Choir Begins! - It's time to begin choir practices again! Please consider sharing your musical talents with the various musical ensembles. Your love of music is all that is needed to join the various groups!  Here are the starting dates:

• Second Sabbath: Practice on September 9th and leading worship on September 10  (10 am service only). Contact mstenoien@aol.com

• JuBellation Ringers: Practices starting on September 13th, 6 pm in the Family Center weekly on Wednesdays

• Good News Singers: Practices start on September 13th, 7:22 pm n the Sanctuary weekly on Wednesdays

• Children's Choir: Practices start on September 24th, 10 am in the Family Center weekly on Sundays (See below for more info.)

• Band of Bethlehem- contact Mark Weed for future rehearsal dates. weedster1@gmail.com

Calling All Children to the Children's Choir! - Does your child enjoy singing? We are looking for new members for our Children's Choir! The group meets weekly on Sunday mornings 10:00-10:30 am in the Family Center. Those that love to sing have started at about 5 years old and some have been in our choir 9 years!  Children receive music and recordings to practice the songs at home. The first practice will be September 24th with their first performance on November 5th. Come join the fun! For further information contact monagoetsch@gmail.com

New Photo Directory! - It is about time that we create a new photo directory including the “old and new” faces of Bethlehem! Our photo session appointments will be scheduled for September 19-20, 2 to 8 pm. Please sign up now below to make sure we have time for everyone! You can also find this link on the church home page here.

Whether your family is one person or many, and of course including your pets, our directory will not be complete without YOU! Your family group may include whoever you please. Sign up your family under one name and appointment time.

If you are unable to attend on September 19-20, or have any questions, please text or call Cynthia at 760-525-3519.

Learning Circles will begin again on September17th. All of our preschool and elementary aged children are invited to join in one of our "kid friendly" projects. We will start our regular Learning Circle Schedule on Sunday, September 24th during the 10:30 service. If you are interested in finding out more about helping during Learning Circles or if you would like to volunteer starting in September, please contact Jana Hegg at childrensministry@blcenc.org.



Bethlehem Serves will be on Sunday, September 17th. This is a Sunday where congregational members come to church and participate in a community service project for the morning. Projects will include onsite projects: School Bags, 1st Responders, Plants to the Neighbors, Car Wash, and Prayer Shawl Ministry. Offsite projects will be Community Resource Center, Ocean Knoll Children's Garden and Farm, Beach Clean-up and Chimes for the Seniors.

Signups for the various projects have begun! You can sign up online by clicking here, or you can sign up after church on the Sundays leading up to the 17th. There will be a short service in church on the 17th at 9:00 am before leaving for the service projects. At the end of the morning, we will be sharing in a lunch together. Our lunch will be catered by El Napolito and will include tortillas, beef, chicken and rice and beans. Water will also be provided. We ask that each family bring a salad, fruit or dessert to share. We will be setting up tables and chairs under the pop-ups outside.

Even though our COVID restrictions and protocols have decreased greatly, we all know that COVID does still exist and the numbers are rising in some areas. We ask that you stay home if you are not feeling well, or if you have any cold, flu or COVID symptoms. Contributions for Bethlehem Serves may be made online as a one-time event.

If you have any questions, please reach out to Mona Goetsch (monagoetsch@gmail.com) or Jana Hegg (rjjhegg@gmail.com)

Bethlehem Serves — Hygiene Kits Project - Again this year we will be assembling hygiene kits to benefit our unhoused neighbors through the Showers of Blessings ministry at Saint Andrews Episcopal Church across the street. We are aiming to make between 150-200 kits this year. By purchasing in bulk we can assemble each kit for around $5 or less, which is very cost effective. 

Our immediate need is funds to purchase pre-made kits, and bulk items from our wish list to supplement the kits to make them more useful. Please order items by September 3 so we know how much we still need for the project. 

Hygiene Kits Amazon Wish List

Bethlehem Serves Hygiene Kits direct donation

While funds and wish list items are our most immediate needs, if you have collected travel-size toiletries or individually wrapped toothbrushes that you would like to donate, free free to bring them to the Hygiene Kits table on Bethlehem Serves day and they will be happily accepted. Questions? Email Louise Julig, ljulig@me.com.

The Pajama Project will meet for it's last workday this year on Saturday, September 23rd. This date is in place of the previous Sept. 30 which we had to reschedule. We will meet in the Family Center from 9-2 to cut our PJ's and assemble kits. Please contact Belinda at 760-822-9573 with any questions.



North Coast Bike Trail Ride - Our next adventure is planned for Saturday, September 30, 9 am. Meet at the Bethlehem Lutheran Church parking lot.

We will bike the North Coast Bike Trail in Cardiff. All are welcome, of course. We recommend e-bikes or experienced bikers. The ride is approximately 11 miles long, includes hills, and is about one-half bike trails and one-half city streets, including short stretches on busy streets with bike lanes. 

If you're interested or have questions, please contact one of the BAM leaders or send an email to blcsm@outlook.com:

Dennis Astroth, Eileen Lajimodiere, Suzi Westmoreland

Hope you can join us!

High School Youth Meetings - Students currently in high school meet weekly on Wednesday evenings from 7-8:30pm. Meetings alternate between Bethlehem Lutheran and St. Andrew’s Episcopal churches. Contact Deacon Mindy for additional details.  



NEW for Middle School - September 19th will be the first meeting of the new middle school ministry.  All 6th, 7th, and 8th graders are welcome to attend.  This group will gather on the first and third Tuesday evenings of each month at St. Andrew’s from 5:30—6:30pm. Mark your calendars and tell your friends.  

Confirmation Training - It’s a new year for the confirmation program! All 7th and 8th grade students are encouraged to join the class. We will meet on the 2nd and 4th Tuesdays of each month beginning on September 26. Meetings begin at 5:30pm. Contact Pastor Laura, Pastor Sam, or Deacon Mindy for more information.     

In July 13 high school students from Bethlehem Lutheran and St. Andrew’s Episcopal churches traveled to Las Cruces, New Mexico. Working with Border Servant Corps, the students were exposed to a variety of people, organizations, and systems that encompass immigration policies. 

Here are some of their comments regarding this experience:

• It made me incredibly grateful. But more than that, I felt so inspired. I was moved by the way that they were able to put a smile on their face even after all they have endured.” Our trip to Las Cruces, New Mexico and El Paso, Texas was filled with stories, tours, education, laughter, and lots of fun. -- Ella Weed

• I learned many things. One of the main ones being the process of what it takes to gain asylum and just how hard it is. -- Luka Draskovic

• These people have dug deep into their lives to work for the least of these and despite how heavy and emotionally draining this work is, they continue to fight on. I am beyond inspired by these individuals and I have been forever changed from this experience. -- Annike Engstrom

• All were so loving and strong. Even with everything going on in their lives they found ways to share God’s love. -- Audrey Wegener

• God’s love has no borders. I truly believe that everyone on earth has a couple things in common; we are all human and all loved by God regardless of our story or where we come from. -- Eva Cole

• I learned the importance of an open heart. Welcoming and listening to strangers can make one of the best gifts you could ever receive – the gift of friendship. -- Trevor Anderson

• Don’t be a Barbie. Do something meaningful with your life. Fix the corrupt systems. Be the change you want to see in the world, regardless of how difficult it seems. -- Tova Engstrom

• There will always be people who need help and it is up to us to be there and be that helping hand no matter how big or small. -- Dakota Burnett

• We are challenged to take what we saw and make a decision to do something about it. I am passing this decision to you all too: Vote for members of congress who will actually do something about the issue, not just put up higher walls and place more border patrol agents on the border. If you are in a place to do so, donate money to Border Servant Corp or be a sponsor. Volunteer a day with an immigration organization right here in California -- Eden LaClair

If you’d like to hear the students’ comments in their entirety, you can access the videos of July 30th worship on YouTube at

https://www.youtube.com/live/cNjsvcrlStM?si=_R4C_RHM6pJ7N__b for Bethlehem’s youth and at https://www.youtube.com/live/VErlA5_-4Aw?si=0TbGaOGpZcl_xAx5 for St. Andrew’s youth.



Save the Date!

Emily Baynton, the daughter of Pastor Laura, will be ordained here at Bethlehem Lutheran and live-streamed on October 7th at 2 pm. Bishop David Nagler with be presiding and preaching. Come celebrate this momentous day in her life.



We are in the process of creating a new outdoor columbarium space. We are working on finalizing the design, contracting with a company to build both the niches and the supporting frame, and local artist Jane Wheeler has already created an incredible tri-panel mosaic art installation for above the columbarium.

The price per niche is $2500. Each niche has space for up to two urns. You do not need to be a member to purchase one - all are welcome here at Bethlehem. Please sign up by contacting the church office, and payments can be made via check, or online here.

If you have any questions, or would like to inquire about payment plans, please contact the church office. If you would like to simply donate to this project, but do not wish to purchase a niche, your generosity and stewardship would be so appreciated, and you can do that by clicking here.

As Christians, we know that we are connected with all who have come before us in the faith – a great cloud of witnesses. Through this columbarium space we bear witness to that fact and will provide a much needed place of final rest for members of our community. 



When Someone Asks Us to Pray...

Pray for one another, so that you may be healed. The prayer of the righteous is powerful and effective. - James 5:16  

Occasionally we are called upon to pray for other people, but often this request makes us uncomfortable. A major reason people are reluctant to pray with others is their uncertainty as to how to go about it. They are unsure about why they should pray with others, when to pray, how to pray, what to pray about, and even where to pray.

When another person requests a prayer you might be tempted to immediately fold your hands and begin praying. But remember that prayer should meet the other person’s needs. One process which some find helpful is building a prayer. As you build a prayer, you discover the needs of the individual by asking open-ended questions, enabling the person to express his or her real concerns. A good start might be something like: “I would be glad to pray with you. Before I do, I’d like you to share with me what you’re thinking about and what your needs are at this time.” As they share their concerns, you have information you can use in building a prayer that meets their needs.

If this type of extemporaneous prayer still makes you nervous, you can always choose a prayer from a prayer book, from the front of the hymnal Evangelical Lutheran Worship, the book of Psalms, or the Lord’s Prayer. As you pray, both you and the person for whom you pray will find strength and assurance, knowing that your concerns are left in the hands of God, who is love.

Adapted from Christian Caregiving, a Way of Life, by Kenneth C. Haugk

The Spirit helps us in our weakness; for we do not know how to pray as we ought, but that very Spirit intercedes with sighs too deep for words. - Romans 8:26



Fall is our traditional time to talk about stewardship and this year will be no exception. Some folks might think of this as church fundraising, but consider this commentary from Henri Nouwen’s booklet, “A Spirituality of Fundraising.”

Fundraising is precisely the opposite of begging. When we seek to raise funds we are not saying, “Please, could you help us out because lately it’s been hard.” Rather, we are declaring, “We have a vision that is amazing and exciting. We are inviting you to invest yourself through the resources that God has given you – your energy, your prayers, and your money – in this work to which God has called us.” Our invitation is clear and confident because we trust that our vision and mission are like “the trees planted by streams of water, which yield their fruit in its season, and their leaves do not wither” Psalm 1:3.

Our stewardship Sundays will be October 1st and 8th. Look for more information in the next few weeks. Invest yourself in our vision and mission this fall as our focus turns to stewardship, and watch our tree yield abundant fruit!

Volunteers Needed! Saturday Breakfast at St. Andrews - Our mission to feed the hungry a hot breakfast each Saturday is starting back up again, and the kitchen at St. Andrew’s is now open for business. Bethlehem will be preparing breakfast on the 4th Saturday of each month. We need 6 volunteers to crack and scramble 6 doz. eggs, cook 60 hash browns, 13 lbs. of bacon, make 80 pancakes and serve up plates with a smile! Click below to volunteer!

Did you miss one of Pastor Sam's sermons? Want to double check if he actually said what you think he did? Accidentally fall asleep and want to go back and read the section you missed? Check out all of Pastor Sam's sermons on his blog at: https://sinningboldlywithsam.wordpress.com/

Have you missed one of our monthly e-newsletters? Have you wished you could open up that newsletter again to get that bit of information you were looking for? Well, now you can. On our Newsletter Archive page there are links available to view current and past newsletters.