Vacation Bible School

Growing up in a devout Christian family, I attended Vacation Bible School every year until sixth grade. I have no memory of it. I can vaguely recall sitting next to my friend Cynthia while she whispered too loudly during the closing service, but none of the stories, crafts, songs, or activities come to mind. This lack of recall doesn’t worry me since my memory is notoriously shoddy. I’m sure VBS was fun and educational nevertheless.

 

On the other hand, I can vividly recall volunteering for VBS as an adult. It started in high school, when I played the role of the widow of Zarephath. Each teacher that year was allowed to choose a Bible character and act out their story, while groups of children rotated through the classrooms. I picked the widow of Zarephath from 1 Kings, who was near starvation when Elijah came and asked her for a piece of bread. “I don’t have any bread,” she answered, “only a handful of flour in a jar and a little olive oil in a jug. I am gathering a few sticks to take home and make a meal for myself and my son, that we may eat it—and die.” But Elijah persuaded her to share that last meal with him, and once she did, her flour and oil never ran out. 

 

I played the widow as an irascible, crotchety old woman who was overrun with flour and oil. I gesticulated wildly with my cane and pretended to foist flour and oil onto all the VBS kids: “Take some of this! It never runs out! I don’t know what I’m going to do with it all!” I loved making the children laugh.

 

Much later, when I began worshipping at the Presbyterian Church in Newhall, I naively agreed to be in charge of their VBS one summer. I’d never led anything before and had no idea what I was getting into. We were a small congregation, so it was largely up to me to choose curriculum, set dates, find teachers, plan decorations, organize meals, and advertise the event. A week before VBS was to begin, I still hadn’t managed to build Noah’s ark or acquire enough paper towel rolls for the giraffe craft. I was overcome with panic, sure that VBS would be a disaster. Like the widow of Zarephath, I had been asked to give more than I had. 

 

And also like the widow, I was blessed with a miracle of abundance. Somehow, in the last week, our VBS came together.  When we opened our doors, the tiny church overflowed with food, cooks, teachers, helpers, children, and joy. By the end of the week, I had come to know and love more people in the church and town than I had met the whole year before.

 

If you’re free July 12-15, consider joining in the fun and fellowship of VBS here in Vinton. The event is assuredly much better planned than my escapade in Newhall, but I’m sure there’s still room for volunteers. You might find that you benefit from VBS even more as an adult than you did as a kid.

 

Sondra Gates

 

SEIA Synod Assembly Report

Ann and I had the privilege of representing Bethlehem at the Southeast Iowa Synod Assembly held at First Lutheran Church in Cedar Rapids on May 15-16. Pastor Anne asked if I would write a “Few Lines” regarding our experience. She should know better!

 

First of all, it was a unique experience for Ann and I because 65 years ago we were married in that same church so lots of memories as we sat there. More importantly however was the business of the Assembly. The assembly meets each year “To lift up and celebrate ministries and address the official business of the synod, approve compensation guidelines, adopt a budget, address resolutions, and elect members to the Synod Council and Committees.” In addition, this year was an election for the Bishop of the Synod.

 

Intermingled with this business was Bible Study, based on John 20:19-21, where we interacted with each other about some of our experiences relating to Fear & Peace – Sent & Send. It was an interesting conversation with those around us. Of course, that evening we had a wonderful WORSHIP SERVICE with a great choir and orchestra.

 

The business part of the meeting was rather straight forward with only my injection of an amendment to the budget that brought forth any discussion. I was concerned that the budget for Iowa Lutheran Campus Ministries was reduced almost $5,000.00 from 2025. I think our young people are where we ought to be spending our money particularly at this time when there are so many other influences that affect young people when they leave home. There is a standing rule for the meeting that if you move to increase the budget in one area you must decrease it in another area by the same amount. I proposed to increase the College Ministries by $10,000.00 and decrease the Office & Support budget by $10,000.00 since that area had increases from 2025 of roughly $65,000,00. After some discussion the motion was voted down. Other delegates came up after and said they were going to try and get some consideration of the matter through the Synod Council.

 

The current Bishop Amy Current was reelected with a large majority, and our own Pastor Anne was elected to the Nominating Committee for a two-year term.

 

I would encourage anyone to become a delegate to any future Synod Assembly, because it is Bethlehem and congregations like ours that are the Southeast Iowa Synod and we need to be actively involved in what is happening.

 

Thank you for allowing Ann and I to represent Bethlehem.

Marlyn Jorgensen

 

A Message from Pastor Anne

So then, you are no longer strangers and aliens, but you are fellow citizens with the saints and also members of the household of God,  (Ephesians 2:19)

 

When you think about citizenship, what do you think of? The state you live in, the country in which this state is found? The taxes we pay because we live in those places? The responsibility of voting and watching candidates win and lose. This is all very ordinary, daily life stuff, right? As Lutherans we understand part of our vocations, our callings, given to us by God, are to be engaged citizens, if you live in a monarchy, like Luther did, you help the queen or king. If you live in a democracy, you vote. Citizenship, for a Christian who is also a Lutheran, is both privilege and responsibility.

 

As Christians, we also hold multiple citizenships.  Not only are we citizens of where we live or where we come from, we’re citizens of God’s kingdom. The apostle, Paul, knew all about this. He was a Roman citizen, unlike Jesus and his original disciples. Paul’s status as a Roman citizen is something he talked about in the book of Acts; it got him out of trouble more than once. At the same time, he’s quick to point out, like in Ephesians, that while Roman citizenship is nice, the one that matters is his citizenship in God’s kingdom. In Philippians, he’s even more to the point: “our citizenship is in heaven” (3:20a).

 

It is a blessing to be a citizen of a country (or two, as the case may be 😉). It’s worth remembering that this citizenship, as much as we value it, is temporary. Our permanent residence is God’s kingdom; the glimpses and moments of here and now as we live as citizens among the saints of God and eternally.

May your celebrations be joyous, and your hearts full this July.

Grace + Peace, Pastor Anne

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Garage Sale

Thank you to everyone who donated, volunteered, and shopped at the two day garage sale.  Through generous community free will donations, we collected $1,504.51. Proceeds will go toward the Bethlehem Quilting Group projects.

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Sunday Afternoon Worship Service

Please join us for Holy Communion Worship Service on Sunday, July 26th at 4:30 p.m. Bring your lawn chair and meet us on the green space by the parsonage.

 

Youth Corner

Ellen Olson, Coordinator of Youth Ministries

 

Vacation Bible School

Mark your calendars for a week of FUN. Vacation Bible School will be at Wesley Methodist Church this year (and we are again partnering together with Vinton Presbyterian Church also). We will step through the mist into RAINFOREST FALLS, overflowing with wild waterfalls, towering trees, and colorful creatures. Kids plunge into a lifelong adventure of discovering the nature of God. They will explore what it means to be rooted in relationship with God, their creator, a safe place in life’s storms.

The dates are Sunday, July 12 through Wednesday, July 15 from 6-8 pm for those completing 4-year-old preschool through completion of the fourth grade.

Dinner will be served each evening from 5:15 pm – 5:45 pm for all participants and volunteers. Registration is open at vbspro.events/p/vinton2026

Please contact Ellen Olson if you have any questions.

 

Food for Thought Book Club

Meets on the third Thursday of the month at the Brickside

Brew N Chew at 12:00 noon in Vinton.

July – Against the Tide by Elizabeth Camden

August – Secrets by Robin Jones Gunn

September – The Frozen River by Ariel Lawhorn

October – Unplanned by Alana Terry (#1 in Kennedy Sterns series)

November – A Day to Pick Your Own Cotton by Michael Philips (#2 in the Shenandoah Sisters series)

December – Christmas in Chestnut Ridge by Nancy Naigle (#2 in the Chestnut Ridge series)

 

Sunday, September 13th

On God’s Work, Our Hands Sunday this year we will be gathering the items to create Personal Care Kits and School Kits for Lutheran World Relief.  If you would like to supply any of the items needed for these kits here is a listing:

Person Care Kits

• One dark color bath-size towel

• Two bath-size bars of soap

• One sturdy comb

• One metal nail clipper

 

School Kits

• Four 70-sheet spiral notebooks

• One 30-centimeter ruler

• One pencil sharpener

• One pair of blunt scissors

• Five unsharpened #2 pencils with erasers

• Five black or blue ballpoint pens

• One box of 24 crayons

• One 2 ½” eraser