Empowered by Jesus to be His hands and feet, Bethlehem is a caring Community called to be His

compassionate presence in this world and to build community by reaching out with the

life-giving Word to those in our neighborhoods who are wearied and burdened by life’s demands and

changing Circumstances.

Join us for

December 2015, Volume XV, No .12 BETHLEHEM LUTHERAN CHURCH

201 E. Watauga Avenue Johnson City, TN 37601

Rev. Steven Harmon, Pastor Church: 423-926-5261

Reach Up, Reach In, Reach Out

The traditional use of Advent candles (sometimes held in a wreath) originated in

eastern Germany even prior to the Reformation. As this tradition came down to

us by the beginning of this century, it involved three purple candles and one pink

candle. The purple candles matched the purple paraments on the altar (purple for the royalty of the coming King). The pink candle was the third candle to be lit (not the fourth)

on Gaudete Sunday, the Third Sunday of Advent. "Gaudete" means "Rejoice!" in Lat-in, and is the first word of the traditional In-troit for that day (TLH, p. 54) which is taken

from Philippians 4:4.

("Rejoice! . . . the Lord is near"). Hence a "pink" candle was used to signify "rejoicing." Some also included a white "Christ candle" in

the middle to be lit during the 12 days of Christmas (December 25-January 5).

Children’s Christmas Program

December 20th at 5:00 p.m.

"Bethlehem News"

Special music will be provided by the Bethle-hem Ensemble accompanied with several of the

youth and the children will play the bells.

The annual chili supper and "Happy Birthday Jesus"

party will follow the program.

Christmas Eve Candelight Service

December 24 7:00 PM 11:00 PM

Chistmas Day Service With Holy Communion

December 25 10:45 AM

Notes from the Pastor’s Desk We are Jesus’ hands and feet.

Our journey through The Story brings us to the time of the Kings of Israel. We’ve already met Saul. We’ll get acquainted with David and we will follow Solomon through his reign in the weeks ahead.

The time of the kings provides an appropriate connection to the Season of Advent – to the beginning of the Church Year – when we prepare to welcome Jesus into the world. He is the King of kings and the ruler of all creation.

So this month we will also take a brief break from our journey through The Story to spend some time focused on Jesus’ first com-ing – on the Word becoming flesh and dwelling among us. That we get to celebrate again Jesus being born for us so that He can be born in us is such incredible news. Celebrating that is truly a gift.

God took on human flesh and became just like us. He did that so that He could walk in our shoes – so that He could satisfy all the demands of God’s Law for us – demands that are impossible for us to keep.

God’s Law demands perfection in all of our thoughts, words and deeds. And we can’t do that. We are broken and sinful people. We are not perfect.

And that’s a problem! For any transgression – for any sin – against any part of God’s Law, the penalty is death. Our sin con-demns us to death. And there’s nothing we can do to change that.

God knows that. He knows that we can’t save ourselves. Even our best efforts fall far short of perfection. So He came to save us. Jesus was born into this world to save us from sin and death.

He gave up everything for us – including His life – to satisfy all the demands of God’s Law. He suffered the death and condemna-tion that we deserve so that we could live forever as children of God.

That gift will be the focus of our celebrations in the coming weeks. Let us fix our eyes on Jesus. He is our Lord and Savior. He is our King.

December 2 . . . Advent Vespers 7:00 pm

SERMON TEXT: Isaiah 60:1-9 SERMON THEME: “Stir Up the Pow-er of Hope” LITURGY: Blended

December 6 . . . 2nd Sunday in Advent

8:00 am SERMON TEXT: 1 Samuel 17:45-47 SERMON THEME: “From Shepherd to King” LITURGY: Blended with Holy Communion

10:45 am SERMON TEXT: 1 Samuel 17:45-47 SERMON THEME: “From Shepherd to King” LITURGY: Blended with Holy Communion

December 9 . . . Advent Vespers

7:00 pm SERMON TEXT: Matthew 3:1-12 SERMON THEME: “Stir Up the Pow-er of Preparation” LITURGY: Blended

December 13 . . . 3rd Sunday in Advent 8:00 am

SERMON TEXT: 2 Samuel 12:1-10 SERMON THEME: “The Trials of a King” LITURGY: Blended with Holy Communion

10:45 am SERMON TEXT: 2 Samuel 12:1-10 SERMON THEME: “The Trials of a King” LITURGY: Blended with Holy Communion

December 16 . . . Advent Vespers

7:00 pm SERMON TEXT: 1 John 4:7-21 SERMON THEME: “Stir Up the Pow-er of Love” LITURGY: Blended

December 20 . . . 4th Sunday in Advent

8:00 am SERMON TEXT: 1 Kings 4:4-14 SERMON THEME: “The King Who had it All” LITURGY: Blended with Holy Communion

10:45 am SERMON TEXT: 1 Kings 4:4-14 SERMON THEME: “The King Who had it All” LITURGY: Blended with Holy Communion

December 24 . . . Christmas Eve 7:00 pm

SERMON TEXT: Luke 2:8-20 SERMON THEME: “A Not So Silent Night” LITURGY: Blended

11:00 pm SERMON TEXT: Luke 2:8-20 SERMON THEME: “A Not So Silent Night” LITURGY: Blended

December 25 . . . Christmas Day

10:45 am SERMON TEXT: John 1:1-14 SERMON THEME: “The Word Be-came Flesh” LITURGY: Blended with Holy Communion

December 27 . . . 1st Sunday after Christmas

8:00 am SERMON TEXT: Luke 2:29-32 SERMON THEME: “Seeing His Sal-vation” LITURGY: Blended with Holy Communion

10:45 am SERMON TEXT: Luke 2:29-32 SERMON THEME: “Seeing His Sal-vation” LITURGY: Blended with Holy

Communion

The Story

God comes and invites us to join Him in His house and at His table on a regular basis.

In order to answer His invitation on a regular basis, here is the schedule of wor-

ship times in December. See you there!

P. S. – There’s still a seat for you in our Sunday morning Bible Study as we continue our journey through The Story.

Sew Crazy Sew Crazy will

have their annual fellowship dinner and project turn-in at Bethlehem

Lutheran on Thursday Dec. 3

from 6-8 pm. Items on the

menu will be Appetizers & Finger Foods. The people of Sew-Crazy

would like to wish everyone a very Merry Christmas & a very

Happy New Year.

For information contact Donna Horowitz 423-434-0424 or

sew-crazy.org

Hours

The Church office is open

Monday – Friday 9:00 a.m. – 5:00 p.m.

Saturday: 9:00 a.m. – 1:00 p.m.

Susan is off on Thursdays Pastor is off on Fridays

Voice mail and e-mails are checked regularly.

Statistical Report for November Attendance 8:00 a.m. 10:45 a.m. Offerings Nov. 1 34 66 General Fund $ 5,736.00 Shaneyfelt Mission $ 30.00 Federwitz Mission $ 50.00 Christmas Extravaganza $ 25.00 Nov. 8 30 53 General Fund $ 3,161.00 Shaneyfelt Mission $ 28.00 Federwitz Mission $ 50.00 Rummage Sale $ 40.00 Nov. 15 31 52 General Fund $ 3,115.00 Federwitz Mission $ 50.00 Shaneyfelt Mission $ 29.00 Outreach $ 221.00 Nov. 22 39 58 General Fund $ 2,598.00 Shaneyfelt Mission $ 30.00 Federwitz Mission $ 50.00 Nov. 29 28 47 General Fund $ 2,215.00 Special Account $ 186.00 Thanksgiving Eve 30 General Fund $ 1,590.00 Special Account $ 330.00 Spending Guidelines approved for 2015 $224,198.41 Offerings needed each week in 2015 $ 4,311.51

Madaline Lewis (1st), Brooke Oxendine (2), Steve Harmon & Dylan Simmons (4th), Kay Sirois (6th), Carol Shaneyfelt (7th),

Halie Padgett (8th), Jon Shaneyfelt, (10th), Jan Mickelson (13th), Ian Scruggs (15th), Logan Oxendine (16th), Maggie Howland

(17th), Camron Scruggs (23rd), Diane Harmon & Rebecca Minor (26th),

Michele Oxendine (28th)

Islam Study Next Islam Study Session: We postponed the

Islam Study for November to Saturday, December 5th due to the Thanksgiving holiday. We'll meet at 9AM on the 5th and our session will discuss the topic from our Muslim brothers

and sisters of "God has no children." If you have any question, please contact Larry Larson

at larsonll@aol.com or phone him at (423)-575-2291.

"Bethlehem will offer the highly acclaimed Financial Peace Uni-versity program beginning in January 2016. Dave Ramsey devel-oped this program to help people of all ages and incomes to better handle their finances. As Dave says, "Live (today) like nobody else so (tomorrow) you can live like nobody else." This program is a nine week long program consisting of a one hour lesson by

Dave and then a one hour discussion about the lesson. Materials for the course cost $109 and it contains Dave's top-selling book, Financial Peace, a workbook and other materials to help your journey to financial independence. Depending upon the number of people interested in the course, we may be able to obtain a re-duced price on these materials. On average, people who attend Dave's classes save $2,700 during the course and in the first 90 days pay off an average of $5,300 in debt. We'll have an organizational meeting on Sunday, January 24th, 2016 after the late service in the Fellowship Hall. If you are interested in attending, please con-tact Larry Larson at larsonll@aol.com or call him at 575-2291. What could God's people do for the kingdom of God if they were debt free? Come and find out."

At the Congregational Meeting on Sunday, November 22nd, we discussed the current

condition of Bethlehem's property. The most urgent need is to repair some leaks we've no-ticed in the roof. In addition, we also need to improve the appearance of the church Nave

and Sanctuary. Four improvements have been discussed and approved by the Board

of Directors. These improvements include re-finishing the hardwood floors, replacing the carpeting, re-finishing the pews, and either

upgrading the lighting to LED bulbs or replac-ing the existing yellow glass with frosted clear glass. One pew has already been re-finished

and you can see it in the Fellowship Hall. These projects will require that, as a congre-gation, we increase our giving since we are already behind in our normal operating fund-ing for the church. By giving a few extra dol-

lars each week and designating which project you'd like to support, we can keep track on

the poster you'll see displayed in the Fellow-ship Hall. Once we have sufficient funding,

we'll commence on that project. If you would like to have a pew re-finished in your name, the cost is $700. When all the pews are fin-

ished, we'll prominently display a plaque with those names. Contact Larry Larson (575-

2291) if you'd like to sponsor a pew.

DID YOU KNOW that Lutherans nationwide all across America(in Missouri-Synod, ELCA and WELS) give only 1.7% of their income back to God and the church!! WOW – not a very good percentage is it?? Does one of the following apply to YOU: I would enjoy church a whole lot more if they would not

bug me about money. I am unemployed and looking for a job; I can’t give any-

more. I am in school; I have no money left. We have kids in school; they need to be cared for. I retired and on a fixed income; Social Security is not in-

creasing. I give plenty to this church; when are others going to start

doing their part? We are just an old congregation; what do you expect? My medical insurance is going up for the second straight

year; I have to have insurance. I work in public education; we receive little if any raises

and I have to spend my own money in my classroom. My car is in need of repair; I have to take care of those

expenses. There has been very little increase in my military retire-

ment. I can hardly cover my own expenses; there is nothing left.

How do you expect me to cover the church’s expenses? I help out with the Melting Pot, Family Promise, the

Youth Group, LWML and other church activities at the church – give me a break!

I give more than my fair share already. It is time for others to step up and increase their giving. What we need are more members and the problem would

go away. How come it is the same people who do all the work? We need younger, employed members – not a bunch of

retirees. Why are we even talking about money. The church’s

purpose is to witness to others and to bring the unbeliev-ers to Christ.

Serving This Month 8:00 a.m. 10:45 a.m.

ELDER OF THE MONTH: Rob Miller ELDER OF THE MONTH: Hugh Pruitt

USHERS ACOLYTE Greeters USHERS ACOLYTE Greeters

12/6 Larry Larson Frank deNobriga

Tom Watson Eli Barton

Robert Woody Andrew Joyner

12/13 Courtney Scruggs Frank deNobriga

Roy Knispel Bob Wohlford

Ted Wilson Ben Wohlford

12/20 Doug Hornsby John Port

Roy Knispel Bob Wohlford

Ted Wilson Ben Wohlford

12/27 Doug Hornsby Kirby Fetzer

Tom Watson John Port

Robert Woody Andrew Joyner

Altar Guild: Madaline Lewis

Needed: Greeters for

both services for our

assimilation program

Please contact Paula Treece to

help with this revamped ministry.

794-9220

Needed: Greeters for

both services for our

assimilation program

Please contact Paula Treece to

help with this revamped ministry.

794-9220

WOW!!! We had another busy month. We are enjoying the study on “The Story.” Our youth are really taking ownership in it and look forward to the upcoming chapters in the book as we perform skits/role play, watch video clips, and have a devotion/discussion about how we can apply it into our daily lives. We are currently in Chapters 9 and 10. THANK YOU for your contin-ued support in us through your donations for our rummage

sale. It took place in November 7th. As you can tell by the picture---there was A LOT. Your support and donations are truly appreciated. We also had a good time raking the Baskin’s yard as another fund raiser. Plans for next summer’s service project are really starting to take shape. June 13th-17th is when we’ll be in Panama City, FL partnering with Habitat for Humanity. Please start saving coupons that may help us out with food on the trip. December is going to be another very busy month. Here is what we have planned: Sunday, December 6th at 5pm---Christmas Play Practice Saturday, December 12th at 8:45pm--Movie Night at Real to Reel….”War Room” Sunday, December 13th at 5pm---Christmas Play Practice Friday, December 18th at 6:30pm----Multiply Youth Gathering Saturday, December 19th---time is TBA---Christmas Dress Rehearsal Sunday, December 20th----5pm----Children’s Christmas Program

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BETHLEHEM BOARD BRIEFS After beginning each Board of Directors meeting with prayer, Pastor presents an applicable de-votion. The board members then address multiple agenda items. The following are a few of the items addressed at the November Board meeting and the Congregational Meeting: For our November meeting our venue changed from Bethlehem to a meeting room at the Lex-ington Senior Living Center, 114 W. Fairview Ave., Johnson City. After our meeting we were given a tour of the beautifully remodeled facility. The Board is considering several outreach opportunities to offer the residents. Mr. Eric Myers from Summit Leadership Foundation, 3104 Hanover Road, Johnson City began our meeting with a presentation of the work done through THE CHURCH Mobilization Network (CMN), a network used to train leaders in the community to mobilize resources for use in the community. The CMN network is a ministry that provides invaluable information to local churches regarding services which currently are in place and can be accessed to minister to the needs of the people in our immediate area. The Board recognizes the potential of this min-istry and how it can positively impact Bethlehem’s outreach program. The Board will re-address this opportunity at the beginning of the New Year.

Church Finances: Betty Jeane Sotherland distributes and explains the previous month’s financial status printouts. The report shows we have spent $20,124.50 more than we have brought in thus far this year. Income relating to the budgeted expens-es is down by $6,051.69 in actual expenditures vs contributions. BJ drew from the Tymus Account and Maintenance Account reserve to pay for the non-budgeted/unexpected expenses, primarily repairs related to the foundation leaks in the base-ment of the fellowship hall. The 2016 Budget Guidelines will remain the same as last years’ with the exception of an expected increase in staff medical benefits. As stew-ards of all God’s gifts, we respectfully challenge each member to prayerfully consider increasing their giving by at least 1% to help offset the shortfall in funds. Additionally, Larry Larson is a trained presenter for the Dave Ramsey Financial Peace University program and has agreed to offer this presentation to the congregation in the spring.

Sunday School Updates: Lessons from The Story continue to be presented to the adults’ and children’s classes on Sunday and the youth group during their meetings. Pastor posts his journal entries online so members can follow along, particularly if you happen to miss a lesson. The web page is two weeks behind and Facebook is one week behind the printed schedule. In order to fill a gap in our Sunday school program there is a need to start a Sunday school class for middle- and high-school aged members. If you love teaching children in this age range please prayerfully consider volunteering to become a teacher for this class. All materials will be provided and will follow The Story.

Congregational Meeting: The annual voter’s meeting was held between services on 11/22/15. Finances and facility improvements were discussed. There is a poster in the fellowship hall outlining several needed improvements to our facility, including lighting, flooring and pews. It is emphasized that no project will be completed until full funding is received. The cost of new carpeting in the sanctuary is now covered; however, the wood floor needs to be refinished before the carpeting can be installed. Also, there is a refinished pew on display in the fellowship hall. The cost of refinish-ing each pew in the sanctuary is $750.00. If you wish to contribute to any of the pro-jects outlined during the meeting please mark your offering envelopes appro-priately. You can track the progress of each project by checking the poster each month.

Continued...

Jan Turner will replace Frank de Nobriga on the board and due to lack of volunteers Bar-bara Fetzer will remain to serve another year. There was a motion made, seconded and approved to suspend the bylaws in order to allow Barbara to continue serving. The Board will solicit volunteers to fill Barbara’s position again next year. If you are in-terested in serving please contact a member of the Board.

Ministry Team Updates: The Board again thanks James Wudke for volunteering to head the

OneHarvest food co-op program for Bethlehem. Participants in the program are now up to 14 families. New menus are available in the fellowship hall each month. If you are in-terested in lowering your monthly food bills while purchasing quality foods, please talk to James.

There is a need to form a Long Range Property Committee in order to address repair/

improvement projects around the church that require continuing supervision. If you would like to serve on this committee please contact a member of the Board.

There are at least seven ways listed in this article (look for the bold red letters) to become involved in the mission of Bethlehem. Please prayerfully consider supporting our mission by participating in one of them. As our church year comes to a close please join your Board members in thanking Frank de No-briga for his many years of selfless service on both the interim Board and the current Board of Directors. His love of God and passion for missions has shown brightly through his leadership and gentle guidance and he has served our congregation well. Please take this opportunity to thank Frank for his service. In addition, please thank Jan Turner for agreeing to serve as the newest member on the Board. We look forward to working along- side her as Bethlehem continues to grow in the grace of our Lord. As always, each Board member thanks you for your continued support and asks you to include us in your prayers for strength, guidance and insight as we work with you and for you to keep Bethlehem growing forward in the footsteps of Jesus Christ our Lord and Savior. Your Board of Directors: Pastor Steven Harmon, Chairman Frank de Nobriga, Secretary Barbara Fetzer, Larry Larson, Lee Talbert and ex-officio members Administrative Assistant Susan Burkey, Treasurer Betty Jeane Sotherland and Financial Secretary Madaline Lewis.

BETHLEHEM BOARD BRIEFS cont.

Now is the time to order Poinsettias They are large beautiful plants in white and red.

Cost $12.00

Name_______________________________________________

Memorial or Honorarium (if desired) :

___________________________________________________

__________________________________________________________________________

Orders must be placed by December 14