nasvik

Eric Palm

Layne Petermeier

Henrik Peterson

Saaren Peterson

Dylan Schmidt

Bohde Schultz

Piper Shewczyk

Jack Skaar

Caiden Spreiter

Henry Steele

Paul Sullivan

Victoria Swanson

Jackson Tackmann

Nora Vlcek

Lauryn Voss

Scarlett Wasmund

Kolton Wilman

Sadie Wilt

1st Grade: Logan Alters

Nate Anderson

Jonas Andrews

Joey Arnevik

Zander Ashley

Lincoln Banaszynski

Quinn Bartz

Mason Bates

Cooper Beckmann

Jake Bluske

Spencer Bullis

Tovah Butterfass

Reid Carrier

Brecken

Christenson

Austin Clark

Madison Copeland

Madalyn DeGree

Kaitlyn Drost

Addison Johnson

Ethan Lownsbury

Charlie Marnell

Henry Newman

Macie Oian

Jake Paulson

Isabella Petry

Ian Ralston

Aidan Randolph

Gavin Reetz

Grayden Roberts

Kalei Schultz

Ethan Schultz

Liam Siebert

Marco Smith

Ethan Swanson

Jackson Tangen

Eli Theobald

T H I S W E E K ’ S S C H E D U L E

Sunday, 25 Monday, 26 Tuesday, 27 Wednesday, 28 Thursday, 29 Friday, 30 Saturday, 31

9:30 am Adult Bible st. DT

8 am Celebration worship

DT

9:30 am Adult Bible study

DT

9:30 am New Song

Worship & Faith Mile-

stone Sunday BH

9:30 am Sunday sch. BH

11 am Great Awakening

Worship BH

1 pm Financial Peace

University BH

2 pm Set-up/Annual

Celebration BH

4 pm Annual Meeting &

Celebration BH

9 am Offering counters DT

4 pm Kids’ Holy Yoga BH

5:30 pm Young Adult Bible

study BH

5:30 pm Preschool staff BH

6:30 pm Monday Funday

6:45 pm New Member/

Disciple class BH

7 pm Boy Scout Troop

#140 and Venture Crew DT

7 pm Holy Yoga/Gentle

BH

7 pm 20/30-Somethings BH

7 pm Preschool board BH

9 am WOB quilters DT

12:30 pm Youth team BH

7:30 pm Bethel Chorale

rehearsal DT

9:05 am Morning Fuel BH

10 am Staff meeting DT

12 pm Volunteer Coord. DT

2 pm Prayer team DT

5 pm 8th gr. confirmation DT

6 pm 9th gr. confirmation DT

6:30 pm Gr. 6/7 classes DT

7 pm Senior League wor-

ship, then activity DT

9 am Newsletter

mailing team DT

9:15 am Women’s

Bible study BH

5:30 pm Bell Ensem-

ble rehearsal BH

7 pm New Song

rehearsal BH

7 am Men’s Bible

study DT

8:30 am Holy Yoga

/Slow Flow BH

9 am Kids’ Holy

Yoga BH

5:30 pm Gather-

ing Worship BH

P O W E R O F P R A Y E R Those Who are Sick or in Need of Healing: Judie Babcock, Deanne Bauer, Scott Belisle, Sarah Dargatz, Paine DeBauche, Jean Elder, Mike Ganske, Carol Gilbert, Don Gilbertson, Mike Givens, Vivian Hart, Ken Heiser, Nancy Jeffries-Lein, Jim Klaas, Leah Krenz, Ken Larson, Betsey Lundeen, Liz Miller, Lucille Miller, Joyce Norvold, Jennifer Obermueller, Bridget Olson, Karen Pavlis, Dorothy Peterson, Terri Pomeroy, Debbie Russell, Kay Shager, Erin Steele, Ward TeWinkel and Wendi Wollner.

Those Serving or Deployed: Jeffrey Berg, Charles Burns, Jordan Kein and Steven Moreus.

A PRAYER Provided by Bethel’s Healing Ministries Team God of compassion and justice, I bring to you my feel-ings of discrimination and oppression. Feelings of be-ing kept down, controlled, voiceless with little power to impact change. Help me to stay centered in you, so I can loosen its grip on me. Remind me that I am wor-thy and capable, intelligent and good. Be my strong-hold. Remind me to celebrate my relationship with you and to remember that it is through you I gain strength and freedom. “The LORD also will be a stronghold for the oppressed, A stronghold in times of trouble.” Psalms 9:9 Amen

WORSHIP ATTENDANCE FOR JANUARY 18, 2015

Sunday, January 18: Highlands, 9:30 am—346; 11 am—159

TODAY’S QUOTE “Christ cannot live his life in this world without our mouth, without our eyes, without our going and coming, without our hearts. When we love and serve, it is Christ loving and serving through us.” ~ Leon Joseph Suenens 20/30-SOMETHINGS GROUP MEETS MONDAY A new small group for 20/30-Somethings has started on Monday nights in January. The next gathering will be on Monday, January 26th from 7-8 pm at Bethel's Highlands campus in the children's theater. Friends and neighbors are welcome!

WORSHIP MINISTRY ASSISTANTS

8 AM* & 11 AM

Acolytes

*8 am Ethan Kostynick, Peyton Massie

11 am Ashton Randolph,

Elizabeth Hughes

Ushers

*8 am Roger Pavlis, Bob Jacobson

11 am Tom/Jackie Hugdahl

Greeters

*8 am Inge Bleier, Evelyn Christensen 11 am Jerry/Margie Ellefson

Communion Assistants

*8 am No communion

11 am Juli/Jacob Benoy

Readers

*8 am Dick Stine 11 am Janet Lestock

Welcome Center—8 am*

Patty Johnson

Cookie Caller*

Darlene Berglund

*Downtown campus

HOSPITALITY TEAM– 4TH SUNDAY

HIGHLANDS 9:30 AM

Team Leaders/Lead Ushers

Bill Swanson

Ushers

Dan/Wendy Theobald

Greeters

Dan/Gretchen DuPuis,

Ruby Mockler, Greta Shafer

Communion Servers

Marie Heikkila, Troy Forcier,

Chuck Lewis, Mitch/Greta Lewis,

Brent Mitchell

Videographer

Dillon Rutten

Projectionist—Sunday

Parker Poling

Welcome Center

Marlene Weiss

Nursery

Grace Yaeger, Alivia Steiner

Hospitality/Coffee

Bodick family

Projectionist—Saturday

Char Trende

FALL 2015 PRESCHOOL

REGISTRATION STARTS

SOON!

February 14th at 8 am currently enrolled students, 9 am returning families (siblings of current or previous students)

February 21st at 8 am Bethel Church members, 9 am general public

Doors will NOT open until 7 am Registration forms and tuition rates are

now available To set up a tour or for questions, contact

Kari Jo Fore, Director at akarijo@bethelhighlandspreschool.org OR at 715-381-8254, ext 401

BETHEL HAPPENINGS BETHEL LUTHERAN CHURCH

JANUARY 25, 2015

BETHEL UNIVERSITY: A CLASS LIKE NEVER BEFORE

Bethel University of Hudson is a class like never before because there is no homework, there are no grades, and tuition is low. On Wednesday, February 4th & 11th, Rev. Dr. Karoline Lewis will be with us to present, "Wine, Wa-ter Jars and Witness: Being a Disciple in the Gospel of John” (7 pm, High-lands campus). It'll be a fun and relaxing evening of education right here in your neighborhood. Rev. Lewis is a nationally known scholar and preacher and will surely be a speaker you don't want to miss. Come for fellowship, come for fun, and come to learn things you never knew about the Gospel of John! Tickets are only $5 for the two-session class and can be purchased at the office Downtown or on our web site (with a credit card).

Bethel Highlands

Preschool Bake Sale

Saturday & Sunday,

Jan 31st & Feb 1st,

before & after worship.

Please join us for coffee, sweet treats, and baked goods to support our school. Thank you to the BHP Parents for

your donations! You’ve NEVER seen a bake sale of

this magnitude!

6

BETHEL HAPPENINGS BETHEL LUTHERAN CHURCH

JANUARY 25, 2015

THANKS FOR YOUR SUPPORT, BETHEL Operation HELP would like to thank Bethel Lutheran Church for your generous donations of quilts, shampoo and conditioner for our 2014 Christmas Campaign for kids. One client sent a note saying it was the nicest blanket they ever received. We were able to help 154 families have a brighter Christmas with donations of basic need items such as personal care items, paper products, laundry soap, etc. Other churches stepped up to help in this way, as well. It takes a village! Your part in the campaign is greatly appreciated. ~ Operation HELP YOU CAN HELP THE QUILTERS PUT YOUR OLD BLANKETS TO GOOD USE! As you clean out your closets this Spring, instead of tossing those old blankets, drop them off at the Downtown welcome center. The Bethel quilters will use them for filler as they make new quilts for those in need worldwide. Cotton batting (the usual filler) is quite expensive, so not only will your old blankets help the quilters help those in need, you will help them save some money in the process. Any type and size of freshly laundered blankets are welcome! Thanks for your part in supporting this ministry. BETHEL BOOK DISCUSSION GROUP MEETS FEBRUARY 4 Join readers on Wednesday, February 4th at Bethel’s Downtown campus from 1-3 pm to discuss In The Sea There Are Crocodiles by Fabio Geda. All are invited who would enjoy an interesting and lively discussion. Please come even if you have not finished or read the selection. SPEND VALENTINE’S DAY VOLUNTEERING AT FEED MY STARVING CHILDREN What better way to spend Valentine’s Day than sharing Christ’s love through a ministry close to home? You are invited to join a Bethel group in packing meals at Feed My Starving Children on Saturday, February 14 from 11:30 am-1:30 pm. Sixteen volunteers are needed. The group departs from the Downtown campus in the Bethel van for the drive to Eagan. A sign-up link can be found on the Ongoing Missions page of Bethel’s web site. Please contact Alan Park at parka99@sbcglobal.net for more information. BETHEL SERVES HOME MEAL FEBRUARY 19 It is Bethel’s turn to serve the dinner for the HOME meal mission on Thursday, February 19th in the fellowship hall at Bethel Downtown. We need 12 to 15 volunteers for the following time frames. The most help is needed during the last time slot:

1-4 pm: Food Prep/table set-up 4-4:45 pm: Kitchen clean-up 5-6 pm: Serving & Greeting 5:15 pm-’til finished: Busing tables, washing dishes, and final clean-up

Please call Brian Ullom through the church office and let him know what time slot you would like to volunteer for. Thank you for supporting this local ministry. NATIONAL LUTHERAN CHOIR—WINTER CONCERT “I KNOW WHY THE CAGED BIRD SINGS” So much of the world’s powerful choral music has emerged from peoples caged and hemmed in by oppression. These works endure over centuries and across oceans to shine light on the human condition and pronounce the power of hope, and that is what you’ll experience during these special performances. Hope. Saturday, February 28, 2015 – 7 pm, Zion Lutheran Church, 1601 Fourth Avenue, Anoka Sunday, March 1, 2015 – 4 pm, Woodlake Lutheran Church, 7525 Oliver Avenue South, Minneapolis Tickets: $25 Adult - $23 Senior - $10 Student, 17 and under FREE. For tickets or more information, Call (888) 747-4589 or visit www.NLCA.com.

BETHEL HAPPENINGS BETHEL LUTHERAN CHURCH

JANUARY 25, 2015

2015 COUNCIL CANDIDATES The following four Bethel members have expressed interest in joining the church council as general members in 2015. The congregation will have the opportunity to vote for candidates during TODAY’S Annual Meeting and Celebration (Sunday, January 25th). Their biographies are below and continue on the next page. ERIN MASON Erin Mason has been a member of Bethel for 5 years. Her de-sire is to give back and serve in any capacity for the needs of Bethel. Her interests are in graphic design and will be able to help Bethel move forward in that area. She has helped with Sunday School and small groups, has been a prayer group leader, as well as helped with Journey events and WOW Worship Service. She has enjoyed helping out with the Christmas program, Engedi room, Faith Milestones, Preschool carnival and Capital Campaign. She feels she is prepared to be an active member of the council because she has managed a small business for 14 years prior to opening her own design business. Also, Erin is an active member of the Hudson Chamber of Commerce as well as teaching Jr. Achievement curriculum at North Hudson Elementary. In addition to this, she does design work for non-profit organizations. She looks forward to what she can contribute to Bethel through being a mem-ber of the council.

DAN THEOBALD Dan Theobald has been a member of Bethel for 10 years. During these 10 years he feels he has been blessed to be a part of a few different activities. He is excited to have the opportunity to give more of his time and talent in helping Bethel’s ministries. Based on his background as an actuary and parent of young children, he has strong interests in helping with any financial committees and youth ministries. He has been employed as an ac-tuary at Thrivent Financial for over 18 years and has led the life insurance product development team within Thrivent for the last 8 years. In the com-munity, he has been a volunteer coach for a number of different youth sports, the primary being baseball and basketball. With all of these experi-ences, he is willing to help out with all aspects of the council.

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BETHEL HAPPENINGS BETHEL LUTHERAN CHURCH

JANUARY 25, 2015

2015 COUNCIL CANDIDATES—continued MARIE HEIKKILA Marie Heikkila is a newer member of Bethel, joining in 2013. She feels she can contribute her ideas to Bethel through her many experiences. She has taught 6th grade for 30 years and has been a substitute teacher for the past 10 years. She enjoys working with people of all ages; she feels she is a real people person. She volunteered with Leader Dogs for the Blind and raised four service dogs for them. Helping Paws, based in Hopkins, MN is an organization that she has raised and trained four service dogs for indi-viduals with disabilities. Since deciding to end her service dog training, she would like to focus on volunteer opportunities closer to home such as Be-thel Lutheran Church. Currently in the church, she volunteers by ushering, is a member of Congregational Life Committee, Book Club and the Mary gathering . With all of these experiences, she is ready to bring her talent and passion to being a council member. DICK TRENDE Dick has been a member of Bethel for 42 years. During that time, Dick has been the Chief of Police for Hudson and the head of security at the University of River Falls. He has been actively involved in the Loaves and Fishes, Pine Ridge and Via de Cristo ministries, has been a small group leader, participates in worship support, attends Wednesday and Saturday Bible studies, and neighborhood outreach. In the community he is involved in UWEZO, Commu-nity Action, and Counteract. He feels that being a member of the council is an opportunity to serve the church and bring an historical understanding of our church community.