Dear Bethel Church Council, Staff, Members and Friends,

In 2004, as part of my contextual education at Luther Seminary, I was assigned to Hosanna Lutheran Church in Forest Lake, Minnesota. It was the first place I ever preached a sermon, including one with my three-year old daughter hanging onto my leg for dear life. On August 24th, Hosanna voted to call me as their lead pastor. This is truly a full circle moment. I look forward to shepherding their congregation, as they began shepherding me into ministry so long ago.

I am excited for this new opportunity, while at the same time I am sad to leave Bethel. The past 9 ½ years have meant so much to me, getting to know you and walking with you through so many years and so many joys and changes. I will continue to pray for you and for a bright future in ministry and service. I hope you will pray for me as well in this new venture and for the people of Hosanna as they navigate transition. Your friendship, trust, and support have left a lasting impact. Neal and I leave with hearts filled with gratitude.

My last Sunday in worship will be September 21st. I will do my best to help facilitate a successful transition in this interim period.

Once again, please know that I am immensely grateful to you for allowing me the privilege of serving with you for these past many years. May God bless you now and always.

Sincerely,
Pastor Kris Kurzejeski

A Message from Pastor Ladd:

Dear Bethel Family, 

I want to begin by sharing that I am both excited and saddened as I write this letter. I am excited for Pastor Kris as she steps into her new call as Lead Pastor at Hosanna Lutheran Church in Forest Lake, MN. This is a wonderful opportunity for her to continue living into her gifts and potential. At the same time, I am deeply sad to see her leave her role here at Bethel. 

As many of you know, Pastor Kris has faithfully served our congregation for the past nine years. During that time, she has made a tremendous impact on our community of faith. From leading powerful women’s retreats to teaching Bible studies, from preaching God’s Word to developing staff and leadership teams, Pastor Kris has shaped Bethel in lasting ways. We cannot thank her enough for all that she has done—and for the many things that will continue to bless us even after she leaves. 

As her time with us draws to a close, we want to celebrate and give thanks. On Sunday, September 21, we will gather for a combined worship service at 9:00 am, at the Highlands Campus, followed by a celebration to honor Pastor Kris and her husband, Neal. Please mark your calendars and plan to join us for this special day. 

Moving into this time of transition, we do so with confidence, supported by a gifted staff and a faithful council. Together, they will help provide continuity and stability as we move forward. Most of all, we trust that God is already at work, leading us into the future with hope and promise. 

Looking ahead, I want to assure you that the leadership of Bethel is already tending carefully to this time of transition. I have been in contact with the Synod and am actively seeking an interim pastor to walk with us in this season. Our Executive Committee, along with the Council, will continue discerning next steps, including the possibility of calling a full-time Faith Formation Pastor and prayerfully reevaluating the pastoral needs we have for a third pastor. 

Through all of this, we ask for your prayers. Please hold Pastor Kris, Neal, and the congregation of Hosanna in prayer as they begin their new journey together. And please also keep Bethel—our council, staff, and entire congregation—in your prayers. We trust that God is faithful and at work among us. With God’s help, we are confident that Bethel will continue to live out its mission in powerful ways. 

Thank you for being the kind of congregation that always rises to meet the challenges before us. May God’s peace be with each of you. 

In Christ, 
Pastor Ladd Sonnenberg

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

We want to extend a huge thank you to everyone who attended the Installation and Staff Recognition Celebration on September 8th. It was so amazing to see our community come together to celebrate all that God is doing here – and we do have so much to celebrate! We have amazing worship services, great programs for all ages, as well as meaningful service opportunities. As your pastors, we stand in amazement of all that Bethel has done and continues to do to live out our mission of Connecting, Growing, and Serving God and others. However, none of this is possible without you.

It is through your willingness to give of your time (which we know is precious), your abilities (which are abundant), and your financial gifts, (which are very much needed and appreciated), that we are able to help both those in our congregation and those in other parts of the world know the love of Jesus Christ. 

Currently, we are gearing up to enter into our annual stewardship campaign, where we will ask each of you to prayerfully consider how you can financially support the life-transforming ministries we do here at Bethel. In the next week or two, we will be sending you a letter to invite you to consider how you can financially support Bethel in the year ahead. On October 27th, Reformation Sunday, we encourage you to bring your pledge cards to worship and celebrate with us as we look at how we, like Martin Luther, are about bringing the Good News of Jesus Christ to all people. 

As we enter into this stewardship season, our 2024-2025 theme, “From Generation to Generation,” calls us to consider how your family and friends over the years have grown and been shaped by the community and ministries at Bethel.  We look at this time as a great opportunity for you to share with others about why Bethel is meaningful to you and how we might continue to support the mission of our church. Through these conversations, we pass on our faith by sharing how God has used Bethel to make a
difference in our lives and how by pledging we have had our faith grow.

As many of you know, pledging does not just allow us to keep our lights on or pay the amazing staff we have, it is also about strengthening our walk with Christ. As we pledge, we are putting our trust in God to provide for us in return. In pledging, we don’t just help others grow in their faith, but we grow in our faith as well.

Thank you in advance for your willingness to prayerfully consider how you can financially support the mission and ministry as well as use this opportunity to pass on your faith from generation to generation.

Pastor Kris and Pastor Ladd

This intergenerational focus was one of many aspects that the Worship Committee used in evaluating and setting Bethel’s worship times for the fall and going forward. They looked at not only attendance, but who was attending. Are we attracting families and children? Does it seem like faith is being “caught” by worshipping together on Sunday morning? With this in mind, the decision recommended to the council was to continue with our current worship schedule of a 9:00 am contemporary service at our Highlands location and a 10:30 traditional service at our downtown site. At the August 19^th council meeting, the council affirmed this decision, voting to move forward with this recommendation. We sincerely hope you will join us at one of these two services to worship our Lord as a family of faith and we encourage you to invite your friends and family members to join us as well! If that is not possible, we will continue to offer two online services, live streamed at the same time as worship, but available for watching at your convenience any time during the week, from our website, Facebook page, or YouTube channel. However, because of the impact that is created when we worship in-person together, we hope that doing so will be your top priority when possible.

Besides worship, there are other ways that we can share our faith in powerful ways from generation to generation. Our middle school team is always looking for adult leaders to meet in small groups with our youth to discuss weekly topics. Our Sunday school is always looking for people to teach or help in various ways. On Saturday, October 19^th, Bethel will hold its annual Scandinavian Food Fest. In the last few years, it has been encouraging to see more young people helping their parents and grandparents with this outreach event, bringing people into our church from other cities, and learning about our community at Bethel. In addition, weddings, funerals, anniversaries, graduations, and parties are all great opportunities to share the importance of faith with family and friends.

Speaking of parties…We hope you will join us on Sunday, September 8^th for one unified service, as we look forward in faith. It will be an installation of Pastor Ladd as the lead pastor but will also affirm the rest of the staff in their ministry roles and celebrate all that has been, and all that is yet to come for Bethel. Please mark this on your calendar and be part of this celebration in our church family, catching that spirit of faith, and passing on this important milestone, “from generation to generation, so that all might come to praise our Lord together!”

Pastor Kris and Pastor Ladd

In order to decide, the Worship Committee held two listening sessions, opened an online feedback form, and solicited feedback from families with children in Sunday School and youth who help in worship. They held numerous conversations with congregational members. They investigated what other churches around our size were doing and looked at churches with more than one site. Staffing, volunteerism, resources, feedback from musicians, considerations regarding Sunday School, financial considerations, shuttle service, worship attendance stats, time to travel between campuses, how best to reach those who are not yet worshipping with us, and other factors were all considered. The committee was aware that there would not be a perfect solution to accommodate everyone’s request or idea and that some people would undoubtedly be disappointed no matter what decision was made. The committee took this task very seriously.  

In the end, the committee was united in discerning that the best thing for Bethel at this time, would be to continue our current schedule of holding a 9am contemporary service at Highlands with concurrent Sunday School and having a 10:30am traditional service Downtown. The Church Council unanimously voted to approve this recommendation at their August 19th meeting. We will continue to livestream both our contemporary and traditional services on Facebook, through our website at bethelhudson.org and on our YouTube channel. In addition, one-week delayed broadcasts will continue on radio station WEVR and our services can be seen on the local CCTV broadcasts throughout the week. While this decision is the best thing for Bethel right now, it does not mean it will be the best thing for Bethel in the future. As conditions at Bethel grow and evolve, the issue of worship times may need to change in response to those situations. That is the reality of every church.  

Thank you to the Worship Committee for their time, dedication, and for their willingness to sort through a difficult and complicated issue, setting aside their personal preferences, to decide what would be the most beneficial for Bethel, using their filter to “reach the most people of all ages, with the highest quality services, so that they might come to know, love and serve the Lord.”  Well-done, good and faithful servants!  

Sincerely, 

Pastor Kris and Pastor Ladd

It is not surprising then that the change of any worship times is upsetting to some of the faithful – worship is who we are and what we do – and some of us have routines that we don’t like to have challenged or changed. The newly established worship committee has a large task this summer with their first project – determining fall worship times. We were so impressed with this group and how seriously they are taking this responsibility. The first thing the group did was to set out what their goal was in determining worship times. They decided that their goal was to determine what times offered the highest quality worship experience, for the greatest number of people of all ages, to draw us closer to knowing, loving, and serving God. Another way to put that is they are asking what worship times will help us to live out our mission of connecting, growing, and serving for the most people, having the most meaningful experiences. This will be a difficult decision.

However, they have also determined the process necessary to arrive at their conclusion. Over the winter, this group researched what other churches our size have been doing. They found out what churches with two campuses were doing. They analyzed how those things would work at Bethel and are bringing those findings to the table for discussion. They have also analyzed the statistics of worship attendance, both prior to and since, our time changes. There have been two meetings in the month of June and the committee is working to find recommendations that they can bring to the larger congregation for further discussion and input. Listening sessions are planning to be held and we hope you will consider attending one and give some thought as to how you might answer the question they are tasked with: What is the best for Bethel’s community overall, as we continue to live out our mission and ministries going forward?

Cynthia Holmes Landry has written about why we worship, and we think it is a good reminder to share. She says, “Worship is not about us. Exalting God is not about what you can get out of it; it is about choosing to praise God and trust Him regardless of your circumstances because you know Him and you know that He is sovereign, loving, and by your side. God has already given us life, His Son on the cross, and the promise of eternal life.” The heart of worship is a response of submission, love, and joy to God’s love and His might. Please pray for this group as they discern the best path forward. Pray that God will guide their paths and their hearts. We hope you will join us in worship!

Pastor Kris and Pastor Ladd

This past month has been a busy and exciting one. God has been up to so many wonderful things at Bethel. One of the big things we have done together is the “First 90-Day Initiative Listening Sessions.” We want to thank everyone who came out to take part whether it be during a live session or providing feedback via online. We, as pastors and Council, are excited to read all you have offered and will start to prioritize your ideas into an action plan to be shared with you this September.

Another task that we have been working on here at Bethel is re-envisioning our organizational structure in a manner that allows Bethel to be most effective in living out our mission. After conversations with the Council, we will be moving forward this month in very exciting ways. The first is transitioning Pastor Kris from her role as Pastor of Adult Ministries to a new position of Executive Pastor. In this position, Pastor Kris will report to me and and we will continue to work side-by-side in leading the church, much like we have over the past year and a half. In this position, Pastor Kris will be overseeing the daily operations of the church, which she has been doing extensively throughout the transition. Since Pastor Kris has already been called as an associate pastor at Bethel, we do not need to offer her a new call in order for her to fulfill this much needed role. This change is effective immediately; please join me in congratulating Pastor Kris in her new position.

With the re-envisioned organizational structure, the role requirements for the third full-time pastor have been defined, laying the groundwork to begin the process of calling a Pastor of Faith Formation. This individual will oversee the ministries from birth to senior adult. The Pastor of Faith Formation will work alongside Pastor Kris, me, and the rest of the staff to provide the same amazing programs we have been offering, as well as begin to look at providing new ministry opportunities in areas that we have not been able to give our full focus to during the transitional period. If you are interested in being a part of the Call Committee, we invite you to go to our website and fill out an application form; applications are due by June 10th. The Nominating Committee will review all applicants and then make a recommendation to Council at their June meeting. We anticipate the Call Committee will begin their work in July 2024.

We want to thank each of you, the Council, and the staff for trusting us as we continue to live out our mission of Connecting, Growing, and Serving. Know that if you have any questions, you can always reach out to either Pastor Kris or me. We ask that you please continue to hold all of us in your prayers as we lean into the future of Bethel.

With Gratitude,
Pastor Ladd and Pastor Kris

In my first 90 days, Pastor Kris and I want to hear from you considering what you believe are the most important things the church is doing and what we need to be focusing on. We believe moving forward as Bethel (church and preschool) we want to make sure we have a strong foundation to be able to stand on. Much like our Downtown Campus neighbor (the Phipps’s house) before they began to expand the house, they first attended to the foundation of the house so that it can be strong and ready to handle whatever lies ahead of it. Here at Bethel Pastor Kris, the Church Council, and myself feel this is equally important. What are the things we need to address today, so we can be ready for whatever God has prepared for us tomorrow? Over the next 90-days we will be meeting with the Staff, Council, and the Congregation to learn what your thoughts are. You are invited to attend a listening session in May where you will have a chance to share your thoughts as well as your questions. Once we collect these thoughts, we will begin to categorize them along with the Executive Committee and Council in order to create committees and action teams which will then create an action plan on how we move forward on accomplishing them. It is our hope that in these “First 90-days” these committees and action teams will be up and running. Throughout this process we will continue to keep you informed and a part of the conversation.

We are so excited to see what God has in store for us in the future, and we are also excited to see how God is going to work through Bethel in the next 90-days to begin to solidify our foundation, so that we can continue to be a united front living out our mission of connecting, growing, and serving.

Thank you again for believing in me. I am excited to continue to partner with Pastor Kris as we look to our “Next Chapter” here at Bethel.

All God’s Blessings,
Pastor Ladd Sonnenberg