Bethel Blessings

80+ BIRTHDAY CELEBRATION: This Sunday, May 3rd join us for an All-Church Luncheon honoring everyone turning 80 or older in 2026. Come see pictures of our seasoned members and help us wish them a very happy birthday.

BETHEL ONLINE CHURCH DIRECTORY PHOTOS: We will take photos outside the Faith Forum before and after services on the following weekends: May 2 & 3 and May 23 & 24. There is no charge for the photos, and the site is private and secure. You can also send a current digital photo to Linda@bethelhome.church and have it added to the directory.

NATIONAL DAY OF PRAYER WORSHIP SERVICE AT BETHEL: Thursday, May 7th at 1:00pm come as we worship and pray for our country, our world, our church and our city. On the National Day of Prayer, we are invited to pray for the United States of America and its leaders.

SPRING CLEAN-UP DAY: Join us on Saturday, May 9th, from 8:00am to 12:00pm to help beautify the Bethel grounds. Please bring your gardening gloves, rakes, and plenty of energy. For more information, contact Curt Libengood.

BAKE SALE:May 9th & 10th weekend will be a Bake Sale Fundraiser to help the children at the Hope Centers in Honduras. We have a team of 12 going to Honduras in July for our Mission trip. Watch the Bethel Blessings for more information.

BREW CREW: We will be meeting on Monday, May 11th at the Cerberus Brewing Company. The address is 702 W Colorado Ave. The group leader is Ollie Olson. If you have questions, you can contact Allen Currier.

YOU ARE INVITED: Prince of Peace Lutheran Church is having a Holy Closure Worship Service. It will be on May 17th at 1:00pm on 4720 Galley Road. Please RSVP by May 11th to pofpclsure@gmail.com. Following worship will be a reception celebrating the 60-year legacy of Prince of Peace Lutheran church.

FEED MY STARVING CHILDREN: Join us at Parry’s Sliceria at Barnes Rd. & Powers Blvd. on Thursday, May 14th from 11am to 9pm to raise funds for Bethel to host the Feed My Starving Children Mobile Pack!  Parry’s will donate 20% of your food and beverage bill to FMSC at no extra cost to you!  Just let your server know you are supporting Feed My Starving Children for your dine-in or carry-out meal.  Let’s eat pizza and feed kids together!  If you haven’t been before, the address is 5697 Barnes Rd, Ste. 130 and it’s only 2 miles from Bethel!  + Please save the date for our Feed My Starving Children Mobile Pack at Bethel on August 21st & 22nd. 

BETHEL “GEAR GRINDERS”: We are a group of men and women who have an enthusiasm for the car hobby.  The next time we meet is Saturday, May 16th from 8:00am – 12:00pm on the West Parking Lot. Contact Steve Skarin for more information.

FUNDRAISER FOR AERO RIDGE CHRISTIAN ACADEMY: The purpose is to Help Build A Classroom. On Sunday, May 17th you are invited to join us for lunch, fellowship and a silent auction to raise funds to create a new classroom and library space for the Aero Ridge students. Free will offering (suggested donation $10).

CONFIRMATION: we will meet on Sunday, May 17th at 10:45am.

DEADLINE FOR BETHEL TRAVEL OPPORTUNITY: The all-inclusive Canada and New England cruise is scheduled for September 25 through October 9. The registration deadline is this Sunday, May 17th. If you are interested, please contact Pastor John by phone at 719-570-9800 or by email at pastorjohn@bethelhome.church. Color brochures with additional details are available on the cabinet outside the sanctuary.

DAYCAMP “HANDS WIDE OPEN”: Bethel’s Day Camp for children in 1st through 8th grade will be held June 8–12 from 9:00am to 3:00pm. The cost is $75 per child. Please register by May 25th at https://daycamp2026.pushpayevents.com/ Paper registration forms are also available in the office. For more information, contact the church office at 719-570-9800.

Men’s Work Weekend at Rainbow Trail: Rainbow Trails Camp is looking for some men volunteers for cleanup and outside labor on May 30th & 31st. Contact Bob Curnow for more information. More details in the coming weeks.

CELEBRATING GRADUATES: If you or a family member are graduating this year, we would love to celebrate this accomplishment on Sunday, May 31st at 9:30am Worship service. Please send a graduation photo, a baby/child photo and a favorite photo to office@bethelhome.church. For more information, feel free to speak with Pastor John.

THRIVENT CHOICE: Exciting News for Thrivent Members! Did you know you can give a financial gift to Bethel without it costing you anything? Simply log onto your Thrivent account and on your home page it will say “Thrivent Choice”. It will also have an amount with your Thrivent Choice dollars that can be given to an organization. Everyone has a minimum of $25 to give away (every family member can do this), but if you have investments or insurance policies with Thrivent, you may have a larger dollar amount. There will also be an area for you to say who you want to direct the dollars towards. If you type in “Bethel Lutheran Church, Colorado Springs”, it should pop up with the information about Bethel, 4925 Farmingdale Dr, Colorado Springs as opposed to the various Bethel Lutheran churches throughout the country. You then type in how much of your allotted dollars you would like to contribute. Simply type in the dollar number you have available and then you should be able to submit. This is an amazing simple way to put these Thrivent Choice dollars to work. Unfortunately, it is a case of “use it or lose it.” If you are computer challenged, please speak with Pastor John and he will help you to complete this gift that takes about 3 minutes once you are logged in. Thank you for your faithful partnership and for Thrivent providing this amazing opportunity.

UPDATED MEMBER DIRECTORY 2026: There is an updated (adding new members) paper directory on the cabinet outside of the Sanctuary. If you have any corrections or edits that need to be made, please contact Tasha in the front office at tasha@bethelhome.church or 719-570-9800.

Groups & Bible Studies

BOOK REVIEW GROUP: We will be meeting on Thursday, May 21st at 1:00pm in the Library. The book for May is “Mona’s Eyes” by Thomas Schelasser.

BIBLE STUDY FELLOWSHIP: We are taking the summer off and will be back in September studying Romans.

COMFORT MAKERS: Bethel’s quilting group meets on the 1st, 3rd, and 5th Tuesday of each month from 9:00am – noon in the Christ Center. Throughout the year they create quilts to donate to Lutheran World Relief, and the quilts are used around the world for those who are in need. If you can tie knots and enjoy sewing, join us by calling Gisela Petersen.

CONNECTIONS GROUP: This group will not be meeting for the summer, watch the Bethel Blessings for when they will restart up in the Fall.

DINING OUT GROUP: This group will NOT be meeting in May because the event falls on Memorial Day but watch the Bethel Blessings for the June event. We meet on the 4th Monday of each month. Ollie Olson is the leader of the group, but if you have any questions you can contact Allen Currier.

GIFTS FROM THE HEART: We enjoy sharing the love of Christ with others by preparing and donating gifts. Our gift-giving includes specially prepared baby gifts for newborns at Bethel, recycling stuffed animals for foster children, three different types of gift bags handed out to the homeless, meals for shut-ins or families in distress, and household goods for displaced veterans. Please reach out to Linda Thede if you have questions or are interested in participating.

GIRL SCOUTS: We meet every other Thursday at 6:00pm in the Youth Room. Contact Kassandra at 719-200-0084 for more information.

MEN’S CHALLENGE GROUP: We meet at 10:00am on the 2nd and 4th Saturdays at Bethel. We are a group of men wanting to advance God’s Kingdom. Hear God lead you. Glorify Him. If you want to know more, contact John Wilson.

MEN’S MINISTRY BREAKFAST: We will meet on Saturday, May 16th at 7:45am in the Christ Center. You can contact Pastor Dan for more information at pastordan@bethehome.church.

MEN’S UP AND ADAM: This men’s group meets at Bethel for Bible Study every Wednesday morning at 6:30am. Please join by emailing Pastor Dan at pastordan@bethehome.church.

MERCY’S GATE THURSDAY LUNCH GROUP: This group is one of Bethel’s Outreach Ministries that will provide breakfast and lunch for Mercy’s Gate clients on the last Thursday of each month. This ministry began in 2018 and continues today.

PHOTOGRAPHY GROUP: If you are interested in the Photo Group, please contact Sarah Wulfsberg. This group is for folks interested in photography from novice to experienced.

RUTH BIBLE STUDY: We meet the 2nd and 4th Tuesdays at 9:30 in the library. We would love to have you join our group!  If you have questions, please contact Sarah Wulfsberg.

SENIOR GROUP: There will be a Senior Potluck on Friday, May 15th at 12:00noon in the Christ Center. You can contact Pastor Dan for more information at pastordan@bethelhome.church.

STEPHEN MINISTRY: We are brought up to be strong independent people. We tend to think that if we ask for help, it is a sign of weakness. God wants us to care for others and allow others to care for us. If you’re sad or struggling, don’t suffer alone. We’ve got a team of Stephen Ministers who are ready to care for you. Find out more by talking with one of our pastors.

STITCHED WITH LOVE: This ministry provides an opportunity for you to make and donate crocheted or knitted items for infants and children. We also make a variety of handmade items throughout the year for donation to foster children through Cases of Love, infants through Life Network, winter scarves for the homeless, etc. Please feel free to reach out to Linda Thede if you are interested in participating or have questions.

VARIETY DANCE: Variety Dance meets each Saturday afternoon in the Christ Center. The 2:30pm class for the novice dancer is led by Gloria Pascua and the 4:00pm class for the beginner dancer is led by Sharon Oldfield. If you have any questions, please contact Gloria at gloria_pascua@q.com or Sharon at dmslo@q.com.

WEB (Women Exploring the Bible) BIBLE STUDY: We meet the 1st and 3rd Thursdays of the month in the Library. We are discussing “Mary Magdalene” by Liz Curtis Higgs. Contact Karen Scharp with any questions. Come get “caught” in our WEB!

WEST (Women Eagerly Seeking Truth) BIBLE STUDY: We are currently studying “Growing Older and Wiser,” a Life Guide Bible Study. On May 20th, we will enjoy our Spring Luncheon, after which we will break for the summer. We will reconvene on September 2nd, continuing with our current study. If you have any questions or would like more information, please contact Cate Brewster at catebrewster@outlook.com or call/text 719-888-0132.

FRIENDLY REMINDER: Please get Bethel Blessings announcements to Tasha in the front office by 12:00noon the Wednesday of that week so she can print and mail before Thursday’s all church email. You can contact her at tasha@bethelhome.church; office@bethehome.church or calling 719-570-9800. Thank you.

VOLUNTEERS NEEDED: Bethel is looking for volunteers to serve in two important areas! One opportunity is assisting in the front office every other Tuesday for about an hour, helping answer phones and greet visitors. The second is helping just before worship begins by ensuring our communion assistants, greeters, and ushers are ready to serve. If you feel called to help in either role, we’d love to hear from you! Please reach out to Tasha in the front office at 719-570-9800 or tasha@bethehome.church. Thank you for your willingness to serve!