Bethlehem Lutheran Church - Bay Ridge (ELCA)

Today we celebrate Juneteenth by giving thanks for freedom and praying for an end to oppression everywhere.

Join us this Sunday, 6/16 @ 10:30 a.m. -- Sunday worship w/ LES Baccalaureate followed by Coffee Hour -- Father Day!

Beloved, you are queer-fully and wonderfully made in a body and spirit that is cherished and loved by the Divine of all creation. You are gift to your neighbor, community, church. Celebrate your holy wholeness this month and every month!

***rLutheran

Christopher Vergara, Vice President of the Metropolitan New York Synod, will be interviewed on June 7 on Good Morning America during their "Faith Fridays" segment, part of their celebration of Pride month, which airs at 1 pm ET on GMA3. The interview will focus on the significance of inclusivity in faith, with Christopher emphasizing the importance of community leaders embracing diversity and promoting inclusivity daily. He will highlight the need for leaders in the church and business to actively support and champion equality through their leadership roles and his commitment to promoting inclusivity for LGBTQ+ worshipers in our communities.

In celebration of Pride Month, the Metropolitan New York Synod is thrilled to support The Rolling Library's Q***r Book Drive leading up to its Q***r Book Fair. This event offers hundreds of LGBTQ+ books for free, promoting inclusivity and literacy in our communities. They are seeking donations of LGTBQIA+ books of all genres and ages. We invite you to donate books, which will be directly delivered to The Rolling Library. Let's show our support for accessibility and literacy this Pride Month.

Learn more about The Rolling Library @ https://bookshop.org/shop/therollinglibrary.
To donate books: https://bookshop.org/wishlists/577c9d95ea286248a52641e8e5eb9e62e59430d2

Beyond diminishment to full personhood in Christ - Living Lutheran "How can I be the person Jesus Christ freed me to be?" and " How can I help others realize their full personhood?" are the same question.

The ELCA’s Truth and Healing Movement continues in 2024! In the coming weeks and months, there will be opportunities to learn about the true history and current realities of Indigenous people — beginning with a “Powwow 101” class the evening of Tuesday, June 11. Visit ELCA.org/TruthAndHealing to learn more about all upcoming events.

We give thanks for the gifts, wisdom, leadership and faith of our LGBTQIA+ neighbors and siblings in Christ. We ask the Spirit to embolden us in advocating for social, institutional and legislative change that reflects justice, total inclusion and God’s boundless love for humanity in all its diversity. (ELCA Prayer Ventures)

Grace is a gift - Living Lutheran In Bishop Eaton's column, she explores how, no matter what, spring always follows winter—there is no earning it or deserving it.

Bethlehem Lutheran Church is a ReconcilingWorks member congregation.

Happiest of happy PRIDE month! ReconcilingWorks is looking forward to celebrating PRIDE with all of you.

***rLutheran

In this Pride Month, remember that God's love knows no bounds. We are called to welcome and affirm all people, regardless of their sexual orientation or gender identity. Everyone is made in God's image!

Give OUT Day is Thursday! If you are looking for a way to support the welcome, inclusion, celebration, and advocacy of LGBTQIA+ people and families in the Lutheran Church this is a great opportunity.

Make a gift today or schedule your gift for May 30th!
https://www.giveoutday.org/organization/Reconcilingworks

***rLutheran

Today is Memorial Day. Let us pray: Almighty God, you are our strength and our shield. We give you thanks for the members of our armed forces past and present, and especially for those who have died while serving. May their sacrifices serve the cause of peace, and may our nation be ever grateful for their service. With your wisdom and strength guide our military’s leaders and give to all people a desire for justice and peace. We pray in the name of Jesus Christ, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever. Amen. (Prayer for Memorial Day, Sundays and Seasons)

There is nothing that can replace the absence of someone dear to us, and one should not even attempt to do so. One must simply hold out and endure it.

At first that sounds very hard, but at the same time it is also a great comfort. For to the extent the emptiness truly remains unfilled one remains connected to the other person through it.

It is wrong to say that God fills the emptiness. God in no way fills it but much more leaves it precisely unfilled and thus helps us preserve—even in pain—the authentic relationship.

Further more, the more beautiful and full the remembrances, the more difficult the separation.

But gratitude transforms the torment of memory into silent joy. One bears what was lovely in the past not as a thorn but as a precious gift deep within, a hidden treasure of which one can always be certain.

Dietrich Bonhoeffer Works, vol. 8, Letters and Papers from Prison

Share your perspectives through the five-minute American Climate Metrics Survey by ecoAmerica: www.surveymonkey.com/r/HHQ22QM

The ELCA partners with ecoAmerica through its Blessed Tomorrow coalition of religious partners. Responses to this survey will help to shape strategy and planning in the coming year. Your individual responses are anonymous. The survey will close Tuesday, May 28.

Join us Sunday, May 19th at 1:00! Meet at 3rd Avenue & 85th Street.

On this Mother's Day, we gather in Your presence to honor and uplift all mothers, recognizing the vast array of experiences and emotions that encompass the journey of motherhood. You, who are the source of all love and compassion, hear our prayers as we come together to celebrate the profound gift of maternal love in its many forms.

We give thanks for the nurturing spirit of adoptive mothers, who open their hearts and homes to children in need of love and belonging. Bless them with strength, patience, and unwavering commitment as they embrace their children with boundless love and care.

We hold in our hearts single parents, who face the challenges of raising their children alone with courage and resilience. Grant them the support, guidance, and resources they need to navigate the complexities of parenthood with grace and determination.

We remember with empathy those who have experienced the pain of miscarriage, infant loss, or the inability to conceive. Comfort them in their grief, O God, and surround them with Your healing presence. May they find solace in Your promise of eternal peace and restoration.

For all those who long to become mothers but have faced obstacles on their path to parenthood, we pray for Your comfort and strength to sustain them. Help them know that they are deeply loved and valued by You.

We also lift up in prayer all who have lost their mothers, whether recently or long ago. Comfort them in their grief and fill their hearts with cherished memories of love and affection. May they find solace in knowing that their mothers' love continues to live on in their hearts forever.

Gracious God, we entrust all mothers into Your loving care, knowing that Your love knows no bounds and Your compassion is endless. May Your grace empower them, Your peace sustain them, and Your love envelop them now and always.

In Your holy name, we pray.

Amen.

Want to make your mother happy? Take her to church this Sunday.

A pastoral letter on the United Methodist Church General Conference The ELCA is one of the largest Christian denominations in the United States, with more than 3.8 million members. "God's work. Our hands."

Today we celebrate the Ascension of our Lord! Let us pray: Almighty God, your only Son was taken into the heavens and in your presence intercedes for us. Receive us and our prayers for all the world, and in the end bring everything into your glory, through Jesus Christ, our Sovereign and Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever. Amen.

The Rick Steves guide to life Travel mogul. Philanthropist. Legal w**d champion. The real Rick Steves is so much more complex than who you see on TV.

Today is the National Day of Prayer!