Welcome to Bethlehem Lutheran Church’s web-site. This congregation has been on McKinley Hill for over 100 years and at our current location since 1948. This large building was built by members who came together in the evenings to lay the foundation and participate in the construction. We are a member of the ELCA (Evangelical Lutheran Church in America).
Bethlehem has seen the East Side of Tacoma go through many changes and it is currently experiencing changes of its own as it seeks to make the transformation from an ethnically Norwegian Lutheran congregation to a congregation that embraces people from all backgrounds, countries and experiences. We are learning new ways to connect with the community and are always looking for ways in which we can better serve you, our neighbors.
If you are curious about us, do not hesitate to come and check us out. All are welcome, come as you are and who you are. There is no dress code.
Our Sunday Morning Worship (10pm) is based on a liturgical format meaning that it has a specific order to it. We Gather as a community of faith to ask for and receive forgiveness for what we have done and what we have left undone and then renewed by God’s forgiving grace we hear the Word in scripture, song, prayer and sermon. We share in the Meal (Holy Communion) and then we are Sent as a forgiven people to love and serve our neighbor, meaning everyone we encounter in our daily lives.
If you are not familiar with a liturgical worship don’t worry…all you need to do is relax and we will carry you along until you feel comfortable enough to join in. It is not hard and it is not demanding. We sing hymns, (some old time favorites and some more current ones), read scripture, pray and participate in the sermon. Notice I said participate in the sermon. As a preacher I am not interested in lecturing to you and I often ask the congregation to respond with their thoughts. I am not going to tell you how to do things, how to live your life and what you need to believe in order to be saved. I am not going to have your relationship with God for you. But I am here to listen to you, and help if you need it.
What I want folks to get is that God is the one who saves us all…through grace. It is a free gift, offered to all. I long for you to have a faith journey, seek God in the way God intended you to, not in some pre-scribed way. I also believe that all questions are good questions. Here at Bethlehem, people are free to doubt and free to ask the hard questions. I don’t have all the answers but I have found that open discussions often help us with our difficult questions about our relationship with God.
If you are interested in an intimate and open forum as a worship style then the Non-Traditional Saturday Evening Service (at 5pm) just might be for you. This style of worship is often called “Emergent” as opposed to “Contemporary”. During this service we spontaneously pick hymns and praise songs to sing before we read a bible passage that we then discuss. We read the passage 3 times and with each reading we look for deeper meaning, understanding and calling. Sometimes we just don’t “get it” and then we have a lively discussion. Some folks participate a lot in the discussion, others mostly listen…it’s up to you. In this service too, we share Holy Communion each week.
I know that walking through the door of a big old stone building full of strangers is not an easy thing to do. Some folks here will greet you eagerly, others will be more reserved. We are a community of regular people, old and young, reserved and outgoing, saint and sinner. Just a warning…kids often participate in worship (it is their church too) by reading one or more of the Bible passages, helping with the offering or with communion. The pastor is a woman…so if you don’t like kids and you don’t like women preachers we might not be for you…but if you do…we might be just what you are looking for as a safe place to come and explore who you are in relationship to others and to your God.
Maybe we will see you Saturday night at 5pm or Sunday morning at 10am.
Regardless I hope the fact that you have looked at our web-site means that you are seeking to know your God better. I pray that you find a faith community in which you are welcome to be who are as a beloved child of God.
Blessings on your day,
Pastor Nina
