Bethlehem Connect March 2018 | Page 7

children, Youth & Family Looking Ahead Children ECHO (MTKA) ECHO is our expression of Sunday school that embraces the noise and movement of children during worship. ECHO gathers in the Narthex during a portion of the service so that we are growing in faith all together and within earshot of the same story. If you find ECHO distracting, we invite you to sit toward the front of the sanctuary. Good Friday, Families Together In Faith Friday, March 30, 10:00-Noon (MPLS) Holy Week is a roller coaster of feelings and stories. This class is for our Early Childhood learners. We will tell the stories and talk about the feelings of this powerful Jesus week. Register online. Contact Kirsten with questions, [email protected]. Easter Event for Infants through Little Lights March 18, 9:15 or 10:30 am Meet with other families of young toddlers for a morning of Easter stories, music and crafts. Share the story of Easter and start a family tradition. Siblings welcome. Register at bethlehem-church.org. VACATION BIBLE SCHOOL! Register today! Why send your child to VBS? Vacation Bible School introduces children to our foundational stories and showers them with God’s unconditional love in an engaging and creative environment. Kids make great friends, look up to passionate teenage mentors and learn from trusted and trained staff. Music, games, skits, treats and crafts are just a few ways VBS emboldens all kids to grow while having fun. Mark your calendars! MPLS: June 25–29 Merry Christmas! VBS: A Summer ADVENTure! MTKA: July 9–12 Get Lost! VBS From the Youth Team... On March 17 and 18, a whole slew of folks from Bethlehem will be descending on Gustavus Adolphus College. Two very exciting retreats will be happening simultaneously. One crew will be 7th-12th graders who want to talk about healthy relationships, intimacy and sexuality. We will discuss our ever-changing bodies, which are a delightful and powerful gift from God, and explore what God hopes for us as we strive to cultivate fulfilling relationships of all kinds. The other group will be youth, young adults and parents who will be traveling to Israel and Palestine June 17-27. To prepare for this life-changing trip, they will be learning about the complex history of the region, diving into more detail about the current conflict and working through The Global Immersion Project’s framework for becoming everyday peacemakers. Together, both groups will enjoy the food and fun that comes with being on a college campus and we will worship together in the serene chapel. Please send prayers to the participants of both retreats! We know we will see and feel God with us! Programming for Children: March 4 & 11 – Family Sunday School, Communion instruction; 9:15 or 10:30 am at Minneapolis campus (2nd grade and up) April 22 – Family Sunday School, What's Next?; 9:15 or 10:30 am at Minneapolis Campus (5th & 6th grades) Programming for Youth: March 4 – Communion Bread Making (MTKA) Meet Soren in the kitchen from 9:30-10:30 to bake delicious communion bread for the month. Come, bring a friend and let’s bake! For more information on each of these events, visit bethlehem-church.org/events. Summer 2018 Opportunities Youth • Israel/Palestine: June 17-27 (10th-12th) • MPLS VBS Volunteer: June 25-29 (6th-12th) • Camp Amnicon: July 8-13 (7th-12th) • Serve Boldy: Chicago: July 22-27 (7th-12th) • Green Lake Bible Camp: July 29-Aug. 3 (7th-12th) Children • MPLS VBS: June 25-29 (4 years-5th) • MTKA VBS: July 9-12 (4 years-5th) • Green Lake Bible Camp: July 29-Aug. 3 (1st-6th) For more information, please go to our website or pick up a brochure at the hospitality desk. Smash! Bang! Clink! Bring your pennies, nickels, dimes, and quarters to crash in the offering pot in each Sunday School classroom. We also enjoy “quiet” offering: bills and checks. Each month the Sunday School will collect for different outreach partners. During March our noisy offering will go to Vacation Bible School scholarships. 7