Fall is in the air. It is so wonderful to see the beauty that comes with the leaves changing colors and feel the crisp air in the morning. As many people have said, “This is why we live here.”

We have so much to give God thanks for above and beyond this amazing weather. We give God thanks for all those who helped and came out to the Scandinavian Food Fest. We give God thanks for all the students and small group leaders who are attending the Wednesday night youth programming, as well as our Sunday School program. We give God thanks for all those who have, and are, attending the different adult Bible studies. We give God thanks for all those that continue to make it a priority to worship with us in person or online every Sunday. We give God thanks for each one of you who have submitted your pledge card for the 2025 year. This will truly help us as a church to plot the course for the coming year. Please know it is never too late to return your pledge card whether online, by mail, or dropping it off at the downtown office.

As we begin November, we pause to give God thanks and praise for those who have gone before us and for evidence of His blessings in our lives. On Sunday, November 3rd, All Saints’ Day, we will remember all our loved ones who have gone before us into the church triumphant. It is our tradition, every year here at Bethel, to remember those who have died, as well as to express gratitude for the promise of Christ’s victory over death. We will remember those saints who have died in our congregation this past year by reading their names aloud in worship. That Sunday you can also remember your loved ones who have died by writing their name on a paper leaf and placing that leaf on the trees in front of the sanctuary. Then after worship, at 4:00 pm we invite you and your family to join us at the Bethel Memorial Garden to hear the stories of a few individuals who have passed on. Afterward, we will join together for a light meal in the Highlands campus.

Later in the month, we invite you to give God thanks by joining us for our Thanksgiving Eve service on Wednesday, November 27thth at 7pm at our downtown campus. During this time, we will have a chance to gather together with our loved ones and friends to pause in the midst of our busyness and recount God’s faithfulness. Following worship, we will have a time of pie and fellowship. If you like to bake pies, please sign up online to let us know what you would like to bring.

Here at Bethel, God’s blessings are abundant. Though we don’t know what the future holds, we know the One who holds our future in the palm of His hand. We pray you join us as it says in 1 Chronicles 16:34: “Give thanks to the Lord for He is good; His love endures forever.” Through the month of November, we invite you to join us for some, or all, of these events as we pass on the faith from “Generation to Generation” by sharing with others our thankfulness to God.

Pastor Ladd and Pastor Kris