Bethlehem Lutheran Church – Aloha, OR
InReach is a chance for our Bethlehem Family to serve and love one another. There are many opportunities for us to strengthen our faith and relationships together, for the Glory of God.
Children
Preschool Volunteer:
Volunteering at Bethlehem Preschool is a great way to make a positive impact for our extended church family. Our teachers and students love to have volunteers in the classroom and to help with a variety of things.
Email here for more information.
Sunday School:
Running a Sunday School program takes a lot of dedicated volunteers. The more volunteers there are, the lighter the load for everyone. If you have a heart for children and want them to know more about Jesus, consider volunteering to help with Sunday School. And just because you volunteer, doesn’t mean you have to lead a class if you don’t want to. There are many ways to volunteer and help Sunday School.
Email here for more information.
Kids For Christ:
KFC is a parent-directed group that provides kids the opportunity to participate together monthly in activities that are fun and occasionally involve a service project. The group is open to kids in grades 3 through 5 and their parents, who assist with planning and implementing activities. It is run entirely by volunteers. You can sign up to host a KFC event on the What’s Happening board, or
Email here for more information.
Youth Squad:
Youth Squad is the team that plans and implements activities for the Middle and High School Youth groups. We usually meet once a month for about an hour. If you have a heart for teenagers, then this could be the place for you! One of the highlights of the Youth Squad’s year is creating the annual Murder Mystery Dinner. Tickets for this dinner are only available during Trivia Night. As anyone who has been there can tell you, it’s a blast!
Email here for more information
Church Leadership
Administrative Council
The Admin. Council is comprised of representatives from several different committees, but it is also the place where the elected officers of the church serve. The main officers at Bethlehem include the President, Vice President, Treasurer, and Secretary. These are all very important positions in the church. They meet once a month, usually the fourth Tuesday.
Email here for more information.
Click here for a description of officer positions.
Elders
When a congregation has about 250 in Worship at two services, who makes sure that services are “running smoothly”? When there are nearly 200 families, how can we attempt to adequately meet everyone’s spiritual needs? With so many programs and a limited staff, who assists the staff and Pastor to make sure that our church is spiritually faithful to the Bible and our Confession? The Bible provides a means for that to be accomplished with positions that assist the office of the Pastor. These positions are the Elders of our church.
At Bethlehem, our Elders handle many of the details of public worship and are “on duty” to assist the Pastor while he is occupied. They support individuals and families with care, prayer and visitations, along with a group of Stephen Ministers and Elders that are trained for this purpose. Finally, they also serve as the “Spiritual Accountability” board for the Pastor and Staff. This group makes sure that we are all faithful to the calling God has given us-and faithful to the clear proclamation of the Gospel and the administration of the Sacraments according to Christ’s Institution.
Email here for more information
Click here for a description of Elder responsibilities.
Preschool Board
The Preschool Board is a team of elected individuals whose purpose is to work with the Preschool Director in guiding the preschool towards the future and finding ways to connect the preschool and our members. The board meets once a month, usually the second Tuesday. This is a great way to get involved in the preschool if you don’t have time during the day to volunteer.
Email here for more information.
Click here for a description of board member responsibilities.
Trustees
The Trustees manage the custodial responsibilities for all properties of Bethlehem Lutheran Church.
Among the multitude of tasks the Trustees take on as their service ministry to the church are landscaping and grounds maintenance; facilities upkeep, including minor repairs, plumbing and electrical troubleshooting; painting; building things; and just generally taking good care of our church home. They participate in decision-making about changes in the church facility, such as new and planned expansions, and assist with execution of property documents. Bethlehem members are eligible to be nominated and elected to a position as Trustee by the congregation. They meet as a group at the church on the third Tuesday of each month.
Even if you are not an elected Trustee, there are many ways to help keep our church building and grounds looking beautiful. There are two particular opportunities to serve that you may wish to consider.
- Friday Morning Maintenance: Every Friday, a group of Bethlehem members meet in the morning to get the church ready for Sunday service. They clean, they mow, they trim, they landscape…anything that needs to be done. If you enjoy working with your hands, this is a great way to serve at Bethlehem. There is a job for any skill level!
- Spring/Fall Cleanups: Every Spring, right before Easter, members of the Bethlehem Family join together to give the campus and building a “Spring Cleaning”. Then, usually two Saturdays in the Fall, we get together to rake leaves and prepare the campus for winter. Again, if you like working with your hands, this is a great way to serve.
Email here for more information.
Click here for a description of Trustee responsiblities.
Events
Bethlehem has several events throughout the year put on by various groups, often the Relationship Team. Regular events include Rally Sunday, Refortoberfest (a combination of Reformation Festival and Oktoberfest), and Trivia Night. These events cannot run without volunteers and there are many ways to help for all skill levels!
- Set up – Just like it sounds, people are needed to help get tables, chairs, games, etc into place before the event. Usually just needed for a few hours a day or two before the event.
- Clean up – After all the food has been eaten and all the games have been played, there is a need for all those tables, chairs, games, etc. to go back from whence they came. Tables and floors also need to be cleaned so that the room can be looking its best for Sunday.
- Kitchen – We often serve food at events and help is needed with prep work, cooking, and serving. Experience in a kitchen is good, but not necessary.
- Dish Washing – This is probably the most appreciated job by event planners. It is very nice to not have to worry about dirty dishes piling up, or still being there at the end of the event waiting to be cleaned. It allows the event planners and cooks the freedom to focus completely on the event.
- Decorations – A team of decorators usually starts planning decorations a few weeks in advance of the event. There are people who plan, people who make/purchase decorations, and people who put the decorations up. If you are crafty, artsy, or just want to be crafty and artsy, this would be a great way for you to serve.
- Trivia Night – Trivia Night gets its own section because it is a different animal. It still needs set up, clean up, kitchen, dish washer, and decoration volunteers…but it also has a host of other volunteer opportunities. Auction items need to be acquired, baskets need to be set up, themes need to be planned, and many other organizational challenges need to be overcome. This is an “All Hands on Deck” type of event and a great time to volunteer!
Email here for more information.
Music
Choir
The Adult Choir provides music for Sunday worship services, as well as special music at Advent, Christmas, Lent and Easter services. Choir meets every Thursday evening from 6:30-8:00 p.m. Adult choir is open to Bethlehem members and non-members of high school age and older, without audition.
Email here for more information.
Handbell Choir
Bethlehem’s Handbell Choir and ensembles provide special music for Sunday worship services and festival services, including Christmas and Easter. The members joyfully support and encourage the development and use of one another’s musical gifts in a fun, action-filled team environment. Practices are the 1st and 3rd Tuesdays each month from 7:00-8:30 in the church sanctuary.
Email here for more information.
Worship Team
The Worship Team works together to lead the congregation in praising our God at Bethlehem’s Morning Song Services at 11:00 a.m. each Sunday. Music is provided by vocalists, guitars, piano, keyboard, and drums. Rehearsals take place Sunday morning before worship.
Email here for more information.
Worship
A worship service takes more than just the Pastor, the DCE, and the Music Minister…there are a variety of ways to serve by volunteering at worship.
Acolytes
Worship in the Lutheran tradition has a richness and depth that can bring great meaning to those who value symbolism and biblical imagery. Candles are a wonderful symbol in the church — usually associated with celebrations. But candles are also an important symbol of Jesus Christ, who is the light of the world. Acolytes help us focus our attention on Christ by lighting the candles in our sanctuary at the beginning of worship. They start by lighting their wicks from the Christ Candle — and then distributing that light among the other candles. So it is with us — our light comes from Christ, who invites us to “let your light shine before men.”
Acolytes are young people in grades 5th through 8th grade who serve in this role as one way of helping them to recognize that they are a vital part of the body of Christ, the church.
Email here for more information.
Altar Guild
Bethlehem’s Altar Guild members provide this “behind
the scenes” ministry as they prepare the altar areas with linens, paraments, candles and communion ware. Volunteer members assist with the communion set-up and takedown as well as with special church services. Members may sign up for dates and are encouraged to serve a minimum of 2 times a year. Both individuals and family groups are encouraged to serve as Altar Guild volunteers and training is readily provided. Each January, members are invited to a fellowship get-together for the purpose of reflecting on the past year of service and to plan the volunteer schedule for the coming year.
Email here for more information.
Greeters
Who was that first welcoming person you met when you came to Bethlehem? Isn’t it great when you come to a new place and someone really cares that you’re there? That’s what our Guest Host Ministry tries to accomplish. More than just a handshake at the door, Guest Hosts are here to really welcome with warmth and depth. Need to know where the nursery is? Ask the Host. Want to know how to get to the balcony? Ask the host? Want to be sure to meet the pastor? Ask the Host? Hosts are eager to learn the names of our guests; eager to make everyone feel special; eager to assist in any way with the needs of our guests.
Guest hosts bring the spiritual gift of hospitality to this important ministry of Bethlehem. These volunteers also receive training to more fully equip them with information so they can maximize their joy in helping.
Email here for more information.
Lay Readers
Scripture tells us that God’s Word is living and active. The Lay Reader serves an important role to God and the Church as one who reads Scripture lessons during the worship service.
A reader is needed for each Sunday worship service. The church office sends out the readings to the readers prior to the Sunday worship.
Email here for more information.
Ushers
Being an usher is an opportunity to serve God by serving His people, and is a wonderful way to actively and faithfully participate in the functioning of Bethlehem Lutheran Church. The role of the usher is often underestimated for its importance. Good ushers are “people-persons” who make all coming into the church feel welcome and appreciated. In doing so, ushers contribute greatly to making everyone’s church experience a positive one.
There are two assigned ushers for each service. Usher duties at Bethlehem consist of handing out worship bulletins, assisting with the offering and communion, ensuring guests and members needs are respectfully handled, being attentive during the service—watching for latecomers and assisting the Pastor with any needs that may arise. The ushers tidy up the pews after the service.
Email here for more information.
Bethlehem Lutheran Church - Aloha, OR 