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.

June 2015, Volume XV, No .6 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

New digital ‘Lutheran Service Book’ available

Lutheran Service Book (LSB) is more portable than ever, now that a digital version is available from Concordia Publish-

ing House.

The LSB Ebook Edition can be downloaded for either Amazon Kindle or Apple iBooks for use on tablets, e-readers and other compatible devices.

The digital version includes the complete contents of the printed Pew Edition: five Divine Services; Morning and Evening

Prayer; Matins and Vespers; family devotions; Luther’s Small Catechism; prayers for worship; 150 psalms; and 636

hymns, songs and canticles.

But it also includes added features, such as the ability to adjust the font size, bookmark pages and easily navigate within

the document using linked titles. In addition, the lectionaries pro-

vide Internet links for each Bible passage.

“Continuing in the legacy of Lutheran Service Book, this new

ebook edition combines the riches of our hymnal with the latest

ebook capabilities available. The result is a great experience for

the reader,” said Peter Reske, senior editor of music and worship

resources at Concordia Publishing House. “From worship to trav-

els around the world, the LSB Ebook Edition allows you to easily

have your hymnal with you all the time and wherever you go.”

The price is $19.99. It can be purchased at cph.org.

Congratulations to

Elisabeth Wudtke on her recent Confirmation!

Notes from the Pastor’s Desk We have been called into God’s family and empowered to be His hands and feet as He continues

to reach out to all who still walk in the dark.

As Paul writes: “Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; the old has gone, the new has come! All this is from God, who reconciled us to himself through Christ and gave us the ministry of reconciliation: that God was reconciling the world to himself in Christ, not counting men’s sins against them. And he has committed to us the message of reconciliation. We are therefore ambassadors, as though God were making his appeal through us.”

We have been transformed. We have been made new. We have been called to share that Good News. We have been reconciled to God. The barriers have been broken down. The door is open.

And that door is Christ. He is the way to the Father. He is the life. And He is our hope. Like the father of the prodigal son, Jesus has clothed us in His robes – in His righteousness. We are forgiven children of God.

He has raised us up to be His witnesses. He has called us out of the darkness of sin so that we can shine with the light of His life. He has joined Himself to us so that we can be His hands and feet in this world.

He invites us to join Him in His mission. I’m going to repeat some of the points I made last month because I think that they important and I want you all to pray about them and wrestle with them. I’m also going to add some new ones. Those points are:

Be a regular participant in Bible study – at home and at Bethlehem each Sunday. Ask God to open your eyes to the opportunities that He gives every day to be His hands and feet. Ask Him to give you ears to hear the cries of those who hunger for hope. Ask God to give you the boldness to share the hope that is yours in Jesus and His resurrection. Ask God to show you how He is still at work in you to complete the transforming work He began

when He called you to faith. Ask Him to give you a willing heart to answer His invitation to join Him in His mission field. Ask Him to prepare the hearts of those you will encounter each day for the message of hope that is

your privilege to share. And again, just like in baseball, you won’t always hit a homerun. Sometimes you’ll swing and miss. But go,

trusting that the Lord of the harvest will work your solid contacts, your foul balls and even you swings and misses together for good – for you and for those He still seeks to save.

June 7 . . . 2nd Sunday after Pentecost 8:00 am

SERMON TEXT: 2 Corinthians 4:13-5:1 SERMON THEME: “Seen and Unseen” LITURGY: Blended with Holy Com-munion

10:45 am SERMON TEXT: 2 Corinthians 4:13-5:1 SERMON THEME: “Seen and Unseen” LITURGY: Divine Service 1 with Holy Communion

June 14 . . . 3rd Sunday after Pentecost

8:00 am SERMON TEXT: 2 Corinthians 5:1-10 SERMON THEME: “Swallowed by Life” LITURGY: Blended with Holy Com-munion

10:45 am SERMON TEXT: 2 Corinthians 5:1-10 SERMON THEME: “Swallowed by Life” LITURGY: Divine Service 3 with Holy Communion

June 21 . . . 4th Sunday after Pentecost 8:00 am

SERMON TEXT: 2 Corinthians 6:1-13 SERMON THEME: “The Time is Now” LITURGY: Blended with Holy Com-munion

10:45 am SERMON TEXT: 2 Corinthians 6:1-13 SERMON THEME: “The Time is Now” LITURGY: Divine Service 4 with Holy Communion

June 28 . . . 5th Sunday after Pentecost

8:00 am SERMON TEXT: 2 Corinthians 8:1-9, 13-15 SERMON THEME: “Excel in Every-thing” LITURGY: Divine Service 1 with Holy Communion

10:45 am SERMON TEXT: 2 Corinthians 8:1-9, 13-15 SERMON THEME: “Excel in Every-thing” LITURGY: Blended with Holy Com-munion

Sew Crazy

Great News!!!

Sew-Crazy has a new Facebook page! Please

invite family and friends to go to (Sew Crazy

Johnson City Tn) and like our page. We currently have 76

likes and would love to reach 100 likes asap. We will

continue sewing baby items for Hope House of Kingsport

at our next meeting. Bring sewing machine and basic

sewing kit. Turn in time for baby items is at our July Meeting. We are stilling

looking for ideas for church banners from Bethlehem

congregation. Any ideas will be presented to Pastor Harmon for approval. Please join us

for our next meeting June 20th, 10 am - 2 pm. For more

information contact Donna Pruitt 434-0424 or go to

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 May Attendance 8:00 a.m. 10:45 a.m. Offerings May 3 31 47 General Fund $ 6,449.00 Shaneyfelt Mission $ 29.00 Flower Fund $ 50.00 May 10 37 53 General Fund $ 2,755.00 Federwitz Misson $ 50.00 Shaneyfelt Mission $ 28.00 May 17 26 59 General Fund $ 2,827.00 CALM Grant $ 414.00 (Pastor Chebab’s Plane Fare) Shaneyfelt Mission $ 29.00 Federwitz Mission $ 50.00 Snacks $ 7.00 May 24 55 56 General Fund $ 3,000.75 Shaneyfelt Mission $ 28.00 Sunday Snacks $ 5.00 Altar Flowers $ 50.00 May 31 40 74 General Fund $ 2,475.00 Federwitz Mission $ 100.00 Shaneyfelt Mission $ 28.00 Salam Fellowship $ 768.00 Youth-Rummage Sale $ 100.00 Spending Guidelines approved for 2015 $224,198.41 Offerings needed each week in 2015 $ 4,311.51

Happy June Birthdays to Marv Otto (3), Noah Lyons (5), Lun Collins (15), Cari Harmon McPher-

son & Steven Shaneyfelt (17), John Oxendine (19), Phyllis Miller,

Greta Marek & Christian Nutter (22), Taylor Bisanti (23), John Port (24),

Lauren Carey (27), Jack Webb (29), Lisa Hazlett

& Ashley Maupin (30)

Wow!!! We have a busy month planned for the youth group. First of all,

we would like to congratulate Logan, Tonya, Sveta, and Alexis for their

accomplishments at Science Hill High School. We are very proud of you.

We are continuing to collect items for our bi-annual rummage sale. The

sale will be on Jun 13th. Please bring all your donations to the church

prior to the 13th or contact David Nutter at 931-273-5275 to come and

pick it up. Thank you all for your prayers, support, and guidance. We

would not be able to do what we are doing without you all behind us

every step of the way. Here is what we have planned for the month of June:

Sunday, June 7th………..Set-up for the rummage sale at 6pm.

Thursday, June 11th……..Set-up/pricing items for the rummage sale at 6:30pm.

Friday, June 12th……………Last finishing touches on set-up at 6:30 (if needed).

Saturday, June 13th……….Rummage Sale (8-1).

Sunday, June 14th………….Leave for New York (5:30am).

Monday, June 15th………...Tour the “Big Apple.”

Tuesday, June 16th…………Serve the homeless at Lower East Side Lutheran Parish’s Soup Kitchen.

Wednesday, June 17th…………Return from New York.

Saturday, June 27th……………..Multiply (mega slippin-slide/bonfire/corn-hole/cookout in Flag Pond,TN).

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

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

USHERS ACOLYTE Greeters USHERS ACOLYTE Greeters

6/7 Ted Wilson Frank deNobriga

Tom Watson Eli Barton

Robert Woody Jesse Potter

6/14 John Port Kirby Fetzer

Larry Larson Andrew Joyner

Ted Wilson Doug Wheeler

6/21 Roy Knispel Frank deNobriga

Courtney Scruggs Eli Barton

Larry Larson Ben Wohlford

6/28 Robert Woody Kirby Fetzer

Tom Watson Bob Wohlford

John Port Andrew Joyner

Altar Guild: Ann Larsen & Margit Battles

Needed Greeters for

both services for our new assimilation

program Please contact Paula Treece to

help with this revamped ministry.

794-9220

Needed Greeters for

both services for our new assimilation

program Please contact Paula Treece to

help with this revamped ministry.

794-9220

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BETHLEHEM BOARD BRIEFS May has been a busy month for Bethlehem. The downstairs Sunday school rooms are rapidly filling up with donations for the upcoming Youth biannual garage sale fundraiser, preparations are underway for the Seasons of Discovery Visioning Day on June 6, Lutheran Pastor Hicham Chehab from Chicago spent a weekend sharing with us his unique personal conversion story from Islam to Christianity and we welcomed Elisabeth Wudke as the new-est communicant member of our church via confirmation.

In regard to church finances, Betty Jeane reports in May the church was under the pro-jected monthly budgeted amount for contributions by $416.50. After many years of service, the wood floors and carpeting in the sanctuary are badly in need of repair and replacement. The Board is beginning the process of obtaining estimates to replace the carpeting and refin-ish the wood floors. If you would like to donate money to the flooring fund, please indicate the amount on your weekly offering envelope. Presently there is $2,500 in the account. We will continue to update you regarding the cost and progress of the project.

The rain water seepage problem is resolved in the basement. Larry and Ann Larson dry-locked the basement walls on Mother’s Day; however, the classroom walls along the foundation of the church now need to be repaired in preparation for the start of the new Sun-day school year in the fall. If you have drywall repair and painting skills and you would like to help with this project please contact Larry Larson.

There is a continued need for volunteers for the OneHarvest program, as well as the revitalized Sunday school program slated to begin this fall. Please contact a member of your Board of Directors to express your desire to participate in these programs.

Once again Bethlehem will sponsor an athlete in the Special Olympics. The cost of the annual sponsorship is $100.00 which is deducted from the Social Ministry budg-et.

After many years of tirelessly providing for the upkeep of church property and facilities, Herman Kueck requests to be relieved of his duties as head of the Properties Min-istry; a shoulder injury has made working at the church difficult and painful. Please take the time to thank Herman for the countless tasks he has completed in and around the church. His services have proven to be invaluable. Custodian John Oxendine will take over Her-man’s duties. If you have handyman skills you would like to share please contact John and let him know in which capacity you are willing to serve.

We share in the sadness of Holy Trinity Church as they mourn the loss of their head deacon Troy Cox. Troy suffered a massive heart attack and passed away last month.

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 Sav-ior.

Your Board of Directors: Pastor Steven Harmon, Chairman Frank de Nobriga, Secre-

tary Barbara Fetzer, Larry Larson, Lee Talbert and ex-officio members Administrative Assis-tant Susan Burkey, Treasurer Betty Jeane Sotherland and Financial Secretary Madaline Lew-is.

Rummage Sale Saturday, June 13

ANNUAL SPRING RUMMAGE SALE – JUNE 13th from 8:00 a.m. – 2:00 p.m. This event is sponsored by the Youth Min-istry and we have lots of

“valuables” for sale. If you have items to donate, you can leave them in the Fellow-ship Hall as the youth will begin to carry up merchandise from the lower level and get the tables all set up for the sale. We appreciate your support of this project. Come out on Saturday and make a pur-chase – you might just find that much needed item you have been looking for!!!

Softball SOFTBALL SCHEDULE All Games played at Winged Deer Park

June 1 – 6:30 p.m. Field #4 – Highlands Fellow-ship 7:30 p.m. Field #4 – Boones Creek Chris-tian Church June 8 – 7:30 p.m. Field #1 – Our Saviour Luther-an Church 8:30 p.m. Field #1 – First Christian Church June 15 – Tournament Starts

After a great presentation on Islam at our May session, we'll return to a more

academic lesson on what Islam teaches about Muhammad. Our session will be on Saturday, June 27th at 9 AM. All are wel-

come; invite a friend!

Special Thanks to Pastor Chehab who led us last month in our Islam studies!

THANK YOU HERMANN KUECK for serving

over the past several years as head of the Properties Ministry Team. We have certainly appreciated all your hard work and taking care of repairs and maintenance when you saw the need. Hopefully your shoulder will heal quickly! If there are any maintenance issues, repair issues, or other property concerns, you may call the church of-fice or speak directly with John Oxendine as he is now taking care of all these issues. Items currently completed or in process include Replacing shutters in the tower which fell in – com-

pleted Upgrading the fire extinguishers – in process Flushing at chimney and side off hall-may crack

soon – in process Bricks popping off tower and chimney – in process Replacing the thermostats in church and fellowship

hall with auto change – in process Paint the altar area – in process Repair the downstairs men’s room – in process Put motion sensors in the restrooms so the lights

will not be left on for extended periods of time – in process

Ava Barton was on the A/B Honor Roll and participated in the Spring Musical “How to Succeed in Business Without Even Trying.” She also was Abingdon High School Queen of Hearts and raised $6,000 for the American Heart Association. She also participated in in a special production of Cinderella and was the “evil stepmother.”

Eli Barton was on the all “A” Honor Roll and played Junior Varsity Basketball.

Amanda Howland was on the all A’s honor roll at Happy Valley High School and received a reading award and top chemistry student award.

Maggie Howland was on the all A’s honor roll and received 3rd

place in the reading contest and a Science award at Happy Valley.

Johnny Neal received a music award for performing a solo at Jonesborough Middle School.

Zelea Neal was on the A/B Honor roll at Davy Crockett High School.

Madison Oxendine was on the A/B Honor Roll all year at Science Hill High School.

Sean Talbert was on the Honor Roll at Science Hill High School.

Elizabeth Treece was on the A/B Honor Roll at Science Hill High School. She competed on Science Hill’s Cross Country and Track & Field Teams. She was also a member of Science Hills State Champion Women's Wrestling Team. She was a soloist in both the Fall Fest and Spring Gala.

Sarah Treece was on the A Honor Roll at Liberty Bell Middle School. She was also scored in the top 2% in the State of Tennessee in the Duke TIP (Talent Identification Program) and was recognized at a ceremony in Nashville. She was recognized as the outstanding Chinese student on her Team. She also competed in the Desti-nation Imagination (DI) program. Her team took first place at district and fourth place at the state competition.

Dylan Treece was on the A Honor Roll at Indian Trail Intermediate School. He was also recognized as the outstanding Science student on his Hall. Dylan won the Indian Trail Geographic Bee, which qualified him to take a test to enter the state Geographic Bee. He scored in the top 100 students (4th—8th grade) in the state of Tennes-see and went to Nashville to compete in the Tennessee Geographic Bee.

Andrew Joyner played Upward Soccer.