Reformation

Imagine the strength it took for a monk to stand up to both a pope and an emperor, two of the most powerful men in 16th century Europe.

 

Martin Luther did just that, posting his 95 Theses on the door of a church to protest the sale of indulgences … forgiveness of sin at a price … later to be excommunicated by Pope Leo X and then defying Emperor Charles V at the Diet of Worms with his famous Here I Stand speech.

 

Five centuries later, Lutherans continue to remember the foundation and namesake of our denomination every time we worship together, particularly in October on or around the anniversary of the original event at the church in Wittenberg that led to the Protestant Reformation.

 

It took no small amount of courage to defy a pope and an emperor, and certainly no small amount of resolve to face the threat of imprisonment or death after being declared a heretic.

 

Given the time these events took place, it’s notable that among Luther’s allies was the Saxon prince with a sense of justice known as Frederick the Wise.

 

Frederick had founded the university at Wittenberg where Luther taught, made sure he would have a public hearing close to home and later took him into what we’d now call protective custody after the 1521 Diet of Worms.

 

The edict resulting from that assembly declared Luther a heretic and an outlaw. Frederick, however, believed Luther was unfairly persecuted because he wasn’t found guilty of any real crime. 

 

While they ran in very different circles and didn’t socialize with each other much, the Catholic Frederick joins Luther as an important part of the Reformation and should be remembered as well.

Bill Martin

 

The Joy of Generosity

There’s a generosity of spirit here at Bethlehem, and no I don’t mean a generous spirit. That’s something different. A generous spirit is someone who gives willingly and cheerfully, and there are definitely folks like that here at Bethlehem. When I say a spirit of generosity, I mean something a little more elusive, something a little less tangible, but something you can, nonetheless feel in the room. I see it every time someone new walks through our doors, when folks don’t hesitate to say yes to serving in various ways.

This month we have our annual stewardship campaign where we take a month not only to thank you for your continued support but to celebrate that generosity of spirit; all the ways we are generous, not only with money, but with time, and talents, service and prayer. I love this part of my job, of recognizing and naming the ways folks live out their faith here at Bethlehem, so without further ado, I’d like to thank

• Council: Jeff, Denise, Ben, Sondra, Gregg, Chelsea, John, Dandi and Tim (in no particular order).

• The staff at Bethlehem: Brenda, Ellen, Amanda, Lois and Eileen.

The work of these two groups and the teams that work under council, like Christian life, Christian faith and property, is vital to the life of this community! You are all a blessing to this place.

This year I’d like to thank two new teams that have emerged from council’s work and deliberations: the Finance team and the Stewardship team. Their work in monitoring our financial resources and naming and lifting that generosity of spirit I spoke about earlier are key to our future as a congregation. These teams not only keep their fingers on the pulse of our finances they help us name how the Holy Spirit is moving among. So my thanks to Amanda, Denise, Ben, Tom and Tenny as well as Jeff, Ryan, John and Sondra for their work this year and moving forward into 2027.

In this newsletter (and coming to your home) you’ll find an invitation to reflect on the power of generosity and how you can be a part of this generous spirit that pervades our congregation.

In Christ,

Pastor Anne

 

Annual Meeting

The Bethlehem congregation annual meeting will be held on Sunday, November 15th following 9:00 a.m. worship service.  All voting members of Bethlehem are encouraged to attend.

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Youth Corner

Ellen Olson, Coordinator of Youth Ministries

Sunday school

Welcome back.  We are off to a great start!  Please join us for Sunday school each Sunday morning, 10 am – 10:30 am.

The preschool and kindergarten class meet in the nursery room with Morgan and Didrik sharing the teaching this year.

Grades 1,2,3,4,5, & 6 meet in Augustana Hall classroom with brand new curriculum.  Katie, Erin, and Debbie will be sharing the teaching this year.

Noisy Offering

Thank you for your generous gifts of coins and dollars for Noisy Offering. 

Our August Noisy Offering ($217.16) went to Lutheran Services of Iowa.

Confirmation

We welcome three 7th grade students to confirmation instruction this year with the current four 8th grade students.  Theo Heims, Karly Kuhn, and Claire Zuspann received their bibles on Rally Day, September 13 during the 9 am worship service.

ZOOM classes began Wednesday, September 9 at 6 pm. and continue each Wednesday evening.

Pastor will be meeting with the seven students and their parents monthly for “Worship and Learn” time.  The first meeting will be Sunday, October 4 at 10:30 am – noon.  Sermon notes will be introduced and discussed, Bible lessons, service projects, and fellowship with lunch.

LYO
LYO will meet Sunday, October 25 at 10:15 am to pack the college care packages.

 

2026 Annual Reports

2026 Annual Reports are due to the church office by Sunday, October 25th.  Please email them to office@bethlehemvinton.org or mail to 1206 C Avenue, Vinton, IA 52349

 

 

College Care Kits

It is time to send our college students “A Snack Attack Survival Kit” from their Bethlehem family. Please bring 15 of the same snack item to the church no later than Wednesday, October 21st. There will be a table in the fellowship hall designated for your donations. Our high school students will be packing them on Sunday, October 25th.

 

Trunk or Treat

Our church will be participating in our fifth annual Trunk or Treat night on Saturday, October 31st from 4:30-6:30 pm.  We will be decorating tables in Augustana Hall rather than trunks again this year. A sign-up sheet will be available in the fellowship hall to reserve your table space.

We will continue the tradition of providing a treat bag for families in need. Please bring your donations of toilet paper (4-pack), laundry pods (we will bag into small bags), and boxes of mac & cheese. There will be a table in the fellowship hall designated for your donations no later than Tuesday, October 27th. Thank you for your generosity!

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 Food for Thought Book Club

**Meet on the 3rd Thursday of every month at 12:00 noon @ Brickside Brew “n Chew in Vinton**

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)

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 Pastor Appreciation

October is Pastor Appreciation month. Let us show our Pastor how much we appreciate her by

Writing a letter

Making special gifts

Documenting special places or events

Providing pastor resources

Adding books to pastor's library

Publicly thanking Pastor

Sprucing up the pastor's office

Showering Pastor with favorite treats

Volunteering your time

All Saints Sunday November 1st

The Festival of All Saints on November 1st is to recall those who have lived in the Faith and now rest in peace.  In addition to the great saints of old, we give thanks for those who have inspired or encouraged personally.

Please fill out the Naming the Saints form and return to the church office by the last Sunday in October.

 

God’s Work, Our Hands Sunday

On Sunday, September 13th our congregation assembled 75 LWR School Kits, 50 LWR Baby Kits, and 3 LWR Health Kits. 20 Pet Blankets and 20 Pet Toys were made out of Fleece fabric, and over 150 pounds of cat & dog food was put into gallon bags. A big thank you to all that participated in this important mission and also thank you to Ben Olson who grilled burgers and hot dogs in the rain for our potluck lunch.

On Sunday, September 20th we blessed 211 quilts, 75 LWR School Kits, 50 LWR Baby Kits, 27 LWR Fabric Kits, and 3 LWR Health Kits.

93 quilts, 75 school kits, 50 baby kits, 27 fabric kits, and 3 health kits will be sent to Lutheran World Relief in October.

20 Pet Blankets and 20 Pet Toys will be taken to the Animal Rescue League of Iowa in Des Moines.

The Cat & Dog food was delivered to the Vinton Food Pantry for distribution.

10 quilts were given to Gregg Walston for the R & R Men’s Housing project.

108 quilts will be donated to the Shepherd of the Hills Ministry in St. Olaf, Iowa. They are a local Thrift Shop & Clothing Center that sponsors a Christmas giveaway to families in need in Clayton County.

 

Quilting Group

You are probably wondering where all the fabric is coming from and who is making all of these quilts, diapers, and baby blankets.

Carol Henkel found someone who wanted to get rid of several tubs of fabric. So Carol and Renee Stein went to investigate and purchased 160 tubs of fabric with the help of monetary donations.

After sorting through all of the tubs, Renee has been sewing and putting together the quilts and Mona Hanson has been finishing them.

Renee has also been making baby blankets and diapers for the Lutheran World Relief Baby kits.

From the donated T-shirts that the congregation has been donating, Renee uses the bottom part to make diapers and the top part to make reusable towels.